An Introduction to Hampton Court Garden Festival

Each year, tens of thousands of people flock to Hampton Court Palace for the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Show. This famous event inspires, educates and entertains professional and amateur gardeners with the most cutting-edge and remarkable designs and displays.

Big and Beautiful

Since 1990, the ever-expanding Hampton Court Garden Festival has been a bright spot in the British outdoor event calendar. This Royal Horticultural Society flower and garden show is the largest in the world, covering 34 acres of land. It is held in the scenic gardens of Hampton Court Palace in East Molesey, Surrey, a stunning location built in the early 1500s for Henry VIII. The Palace sits on the River Thames in the south of London and provides a dramatic backdrop for the Festival. Each year, for six days in July, tens of thousands of people flock to the Festival.

A Focus On Food

While some shows are concerned with display gardens, nostalgic presentations or competitions, the Hampton Court Garden Festival focuses on more practical topics. Food, growing vegetables and sustainability are common themes. Talks by chefs help people get ideas about what kind of produce to grow, how to cook with it, and how to think creatively about seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs. That’s likely to be a strong theme of the coming year’s festival, since so many people have been spending more time at home and in their garden than usual. Regardless of the size of people’s homes, everyone can learn to grow some herbs on the kitchen counter, or turn their balcony into a little oasis of calm. The Festival helps people understand how to live in harmony with plants and their gardens.

There is often an environmental education theme, and people can attend talks and demonstrations about important ecological issues. Making your garden attractive to pollinators is always a popular question amongst gardeners, and bee- and bird-friendly gardening advice is in good supply. Display gardens are frequently themed around practical considerations for home gardeners. And of course, attendees can purchase plants, flowers, useful tools and other gardening products.

Celebrating Everything That Grows

With live music, fireworks and entertainment, there is truly an air of celebration about all things gardening! This event has a festival atmosphere and is unlike many other shows. One stand-out element is the Festival of Roses, where attendees can wander through a dazzling array of different rose cultivars. In 2019, the Festival of Roses also included a tea room, where tired and thirsty people could sit and enjoy tea and cake surrounded by perfect flowers of every color imaginable.

The fun environment is one reason why this show is so popular. Of course, gardeners love to get together and see what’s new and interesting. But this is a gardening and flower show that anyone can enjoy.

The promotional material for the Festival indicates that they are trying to make it an exciting and stimulating day out for anyone. That’s easy to do when the location is so beautiful, and when there are so many visually delightful displays. Take, for instance, the Floral Marquee. With over 100 exhibitors, gardeners can view and purchase new plants and flowers, and get advice from the experts on site. But anyone walking into the giant tent couldn’t help but be impressed by all the beauty on display. From flowers to succulents, grasses to ferns, everything is available to admire and discuss. And who knows – perhaps a potential gardener might be tempted to buy something, and start their very own gardening journey.

The Royal Horticultural Society tries very hard to make the show accessible to everyone, regardless of their level of knowledge. That’s why they have a Gardening Advice team available, to answer questions and give specialized help and information.

Changing With the Times

One unique feature of the Hampton Court Garden Festival is how quickly the show responds to trends and public interests. Visitors and reviewers comment that unlike the much more traditional Chelsea Flower Show, which prizes expertise and heritage, the Festival showcases bold and brilliant new ideas more readily. People seem to respond to the approachable combination of advice, demonstrations and practical solutions for their own gardens. Indeed, in 2019 the name of the show was changed from the Hampton Court Flower Show. The Royal Horticultural Society said that the name better reflected people’s experiences of the event.

After cancellation in 2020, the first in the show’s thirty-year history, the 2021 show will return in July as usual. There’ll be a lot of people very excited to come back to the beautiful Hampton Court Palace and join with others in this colossal celebration of plants and flowers.