Gold fever has struck at the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park, where the show ground has been bathed in sunshine and exhibitors have been celebrating medal success.
10 gardens have been awarded much-coveted RHS Gold medals in the Show and Back to Back categories. Peter Ashley Ltd working with designer D C Duiker-Parker collected the title of Best in Show in the Show garden category with ‘The Four Elements: A Garden for the Senses’, a geometrically structured outdoor room complete with sunken pool and seating area that unifies natural stone colours with vivid shimmering copper as the backdrop to a subtle and delicate planting scheme.
Joining the Northwest Development Agency’s celebrations for its Gold medal winning ‘A Healthy Future’ Show garden was Anthony Worrall Thompson, who was helping to prepare some of the vegetables that the children working on the garden have grown. “It’s fantastic to look around the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park and see so many gardens helping kids to understand where food comes from and to engage them in gardening. When they can see fruit or veg grown from the seed and then prepared and served on a plate their enthusiasm is overwhelming.”
Best in the Back to Back category was Paperbark & Thorner Garden Design and Build’s ‘The Contemplative Garden’, which draws on inspiration from Spanish Moorish gardens to provide both a calming and reflective space. This garden was designed by Chris Zbrozyna, a first time designer at a major RHS show.
In the new floral marquee which houses dozens of exhibitors and thousands of blooms, more Gold medals than ever before. A staggering 38 exhibitors achieved Gold medal standard including Matthewman Sweet Peas, North of England Bonsai and Croston Cactus.
The flower beds are once again a real crowd pleaser and received high commendations from the judges with 8 Gold medals awarded, including a Best Exhibit for Preston City Council’s tale of hidden treasure.
Local Knutsford exhibitors, The Black Rose from Knutsford, have an amazing track record at Tatton that has been added to with a Gold medal and Best Exhibit in the Floral Design Studio. Their display fuses floristry with artistry, with a waterfall creation at the centre which birds woven from leaves fly over.
Amongst the National Plant Society Awards the North of England Orchid Society took the title of Best Exhibit for its Gold medal winning display of orchids delicately set against amongst a woodland scene. The British Mycological Society, National Dahlia Society – Northern Committee and National Vegetable Society also achieved Gold standard.
Show manager Kris Hulewicz comments, “The number of Gold medals won this year is reflective of exceptional levels of creativity and outstanding horticultural knowledge demonstrated by exhibitors. The show is a shining example of every different type of horticulture, and has also achieved a great deal this year to encourage children to discover the joys of gardening.”
