Team Trewithen triumphs at CGS Spring Flower Show

This year’s flower show season has already proven to be a resounding success for Trewithen Gardens, none the least at the Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show this past weekend. A real highlight every year, the CGS holds their prestigious Flower Show at the Royal Cornwall Showground. Bringing together top growers, gardeners, and plant enthusiasts from across the county and beyond, the show celebrates rich Cornish horticulture, with spectacular floral displays, competitive exhibits, specialist plant nurseries, and interesting talks.

This year, Trewithen Gardens triumphed with forty prize-winning entries and had the honour of receiving the RHS Banksian Medal. Granted by the Royal Horticultural Society to the exhibitor who gains the most points in the horticultural classes, this feels a special celebration of the accumulative team effort which goes into each show.

We wish a sincere congratulations to all the other gardens and exhibitors: creativity and dedication continues to raise the bar and make this show such a special occasion. It is always great to be in the company of remarkable Cornish gardens: Trebah, Tregrehan, Heligan and the Eden Project, Botallick, Porthpean, Lamellan, and Roseland Park, with a few showing for the first time at the CGS Spring Flower Show this year: Trerice, and Trewarthenick. Caerhays and Tregothnan celebrated wins for some fantastic Magnolia and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs displays. 

Additionally, we returned feeling inspired by individual competitors' showstopping displays, grown in gardens from Penzance to Saltash. 

Best Exhibit for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs

This exhibit calls for a display, arranged within a 1.5m run of three tiered staging, of outdoor hardwood Ornamental Trees, Shrubs or Climbers. For the team, this class represents the pinnacle in Horticulture, encompassing the skill of growing, selecting and displaying the plants. We were thrilled to be awarded the Rosemary Cobbald-Sawle Cup, an honour we have now received 8 times in recent years, more than any other garden this century. 

Prized camellias

Another standout achievement was our success in the Camellia classes, in keeping with our well established reputation as a Garden of Excellence in the International Camellia Society. We were presented with the Viscountess Boyd of Merton Cup for Best Exhibit in Class. 

Continuing an unbroken winning streak over the past five years, we were victorious for our Spray display (a branched, many-flowered inflorescence usually on a single stem), consisting of three vases, each featuring a different camellia variety.

This weekend also brought a first for Trewithen: we were awarded the Camellia Cup for the most points accumulated across a range of classes. It is the first time we have won this particular cup this century, making the occasion all the more special.

Thank you Team Trewithen

With these accolades in hand, our attention now turns to preparing for the two final flower shows of the season for Trewithen: the much anticipated RHS Wisley and RHS Rosemoor. 

For those who are curious about the art and effort that goes into preparing for a flower show, we invite you to join us this Wednesday, 9th April, from 11am to 12pm for a workshop with Head Gardener, Gary Long. In this workshop, Spring Flower Shows: Tips from Trewithen Gardens, Gary will offer a rare glimpse behind the scenes of our award-winning process and letting you in to a few secrets. From selecting which varieties need to be picked early and “forced” open in the warm or “held back”, to transporting blooms in moss lined bread trays... and toilet roll.

Tickets are still available, and look out for other gardening workshops in future.

A warm thank you

We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Cornwall Garden Society for hosting such an inspiring event. It’s always a joy to be part of a celebration that brings together so much talent, passion and beauty in one place: a meeting place of tradition and looking to the future. It was a joy to explore the show gardens 'A Place to Heal', and reflect on the myriad of stories about the power of green spaces.

And to everyone who visited and supported – thank you. Your enthusiasm means the world to us, and we hope to welcome you to the gardens soon.