This year’s Hampton Court Flower Show was rebranded the Hampton Court Garden Festival, which more accurately reflects the annual show.

The RHS has, at last, recognised that trends in garden design are at odds with the type of gardens most want to see at Hampton Court.

Gone are the conceptual plots which bemused or baffled many visitors, and the cutting-edge or wacky ideas that people felt would not translate at home.

Hampton Court visitors do not follow the design trends from Chelsea, where the focus is on sustainability, ‘re-wilding’ and native planting. They want manicured, pretty gardens designed by artists and colourists, not naturalistic gardens where the predominate colour is green and weeds are allowed to flourish.

That is not to say visitors do not want to be ecologically informed or challenged, but it is not their prime focus for a day out.

This was evidenced in my conversation with a visitor viewing the Matthew Childs smart meter garden which featured a luxuriant woodland with a large circular area (pictured) of what looked like tarmac.

Lights flashed beneath cracks in the black tarry surface to symbolise erratic energy use – very powerful, very dramatic, but the person I spoke to felt it would have been so much nicer with a pond.

Hampton Court doesn’t push the boundaries of creativity, and its subtle rebranding makes that clear. Now that we’re not comparing it with Chelsea we can enjoy the festival for what it is!

This year it was an absolute pleasure to visit… much better than last year’s offering. There seemed to be more space to get around, better eateries and numerous comfortable seating areas to relax within a truly magnificent setting.

There was something for everyone – live music, talks, demos, workshops, food – and the opportunity to shop for all things gardening.

True, there may have been fewer show gardens than in previous years, but they were of a high standard and very accessible, literally, and in terms of ideas to take home – black tar excepted!

Janice Cripps is a professional Surbiton garden designer. For advice, planting plans, or projects – from concept to completion – visit www.janicecripps.co.uk