RHS Chatsworth Show aims to 'break the mould' Published duration 4 February 2017

image copyright RHS image caption One of the show gardens will be located inside a 44-tonne granite cube at Chatsworth Estate and will only be visible through peepholes

The first new Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) show in a decade will "break the mould" of Chelsea and allow "revolutionary" designs to take centre stage, organisers say.

The show at Chatsworth, a Derbyshire stately home, will have eight "freeform" gardens, RHS said.

"Chelsea is a big event crammed into a small site - we'll have more freedom," Chatsworth's Steve Porter said.

"Predictability is being thrown out of the window," he added.

Palladian bridge

The RHS Chatsworth Show will run from 7-11 June and up to 80,000 visitors are expected.

Three new temporary pontoon bridges will be built across the River Derwent as part of the show to allow visitors to access displays on both sides.

image copyright RHS image caption The Wordless Cupboard by Sheena Seeks is a freeform garden with a "landslide of glacial boulders" that will not contain any plants

All three will float on the water, with one being designed in classic Palladian style with a flower display inside it.

RHS spokesman Liz Patterson said artists of all genres including sculptors and visual artists will take part.

One installation, called The Wordless Cupboard, has two 3-metre high cubes and a "landslide of glacial boulders" that are meant to evoke "the oppression of powerlessness".

A garden designed by landscape architecture students from Leeds Beckett University called the Path of Least Resistance will include weeds and wildflowers in "an urban wasteland".

Moveable Feast is a garden for the "Rent Generation" who want something that will move with them when they move from house to house.

image copyright RHS image caption The Moveable Feast by Worcestershire-based Tanya Batkin is a pack-up-and-go garden aimed at the Rent Generation who want portability

"The sheer scale of the location, with the River Derwent running through it, allows designers to "break the mould and do something slightly different" Ms Patterson said.

"Our aim is to create a new show that champions the horticultural innovation of today and the future, and encourages exhibitors to be progressive and think outside the box," RHS director of shows Nick Mattingley added.

image copyright RHS image caption The student-led Path of Least Resistance Garden is meant to promote sustainability by using wildflowers and weeds

image copyright RHS image caption The Curves and Cube garden designed by Gaze Burvill and David Harber has a steel lattice with curving oak pieces "piercing through its core"

Related Topics Horticulture

Flowers