School Garden Challenge
Creating a garden at the Show provides students with the opportunity to design, grow, build and showcase a garden at an RHS Show. By participating, young people can gain hands-on experience with horticulture, while developing an understanding of different growing practices whilst being fully supported every step of the way.
More Useful Information
Be part of one of the festival highlights by creating a School Garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival.
What is the aim of the School Garden Challenge?
RHS Malvern Spring Festival School Garden Challenge is an opportunity to bring together different aspects of the school curriculum into a single project, culminating in the creation of a school garden at this prestigious show.
Ideal for a single class, afterschool club or the whole school; primary, middle or secondary school-aged pupils, the School Garden Challenge is the highlight of the year for many of the entrants. The Challenge is open to schools or home educator groups, from any of the three counties or further afield, provided that the participating children are still of compulsory school age.
The Challenge is a wonderful activity for children and young people to work together to design, deliver and show a garden at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival. An opportunity to bring together different aspects of the school curriculum, whilst also supporting student wellbeing.
The primary aims & objectives of the challenge are to:
- Promote gardening and horticulture to children and young people
- Support the curriculum through a single project, including literacy and numeracy.
- Promote an understanding of the environment and sustainability amongst children and young people
- Support the physical & mental wellbeing of children and young people
- Develop confidence, self-esteem, teamwork and communication skills
- Encourage creativity & story-telling through garden design
The School Garden Challenge also represents an excellent opportunity for you to promote your school and to engage with your local community.
To help support you on the School Garden Challenge journey, grants of £300 are provided to help with the expenses associated with participation, as well as support throughout from horticulture specialists, sponsors and Three Counties’ Education Team.
What is the theme for 2027?
The theme for the 2027 challenge is Wildlife & Habitats.
The theme encourages pupils to explore animals, insects and the wider ecosystems they depend on, helping them understand biodiversity in a hands-on, creative way. As an example, designs can include features such as pollinator-friendly plants, bug hotels, ponds and shelter spaces for wildlife.
You can be as creative as you like when designing your garden. You may decide to incorporate a tree, plant a living hedge, build a bug hotel…the possibilities are endless!
How to apply
**2027 applications are now Open **
Before applying, please read the information pack.
To apply for the School Garden Challenge – click here.
Additional Information
Click here for the RHS Shows’ Biosecurity Policy and Regulations Guidelines
To be added to the mailing list for future years, please contact the Education Team
The School Garden Challenge is kindly supported by Syngenta Flowers and Bransford Webbs Plant Company.
If you’re still not sure about taking part take a look at what some of the schools have to say who have built gardens in the past:
“We value the project for the ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ benefits. Amongst other things they learn team-work, practical English and maths, problem solving, how to safely use a variety of tools and also build their self-confidence by taking part and then having to present the garden to the judges and public.”
Jenny Parkes – Farm Manager, Bredon School, Tewkesbury“For Greenfields Primary School, the RHS Malvern Project has been a springboard into the world of horticulture. Many of our children do not have gardens, and if they do, they are not used for growing flowers or vegetables, so even the idea of a show for gardens was completely new!
Claire Tyrrell-Smith – Deputy Head Teacher, Greenfields School, Kettering“No matter how tired we were, we were excited to get up every day of the week in the build-up and show to be as involved as possible. The sense of teamwork and doing a project together meant a lot to us. The outcome was tremendous in many ways.
Amanda Lambourne – Project Coordinator, Three Counties Home Educators
