Inside the new RHS Urban show – with budget balcony garden tips, Tinie Tempah and 5 reasons its cooler than Chelsea
MOVE over Chelsea, there’s a new show in town.
And this one is perfect for everyone’s pocket.
Forget the tree-lined avenues of posh people quaffing champers on the banks of the Thames, the RHS Urban show takes place completely undercover in a huge old railway depot in the centre of Manchester.
And although the ethos is still the same, this brand new show is all about stylish gardening on balconies, windowsills, pots and patios, with a strong emphasis on saving cash.
While Chelsea Flower Show tickets can cost nearly £100 and sell out months in advance, the Urban Show’s are a much more wallet friendly £17.85 on the door.
Tens of thousands are expected to make their way to the city’s four-day event which opened Thursday with the all embracing aim to make gardening accessible to everyone.
And while Chelsea is now very much home to the red-trouser brigade – who see it as part of the summer season taking in Ascot, Wimbledon and Glyndebourne – The RHS Urban show is attracting a different kind of audience.
Rapper Tinie Tempah, who spoke at the show, said: “I grew up on the 17th floor of a concrete block of flats on an estate in South East London – we were lucky if we saw a tree.
“But as I’ve got older, I’ve learned to appreciate how nature can improve your creativity.”
The 35-year-old Grime star revealed that he’d recently renovated an unused area in Hackney with TV garden designer Tom Massey to create an green city oasis.
Tinie added: “As someone who’s grown up in an urban environment, and now a father, I know how important it is to immerse yourself in the outdoors.
“I certainly never thought I’d be sitting here talking about all of this. But it’s really important.”
Gardening Editor Veronica's view
“I’m not going to lie, I was worried about this show. How would the regal RHS do ‘urban and gritty?’ But the moment the crowds starting filling the huge, cavernous, and slightly-too-cold cold Depot Mayfield in central Manchester my concerns vanished.
“For this was a real show for Sun readers, packed with inspiring ideas of how to garden on a budget, balcony, pot or patio.
“There were talks on how not to kill your houseplant and how to balance plant life with family life and even a chat with rapper Tinie Tempah.
“The tickets were a fifth of the price of Chelsea, it didn’t matter if it rained, the ideas and inspiration were a lot more realistic, the food and music were very much more of the people and it wasn’t in any way overwhelming like the London show can be.
“Plus the contrast between the bright colours of the beautiful plants and atmospheric brickwork of the warehouse created a stunning backdrop for an incredible day out.
“I predict this show will only get bigger and I’m delighted there’s finally something out there catering for all of us.”
Where Chelsea boasts 23 acres of lush green outside space, the Depot Mayfield is housed in a former historic railway station.
And while the London showgrounds are home to some 300 Chelsea pensioners – Depot Mayfield regularly welcomes the famous Warehouse Project – where thousands rave to dance music until dawn.
Teacher Ben Toogood, who runs a gardening club at his school, was a rave regular in the very same venue, back in the day.
He said: “Times change. Now I’ve come here to be inspired – both for our small garden at home and for what I do with the school garden. It’s fantastic the show has come to Manchester, it’s about time we had something like this.”
One of the main aims of the show is to inspire town and city dwellers of all ages with a host of take-home ideas.
Gardening doesn’t stop outside the M25
Tony Le Britton
Garden designer Jason Williams, AKA the Cloud Gardener, lives on the 18th floor of a block of flats in Deansgate, Manchester.
He was showcasing a series of different balcony situations he’d created with the Plant Co-Operative – a not for profit urban gardening collective based in the city.
Each was created with a limited budget and took on the problems associated with either North, South, East or West facing exposure
For one balcony he worked with students from Manchester Met University, who signed up for an extra curricular Gardening club, and worked with him and Rise to create a £500 balcony.
Student Adam Charlsworth, 20, who was studying illustration, said: “Living in an urban area you often feel disconnected with nature, so it was great to work on this. I didn’t even know what the RHS was before I joined the Rise scheme, it’s just taught us so much.”
Jason, who started gardening in lockdown, and more than 50,000 social media followers, said: “Manchester was one of the first industrial cities in the world so it’s really incredible that the show has come here.
“Almost 80 per cent of people live in an urban environment so it makes sense there’s something for them too.
“One of my biggest pieces of advice for people growing on balconies is to double check with your developers how much weight your balcony can take, that’s so important.
“Luckily mine is an extension of the kitchen so it can take a heavy load.
“Then you need to be growing the right kind of plants for your space, but also be aware of the different microclimate. It’s exposed and windy.”
Eighteen floors up means the temperatures are higher and there’s no insects, so he’s had to introduce his own for ecodiversity.
Now he grows his own tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, all sorts of fruit, and he’s even got a pond.
‘Chelsea flu’ is a known problem at the May show – and with endless flower displays and even a floral marquee, guests have been known to take a cheeky antihistamine before they come to cope with the pollon count.
But the RHS Urban show has none of these issues.
Instead there’s a strong focus on house plants, moss, fungi, vertical planting, herbs, workshops on how to make your own terrariums – and even a talk on how to juggle plant life with home and family life.
There’s stands on growing in awkward urban spaces, why Alpines are great for small gardens, an urban forest experience, a robot dog used for agriculture, garage gardening and advice on sustainable solutions to paving.
There’s even a display of low light tolerant houseplants and another of plants grown in milk cartons and old crisp buckets.
Houseplant expert Tony Le Britton told The Sun: “Gardening doesn’t stop outside the M25, it’s great that the RHS have bought the show here.”
When it comes to dining at Chelsea, visitors can sit down to a five course luxury dining experience, a seafood and oyster bar or a Dorchester hotel floral-inspired champagne afternoon tea.
Whereas Manchester offers Caribbean, Vietnamese and Japanese fare, plus wood fired pizza and fish and chips – which can all be washed down with a cheeky cocktail from the Chase cocktail bar – including Tinie Tempah’s own rhubarb concoction. All for under a tenner.
And while Chelsea visitors perch on the lawn listening to brass bands and string quartets, the Urban show features live music from local performers playing in a recreated pub garden – creating a real festival feel.
Helena Pettit, Director of Gardens & Shows said: “In recent years there’s been a real gardening boom and we believe more young people living in cities are now growing plants.
“So we are so excited to be bringing a new RHS Show dedicated to urban gardening to the centre of Manchester.
“It aims to bring gardening to a new audience and demonstrate that if you have plants, you are a gardener.
“There is so much great work already happening across the city to make it greener and we are excited to help support this growing movement.
“We want to get even more people living in one of the UK’s largest cities inspired to grow plants and connect to the natural world.”
Gardening presenter and main stage host Michael Perry, AKA Mr Plant Geek, told The Sun: “It’s so exciting to have something from the RHS really on the map in the heart of a city, its such a unique environment, even the space gets you thinking about how to use the urban areas.
“It’s fantastic they’ve been thinking so much more about the budget and how people garden in different ways – you might just have a window box, or a shared garden, we haven’t all got beautiful landscaped gardens with a three bed semi. They’re realising that, and giving everyone the potential to grow.”
RHS Regular Anne Akers, 64, from Leeds, added: “I’m here for the inspiration, it’s excellent that the RHS has a show in Manchester – and great that it’s focussing on real people with real gardening problems.”
