6 trending ideas for your garden from RHS Hampton Court 2023

RHS Hampton Court 2023 is short for The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. But that sounds far too grand.

‘Hampton Court’ is the Chelsea Flower Show’s much loved younger sibling – more relatable, less crowded, not as tainted with the whiff of ‘being fashionable.’

Because we gardeners often declare that we’re not keen on ‘following fashion’. It is viewed with deep suspicion and firm denials.

But when you see a good idea, why not copy it? A new plant variety? Yes, please! A better tool? I’ll try it. And so on.

Fashion is often about innovation and invention. It can get people talking and thinking differently. So this is what I think we can take away from Hampton Court for our own gardens.

Several show gardens at RHS Hampton Court 2023 featured rocks as water features, sculpture, seating and more.

The Hurtigruten Garden by Max Parker-Smith – rocks are used both to define the pool edges and all over the bottom of the pool, as well as to add punctuation points to the planting.

Gabions for raised beds, wildlife habitats and seating

Gabions are large metal baskets, filled with rocks or stones. They were used for sea defences, but are now being used widely in garden design. The gaps between the rocks and stones are a good wildlife habitat. When Jane Beedle re-designed her small contemporary town garden, she re-used the paving that was originally in the garden by breaking it up and putting it in gabions. It doubles up as seating and wildlife habitat. It saved her money because she didn’t have to pay to have it taken away.

Gabions used as combined raised beds and seating in the Association of Professional Landscapers’ The Devil’s in the Detail Garden.

Gabions are used to create a boundary wall with seating in the Nurturing Nature in the City Garden by Peter and Caroline Clayton.

Raised beds for renters and to raise plantings in small spaces

Raised beds used to be for growing vegetables. Now you can find them in different materials and colours. They’re perfect for renters because they can be moved when you move.

And raised beds show off the planting by raising it up. You can grow plants that don’t suit your soil by using specialist composts. It is, however, worth remembering that raised beds often drain faster than soil in the earth. That makes them a good choice if you have heavy clay soil and lots of rain, but you may need to do more watering in dry places.

Wooden raised beds painted a soft blue to show off planting. Another detail from The Association of Professional Landscapers’ The Devils In the Detail Garden.

Dark green raised beds in this Landform Mental Wealth Garden designed by Nicola Hale. It also has hazel and willow fencing – seen in several gardens at RHS Hampton Court 2023, because these are sustainable materials.

Galvanised metal raised beds in The Wildlife Trust’s Renters Retreat designed by Zoe Claymore.

Gravel is the most popular mulch at RHS Hampton Court 2023

In many ways, this is an extension of the growing popularity of rocks. But it’s also about dry gardening. Gravel and pebble mulches suppress weeds and help retain water. They look smart and show off plants well.

However, most garden designers advise you not to use weed-suppressant membranes beneath the gravel mulch. It used to be standard practice to lay these under gravel, but they always ruck up. Weeds wriggle out from under the membranes and land on top. And it stops perennial plants from spreading naturally.