EAST MOLESEY, UK: The 2019 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival is the 29th RHS event held in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace July 2-7, 2019.
The flower show at Hampton Court Palace was first held in 1990. The RHS took over the running of the show in 1993 and has held a show on the at the 34 acre site ever since. Around 130 000 visitors attend the show each year
Flower shows offer consumers the chance to see plants close at hand. The show gardens present ways to combine plants creatively and demonstrate how to use them in a garden setting.
Rosarian Michael Marriottm (pictured) from David Austin Roses (www.davidaustinroses.co.uk) believes that flower shows inspire gardeners to buy plants. “Chelsea Flower Show is the exception,” he says. “It’s the only RHS Show where it is not so easy to buy plants.” Small plants may be sold and orders can be placed, but plants are not on sale until the sell-off on the last day.
Hampton Court Garden Festival is a different matter. “It’s the perfect time of year for gardeners,” explains Michael. “People are enthused for gardening. The weather is good and it is held when you can see gaps in the borders that need filling.”
Roses have always been an important part of the Hampton Court show – in 1990 the show included the British Rose Festival. This year the Festival of Roses has been revamped and includes its very own Rose Garden designed by Jo Thompson. This year David Austin roses won its 18th Gold Medal at Hampton Court and it was also awarded Best Rose exhibit for the third consecutive year. “Each rose grower has its own little garden,” says Michael. “Visitors can see wonderful plant combinations created by professional plantsmen and women. These are the skilled people who know what works well and what looks good together.”
It’s also the chance to see and smell the roses close up. There are at least two hundred rose varieties to see in the marquee. “Roses are not just beautiful double flowers,” says Michael. “The rose world is incredibly variable and versatile. You can plant a rose in almost every part of the garden apart from the pond. There isn’t just one rose fragrance; there is tea, myrrh, fruit, old rose and musk and within those there’s huge variation. Each of us smells things differently, so you need to experience that first hand. A flower show is the perfect place to get up close and smell the roses.”
It is a tradition for the Rose of the year award for the next year to be announced at The Festival of Roses. The Rose of the Year is selected from trials around the country that run for two years. The winning rose is most likely picked 6 years before you see it, this gives time for growing so it can be widely available. 2020’s Rose of the Year winner is called Sweet Honey ‘Kormecaso’ from Kordes Rosen of Germany. For more information on the rose visit: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-hampton-court-palace-garden-festival/news/2019/rose-of-the-year
HTA and APL members once again wowed the crowds and judges with their amazing gardens and displays. This year was the first time the APL moved away from having a Show Feature garden, to a judged Show Garden. The garden was a true APL community build, with a total of 18 different member companies involved in the garden, including the apprentices currently on the APL Apprenticeship scheme.
The awards are as follows:
SHOW GARDENS
GOLD – The Thames Water Flourishing Future Garden
Designed by – Tony Woods
Built by – Garden Club London
Sponsored by – Thames Water
SILVER – APL A Place to Meet
Designed by – Cherry Carmen
Built by – Kebur Landscape Division
Sponsored by – Creepers Nursery, Kebur Garden Materials, Garden House Design, Landscapeplus, and John Lewis Home Solutions.
LIFESTYLE GARDENS
SILVER-GILT – The Lower Barn Farm Outdoor Living Garden
Designed by – Robert Grimstead
Built by – Landscapes By Design
Sponsored by – Lower Barn Farm
SILVER-GILT – The Urban Pollinator
Designed by – Caitlin McLaughlin
Built by – Conway Landscapes
Sponsored by – Warner’s
GLOBAL IMPACT GARDENS
SILVER-GILT – Believe in Tomorrow Garden
Designed by – Seonaid Royall
Built by – Highgrove Landscaping
HTA Members who have won medals in the Floral and Roses Marquees include:
GOLD – David Austin Roses Ltd
GOLD – Lime Cross Nursery
GOLD – Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants
SILVER-GILT – Burncoose Nurseries
SILVER-GILT – Blackmoor Nurseries
SILVER-GILT – Desert To Jungle
SILVER-GILT – Fryer’s Roses part of Blue Diamond Group
SILVER-GILT – Hart Canna
SILVER-GILT – Newlands Nursery
SILVER-GILT – Peter Beales Roses
BRONZE – Eden Project
For more information on the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and to view the full list of award winners visit https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-hampton-court-palace-garden-festival/awards
Author: Jean Vernon
