13 things you didn't know about the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
Just two months on from the renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the much larger RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. Previously (and still commonly) known as the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, this gardening event, held every month in July, is actually the biggest in the world. For 2024 it returns to the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, offering spectacular garden designs, beautiful floral displays and exclusive shopping.
Tickets are still available for RHS Hampton 2024 (2nd-7th July) but after 2025, it will change frequency in a massive shake-up recently announced by the gardening charity. Founded in 1990, the Royal Horticultural Society only took ownership of Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 1993. Here are some more interesting facts you may not know...
It's located on an iconic site
RHS Hampton is held on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace in East Molesey, Surrey. The Grade I listed royal palace was famously the home of Henry VIII (if you have the time, it's well worth a visit). Visitors to RHS Hampton will be surrounded by manicured gardens upon arrival, and if you walk along the Long Water, you'll see picturesque views of the Tudor palace.
It wasn't always owned by the RHS
RHS Hampton has a rich history. The brainchild of management consultant Adrian Boyd, it was first held in 1990 and created by Historic Royal Palaces and Network Southeast. For the very first Hampton Show, Network Southeast laid on special trains from Waterloo and the railway porters wore carnations in their hats.
Then in 1992, Network Southeast announced it was withdrawing and the RHS was the successful bidder to take over. The first RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show was held in 1993.
It takes 18 months to plan each show
It takes three weeks to build a Show Garden and two weeks to build a small garden. But it's a race against time once the show ends – designers and build teams have just five days to dismantle it all.
The RHS changed its name in 2019
After 26 years, the RHS decided to rebrand Hampton in 2019, announcing a name change from the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.
Show manager Gemma Lake told House Beautiful at the time: 'We made the decision to update the name as we felt "Garden Festival" better reflected the atmosphere and the experience of our visitors at the event. With live music, creative workshops and plenty of culinary experiences to dig into, it highlights the fact that there is something for everyone – whether it’s for those looking for ideas, plants and tips to transform their own homes and outdoor spaces, to those simply looking to enjoy a beautiful summer's day out with friends and family amongst nature.'
It's *the* place to buy flowers
The Plant Village offers a plethora of beautiful seasonal flowers and foliage plants for sale from some of the best nurseries. Fun fact: More flowers are sold per square mile at RHS Hampton than anywhere else in the UK.
It draws in big crowds
An average of 130,000 people attend RHS Hampton every year (in 2021 numbers were capped at 100,000 for Covid safety measures). It's a family day out too, with most visitors spending around five hours at the festival.
Food, drink and then some
Speaking of visitors, 3,300 glasses of Pimm’s, on average, are consumed during festival week, the RHS reveals, alongside 17,000+ cups of Fairtrade tea and coffee, 11,000+ sandwiches and 2,800+ slices of cake.
Kate Middleton's RHS Hampton debut
Following her success at RHS Chelsea, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, unveiled her second RHS Back to Nature Garden at RHS Hampton 2019.
Once again teaming up with landscape architects Andrée Davies and Adam White, the second creation included new playful features such as a pond, rolling hill, bug hotel, hidden burrow and a bee-friendly wildflower meadow.
Covid caused a no-show in 2020
Like many events around the world, RHS Hampton was cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The world's leading gardening charity had already postponed the popular event from July to early September in the hope that the show might be possible, but later confirmed it would not go ahead to protect its staff and visitors.
'We are saddened to announce that due to the continued uncertainty about events amid the ongoing Covid-19 situation, we regretfully must cancel the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, supported by Viking Cruises,' the RHS said in a statement at the time.
RHS Hampton returned in 2021. The RHS implemented a series of measures including requiring all visitors to take a lateral flow test before travelling and to provide evidence of a negative result before being admitted to the event, socially distanced queueing systems, changes to layouts on the ground and enhanced cleaning.
RHS Hampton is synonymous with roses
Roses are at their peak at the time of the festival, so there's lots of inspiration to be had inside the fragrant Festival of Roses marquee. Major growers include Fryer's, David Austin, Harkness and Peter Beales.
This is the most successful garden at RHS Hampton
Tom Simpson's Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden at RHS Hampton 2021 won the big three: a Gold medal, the Best Show Garden award and the Best Construction award.
The garden was defined by two interlocking circles in a figure of eight, forming the symbol of infinity, with RHS judge James Alexander Sinclair describing it as 'elegantly designed, beautifully constructed and planted with both style and grace'.
The Floral Marquee is a must-visit
Pass the Long Water and you'll see a large white tent named the Floral Marquee. The Floral Marquee at Hampton is in many ways similar to the Great Pavilion at RHS Chelsea – a crown jewel. The Floral Marquee is pretty huge, too: it measures 6,750 square metres, big enough to fit an FA football pitch.
It's turning into a biennial festival
The frequency of RHS Hampton will soon change. The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival will take place in 2024 and 2025, before becoming a biennial festival (occurring once every two years).
For 2026, a new Show will take place in the historic grounds of Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire, before returning to Hampton Court Palace in 2027, the RHS announced.
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