Southport Flower Show: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss is about, or if you’re planning your first visit and want to make sure you get the most out of every minute, this is the guide I wish someone had handed me the first time I walked through those gates.

We’re going to cover everything: the show’s extraordinary history, how to get there, what tickets cost, what to see, how to navigate the site, and the insider tips that turn a pleasant day out into something memorable!

Southport Flower Show is not Chelsea. That is very much the point, and it’s one of the things I love most about it. Where Chelsea can feel exclusive, metropolitan, and at times more like a catwalk than a garden show, Southport is warm, accessible, wildly varied, and completely comfortable in its own skin.

It draws visitors from across the North West and beyond, yet it has never lost the sense that it is fundamentally a community celebration of horticulture. That spirit, rooted in over a century of history, makes it quite unlike anything else on the British gardening calendar.

The History of Southport Flower Show

The first Southport Flower Show took place in Victoria Park in 1924, and the story behind why it happened tells you everything you need to know about the spirit of the event. Alderman Charles Aveling, who served as Mayor of Southport that year, was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of a major horticultural event in the town.

It was the same year that the British Empire Exhibition was being held at Wembley in London, and there was a very deliberate local ambition to give the North its own grand spectacle. An extraordinary 44,000 people attended that first show, and you sense that the town instinctively knew it had created something special.

Funded and organised by Sefton Council, the show ran annually through the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and beyond, interrupted only by a five-year hiatus during the Second World War. By the time it reached the 1980s, it had become a deeply embedded part of the town’s identity, an annual ritual as much a part of late summer in Southport as the sea breeze coming off the Irish Sea. That made it all the more shocking when, after the 1986 show, Sefton Council announced it would be withdrawing funding entirely.

What happened next is one of the most heartening stories in British horticulture. A committee of local horticulturalists and business people refused to accept the end of their show and entered negotiations with the council over its future.

The pivotal moment came at a tense meeting of Sefton Council’s Resources Committee in December 1986, when committee leader Carl McClure placed a single orchid on the table — a symbolic gesture that transformed the atmosphere and helped broker an agreement. The council would support the show one final time, but without underwriting future losses. From that point on, the show would stand entirely on its own feet.

It did more than stand. It flourished. The Southport Flower Show is registered as a charity (Charity Registration No. 1000698), and its board of trustees has served as unpaid volunteers ever since. The council rents Victoria Park to the charity each year for a truly fitting sum: a bouquet of flowers. In 2024, the show celebrated its 100th anniversary, having staged 93 shows across that century, losses to wartime and the COVID pandemic acknowledged but not mourned. W. Robinson and Son, the Lancashire seed business known as the Home of the Mammoth Onion, has exhibited at every single show since that very first one in 1924 — a detail that says everything about the loyalty this event inspires.

Why Being Independent Actually Matters

There is a tendency in gardening media to treat Chelsea as the only show that counts, and Southport as a charming regional alternative. Having spoken at both and attended many times, I’d push back firmly on that. Southport’s independence from the RHS is not a limitation. It is the source of everything that makes it distinctive.

The RHS model, for all its extraordinary horticultural rigour, comes with structures that can feel intimidating to newcomers: members’ preview days that create a visible hierarchy, ticket prices that start above £75, show gardens whose budgets can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, and an atmosphere that occasionally tips towards the fashionable rather than the functional. There is nothing wrong with any of that. Chelsea is magnificent, and I will defend it in any room. But it serves a specific audience in a specific way.

Southport serves a different audience, and it does so brilliantly. Because a registered charity runs it with volunteer trustees, every commercial decision is made in service of the show itself and the park that hosts it, not in service of a national organisation’s wider agenda. Profits go back into Victoria Park, into education programmes that have distributed thousands of sunflower seeds to local schools, into a school’s Design-a-Garden competition that has drawn hundreds of entries, and into an apprenticeship programme with Myerscough College that provides young horticulturalists with real qualifications.

The result is a show that feels genuinely rooted in its place. The exhibitors, the volunteers, the regular celebrity guests, the local food vendors from Southport and Liverpool, and the amateur growers who have been entering the vegetable competitions for decades. They all contribute to an atmosphere that Chelsea, for all its grandeur, simply cannot replicate.

As a guest speaker at Southport, I’ve always been struck by how engaged the audience is and how much practical, hands-on knowledge people bring. These are not passive spectators who have come to be impressed. They are gardeners who have come to learn, and that makes for extraordinarily good conversation.

Southport Flower Show 2026: Dates, Times and What to Expect

Southport Flower Show 2026 runs from Thursday 20th August to Sunday 23rd August at Victoria Park, Southport, PR8 1RX. Unlike Chelsea, there are no members-only preview days. The show opens to all visitors on all four days, which is a genuinely egalitarian approach that reflects the show’s ethos.

Day	Date	Opening Times	Notes
Thursday	20 August 2026	10am – 6pm	Opening day; gardens freshest; quieter than weekend
Friday	21 August 2026	10am – 6pm	Traditionally Ladies’ Day with VIP events
Saturday	22 August 2026	10am – 6pm	Busiest day; peak celebrity guests
Sunday	23 August 2026	10am – 5pm	Plant sell-off from 4pm; slightly shorter day

The show is held in late August deliberately. It sits in a gardening calendar gap: after the summer rush of planting and before the Autumn clear-up. Visiting in August means the show gardens are planted with perennials and annuals at their absolute seasonal peak, and the Grand Floral Marquee is blazing with colour. It also means the evenings are long, the school holidays are in full swing, and there’s a genuine festive energy to the showground that you don’t always find at spring events.

Tickets and How to Save Money

One of the great advantages of Southport Flower Show over its more southerly rival is the ticket price. Adult advance tickets typically range from £25 to £27, depending on when you book, with early bird prices available from June onwards — a significant saving over the gate price of around £30.

Southport residents with a PR8 or PR9 postcode receive a discounted rate of approximately £19, available through The Atkinson arts centre and Southport Library, so if you live locally and haven’t taken advantage of that yet, it’s worth making it your first port of call.

Ticket Type	Approximate Price	Notes
Early bird adult (June)	~£25	Best saving; available from early summer
Advance adult (July)	~£26	Still cheaper than gate price
Advance adult (August)	~£27	Available until midnight Wednesday before show
Gate price	~£30	On the day; higher cost
Late entry ticket	~£19	Entry after 3pm (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Local resident (PR8/PR9)	~£19	Proof of address required; available from The Atkinson
Children under 16	FREE	With a paying adult; no ticket required
Carer / companion	FREE	With proof of PIP entitlement, medical evidence or Nimbus Access Card

Tickets are flexible in the best possible sense: a standard ticket can be used on any one of the four show days, so if the weather forecast changes or life intervenes, you are not locked into a specific date. Tickets are sold online through the show’s official website; Merseyrail also sell discounted tickets from their station ticket offices, which is a particularly handy option if you’re already planning to travel by train.

VIP and hospitality packages — including the 1924 Lounge experience, Afternoon Tea in the Summer Pavilion, and the Ladies’ Day buffet — are also available but typically sell out well in advance. If those interest you, keep a close eye on the show website from early spring onwards, as they tend to sell out quickly. These are not essential to enjoying the show, but they are a genuinely lovely option for a birthday treat or a group celebration.

How to Get to Southport Flower Show

Victoria Park is central to Southport and well served by multiple transport options. Southport itself is a compact, walkable town, and the showground is not difficult to find once you’re in it — the park occupies 34 acres, and the show signage is extensive. The official advice is to turn off your sat nav when you enter Southport and follow the AA directional signs, which will guide you to the correct car parks rather than depositing you on a residential street.

By Train

The train is comfortably the best way to get to the Southport Flower Show if you’re coming from Liverpool, the Wirral, Chester, or anywhere within a reasonable distance of the Merseyrail network. Merseyrail runs fast and frequent services between Liverpool city centre and Southport, and the journey takes approximately 45 minutes. Visitors from Wirral and Chester can connect via Merseyrail’s Northern Line. Northern Rail serves Southport from Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Bolton, and Wigan, making the show accessible from a wide arc of the North West without the hassle of driving.

On show days, a dedicated shuttle bus (Route 27) operates from Southport train station directly to the showground at Rotten Row, running every 15 minutes in sync with the trains. It is a commercial service operated by Arriva, so bus passes are not accepted, but child passengers travel free with a paying adult. This shuttle removes the need to navigate the town on foot and deposits you right at the show entrance. If you are travelling from Birkdale, it is also perfectly walkable in around eight to ten minutes.

By Car

Southport is well connected to the motorway network. From the south, take the M6 to junction 26 and follow the M58 to Ormskirk, then the A570 to Southport. From the North, follow the A59 from Preston (junction 31 from the M6) and then the A565 to Southport. Parking is available at Princes Park, within walking distance of the showground, and at Birkdale Common Park and Ride, where shuttle buses run to and from the showground every 15 minutes between 8:30am and 6:30pm (5:30pm on Sunday).

Disabled parking is available at the Esplanade Eco Centre (PR8 1RX) for £10 per car — note that if you are being asked to pay more than £10 for disabled parking, it is not an official show car park. Coach parking is located beside the Eco Visitor Centre and is clearly signposted. If you are bringing a coach party, email the show in advance to obtain a coach park pass.

Getting around the site

The showground covers 34 acres of Victoria Park, which sounds vast but is actually very manageable on foot over a full day. The site is predominantly flat, which makes it considerably less tiring than some other major shows. Allow time to walk the full perimeter of the show gardens and explore the interior of the Grand Floral Marquee, the arena, and the various theatre and food areas.

A Walkthrough of the Victoria Park Showground

Understanding the showground layout before you arrive saves a surprising amount of time and energy on the day. The show takes place within Victoria Park, which has its own permanent character beyond the annual show: Rotten Row, the 746-metre herbaceous border that runs along one edge of the park, is maintained by volunteers year-round and is spectacular in summer regardless of whether the show is on. The name, incidentally, derives from the famous Rotten Row of Hyde Park in London, and is in glorious contrast to the beauty of the planting it describes.

The show gardens are positioned along a central spine of the showground and are the first thing most visitors encounter after passing through the main entrance. They are compact by Chelsea standards, but that is not a failing — it is a completely different design challenge, and I’ve seen some genuinely impressive work here as small urban plots are designed and showcased. The gardens feel more realistic and achievable than the Chelsea goliath million-pound show gardens.

Gardens are judged during the first days of the show, and Awards of Excellence are presented; the headline prize is the Brockhouse Gold Challenge Trophy for Best Show Garden.

The Grand Floral Marquee is the beating heart of the show and should be given significant time on your itinerary. The Cookery Theatre, the Garden Theatre, the Piazza Stage for live music, the outdoor show arena, the amateur growers’ competitions, the floral art displays, the honey and baking marquee, and the trade village with over 350 exhibitors are all distributed across the rest of the park.

A full exploration of the showground, at a relaxed pace with time to talk to exhibitors and watch at least two theatre sessions, realistically takes between five and seven hours.

Show Gardens and the Awards System

The show gardens at Southport are designed and built by professional garden designers and landscaping companies, with entries judged by an independent panel during the first days of the show. Typically, around thirteen gardens are presented each year, ranging from full show garden entries to smaller feature gardens, and the variety of styles on display is genuinely wide.

What I find interesting about Southport’s show gardens, speaking as someone who thinks about design for a living, is that they tend to be more directly aspirational for the average British homeowner than the avant-garde installations you sometimes see at Chelsea. There is less pressure here to make a career-defining artistic statement and more freedom to demonstrate genuinely beautiful, achievable garden design, which makes them, in my view, considerably more useful as a source of inspiration for the garden you actually have.

Recent winners have included a range of styles from naturalistic perennial planting to contemporary formal designs. The 2025 Best Show Garden trophy, the Brockhouse Gold Challenge Trophy, was awarded to James Comish for his garden ‘A Floral Haven’, while Dibleys Nurseries took the Salopian Trophy for Best Grand Floral Exhibit.

That same year also featured a garden designed for the National Garden Scheme by Nina Mitchell-Price, a sustainability garden by HMP Wymott and HMP Preston, and a school’s Design-a-Garden entry from Trawden Forest Primary School brought to life on the showground — illustrating the breadth of what Southport considers eligible for exhibition.

Award	Category
Brockhouse Gold Challenge Trophy	Best Show Garden overall
The Salopian Trophy	Best Grand Floral Exhibit
Awards of Excellence	Presented across show gardens, Grand Floral Marquee exhibits, amateur growers, floral art, and societies
Schools Design-a-Garden	Winning school entry built on the showground

Unlike Chelsea, where show gardens are either demolished (read skipped in some parts) or relocated after the event, the Southport show gardens are typically lifted and removed within days of the show closing, returning Victoria Park to its parkland character. This means the plants and materials need to be robust enough to survive the build and four days of show conditions. Still, it also means designers sometimes have more freedom over what happens to their plants and materials afterwards.

The Grand Floral Marquee

If the show gardens are Southport’s headline act, the Grand Floral Marquee is its soul. This enormous covered structure brings together specialist nurseries and plant growers from across the country, presenting everything from exotic orchids and rare alpines to prize dahlias, vegetables the size of small children, and bonsai trees of extraordinary patience and craft. It is one of the finest collections of specialist plant growing you will encounter anywhere in the UK, and the fact that many of the exhibitors are there to talk as much as to sell means you can spend hours in here having genuinely illuminating conversations.

At the heart of the Grand Floral Marquee B on all four show days is The Potting Shed, hosted by gardening authors and presenters Martin and Jill Fish. This informal stage acts as a kind of live gardening surgery where visitors can bring their questions, see seasonal produce discussed, and get practical advice from rotating expert guests. Having hosted similar sessions myself as a guest speaker at the show, I can tell you that the quality of questions from a Southport audience is formidable. These are not beginners asking what to do about slugs. These are experienced growers who want to talk soil biology and companion planting at ten o’clock in the morning.

The amateur growers’ competitions within the marquee are a highlight that many first-time visitors underestimate. Vegetable and flower growing competitions have been running at Southport since 1924, and the standard is remarkable — particularly in the onion and leek classes, where the influence of W. Robinson and Son’s Mammoth Onion breeding legacy is still very much felt. Don’t walk past the show benches without stopping. The people here are experts at their plant species and are always raring to talk to you and explain all about their specialisms!

Celebrity Guests, Theatre Stages and Entertainment

Southport Flower Show has always invested heavily in bringing recognisable faces to the Garden Theatre, and in recent years, the calibre of horticultural guests has been genuinely impressive. The show regularly attracts BBC Gardeners’ World presenters, Beechgrove Garden contributors, and horticultural experts with real depth of knowledge rather than simply celebrity name recognition. This distinction matters if you are coming specifically for gardening education.

Recent years have seen appearances from Adam Frost, Nick Bailey, David Domoney, Arit Anderson, Carole Baxter and George Anderson from Beechgrove Garden, and Hamza Yassin. For 2026, Adam Frost has already been confirmed as the first announced guest. I’ve been fortunate enough to join this list on several occasions, speaking in the Garden Theatre to audiences that come prepared with specific questions and a genuine desire to improve their own gardens.

The format, which includes a main Q&A hosted by local broadcaster Paul Crone, followed by open audience questions, works very well, and the sessions consistently run over time because nobody wants them to end.

Beyond horticulture, the show has developed a strong food and cookery strand over the years. The Cookery Theatre, sponsored by Lancashire Tea and Nationwide Produce, brings celebrity chefs including Phil Vickery, Rosemary Shrager, Cherish Finden, and Great British Bake Off winners for live demonstrations and tastings. The food offer at Southport extends well beyond celebrity chefs: local restaurants and food producers from Southport and Liverpool set up in the food village, offering everything from proper Lancashire cooking to street food, and the quality has improved considerably in recent years.

The outdoor show arena runs a completely separate entertainment programme throughout each day, typically including horse and show-jumping displays, dog agility teams, birds of prey demonstrations, and, in recent years, motorcycle stunt performances. Live music plays on the Piazza Stage throughout the day, featuring acts such as choirs, ukulele bands, and country performers. The 2025 show added a Waterstones pop-up book festival, with celebrity guests signing copies of their books — a genuinely thoughtful addition that extends the show’s cultural reach beyond the purely horticultural.

Southport Flower Show for Families and Children

Children under 16 enter for free when accompanied by a paying adult, making Southport one of the most accessible major shows for families in the country. This is not simply a commercial pricing decision — it is part of the show’s charitable mission to educate and inspire young people in horticulture. The show has invested significantly in its children’s offer over recent years, and a visit with younger family members is now a genuinely rich experience rather than an afterthought.

The Children’s Trail, introduced in 2025, was a huge success, featuring a Kids’ Potting Shed supported by the Rotary Eco Group, wildlife talks from WWT Martin Mere, tennis skills sessions, a mad science show, meet-the-alpacas sessions, and a doodle station. These activities are spread across the showground and give children a sense of their own agenda within the show, rather than being trailed around behind adults looking at flowers they’re not yet sure they care about.

The school’s Design-a-Garden competition is one of the most meaningful aspects of the show for younger visitors. In 2025, over 500 school entries were received, and the winning design from Trawden Forest Primary School was built as a full show garden on the showground. Seeing a design that began as a classroom project realised at full scale can ignite a lifelong passion for gardening, and the programme has been running in various forms for many years.

Accessibility at Southport Flower Show

The show has a clear accessibility policy and has invested in facilities beyond the basics. Wheelchair and mobility scooter hire is available through Event Mobility, a charitable organisation, and must be booked at least 2 days in advance of the show. Equipment is collected from the Eco Centre near the disabled car park at the Esplanade. Disabled car parking is available at the Esplanade Eco Centre for £10 per car and is clearly signed from the main approach roads.

Carers and companions are admitted free of charge for visitors in receipt of a qualifying benefit or with medical evidence confirming the need for accompaniment. Supporting documents such as a Personal Independence Payment entitlement letter, medical evidence, or a Nimbus Access Card may be required at entry. Note that this carer’s free entry applies to general show admission and does not cover the VIP hospitality packages.

Victoria Park has a Changing Places toilet available year-round, accessible with a RADAR key.

On show days, there are numerous toilet facilities distributed across the showground. The park is broadly flat and accessible, and most of the key show areas, including the Grand Floral Marquee, show gardens, arena, and theatre stages, can be reached without a significant gradient. If you have specific accessibility questions, the show team at in**@********************co.uk is responsive and helpful.

20 Insider Tips from a Guest Speaker

Having attended and spoken at Southport Flower Show on multiple occasions, these are the things I genuinely wish someone had told me earlier — the small practical observations that make the difference between a good day and a brilliant one.

1. Thursday is the best day for horticultural visitors

The show gardens are at their absolute freshest on opening day, the Grand Floral Marquee exhibitors are energetic and fully stocked, and the crowds are lighter than the weekend. If your primary interest is the plants and gardens rather than the celebrity Q&As, Thursday is the day to go.

2. Wear shoes you’d wear to dig in

The showground is a mix of grass, bark paths, and hard standing, and after a day on your feet, you will be grateful for proper support. Wellington boots in wet weather are entirely appropriate,e and nobody will look at you twice. Avoid heels entirely — the show gardens have some beautifully tempting grass edges that will end badly in anything other than flat, rubber-soled footwear.

3. Bring a trolley or a large tote bag

There are over 350 trade stands at Southport, and the plant-buying opportunities are exceptional. I speak from experience when I say that a small rucksack will not be sufficient by 2pm. A wheeled garden trolley or a proper market bag on wheels is ideal, particularly on Sunday when the plant sell-off begins, and you’ll want to move quickly between stands.

4. Check the celebrity schedule before you book your day

The show publishes a day-by-day celebrity schedule in advance, and it is worth studying this carefully. Each celebrity typically appears twice on their allocated day, while some guests attend only on a single day. If there’s a specific speaker you’ve come to see, make sure you attend on the right day and arrive in time for their first session.

5. Arrive when the gates open at 10am

The first hour of the show is magical. The Grand Floral Marquee is at its most pristine, the show gardens are uncrowded enough to photograph properly, and the exhibitors are rested and willing to talk. By midday, the site is significantly busier, particularly on Saturday, which is the peak attendance day.

6. The afternoon sessions in the Garden Theatre are less crowded

Seats for the 12pm Garden Theatre sessions fill quickly, particularly on Saturday. The 3pm sessions often have more availability, and the quality of the presentation is identical. If you’re not fussed about getting a front row seat, the later sessions are an easier option.

7. Download the show app or collect a programme at the gate

The show produces a detailed programme, and the showground map within it is essential. Reception on the showground is variable during busy periods, so downloading whatever you need before you arrive is sensible. The programme also lists all trade exhibitors alphabetically, making it much faster to track down a specific nursery or supplier than to wander the marquee hoping to stumble upon them.

8. Budget properly for food

The food at Southport is generally better value than in Chelsea, but it is still event catering pricing. Budget around £10-£15 per person for lunch and be selective. The local venue stalls from Southport and Liverpool restaurants tend to offer better quality at similar prices to the larger catering units, and are worth seeking out. Bringing your own sandwiches is perfectly acceptable, and there are plenty of places to sit and eat.

9. The show arena runs to its own timetable

Horse shows, birds of prey, dog agility, and stunt displays are timed events in the outdoor arena, and they are genuinely spectacular enough to justify building into your day. Collect the arena timetable when you arrive and pick at least one performance to watch. These are entirely included in your standard admission price.

10. Talk to the amateur growers

The competitive classes in the Grand Floral Marquee represent some of the finest specialist growing you will encounter in the UK. Many of the entrants have been competing at Southport for decades, and they will happily talk you through their growing methods if you show genuine interest. The giant vegetable classes in particular — onions, leeks, pumpkins — come with extraordinary backstories and are entirely worth your time.

11. Dogs are welcome on a short lead

Southport Flower Show is dog-friendly, which is a significant advantage over many other major shows. Keep dogs on a short lead at all times and bring water and a bowl, particularly in August when temperatures can be high. Booties are worth considering if the grass is particularly dry and bristly. Most exhibitors are accommodating of dogs, but use your judgment around crowds and at busy food stalls.

12. The late entry ticket isan excellent value

Entry after 3pm for approximately £19 gives you two to three hours on the showground, which is plenty of time to see the show gardens, spend time in the Grand Floral Marquee, catch a theatre session, and do some shopping. If you’re local or you’ve been before and just want to soak up the atmosphere for an afternoon rather than committing to a full day, this is an excellent option.

13. There is no re-entry

Once you leave the showground, you cannot re-enter on the same ticket. Plan accordingly if you need to move cars, collect children from the car, or have any other reason to leave the site temporarily. Leave valuables secure in your vehicle before you enter, rather than making a mid-day trip back.

14. Rotten Row is worth walking even before you enter the show

The 746-metre herbaceous border along Rotten Row, maintained by park volunteers, is spectacular in late August. It runs along the exterior of the showground and is freely accessible as a public park feature. Arriving via Rotten Row rather than driving directly to the car park turns the approach into its own horticultural experience.

15. The wellness zone is a genuinely good escape

Recent shows have included an Enchanted Fields Wellness Zone offering free taster sessions in yoga, pilates, meditation, and sound healing. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the crowds mid-afternoon, this is an excellent place to decompress for twenty minutes before heading back into the thick of it. The show is large enough that there are always quieter pockets if you know where to look.

16. Book VIP and hospitality packages early

The 1924 Lounge, Ladies’ Day Buffet, and Afternoon Tea in the Summer Pavilion events routinely sell out before the show opens. If these appeal to you, monitor the show website from early spring and move quickly when they go on sale. By the time the show is in full public promotion, the best hospitality packages are usually already gone.

17. Plant purchases — bring bubble wrap

The trade village and Grand Floral Marquee offer exceptional plant-buying opportunities, including rare and specialist varieties you will not find at any garden centre. If you’re serious about plant shopping, bring a layered bag or a garden trolley and some bubble wrap for any fragile specimens. Many exhibitors will hold plants behind their stand for collection at the end of your visit if you ask nicely.

18. Photography is entirely permitted

Unlike some events where commercial photography restrictions apply, Southport is relaxed about photography. The show gardens in the early morning, before crowds build, offer the cleanest shots, and the Grand Floral Marquee is a treasure chest of close-up plant photography. A mid-range zoom rather than a wide-angle serves most purposes well. The arena events and theatre stages can be photographed from your seat, though flash is best avoided.

19. Support the local economy while you’re there

Southport is a seaside town with an excellent high street on Lord Street, as well as independent shops, cafes, and restaurants. Arriving the evening before or staying for a night after the show gives you time to enjoy the town itself and adds significantly to the value of the trip, particularly if you’re travelling from further afield. The show is not the only reason to visit Southport, merely the best one in August.

20. Remember what the ticket price supports

Every penny of profit from Southport Flower Show goes back into Victoria Park and into horticulture education for young people. The show’s volunteer trustees receive no payment for their governance. The apprenticeship programme, the schools’ competitions, the sunflower seed distributions, and the maintenance of Rotten Row — these are all funded by the show. When you buy your ticket, you are not paying a corporation. You are investing in a community. That matters, and it is worth remembering as you walk through the gates.

The Sunday Plant Sell-Off

Sunday at 4pm. Remember that time. The Southport Flower Show plant sell-off begins when the final bell rings at 4pm on the Sunday, and for anyone who loves plants, it is one of the most exciting hours in the UK gardening calendar. Exhibitors from the Grand Floral Marquee and the trade village begin selling off their remaining stock at significant discounts — sometimes dramatically so — rather than taking it all home on their vehicles.

This is the moment to be strategic. In the final hour before the bell, walk the Grand Floral Marquee and identify the plants you want. Speak to exhibitors and ask if they’ll be selling off at close. Most will be honest about what they’re planning to do. When the bell rings, move purposefully rather than frantically — the genuinely sought-after specialist specimens do go quickly, but most of the material stays available for at least 30 to 40 minutes.

Bring cash as well as a card, because not every exhibitor’s payment terminal is reliable during a busy sell-off. Have your trolley, your bags, and your bubble wrap ready. And be realistic about what you can carry home: a car boot full of impulse plant purchases is a wonderful problem to have, but only if the plants actually make it home safely. The sell-off is also a wonderful time to have final conversations with growers who are now relaxed, happy with their day’s sales, and entirely willing to talk at length about every plant on their stand.

Frequently Asked Questions

 Happy gardening from The Garden Ninja! 🌿