This month we meet Sarah Hardy from The Garden Museum, based in London on the banks of the Thames. The Garden Museum is Britain’s only museum dedicated to the art, history and design of gardens. Exhibitions, events, and community projects dig into art, architecture, plant science, food, sustainability, well-being and more, all through the lens of gardening.
Tell me about your role here?
I’m Sarah and I am the Deputy Director here at the Garden Museum in London. My role is public facing, and I am responsible for all our Exhibitions. Collections, Public Programme of talks and events, Learning and Archives.
I have been in the role for a year and it’s much broader than my last role. My background is in Victorian Arts & Crafts, and I have previously worked at the National Gallery.
I have a team of 8 but we act as if we are much bigger! They are ambitious and care so like to be reactive and say yes to things and make them happen such as adding extra exhibitions.
Tell me about British Flowers Week and the Garden Museum?
Our relationship with British Flowers Week started small about 8 years ago. Our Director, Christopher Woodward had an interest in British floristry. Floristry is not typically represented in gardening history. Flowers From The Farm (FFTF) who ran British Flowers Week promoted sustainability and British gardens so there was a natural merger of floristry and British gardening. It was also an innovative way to increase fundraising.
Our British Flowers Week is a celebration of what people are doing in floral design specifically using British grown flowers. We invite floral designers who use British grown flowers as standard in their business.
We have a Panel who select the floral designers which includes Shane Connelly and Hazel Gardiner along with our own internal team comprising myself, our Museum Director and Head of Marketing.
We research floral designers whose work looks different and exciting, who have been written about and recommendations. We then reach out to a shortlist before our final 5/6 exhibitors are confirmed. They are given a brief and come up with their designs.
Which designers did you feature in 2025?
In British Flowers Week 2025 we chose six floral designers – Arthur Parkinson, Leigh Chappell, Palais London, Rollo Skinner, Wild at Heart, and Yeon Hee Lee, selected to represent the diverse range of styles blossoming in floral design across the country. The event was opened by Her Majesty The Queen.
The event had over 2000 visitors, so it is an important part of our calender.
What is the biggest challenge?
Managing the set-up of the displays! The florists have from just 8am until 4pm to create their display ready for photography. The Garden Museum is closed in the morning until 12pm but then we allow visitors in so there must be a pathway through the displays for visitors. We are lucky to have underfloor heating, so it is vital we allow time for it to be turned off and cooled down before the flowers go in.
The floral installations are displayed for 5 days, and no floral foam can be used. They must also all be freestanding as we are in a heritage building so no drilling is allowed. This provides an additional challenge for the designers.
You also hold a Winter Flowers Week – tell me more about it?
Our Winter Flowers Week is held in late November and early December. It follows the same format featuring sustainable floral installations by leading designers but this time using British-grown winter flowers and foliage such as Cyclamen, Hellebores and dried flowers.
The scent from the dried flowers, the winter light from the top windows and the winter chill (again the underfloor heating must be turned off) so everyone is wearing coats means it turns into a magical, wonderful winterland. It really is a very special event.
Our Winter Flowers Week saw installations from floral designers Catherine Foxwell, Joanna Game, Layla Robinson, Millie Richardson and Stuart Fenwick.
What is the best part of your role?
Tuesday is my favourite day when the Garden Museum is full of people beyond our normal visitors with lots of parents and children in. We hold Primary school sessions and Tuesday Tots and in the evening, there are Talks often to 150 people and the Café is open late. It all makes it such a lively and energetic place to be.
Looking ahead to summer 2026, what will be the theme for British Flowers Week?
We are very excited to be opening our Benton End: A Paradise of Pollen and Paint Exhibition on 2 June 2026.
Benton End was the Suffolk home, garden and art school of artist and plantsman Cedric Morris and partner, Arthur Lett-Haines. It has been majority gifted to the Garden Museum and the walled garden is now being restored. Phases 2 and 3 of the project will see the house restored and home to an exhibition space and place for artists to stay.
The house saw Sir Morris and Lett-Haines establish the art school East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. One of the first pupils was the 17-year-old Lucian Freud. The artists were often joined by friends such as Elizabeth David, Vita Sackville-West, Constance Spry, Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears.
Benton End will be our theme for British Flowers Week 2026. Benton End was famous for its Irises, so we hope to see some featured if nature and weather allows.
When will 2026 British Flowers Week take place and how can I get tickets?
We are currently putting together our 2026 plans. It will take place from 16 to 22 June 2026 and you can book tickets at the Garden Museum here and follow The Garden Museum on Instagram
Want to know more about the Garden Museum?
The Garden Museum really is an undiscovered treasure! Based on the Thames next to Lambeth Palace in the historic St Mary-at-Lambeth Church, it was set up in 1977 to rescue the abandoned Church from demolition.
The church is the burial place of John Tradescant (c1570 – 1638), the first great gardener and plant hunter in British history hence the link to gardening.
It really is worth a visit but if you cannot make it to London , then I have pulled together all the fascinating facts in an article which will be on the website soon.
