RHS Badminton Flower Show to feature largest ever show garden
RHS Badminton Flower Show adds to its horticultural line up with the RHS’ largest ever Feature Garden, created by award-winning designer Tom Stuart-Smith, and a planted exploration into the human mind designed by singer Will Young with plantsman and broadcaster Jamie Butterworth.
RHS Badminton Flower Show to feature largest ever show garden
Measuring 2,400m2, The Julia Rausing Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith is the largest garden ever seen at an RHS Show and will be a celebration of the life and philanthropic work of Julia Rausing. Fresh from his gold medal winning garden at RHS Chelsea, Tom is now taking on the challenge of the largest garden at an RHS Show, equivalent in size to nine Wimbledon tennis courts, with its huge scale enabling meandering paths for visitors to be fully immersed in its planting.
The garden’s design is inspired by the pastoral setting at Badminton Estate and frames views over the lake and back to Badminton House. A central terrace and fountain will be surrounded by a flower garden in which woodland edge planting will be set amongst multi-stemmed trees with a dry meadow of drought tolerant perennials. This inner area will be enveloped by a wildflower meadow with lime trees and a wild beehive.
Tom Stuart-Smith said: “It is an honour and a joy to design a garden to celebrate the legacy of Julia Rausing, whom I knew well. She loved gardens, and this is a tribute to her work supporting garden projects and causes across health, welfare, and the arts. Her generosity is reflected in a design where visitors are welcomed into the heart of the garden and can experience its beauty up close. After the show, the herbaceous plants will be sold to raise funds for Horatio’s Garden, a wonderful charity that has been supported by the Julia Rausing Foundation.”
Creating his first exhibit at an RHS Show, Will Young has collaborated with Jamie Butterworth to design Out of the Shadows, an exhibit interpreting Carl Jung’s ‘shadow self’, or the part of ourselves we keep hidden from the world, through planting. The exhibit will be formed by three planted cubes showing the journey from introspection and isolation to openness and the embrace of possibility.
Across the three cubes, shade loving plants gradually give way to airy grasses and flowers as light is let in. The first cube represents the hidden parts of out psyche with dense, layered planting creating a quiet atmosphere of seclusion. The second cube portrays a transitional garden with dappled shade and lighter planting, symbolising where the shadow self meets our conscious persona. The final cube follows a light, naturalistic planting scheme where shadows start to lift and new perspectives emerge.
Will Young said: “I’d been looking at Jungian shadow work for some time and thought it was fascinating and could translate so well into planting and a garden installation. I’d like people to see how density and shade can be beautiful and as a metaphor, encourage people to look into their own psyche as beauty often hides in the dark.”
Jamie Butterworth adds: “It’s a pleasure to be working with Will at RHS Badminton this year to deliver a planting installation full of amazing plants that visitors can incorporate in their gardens at home. Working side-by-side in the garden, or outside space, sharing knowledge and discovering new planting combinations together is one of the best things we can do, it strengthens not just our mental health but our bonds of friendship too.”
Joining the line-up of show features is Perfume Pavilions by Nicholson’s Garden Design, a sensory garden celebrating botany as the source of scent and perfume. The garden will feature lavender, honeysuckle, daphne, and phlox to immerse the space in scent whilst also entertaining the other senses with rustling leaves, flavour packed herbs, and colourful blooms.
These feature gardens and exhibits join a host of award-winning gardens, expert growers and nurseries, floral installations, talks stages, and live music.
RHS Badminton Flower Show runs from 8-12 July 2026 and tickets are available online at rhs.org.uk/badminton
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