News: Local links on show as RHS comes to Wentworth Woodhouse
The prestigious RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show opens this week in Rotherham and there are plenty of local links for the thousands of visitors to seek out.
Taking place between July 16 - 20 2025 in the grounds of the Grade-I listed mansion in Rotherham, the show is part of changes made by the RHS to its world-class shows that celebrate the best of UK horticulture, design and talent, which sees them taken to new locations around the country.
Local lad, Lee Bestall, will be showcasing his skills as a garden designer with "Hazelwood Barn."
Lee, who grew up in Aston and is a previous Winner of Grand Designs "Garden Designer of The Year," thanked his team on the eve of the show. He said: "As a designer, you come up with this idea but it's how you execute it and make it into a garden - I'm honoured to work with a group of people who want to work behind the scenes to make my dream come true.
"I feel this garden is a part of me, and when you put a part of you out there to be judged and criticized by judges and members of the public, it's a real difficult thing to do."
The hard work has paid off with Hazelwood Barn – Reimagined by Bestall & Co, earning a gold medal from the RHS judges. The success follows on from three medals at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show.
Built almost entirely from reclaimed and recycled materials, Lee said that it was "not cobbled together like some sort of rustic scrapyard" but instead showcases how how a small space can be transformed into a sustainable and beautiful garden that doesn’t cost the earth, by using some basic design principles, reclaimed materials and some locally made products.
A father-and-son team from Rotherham-based CGM Landscapes (Yorkshire) Ltd. have reached an exciting milestone after being selected to construct the Garden Whispers show garden for the RHS show.
This prestigious opportunity sees CGM Landscapes appointed as the UK contractor for the internationally acclaimed design duo, Hyeyoung Choi and Yungil Choi from Korea. Known for their poetic and artistic approach to landscape architecture, the Chois picked Thorpe Hesley-based CGM to bring their vision to life on Yorkshire soil — marking the company’s debut at an RHS event.
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The Garden Whispers design — sponsored by Hyundai Engineering & Construction — combines natural shapes with modern garden design. Featuring elegant white sculptural poles, curved concrete platforms, and beautifully arranged planting, the garden invites visitors into a tranquil space of movement, stillness, and reflection. After the show, the garden will be relocated to a housing development in Seoul, Korea.
Lee and Lewis Nuttall, the father-and-son duo behind CGM Landscapes, have worked alongside a Korean team to construct the garden on the South Terrace of Wentworth Woodhouse. “To be chosen to build such an ambitious and beautiful garden at a show of this calibre—and right here in our home region—is a real honour,” said Lewis Nuttall.
The company added that the collaboration places CGM Landscapes firmly on the international stage, shining a spotlight on local craftsmanship at one of the most anticipated new RHS shows in the UK calendar.
Garden Whispers has been awarded a silver-gilt medal by RHS judges.
The Greenfingers Charity will also be making its debut at the show where it will present the deeply meaningful "Together Garden" before relocating it to become a permanent fixture at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, also in Rotherham.
Visitors will be invited to see the garden in full bloom, experiencing its immersive, serene planting and thoughtful layout, all designed to inspire reflection, connection and comfort. After the show it will be reimagined as a permanent garden outside one of the hospice’s bereavement bedrooms and a peaceful space for families to make memories and find moments of solace.
Together Garden was created by Phil Hirst and Joanne Charlton to a unique design brief: to create a space not for children, but specifically for bereaved parents and loved ones.
The garden has also been awarded a silver-gilt medal by RHS judges.
Also on display will be the new centuries-old walled garden at the Grade-I listed mansion that has been transformed into a sensory rose garden in memory of Margeret Vickers - a remarkable Rotherham woman whose passion was gardening.
The rose garden features over 170 David Austin roses, 50% of which were donated by the company as part of its Planting Partnership scheme.
Sheffield’s heritage blacksmiths Ridgeway Forge restored the garden’s rusting railings and. Grantham-based Heritage Masonry Contracts Ltd repaired the walls and other brickwork. The rest of the work was tackled by the Trust’s gardeners and volunteers.
Wentworth Woodhouse website
CGM Landscapes (Yorkshire) Ltd website
Bluebell Wood website
Images: RHS
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Taking place between July 16 - 20 2025 in the grounds of the Grade-I listed mansion in Rotherham, the show is part of changes made by the RHS to its world-class shows that celebrate the best of UK horticulture, design and talent, which sees them taken to new locations around the country.
Local lad, Lee Bestall, will be showcasing his skills as a garden designer with "Hazelwood Barn."
Lee, who grew up in Aston and is a previous Winner of Grand Designs "Garden Designer of The Year," thanked his team on the eve of the show. He said: "As a designer, you come up with this idea but it's how you execute it and make it into a garden - I'm honoured to work with a group of people who want to work behind the scenes to make my dream come true.
"I feel this garden is a part of me, and when you put a part of you out there to be judged and criticized by judges and members of the public, it's a real difficult thing to do."
The hard work has paid off with Hazelwood Barn – Reimagined by Bestall & Co, earning a gold medal from the RHS judges. The success follows on from three medals at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show.
Built almost entirely from reclaimed and recycled materials, Lee said that it was "not cobbled together like some sort of rustic scrapyard" but instead showcases how how a small space can be transformed into a sustainable and beautiful garden that doesn’t cost the earth, by using some basic design principles, reclaimed materials and some locally made products.
A father-and-son team from Rotherham-based CGM Landscapes (Yorkshire) Ltd. have reached an exciting milestone after being selected to construct the Garden Whispers show garden for the RHS show.
This prestigious opportunity sees CGM Landscapes appointed as the UK contractor for the internationally acclaimed design duo, Hyeyoung Choi and Yungil Choi from Korea. Known for their poetic and artistic approach to landscape architecture, the Chois picked Thorpe Hesley-based CGM to bring their vision to life on Yorkshire soil — marking the company’s debut at an RHS event.
Advertisement
The Garden Whispers design — sponsored by Hyundai Engineering & Construction — combines natural shapes with modern garden design. Featuring elegant white sculptural poles, curved concrete platforms, and beautifully arranged planting, the garden invites visitors into a tranquil space of movement, stillness, and reflection. After the show, the garden will be relocated to a housing development in Seoul, Korea.
Lee and Lewis Nuttall, the father-and-son duo behind CGM Landscapes, have worked alongside a Korean team to construct the garden on the South Terrace of Wentworth Woodhouse. “To be chosen to build such an ambitious and beautiful garden at a show of this calibre—and right here in our home region—is a real honour,” said Lewis Nuttall.
The company added that the collaboration places CGM Landscapes firmly on the international stage, shining a spotlight on local craftsmanship at one of the most anticipated new RHS shows in the UK calendar.
Garden Whispers has been awarded a silver-gilt medal by RHS judges.
The Greenfingers Charity will also be making its debut at the show where it will present the deeply meaningful "Together Garden" before relocating it to become a permanent fixture at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, also in Rotherham.
Visitors will be invited to see the garden in full bloom, experiencing its immersive, serene planting and thoughtful layout, all designed to inspire reflection, connection and comfort. After the show it will be reimagined as a permanent garden outside one of the hospice’s bereavement bedrooms and a peaceful space for families to make memories and find moments of solace.
Together Garden was created by Phil Hirst and Joanne Charlton to a unique design brief: to create a space not for children, but specifically for bereaved parents and loved ones.
The garden has also been awarded a silver-gilt medal by RHS judges.
The rose garden features over 170 David Austin roses, 50% of which were donated by the company as part of its Planting Partnership scheme.
Sheffield’s heritage blacksmiths Ridgeway Forge restored the garden’s rusting railings and. Grantham-based Heritage Masonry Contracts Ltd repaired the walls and other brickwork. The rest of the work was tackled by the Trust’s gardeners and volunteers.
Wentworth Woodhouse website
CGM Landscapes (Yorkshire) Ltd website
Bluebell Wood website
Images: RHS
