RHS Flower Show Cardiff

A fun-filled family day out

We welcomed young show-goers and their families for a weekend of fun and hands-on activities - and under 16s went free

 a family enjoying a day out at Cardiff Flower Show

Everyone got stuck into a great line-up of family entertainment at RHS Flower Show Cardiff this year. With a packed programme for 2018, the annually anticipated spring spectacular offered a range of interactive activities for younger show-goers – all set in the beautiful grounds of the Welsh capital’s Bute Park.

Getting closer to nature

Swift CityEmbracing Visit Wales’ Year of the Sea theme, the flower show celebrated the sensational Welsh coastline, and we sparked the imagination of all budding gardeners with some exciting, must-see features:

  • RSPB Cymru, Cardiff Council and Buglife teamed up to create the Swift City garden, where visitors could step inside a recreation of the coastal habitat of the Swift. The garden encouraged children to get closer to nature, hunt for mini beasts and enjoy a view of the swifts’ nesting tower.
  • Taking inspiration from the song ‘Under the Sea’, Grow Cardiff and designer Isla Horton created Such Wonderful Things Surround You – a feature which included dangling strawberry plant jelly fish, cress fountains and its very own Billy the Salad Seal.
  • The ever-popular Wheelbarrow Competition returned, and we welcomed schools from Cardiff and the surrounding areas to design their own sea-themed wheelbarrows for the show.
Christ the King Catholic Primary wheelbarrow entry

What else to see and do

  • The National Museum Wales celebrated its fifth anniversary at the show with three glasshouse mini labs, where children could experiment with rocks, minerals, fossils and plants
  • A giant watering can, plant pot and wheelbarrow could be discovered as part of the ‘Growing Gardeners’ Family Trail, which got young gardeners exploring the show
  • The popular Ferris wheel returned
  • Roaming entertainers included the eternally curious Mr & Mrs Pigeon, Green Fingered Gals Margery and Rosemary, and Mr & Mrs Flora
  • Flower arranging and craft workshops encouraged the whole family to get creative, producing headdresses and making buttonholes.

“Children under 16 were free to enter the show so we were looking forward to welcoming all to join us for this year’s spring spectacular,” said RHS Show Manager Anna Skibniewski-Ball

More information

More highlights at this year's fabulous flower show.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.