For the first time a special Archers themed garden will be created and showcased at an RHS Flower Show, the RHS’ new RHS Badminton Flower Show (8 – 12 July), to celebrate The Archers 75th Anniversary in 2026.
Designed by Jo Thompson, one of the UK’s most respected and celebrated garden designers, The Archers 75th Anniversary Garden will celebrate the long and rich tradition of The Archers, whilst also reflecting the changes in land use and farming methods over the past 75 years.
The garden will bring to life one of The Archers’ most important locations, Bridge Farm, and will be a pioneering, productive, sustainable, welcoming, family centred and optimistic space. It will highlight Bridge Farm’s commitment to organic farming and share the joy of intergenerational gardening by being a place for all ages to enjoy.
Following on from The Archers’ storyline in 2025 in which a sewage spill flooded Bridge Farm, causing chaos for the family business, The Archers 75th Anniversary Garden will be a hopeful front garden, which has been lovingly rebuilt after the damage from the spill.
To more closely align the garden with the on-air drama, throughout 2026 there will be references in the programme to the replanting of the garden at Bridge Farm, some of which will be reflected in The Archers 75th Anniversary Garden at RHS Badminton Flower Show.
The 12m by 18m RHS feature garden, which will not be judged, will include Bridge Farm’s visitor entrance and notice board with bunting and pots; orchard fruit trees growing within a wildflower meadow; a cheese making area; and a potting bench with branded Bridge Farm vegetable boxes. There will also be a wildlife pond.
Archers fan and RHS gold medal winning garden designer, whose beautifully crafted gardens, exquisite planting and mastery of space, colour and form have earned her a deeply loyal following, Jo Thompson, said: “I’ve been a long-time Archers fan, so creating a Bridge Farm garden to mark the programme’s 75th anniversary has been an absolute joy. The Archers world feels incredibly familiar to so many people, and everyone has their own idea of what Bridge Farm looks like – which has made it both exciting and a little daunting, in the best possible way.
“I’ve loved the challenge of imagining how that much-loved place might translate into a real garden at RHS Badminton, and I can’t wait to see it come to life, with plenty of small details that will feel familiar to listeners.”
Jeremy Howe, editor of The Archers, said: ‘This year the Archers is celebrating a truly incredible milestone – still one of the BBC’s most popular programmes, for the past 75 years it has been reflecting rural life in the UK. The RHS garden will be a wonderful opportunity for fans to see Bridge Farm brought to life as never before – we can’t wait.”
RHS Badminton Flower Show will take place 8 – 12 July. It is one of the RHS’ new touring Shows and the first RHS Flower Show to take place in the beautiful Badminton Estate set within the South Gloucestershire countryside. Visit rhs.org.uk to purchase tickets and find out more about the show.
About the Archers
Originally conceived to educate both farmers and the public on modern agricultural methods, The Archers has evolved over 75 years as it continues to reflect contemporary rural life in the UK.
In recent years, it has tackled pressing topical issues such as climate change, economic challenges faced by farmers, domestic abuse, alcoholism and modern slavery, all whilst continuing to entertain listeners with the ebb and flow of life in Ambridge. Today, it remains one of the BBC’s most popular programmes and is currently the top on-demand show for listeners of all ages – as well as regularly topping the list of most popular on-demand programmes for listeners under 35 – on BBC Sounds.
About Bridge Farm
Bridge Farm is a small mixed farm just outside Ambridge, bought by the former tenants Tony and Pat Archer, who turned it fully organic over forty years ago. Although they are still heavily involved, the day-to-day running of the farm is managed by their son and daughter, Helen and Tom. Tom has a successful veg business – Bridge Fresh, and the dairy that Helen runs produces high end cheese sourced from the milk of their Montbeliarde herd. Everyone mucks in to run their farm shop, and Tom’s wife Natasha runs the Tea Room. Last year their financial success was endangered by a sewage spill which overwhelmed the farm. The last twelve months have been hard graft, but the farm’s wellbeing is well and truly back on track. To celebrate, Tony and Pat have embarked on replanting their gardens, which were destroyed in the flood.
About the RHS
The RHS is the UK’s gardening charity, helping people and plants to grow. Our mission is to be there on people’s lifelong journey with gardening – to bring happiness, health, stronger communities and a thriving natural world. With 220 years of experience, we support gardeners of all ages with expert advice, community and schools projects, scientific research, professional qualifications, our five RHS Gardens, and events including the iconic RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
About Jo Thompson
- Jo Thompson has an international reputation for creating beautifully crafted, sustainable landscapes that stand the test of time, with a commitment to biodiversity, exquisite and intelligent planting, and a refined understanding of space, colour and form.
- She is a multi award-winning garden designer and RHS multi–Gold Medal winner, including Gold in 2025 for The Glasshouse Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
- Jo is widely celebrated for her romantic planting style, mastery of roses and instinctive understanding of place, creating gardens that feel both timeless and deeply connected to their setting.
- Working with a small studio team, her projects span the UK and internationally, from wildflower meadows and country gardens to urban courtyards, rooftop terraces and coastal landscapes, including work in Italy and New York.
- Current public projects include the Winter Garden at RHS Rosemoor and the planting strategy for Highgate Cemetery in London with Gustafson Porter + Bowman.
- Jo is the author of The Gardener’s Palette and The New Romantic Garden, and writes The Gardening Mind, one of the world’s most-read gardening Substacks, with readers in more than 160 countries.
- She is an RHS Shows Judge and a member of the RHS Show Gardens Selection Panel, and is consistently listed among the UK’s top garden designers by House & Garden, Country Life and The Times.
Website: www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk
Source RHS PR
