From the glamour and excitement of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to the laid-back charm of the Great Comp Summer Show, our round up of this year’s best flower shows, festivals and events.
We'll be updating this article through the year so be sure to check back for what's new. Bookmark it for quick and easy re-finding!
So, let's make some plans and make the most of what's going on. Here's what you've got to look forward to in 2025...
For more fascinating garden festivals this year, see: 11 cool, alternative garden festivals and events to enjoy this summer
Gardens Illustrated events and show guide 2025
On now
Until 27 July: RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show, London
For the first time ever, the RHS's Botanical Art & Photography Show is free to enter this year. See Japanese cherry blossom, unusual Australian ‘kangaroo paws’ and plants used in traditional cosmetics by Korean women. The judges have awarded the artworks gold, silver-gilt and bronze RHS medals, as well as a selection of other awards, like ‘best in show'.
Vote for the People's Choice award online after your visit.
Open 10am - 6pm
Tickets Free entry with a suggested donation of £5
Location Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London, SW3 4RY
Web saatchigallery.com
Until 10 August: Unearthed: The Power of Gardening, London
See exhibits including the first mechanised lawnmower and 16th century gardening manuals at the British Library.
Open Check website for opening times
Tickets £15
Location British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB
Web events.bl.uk
Until 7 September: Laura Ellen Bacon at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Derbyshire-based artist Laura Ellen Bacon is creating a huge, immersive woven willow installation in Yorkshire Sculpture Park's 18th century chapel. She'll use 80 bundles of sustainably produced Somerset willow, before it's dismantled and reused in the landscape to create wildlife habitats.
Open 10am - 4pm
Tickets £7 - £11 / free with certain memberships
Location Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield, WF4 4LG
Web ysp.org.uk
Until 14 September: Bridget McCrum: The Conference of the Birds, Oxfordshire
Blenheim Palace's Walled Garden will host a brand-new art exhibition this summer, featuring 20 of Bridget McCrum's beautiful stone and bronze bird sculptures. Now in her nineties, Bridget has created one final stone piece, which is included in the exhibition.
Open 10am - 3:45pm
Tickets Free with gardens entry ticket (£31)
Location The Walled Garden, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1UL
Web blenheimpalace.com
Until 21 September: Cecil Beaton's Garden Party, London
Pore over photographs, paintings and drawings in this exhibition exploring how gardens and flowers influenced the famous fashion photographer, artist and costume and set designer Cecil Beaton.
Open 10am - 5pm
Tickets Free with admission, £7.50-£15
Location Garden Museum, 5 Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB
Web gardenmuseum.org.uk
Until 28 September: On The Hedge, Surrey
This photography exhibition at RHS Wisley puts hedges and topiary centre stage, celebrating their role in both rural and urban settings, and their ability capture particulate matter, reduce noise pollution and provide an important home for wildlife. You'll see work from over 30 photographers and a newly commissioned piece by Anna Kroeger, who is using materials from hedges to process and tone her photographs more sustainably.
Open 10am - 5pm
Tickets Free with garden admission, book online and save up to 25%
Location Wisley Ln, Wisley, Woking GU23 6QB
Web rhs.org.uk
Until 28 September: Of The Oak, Kew Gardens, London
One of Kew's most impressive trees, the Lucombe oak, will be the focus of a brand-new six-metre-high digital and auditory artwork revealing the web of water, oxygen and carbon at work underneath the bark and soil across the four seasons. Get involved by moving in front of the oak to affect its motions and synchronise your breathing with its rhythms when you visit.
Open 10am - 6pm
Tickets free with general admission to Kew (£1 - £24.50)
Location Kew Gardens, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE
Web kew.org
Until 29 September: Trebah Garden Exhibition, Cornwall
A rare chance to discover more about the history of one of Cornwall's most loved gardens, from the Middle Ages and through its transformation into a globally recognised sub-tropical paradise from the 1800s onwards. Pore over rare archival documents and never-before-seen photos spanning almost 200 years.
Open 9:30am - 5pm
Tickets Free with entry from £16.50
Location Trebah Garden, Mawnan Smith, Cornwall, TR11 5JZ
Web trebahgarden.co.uk
Until 1 October: Saving the Blue Poppy from Extinction, Quebec
If you're based in Canada, or taking a trip this year, you may want to drop in to see this vibrant exhibition at Retford Gardens in Quebec. Featuring stunning digital artworks by photographer T.M. Glass, it celebrates the people who have worked to save the Himalayan blue poppy from extinction over the past 100 years.
Open Check website
Tickets $25
Location Les Jardins de Metis, 200 Rte 132, Grand-Métis, Quebec G0J 1Z0
Web jardinsdemetis.com
Until 25 January 2026: Garden Futures: Designing with Nature, Dundee
In this colourful new V&A exhibition showcasing more than 400 artefacts using light, sound, texture and garden scents, visitors walk through an immersive hedge maze, wooden greenhouse and woven floral wall among other nature-inspired spaces. Expect to see everything from the earliest international examples of design to contemporary creations by icons like Piet Oudolf; dresses made with wheatgrass roots to William Morris artwork and contemporary videogames.
The area surrounding the waterfront museum has also been revitalised with colourful and biodiverse planting.
Open 10am - 5pm
Tickets £7.50 – £16
Location V&A Dundee, 1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee, DD1 4EZ
Web vam.ac.uk
JULY 2025
16-20 July: RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire
Here's a brand new event showcasing up and coming designers, growers and local artisans, all hosted at the the Grade I listed Wentworth Woodhouse stately home in South Yorkshire.
Timings 10am - 5pm
Tickets £10.85 - £35.85
Location Wentworth Woodhouse, S62 7TQ
Web rhs.org.uk
20 July: William Robinson Festival at Gravetye Manor, Sussex
This year, Gravetye Manor's annual William Robinson festival falls on 20 July. The Elizabethan Manor hotel and gardens aren't usually open to the public, so this event is a wonderful opportunity to explore the grounds while they're in full bloom.
To celebrate the pioneering Victorian gardener William Robinson, who bought the manor in 1884, Gravetye will host garden talks and demonstrations, including one from RHS award-winning landscape design studio Harris Bugg, as well as plant sales, a local cheese showcase, wine tasting, morris dancing and more. All ticket proceeds go to Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice.
Timings 10am - 4:30pm
Tickets £25
Location Gravetye Manor, Vowels Lane, West Hoathly, Sussex RH19 4LJ
Web gravetyemanor.co.uk
20 July & 3 August: Allington Castle Gardens Open Day, Kent
The gardens of the 12th-century Allington Castle, which is a private residence usually closed to the public, are set to open for two Sundays this summer, to help raise funds for the Heart of Kent Hospice. There's the chance to enjoy a picnic in the gardens during your visit, and take a private, one-hour guided castle tour.
Timings 12pm - 5pm
Tickets £15
Location Allington Castle, Castle Road, Allington ME16 0ND
Web hokh.org
25 July: Kew's Carbon Garden opens, London
Kew's brand-new Carbon Garden opens on 25 July, exploring the role of carbon in nature and how plants can help mitigate climate change. The garden includes stripes of perennials representing rising temperatures over time, drought-resistant planting, 26 climate-resilient trees, grasslands, wildflower meadows and native hedgerows. A central pavilion uses low-carbon materials to channel rainwater into the rain garden, where a bioswale demonstrates water management techniques.
Open 10am to 7pm (weekdays), 10am to 8pm (weekends)
Tickets Free with Kew entry ticket (from £11)
Location Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3AE
Web kew.org
SEPTEMBER 2025
4-6 September: Drawn From Earth, Shropshire
This mixed exhibition at specialist nursery Wildegoose will feature drawings, paintings and etchings by Mary Elliott and other artists who work with natural materials and are inspired by the natural world. Also on show will be sculpture, ceramics, basketry and handwoven works - all amongst the naturalistic organic garden at Wildegoose.
Timings TBC
Tickets TBC
Location Wildegoose Nursery, Lower Millichope, Munslow, Shropshire, SY7 9HE
Web wildegoosenursery.co.uk
5 September: A Day with Shane Connolly, County Down
Here's a chance to spend a day learning from Shane Connolly, one of the top floral designers - and florist to the King and Queen. It's hosted by Hilltop Flowers in Belfast, and there will be floral and tablescape demonstrations, talks and a Q&A with Shane himself. Lunch, coffee and cakes from local chefs are included, plus a gift bag of floral surprises.
Timings 10am - 4:30pm
Tickets £155
Location Clandeboye Courtyard, Clandeboye Estate, Bangor BT19 1RN
Web hilltopflowers.co.uk
11 September: The Long View of Landscape, London
Celebrating the work of Hal Moggridge, described as the UK's foremost living landscape architect, this special event aims to inspire others with a closer look at his achievements, discussions on the future of landscape design and contributions from key designers like Tom Stuart-Smith.
Join from 10:30am for the main event, or from 5:30pm for drinks and nibbles with Hal and friends.
Timings 10:30am - 8pm
Tickets From £55
Location Royal College of Physicians, Regents Park, 11 St Andrews Pl, London NW1 4LE
Web folar.uk
18-20 September: Yeo Valley Organic Garden Festival, Bristol
Visit the Yeo Valley farm for talks by horticultural icons including Arit Anderson, John Little, Frances Tophill and Kate Bradbury. There will also be the chance to take part in hands-on gardening workshops and demonstrations, as well as buy seasonal plants and bulbs, and enjoy food and entertainment.
Tickets £10 per day / £44 for three-day ticket
Location Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Holt Farm, Bath Road, Bristol, BS40 7SQ
Web yeovalley.co.uk/
25 September: A Taste of Autumn and Spice at Goldstone Hall Hotel & Gardens, Shropshire
This Georgian manor house runs regular tours of its five-acre gardens in Shropshire, but this one includes the chance to enjoy a seasonally inspired, spicy tasting menu of local food afterwards - part of the area's Ginger & Spice Festival. You'll be shown around the gardens by Head Gardener, Ross Underwood, and Kitchen Gardener, Sarah Smith-Roe.
Timings 10:30am - 3pm
Tickets £65 (£52 for RHS members)
Location Goldstone Hall Hotel and Gardens, Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 2NA
Web goldstonehallhotel.co.uk
2 October: How to photograph gardens with Jason Ingram, Hertfordshire
Jason Ingram's work is often found within the pages of Gardens Illustrated, and this October he's leading a special workshop revealing the knowledge and experience he's built up over 25 years in the industry. The day starts with a talk on techniques - from composition to mastering light - followed by a hands-on practical session with helpful feedback.
Pause for a home-cooked vegetarian lunch and take time to explore the gardens, including the Plant Library of over 2,000 perennials and bulbs.
Timings 10am - 4pm
Tickets From £150
Location The Apple House, Serge Hill Lane, Bedmond WD5 0RZ
Web sergehillproject.co.uk
JANUARY 2026
15-16 January: Wilding Gardens, Manchester
Aimed at anyone interested in learning more about how our gardens are crucial for rewilding and biodiversity, this two-day conference of ideas brings together inspiring voices in horticulture and environmental science to show how we can garden to save wildlife and resources, and tackle climate change.
The event comes from Isabella Tree of the renowned West Sussex rewilding project Knepp, along with iconic garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith, and will feature leading figures including Professor James Hitchmough, Great Dixter's Fergus Garrett and ecological grower Poppy Okotcha, among many others.
Timings Thursday 10am - 6pm / Friday 9am - 4pm
Tickets From £100
Location University of Manchester, 176 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL
Web wildinggardens.co.uk
Dates and prices correct at time of publication. Please check details for each show prior to travelling.