RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival

Show Features

RHS Volcanic Roses

Located on two sites, Tony Smith's signature style of earth sculpture with gently rolling hillocks rising to volcanoes topped with deep red blooming roses spilling from the tops frames the way into the Festival of Roses

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Mounds are covered in rolls of turf supplied by Rowlawn and watered throughout the show to keep it looking green and fresh.

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Did you know...

Designed by:
Tony Smith
Sponsored by:
Rolawn
  • The volcano idea came after a trip taken by Tony earlier on this year to Mount Etna
  • An environmentally friendly build, the soil used in the feature, about 200t, comes from the footings dug out to make the Show Gardens. After the show it will be returned to the ground to help level the site
  • Tony describes the feature as low-tech and therapeutic to build. The hillocks are sculptured using rakes, forks and much stamping of feet to make the soil surface firm

About the Garden

Designer Tony Smith, working with the RHS and supported by Rolawn, has created a surreal landscape exploring landform and incorporating the gardeners’ favourite bloom in a modern, thought-provoking way.

At the south entrance to Festival of Roses you’ll find a valley of grassy volcanoes. Each erupts with fragrant red roses that flow from ‘crater’ to ground like lava – offering a tease for the explosion of colour and scent ahead as you walk through to enter the Festival of Roses.