You Won’t Believe What Was on Show at Cornwall’s Spring Flower Festival

Thousands flock to Wadebridge for record-breaking garden celebration under blue skies

Thousands of gardening lovers turned out in force this past weekend for the Cornwall Garden Society’s 2025 Spring Flower Show, held at the Royal Cornwall Showground near Wadebridge. Glorious sunshine and clear blue skies set the stage for what organisers are calling a record-breaking year, with a festival of spring blooms, talks, sustainable gardening showcases and thought-provoking show gardens drawing visitors from across Cornwall, Devon and beyond.

Backed by sponsors Cornish Lithium, St Austell Brewery and St Eval, and supported by the Cornwall Community Foundation, the event brought together families, friends, seasoned horticulturists and budding gardeners for a packed programme that celebrated Cornwall’s unique gardening heritage.

📷A plant lovers' paradise - Image Credit Charles Francis

Bursting with Colour and Competition

The Exhibition Halls dazzled with kaleidoscopic spring displays, from perfect pot plants to blooming camellias, daffodils, rhododendrons and magnolias. With 160 competitive categories and 44 trophies up for grabs, the quality and diversity of entries reflected the deep-rooted passion for gardening in Cornwall.

Four Show Gardens explored the theme A Place to Heal – each offering a distinctive take on the power of nature and green space to restore wellbeing. These included:

• The Barefoot Garden by Alford and Sowter Landscapes

• The Apothecary Garden by apprentices from The Eden Project

• Get Into Bed With Nature by The Treefern Collective with The Lost Gardens of Heligan

• Echoes of Tranquillity by Cornwall College Students

The gardens invited reflection on how we connect with the outdoors and pushed boundaries on what a garden can be.

A Special Opening and Inspiring Talks

Sir Tim Smit KBE, known for restoring The Lost Gardens of Heligan and co-founding The Eden Project, officially opened the show. This followed a private event marking 30 years of The Great Gardens of Cornwall, the launch of a new book by Tim Hubbard and a preview of a commemorative film.

Inside the Tipi Talks tent, topics ranged from climate change to biodiversity and the importance of reconnecting with nature. Co-curated by the Cornwall Garden Society and Alasdair Moore from The Lost Gardens of Heligan, the talks featured both national and local voices and were made possible with support from The Tanner Phoenix Trust via the Cornwall Community Foundation.

📷Kaleidoscopic colour in the Competitive Classes - Image Credit Charles Francis

Growing, Learning and Going Green

Amelia Lake from The Real Food Garden led the Grow Your Own Allotment section, helping visitors explore how to grow fruit and veg sustainably.

The Sustainability Hub showcased eco-friendly gardening practices through a collaboration between the Cornwall Garden Society, Andrew Whittle from Beach Guardian and The Eden Project Nursery. A highlight was a greenhouse built from repurposed plastic bottles and powered by pedal energy through Blystra Arts’ Powered Up.

Meanwhile, the Plant Pavilion, Horticultural Heaven and Artisan Area featured over 130 master growers, nurseries, traders, craftspeople and charities. Big Pan Parties and gourmet food stalls also fed the crowds with fresh, local dishes.

“A Triumph”

Show Director Mark Holman said:

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our special weekend of spring flowers, shared their knowledge and participated in discussions about the big horticultural questions of the day. It was such a pleasure to see the smiles on showgoers’ faces as they experienced everything the Show had to offer and the warmth of the spring sunshine.”

President of the Cornwall Garden Society, Charles Williams VMH, added:

“This year’s show has been a triumph. We have welcomed a record number of visitors… and our national judges were impressed by the unsurpassed beauty of our camellia display.”

Chairman Martin Petherick concluded:

“From growing your own and gardening sustainably, to an incredible array of plant species and nationally-recognised speakers and judges, all horticultural bases were covered at this year’s Spring Flower Show.”

To become a member of the Cornwall Garden Society, visit www.cornwallgardensociety.org.uk/join

📷Magnificent magnolias - Image Credit Ian Kingsnorth

Cornwall Garden Society 2025 Spring Flower Show Winners

Section A – Trees and Shrubs

• The Rosemary Cobbald-Sawle Cup: Trewithen Gardens and Parks (Truro)

• The Louis Reid Cup: Viscount Falmouth (Truro)

• The Moira Reid Memorial Trophy: Viscount Falmouth (Truro)

• The R K Harrison Trophy: Juliet Moore (Gwennap)

Section B – Magnolias

• The George Johnstone Perpetual Trophy: Caerhays Castle Gardens (St Austell)

• The Treve Holman Memorial Cup: Caerhays Castle Gardens (St Austell)

• The Patience Barnes Challenge Cup: The Lodge (Bodmin)

Section C – Camellias

• The Norman Colville Bowl: Porthpean House (St Austell)

• The Viscountess Boyd of Merton Cup: Trewithen Gardens and Parks (Truro)

• The Camellia Cup: Trewithen Gardens and Parks (Truro)

• The Coode Camellia Cup: Porthpean House (St Austell) and Botallick (Looe)

• The Mount Edgcumbe Cup: Nicola Pearce (Truro)

Section D – Rhododendrons

• The Mrs Charles Williams Rhododendron Cup: Trewithen Gardens and Parks (Truro)

• The E J P Magor Memorial Cup: Robert Toy (Gwennap)

• The Elmgate Cup: Harriet Hills (Bodmin)

• The Abiss Memorial Trophy: Caerhays Castle Gardens (St Austell)

Section E – Daffodils

• The T.B.W.A Cup: John Chambers (Fowey)

• The Andrew Leslie Trophy: Danny Glew (St Austell)

• The Charles Le Grice Cup: David White (Swindon)

• The John Levitt Memorial Cup: David White (Swindon)

• The Edward Pedlar Cup: Samantha Meyer (Ponsanooth)

• The Alec Gray Perpetual Memorial Cup: Danny Glew (St Austell)

• The Rosemary White Cup: Samantha Meyer (Ponsanooth)

• The Secrett Cup: David White (Swindon)

• The Daffodil Society Medal: Danny Glew (St Austell)

• The Banksian Medal: Trewithen Gardens and Parks (Truro)

Section F – Herbaceous, Rhizomatous and Bulbous Plants

• The Mulock Cup: Michele Richards (Fowey)

• The Norman Knibbs Memorial Trophy: National Trust Trerice (Newquay)

Section G – Pot Plants

• Pat’s Indoor Plant Trophy: Mrs G Lim (Par)

• The Hodgson Challenge Cup: Nicola Pearce (Truro)

Section H – Alpines

• The Cornwall Alpine Garden Society Trophy: Michele Richards (Fowey)

• The Bristol & West Trophy: Danny Glew (St Austell)

Section I – Floral Art

• The Margaret Shepherd Cup: Mandy Nicholson (Saltash)

• The Kitson Cup: Pat Knight (Pelynt)

• The Baseden Trophy: Cornish Dahlia Society (Looe)

• The H & M Libby Memorial Cup: Mandy Nicholson (Saltash)

• Constance Spry Memorial Cup: Christine Harrington (Callington)

• The Cornwall Theatre of Flowers Trophy: Chantal King (Camelford)

Section J – Photography

• The Fortescue Cup: J & M Ashworth (Newquay)

• The Edwin Smith Memorial Trophy: Martina Douie (Saltash)

Trade Classes

• The Plantsman’s Award: The Eden Project for Anigozanthus (St Austell)

• The Banham Cup: Kits Nursery (Bodmin)

• The Kilmarth Trophy: Trevenson Moor Nursery (Camborne)

• The Bickford-Smith Trophy: Cornishmaid Plants (Penzance)

For more, visit www.cornwallgardensociety.org.uk or follow @CornwallGardenSociety on Instagram and Threads, or like/follow them on Facebook.

📷Winners of the Competitive Classes - Image Credit Charles Francis

📷The Apothecary Garden by Horticultural Apprentices at The Eden Project - Image

📷 The Barefoot Garden by Alford and Sowter - Image Credit Ian Kingsnorth

📷The Grow Your Own Allotment - Image Credit Ian Kingsnorth

📷The Sustainability Hub - Image Credit Ian Kingsnorth

📷Flocking to the Competitive Classes - Image Credit Charles Francis