2014 RHS Tatton Flower Show - photo special
PUBLISHED: 09:14 05 September 2014 | UPDATED: 19:10 14 April 2020
WORDS BY REBEKKA O’GRADY PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN COCKS

The HUB Dance troupe from the Crewe area performed their routine in the Cheshire Carnival of Gardens area
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The RHS Tatton Flower Show returned in spectacular style, showcasing the glorious horticultural skills of the county and far beyond
2014 RHS Tatton Show
A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
Michael Vinsun's creation; 'Element Garden' inspired by the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water
Michael Vinsun's creation; 'Element Garden' inspired by the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water
Cheshire's Carnival of Gardens Fryer's Roses Garden
A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
Reaseheath student Kim Eastham and a bantam hen featuring in A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
Reaseheath lecturer Ken Higginbotham and Reaseheath student Kim Eastham with a bantam hen featuring in A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group. Pictured are (from the left); Reaseheath lecturer Ken Higginbotham, Pam Moran, Jacqueline Naraynsingh and Rachel Harding of Real Food Wythenshaw community food campaigners, and Reaseheath student, Rob Hallwood
A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
A Taste of Wythenshaw garden created by Foundation Degree in Garden and Landscape Design and other students from Reaseheath College and sponsored by Wythenshaw Community Housing Group
Cheshire's Carnival of Gardens Fryer's Roses Garden
Laura Evans of Marketing Cheshire with Sam Youd, Chairman of Gardens of Distinction, in the Cheshire's Carnival of Gardens Fryer's Roses Garden
Laura Evans of Marketing Cheshire with Sam Youd, Chairman of Gardens of Distinction, in the Cheshire's Carnival of Gardens Fryer's Roses Garden
RHS Show 2014
Cholmondeley Castle's head gardener Barry Grain tending his creation in the Cheshire's Carnival of Gardens area
Adlington Hall's head gardener Anthony O'Grady with a half-scale model of Adlington's T'ing Chinese Tea House
The HUB Dance troupe from the Crewe area performed their routine in the Cheshire Carnival of Gardens area
The HUB Dance troupe from the Crewe area performed their routine in the Cheshire Carnival of Gardens area
Sam Youd, Chairman of Gardens of Distinction, with a birthday cake to celebrate 10 years....
Tatton Park Gardens and Cheshire East Council's Tatton Reflects garden featuring a German trench and four phases of gardens on the Western Front that were lost to the war
Tatton Park Gardens and Cheshire East Council's Tatton Reflects garden featuring a German trench and four phases of gardens on the Western Front that were lost to the war
RHS Show 2014
Bramhalls Clare Broadbent and her WorkOUT Garden featured in the Young Designer category
Bramhalls Clare Broadbent and her WorkOUT Garden featured in the Young Designer category
Bramhalls Clare Broadbent and her WorkOUT Garden featured in the Young Designer category
RHS Show 2014
Flowery Ferris Wheel decorated by the North West Area of NAFAS
Keeping cool...Pip Probert of Bromborough in her garden 'The Narrows' reflecting the shape of a typical suburban garden. The garden is split into three areas to allow members of the family to do their own thing
Keeping cool...Pip Probert of Bromborough in her garden 'The Narrows' reflecting the shape of a typical suburban garden. The garden is split into three areas to allow members of the family to do their own thing
RHS Show 2014
Two young members of Tatton's Living History Society, sisters, Darcy (10) and Eva Whittingham (7)
Michael Vinsun of Congleton in his 'Element Garden' inspired by the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water
RHS Show 2014
Michael Vinsun of Congleton in his 'Element Garden' inspired by the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water
Michael Vinsun's creation; 'Element Garden' inspired by the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water
'See the Wind' Elements Garden by Manchester's Joan Mulvenna and Andrew Lee
'A Styalish Garden' created by designer, Richard Heys with Styal prisoners on Release On Temporary License
Designer Ian Price's 'Elemental' garden uses abstracted versions of the symbols of the four elements
'Summer Dream' Show feature garden by Four Oaks Nurseries of Withington
RHS Show 2014
Brownthwaite Hardy Plants of Kirby Lonsdale
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'The Bee Roads to Manchester' designed by Sarah Hawkins for Manchester City Council
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'The Bee Roads to Manchester' designed by Sarah Hawkins for Manchester City Council
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'Lazy Days' designed by Alan Rampling and Brian McNeill for Preston City Council
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'Lazy Days' designed by Alan Rampling and Brian McNeill for Preston City Council
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'Lazy Days' designed by Alan Rampling and Brian McNeill for Preston City Council
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'Ways To Grow' designed by Anastasia Demetriou for Cheadle & Marple College Network and Stockport Homes
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'Ways To Grow' designed by Anastasia Demetriou for Cheadle & Marple College Network and Stockport Homes
Nationl Flowerbed Competition; 'Ways To Grow' designed by Anastasia Demetriou for Cheadle & Marple College Network and Stockport Homes
National Flowerbed Competition; Lytham In Bloom's 'BETWEEN TIDES' The last full-time traditional Lytham shrimp fisherman is taking a break between tides
National Flowerbed Competition; Lytham In Bloom's 'BETWEEN TIDES' The last full-time traditional Lytham shrimp fisherman is taking a break between tides
National Flowerbed Competition; Lytham In Bloom's 'BETWEEN TIDES' The last full-time traditional Lytham shrimp fisherman is taking a break between tides
Schools Garden; 'Writers Garden' by Oaklands School, Winsford
Schools Garden; Dowson Primary School (Hyde) youngsters in their 'Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car' creation
RHS Show 2014
Schools Garden; 'War Poets' garden created by young students of Wellacre Academy, Flixton
Schools Garden; 'The Hobbit' by Lymm High School
Schools Garden; 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by students of the St. Thomas Boteler CofE High School, Latchford, Warrington
Schools Garden; Amy Conerney (16) in the Winsford Academy garden 'The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe'
Schools Garden; Amy Conerney (16) in the Winsford Academy garden 'The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe'
CABASA Carnival Arts on parade
CABASA Carnival Arts on parade
CABASA Carnival Arts on parade
CABASA Carnival Arts on parade
CABASA Carnival Arts on parade
Schools Garden; 'The Railway Children' garden tended here by pupils, Emily Bailey (9), Bradley Stevens (10) and Rhys Barber (10) from Smallwood CE Primary, Sandbach
Floral display by Manchester's Verdure Floral Design Limited
A Gold Medal and a plaque for the Best Exhibit in the Floral Design Studio went to the Cheshire Area NAFAS represented here by Chris Gibbons and Eleanor Griffiths. The display entitled 'Colour and Form' was inspired by Wassily Kandinsky
Summer Garden; 'Making Sense' is a sensory garden designed by Janet Leigh of Stockport to stimulate the experience of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste for children with special needs
Summer Garden; 'Making Sense' is a sensory garden designed by Janet Leigh of Stockport to stimulate the experience of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste for children with special needs
A dazzling display of bright and beautiful floral designs greeted all who visited the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show. The 2014 show built excitement up within the county, and as usual the annual horticultural event did not disappoint.
Glorious sunshine shone upon the five day event where competitors had travelled from far and wide to show off their floral flair. For Bramhall’s Clare Broadbent, this year couldn’t have been a better event to make a show debut. The 23-year-old was a finalist in the eagerly-anticipated Young Designer of the Year award, which is even more awe-inspiring when it is your first ever garden design.
‘This is my first ever experience at Tatton – well, even creating a garden in general!’ said Clare, who has just completed her masters in landscape architecture at Sheffield University. ‘I never expected to come this far, it has been a great experience.’
The theme for the sixth Young Designer competition was ‘avant-gardening’, which encouraged the three finalists to use their £12,000 sponsor money to take a daring touch of invention, new techniques and experimentation. Clare, who missed her graduation ceremony to be at RHS Tatton, received a gold medal for her garden entry, WorkOUT. It also won the People’s Choice award for Best Small Garden. ‘My garden is based on exercise, and I thought with the increase of gyms in parks that it would be a way of incorporating this idea into a private garden space. I wanted to include traditional garden elements such as a pergola into a feature for exercise.’

An innovative approach to encourage daily fitness, Clare’s small space uses a wide range of exercises such as the Archimedes’ screws and the push bike water wheel – which is the Cheshire gardener’s favourite aspect.
‘The plants I have used have been specifically chosen for their different heights and seasonality. When researching, I found out that red is a motivational colour for exercise, so this is the prevailing colour scheme for the plants.’
A relaxing water garden, the flora included dahlias, sunflowers, equisetums and clematis – all from Rectory Garden nurseries in Congleton.
There must be a host of green fingers in Congleton this year as there was another entry from that town in the new Elements gardens category. Inspired by the forces of fire, earth, wind and water, this category saw five designers take on the elements, bringing a selection of dramatic, conceptual and innovative designs to the show. Michael Vinsun’s Element Garden was awarded a silver medal in this category, and his design broke down each element from the brief into individual sections of his garden.

‘It took around two weeks to build,’ said landscape designer Michael. ‘The design is based on an upland garden, with a central feature wall made from local Kerridge stone from Macclesfield that then breaks down into a waterfall.’ With the earth and water elements ticked off his list, he incorporated fire through a selection of flaming plants based on a red and yellow colour scheme, such as kniphofias, which contrast against a selection of wild flowers.
The wind element of Michael’s garden is formed through a series of fibre glass sculptures that represent the breeze rippling through the garden. ‘I am really pleased with how the garden worked out,’ said Michael. ‘It is not only formalised but also ecological, which is important to me.’
Strolling around the Tatton grounds, each part of the Inspire, Escape, Grow and Feast sections are blooming, with variety of marquees, show gardens and stalls enticing you to admire their stunning work. One of the most eye-catching creations was the colourful ferris wheel brought to the event by the North West Area of the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS).
Every other seat on the classic funfair ride was full to the brim with a stunning arrangement of close to 500 stems of flowers. Visitors could take a seat on the wheel for £2, with the money going to charity. It would have definitely been the best seat in the house for watching the twice daily Great Garden Carnival parade, organised by Manchester-based Cabasa Carnival Arts.

Stepping into the Escape zone, it was easy to see why Pip Probert’s garden, The Narrows, scooped a gold medal in the Show Garden category. The 30-year-old, from Bromborough on the Wirral, designed this long, thin garden as it is typical of the average suburban space: ‘I designed The Narrows to inspire people to get away from the idea that a suburban garden does not necessarily need to be laid out with a large central lawn and flowers around the edges.’
The garden has been split into three areas, which allows members of the family to do their own thing or relax together as a group, if they wish. Features include a tranquil pond, an oak deck and partitions, a pergola, stainless steel sculptures and living wall planters.
‘The flower choices, I hope, made a bold impact to catch people’s attention.’
For Pip, who owns her own landscape and garden design company, Outer Spaces, this is her tenth time exhibiting at Tatton, where she has already enjoyed winning a host of medals for other impressive gardens.

Once again, the RHS Tatton Flower Show has been a riot of colour and fragrance and, in fact, a celebration of everything related to the beauty of the English garden. With such a high standard of innovative show gardens and fabulous marquee displays, it will be hard to top next year. However, the best of the North West’s green-fingered folk will no doubt create yet another amazing event in 12-months’ time. We can’t wait.
RHS Tatton Flower Show 2014 winners:
Best Show Garden:
Maggie’s Forest Garden
FROM Designed by Amanda Waring and Laura Arison For Maggie’s Centres????? %^$%^ >>>>>>>?
RHS People’s Choice Award: Best Show Garden:
Safe from Harm, AJ Bell NSPCC, Salford
Best Elements Garden:
See the Wind, Joan Mulvenna and Andrew Lee, Prestwich
Best Summer Garden:
Industrial Transitions, GK Wilson Landscape Services, Glossop
RHS People’s Choice Award: Best Small Garden:
WorkOUT, Clare Frances Broadbent, Bramhall
GOLD Show Gardens:
The Narrows, Pip Probart, Bromborough
A Taste of Wythenshawe, Reaseheath College, Nantwich
Elements Gardens:
Elemental, Ian Price Design, Belfast
RHS Young Designer of the Year:
The Sky’s The Limit, Sam Ovens, Cornwall
Best Exhibit in the Floral Marquee:
Pheasant Acre Plants, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan
Best Floristry Exhibit:
The Cheshire Area of NAFAS
RHS Tatton Park Floristry College of the Year 2014:
Reaseheath College, Nantwich
Best Show Feature:
Cheshire’s Carnival of Gardens, Cheshire’s Gardens of Distinction, Chester
Best High School Garden:
Winsford E-ACT Academy, Winsford
Best Primary School Garden:
Evelyn St Primary School, Warrington