Explore the Tatton Park grounds to get involved in a number of interactive exhibits, specially created for this year’s Show
The Landscape Garden and Design Studio
By The Association of Professional Landscapers
Would you like to understand what it takes to landscape a garden? Industry experts from The Association of Professional Landscapers are available throughout the Show to answer all your design conundrums and pressing landscaping issues. Bring your garden images, plans and dreams along to one of their incredibly useful and informative Landscape and Design Clinics, held twice daily from 11am–1pm and 3–5pm. Find them at their stand under a handsome Renson canopy and marvel at a series of immaculately crafted garden features, including one promoting water-smart permeable construction principles.
Emerald Garden
By Tatton Park Garden Team
Sponsored by Tatton Park and Cheshire East Council
This verdant oasis celebrates L Frank Baum’s classic novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the iconic Hollywood adaptation starring Judy Garland. Thrilling readers and viewers for 124 years, the story of Dorothy, who finds herself transported to a magical land far from home, is considered a modern masterpiece.
The journey home is at the heart of this Show Feature by the Garden Team at Tatton Park. A glasshouse Emerald City is filled with architectural tree ferns and shimmering houseplants that hang, jungle-like from the ceiling, while a yellow brick road leads visitors to an emerald-clad throne to complete this exhibit, where imagination and horticulture combine to create magic.
Community Growth
By Volunteers at Station South Café
People from all over Greater Manchester flock to Station South Café, a richly diverse community-led destination in Levenshulme that hosts a variety of inclusive activities and houses a volunteer-run urban garden. Designed to showcase the work these gardeners do, this Show Feature is, at its heart, a visual love letter to the community group that has enriched so many lives, and the vibrant diversity enjoyed within the local area.
Planting includes wildflowers, birch and bramble, representative of the railway embankment at Station South Café, while a sand path nods to the ‘learn to ride’ bike track on nearby station green. Herb planters feature methi (aka fenugreek) in honour of the group’s first Bangladeshi volunteer, and poems by the late, great Benjamin Zephaniah are also displayed.
RHS Bridgewater and RHS Harlow Carr
By Sharon Hockenhull
Sponsored by RHS
The five RHS demonstration gardens are designed to inform, inspire and excite people on their horticultural careers and personal gardening journeys. At the Show, visitors can enjoy an immersive installation created by Bolton-based designer Sharon Hockenhull that reflects the look, feel and famous features of two of these worldclass horticultural destinations. From the adored Weston Walled Garden at RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford, to the lavish Main Borders at RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate, bursting with generous prairie-style planting, this space is a true celebration of the North of England in all its garden-based glory.
RHS Letters
Front-facing cameras at the ready: the RHS Letters are the perfect place to capture that souvenir selfie. One of the most popular floral features at the Shows, the RHS Letters are back, showing the beautiful things that can be achieved using only sustainably sourced, seasonal British blooms. Each year, a different floral designer takes up the challenge of adorning the iconic 7ft-high RHS Letters with a bounty of beautiful blooms.
Don’t forget to tag the RHS in your RHS Letters pics #RHSTattonPark
Summer Fruit & Veg Competition
The ever-popular Summer Fruit & Veg Competition, shines a spotlight on the efforts of talented amateur growers. Individuals, groups, societies and clubs alike gather to compete across a range of classes for highly coveted awards. Entry classes are as varied and diverse as the entrants themselves and include everything from cauliflowers to carrots, radishes to rhubarb, top tomatoes to heaviest gooseberries, and dozens more besides.
Woodland Skills Centre
By Woodland Skills Centre
Drop in to discover the fascinating secrets of our woodlands at this interactive installation. From the ancient art of coppicing to the myriad of ways in which this harvested wood can be used, the team at Woodland Skills Centre are on hand to field questions and share their skills. The centre itself, in Denbigh, Wales, offers courses that celebrate traditional woodland skills, from hurdle making to grafting fruit trees. At the Show, Craftsman Trug Maker Mike Church is demonstrating how to weave a genuine Sussex Trug, while children are invited to decorate a hazel name disc or make a mini willow basket they can take home with them after the Show.
Ways to Help Wildlife in Your Garden
By Rachael Nellist & Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Find out what action you can take to encourage wildlife into your garden and the wider community. With examples of simple and affordable ways to create the perfect wildlife-friendly spaces, including mini ponds, wildflower troughs and bird boxes. Wildlife experts from the Trust are on hand throughout the Show to offer practical, actionable advice. Plus, you can get involved in a range of interactive games and quizzes designed to teach people about wildlife and inspire them to take action.
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