Including stellar Show Gardens and small space inspiration from the Get Started Gardens.
There were 17 glorious gardens at this year's Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, with each offering take-home ideas, beautiful planting inspiration and detailed landscaping.
Previously known as the Hampton Court Flower Show, the famous gardening event offers a variety of exhibits and displays centred around horticulture. This year, there were eight Show Gardens, four Feature Gardens and five Get Started Gardens. Whether you're looking for small space inspiration or hardy perennials that will stand the test of time, these beautiful gardens offer tips and tricks for every horticultural enthusiast.
Just like the Chelsea Flower Show, these gardens (minus Feature Gardens) undergo a rigorous judging process to be awarded either a Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver or Bronze medal, as well as Best in Show and People's Choice accolades. But who won?
• People's Choice Show Garden: – Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden, designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes
• People's Choice Get Started Garden: – The Wildlife Trusts: Renters’ Retreat, designed by Zoe Claymore
• Best Show Garden: America's Wild, designed by Inspired Earth Design
• Best Construction (Show Garden): America's Wild, designed by Inspired Earth Design
• Best Get Started Garden: The Wildlife Trusts: Renters' Retreat, designed by Zoe Claymore
• Best Construction (Get Started Garden): The Landform Mental Wealth Garden, designed by Nicola Hale
• RHS Iconic Horticultural Hero 2023: Iconic Horticultural Hero Garden, designed by Carol Klein
Take a look at the winners and this year's gardens below...
Feature Garden | Award: N/A, not judged
Carol Klein has been named this year's RHS Hampton Court iconic horticultural hero. Her Feature Garden, filled with swathes of blue and purple, is divided into six main habitats: wetland, woodland, hedgerow, meadow, exposed mountain and seaside, plus a small vegetable patch.
Speaking about the garden, Carol says: 'I want to encourage everyone to grow their own plants. It's packed with ideas people can put into practice whether they've got a garden, a balcony or part of a community garden. It's vital that it appeals to, and helps everybody.'
Feature Garden | Award: N/A, not judged
Full of biodiversity, award-winning garden designer Tom Massey demonstrates how our green spaces can be more adaptable in a warming climate. With more heatwaves and heavy rainfall around the UK, Tom has included plants to cool the space and reduce harmful air pollution. There's also a 'food forest' to encourage a deeper connection with nature.
Feature Garden | Award: N/A, not judged
Designed by BBC Morning Live's resident gardener Mark Lane, the RHS and BBC Morning Live Budget Friendly Garden shows gardeners how they can use household goods and equipment for cost-effective gardening. Features include the use of cheap and readily-available drought-tolerant plants, as well as recycled materials such as scaffold boards, plant pots and pallets.
Feature Garden | Award: N/A, not judged
Representing an urban corridor reclaimed by nature, the RHS Wildlife Garden looks at how wildlife can thrive in forgotten spaces. Inspired by an abandoned railway track, the design taps into the idea of urban greening; how disused urban, industrial landscapes provide biodiverse habitats.
Show Garden | Award: Gold Medal Winner | People's Choice Show Garden
Spread across varying levels, the Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden celebrates the hope and optimism brought about by gifts in wills. From streams of water to soft plantings of achilleas, hostas and angelicas, it encourages reflection, conversation and connection.
Show Garden | Awards: Gold Medal Winner | Best Show Garden | Best Construction Award
This award-winning Show Garden explores the three natural landscapes associated with North America: desert, forest and prairie. With the planting both evocative of the USA and accessible to the UK gardener, it features a waterfall, film screens, aspen trees, grasses, and perennial planting.
Show Garden | Award: Silver-Gilt Medal Winner
Reclaimed timber boardwalks, various pathways and a terrace constructed of reused granite setts are among the features in the Hurtigruten: The Relation-Ship Garden. The space highlights the long-standing relationship between Hurtigruten cruises and the Norwegian coastal farmers who have supplied their ships for 130 years.
Show Garden | Award: Silver-Gilt Medal Winner
The historic courtyard gardens of Charleston, South Carolina, are celebrated in this garden. You'll discover a series of water features (representing the famous Charleston water fountain), a planting colour scheme of blue, pink and white, and wrought iron railings which reflect the historic tradition of iron work.
Show Garden | Award: Silver-Gilt Medal Winner
Plastic waste is at the heart of this Show Garden. Representing a sustainable version of a wasteland returning to its former glory, recycled waste has been turned into seating, fencing, hard landscaping surfaces and even artwork. Meanwhile, an eco-friendly garden pod provides the perfect spot for relaxation.
Show Garden | Award: Silver Medal Winner
This garden is filled with plants native to Korea, including Cornus kousa, Rhododendron spp, Sorbaria sorbifolia and Astilbe rubra. It has been designed to promote communities around resident-friendly public gardens, and unpicks how people can live harmoniously with nature.
Show Garden | Award: Silver Medal Winner
Evoking the structural nature of urban living, this Show Garden has been designed to inspire city dwellers to create beautiful and sustainable sanctuaries that can be enjoyed by both people and wildlife. Whites, greens and deep purples repeat through the planting, while a bronze 'apple' sculpture references Eden.
Show Garden | Award: Bronze Medal Winner
The character and beauty of Oregon comes to Hampton with this woodland-inspired garden. Featuring bark chipping pathways, calming pools of water and insect-friendly plants, it celebrates the scenic gorges and rocky terrain associated with the State.
Get Started Garden | Award: Gold Medal Winner | Best Get Started Garden | People's Choice Get Started Garden
Designed by Zoe Claymore and sponsored by The Wildlife Trusts, this garden explores how green-fingered tenants can transform small courtyards into beautiful wildlife havens. Highlights include easy-to-grow coriander, water mint, sorrel, wild strawberries and crab apples. The garden highlights textures and shades typical of British woodlands in summer.
Get Started Garden | Award: Gold Medal Winner | Best Construction Award
Featuring uplifting yellows, subtle pinks and calming blues, the Landform Mental Wealth Garden has been designed to promote the feeling of wellbeing and lift spirits using scent. Highlights include evergreen herbs shaped as semi-structural hedges, pollinator-friendly blooms, three beautiful ornamental trees, and a central water feature made from weathered mild steel.
Get Started Garden | Award: Silver-Gilt Medal Winner
Taking inspiration from inner city green developments along disused urban railways, the Nurturing Nature in the City garden has been created using affordable and largely reclaimed materials. Looking for take-home ideas? There are mini wildflower strips, pollinator-friendly plants, ponds and nest pockets wrapped around a central seating area.
Get Started Garden | Award: Silver Medal Winner
The Lunar Garden takes its inspiration from the glistening moon. You'll find drought-tolerant planting schemes, a winding gravel path, circle paving and planted beds representing the different phases of the moon. It's an atmospheric space packed with a rich tapestry of white flowers and silver foliage.
Get Started Garden | Award: Silver Medal Winner
Summer holidays are the inspiration for this garden. From the stepping stone paving to the willow fence designed to reflect the movement of water, it draws on overseas trips spent exploring some of Europe's most beautiful Alpine valley destinations. Aside from the natural planting scheme, it also boasts a planting palette loosely inspired by woodland and lower valley glades with flowering perennials.
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