The first Royal Horticultural Society show hosted at a royal residence is underway, running from 22nd to 26 July at Sandringham estate in Norfolk. With show gardens, talks and one-off exhibits including long borders and upcycled containers, the event offers plenty to explore for visitors.
Designs Honouring the Royal Couple
The headline attraction at RHS Sandringham is the RHS Royal Legacy Garden, a creation of Catherine MacDonald that honors the monarch’s gardening heritage and his eco-focused philosophy. King Charles III and Queen Camilla handed out several prizes, among them The Queen’s Choice of Upcycled Containers, awarded to The Pollinator Patch from Whissonsett and the District Horticultural Society and Gardening Club.
Shane Connnolly, the royal couple’s florist, has crafted a table arrangement titled A Royal Dinner in the Garden for the exhibition. The display relies solely on flora harvested from the Sandringham grounds and offers a glimpse of the banquet settings he has previously assembled there.
Sophie Godber’s Mindful Chef’s Gathering garden captured both The King’s Biodiversity Award and a gold medal. Drawing inspiration from a classic orchard, the planting scheme mixes naturalistic and edible species to support environments for pollinators, birds and insects. Across the Grow Forward section, designers demonstrate techniques for improving soils and assisting climate-change mitigation.
A border contest, rare at most flower shows, also appears this year. Entries crafted by horticulture students and budding garden designers showcase wildlife-friendly concepts that reflect Norfolk’s environment. Three extensive borders earned Gold medals: Mattie O’Callaghan’s Growing with Many Hands, the meadow-style Habitat Garden created by Jonathan Mitchell together with Katy Haywood Smith, and the Tough as Old Boots Garden by Zac Willitts and James Horne, which took the Best Long Border award and seeks to astonish visitors with the possibilities for urban planting.
Related Post: Best Gardens Shortlisted for 2027 Designers Awards
Yellow roses have dominated British flower exhibitions this summer. At Sandringham, presenter and horticulturist Rachel de Thame introduced a vanilla-scented variety called ‘La Madeleine’, developed by Peter Beales Roses for Bonne Maman to celebrate 21 years of the French bakery brand in Britain. She said, “This new rose is a gorgeous new classic for any garden; multi-blooming with layer upon layer of beautifully formed, delicate petals and a lovely evocative fragrance. It combines two of my favourite passions – roses and cake!”
Harkness Roses has also launched a yellow rose at the show; the ‘Lemon Drizzle’, to celebrate the centenary of the National Garden Scheme (NGS). For each one sold, £2.50 will help to fund some of the UK’s leading nursing and health charities.
Among the most timely award-winning displays at Sandringham are those addressing water management. The Rhythm of Rainwater, the Gold-medal Best Grow Forward Garden created by AP Design Studio, draws on sustainable rain-harvesting ideas and demonstrates how collected water can become an attractive design element while easing scarcity. Attendees can observe seven aluminium dipping tanks, with a pair connected by a slim rill that allows water to flow between them, and notice droplets striking steel tongue drums that produce natural music.
Other Award-Winning Gardens
The RNIB Talking Books Garden is another highlight at the show. This exhibit won the Best Show Garden award and also received the Best Construction Award along with a gold medal.
RHS Sandringham Flower Show is open until 26 July.
