A few years ago, I was very lucky to be invited to attend Chelsea Flower Show and on that day I fell hook, line and sinker in love with RHS Flower Shows. So when the team behind RHS Malvern Spring Festival asked me to go along, I couldn’t resist. As much as I enjoy trips to London, the idea of attending a local RHS show, set against the stunning backdrop of Malvern Hills ticked all my boxes.
Malvern Spring Festival.
Malvern Spring Festival is the third fastest growing RHS Show and I can see why. The festival showcases a smaller scale of show gardens than Chelsea, but the quality and inspirational impact is no less. I was expecting a smaller version of Chelsea, however I found a show with a similar spirit but with new aspects that will keep me coming back each year.
The Show Gardens.
I went along to press day and the weather was glorious. The Show Gardens were first on my list for the day. I always like to absorb all the inspiration before heading around the rest of the festival. All of the spaces were really beautiful and I found myself cooing with the crowds at ‘Billy’s Garden’, which took inspiration from Portugal with olive trees, aromatic herbs and its very own mini herd of goats. They were totally adorable, just look at this super-cute moment between mamma goat had her kid.
My favourite was the Perfumer’s Garden, which won a gold medal and Best Show Garden. The garden featured a Perfumer’s Shop and was surrounded by some of my favourite blooms; roses, geraniums, lavender and lemon trees. I found myself drawn back for another glimpse on a few occasions during the day.
More than Show Gardens.
Like Chelsea, the Malvern Spring Festival hosts a number of shopping opportunities but where Malvern really shines is with the plant vendors and the range of industrial salvage sellers. The quality and value of the plants were incredible. I’d been plant shopping the weekend before and when I saw what was on offer, I really regretted it! I did treat myself to a new hydrangea and some perennials that were just too beautiful to resist.
The salvage on offer were great prices too, dolly tubs, galvanised buckets and all kinds of architectural salvage was on offer from a range of sellers at prices far below what they fetch on eBay. I picked up a couple of vintage galvanised bucket for under a tenner. (Perfect for my new hydrangea, right.) Bargain!
There always has to be a bit about food.
Is it just me that loves the bit of a day out where you get to much something yummy? Well, Malvern Spring Festival offers a wonderful spread of delicious eats, but also a whole hall of artisan eats. For lunch I treated myself to the most delicious Lebanese chicken flatbread, and I took home some amazing bread and cheese to eat in the garden for dinner too.
I had an amazing day and will certainly be making this an annual trip for me.
Love,
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