RHS Tatton 2024 meets entertaining & nature

For 25 years, the RHS Tatton Flower Show has been a source of horticultural wonder and delight for the North West of England and its thousands of visitors. From the spectacular show gardens to the exquisite displays in the Floral Marquee, Tatton has expanded and evolved, making horticulture and landscaping accessible to a broader audience and inspiring a new generation of horticulturists, designers, and landscapers.

2009 saw the creation of the RHS National Young Designers Category at RHS Tatton Flower Show, a platform to encourage aspiring designers into the industry, whilst highlighting the wealth of career paths and opportunities available in our sector. Callum Corrie, who was only a year old when the northern flower show began in the historic estate of Tatton Park, Knutsford, had the wonderful opportunity to enter and be accepted in this prestigious category for the 25th show. Both Callum and RHS Tatton have undergone a journey of growth and development, reaching this pivotal stage before they both embark on new and thrilling paths.

Callum recently launched his new business after winning a Gold Medal in the Long Border category at Tatton the year before. To undertake the leap from Long Border to Show Garden, Callum enlisted the help of Accredited Supplier The Landscape Academy who created a bespoke mentoring package to support not only his goal of creating a show garden, but his development, skills and knowledge for a future career.

Since October 2023, The Landscape Academy have been working with Callum, mentoring him through the different phases of the show garden design and construction, whilst equipping him with the necessary knowledge and skills to advance his career beyond the show. Throughout the months, every aspect was turned into a learning opportunity, including during the build and the show. Covering design specifications, construction principles, show garden builds, business development, and much more, it has been a steep learning curve for the young designer. However, his enthusiasm and determination have enabled him to absorb the information, understand the need to meet industry standards, and will help ensure he starts his business on the right foot.

"Education and development are vital to the success of our industry"

says Academy Director Mark Youde.

"The Landscape Academy was founded to offer support and knowledge among the younger generation, career changers and industry professionals. We’re pleased to see that with people like Callum, there’s an increase in the recognition of the broad skill set and diverse range of career paths within this exciting industry presents."

With the ‘Entertaining Meets Nature’ garden, Callum aimed to showcase the possibilities of creating a useable and functional outdoor space that not only provided a relaxing and inviting social space, but also a haven for wildlife by offering homes, shelter and food. Winning a Gold Medal, the garden demonstrated easily achievable and sustainable wildlife-friendly solutions for a small space, which clearly resonated with the public, with the garden also winning the People’s Choice Award in the RHS Young Designers Category.

Creating a spectacular garden for an event requires countless hours, days, weeks, and months of dedication. However, with limited funding, the garden and Callum’s dreams would not have been possible without the generosity and support from industry peers, suppliers and volunteers. The people behind a show garden are the unsung heroes and play a crucial role in the success of the RHS shows.

Through sponsorship, product donations, loans, and discounts, the landscape community unites to support and encourage a new generation in an industry facing a skills shortage. Without their help, there would be no aspirational gardens, no innovative concepts and a further shortage of young people considering our diverse sector as a career path.

Approaching a show garden from a mentoring and education angle has provided Callum with a strong foundation to start his new venture, but the journey doesn’t end there. The team at the Academy will continue to support Callum to give him the best start to his new business. Keep any eye out for stage two of our mentoring programme!