The Reckless Gardener team always look forward to RHS Tatton Park Flower Show because it is ‘our show’, the North-West’s very own showpiece.  As a result we feel very much at home.

Tatton has gone from strength to strength over the last decade and the 2010  show promises to continue the high standards we have now come to expect from RHS Tatton.

So what delights are we in for?

Inchbald graduate Marcus Green has been selected and given a bursary to create a garden in the Visionary Garden Category at Tatton this year. ‘The Space Between’ (design below) will be his third RHS bursary following on from Tatton Park last year and Hampton Court in 2007. The garden has been designed to show the contrast between movement and stillness so be prepared for the flickering leaves of Populus tremula which will soar gracefully above waves of barley.

The Trentham Estate are sponsoring designer Clive Mollart to create ‘The Music Garden’ in the large show gardens category. Clive returns to Tatton with another innovative and exciting design intended to be both practical and aesthetically pleasing. A space, while containing a range of beautiful plants, is also a therapy area, offering sight and sound therapy for its visitors.

One garden which is I am eagerly awaiting is the ‘Our Dream Garden’ sponsored by the New Charter Housing Group. Making their debut at Tatton this group of youngsters aged between 11-16 years, are entering the horticulture world as part of the ‘Britain in Blom’ project. Their low maintenance garden will feature a patio, water feature and a collection of plants designed to encourage wildlife. The garden represents an easy low cost option for most social housing gardens – a safe place to enjoy. Behind this garden is a real story about deprived estates and what young people can achieve.

In the back-to-back category, always popular at Tatton, Cheshire Border Guides will present ‘Growing Girls, Growing Guiding’ in celebration of Guiding’s Centenary year.

Lee Belgrau will return to Tatton after his 2009 triumph in being named Tatton Park Young Designer of the Year winning an RHS Gold Medal. His design for this year’s show  ‘Contemporary Living’ will reflect an urban garden to relax and hide away from the pressures of a busy city.

Designer Tony Heywood will be making his highly anticipated RHS debut at Tatton Park with ‘Space Ritual’ which encapsulates the essence of his favourite UK landscapes in three self-contained steel chambers. Look out for the beach at Formby, Dorset’s Jurassic coast and Tintagel in Cornwall.

The battle of the buds will take place at this year’s Tatton when Europe’s most talented florists compete to be named champion at the final of Eurofleurs 2010. Organised by FLORINT, the international organisation of florists, the competition which began in 1998, is rapidly establishing itself as one of the highlights of the international floristry calendar. Flying the flag for Britain will be Joe Massie, from Liverpool, who is tipped to go all the way and help banish the blues of past Eurovision singing disasters! He will be competing against entrants from several countries including Russia, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands, so we wish him the best of luck.

RHS Tatton Park Flower Show runs from 21st July to 25th July (21st July is RHS Preview Day). Tickets are available from www.rhs.org.uk/tatton

Picture credit: ©RHS. Tatton Park 2009 Home Grown show garden B37. Designed by Roger Pierce and Jonathan Tew.