It’s almost time for the gates to open for the first RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, a new addition to the calendar this year and sure to be a hit with visitors. The show sets out to be ‘bold and innovative’, highlighting ground-breaking garden design: some features explore futuristic gardening in a climate-change world, while others draw inspiration from the great trendsetters of history including Sir Joseph Paxton and Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
RHS Chatsworth Flower Show
Set against the magnificent backdrop of the 1000 acre Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire, the show sits on both sides of the River Derwent with a series of specially-designed bridges linking the two sides of the showground. Leading designers creating eight full-sized show gardens at the show include Chelsea gold medal winner Jo Thompson, and a new garden category called ‘Freeform’ lets designers set free their imaginations to celebrate the connection between plants, sculpture, art and people.
Chatsworth House
The Floral Marquee, home to 76 leading nurseries and growers, takes its inspiration from Joseph Paxton’s Great Conservatory at Chatsworth, which housed brilliantly coloured flowers, exotic palms and aquatic plants. A giant 14-metre high dome forms the centrepiece, taking its inspiration from Paxton’s long-lost glasshouse.
The RHS Chatsworth Flower Show runs from 7-11 June: for more details visit www.rhs.org.uk/chatsworth.