The Hampton Court Garden Festival takes place every year in early July and is run by the Royal Horticultural Society at Hampton Court Palace. Featuring show gardens, floral marquees and pavilions, demonstrations and a variety of talks, it is one of the most exciting events of the year.
Here at Stark & Greensmith, we were very proud to show our decorative metalwork at the RHS Hampton Court and Palace Garden Festival 2022 for the first time since 2018 and were very excited to see so many friendly faces!
What Gardens were Stark & Greensmith featured on at RHS Hampton Court?
We were so excited to be part of Hampton Court again in 2022, and our work was featured on a number of gardens. Most notably in the ‘Sunburst’ garden, a showstopping garden with bursts of colour, fun, and theatrical planting.
At the Stark & Greensmith workshop in Surrey, we designed and fabricated a number of bespoke decorative metalwork elements for the garden and our Creative Director Martine Le Gassick created the ‘Sunburst’ pattern itself especially for the show. This pattern was inspired by the reflections and bursts of light created by sunlight sparkling through Flora. We are extremely passionate about design and combining beautiful craftsmanship with high-quality products. The pieces on show included a decorative metal arch, garden screens, decorative columns and garden seating.
We loved working with designers Charlie Bloom and Simon Webster on the Sunburst garden and were very pleased with the result, especially the decorative arch centre piece. Charlies’ planting is always so uplifting and vibrant and the Sunburst garden was no exception, full of a beautiful variety of vibrant plants, flowers, and decorative shrubbery. Bursts of colour run throughout the planting area, flowing from electric blues to fiery reds.
Why choose to show Corten decorative metalwork?
Decorative metal arches are becoming increasingly popular and are growing into a strong summer garden trend. They can be used in a number of different ways, making them an excellent choice in any garden. These decorative sculptures can be used to create a beautiful focal point in your garden or as an archway or entrance into your outdoor space.
At Stark & Greensmith, we are passionate about creating pieces that will last a lifetime. Corten steel is durable, sustainable, and recyclable, making it ideal for use in a British garden. Easy to maintain, you can enjoy your garden throughout the year.
The Corten steel material begins it’s life in a slate grey finish. Over time, it will begin to change, taking on a rich rusted patina shade. You’ll find that the end result looks incredible, creates a warm feel in your garden and looks stunning next to your planting.
Stark & Greensmith’s previous RHS Hampton Court appearances
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2018
Our second appearance at RHS Hampton Court Palace was in 2018. As trusted creators of bespoke metalwork, we were commissioned to produce a beautiful Corten steel water feature. This was a part of Charlie Bloom’s Silver-Gilt winning show garden titled ‘Brilliance in Bloom’.
Using our Burst metal garden screen in corten steel and creating a bespoke centre piece water feature with carefully hidden pipes and reservoirs, we added beautiful decorative an richly coloured elements to the garden and were very pleased with the result. As always it was an absolute pleasure to work with Charlie as she creates such positive happy gardens that the crowds admire.
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2017
We first attended RHS Hampton Court in 2017 as part of the Colour Box show garden. This garden was created to break the norm of show gardens, having been created collaboratively and on a small budget, to show just what can be achieved when like minded creatives pull together.
The garden featured our Corten Drift garden screens, which created the perfect backdrop to the vibrant colours and planting. There were more than 400 plants in the garden, and you’ll see from the video below just how stunning this garden was! As our first foray into the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, this was an excellent start and one we thoroughly enjoyed!
