CREATING A show garden STAT

An idea conjured up on a train led Hannah Reid to exhibit a garden at this year's Hampton Court Flower Show. She explains how her 'train of thought' led to this magnificent creation

- Hannah Reid

I first attended Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival as a visitor in 2022 and was blown away by the show. The RHS allotment area particularly inspired me. So much so that I bought some paper and colouring pens and, on the train home to Newcastle, roughly designed an allotment garden for Hampton Court of my own. In the 12 months that followed – including my application being accepted and the run up to 2023’s show – the design that I initially drew up during that rail journey barely changed.

The garden: Pots to Plots reflects on my own gardening journey and the idea that anyone can grow edible plants; there are no boundaries when gardening. Growing herbs on a windowsill led me to a job growing nutrient-dense microgreens. Experimenting with growing in my small upper-storey flat led me to taking on my own allotment, and then moving to a terraced house resulted in me experimenting with container gardening and growing vegetables in pots. 

THE SHOW GARDEN