Gardens Illustrated editor Stephanie Mahon braves the searing heat to take in the new Badminton Flower Show and give a verdict on its success

Published: July 8, 2026 at 7:39 pm

RHS Badminton started as most first-time RHS shows do – with traffic jams, queues and some confusion over shuttle buses and entry gates. Anyone remember Chatsworth? That threw storm conditions and a quagmire of mud into the mix back in 2017. This time around, people took to social media to complain loudly about the length of wait to get there and get in, on a day when the mercury had easily hit 30C by lunchtime and people were already a bit hot and hassled. One can hope that these teething problems can be sorted as the week goes on.

Once into the showground, though, things were looking up, with more stands than you could shake a spade at.…