Hampton Court Palace.
Introduction
The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) 2018 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show covers more than 34 acres and is the world’s largest annual flower show. Viking Cruises is the headline sponsor of the 2018 show, which is expected to attract more than 140,000 attendees during its six-day running, 3 – 8 July.
Compared to the RHS’s flagship show in Chelsea, which was first held in the 1860’s, Hampton Court is a relatively young flower show. It was first held in 1990. However, what the Hampton Court Palace show lacks in age, the venue more than compensates. As the name deftly betrays, it is held on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII’s favourite royal residence, where construction began in 1515. The palace is located on the River Thames less than 20 km (ca 12 miles) southwest of Central London.
For garden designers, the awards presented by the RHS at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show represent are among highest the most coveted in the world of horticulture and garden design. This year, there are a total of 27 gardens across four categories: Show Gardens, World Gardens, Lifestyle Gardens, and Gardens For a Changing World / Conceptual Garden.
For each garden category there are four grades of medals that can be presented: Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver and Bronze. There is no limit to the number of medals that can be awarded within each grade since each garden is judged according to set criteria. Of course, this also means that there may be certain medal grades that are not awarded to any garden.
Within each garden category there is also a “Best” garden award and for Show Gardens there is a “Best Construction” award.
This article reviews the Show Garden award winners. See the separate articles for World Garden, Lifestyle Garden, and Gardens For a Changing World / Conceptual Garden award winners.
Show Garden Award Winners
Best Show Garden Award: B&Q Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden. (For our non-UK and Ireland readers, B&Q is a local DIY and home improvement chain, the sponsor of this garden. Also, Busy Lizzie is the common name for Impatiens, a genus of more than 800 flowering plants).
B&Q Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden.
Best Construction Award: B&Q Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden.
B&Q Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden.
Gold Medals:
1. B&Q Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden.
B&Q Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden.
2. Best of Both Worlds Garden.
Best of Both Worlds Garden.
3. Breckland Beauty Garden. (Breckland is a local government district in Norfolk, England, the sponsor of this garden.)
Breckland Beauty Garden.
4. The Landform Garden Bar. (Landform refers to Landform Consultants, an awarding winning garden and landscaping company, the contractors and sponsors of this garden.)
The Landform Garden Bar.
5. The South West Water Green Garden. (South West Water, the sponsor of this garden, is a utility company providing drinking water and waste water services throughout southwest England.)
The South West Water Green Garden.
Silver-Gilt Medal:
1. Elements Mystique Garden. (The designer, contractor, and sponsor of this garden is Elements Garden Design, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, England.)
Elements Mystique Garden.
Silver Medals:
1. Anton Chekhov’s Garden. (Anton Chekhov, the Russian writer, wrote his famous play The Seagull at a country estate near Moscow, which inspires this garden.)
Anton Chekhov’s Garden.
2. Brilliance in Bloom Garden. (This garden serves as a platform for craftspeople in small organisations to showcase their skills on the immense stage of an RHS flower show.)
Brilliance in Bloom Garden.
3. Secured by Design Garden.
Secured by Design Garden.
4. Southend Young Offenders: A Place to Think.
Southend Young Offenders: A Place to Think garden.
5. The Children With Cancer UK: Mr. Happy, Mr. Worry Hill.
The Children With Cancer UK: Mr. Happy, Mr. Worry Hill garden.
6. The Limbcare Wellbeing Garden. (The charity sponsor of this garden, Limbcare, seeks to become the voice of the Amputee community and to create a hub of information and support for amputees, their families, their friends and their carers.)
The Limbcare Well Being Garden.
7. The RNIB Community Garden. (The Royal National Institute of Blind People, RNIB, is the charity sponsor of this garden.)
The RNIB Community Garden.
8. The Viking Cruises Nordic Lifestyle Garden
The Viking Cruises Nordic Lifestyle Garden.
Bronze Medal:
1. The South Oxfordshire Landscape Garden.
The South Oxfordshire Landscape Garden.
For design ideas for your home garden from the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, see our special Design Ideas Article.
Subscribe to the Global Garden Lab Newsletter Blog.
© 2018 Global Garden Lab. All rights reserved.
