After the excitement of the RHS Badminton Flower Show, we were delighted to welcome everyone back to Badminton Estate for a very special one-day plant sale on Saturday 18 July, raising funds for Horatio’s Garden.
At the heart of the sale was The Julia Rausing Garden – the largest garden ever created for an RHS Show. Commissioned by Sir Hans Rausing and designed by renowned landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith, the memorial garden celebrated the life of Julia Rausing, whose extraordinary generosity and enduring support for gardens, health, welfare and the arts touched so many lives. Inspired by the pastoral beauty of Badminton Estate, a place Julia loved, the garden became one of the defining features of the show.
But once the show closed, the story of the garden was far from over. In fact, that was when the real teamwork began.
© Courtney Louise Photography
In keeping with Julia’s philanthropic legacy, thousands of herbaceous plants from the garden were generously donated to Badminton Estate and Horatio’s Garden for the plant sale, with all proceeds going to support the charity.
Over the five days before the sale, teams from Badminton Estate, Horatio’s Garden, Crocus and a brilliant group of volunteers rolled up their sleeves to move the plants from The Julia Rausing Garden to the North Front of Badminton House. It was no small job. Plants had to be carefully lifted from the ground, loaded onto trailers, moved across the Estate, unloaded, watered, checked, grouped, curated and labelled ready for sale.
There were around 15 trailer loads in total, carrying more than 100 varieties of plants. Some were large and awkward, some were delicate, and others came with their own challenges — including prickly thistles and spiky stems that had to be handled with care. Add in the summer heat, plenty of watering and the pressure of keeping every plant looking its best, and it became a proper all-hands-on-deck effort.
What made it so special was the way everyone worked together. Different organisations, teams and volunteers all pitched in, doing whatever was needed to make sure the plants survived the move and were ready for their next chapter in gardens across the country.
© Leanne Punshon
When the gates opened on Saturday morning, visitors arrived ready to choose a piece of this extraordinary garden to take home. After days of lifting, loading, watering and labelling, it was wonderful to see so many plants heading off to new gardens. By the end of the day, thanks to the generosity of everyone who came along, the sale had raised more than £24,000 for Horatio’s Garden.
The money raised will help the charity continue creating and nurturing beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres across the UK, providing places of comfort, hope and healing for people recovering from life-changing spinal injuries, as well as peaceful spaces for their families, loved ones and NHS staff.
This sale simply would not have happened without so many people giving their time, energy and good humour. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended, our dedicated volunteers, the teams at Horatio’s Garden and Crocus, and everyone behind the scenes who helped turn a huge logistical challenge into such a joyful and successful day.
We are incredibly proud to have played a small part in a project that means so much to both The Julia Rausing Trust and Badminton Estate. We hope the legacy of The Julia Rausing Garden will continue to flourish in gardens and communities across the country for many years to come.