I’d been given the tip-off that the RHS Malvern Spring Festival – the first big flower show of the year – was really worth a visit. So, a couple of weeks ago, I made a trip to the area for the first time. What a wonderful setting! It really feels like a show for the people, with a community feel, and so much practical inspiration that you could use in your own green space. I stayed very nearby so that the 5:30am start on-site to capture the show gardens in soft dawn light wasn’t such a shock! In fact, it felt like a real privilege…
Let’s start with this Feature Garden – a showpiece to communicate ways in which a garden space could be utilised. This is the ‘Vitamin G Garden’ – designed by Alan Williams with Jo Whiley (yes, the presenter and DJ who is also a very keen gardener). The ‘G’ – for Gardening – represents the research published in April 2021 which confirmed the physical and mental health benefits that green spaces offer to people’s wellbeing.
Did I mention the setting?! I just couldn’t help incorporating the views of the Malvern Hills at every opportunity!
The garden was fresh with zingy citrus colours – and even more refreshing with the cold tub plunge-pool, specifically incorporated for Jo who is a fan of wild swimming. I so wanted to give it a go!
A clever addition to the show were the Affordable Gardens, demonstrating how the space at the front, back and side of a small house could be planted up on a limited budget.
Awarded the Best Show Garden accolade, Emily Crowley-Wroe‘s ‘The Hide Garden’ incorporated a garden room looking out onto playful water elements. The living roof, naturalistic planting and willow-hurdle fencing all encouraged a connection with nature and wildlife.
Jamie Langlands‘ design, ‘A Peaceful Escape’, demonstrated a desirable green and calming retreat created within a compact space. Those of us who’ve been heavily focused on working from home, benefit from being able to step out into a garden area that feels like an entirely different energy. Evergreens provide year-round colour and interest, while the glowing David Harber sculpture – seemingly hovering above water – adds a dramatic yet contemplative focus.
A couple of charities were represented in calming, reflective garden designs for this Malvern Spring show. Firstly, ‘Abigail’s Footsteps’, who support parents grieving the loss of a baby. I was so moved by the broken-heart sculpture, while encouraged by the fact that it’s still patched and bound… The soft pastel planting palette, and gentle water features, encouraged a feeling of being able to take a deep breath. Rick Ford had designed very much a sensory-rich garden, gently reconnecting us to nature.
Another charity garden, and winner of the People’s Choice Award, was The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden. Karen Tatlow had cleverly designed ‘rooms’. One side, planted with vibrant pinks and purples, represented the charity’s colour scheme and its supporters. Then leading through a dramatic ‘moon gate’, you emerged into a clean white space that spoke of the ongoing vital scientific research. Many of the plants used were also meaningful – several of them have been chemically tested for their anti-cancer properties, while others have led to the development of drugs, which today are being used in treating cancer patients.
Another addition this year was the new permanent garden for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Designed by Malvern Spring Show lead, Jess Russell-Perry, it incorporates many of the Queen’s favourite plants, as well as referencing those with significant meaning to her life and duties.
I was very taken with ‘The Longcroft Press’, the first show garden of designer Laura Ashton-Phillips. It evokes the family orchard and the annual village apple-pressing day. It felt like such a joyful celebration of community, of long-standing traditions, of British wildflowers – and of good food and drink! I adored the gnarly blossom-strewn Malus domestica ‘Rode Boskoop’ and Pyrus communis ‘Conference’ trees that Laura had sourced. With cow parsley, red campion, and clover, it seemed very much at home in this part of the English countryside.
The temperature rose inside two large domes, entitled ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ and designed by Peter Dowle for Leaf Creative. A jungle soundtrack and a tropical river mist followed you round, until you emerged at a tropical beach scene. It was a welcome spot to discover a hidden juice bar at the end of the day!
The Malvern Showground always offers a welcome for local community involvement, as these Platinum Jubilee gardens – designed by local schoolchildren – demonstrate!
And finally – though I have tons more photos, but far too many to show just now – here are the famous RHS letters filled to the floral brim by the marvellous Andie of Dahlia Beach. I’m absolutely planning to return next year!
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