Showground features

An exciting and innovative feature coming to the RHS Sandringham Flower Show is The Tree Listening Project, which uses highly sensitive microphones to make the inner workings of trees audible.

Created by Alex Metcalf, visitors will hear the very life of the tree surging up from the roots towards the leaves. While listening to the headphones hanging from the tree branches you can hear water being pulled up from the roots to the leaves through the xylem tubes. A quiet popping sound is produced by the water passing through the cells of the xylem tubes and cavitating as it mixes with air on its way upwards. The popping is the background to a loud deep rumbling sound that is produced by the tree moving and vibrating. This water movement is what keeps the tree alive by providing the leaves with the necessary water to turn into sugar as a source of food, and as part of the cooling system on a hot sunny day. 

Take a deep dive into the life beneath your feet at RHS Sandringham Flower Show 2026. 

Soilfest is a fun activity-packed place to discover everything you need to know about the soil your garden grows in, how it was made, the different types, the life inside it and how to make it stronger and heathier for your plants.

Step into a living, breathing world beneath your feet. Take a seat on one of the Talking Soil Benches, designed by Dr Dan Evans, and listen as the hidden stories of soil unfold through immersive audio. Ecoacoustic recordings reveal the subtle sounds of life beneath the surface, bringing the invisible into focus through a unique blend of science, curiosity and play.

Alongside the benches, explore a hands-on ‘soil buffet’, where you can get up close with soils from across the region and discover the vital roles they play in our everyday lives. Find out more about the British Society of Soil Science and how to become part of a growing community united by a shared interest in soil.

Inspired by a passion for reconnecting people with the ground beneath their feet, Dr Dan Evans brings soil to life in ways that are vivid, engaging and memorable.

Designed by RHS Science & Collections with Dave Green Gardens

The Bringing Nature Home exhibit invites gardeners to enjoy, engage with and enhance their garden habitats for biodiversity. Exploring the most up-to-date sustainable gardening research and advice, interactive displays will encourage visitors to record twelve RHS wildlife wonder plants on a digital map and explore the latest innovations on the award winning RHS Grow app. 

Inspired by a row of terraced houses the exhibit has a central wooden structure, with a homely hallway interior decorated with house plants, books and nature-inspired artwork. Reclaimed windows are suspended from the structure, through which the stunning planting areas are viewed. External planting areas are reminiscent of neighbouring gardens, separate but interconnected by nature.

Interpretation provides evidence-based practical advice on each planting area. By choosing plants suitable for your unique garden, that are both great for wildlife and resilient, will result in a beautiful, healthy garden habitat – helping to truly bring nature home.