Futuristic gardens to inspire at Hampton Court show

The 2006 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show will inspire homeowners with futuristic garden designs that do not cost the earth to create.

This year's show will include a new garden category, Conceptual Gardens, which is designed to showcase the garden designers of tomorrow.

Show organisers, the Royal Horticultural Society, hope the new category will challenge design students to push boundaries of garden design and help uncover the next Diarmuid Gavin or Cleve West.

Four new designers will be chosen from full-time students of garden or landscape design to build their design at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, and will be judged for a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) medal.

Each candidate will be given £6,000 to carry out their design, which means they will have to innovate in creating new design ideas on a budget not out of reach of the show's visitors.

The RHS' Bob Sweet said: "In its early days, the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show was viewed as the place to see original and quirky garden design from new designers.

"Many who were regarded then as alternative, have gone on to become part of the gardening establishment. 'Conceptual Gardens' will provide a new seedbed for young talent who we believe will be some of tomorrow's big names in this field."

According to the RHS, visitors to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show consistently cite getting 'ideas and inspiration' as the main reason for attending the show.

Tickets for the show, which takes place between July 4th and July 9th 2006, can be purchased at www.rhs.org.uk/flowershows or by calling 0870 906 3791.

Tickets cost between £12.50 and £29 for adults and £5 for children aged five to 15. The show is open to the public between Thursday July 6th and Sunday July 9th.