Allotments at RHS Badminton

Created by St Nicholas C of E Primary School, designed by Suzie Hartshorn

This deeply personal allotment honours Jake Imrie, the late Head of St Nicolas C of E Primary School, who sadly passed away in 2025. Surprise, mischief and bananas were his trademarks. Pupils still cherish the memory of him throwing the fruit from the roof while dressed as a monkey. The design brings to life his vision of gardening as a fun and healthy activity, featuring a water pistol and wildflower-filled wellies to reflect the blossoming of each child on their journey through the school. Vegetables and herbs are planted in bright rays and include ingredients for ice cream. The plants radiate from a stall where a ‘Monkey of Mischief’ serves huge cones heaped with fresh, sweet strawberries.

Created by Bath Mind Greenlinks allotment & Gardening Group, designed by Sophia Rowe

Greenlinks is a community allotment project based in Bath, run by the mental health charity Bath Mind. The group, its members and the importance of their work serve as the inspiration for this plot. It incorporates seven defined spaces, each illustrating a specific aspect promoted at Greenlinks. From growing food and encouraging nature to boosting wellbeing and expressing creativity, the garden explores themes of emotional safety and companionship. Seedlings of Crataegus, Prunus spinosa and other native trees reference the Community Tree Nursery and symbolise hope for the future. At the centre, a space where visitors can sit quietly and reflect, represents Greenlinks as a refuge from everyday life.

Created by Bee Waine Design, designed by Bridgette Macilwaine

Rooted in the permaculture principles of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share, this plot shines a spotlight on Hobbs Community Garden, a volunteer-led initiative in West Sussex dedicated to providing a vital antidote to social isolation while empowering residents with gardening skills. The space is designed for all ages and abilities and includes social and educational areas such as a seed library and a food collection point for local food banks. The allotment is multi-layered, featuring unusual edimentals, perennial vegetables and herbs selected for high-yield and year-round harvests. Each species is resilient in the West Sussex coastal climate and supports local biodiversity.

Created by Redcatch Community Garden & Hawkmoth Garden Design

This allotment shows how something magical can be created from reclaimed and reused materials. With a particular focus on rainwater harvesting, the garden includes a clever water management system in which an old bicycle wheel is used to create a fountain and a former water tank is reimagined as a pond. Aquatic plants such as Iris pseudacorus and Caltha palustris thrive alongside moisture-loving and drought-tolerant species and vegetables, helping to protect against the effects of climate change. A living wall filled with salads highlights how you can grow easily in unusual spaces, if you don’t have the luxury of a garden.

Created by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, designed by Megan Adamou & Ellen Brooks

This allotment is part of a wider Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust campaign that aims to encourage nature-friendly growing for the benefit of both wildlife and people. It celebrates companion planting and soil health. Species such as Lobularia maritima and Tagetes patula divert insects away from food crops and are presented as a natural alternative to pesticides. The space is also filled with pollinator-friendly cut flowers, herbs and native wildflowers, while features like a mini pond, a hedgerow and log and stone piles demonstrate how to help local wildlife thrive on your allotment. The overall idea is to reconnect people with nature and inspire meaningful action to support nature’s recovery.

Created by The National Allotment Society

Founded early in the 20th century, The National Allotment Society is the leading representative body for UK allotment holders, with more than 125,000 members. Its mission is to protect, promote and preserve allotments for future generations. The Society works with allotment sites, associations, councils and individual plotholders to provide advice and guidance, as well as expertise on issues ranging from site management to environmental concerns, tenancy agreements, fundraising, setting up and managing associations. This display is provided by volunteer National Allotment Society gardeners and shows seasonal produce in pots and planters. It reflects natural growing conditions that are challenged by weather and wildlife, so the vegetables are not necessarily of exhibition quality but are delicious to eat anyway.