Indoor oasis in the brand-new Kildare Hall
The Festival of Houseplants was a world of indoor greenery and contemporary horticultural wonders. This dedicated space was a treasure trove of house plant delight, featuring workshops hosted by industry experts, an abundance of shopping opportunities, vibrant botanical displays, and engaging learning experiences.

At the centre were three Giant Houseplant installations! One of these was designed and planted with rare, tropical houseplants by Jacob James from Grow Tropical, another was designed and planted with a cacti & succulents by Hayley Stephens from Mint Plants. The third was designed and created by Sarah Gerrard-Jones, the Plant Rescuer & Adam Critien, Earth Champion, featuring an indoor planted water feature.

Explore premium quality houseplants
There was an array of top-quality independent house plant shops, growers, and innovative botanical designer-makers, offering visitors access to premium and diverse products. From sought-after specimen plants to beautiful pots, self-waterin planters, peat-free growing mediums and grow lights, there was something for everyone.

See the list of some of the 43 trade stands that were in this area below:

A botanical wonderland
The Festival of Houseplants was not just a marketplace; it was a botanical wonderland where visitors could find everything from rare and exotic specimens to the latest trends in indoor gardening.

Whether you’re seeking inspiration, looking to expand your collection, or simply want to immerse yourself in the beauty of indoor gardening, the Festival was the place for seasoned enthusiasts through to novice plant parents.

Houseplant Social Media Special Guests

Engaging experiences
There were plenty of interactive experiences designed to captivate and educate.

As the influencer landscape continues to evolve, visitors had the unique opportunity to engage with Instagram’s key houseplant influencers, who shared their tried-and-tested tips on cultivating and sustaining a thriving indoor paradise. Here visitors could gain insights from experts and elevate indoor gardening skills to new heights.

Experts appearing over the weekend included:

Jonny Balchandani (The Bearded Plantaholic) – Social media star Jonny has featured on BBC Gardener’s World in his impressive home to indoor jungle conversion. Click here for social media page.

Ben Newell (Worcester Terrariums) – Founder of Worcester Terrariums, Ben is a content creator and influencer with 1.9 million followers captivated by his tiny world creations – terrariums. Click here for social media page.

Mo Bhula (The Botanical Archive) – Mo is a keen gardener with a large collection of rare plants. He is passionate about aroids with a particular focus on anthurium. Mo is the board of European Aroid Society and Chelsea medalist. Click here for social media page.

Joe Bagley (The Houseplant Doctor) – Joe is the founder of ukhouseplants.com, a platform for houseplant care tips and troubleshooting common issues. Joe will be running one to one plant clinics that people can bring photos of their plants along and get advice. Click here for social media page.

Tessa, owner of Ladybird Plant Care – organic controls for plant pests, Tessa is a plant pest and biological control expert. Click here for social media page.

Another Plant Swap founders Emma Angold (from Good Growing) & Lisa (from Happy Plant Collector) in conversation with Claire Lowrie, from The Jungle Haven. These three talented horticulturalists will be talking about houseplant care, their events, propagating and swapping plants for free. Click here for Another Plant Swap social media page.

Memo Christodoulou, a passionate houseplant content creator & fun digital storyteller who shares care tips, botanical education & plant quirks on Houseplanty Goodness channel.

Hayley Stephens & Co from Mint Houseplants. Having realised her passion for plants later in life, Hayley left behind a successful IT career to open a little plant shop in the Cotswolds in 2018. This grew and grew, into a full-blown life obsession!

Sarah Gerrard-Jones (The Plant Rescuer) will be giving expert advice on houseplant care and best practices.

Jane Perrone (On The Ledge Podcast) will be hosting a live podcast with RHS Malvern Spring Festival guests and will talk about her book, Legends on the Leaf.

Adam Critien, (Earth Champion) is obsessed with indoor gardening, creating striking terrariums and vivariums. He is fascinated with growing and displaying tropical houseplants in beautifully unusual ways.

Adam Kirkland (View From The Potting Bench) will be doing a live podcast on Saturday from the Festival of Houseplants in Kildare Hall

Talks Timetable

Please click here for the full timetable of talks for 2024 Festival of Houseplants with Green Rooms Market

Rolling Workshops, Talks and Demonstrations 

• Houseplant 101 with Sarah Gerrard-Jones, The Plant Rescuer Thursday – Sunday (free)

Throughout the event Sarah Gerrard-Jones, the renowned Plant Rescuer, Director of Green Rooms Market, and RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winner, lead a Q&A table and joined by other experts, offering practical, interactive demonstrations designed to address all plant care inquiries, from watering and propagation to light requirements, shade tolerance, and choosing the right fertiliser. There were also repotting, propagating and plant rescuing demos throughout the day, providing the perfect opportunity to enhance plant care skills, guided by one of the most knowledgeable and passionate experts in the field.

• Interactive Living Soils with Liquid Gold Leaf, stand 943 Thursday – Sunday (free)

Liquid Gold Leaf was thrilled to present a groundbreaking exhibit at the RHS Malvern Show, featuring a captivating exploration of the hidden universe within living soils. This engaging display revolutionised the way we perceive the foundation of plant health and vitality.

The exhibit, centred around the marvels of the microscopic world, offered visitors a unique opportunity to delve into the life beneath the surface of soil – from the bustling activity of isopods to the intricate networks of fungi and bacteria.

With the aid of microscopes and a stunning 6ft screen, Liquid Gold Leaf revealed the unseen heroes that contribute to the health and growth of houseplants and the microscopes and subject matter will be open for all.

This interactive demonstration not only highlighted the impact of beneficial microorganisms and their symbiotic relationships with plants but also how Liquid Gold Leaf’s innovative products enhance these natural processes.

As the company guided visitors through the fascinating world of soil microbiology, it’s goal is to impart the knowledge that the secret to thriving houseplants lies in the quality of the soil they grow in.

At Green Rooms Market, Liquid Gold Leaf is passionate about educating plant enthusiasts on the importance of maintaining healthy, living soils and providing them with the tools and insights needed to achieve this.

• Drop-in Kokedama Workshop with Junglist, stand 907 Thursday – Sunday

Price range £10 – £20 (depending on plant size)

Junglist brought their kokedama workshop to RHS Malvern’s Festival of Houseplants with Green Rooms Market.

Kokedama is a Japanese technique simply translated as ‘moss ball’. Visitors had the opportunity to learn the skill of wrapping a plant’s root ball with moss. Along with being given essential advice on which plants work best and how to care for your mossy babies, these unique creations could be taken home to hang or display (suitable for ages 10+).

• Ottershaw Cacti

Stand no. 936

Free workshop on Saturday 11^th 12:00 -12.30pm

Succulent Houseplants Survival Guide 101

Repotting, feeding, compost mix, light levels, watering, heat and propagation.

Demonstration & chat with the multi RHS Gold medal award winning team from Ottershaw Cacti‘

• Pre-book Terrarium Making Workshop with Ben Newell – Worcester Terrariums Friday & Sunday

Under Ben’s expert guidance, visitors crafted a terrarium st

ep-by-step, selecting from a variety of plants that thrive in enclosed environments. All materials were provided and participants were able to take home their creation and watch their mini ecosystem flourish!

About Green Rooms Market

Green Rooms Market is a one-of-a-kind shopping event that brings together the top houseplants, garden plants, and plant accessory retailers from throughout the country. The markets’ team and carefully curated botanical stalls, workshops, and guest speakers turn nationwide venues into lush indoor jungles for plant enthusiasts to shop, learn, and create.

Green Rooms Market’s ethos has always been ‘community over competition.’ It has established an excellent reputation amongst retailers in the houseplant sector and venues where events have taken place, such as the Turner Contemporary in Margate and Spitalfields Market London.

Green Rooms believes in the need for change within the sector and works with leading organisations, such as the RHS, to help raise awareness of plant waste and to convey positive environmental messages via science-based education.

Green Rooms Market, headed by Sarah Gerrard-Jones @theplantrescuer and the RHS Chelsea gold-winning team, aims to elevate the status of houseplants to bring indoor gardening in line with traditional outdoor gardening.