RHS Royal Legacy Garden designed by Catherine MacDonald* in collaboration with His Majesty The King
A first look at the RHS Royal Legacy Garden at RHS Sandringham Flower Show, designed by Catherine MacDonald in collaboration with His Majesty The King, unveils a garden inspired by patterns found in nature.
The garden takes inspiration from fractals and naturally occurring branching patterns. It includes sinuous paths leading visitors through the space, a biodiverse mix of trees, with perennial and annual flowering plants and a paving design that echoes other repeating patterns found in nature.
In the planting, His Majesty’s passion for trees has informed the selection, with species chosen to promote tree diversity. UK native species include yew and hornbeam that are known to promote biodiversity whilst resilient ‘future trees’ include pride of India (Koelreuteria paniculata) and the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) have been included for their ability to weather the warming climate. In the perennial planting, salvias and nepeta have been selected for their bright colours and their pollinator value – with a colour palette of purple, yellow and a dash of striking bright red.
Catherine MacDonald, garden designer, said: “I am excited about bringing the RHS Royal Legacy Garden to the RHS’ inaugural flower show at Sandringham. I hope the garden will inspire visitors to take a closer look at the incredible patterns found in nature all around us – from the repeating branch formations of oak trees to the spiralling leaf patterns of ferns. We want to encourage people to make choices in their own gardens that work with nature, recognising the role we all play in supporting wildlife and promoting tree and plant diversity for now and the future.”
This celebration of nature continues in RHS Sandringham’s judged gardens with a lineup of gardens that celebrate the sights, sounds, and scents of the natural world.
A new category for RHS Shows, the Grow Forward Gardens will empower gardeners with ideas to mitigate against climate change. Jane Scott Moncrieff’s The Chestnut Group Garden for The Gurkha Welfare Trust draws inspiration from the Himalayas to create a space with three distinct areas: a woodland area, a rain garden, and a dry garden. The garden showcases the huge variety of plants that grow in the Himalayas, providing planting ideas that can be found in nature to suit virtually any type of garden, soil, aspect or climate.
The Rhythm of Rainwater by Anthony Purdy celebrates the sounds of water and rainfall in a garden that uses water capture to tackle the challenges of water shortfall. A series of dipping tanks will harvest rainwater for use in the garden and will be installed with hydrophones to reveal the sounds beneath the water’s surface. Steel tongue drums will also create immersive ‘organic’ music as raindrops gently fall on them, highlighting the subtle rhythms found in nature.
Lastly in the Grow Forward Gardens, Amanda Thomas’ Butterfly Sanctuary Garden will feature nectar-rich planting and a wildlife pond to support butterflies whilst Mindful Meadowlands by Constructing Minds in Nature will be a flood resistant space that provides a tranquil garden for visitors to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of nature.
In the Show Gardens, Frederic Whyte draws inspiration from the life and work of artist Thomas Gainsborough. The garden’s planting and design have been curated to reflect Gainsborough’s depictions of the Suffolk landscape with silver birch used to recall his style of painting and a specimen tree to represent the 400-year-old mulberry tree at Gainsborough House. Following his Best in Show win at RHS Flower Show Wentworth last year, Paul Hervey-Brookes’ RNIB Talking Books Garden celebrates the 90th anniversary of RNIB’s talking books service and will feature a sea of grasses to create gentle rustling sounds in the breeze. Finally, Kitti Kovacs’ 100 Sweet Summers explores the balance between nostalgia and innovation through the story of a retired couple. Once loved plants that modern design often forgets, such as snapdragons and zinnias, hark back to the couple’s mid-century childhood whilst contemporary approaches to supporting biodiversity creates a garden for future generations to enjoy.
Jenny Laville, RHS Sandringham Show Manager, said: “The positive impact nature has on our wellbeing has long been known so we’re delighted to be celebrating this at RHS Sandringham. We have some amazing gardening talent bringing designs and displays in July and we can’t wait to see them come to life so visitors can experience the joys of nature.”
These gardens join the RHS Pollywiggle Garden and a host of Long Borders designed by horticultural students and budding garden designers. Within these problem-solving themed designs, expect to see borders that showcase Norfolk’s beautiful landscapes, gardening for wildlife, and the restorative quality of green spaces. Visitors can also expect a packed roster of expert growers and nurseries in the Floral Marquee, community installations, and a full lineup of talks stage appearances.
RHS Sandringham Flower Show runs from 22 – 26 July 2026 and tickets are available online at www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-sandringham-flower-show
