G is for Gardens

For anyone who loves visiting and exploring gardens, the choice is plentiful to say the least. A key consideration for any group travel organiser or coach operator is combining traditional garden visits with the show calendar, and with it creating trips to coincide with spring blooms, summer peaks, or autumn colour. For many gardening and horticultural enthusiasts, RHS Flower Shows are pinnacle events that many groups return to year on year.

Always renowned for showcasing the very best in UK horticulture, design and talent, their events are evolving in 2026 as the RHS will bring its celebrated events to new locations across the country. It all gets underway between 7th and 10th May with an array of style, elegance and flowers - in the shadow of the Malvern Hills with the RHS Malvern Spring Festival. One of the first major shows of the year, the festival opens the door into the summer season and its setting provides the perfect backdrop to a plethora of plants and gardens.

That is ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show which returns to London from 19th to 23 May 2026. A highlight of the gardening calendar it offers a fascinating day out to enjoy cuttingedge garden designs, artistic gardens, gorgeous floral displays, expert insights and exclusive shopping. The 2026 RHS show season also includes the RHS Badminton Flower Show from 8th to 12th July, set amid the rolling Gloucestershire countryside, and the inaugural RHS Sandringham Flower Show between 21st to 26th July at the royal estate in Norfolk Malvern is also the venue for the RHS Autumn Show between 25th and 27th September which celebrates country living with vintage vehicles and fashions, harvest competitions, rural crafts and local, artisan food and drink markets. Alongside RHS shows, BBC Gardeners' World Live is one of the UK's premier gardening festivals, returning to the NEC in Birmingham from 18th to 21st June 2026.

The flagship show is the ultimate summer day out for gardeners and garden lovers as it combines inspirational show gardens, practical advice from top presenters, and a giant floral marquee. Before that there is the BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair at Beaulieu from 1st to 3rd May 2026, with chance to enjoy a spring day out in the New Forest for the perfect way to kick-start the gardening year with plenty of early-season inspiration for gardeners.

The last of the three events is the BBC Gardeners' World Autumn Fair being held at the magnificent English Heritage site of Audley End House and Garden in Essex from 28th to 30th August 2026. If you are looking to keep your garden looking its best as we head into the later seasons, this is the event to come to for plenty of seasonal planting ideas and expert talks.