HAMPTON COURT FLOWER SHOW

I had a lovely afternoon at Hampton Court yesterday, wandering around the first day of the annual RHS flower show with a friend. We couldn't have asked for better weather, it was so lovely we even felt like treating ourselves to a boat ride from the station and a delicious slice of Victoria sponge cake. There were so many beautiful flowers and displays to explore, I thought I'd share my highlights of the flower show in a photo diary post, as the photos really do speak for themselves.

My dream is have a rose arch in my own garden one day

As expected the show gardens were stunning and what we loved was that so many were designed with small garden spaces in mind, such as the Colour Box garden. The garden was designed to be about plants and people, an antidote to the big budgets and plentiful hard landscaping of larger show gardens. One of our favourite gardens was the On The Edge: The Centre for Mental Health Garden. The garden explored the topical issue of mental health in two parts, to convey the journey through depression to acceptance. Designer Frederic Whyte drew on his own background to create the design.

One of the real highlights of the flower show was the Butterfly Dome. The specially created dome is filled with exotic butterflies from South America and Indonesia, and we could wander among the brightly coloured creatures as they fly around. The butterflies loved my friend's green dress and happily sat still on the dress as we walked around the dome. The butterfly dome was such incredible experience, I would really recommend a visit.

                                                                                                                                                          Photo credit: RHS

If you're planning on visiting Hampton Court Flower Show this week, you really are in for a treat. make sure you don't miss out on all the cakes, ice cream and treats. I'd love to hear what your highlights of the show were too.

Jx