Here are nine events that are sure to add a burst of colour to your group calendar in 2019.
From the most famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, to the newest edition, the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, here are nine events that are sure to add a burst of colour to your group calendar in 2019.
First up in the calendar is the RHS Flower Show Cardiff, from the 12th to 14th April. Set in Bute Park, in the heart of Cardiff, the show will celebrate a love of the outdoors and the wonders of spring, with Cardiff Castle as its backdrop. Highlights you won’t want to miss include the return of the ‘Regeneration Gardens’, designed by recent graduates to be both sustainable and affordable, and the new community competition to create the most beautiful spring borders.
May is set to be a busy month in the RHS calendar, with the RHS Malvern Spring Festival running from 9th to 12th May, and then what is the highlight of the gardening year for many, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, from 21st to 25th May. Malvern’s show will take place at the Three Counties Showground in Worcestershire and will provide a chance to pick up tips from demonstrations and talks from Alan Titchmarsh and Chris Beardshaw, among others. Meanwhile, at the RHS’s flagship show in Chelsea, the best garden designers and plants people from across the world will be brought together once more.
In June, the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show (pictured above) will return from 5th to 9th June for a summer of show gardens and art installations that will see the traditional and the modern presented in a mixed display. Later in the month, the RHS Harlow Carr Garden Flower Show, set in the Yorkshire countryside from 21st to 23rd June, will provide the opportunity to pick up advice from more than 40 specialist nurseries and garden trade stands.
July will see the return of what is thought to be the world’s largest gardening festival, the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, between the 1st and 7th of the month. Covering over 34 acres, the festival will feature workshops, music and competitions, and a new Gardens category ‘Global Impact Gardens’ which will add a topical edge to next year’s event.
If you’re looking to break into the world of gardening, then the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (pictured in 2017 above) is the one for you. Located in Cheshire from the 17th to 21st July, the show celebrates the future stars of garden design. New for 2019 is the Discover and Grow Marquee, where a host of experts will be on hard to provide inspiration and advice on creating a fruit and vegetable plot.
The five-day annual RHS Hyde Hall Garden Flower Show will run once more, from 31st July to 4th August next year, when the garden is in full summer bloom. Look forward to award-winning gardens, specialist nurseries, gardening sundries, expert advice, craft and gifts, live music, and plenty of food and drink options.
Are you located in the south west? Then you won’t want to miss out on the RHS Rosemoor Garden Flower Show from 16th to 18th August, as it’s the only show in the region. Nestled in the Torridge Valley in North Devon, between the Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks, the show has a beautiful backdrop and is a great opportunity to see the best the area has to offer. Don’t miss the Hot Garden, which will be at its best at this time of the year, and will feature summer hues, classic scents and shades of the Mediterranean.
Drawing the RHS calendar to a close from 3rd to 8th September is the RHS Wisley Garden Flower Show. But, while it might be last, it certainly isn’t least, with RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court Place Flower Show medal winners on site to provide expert advice. Make sure you set aside time to wander around Wisley’s Rose garden, and through its recently created Exotic Garden.
For information on group rates for individual shows, GTOs should contact groups@rhs.org.uk or visit rhs.org.uk/groups.
Main Image: Orchid Display in The Great Conservatory RHS Chatsworth Flower Show (Photo Credit: RHS)
