Show gardens are a wonderfully wild business. Months, sometimes years, of planning all come down to a few intense days on the showground, where every detail counts. I'm thrilled to share the story behind Macmillan Cancer Support's The Nascent Shade Garden at the inaugural RHS Badminton, in the Cotswolds where our incredible team achieved an RHS Gold Medal, the People's Choice Award and Best Construction Award. Here's a behind the scenes look at the team, the collaboration and the dedication it takes to create an award winning show garden.

Creating a beautiful show garden is one thing, but translating a vital, real-world mission into a physical landscape requires careful consideration. In this post, I explore the design process behind the Macmillan Cancer Support: The Nascent Shade Garden. Discover how an old proverb, the impact of legacy gifts, and the striking variations of birch trees came together to highlight the mission to close the gap in cancer care.

Inspired by the ancient proverb about the lasting gift of trees, The Nascent Shade Garden at RHS Badminton was designed to showcase just how dynamic shade planting can be. Here is a breakdown of my top 5 texture-driven plant choices from the RHS gold medal winning show garden, featuring designer grasses, architectural ferns, and airy umbels.

Want to turn your patio into a lush, mini secret garden? Recreating the romantic, layered feel of wild country field edges in pots is easier than you think. We’ve rounded up five plants we used for a project with Gardenesque that pack rich texture, height, and natural charm into containers of any size.