It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show before, the 2013 show promises to be something very different. Not only is there an exciting new layout, but the show will include a trio of new zones – entitled Escape, Grow and Inspire – each filled with plans, shopping and food to reflect their individual themes.
GROW
Dive into the fascinating world of plants, whether you’re looking for a rare plant or a robust garden performer they are all here along with experts to point you in the right direction if you need it. Plus gardening demonstrations and the best gardening equipment suppliers
Floral Marquee This is where you’ll find 96 of the UK’s best nurseries. New for 2013 will be three RHS Potting Benches where nursery specialists will be doing short, informal, hands-on demonstrations to pass on practical tips for visitors to take home.
Plant village A relaxed and informal plant fair with high quality displays and plants for sale, from small specialist nurseries.
Plant Heritage Marquee Celebrating the 35th anniversary of Plant Heritage, nine National Plant Collection holders will be sharing their passion for their particular genus and highlighting the importance of the protection and conservation of British Garden Plants.
ESCAPE
Forget the hustle and bustle of the city and escape to the country. A magnet for the ‘grow your own’ enthusiast, a shopper’s paradise for the stylish home and garden buyer, and a mecca for the rose and floristry fanatic. There will be a wonderfully nostalgic, vintage feel to the zone.
Country Living Magazine Pavilion Bringing together around 120 designers, craftspeople and producers from all over Britain, the Country Living Magazine Pavilion showcases furniture, garden accessories, handcrafted jewellery, stylish clothing and arts and crafts.
Rose & Floristry Marquee Step back in time with a vintage, 50s festival of roses and floristry. Some of the UK’s best growers will be here and the Marquee will also host the launch of the 2013 Rose of the Year. The vintage feel will also be embraced by spectacular floristry displays, and there will be talks on rose growing and floristry demonstrations.
Growing Taste With a new look for 2013, the Growing Taste Marquee will inspire visitors to dig out their garden forks and get growing. Expert growers will be on hand to provide tips and advice, and there will be mouth-watering demonstrations from The School of Artisan Food.
Grapevine Talks Theatre Gardening presenter David Domoney will host countryside-inspired floral fashion shows, and each day a special, celebrity guest will talk about their love of gardening.
INSPIRE, sponsored by Ecover
Breaking the boundaries in garden design. What is new and innovative? Taking on board our ever-increasing desire to entertain outside and making more use of our garden space as an extension to our homes, there are new trade stands with innovative lighting, in the ‘Hands On’ area.
Conceptual Gardens The Conceptual Gardens are innovative design concepts which challenge the idea of what is a garden. This year, the eight gardens have a strong sustainable story. Look out for Tip of the Iceberg, which features an iceberg made from fridges, a giant grass claw in The Claw, and an apocalyptic scene with a hopeful spiralling of new growth in Ashes to Ashes.
For something a little more traditional, the Summer Gardens feature inspirational designs, celebrating plants and small gardens. Look out for A Moveable Feast a vegetable garden that can be relocated, a garden inspired by the three witches of Macbeth, and Alone at Last, a clever way to make a young couple’s overlooked garden a secluded area for entertaining.
The big Show Gardens are always impressive, and this year there’s a formal courtyard with added sound, music and colour in The Singing Tree, the Macmillan Cancer Garden, which features soft colour palette, and Jardin du Gormet, a contemporary design with clean lines and designed for a busy restaranteur who likes to use their productive garden as a stylish entertaining area.
Source: RHS – Get in the Zones at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2013
