The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and RHS Flower Show Tatton Park will take place in person this July following the government's latest announcement, The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has confirmed.
While the final step of the coronavirus roadmap plan has been delayed by four weeks, the RHS confirms both flower shows will go ahead as planned with additional safety measures in place.
In line with the latest guidance, all visitors will now be required to take a lateral flow test before travelling to the shows and have recent evidence to prove a negative result before being admitted to the event. Tests will need to be taken the day before or on the morning of the event. Ticket holders who test positive will be offered an exchange to the 2022 show, a credit or full refund.
As well as this, the gardening charity has announced it will work closely with Public Health England and is awaiting confirmation on the numbers allowed on site at RHS Hampton Court, but "is confident" the popular festival will be able to run near to usual capacity.
New guidelines include extra parking, socially distanced queuing, enhanced cleaning and waste disposal, hand sanitisers stationed across the showground, contactless transactions, and regular exhibitor testing.
"The RHS would like to thank everyone for their continued support, understanding and cooperation as we implement changes in order to ensure our shows can return safely this summer," the gardening charity say.
Following the postponement of the 2021 RHS Chelsea Flower Show until September, this marks the first major outdoor events to make a safe return this summer. Despite the continued uncertainty around the spread of the coronavirus, the world-famous gardening charity hopes to "bring the horticultural world together again".
Visitors will be able to celebrate all gardening has to offer, including soaking up the glorious flower displays, listening to garden talks, seeing demonstrations, and taking part in family-friendly activities.
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"After months of planning and uncertainty we can't wait to return to what we do best, putting on our famous RHS Flower Shows for all to enjoy," Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Gardens and Shows, says.
"We have seen a huge increase in people taking up gardening and growing in the last year and so in being able to return to Hampton Court Palace and Tatton Park this summer, we hope to bring inspiration and advice for all gardeners and plant lovers as well as a much-needed celebration of summer."
Some of the gardens on display will shine a light on the key issues and environmental challenges we face today. At RHS Hampton Court, there will be a brand new RHS Flower Market, while over at RHS Tatton Park, the popular Young Designer of the Year Competition will return with plenty of inspiration.
Helena goes on to say that social distancing measures may still be necessary, but the team are doing all they can to create "two unforgettable summer shows". She adds: "We are lucky that both Hampton Court Palace and Tatton Park are large outdoor spaces that can be enjoyed safely by visitors and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back this summer."
More information about RHS Hampton Court and Tatton Park will be revealed later this month. The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival will return from 5th - 11th July, while Tatton Park will run from 21st – 25th July.
16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration
RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space
Adam Frost's practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, from simple garden design ideas to a full garden makeover.
Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere
Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners, Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.
National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts
The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.
Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.
DK The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening
Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.
The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.
Ten Speed Press Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers
A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. In Small Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.
No Dig Garden Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1
Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.
Kyle Books In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round
Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round with In Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.
The RHS' Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.
Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? In Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything, Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.
Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.
DK RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space
If you're looking for new garden ideas, the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.
Lorenz Books How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening
This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.
Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.
Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest
Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.
Lisa Joyner is the Deputy Daily Editor at House Beautiful UK and Country Living UK, where she's busy writing about home and interiors, gardening, dog breeds, pets, health and wellbeing, countryside news, small space inspiration, and the hottest properties on the market. Previously, she has written for Conde Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Marie Claire magazine. Lisa studied at University For The Creative Arts, where she completed a BA in Fashion Journalism.
