Discover standout planting ideas to transform your indoor and outdoor space this summer
The setting may be grand – the magnificent grounds of Hampton Court Palace – but the glorious displays and thought-provoking ideas from designers and landscapers at RHS Hampton's annual Garden Festival offer a barrow-load of inspiration, whether you're a newbie gardener or a seasoned enthusiast. Here are some of the themes and ideas likely to influence what we grow and nurture in our own gardens.
After the driest spring for a century and a record-breaking heatwave, it's little surprise to see a shift towards Mediterranean-style planting. Drought-tolerant species such as Eryngium (sea holly), Kniphofia (red hot pokers), Achillea millefolium (yarrow) and agapanthus feature in numerous displays throughout the showground, along with dramatic palms such as Phoenix canariensis AGM (Canary Island date palm) and grasses that thrive in sunny conditions such as Stipa tenuissima (Mexican feather grass)
Janet Manning, RHS water reduction officer, points out that many of the gardeners use mulch to help retain water in the soil and keep roots cool. 'It's never too late to apply a layer of homemade compost or even let trimmed plant material rest on top of beds and borders to help with this,' she says.
Medicinal and therapeutic uses for plants and herbs are a strong theme at RHS Hampton. The RHS Healer’s Hollow Garden (pictured) showcased plants to help with various health conditions, including Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) to aid digestion; Alchemilla mollis AGM (lady’s mantle) for women’s health; and Valeriana officinalis for general wellbeing.
Several allotment gardens are also themed around health and wellbeing, including No Time for Pain – Arthritis Garden with raised beds to help reduce joint strain and useful herbs to soothe aching muscles; Give Pain the Boot includes anti-inflammatory plants; and the playful Hydrotherapy and Water Exercises for Pain Garden features three swimwear-clad mannequins exercising in a ‘pool’ cleverly created from azure blue plants, including hydrangeas and lavender to represent water.
Our love affair with houseplants shows no sign of stopping – if anything, there's a growing call for 'less everyday, more drama' when it comes to creating our indoor jungles. Alongside favourites such as Monstera and Calathea, and enchanting succulents such as Echeveria and Aeonium, the Houseplant Market is a treasure trove of weird and wonderful cacti, exotic orchids and rare and unusual species. Terrariums – loved for being fun and low-maintenance – remain ever-popular.
Whether you’ve a full-sized plot, a petite patio or just a windowbox, the GYO movement continues to ‘grow’ and flourish with increasing opportunities to learn new skills and swap ideas via local gardening clubs and community groups. The Allotment Gardens celebrate community growing spaces, edible gardening and the wellbeing benefits of growing your own.
The Guerilla Garden (pictured) created by members of the Secret Garden Club at Beaufort Primary School in Surrey shows how growing your own doesn’t have to mean sacrificing attractive design either – yellow courgettes and rainbow chard nestle charmingly among pretty Cosmos and Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon). Everything in the plot is eco-conscious too.
Bringing beauty to urban areas and 'turning the grey to green' initiatives are increasingly important given our changing climate. Surrey County Council’s Reclaiming Spaces, Creating Healthy Streets show garden (pictured) includes a row of four on-street parking bays split into three different garden zones featuring plants that offer carbon capture, food for pollinators and year-round colour.
Elsewhere, City Pocket Planting is a collection of creative small urban spaces aimed at helping city dwellers connect with nature and contribute to a healthier urban environment. Highlights include the Life On The Verge plot, which shows how even a neglected roadside patch can be turned into a wildlife haven, and The 15-minute City Garden, which aims to ensure urban neighbourhoods have access to green space within a 15-minute walk or cycle ride from home.
Living walls and green facades are valuable not only for their aesthetic appeal but they can also help with insulation and cooling of buildings, improved air quality, and enhanced biodiversity. A striking example is the Vertigro Garden (pictured) – designed by Adolfo Harrison Landscape Studio, it's a towering structure that demonstrates beauty and usefulness. The planting includes wall shrubs such as Hydrangea viburnoides along with evergreen climbers such as Trachelospermum jasminoides, with welcome flashes of colour supplied by vivid red nasturtiums tumbling through the greenery.
The diversity, versatility, and beauty of the mint family of plants – aka lamiaceae – are explored via a series of stunning spaces containing plenty of take-home ideas.
The Telling Stories, Making Memories Garden is designed to conjure up evocative memories using aromatic members of the lamiaceae family, including lavender and rosemary, while The Sundowner Garden features aromatic herbs for drinks – including minty Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia ‘Pummel’ (American wild bergamot), Mentha x piperita f. citrate ‘Chocolate’ (chocolate peppermint) and Salvia ‘Peach Parfait’ (sage) to name a few. Cocktail anyone?
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