RHS Malvern Spring Festival, in association with My Pension Expert, is set to return to Three Counties Showground, Malvern from 9 – 12 May 2024 in a blaze of seasonal colour. With a packed programme over four days, here are seven unmissable features of the 2024 festival:
1. New Festival of Houseplants
The number one place to head first is the exciting new Festival of Houseplants in collaboration with Green Rooms Market, a vibrant treasure trove of indoor plants to brighten up even the smallest spaces. Located in the new Kildare Hall, this indoor oasis will feature an array of top-quality independent house plant shops and expert growers on hand to offer guidance and advice.
As well as the chance to shop for some botanical buys to take home, there will be a series of engaging experiences, workshops and demonstrations from well-known special guests, including Sarah Gerrard-Jones, also known as ‘The Plant Rescuer’, Ben Newell of Worcester Terrariums, Joe Bagley, aka The Houseplant Doctor and The Bearded Plantaholic, Jonny Balchandani.
2. Magnificent show and feature gardens
A fundamental highlight of RHS Malvern Spring Festival is admiring the trailblazing show and feature gardens – the very first gardens of the 2024 RHS Floral Show season. This year’s Festival will see eight RHS Judged show gardens that promise an eclectic mix of designs reflecting traditional ideas and avant-garde concepts.
This year’s feature garden, The Secret Escape, is by RHS gold medal-winning Jamie Langlands – Lead Designer at Oxford Garden Design, who was responsible for last year’s Best Show Garden, Best Construction Award and the People’s Choice Best Show Garden Award. Jamie’s enchanting hidden garden will feature an unconventional dance floor surrounded by the sights of nature and the sound of music, and a horse box converted into a bar. Access to this one-of-a-kind garden is through a ‘disco polytunnel’ filled with lush greenery and a mirror ball casting kaleidoscopic reflections, and it will be surrounded by wild and unkempt planting to act as a disguise for this hidden treasure.
3. An abundance of flowers and plants to shop and admire
Of course, it wouldn’t be an RHS Flower Show if there wasn’t a kaleidoscope of colourful flora and fauna to admire, and this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival will not disappoint! The substantial 190m Floral Marquee will host even more carefully selected exhibitors than previous years, with over 60 of them all vying to be awarded a coveted RHS medal.
This really is a horticultural paradise, packed full of stunning displays of flowers and plants. For those looking to fill their own green spaces, experts will be on hand to offer advice and guidance on plant selection, and the free porter and plant creche service means you can enjoy your day hands-free safe in the knowledge that your purchases will be transported back to your car for you when ready.
4. Plastic pot swap
This year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival theme is ‘Gardening for Change’, so it’s apt that the plastic pot swap will make a return to this year’s festival in a bid to help visitors reduce their single use plastic and garden in a more environmentally considerate way.
Two pot-swapping stations, located next to the Floral Marquee’s Plant Crèche and within the Plant Village, will offer shoppers the opportunity to exchange plastic containers for biodegradable POSIpot transportation sleeves, which can be planted straight into the ground. All the plastic pots collected during the festival will be recycled after the long weekend.
5. Delectable dining
After working up an appetite exploring the festival, visitors can tuck into a delicious breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea at the new ‘Garden Shed’ dining experience, looking out over the impressive view of the Malvern Hills. These new, luxury dining sheds can accommodate between 2 – 6 people, with set menus featuring freshly prepared dishes such as slow cooked Worcestershire lamb or jackfruit, served on flatbreads with a fresh herb salad, lemon posset dessert and homemade cakes. Pre-booking is essential.
The Bluebell Bistro (a new addition to the 2023 festival) will return for 2024 and will be offering guests delicious new breakfast and afternoon tea options, in addition to its popular lunch menu. Visitors will be well-catered for, with gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan options available throughout the showground.
One of the region’s most talked about street food events is making its debut at this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival and it promises to deliver some of the most outstanding, local food and drink to visitors. Digbeth Dining Club, which featured on BBC’s The Hidden World of Hospitality with Tom Kerridge in 2023, have gained a stellar reputation for curating popular street food events by bringing together the best independent local food traders with DJs, live music and unique venues to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Located between the Kildare Hall and Avon Hall, this is one culinary highlight you won’t want to miss.
6. Pick up some clever tips & tricks to implement at home
The popular Tips & Tricks Theatre will make a return to this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival, hosted by Leigh Johnstone, aka ‘The Beardy Gardener’, with a range of experts sharing their top tips for growing your own edible produce, clever ways to save costs in your outdoor space and handy tips for upcycling, reusing and mending. Jason Williams, aka ‘The Cloud Gardener’, will share advice on ways to transform grey spaces into green ones, with actionable ideas to try at home for those living in apartments and flats with limited outdoor space.
7. Enjoy talks from horticultural experts and special guests
This year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival will host another stellar line-up of TV gardening personalities, horticultural heroes and gardening influencers, who between them will share advice on everything from how to garden in a rapidly changing climate to how to create delicious meals using home-grown ingredients.
Highlights of this year’s special guest line-up include Alan Titchmarsh MBE (one of the UK’s best-loved gardeners, writers and TV presenters), Adam Frost and Frances Tophill (BBC Gardeners’ World presenters), Ellen Mary (horticultural broadcaster and wellbeing advocate), James Alexander-Sinclair (RHS Vice President, Design Ambassador and Gardeners’ World magazine columnist), Jekka McVicar (multi-award-winning RHS gold medalist, author and organic grower), Marcus Bean (regular chef on ITV’s This Morning), Si King (of the Hairy Bikers), Joe Woodhouse (one of the UK’s best vegetarian chefs), and many, many more!
Tickets for RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2024 start from just £15 for a new Saturday ‘Taster Ticket’, and under 16s are free of charge, and can be booked now at the link below.
