Last Friday, I headed to the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, the first big flower show of the year, and always a favourite in the Honest Communications gardening calendar.
Nemasys and Tessa Cobley were both at the show again this year, and it was so great to see the fantastic reception that they always receive at these events.
And the weather definitely played its part. Friday brought exactly what you want for a flower show – warm sunshine for most of the day, blue skies over the Malvern Hills, and just one very brief shower that everyone politely ignored before getting straight back to the plants.
This year’s theme was Roots of the Future, with a focus on sustainability, biodiversity and gardening in a changing climate. But what I really liked was that none of it felt preachy or overdesigned. It was just thoughtful, beautiful gardening that also happened to be good for wildlife and the environment.
There was a softer feel to so many of the gardens this year too. Lots of naturalistic planting, meadow-style borders, reclaimed materials and spaces designed to feel calming and lived-in rather than perfectly polished.
One thing I kept spotting everywhere was bright orange geums weaving through the planting schemes. They looked so cheerful amongst all the softer greens and natural planting palettes and somehow managed to appear in almost every garden I loved. I’ve fully accepted that I now need more geums in my life.
One of my favourite gardens was Lifted by Birds, which was designed to support British birdlife through layered planting and wildlife-friendly habitats. It felt peaceful, relaxed and genuinely achievable; the kind that makes you start mentally moving plants around in your own garden before you’ve even left the showground.
I also loved Pressed in Time: Nature’s Memory, which explored flower pressing and preservation through soft planting and reclaimed materials. It had a wonderfully nostalgic feel to it that made it stand out amongst some of the bigger, more dramatic gardens.
And of course, the Festival of Houseplants was brilliant as always.
The whole area had such a fun atmosphere, packed with unusual plants, colourful displays and lots of inspiration for bringing greenery indoors. There was also a noticeable focus on wellbeing and creating calming spaces with plants, which definitely feels like a trend that’s continuing to grow. It also took a huge amount of self-control not to come home with several plants I absolutely do not have room for.
A real highlight was seeing Tessa Cobley speaking at the Festival of Houseplants Theatre. Tessa shared practical, eco-friendly advice on plant care and sustainable gardening, and her talks and Q&As fitted perfectly with the wider conversations happening across the show.
Fantastic day out aside, from a PR point of view, events like Malvern are always so useful. They’re a chance to spot emerging trends, hear what gardeners are excited about and see first-hand the kinds of conversations people are naturally gravitating towards.
There’s something about the first flower show of the year that sparks creative energy again. You leave with muddy shoes, hundreds of photos, at least six new garden ideas and a mental shopping list of plants you probably do not need but will definitely buy anyway.
Now onto the rest of the season…
