Garden applications

Show Garden applications for 2027 are now open

Creating a garden at an RHS Show is a fantastic way to showcase your skills while engaging with an enthusiastic audience. We are looking for original, bold ideas and designs; our open brief allows for maximum flexibility, enabling the creation of unique spaces that captivate and inspire, supporting innovation and the celebration of plants. 
 
Our supportive team is on hand to guide you through the process, and grants are available in all categories. 

Application deadline : Friday 4 September 2026

• Application form

• Fact sheet

• Sign up to the RHS Malvern Spring mailing list

Blooming Border applications for 2027 are now open

Blooming Borders is a planting design category that offers opportunities for garden designers, plants people, horticulturists and landscapers to kick-start, or further, their careers in the horticultural industry while gaining exposure and experience of exhibiting at an RHS Show. 

Located at the entrance to the Show Garden area, the borders create a stunning, expansive planted walkway, becoming a captivating feature in the Festival’s highest footfall area. This collaborative space promises to leave a lasting impression on all who visit. 

Application deadline: Friday 4 September 2026

• Application form

• Fact sheet

• Sign up to the RHS Malvern Spring mailing list

If you have any questions about designing a garden in the future, please contact Charlie Gwynne by email at [email protected]

Indoor Plant Garden applications for 2027 are now open

This category celebrates the diversity, joy, and adaptability of indoor gardening, showcasing indoor plants thriving in various settings. We welcome applications from horticulturists, designers, and indoor garden specialists. 

Application deadline: Friday 16 October 2026

• Application form

• Fact sheet

• Sign up to the RHS Malvern Spring mailing list

​If you have any questions about designing a garden in the future, please contact Charlie Gwynne by email at [email protected]

Large Show Gardens applications for 2027 are now closed. However, if you would like to discuss opportunities for 2027 or for a future Show or have any questions about your proposal, please contact [email protected]

A Show Garden demonstrates the best of horticulture and excellence in garden design and innovative landscaping. The largest gardens at the show offer the opportunity to create the extraordinary, generate wonder and excitement and make a lasting impact at the world’s most prestigious flower show.

• Application form

• Fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• Sign up to the RHS Chelsea mailing list

• Top tips for designers (898 kBpdf)

• Reducing environmental impact of gardens (529 kB)

Small Show Gardens applications for 2027 are now closed. However, if you would like to discuss opportunities for 2027 or for a future Show or have any questions about your proposal, please contact [email protected]

Small Show Gardens (under 149sqm) combine contemporary and traditional visions of the home garden, and  still pack a punch. Whether is it high innovation or celebration of tradition, these gardens offer the opportunity to create a space to inspire the gardener in all of us.

• Application form

• ​Fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• Sign up to the RHS Chelsea mailing list

• Top tips for designers (898 kB pdf)

• Reducing environmental impact of gardens (529 kB)

Balcony and Container Gardens applications for 2027 are now closed. However, if you would like to discuss opportunities for 2027 or for a future Show or have any questions about your proposal, please contact [email protected]

The Balcony and Container Gardens category is a mentored category open to designers who have not exhibited or been involved in the design of a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

• Application form

• Fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• Sign up to the RHS Chelsea mailing list

• Top tips for designers (898 kBpdf)

• Reducing environmental impact of gardens (529 kBpdf)

Garden applications for the Plant Festival 2027 are now open.

The categories are Terraced Gardens and Balcony Gardens. Please see the fact sheet below for information on each category.

Space at the RHS Plant Festival is limited but if designers have ideas for gardens that do not fit into the Terraced or Balcony Gardens categories please contact [email protected]

Application deadline: Monday 9 November 2026

• Application form

• Gardens fact sheet

•  Why exhibit

• Sign up to the new RHS event in Bristol mailing list

Applications for the Edimental Gardens for 2027 are now open

Combining edible and ornamental elements, these gardens bring together the once separate vegetable patch and floral border, to demonstrate how you can maximise small spaces to be both functional and decorative. The spaces should focus on fresh food and flowers, dual-purpose plots, and the benefits of edible gardening for health and biodiversity. This category will be a collaborative design between a garden designer and a local chef/food business. We invite applications from both parties, whether applying as an individual or partnership.

This design category is supported by a mentorship program and successful applicants will receive development feedback in the lead up to the show. Each successful applicant will be awarded a grant totaling £1000 (ex. VAT).

If you are interested in applying for our Edimental Garden category or would like further information, please email Deputy Show Manager [email protected], whether you are applying as a garden designer, food professional, or existing partnership.

Please register your interest by Monday 26 October 2026

• Edimental gardens fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• Sign up to the new RHS event in Bristol mailing list

Show Garden applications for 2027 are now closed

A Show Garden demonstrates the best of horticulture and excellence in garden design and innovative landscaping. The largest gardens at the show offer the ability to create the extraordinary, generate wonder and excitement and make a lasting impact.

• Fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• ​Sign up to the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park mailing list

• Top tips for designers (898 kB pdf)

• Reducing environmental impact of gardens (529 kB)

RHS Young Designer of the Year applications for 2027 are now closed

This well-established competition gives the opportunity for young designers to celebrate their talent and showcase their work. Open to those aged 30 or younger as of July 2027. Grant funding available.

• Fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• Sign up to the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park mailing list

• Top tips for designers (898 kB pdf)

• Reducing environmental impact of gardens (529 kB)

Grow Forward Gardens applications for 2027 are now closed

This category applies the latest in horticultural design research and development; to empower visitors to understand how and why garden design can both mitigate against climate change and improve landscapes. Industry collaborations are key to innovation and the Grow Forward category welcomes partnerships with companies whose ethos and products are leaders in sustainability.

• Fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• Sign up to the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park mailing list

• Top tips for designers (898 kB pdf)

• Reducing environmental impact of gardens (529 kB)

Long Border applications for 2027 are now open

Long Borders provide an excellent opportunity for designers, community groups, horticultural students or budding gardeners to create a planted border and be awarded an RHS medal. This category is a great first step into exhibiting at shows, a way to showcase your creativity and a platform for important messages. Imagine how your ideas and passion could inspire our visitors.

Application deadline: Friday 8 January 2027

• Application form

• Fact sheet

• Why exhibit

• Sign up to the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park mailing list

• Top tips for designers (898 kB pdf)

• Reducing environmental impact of gardens (529 kB pdf)