Wholesaler brings storytelling to new RHS Flower Show

New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) plant wholesaler Ilo Bloom has teamed up with event florist Plants By There to create a Gold Medal winning installation at the first-ever Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Badminton Flower Show – and it’s all based on classic theatre show Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

The RHS show judges awarded Plants By There founder James Whiting a Gold Medal in the Houseplant Terrarium category, James’s second Gold Medal of the year after also winning at the RSH Chelsea Flower Show. “I was competing in the ‘houseplant terrarium’ category, a completely new format where all exhibitors are given a similar structure, but within that you can really push creativity and fashion something unique,” said James.

© New Covent Garden MarketDamian Waloch (Ilo Bloom) and James Whiting (Plants by There)

Badminton is best known as the location for the annual horse trials, but now the South Gloucestershire town is also hosting a new RHS flower show until Saturday 11th July, replacing Hampton Court for this year and introducing fresh formats. Having won a gold medal at Chelsea, James is continuing his collaboration with Ilo Bloom’s owner Damian Waloch to deliver a concept-led exhibit built entirely on plants sourced from NCGM.In a move that reflects the growing convergence between live events, theatre and floristry, James secured sponsorship from Moulin Rouge! The Musical to create an exhibit called L’amour Vert, which translates as Green Love. James aligned his vision with the West End production’s visual identity, with the exhibit perfectly timed to celebrate the musical’s fifth anniversary in London and the 25th anniversary of the Baz Luhrmann film that inspired the stage show.

© New Covent Garden Market L’amour Vert Artist Impression

“For this kind of project, NCGM is essential,” said James, who sourced all his stock for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show from Damian. “You need quality, range and the ability to pull everything together quickly, and that’s exactly what the Market delivers. The sponsors didn’t know what plants I was using, but they understood the colour palette and the mood and they trust me to interpret that.”

Timescales have been short for James, who managed to secure his unique sponsor in little over a week, an unusually compressed timeframe compared to the months typically required for RHS shows. “It normally takes ages and ages to secure sponsorship for something like this,” said James. “At Chelsea, you’re looking at four to eight months minimum, and even that feels tight. For Badminton, we’ve done it in a week and a half.”

The fast-tracked process involved working through multiple layers of brand approval, including international stakeholders and rights holders, highlighting the complexity of commercial partnerships at this level. “We went from initial introduction to funding in the bank in a week,” said James, adding that such speed comes at a cost. “There were approvals to secure from multiple stakeholders, including the global production team in Australia and even the original Moulin Rouge club in Paris, which retains final sign-off rights.”

For James, having an NCGM wholesaler like Damian in his corner was a secret weapon during negotiations. “For event work, you need reliability and breadth of choice,” he said. “NCGM is where we go because you can get everything you need, at the quality you need, often at very short notice. That’s so important.”

The RHS Badminton Flower Show runs until Saturday 11th July. Find out more here.