Sparsholt College have continued their RHS Chelsea Flower Show medal-winning run with the news of Silver-Gilt awarded to the team

 

This exciting accolade is Sparsholt College’s eighth Silver-Gilt medal adding to the collection of ten Gold medals, four Silver Lindley medals, two silver medals and three Bronze medals, alongside seven ‘Best in Category’ awards.

The news was announced after a busy Press Day where celebrities, renowned horticulturalists, and Royalty themselves were able to have an exclusive view of the gardens. Famous faces visiting the Sparsholt College stand in the grand pavilion included Dame Joanna Lumley, Chris Robshaw, Clare Balding, and Alan and Jacqueline Postill.

Sparsholt College also welcomed actress, presenter and passionate gardener Caroline Quentin to the stand to officially unveil the beautiful new Thompson & Morgan rose named in her honour. If you are visiting the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this week, you can come and see Rose ‘Caroline Quentin’ on the Sparsholt College Stand.

Sparsholt College’s 2026 entry ‘Washday Hues’ is designed by Sparsholt’s multiple-medal-winning-team including several full-time and part-time mature horticulture learners. The exhibit, that is staged at GPD051, inside the Great Pavilion, explores the relationship between fabrics and plants, demonstrating the wide range of beautiful and vibrant colours that can be achieved when using natural plant-based dyes.

The garden also hosts five of the RHS Plant of the Year shortlisted entries which can be found in the garden including Hillier’s  Pittosporum tobira X heterophyllum GREEN MOUND (‘JULE1’) and Anisodontea capensis CARNIVAL LIGHTS® CANDY APPLE (‘IB201-7’), Thompson and Morgan’s Clematis X hybrida MOCHI (‘Minamo-no-Yousei’) and Petunia X hybrida ‘Allegra Orchid Vein’ F1, as well as Crocus’ Salvia X jamensis MALABAR® (‘Mighty Pink’).

Lucy Lewis, Horticulture Lecturer at Sparsholt College and designer of ‘Washday Hues’, said: “The public response so far has been amazing and the washing machine has been a real hit, I am so pleased to see it all in place after a lot of hard work over the past few months and during build week.”

Julie Milburn, Sparsholt College Group Principal and CEO commented: “We are extremely proud of this year’s Sparsholt College RHS Chelsea Flower Show team. The learners and staff involved have worked tirelessly to help create such an impressive and educational garden. We would like to congratulate everyone for their hard work and thank the team for their dedication and commitment to excellence which has seen the exceptional achievement of a Silver-Gilt award in our 27th appearance at this prestigious show.”

The Washday Hues garden design aims to lead visitors through the steps involved in taking colour from plant to pigment, flower to fabric and garden to garment. The eye-catching washing machine signifies the first step of the dyeing process and the garden itself will feature many plants which can be used to produce dyes.

Sparsholt College has a long history of success at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and each year students are at the heart of the project. From full-time further education courses to part-time horticultural courses for adults, Sparsholt College has a wonderful reputation for education in horticulture. For many learners this is their first experience of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and the project allows them to fully immerse themselves in the process from start to finish, gaining key skills to support their careers.