Horticulture and floristry students from award winning Reaseheath College are helping the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (Wednesday July 18 – Sunday July 22) to celebrate its 20th birthday with two entries highlighting modern trends in garden and home.

BSc (Hons) in Landscape Architecture undergraduates have pooled their talents to design ‘A Path to the Future’, awarded a silver medal in the Back to Back show garden category. A small greenhouse, equipped with growing and propagation technology including LED lighting, is set in cottage style planting which, although traditional, showcases varieties which have been grown within the last five years.

The garden is designed to be a section of a larger garden or to stand alone in a limited space, and so is achievable to virtually all keen gardeners. It has been built by Lead Designer Jake Jackson, fellow undergraduates Brad Howarth and Nathan Webster and by apprentice Matt Rodgers. The team was led by Landscape Architecture Course Manager Craig Bailey and supported by Reaseheath’s Horticultural Department.

The show garden is sponsored by Pochin’s Ltd., a construction specialist which is currently building the latest technical teaching resources and additional student accommodation on Reaseheath’s Nantwich, Cheshire, campus.

The greenhouse has been supplied and erected by White Cottage Leisure Buildings, Sandbach.

Over in The Flower School Reaseheath’s florists – fresh from success at RHS Chelsea Flower Show – are joining other florists and nurseries in creating seven foot high flower towers which again celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary. Called ‘Colour Continuum’, the floral extravaganza includes a stunning purple 3D allium and exploding fireworks.

The flower towers are being judged by the public this year, so, if you are visiting, please vote for us by taking a selfie at our tower and uploading to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with ‘Colour Continuum’ #RHSTatton

The flower towers are part of a new floral activity and workshop hub offering visitors creative, hands-on experiences including advice from experts.

Successful Reaseheath alumni who are exhibiting at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park include:

  • Adi Thomas, Director of Verdure Floral Design in Manchester, awarded gold and best exhibit in The Flower School with his fantastic display, Dreams of India. Adi studied for his Level 3 Diploma in Floristry with us.
  • Nathan Webster, a BSc (Hons) in Landscape Architecture student, who has designed a show feature for major show supporter Bruntwood. ‘The Bruntwood Garden’ brings together the best aspects of from Bruntwood’s previous show gardens and the result is a sustainable, usable space which greens the urban environment while bringing people together. It is used this year for talks, workshops and performances from Bruntwood’s customers, colleagues and community partners.
  • Sue Beesley, designer of silver medal winning Back to Back garden ‘Don’t Chop Me Down’, turns the spotlight on perennials which look wonderful in winter – provided gardeners can be persuaded to leave their secateurs in the garden shed.
  • The Tiny Plant Company, a Cheshire nursery specialising in miniature favourites, is owned and run by former Level 3 horticulture student Matt Wood, supported by Reaseheath trained designer Sally Parkinson.
  • Reaseheath Lecturer in Horticulture Lis Morris will be presenting ‘Know Your Enemy’, a talk on pests and diseases, in the Discover and Grow Tent on Sunday at 1pm.