I wasย given freeย tickets from a friend toย visit the RHS Flower Show. My partner and I nearly went a few years ago but the expensive ticketย price put us off. As soon as we got there I could see that it was aย very well organised event with everything meticulously set out and signposted. The only thing the organisersย had no powerย over was the poor weather and it drizzled all day.
Our first visit was to the huge flower tent whereย you could buy all manner of flora from giant lilies,ย to cacti, to bonsai trees. There were also โpottingย shedโ demonstrations run by various experts, they did cause a few traffic jams so ideallyย should have their own corner!
Tatton Park is a veritable black hole for phone signal which is not ideal for googling plants, making vines or trying to find each other in the crowds!
After marvelling at the amazing flowers we went to look for some food. There was a selection of vans to choose from offering hog roasts, Mexican food, paninis and other such fare. Probably not quite as exciting as I would like! I went for chips, which were overpriced and underwhelming. Service wasnโt great and they were nothing like classic chippy chips. Disappointing.
We had a well earned brew and sat on the floor of one of the food tents โ in the rainy weather they definitely needed more undercover tables and chairs especially for older people sheltering from the rain. There were champagne vans which was very tempting but there was no way I was drinking it in the rain!
The highlight of the show was of course the display gardens which were very inspiring! I especially liked the incorporation of the solar panels into the one below (Aurora Arbora โ Silver). The use of colour, shape, structureย and overall design features were a greatย idea for budding gardeners like myself and my partner. As our garden isย designed specifically with wildlife inย mind, we thought that aย mini waterfall could be beneficial for birds and mammals alike.
Reflecting Phototonics by Helen Elks-Smith won the best large garden award and it was beautiful and definitely deserving ofย the accolade!
And below a space age greenhouseโฆ(Light Catcher โ Best Year of the Light Garden)
There were many, many opportunities to spend money, the Country Living tent was full of handmade wares, tents full of flowers and outdoor shops selling outdoor furniture, ยฃ800 trees and remote controlled lawnmowers.
Considering the amounts of money they must make, the entrance fee (ยฃ30 on the day)ย didnโt really seem justified. They even had a cash machine on site to help you spend more.
In terms of entertainment, there was the display gardens, feast theatre,ย crafts, talks,ย gardens made my local schools, potting demonstrations and a live band. The band played to outdoor seating so it was difficult to watch them in the rain. I donโt know if this was enough to justify such a high entrance fee but there were still plenty of people, mostly of older generations.
Another element that I liked was the decorated shed area, where there was a mirrored shed with a disco ball and a shed painted with a beautiful blue tit.
There was a carousel and ferris wheel rides decorated with flowers as you can watch on my vines.
One problem that I had with the festival was a Zulu themed garden which I thought was in poor taste as glamourising violence and colonial oppression is not what I would ever expect from a flower show. Or anywhere.ย War can be represented in artย but to reduce human sufferingย in this way is aย fairly large oversight.ย The garden was meant as a tribute to the life ofย Reverend George Smith but theย biased portrayalย and representation an entire culture as wooden shields justย feltย completely wrong. Read about the garden and the reasons behind its existenceย on the Preston blog.
Overall, the event is well organised and many of the gardens are beautiful, I think that making it less expensive and providing more undercover seating would be improve the experience. In the North West of the UK it is an essential part of any gardenerโs calendar and I am sure it will continue to do so.
Leave a Reply