Press releases

Edible gardens are on the menu at the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park

With organic gardening and ‘growing your own’ increasingly being the order of the day, the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park is featuring a set menu of edible gardens at its floral extravaganza in July.

Featuring an ensemble of fruit, vegetables and herbs, those looking for some inspiration for bringing garden fare to the plate need look no further.

Jacqui Brocklehurst of Colour My Garden has designed a back to back space called ‘Eat My Garden’, which shows how a garden of any size can be used to produce healthy, organic food in an artistic and creative way.

The garden features a relaxed seating area surrounded by plants that can all be eaten - sunflowers, poppies and fennel have been chosen for their beautiful flowers and edible seeds, while nasturtiums and marigolds can add colour and flavour to a garnish.

A variety of salad leaves are also used to create a rich tapestry of shapes and textures to the design, interwoven with evergreen ground cover plants such as wild strawberries and scented herbs. Chillies, meanwhile, are combined with other tender spices in an area that could be planted up with spring cabbages over winter, and oats and sweetcorn provide some dramatic foliage with their tassleheads.

Another edible garden, meanwhile, is celebrating the merger of two inner-city schools in Salford. The Northwest Regional Development Agency’s show garden is based on the healthy eating curriculum and getting children excited about eating ‘five a day’.

Terraces of fruit and vegetables feature alongside fruit trees, herb beds and a greenhouse that produces seedlings and crops.

For those wanting something a bit more exotic, however, Vale Royal Borough Council’s ‘Fairtrade’ feature garden based on Costa Rica boasts a banana plantation, coffee plants, vines, sugar cane and citrus fruit trees.

Exhibitors in the floral marquee are also getting in on the act, with an a la carte selection of basils, mints, bergamot and rhubarb from Green Garden Herbs, as well as a choice of exciting produce like the Capsicum chillies being displayed by Cookoo Box Nursery.

Don’t forget you can now find out more about the show and buy your tickets for the RHS Tatton Flower Show online at www.rhs.org.uk/flowershows

Notes to Editors

For further information and/or to receive images of the show please contact Catherine Turner or Erin Portsmouth at Fido PR on 0161 274 3311 or e-mail catherine@trustfido.co.uk, erin@trustfido.co.uk.

• The RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park boasts 26 Show gardens and more than 30 back-to-back gardens
• This year the show takes on a new grid system to allow even more room for gardens
• The RHS National Flower Bed Competition culminates at the show and features 23 local authorities and colleges showcasing the best in amenity planting
• More than 600 local exhibitors feature at the show in a number of exciting areas, including a double Floral marquee, the Floral Art Design studio, the National Plant Societies marquee and the Art and Garden Design Pavillion, sponsored by Côte d’Or
• Enjoy VIP treatment with friends or clients at the show by booking into the restaurant or even a private area while you soak up the atmosphere of the show. Prices start at £149. To book call 0870 421 4868
• Treat yourself or a loved one to a Ticket and Picnic Gift Box: priced from £95, each gift box includes a pair of tickets for the flower show and a luxury food and drink hamper to enjoy while at the event. To book call 0870 247 121

For further show information and online booking visit www.rhs.org.uk/flowershows.

www.rhs.org.uk/pressoffice

The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. RHS work includes providing expert advice and information, advancing horticulture, training the next generation of gardeners, helping school children learn about plants, and conducting research into plants, pests and environmental issues affecting gardeners.

An interest in gardening is all you need to enjoy being a member of the RHS. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk or call 0845 130 4646.

Founded in 1804, the Royal Horticultural Society is Britain's largest gardening charity and is committed to being the leading organisation demonstrating excellence in horticulture and promoting gardening. Renowned for its outstanding gardens and inspirational flower shows, the RHS is a key source of advice and information for all gardeners. It encourages gardening through its publications, trials, lectures, education programmes and scientific research and is home to the Lindley Library, which contains the most comprehensive collection of horticultural books in the world.

Membership of the Royal Horticultural Society offers many exclusive benefits including a monthly copy of The Garden magazine; free entrance to RHS Gardens Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Hyde Hall in Essex and Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire; free access to a further 88 beautiful gardens across Britain and 20 gardens in Belgium and France; access to seeds collected at RHS gardens; free gardening advice and privileged tickets to 18 RHS flower shows, including the Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show and the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park.

For further enquiries about membership of the RHS contact: Membership Department, Royal Horticultural Society, PO Box 313, London SW1P 2PE; 0845 130 4646 Monday - Friday 9.30am - 5pm or via the RHS website

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