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 the coming year...
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 and 2026
On now
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
Until 31 January: Nelly Roberts, Orchid Painter, London
Nelly Roberts (1872–1959) was the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) first and longest-serving orchid artist, and this free exhibition of her work showcases the beauty, science and history of the extraordinary plant.
Timings 10am-5pm
Tickets Free
Location The Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB
Web gardenmuseum.org.uk
Coming up
20 December: Christmas choir, Hampshire
Enjoy an evening of festive music and carols in the warmed greenhouse, with food in the orangery.
Timings 7pm
Tickets £40
Location West Green House Gardens, Thackham’s Lane, Hook, Hampshire RG27 8JB
Web westgreenhouse.co.uk
30 December: The folklore and history of holly, Devon
Discover the traditions behind holly, yew and mistletoe in this guided estate walk.
Timings 11am-12:30pm
Tickets Free
Location Arlington Court, Arlington, near Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4LP
Web nationaltrust.org.uk
JANUARY 2026
Thursday 15-Friday 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
FEBRUARY 2026
21 February: Winter Rose Pruning Workshop, Dorset
Gain rose-pruning confidence in this practical workshop led by horticultural expert John Cunningham, in the formal rose gardens of Sculpture by the Lakes.
Timings 10am-4pm
Tickets £65
Location Sculpture By The Lakes, Pallington Lakes, Dorchester DT2 8QU
Web sculpturebythelakes.co.uk
MAY 2026
9 May - 27 September: Henry Moore’s art at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst
Kew and Wakehurst will host the largest ever showcase of art from the internationally recognised 20th century artist Henry Moore. The exhibition will feature 30 artworks across Kew's landscape and inside the Temperate House - the world's biggest Victorian glasshouse - as well as 90 works in Kew's Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, which will encompass bronzes, stone and wood carvings, prints and drawings, exploring Moore’s unique process of ‘thinking through nature’.
From 5 June, Wakehurst (Kew's wild botanic garden in Sussex) will open a parallel exhibition of four additional Moore sculptures, alongside new commissioned pieces from contemporary artists.
Dates 9 May-27 Sep 2026 (Kew) / 5 June-27 Sep (Wakehurst)
Tickets Included in ticket to Kew/Wakehurst / Universal Credit £1 / 16–29-year-olds £10
Location Kew, Richmond, London TW9 3AE / Wakehurst, Ardingly, Haywards Heath, Sussex RH17 6TN
Web kew.org / kew.org/wakehurst
Dates and prices correct at time of publication. Please check details for each show prior to travelling.
