This week, a fresh Royal Horticultural Society event is underway, but there's uncertainty surrounding RHS Tatton, and one might wonder about the nature of RHS Wentworth Woodhouse.
The RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show, held from July 16 to 20, 2025, marked its inaugural event at the stunning historic venue in South Yorkshire. This major regional celebration of horticulture, heritage, and garden design featured a strong theme connecting to local heritage, especially the region's coal mining history.
The show was a blend of traditional and contemporary planting, bringing vibrant seasonal colour and bold design ideas. Visitors had the opportunity to explore a variety of show gardens, floral marquees, and horticultural displays. Gardeners' World provided exclusive coverage of the event, showcasing the best from the show gardens and floral marquee, including some prize-winning vegetables within the historic house itself.
One of the standout show gardens was Garden Whispers by Hyeyoung Choi and Yungil Choi, which resembled a pathway into a modern art museum, blurring the lines between nature, art, and architecture. Another notable garden was The Dune Garden by Jacopo Ducato Ruggeri, inspired by the wild, resilient beauty of Fire Island and its legacy as a queer refuge.
The RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Show also featured several gardens intended to connect to the local area's roots. RHS Miner's Garden by Chris Myers recreated a time where miners and their families lived in tight-knit communities. The Greenfingers Charity Together Garden, a Show Garden, received a Silver-Gilt medal and was designed as a private space for parents whose child is in a hospice.
The show was not just about competition, it also offered expert gardening advice and practical tips from the presenters to inspire gardeners at home. It was part of a broader RHS summer flower events calendar, alongside other RHS festivals like the Hampton Court Garden Festival and the Urban Show in Manchester in the same year.
Visitors often combined the flower show with visits to nearby heritage sites, such as Chatsworth House, Lincoln, and Bakewell, with guided tours and special lunches. The event also included the Young Designer Gardens, a showcase that has launched the careers of many established garden designers.
One unique experience at the show was the RHS Rhubarb by Candlelight installation by Jordan Lister, which transported visitors into Rhubarb Triangle Forcing Sheds. Another defining feature was the celebration of local culture and history via garden designs that referenced South Yorkshire's socio-industrial heritage.
The show aimed to bring the best of British and international horticulture to the space. Medals were awarded at the show, with gold medals going to RNIB Legacy Garden, Hazelwood Barn garden, and Drakkars Drift. Visitors could vote for their favourite garden in the categories Show Gardens, Young Designer Gardens, and Long Borders.
Urban Pollinators by Richard Browning employed a loose and irregular planting pattern to create a natural garden filled with mixed perennials to attract depleting pollinators. The RHS Work With Your Garden represented a versatile garden that explores how planting archetypes can be worked with to create a beautiful garden at home.
The show concluded with the Floral Marquee, housing 52 growers and nurseries. The Greenfingers Charity Together Garden, with its predominantly green planting palette and muted flower colours, created a soothing effect. The Macmillan Legacy of a Lifetime Garden allowed visitors to release seeds into the garden to symbolize nurturing future generations.
In summary, the 2025 RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Show was a memorable event that celebrated horticulture, heritage, and garden design, offering visitors a unique blend of education, inspiration, and entertainment.
- The RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show, a major regional event celebrating horticulture, welcomed visitors from July 16 to 20, 2025.
- Set within the grand historic venue in South Yorkshire, the flower show distinguished itself with a strong focus on local heritage, particularly the region's coal mining history.
- The event mixed traditional and contemporary planting styles, providing a canvas for vibrant seasonal colors and innovative design ideas.
- Show gardens, floral marquees, and horticultural displays at the flower show presented visitors with a variety of garden design options.
- Gardeners' World offered exclusive on-site coverage of the event, highlighting the best show gardens, floral marquee, and even some prize-winning vegetables showcased within the historic house.
- One of the standout show gardens was Garden Whispers, designed by Hyeyoung Choi and Yungil Choi, a modern art museum-like pathway that blurred the lines between nature, art, and architecture.
- Another noteworthy garden was The Dune Garden by Jacopo Ducato Ruggeri, inspired by the wild, resilient beauty of Fire Island and its role as a queer refuge.
- The RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Show also showcased gardens that connected to the local area's roots, such as the RHS Miner's Garden by Chris Myers.
- The Greenfingers Charity Together Garden, a Show Garden, received a Silver-Gilt medal and aimed to provide a private space for parents whose child is in a hospice.
- The flower show offered practical gardening advice and expert tips from presenters, meant to inspire gardeners trying to enrich their own gardens.
- The event was part of a larger RHS summer flower events calendar, which included other RHS festivals like the Hampton Court Garden Festival and the Urban Show in Manchester.
- Visitors often combined the flower show with trips to nearby heritage sites, such as Chatsworth House, Lincoln, and Bakewell.
- The event featured the Young Designer Gardens, a showcase that has launched the careers of many successful garden designers.
- The RHS Rhubarb by Candlelight installation by Jordan Lister transported visitors into Rhubarb Triangle Forcing Sheds.
- The show aimed to elevate South Yorkshire's socio-industrial heritage through garden designs evoking the region's history.
- Medals were awarded to some of the show's finest displays, with gold medals given to RNIB Legacy Garden, Hazelwood Barn garden, and Drakkars Drift.
- Visitors could vote for their favorite garden in categories such as Show Gardens, Young Designer Gardens, and Long Borders.
- Urban Pollinators by Richard Browning utilized a loose and irregular planting pattern to create a natural garden filled with mixed perennials attracting depleting pollinators.
- The RHS Work With Your Garden showcased a versatile garden that explored how planting archetypes could be used to create a beautiful garden at home.
- The show culminated with the Floral Marquee, housing 52 growers and nurseries, offering visitors a diverse selection of plant life.
- The Greenfingers Charity Together Garden's predominantly green planting palette and muted flower colors provided a soothing effect for visitors.
- The Macmillan Legacy of a Lifetime Garden invited visitors to release seeds into the garden as a symbol of nurturing future generations.
- In addition to horticulture and garden design, the event included food and drink, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, cooking, celebrity talks, and policy discussions.
- Social-media-savvy visitors documented their experiences at the show on various platforms, creating a digital footprint of the event.
- The flower show's teachings on productivity, career development, and personal growth offered inspiration for attendees looking to improve their lives in various aspects.
- The combination of education, inspiration, and entertainment ensured that the 2025 RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Show left an indelible impression on all who attended.
- The diverse program sections ranged from education-and-self-development, mindfulness, to general-news, crime-and-justice, learning, goal-setting, and skills-training.
- Sports enthusiasts enjoyed connecting their passion for plants with sports such as football, baseball, hockey, golf, and racing, as well as online sports-betting opportunities for various European leagues and events like the Champions League, NBA, Premier League, Grand Prix, and Mixed Martial Arts.