The Royal Horticultural Society is returning to the parklands of Cardiff Castle with a show that is ready to dazzle the Welsh capital with charming show gardens, beautiful displays of spring flowers and a host of fun activities for gardeners of all ages to enjoy.
History of the show
The RHS Spring Flower Show, Cardiff is in its fourth magnificent year.
The show was first held in 2005 and formed part of Cardiff’s celebratory centenary year as a city, as well as its 50th anniversary as the capital of Wales.
The show was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal.
Prior to its return to the capital in 2005, the RHS last held a flower show in Cardiff in 1920.
Group 4 Securicor
Choices
Designer: Martin Dykstra & Sara Webber
There’s a deep message entwined into this garden - it’s all about making the right choices for the future. The water feature is the focus of the whole garden and represents the river of life. It is symbolic of the gardening team that have grown the plants and supported the project, because this is a garden that has been created by prisoners at HMP and YOI Parc and represents the feelings and thoughts regarding choices that they have, or have not, made during their incarceration.
The stepping stones on the water represent the choices that the prisoners make when they reach jail. In one direction are dark plants such as Phormium ‘Black Adder’, Phyllostachys nigra and Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’, representing the wrong choice and a life of crime and incarceration. These plants are surrounded by turbulent water, symbolising turmoil and confusion when they first enter jail.
In the centre is a large sundial that represents ‘doing time’ and a central mirror of inner reflection. A wave of lighter planting and brighter stepping stones with plants such as Astelia chathamica, Hebe ‘Heartbreaker’ and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Sheen’ are representative of the prisoner making the right choices to move on.
There’s a superb combination of the spiky silver Astelia with the softer foliage of Convolvulus cneorum that edges the quiet, calmer water that represents peace and acceptance of change and moving forward. It’s a powerful effect and a garden design worthy of recognition and acclaim. It can be appreciated without understanding the messages behind the design and enjoyed as a garden in its own right.
After the show this garden will be rebuilt within the grounds of HMP & YOI Parc for prisoners and their families to enjoy.