Royal Horticultural Society announces new flower show at Chatsworth

The first Chatsworth Flower Show, which will be held at the Derbyshire stately home in June, will include an RHS garden looking at two scenarios for a small suburban garden to highlight the impacts on gardening of the UK's changing climate.

One part of the RHS Garden for a Changing Climate will be planted as it would be now, while the other will present a scenario for the year 2100.

It will reflect the changes that will need to be made to the way people garden in the UK in the future, when the climate is expected to become increasingly warmer and drier in summer, but more turbulent with intense heavy showers.

The RHS has also announced a partnership with Wedgwood, with which it has had an association dating back more than 200 years to when John Wedgwood, the son of potter Josiah Wedgwood, suggested the idea of a horticultural society to one of King George III's head gardeners, and became its first chairman.

As part of the three-year partnership, Wedgwood will be working with designer Sam Ovens to create a show garden for the Chatsworth event.

The eight show gardens at Chatsworth will include Worcestershire-based Tanya Batkin's Moveable Feast, a transportable garden for a couple from 'generation rent' with neither time nor money to recreate a garden each time they move.

Several features of the show, which has 'design revolutionaries' as its theme, draw inspiration from great garden designers of the past including Sir Joseph Paxton and Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, both of whom had a significant impact on the estate at Chatsworth.

There will also be a first for an RHS show of a new, unjudged freeform category which does not have the rules or requirements of most shows and will feature different shaped gardens with sculptures, unusual ideas and even a stuffed fox.

The show will also feature a floral marquee centred on a 14-metre dome inspired by the great conservatory designed by Paxton and bridges linking two sides of the show across the River Derwent and including a Palladian-style design.

An exhibition will tell the story of Paxton and his achievements, which include describing and propagating the dwarf banana from which most commercially grown bananas come, the RHS says.

Nick Mattingley, RHS director of shows, said: "We have been focusing on creating an exciting, life-enhancing, vibrant show that has different elements from any other and we have been delighted by the amazing response we have had from everyone across the board from designers to exhibitors.

"It has really captured the imagination of all involved and we are looking forward to a thoroughly inspiring show.

"To have partnered with Wedgwood is the perfect fit. The historical links could not be closer and we look forward to a long and successful partnership."

More than 45,000 tickets have already been sold for the show, which runs from June 7-11, the RHS said.