In June this year the Royal Horticultural Society launched it’s first major Show in over a decade in the stunning grounds of Chatsworth House Estate, Derbyshire.

Our innovative new, unjudged FreeForm category encouraged freedom of expression, celebrating the connection between plants, sculpture, art and people.

The eight entries in this category ranged from visually arresting sculptural installations to features with a powerful and provocative statement. Winner of the People’s Choice award, ‘The Brewin Dolphin Garden’ by Jo Thompson included a fluid contemporary sculpture crafted from reinforcing steel bars that cantilevered out over the River Derwent, which was contrasted by exquisite soft meadow style planting.

‘Pic ‘n’ Mix’ by Tony Heywood and Alison Condie created a whimsically dark and surreal garden portrait of Chatsworth, moving away from the traditional bucolic landscape ideal to create a vision where the fake, real and synthetic collide – a modern-day garden grotesque.

‘Behind the Scenes’ by Elisa Tomat and Barbara Negretti, paid homage to the unsung workers behind professional gardens, including two huge hands, made of hay, in the act of planting an English oak tree.

Be apart of it

Applications for the 2018 show are now open and we are seeking submisions from all design diciplines. Our aim is to create a show that champions innovation and is bursting with fresh ideas.

Why apply?

The RHS hosts a renowned portfolio of iconic Flower Shows across the UK and is the world’s leading Gardening Charity with a combined total of over 500,000 visitors to our shows each year, reaching an international audience.  The Shows provide a platform to creatively promote your brand to an engaged audience and press reporting on our events across all media platforms, including News and TV coverage, printed press articles and online forums.

FreeForm: What does it mean?

What if you could design anything...? We are calling for creative people from all design disciplines to apply to create a free thinking installation, to inspire over 90,000 visitors to our prestigious 5 day show in the stunning setting of Chatsworth House Estate.

With Chatsworth’s existing pedigree for marrying the unusual and contemporary with the traditional and historic we are asking designers, horticulturists, artists and other creatives to really push the boundaries and produce thought-provoking, eye catching installation pieces that inspire, excite and thrill our visitors and the media.

How to apply

You can access the application pack online via rhs.org.uk/ChatsworthGardenApplications.  Submission deadline is 3 November 2017. The application pack includes a ‘Why exhibit’ brochure and a FreeForm factsheet. Please read through the factsheet and don’t hesitate in contacting the Shows Team to discuss your ideas further before completing the online forms. 

Submission deadline 3 November 2017