Show highlights

A new community competition, a focus on wellbeing and inspiration for affordable gardens – RHS Flower Show Cardiff was the perfect way to start your gardening year  

RHS Flower Show Cardiff kicked off the first of our major flower shows in 2019. Set in Bute Park in the heart of Cardiff city centre, the show celebrated the best of springtime and encouraged visitors to creatively use their outdoor spaces.

Along with beautiful gardens, endless shopping and a plant-packed Floral Marquee, the show at Cardiff revealed how being in the great outdoors can benefit our health. There was also plenty of tasty eateries to make a stop-off for lunch, plus a host of talks and workshops to get stuck into.

Gardens and wellbeing

The positive effect that gardening can have on health and wellbeing is being celebrated across all of the RHS Shows in 2019, with RHS Flower Show Cardiff leading the charge with a Garden Feature from the National Botanic Garden of Wales. 

The Garden Feature, called Gardd Lles, highlighted the many ways that being in our gardens and around nature can enhance our wellbeing and included elements from the government-supported campaign, Growing the Future. This five-year project champions Welsh horticulture and the benefits that plants have for people, wildlife and the environment. 

Visitors found two secluded seating areas in the garden that offered private spaces for a moment of quiet contemplation. The planting of the garden contained a calming and soothing colour scheme, with white and pastel flowers being scattered throughout. 

Cardiff Master Grower

R. & A. Scamp Quality Daffodils was named as Cardiff's 2019 Master Grower, in recognition of the nursery's achievements.

The Floral Marquee played host to the multi gold medal-winning daffodil specialist. Visitors saw a show-stopping display featuring hundreds of varieties of daffodils and a walk-through woodland feature that offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the nursery.

Find out more about the RHS Master Grower

Floral displays 

Following on from 2018's hugely popular Floristry Bench, Cardiff 2019 welcomed the arrival of a new tent dedicated to the art of floristry. Visitors marvelled at a brand new floristry competition and learned from the demonstrations and workshops at the Floristry Bench.

And the fabulous displays didn’t end there. The Floral Marquee and Plant Village saw spectacular blooms bursting into life, welcoming the arrival of spring. 

Beautiful beds

The Blossoming Beds competition saw beds created that celebrated the impact flowers have, even in a small space. 

The beds, including Bridgend College, Bee Friendly Cardiff and Our Orchard, demonstrated local community groups' love of gardening in a 3m x 3m bed, providing plenty of take-home inspiration for spring planting.  

Inspirational gardens

Visitors saw inspiring designs in the gardens at RHS Flower Show Cardiff. The popular Regeneration Gardens, which were first launched at the show in 2018, made a welcome return. This category saw recent graduates from landscape architecture and garden design courses create sustainable, affordable gardens.

Brent Purtell's design, The Xardin Urban Gallery, explored how local artists could display their work in an urban park, while Diego Carrillo created a garden perfect for young professionals who have a passion for wildlife and the great outdoors (pictured). 

Expert talks

There were a host of experts and celebs in the Talks Theatre. They shared their gardening tips and tricks to help visitors achieve the perfect garden.

On Friday, celebrity garden designer, James Alexander-Sinclair kicked the weekend off in style as he hosted an array of talks in the theatre. He was followed by BBC Radio 2's resident allotment expert, Terry Walton, on Saturday while CBeebies star, Rebecca Keatley rounde up the weekend by hosting a range of family-friendly talks on Sunday. 

Gardening’s next generation

It wouldn’t be RHS Flower Show Cardiff without the hugely popular wheelbarrow competition. Local schools went head to head to create unique designs, all in the space of a wheelbarrow. 

The winners were:

• 1st Prize – Christ the King Catholic Primary School
• 2nd Prize – Coed Glas Primary School
• 3rd Prize – Moorland Primary School