Going green: How the show did its bit for the environment in 2019

Find out about the changes we made around the show to help the planet

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park is known for its array of plants and gorgeous gardens, but in 2019 we went greener than ever with a series of initiatives that worked to reduce waste and cut our carbon footprint.

We launched our Green Trail, supported by Transport for Greater Manchester, which highlighted green areas around the site that helped our planet and inspired visitors to do the same. 

Buy plants to take home 

There's no better way to help out the environment and wildlife than by providing lots of plants for them to flourish in. There was plenty of inspiration for outdoor spaces in our gardens and in the Floral Marquee, which featured top quality plants, many of them from local nurseries.

Cycle to the show

For those living locally, visitors could take their bike out for a spin and ride to Tatton Park. We had plenty of racks at both entrances to safely lock up bikes so visitors could relax and enjoy the show. 

Board the bus

If biking wasn't an option, there were still plenty of ways to go green. There was a free shuttle bus from Altrincham and Manchester Airport to the show. Plus, as a hybrid bus, it made journeys cleaner and greener – with plenty of room for plants too. 

Offers for ice cream

Calling all ice cream lovers! This year we teamed up with Purbeck Ice Cream, which had special offers available at the Purbeck Ice Cream vans for any visitor bringing their own containers. Saving the planet had never been so tasty.

Green Great Britain

Here at the RHS, we're passionate about spreading plants far and wide and are proud to lead our Greening Great Britain campaign. The RHS Hub offered information about the work we're doing with the campaign and how visitors could help to bring some colour back to Britain's streets. 

Pick up a pot

Plastic – or more specifically the plastic pot – is one of the biggest challenges currently facing gardeners and the horticultural industry.

We wanted to get a handle on this and launched a recycling point at Tatton Park, which hoped to reduce the amount of plastic pots in circulation. Visitors could pick up a pot from our pot recycling point to reuse in the garden.

Recycle your rubbish

With a huge number of visitors joining us at Tatton Park, we're left with quite the pile of rubbish once the show is over. Have no fear though as much of our rubbish gets sorted and recycled off site.

Hydrate for free 

Visitors were encouraged to bring reuseable water bottles with them to the show. We had a number of water dispensers around the site so that visitors could fill up their bottle and keep hydrated throughout the day.

Food for thought 

You no longer need to worry about what happened to your knife and fork after finishing your lunch. All the cutlery on site was made from wood or recyclable products, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

Travel sustainably in virtual reality 

The Open for adventure virtual reality experience, located next to the Garden Lounge, was a fantastic opportunity to embark on an adventure by tram and become immersed in a multi-sensory journey into nature.

This interactive feature, produced in partnership with Metrolink, inspired visitors to travel sustainably and discover amazing green spaces just a tram ride away. Visitors witnessed butterflies taking off, ripples through grasses and found small mammals hiding in the undergrowth.

The Virtual Reality Experience was designed by Simon Mabey/Digital Urban and set to a backdrop created by artist Jenny Allen.

Find out more and plan your next adventure at adventure.tfgm.com 

​The Green Trail is supported by Transport for Greater Manchester.