Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Former London Home of Henry VIII and its Annual Flower Show

May 26, 2008

The Hampton Court Flower Show during July attracts plant and flower lovers from all over the world, but the Palace & its gardens are open all year round.

The Hampton Court Palace Garden Show is due to open in July, and this year the show promises to be even better than ever. From Monday, 7 July – Sunday, 13 July visitors will flock to the Palace Gardens to see innovative garden design, new plants and flowers, and a host of interesting and inspiring gardens.

Among the items to excite visitors this year is the Thai Floating Market (sponsored by Thai Tourism), the Climate Change Dome, Small Gardens, Water Gardens, Conceptual Gardens, Show Gardens and Growing Tastes – something for everybody. In addition, there are six superb restaurants in which to eat or rest, and a great shopping area.

This is an event not to be missed, and many people prefer it to the Chelsea Flower Show. Entry for the day is £21 ($42) but the first two days are for members of the RHS only. Early booking is advisable as tickets are limited.

Hampton Court Palace was originally the home of Cardinal Wolsey, Lord Chancellor of England during the Tudor period. It was the most significant palace in England at the time, transformed from a medieval manor into a magnificent Palace which, historians believe, was much envied by Henry VIII.

Unfortunately, no drawings remain to let us see this magnificence, but what is known is that four years after its completion, and as the Cardinal fell from favour, Henry VIII took up residence and began remodelling and rebuilding. He transformed the palace beyond recognition. Following on from this, William III and Mary II rebuilt parts of it.

The Great Hall is the best surviving room of the Tudor State Apartments and is often cited as the last medieval great hall of the monarchy and attributed to Henry VIII.

The Hampton Court gardens are as popular as the palace and many people visit just to walk among the plants and flowers and to admire the layouts. One of the loveliest gardens within the grounds is the William and Mary Privy Garden now restored to its former 1702 beauty with the help of original plans and drawings which were left by the original designers. It is one of the most completely restored gardens in the country. The Privy Garden is geometric in design and shape, not to everyone's taste perhaps, but a measure of what the early 18th century say as pleasing to the eye.

From Henry VIII's day, this was always the king's private garden and few others had access to it until the 18th century. Even then it remained the monarch's private garden and right up until the late 20th century it remained a private garden for the Grace and Favour residents of the palace.

By the 18th century, Hampton Court Palace held one of the finest botanical collections in the world due to William and Mary's mania for collecting. Among the plant collection was 1,000 orange trees, symbol of the House of Orange, William's dynastic family. The Orangery that resulted from this collection has been restored and replanted in containers modelled on the originals, many of them strikingly beautiful, and a visitor to the palace should make sure to see this particular part of the gardens.

The palace and gardens are open all year for viewing, ticket prices below, but they are a little cheaper when booked online.

Palace, Maze and Gardens: £13. 30 ($26) adult; £6. 65 ($14 child) £11.30 ($22) concession.

The copyright of the article Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in England Travel is owned by Mari Nicholson. Permission to republish Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.