Showground features at RHS Badminton

Horse Jumps

Designed by City of Bristol College

A joyful celebration of new skills and creativity, the five Horse Jumps made by adult students at City of Bristol College are a metaphor for the ‘leap of faith’ they have taken in pursuing new careers in the floristry industry. Each of the designs – a broken arch, a pedestal, a cascade, a waterfall and a meadow – is decorated with colourful flowers and grasses. As sustainability is at the core of the project, mechanics such as chicken wire are used throughout and concealed using foliage and moss. The overall installation is cohesive and impactful, filled with bright, optimistic tones that reflect the students’ positive outlook for a prosperous future.

Bringing Nature Home

Created by Dave Green Gardens & the RHS

Taking advantage of the most up-to-date sustainable gardening research and advice, this interactive display invites visitors to record the 12 RHS Wildlife Wonder plants on a digital map and explore the latest developments on the RHS Grow app. Inspired by a row of terraced houses, the exhibit is decorated with houseplants, books and artwork. External planting promoting wildlife is reminiscent of small gardens, showing how everyone can work together to help bring nature home.

Where the Wildflowers Gather

Designed by Acacia Creative Studio

Inspired by the natural beauty of the Cotswolds, this floral installation celebrates the softness and abundance of the British countryside. Designed in an expressive, painterly style, the display is layered with seasonal British-grown flowers and delicate meadow planting to create a composition that feels organic, romantic and immersive. Soft creams, blush tones, pale yellows and gentle greens are woven with wildflowers and natural textures, reflecting the changing landscape of the region. Where the Wildflowers Gather embraces seasonality and imperfection, including flowers at different stages of bloom to create depth, movement and a sense of fleeting natural beauty.

The Descent of the Destrier

Designed by James Doran-Webb

A 17-hand horse is captured mid-jump, suspended in the air as if in a cross-country competition. With this oversized driftwood equine sculpture, weighing about 700kg, the artist aims to represent the link between the RHS Badminton Flower Show and the famous Horse Trials held at the Estate each year. The horse is made from Molave wood, a long-dead hardwood from the Vitex parviflora tree, prized for its resistance to decay and termites. It was sourced on the Philippine island of Cebu, where the sculptor lives, and finished using the Japanese wood-charring technique shou sugi ban. The internal armature is made from recycled stainless steel. Suspended from its hind legs, the sculpture expresses the sense of freedom horse riders feel during a jump.

RHS Letters

Designed by Millie Richardson Flowers & Brambly Hedge

This year’s RHS Letters, one of the most popular floral features at the RHS Shows, rejoice for a second time in the iconic Brambly Hedge stories written and illustrated by Jill Barklem. The spectacular installation pays homage to her remarkable talent as both a storyteller and an artist, bringing to life selected scenes directly from the pages of the books through an abundance of fresh, colourful, seasonal planting and British foliage. For the design, floral designer Millie Richardson – in partnership with Brambly Hedge – has repurposed some of the planting and natural elements used in both her garden display in the Great Pavilion and the installation that adorned The Bullring Gate at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The aim is to show continuity between the two RHS Shows, demonstrating that plant material doesn’t need to go to waste after a single exhibit. 

The exuberance of Brambly Hedge’s Summer Story is marked by the sweet scent of Lonicera (honeysuckle), Fragaria × ananassa (garden strawberry) and roses reminiscent of those featured in the beloved stories, including Rosa canina, R. banksiae ‘Lady Banks’ and cultivars from Peter Beales Roses. Some additional foliage and greenery are also sourced, by kind permission, from the woodland at Badminton Estate. Perfect for that all-important Show selfie, the RHS Badminton RHS Letters will transport you into a magical hedgerow world.