This year was our first time exhibiting with a stand of our own. Rather than simply showcasing plants, we wanted to tell a story — one that celebrated the golden age of botanical exploration.

We imagined ourselves as Victorian plant hunters, freshly returned from an expedition, surrounded by rare specimens, crates of tools, and discoveries still caked in mud. The result? A stand filled with character.

We filled the space with:

• Topiary, exotics, and dramatic silhouettes that stopped people in their tracks.
• A mixture of pots, crates and old-world props to hint at a life of adventure.
• Textural contrasts, shifting scales, and a layout designed to feel more like a basecamp

Creating a space that made people slow down and take it all in.

RIG Automotive are known for sleek, innovative engineering — cars with presence and punch. Their stand design was already immaculate, so the planting had to be clean, bold and quietly dramatic.

We provided a curated mix of structural specimens — tall, lean, and rhythmically spaced — to echo the lines of the vehicles and give the space a sense of balance. Nothing too fussy. Nothing soft or frilly. Just plants that stood their ground and added depth to an already striking scene.

Jim Stokes Workshops are masters of restoration. Classic Ferraris, Alfa Romeos — machines built with patience and precision. We knew instantly that Ilex crenata Niwaki was the right choice.

Each specimen had been shaped for years into a compact, cloud-like form — quiet, exacting, and undeniably elegant. Placed at either end of the stand, they acted like living sculptures.

People noticed. They asked what they were. And in a space filled with gleaming bodywork and engineering heritage, the plants managed to hold their own.

First, we supplied a run of formal hedging to help frame and soften the cars— giving the structure a more grounded, green backdrop that worked beautifully with the clean lines of the cars on display.

Then, at the 11th hour, heavy rainfall caused significant flooding across the stand — pooling water and soft ground on the second day of the event.

Within hours before opening, we sourced and laid fresh mulch across key walkways and problem areas. It not only absorbed the standing water, but added a warm, finished texture to the whole display. What began as a crisis turned into a subtle design win — softening the edges and adding cohesion.