Published: 23 June 2026
For the majority of its proud history, the Royal Horticultural Society has operated around consistent anchors and landmark events in their most famous locations. The Chelsea Flower Show in May is the greatest example of this model with an excellent annual celebration that brings a riot of colour to West London. Working in this way has provided a prestigious and predictable schedule to follow for the green-fingered enthusiasts of the UK to follow.
However, there are clues that the RHS may be embarking on a new way of bringing their fantastic events to wider audiences in the country. The first real seeds were sown through the 2025 RHS Wentworth Woodhouse in south Yorkshire, and it proved to be a huge success.
The Success of RHS Wentworth Woodhouse 2025
From the 16th to the 20th of July 2025 this beautiful estate was imbued with a festival presence. A sequence of spaces that combines show gardens, plant nurseries and guest talks grew around the location with its own architecture, history and regional identity serving as the greatest foundation for a flower show.
This was one of the largest private houses in England, shaped by aristocracy, industrial wealth and a recent high-profile restoration being used as a proving ground for new shoots in the RHS strategy.
- Show Gardens were displayed in competition for RHS medals and the coveted People’s Choice award
- Specialist growers were showcased for display and retail
- Community programming was created to broaden the RHS appeal in the area
- Educational talks brought industry tips and tricks to the general public
- The familiar artisanal food & drink stalls supported the show
Overall, the 2025 RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show established that a series of touring shows can work well. The differences in layout across the estate, as opposed to traditional venues such as Chelsea or Hampton Court, also demonstrated new levels of creativity for visitor flow and engaging aesthetics.
The 2026 RHS Touring Schedule
The 2026 schedule is now shaping up to take this insight and education a step further with two incredible shows planned for the summer, in the two RHS partner locations of Badminton and Sandringham.
With an elegant blueprint already detailed through the success of Wentworth Woodhouse in 2025, these events will be the hottest tickets for gardening lovers across the UK and well beyond.
RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026
Key Details
- 8th – 12th of July 2026
- Wednesday to Saturday: 10am to 6pm
- Sunday: 10am to 5:30pm
- RHS Member Tickets & Public Tickets available
The exquisite south Gloucestershire countryside is a picture-perfect setting for all things horticultural. Here, the Badminton Estate represents one of the most distinctive silhouettes on the landscape with a grand environment that is known as the historic seat of the Duke of Beaufort.
The sheer space here allows for a fantastic mix of traditional show gardens, live entertainment and rural culture with some important names from the horticultural world to deliver it all.
Speakers & Guests
- Adam Frost – award-winning garden designer and BBC Gardener’s World presenter
- Arit Anderson – garden designer and sustainability champion
- Jekka McVicar – revered organic herb specialist with over 40 years of experience
- Jeremy Howe – editor of BBC Radio 4 rural radio masterpiece The Archers
- Adam Kirtland – Tales from the Potting Bench podcaster and writer
- Nicki Chapman – BBC TV presenter on the Escape to the Country program
On-Site Experience
The Badminton show is positioned as a full scale RHS event with multiple stages, installations and inspirational show gardens to wow visitors. The Lakeside Restaurant will be open for service for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea from 2:30 to 4pm. There are also great opportunities for an al fresco feast provided by the Fortnum & Masson picnic packages. These can be tailored to vegetarian guests and also include champagne on request.
RHS Badminton 2026 will be judging large-scale garden builds for the chance to win RHS medals as is tradition. There are also reports of a feature garden to admire that is centred around the 75th anniversary of The Archers BBC radio show. It will be a recreation of the famous Bridge Farm, complete with orchard planting and meadow elements. Additional highlights will include:
- Young Designer Gardens to showcase emerging talent
- Live @ the Lake Stage for music and entertainment
- Floral Marquee with over 70 exhibitors bringing specialist displays and installations
All of which will provide a real festival feel that marries RHS tradition with a modern celebration.
RHS Sandringham 2026 Flower Show
Key Details
- 22nd to 26th of July 2026
- Wednesday to Saturday: 10am to 6pm
- Sunday: 10am to 5pm
- RHS Member Tickets & Public Tickets available
The grounds of the Royal family owned Sandringham Estate deliver a location that is unmatched anywhere in the world for prestige and reputation. This is a clear and satisfying statement from the RHS that the land management, conservation and rural tradition that King Charles III is so proud to champion is a philosophy that they both share.
With woodland, carefully managed parkland and exquisitely maintained gardens as the base for new ideas and methodologies, Sandringham is bringing the most prominent figures together for this show in some style.
- King Charles III – directly involved in shaping the show’s central themes
- Catherine Macdonald – RHS gold medal award winner responsible for the Royal Legacy Garden
- Jane Scott Moncrieff – creator of The Chestnut Group Garden for the Gurkha Welfare Trust
- Frederic Whyte – designer of The Thomas Gainsborough Garden
On-Site Experience
The Sandringham show looks to be positioned as a much more interpretive affair for horticulture and its associated arts and industries. The Royal Legacy Garden is certain to be the jewel in the crown for the show gardens that visitors will be drawn to. This was created in collaboration with His Majesty the King to celebrate the joys of nature in its simplest and finest forms. A famous passion for UK native trees is attended to by the yew and hornbeam that are well known to promote biodiversity in the landscape with bright perennials providing vibrant dashes of colour throughout.
Three main elements provide the foundation for all show programming at Sandringham 2026.
- Main Stage – for headline speakers and keynote activity
- Potting Shed Stage – delivers practical advice in a hands-on way
- Flower School Stage – floristry sessions and design installations are explored here
RHS Sandringham 2026 is given the ultimate royal seal of approval by a monarch that has dedicated a good part of his life to ensuring that the natural world is always protected and celebrated in the right manner.
With these two 2026 shows as vital next steps, there is clearly a new bloom in progress for the country and its relationship with the world of horticulture. The RHS will then undoubtedly be looking to 2027 and beyond to grow and develop this new large-scale touring format in even more innovative and wide-reaching ways.
