The RHS Tatton Park Flower Show may take top billing in the North West when it comes to flowers shows – and it does deserve this accolade – but there are several smaller and perfectly formed gardening events that are taking place this summer too in our area.
RHS Tatton Park Flower Show has been delighting gardening fans for over a decade. From its beginnings in 1999 it has been a mecca for those looking for gardening inspiration, and closer than the long-running Chelsea Flower Show. The show at Tatton Park covers a showground of 28 acres, takes around three weeks to build and welcomes over 80,000 people over its three days.
Attendees can explore over 300 exhibitors, beautiful gardens, boutique shopping experiences, experts talks, street food, and family fun spread across the three days. The event takes place from 19 – 23 July 2023, with 19th July a dedicated day for RHS members to catch a first glimpse of the gardens! Tickets for Sunday include a chance to be there for the sell off of displays from 4pm. Day tickets for members cost £25.85, with prices for non-members set at £29.85. Find out more.
For those looking for a more local events geared around gardening, the UK-wide National Gardening Scheme sees organisations and individuals open their gardens to the public, and, this summer, there are so many options in the North West and North Wales.
Aberclwyd Manor, Corwen in Denbighshire where visitors can browse 4 acres of gardens overlooking the Upper Clwyd Valley; The Homestead, High Legh, Knutsford, Cheshire offers the opportunity to visit a gem of a garden created over the last seven years by a keen gardener and county NOGS organiser, Janet Bashforth; Goldstone Hall Gardens, Goldstone, Market Drayton, Shropshire where you can stroll across 5 acres and take tips from the highly productive beautiful kitchen garden or 6 West Lane, Freshfield, Formby, Merseyside - a private suburban garden with sandy soil near to a National Trust nature reserve that's home to red squirrels and Formby Sand Dunes.
There are so many wonderful gardens to visit across our region - simply add the area you wish to visit and dates of your visit and the 'find a garden' website will do the rest.
Shrewsbury Flower Show adds the summer buzz of gardening and takes place on 11th and 12th August at Quarry Lodge, Shrewsbury. Organised by the Shrewsbury Horticultural Society, the event attracts top exhibitors from all over the UK and is considered one of the country's premier flower show events.
With entertainment from Liberty X, Go West, Abba and Beatles tribute bands, together with David Domony, mountain bike aerial displays and a circus, lectures, a bandstand, food hall, children's entertainment area and fireworks there's a lot more on offer than flowers! Find out more.
From the 28th – 30th July, Chorley is in full bloom with the Chorley Flower Show. Expect to see some of the finest professional exhibitors from the country’s largest flower shows, a gardening theatre with demonstrations, displays and competitions, horticultural traders, a children's 'design a garden completion', a wide selection of food and drink, schools and community groups competitions and live entertainment. It looks set to be a great event and you can find out more here.
