The numbers game

More than 100 exhibitors will transform the show’s Great Pavilion into a wonderland of colour and scent. There will be mini model gardens, traditional displays and exotic exhibits from experts, with many returning year after year, such as the Hardy Plant Society, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary with its show of 60 hardy plants. Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants is returning for its 25th year, and Hooksgreen Herbs will mark its 10th year exhibiting at RHS shows. Fibrex Nurseries is expecting to cause a stir with its tiered display in tribute to the 30th anniversary of the National Plant Collection of Pelargonium. All eyes will also be on Hillier Nurseries, hoping to win a 72nd consecutive Gold Medal with an attention-grabbing display of flowering shrubs and trees. The Hampshire nursery has won Gold every year since the show resumed after the end of the Second World War.