A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show pays tribute to Shakespeare’s famous play

More than 160,000 people will be enraptured by the scent of thousands of flowers at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, which this year pays homage to Shakespeare’s legendary play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The biggest flower show in Britain and one of the most well-known in the world, it covers 34 acres of the palace’s grounds in south London. Fruit and vegetables, all kind of flowers and designer gardens are only a few of the show’s attractions.

The essence of the English roses, which are said to be Britons’ favourite flowers, is really captivating. Shakespeare play’s presence becomes patent only when reaching the roses’ marquee. Called “A Midsummer Rose´s Festival”, it gathers thirteen rose growers and it features 287 square metres of roses. 

 Bill le Grice is a breeder from Norkfolk whose eponymous roses are one of the hits of this year’s festival.  Dame Judi Dench launched their two new floribundas ‘Drama Queen’ and ‘Hever Castle’. The first, with its red and white striped flowers celebrates the achievement of 50 years of Summer Repertory Theatre at the Sheringham Little Theatre on the Norkfolk coast. The second, named after Anne Boleyn's childhood home in Kent, is not only a tribute to the castle, but also to the rose garden which forms the centrepiece for its popular annual mid-June Rose Festival. “I became part of this world as I grew up, because I was brought up in a nursery,” says Bill. His roses are well-known for the unusual colours, such as deep purple or brown. He confesses that when it comes to choosing a favourite rose, “I can’t tell because I change my mind all the time.” It’s reasonably understandable if looking to the variety of roses he grows. 

While walking around the marquee one can see characters in costumes provided by the Royal Shakespeare Company and also some statues from Shakespeare’s infamous play, including the playful Puck, after having transformed his head into a donkey’s one.

Shakespeare’s theme is also present in some of the gardens, named after many of his plays. 

Danae Brook cultivates his roses in East Anglia, where “there is the perfect microclimate and the perfect soil,” she says. Her business, Country Roses, is the only one which features cut roses exclusively British-grown. They specialise in rose weddings. “We took a gamble because there was a big niche in the market,” says Danae, who runs her business together with a friend. And taking into account the figures –their production has risen from 500 bushes to 14,000-, they proved to be right. 

Paul Harris lives in Ashford, Kent, where he has his family run nursery specialize in Hostas and Hemerocallis.  He used to work in London, but he quit his job three years ago to start his own flower business. “Even if this time of the year I work since it gets clear until it gets too dark, I feel better than commuting into London every day,” says Paul. Flowers were a hobby to him, until he decided to become his own boss and leave behind his work in the city. “I have different flowers at different times, now my favourite is ‘Fooled Me’, in the garden it grows very nice shape and it is a beautiful plant.”

 At the marquee where Paul shows his flowers there are dozens of different varieties: from orchids, dahlias, lilies or tulips to carnivorous plants; the way, heading to the exit of the Flower Show, becomes a sort of Garden of Eden in which there are choices for everyone. And even long after leaving the palace grounds, as that of a lover, the aroma of those colourful flowers stays with you.