6 trending ideas for your garden from RHS Hampton Court 2023
RHS Hampton Court 2023 is short for The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. But that sounds far too grand.
‘Hampton Court’ is the Chelsea Flower Show’s much loved younger sibling – more relatable, less crowded, not as tainted with the whiff of ‘being fashionable.’
Because we gardeners often declare that we’re not keen on ‘following fashion’. It is viewed with deep suspicion and firm denials.
But when you see a good idea, why not copy it? A new plant variety? Yes, please! A better tool? I’ll try it. And so on.
Fashion is often about innovation and invention. It can get people talking and thinking differently. So this is what I think we can take away from Hampton Court for our own gardens.
Rocks as natural sculpture, seating and more
Several show gardens at RHS Hampton Court 2023 featured rocks as water features, sculpture, seating and more.
Gabions for raised beds, wildlife habitats and seating
Gabions are large metal baskets, filled with rocks or stones. They were used for sea defences, but are now being used widely in garden design. The gaps between the rocks and stones are a good wildlife habitat. When Jane Beedle re-designed her small contemporary town garden, she re-used the paving that was originally in the garden by breaking it up and putting it in gabions. It doubles up as seating and wildlife habitat. It saved her money because she didn’t have to pay to have it taken away.
Raised beds for renters and to raise plantings in small spaces
Raised beds used to be for growing vegetables. Now you can find them in different materials and colours. They’re perfect for renters because they can be moved when you move.
And raised beds show off the planting by raising it up. You can grow plants that don’t suit your soil by using specialist composts. It is, however, worth remembering that raised beds often drain faster than soil in the earth. That makes them a good choice if you have heavy clay soil and lots of rain, but you may need to do more watering in dry places.
Gravel is the most popular mulch at RHS Hampton Court 2023
In many ways, this is an extension of the growing popularity of rocks. But it’s also about dry gardening. Gravel and pebble mulches suppress weeds and help retain water. They look smart and show off plants well.
However, most garden designers advise you not to use weed-suppressant membranes beneath the gravel mulch. It used to be standard practice to lay these under gravel, but they always ruck up. Weeds wriggle out from under the membranes and land on top. And it stops perennial plants from spreading naturally.
Natural seating ideas
As well as combined raised bed/gabion seating, there was also some attractive natural seating.
Wildlife features as decoration or design
The RHS has already started using wildlife features as decoration as part of their gardening for biodiversity drive.
More garden ideas from the shows
Not all show garden ideas translate well into real gardens, but I found 7 really good ideas from RHS Chelsea 2023 which are well worth checking out.
And BBC Gardeners World Live is always a popular show. There are several around the UK, but the biggest is at the NEC in Birmingham. I picked out 10 trends and ideas from BBC Gardeners World Live 2023 that I think would work well in your garden.
Pin to remember garden ideas to steal from RHS Hampton Court 2023
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What is the product name of the Galvanised metal raised beds in the The Wildlife Trust’s Renters Retreat designed by Zoe Claymore. and where would you get them?
Thanks
I think they came from Lux Unique: https://luxunique.co.uk/metal-planters/raised-beds/
HI both. I designed them for the show. They have now been turned into a ready to buy range called The Hampton Collection with Lux Unique
Thank you for letting us know, that’s good to hear.
We live next to the sea. Some excellent ideas using resilient, yet natural, materials which will stand up to our particular microclimate. But, very expensive to buy.
Yes, you’re right, rocks can be expensive to buy and it isnt legal to take, for example, pebbles from the beach. But sometimes you can find people getting rid of rocks on Freecycle or Freegle and possibly cheaper on Facebook Marketplace if people are revamping their garden
I enjoyed seeing these photos, since I live in California and can’t go to the show. Thank you very much!
Thank you!