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Butterfly-friendly gardens to inspire visitors at RHS summer shows

Two designers will showcase butterfly-friendly gardens at RHS Badminton and RHS Sandringham, supporting the Big Butterfly Count and encouraging visitors to plant for pollinators

Two garden designers are creating butterfly-friendly show gardens at RHS events this summer, working in collaboration with charity Butterfly Conservation to highlight the importance of pollinators and support the Big Butterfly Count 2026.

Emma Atkinson and Amanda Thomas will showcase insect-friendly planting at RHS Sandringham Flower Show and RHS Badminton Flower Show in July, encouraging visitors to make their own gardens more welcoming to butterflies.

Gardens designed for wildlife

Emma Atkinson’s Silverhand Estate: The Butterfly Garden at RHS Badminton Flower Show (8–12 July) will feature 250 to 300 plants, including alder buckthorn, crab apple and drifts of nectar-rich flowers such as echinacea, salvia and oregano. A central bench will invite visitors to pause and spot butterflies. Her design reflects a desire to create a richer natural world for future generations, inspired by the wildlife she has already seen thriving in her own garden.

Silverhand Estate: The Butterfly Garden, designed by Emma Atkinson
Emma wanted to help create a world with more wildlife in it for her daughters Amelia and Annabelle to grow up in. “I’ve always been a wildlife person,” she said. “I planted our new garden last year with so many different things, and the number of butterflies that found it was remarkable. I was watching my children seeing butterflies and interacting with them for the first time and I thought, can you imagine a world where children don’t get to see butterflies because they’re too scarce?”

Amanda Thomas will present her Butterfly Sanctuary Garden at RHS Sandringham Flower Show (22–26 July), demonstrating how gardens of any size or style can support pollinators. The design includes nectar-rich planting, native hedging, a wildlife pond and a garden room set among trees. The garden will feature plants loved by butterflies such as lavender, Agastache, Salvia, Cistus and rosemary, alongside a water management feature where rainwater is channelled into a pond and rain garden to support wildlife.

Butterfly Sanctuary Garden, designed by Amanda Thomas

Can you imagine a world where children don’t get to see butterflies because they’re too scarce?

Emma Atkinson, garden designer
Emma Atkinson with her daughters
Amanda Thomas
Supporting the Big Butterfly Count

Both gardens will help promote the Big Butterfly Count, which runs from 17 July to 9 August 2026 and encourages people across the UK to spend 15 minutes counting butterflies in their local area. The data collected supports research into butterfly populations and helps guide conservation efforts.

Gardens beyond the shows

After RHS Badminton, Emma’s garden will be relocated to Silverhand Estate vineyard in Kent, extending its impact beyond the show. Amanda’s garden will move to King’s House public gardens in Thetford, where it will become a permanent community resource, demonstrating how wildlife-friendly planting can be both beautiful and practical.

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Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'
Balkan clary 'Caradonna'
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
<em>Salvia</em> <em>nemorosa</em> 'Caradonna'
Origanum vulgare
oregano
  • 0.5–1 metres
  • 0.5–1 metres
<em>Origanum</em> <em>vulgare</em>
Malus 'Butterball'
crab apple 'Butterball'
  • 4–8 metres
  • 4–8 metres
<em>Malus</em> 'Butterball'
Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'
Balkan clary 'Caradonna'
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
  • 0.1–0.5 metres
<em>Salvia</em> <em>nemorosa</em> 'Caradonna'
Origanum vulgare
oregano
  • 0.5–1 metres
  • 0.5–1 metres
<em>Origanum</em> <em>vulgare</em>
Malus 'Butterball'
crab apple 'Butterball'
  • 4–8 metres
  • 4–8 metres
<em>Malus</em> 'Butterball'
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Book your RHS Show tickets for gardening inspiration

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