From 25th to 28th July the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, the highlight of the North’s gardening calandar, will return to Cheshire’s stunning thousand acre deer park. Pioneering and innovative gardens will combine with food, shopping, crafts, music and fashion to make this the perfect summer day out for all. Here’s just some of the things to look forward to at this year’s show…
Floral Marquee
The Floral Marquee will be home to around 90 award winning nurseries, with spectcular displays to enhant visitors. New for 2013 will be two RHS Potting Benches, where nursery specialists will be doing short, informal, hands-on demos to give vistitors practical tips which they can take home.
Large and Small Gardens
Across the showground located in four zones will be the large and small show gardens. The large garden designs will include a garden inspired by female prisoners rebuilding their lives, a recreation of 1940s wartime allotment, and gardens drawing on fairytales and the work of Beatrix Potter. Small gardens will include a modern formal kitchen garden, a ‘smart’ garden which will celebrate sounds and colour scapes and a garden inspired by a disused railway line.
RHS National Flower Bed Competition
Local authorities and communities across the country will compete in the RHS National Flowerbed competition to find the most creative displays of bedding plants, each drawing on a local story from their area.
RHS National Young Designer Gardens
Three young gardeners aged 28 and under will present their gardens in this exciting category that supports young talent embarking on horticultural careers. The theme for 2013 is Eco Innovations and each of the designers has developed an ecologically sustainable and biologically diverse garden.
Floral Design Studio
Professional florists will showcase their expert skills in the Interflora Florist of the Year and Florist of the Future competitions for floral design, whilst students from six floristry colleges around the UK will present striking galaxy-themed floristry displays for the Floristry College Competition. Interflora will also celebrate their 90th anniversary by re-building their Gold medal winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show exhibit in the studio, for guests to marvel at.
RHS Fruit and Vegetable Competition Pavilion and Great Taste Market
As well as seeing the contenders for prizes for the best fruit and vegetables, visitors will be able to meet and get tips from specialist fruit and vegetable producers and societies. Around 30 UK food producers will be exhibiting and selling their delicious award-winning regional foods, allowing visitors to sample and take home the best cheeses, delicatessen items, the finest oils, vinegars and other condiments.
Ladies’ Day
As well as offering the perfect excuse to get dressed up, Ladies’ Day at Tatton on 26th July includes a special programme for female horticultural enthusiasts including a talk by a local perfumer and jam maker. This is the day to celebrate the summer sun and enjoy a glass of bubbly with your best girlfriends.
For more information, or to buy ticktes for the show, visit www.rhs.org.uk/tatton or call 020 7649 1885. Ticket prices range from £19.50 to £23.50 and are on sale now. Children under 16 go free.
Source: Interflora – What’s on at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2013
