The RHS Badminton Flower Show, running from July 8 to 12 on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire, offers visitors a slate of designer gardens, scented displays and a series of talks from horticultural experts.
Signature Gardens and Their Themes
Among the most talked‑about installations is the Julia Rausing Garden by Tom Stuart‑Smith. Spanning 2,400 sq m, it is the largest feature garden ever shown at an RHS event. The design blends a wildflower meadow with a woodland‑edge flower border and pays tribute to the late philanthropist Julia Rausing, whose charitable work raised more than £400 million. Singer Will Young and presenter Jamie Butterworth also lend their names to the project.
Another highlight is the Perfume Pavilions, created by Nicholsons Garden Design. The garden imagines a Cotswold setting rich in fragrance, showcasing lavender, honeysuckle, daphne and phlox, while two greenhouses host scented foliage such as geraniums. The collaboration with Juliana, C. Atherley, Fibrex and AllGreen highlights a growing interest in sensory horticulture.
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Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the long‑running BBC 4 drama The Archers, Jo Thompson’s Archers 75th Anniversary Garden recreates the fictional Bridge Farm front garden. Visitors can spot easter eggs like Pat’s strawberries, Tony’s sweet‑pea seed packets and Helen’s cheese‑making area, offering fans a nostalgic stroll through Ambridge’s imagined setting.
Gardens with a Social Mission
The show also features several gardens that highlight charitable causes. Finding Hope, designed by Rick Ford and Pip Probert, is a contemplative space for the suicide‑prevention charity CALM. Structured around 16 squares—representing daily suicide deaths—the garden uses natural materials and a restrained planting palette to support reflection.
Macmillan Cancer Support’s Nascent Shade Garden, by Elle Arnett, earned a gold medal for construction. Its sculptural birch trees and lime‑stone installations illustrate the proverb that a society grows strong when its people plant trees whose shade they will never enjoy, echoing the charity’s mission to improve cancer experiences.
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Visitors can enjoy tea in the gardens.
Even the product‑focused gardens add a cultural twist. Sadie May Stowell’s Oregon – The Productive Garden captures the Willamette Valley’s water‑rich environment with fruit trees and pollinator‑friendly planting. Its colour scheme of blues, whites and pale yellows reflects the Pacific Northwest’s scenery.
One of the more unusual concepts is the Split Hazel Basketry Garden by Henry T Pope. It celebrates a dwindling craft by displaying hazel trees marked for coppicing and a hazel hurdle fence, complemented by yellow, pink and white planting, including verbascum and achillea.
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These projects collectively illustrate how the RHS Badminton Flower Show balances horticultural artistry with social and environmental concerns. By integrating charitable narratives, the event extends its reach beyond pure garden design, inviting visitors to contemplate broader issues while enjoying the visual spectacle.
In the final days of the show, the Electuary garden by Joshua Fenton will draw attention for its beekeeping roots and nods to crafts such as wicker weaving. Meanwhile, the Celebration of Compost and Community by Simon Deeves promises a look at composting practices, rounding out a program that spans from fragrant pavilions to reflective spaces.
