The floral trends of 2018, Hampton Court Flower Show

If you’re a green-fingered gardener or a fashionista in the horticultural world, you’ll have perused the Chelsea Flower Show 2018 at great length, and will be waiting with bated breath for the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show to begin. We’ve spoken to some of this year’s most exciting garden designers for the lowdown on the floral trends 2018 you need to know now.

Book tickets to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show via Culture Whisper

Last year’s Chelsea Flower Show saw an emphasis on the representation of landscape, with James Basson creating a Maltese quarry and Charlotte Harris providing a recreation of Canada’s Boreal forest, while clematis were everywhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Nigel Dunnett gave Chelsea its first ever graffiti wall with his urban-inspired ‘Greening the Grey’ display and Lee Bestall designed a modern orchard in celebration of Covent Garden in its former identity, when it was used to serve the monks’ tables at Westminster Abbey 500 years ago.

Fast-forward a year and the 2018 show focused on two important themes: the environment and mental health. Designers today want to demonstrate the positive impact gardens have on our health and wellbeing. Both Chelsea and Hampton Court want to advocate the immense power plants and green spaces have to improve our lives and counteract environmental challenges.

Multi award-winning designer Tom Stuart-Smith returned to Chelsea's Weston Garden this year, where his design used only recycled pieces – including plants from previous shows – to highlight our environmental need to champion sustainable materials.

This year, garden designers are also focused on raising awareness around one of the biggest environmental problems of our time: plastic waste in our oceans. One exhibit at Chelsea, comprising underwater tanks filled with fish, cacti and succulents, imitated the structure and form of underwater coral, while the message behind the display will be a call to businesses and designers to create sustainable products and packaging.

Plenty of exciting new flower breeds will be coming into bloom at this year’s, too. Among them and rooting to be remembered are some named after themes topical to 2018. Proving it’s not only about Prince Harry this year, the Clematis Prince William (‘Zo08171’) is swooping onto the scene with its purply-red flower buds which open out into semi-nodding tulip-shaped flowers with mauve margins and deep lavender interiors.

Then there’s the Rosa Emily Brontë (‘Ausearnshaw’), which took its name after the Brontë Society asked rose breeder David Austin to name the rose to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of the esteemed novelist Emily Brontë. Its distinctive blooms are soft pink with a subtle apricot hue, while its central petals deepen to rich apricot. The rose’s fragrance is said to be strong with delicious hints of lemon and grapefruit.

Also new is the Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shining Angel' from the Black Diamonds Series. Bred by Wilks Jungpflanzen, the Hydrangea is set to widen eyes with its blue coloured flowers displayed at different stages up the stem and its dark coloured leaves.

Book tickets to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show via Culture Whisper