Building a Jungle: Behind the Scenes of Our RHS Malvern Show Garden

We’re doing something wild. 

This spring, Sprouts of Bristol will be exhibiting at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival – and we’re bringing the jungle with us. Our show garden is inspired by tropical ecosystems, filled with lush foliage, bold textures, and an explosion of greenery. But it’s not just the plants that are making an impact – the structures they’re growing on are handmade. Plus Ferne has illustrated creatures from the rainforest to be featured in the garden too!

We’ve been crafting towering trees from old cardboard carpet tubes, layers of cardboard, paper shreds, and other reclaimed materials. It’s been a labour of love - cutting, shaping, layering and painting each section to give the trunks a natural, bark-like finish. Once painted in earthy tones, we’ll decorate them with real moss and plant epiphytes into the sculpted gaps. These epiphytic plants - the kind that grow on trees in tropical rainforests - will bring the trees to life.

Expect to see Ferns, Orchids, Rhipsalis, Bromeliads and more nestled into their own little mossy pockets. We want every tree in our Malvern garden to feel alive, like a real part of the landscape. This approach blends sustainability with creativity – and it allows us to control shape and scale in a way that would be impossible with real trees.

We’ve been busy gathering plants behind the scenes – a blend of foliage favourites and rare tropicals that we hope will capture the feel of a real rainforest just for Malvern. From oversized leaves to fine trailing textures, each plant has a role to play in building up the layers of the space.

We’re working with species like Philodendron gloriosum, Anthurium warocqueanum, Calathea orbifolia, and Monstera adansonii to create lush, dramatic foliage displays. Smaller specimens like Fittonia, Maranta leuconeura, and Peperomia rotundifolia will help soften the ground layer, while trailing epiphytes such as Rhipsalis, Lepismium, and Tillandsia usneoides will flow from the trees themselves.

We’re grouping plants by form and light levels, creating shady underplanting zones and bright pops of colour higher up. There’ll be Bromeliads perched in branches, Marantas in the undergrowth, and soft Ferns trailing down the sides. We've even designed some sections to mimic a cloud forest, where moss creeps across every surface and leaves seem to glisten in the air.

The Malvern build is already officially underway! Trees are being assembled, the base layout is being planned, and we’ve been doing test runs of our planting combinations. It’s messy, green, and wonderfully full of life.

This year’s garden is also a collaboration between Sprouts of Bristol and Ferne Creative. As well as helping with the early stages of the build, Ferne is working on a series of beautiful illustrated animals that will be featured throughout our rainforest scene.

From frogs to birds and all manner of jungle creatures, her illustrations add a playful and educational element to the garden. Each one will be subtly nestled among the planting, waiting to be discovered by curious visitors. We love the idea of blending art and nature, especially in a space designed to spark conversation and wonder.

While we’re still finalising our full list of plants for Malvern, we’re working with a broad palette of tropical and subtropical species that celebrate diversity in texture, colour, and form. Our wishlist includes bold foliage, striking epiphytes, delicate groundcovers, and trailing vines – all chosen to create an immersive, multi-layered rainforest feel.

We’re sourcing from a variety of specialist nurseries, and while some plant choices may evolve before the build, our goal remains the same: to bring together a vibrant, living collection that reflects the magic of the jungle and our love for houseplants.

Much of the vision for our Malvern garden started at the Eden Project, where Jessy and Ferne went on a research trip earlier this year. From towering palms to mossy trunks and carefully layered planting, Eden helped spark the ideas behind our handmade trees, plant combinations, and rainforest atmosphere.

We’ve also been inspired by the creative use of texture and contrast in botanical gardens across the UK - and of course, by the houseplants we live with every day. This garden is a celebration of the indoor jungle gone wild.