The RHS Sandringham Flower Show is underway, running from 22nd to 26 July, at the royal estate in Norfolk, featuring show gardens, talks, and exciting one-off exhibits, including long borders and upcycled containers.
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One must-see garden is the RNIB Talking Books Garden by Paul Hervey-Brookes, celebrating the RNIB’s free Talking Books service for people with sight loss, which has won Best Show Garden and Best Construction Award, and a gold medal.
The RHS Royal Legacy Garden, designed by Catherine MacDonald, celebrates the King’s horticultural legacy, pioneering approach to environmental issues, and championing skilled gardeners.
The King and Queen’s florist, Shane Connnolly, is also creating a floral tablescape for the show, called A Royal Dinner in the Garden, which hints at the dinner table arrangements he has previously created at Sandringham, and uses only plants picked from the estate.
Biodiversity in Garden Design
The importance of biodiversity in garden design is in focus at RHS Sandringham, as The Mindful Chef’s Gathering garden by Sophie Godber earned The King’s Biodiversity Award, and a gold medal, with naturalistic and edible planting emphasizing the importance of creating habitats that support pollinators, birds, and insects.
Visitors will also be able to spot plenty of other biodiverse planting schemes across the showground, particularly in the Grow Forward gardens, which showcase ways to improve gardens and help mitigate against climate change.
Three long borders won a Gold medal, including Mattie O’Callaghan’s Growing with Many Hands, and naturalistic meadow border The Habitat Garden by Jonathan Mitchell and Katy Haywood Smith.
Water-Wise Planting
Some of the most timely award-winning show gardens at RHS Sandringham tackle the topic of water, such as The Rhythm of Rainwater by AP Design Studio, which showcases how capturing rainwater can be a stylish design feature and mitigate shortages.
The Gold-medal-winning Best Grow Forward Garden features seven aluminium dipping tanks for water storage, two of which are linked by a narrow rill, so water can move between them, and droplets also fall onto steel tongue drums, creating organic music.
Also in the Grow Forward Gardens category is Mindful Meadowlands by Constructing Minds with Nature, which demonstrates how to create a garden in an area at risk of flooding, using dead hedges as a sustainable water barrier and a rose garden expert might appreciate the raised boardwalk.
It’s clear that these trends reflect a broader shift towards more sustainable and environmentally conscious gardening practices, which is likely to continue in the coming years, as people become more aware of the impact of their gardens on the environment.
