A plant paradise will be created at Depot Mayfield in Manchester this month when the inaugural RHS Urban Show takes over.
The huge event – the charity’s first large-scale indoor show – has been created to celebrate the growing urban gardening movement.
Whether you’re cramming a tropical jungle onto your balcony or trying to bring a little plant life into your home, the RHS Urban Show will have exhibits that will educate and inspire you.
You can learn the secrets to growing happy houseplants, see vertical structures for awkward urban spaces, and explore a seven-garden vision for a greener city.
There’ll even be a horticultural exhibit celebrating the heyday of Manchester’s Hacienda days.
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The RHS Urban Show wants to answer the question of ‘what is urban gardening’ through this huge event, which will run between Thursday 18 and Sunday 21 April.
Major exhibits will be filling the gigantic industrial space at Depot Mayfield, like the RHS City Spaces: Cloudscape, by Manchester’s Cloud Gardener Jason Williams, which will challenge local authorities and developers to think and envision greener towns and cities.
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The inaugural RHS Urban Show in Manchester will be a plant-lover’s paradise
It will bring together four balconies, each facing north, south, east and west, plus a north-facing shaded patio, an urban farm, and a communal garden.
Created in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Rise programme and Notcutts Garden Centre, RHS City Spaces: Cloudscape will showcase how to bring plants into your space, regardless of needs, microclimate, or budget.
Williams said: “The concept as a whole is an ambitious blueprint of how we can bring a city together. These are not show gardens, they are learning exhibits designed to teach residents, local authorities, retail and developers how we can all improve to make our towns and cities greener.”
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Four-time RHS Chelsea Flower Show medal-winners GrowTropicals will be explaining which houseplants – including rare and exotic ones – are best suited to which home environment.
Visitors to the RHS Urban Show will be able to learn the secrets to growing happy houseplantsThere’ll be exhibitions, talks, shopping opportunities and more at the RHS Urban Show in Manchester
They’ll group dozens of plants together, from shade-loving plants who’ll be happy in north-facing rooms, to those who love a bit of humidity, to the sun-worshippers begging for a sunny windowsill.
Midlands-based designer Amanda Grimes’ exhibit Pop Culture Planting: Punk Rockery, the New Wave and 24-Hour Party Planting, will be a two-part installation set over three years, showing a design at the time of planting, one year on and two years on.
Her aim is to give new and inexperienced gardeners the confidence and inspiration to ‘just go for it’ by showing visitors what they can expect as a garden develops naturally over time, even with poor soil or rubble.
She said: “Punk Rockery hits Manchester in the same way the Sex Pistols did in June 1976, though possibly with less swearing and a bigger audience.
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“That now-legendary gig was the spark that lit the touch paper of the whole Manchester New Wave music scene which included the Buzzcocks, Joy Division/New Order, The Fall, Magazine, The Smiths and Factory Records, and went on to inspire so many more.
“The installation is named in honour of all that creativity which was, and still is, uniquely Mancunian.
“24-Hour Party Planting is a celebration of Manchester’s thriving nightlife, restaurant and entertainment scene.
Garden designer Tom Wilkes-Rios dusts between leaves of succulents on his balcony garden ‘The Blue Garden’. Credit: RHS / Luke MacGregor
“It references the Happy Mondays’ track of the same name, and with it the hedonistic days of the Hacienda. It traces that legacy through to 2024 and the incredibly diverse, vibrant and endlessly creative energy of the Gay Village, Northern Quarter, Salford and beyond.”
The RHS Urban Show, sponsored by Mad About Land, also debuts ‘content cubes’ for gardeners with small spaces.
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That includes RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2023’s People’s Choice and gold medal-winner Conal McGuire’s Urban Shade, which utilises modular ‘grow frames’ offering a flexible solution for growing in awkward urban spaces.
As well as all the exhibits to explore, there’ll be a programme of talks that will run through everything from cut flowers to juggling plant life with work and family life.
RHS-run workshops where you can make your own terrarium will be taking place, and you can join a free guided tour of the neighbouring Mayfield Park.
And you can browse through a variety of indoor and outdoor plants that you can take home with you, with pots, macrame, and even a new clothing range by Mad About Land for sale too.
Lex Falleyn, show manager for the RHS Urban Show, said: “Urban Gardening is diverse and dynamic and the inaugural RHS Urban Show is an exciting opportunity to explore the important role gardening plays in greening up cities.
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“We’ve chosen to work with a wide range of gardeners, from award-winning designers to community groups to enthusiasts who juggle gardening with day-to-day life. We hope this will bring a balance of relevant yet realistic advice to get people growing.”
The RHS Urban Show will take place at Depot Mayfield between Thursday 18 and Sunday 21 April. You can buy tickets here.
You can get a mobile massage treatment in your office – just like us
Thomas Melia
We’d like to introduce you to the pioneering personalised service offering massage treatments on the move at practically any location including direct from your office– including to those of us here in Manchester.
In a world where you can get practically anything delivered straight to your door, it wasn’t going to be long until some genius invented a way to get a massage from the comfort of your own office.
Named ‘London’s first digital beauty concierge’, Ruuby have been pampering the nation’s capital for almost a decade before branching out to further locations.
The gorgeous set up provided by RuubyLook at that lovely branding on the towels.They did wonders with our otherwise plain downstairs office space. (Credit: The Manc Group)
In October 2024, the company expanded beyond its domestic reach in the likes of the capital, the Cotswolds and Surrey into Europe, making its first mark Switzerland: the perfect country for both luxury and essential beauty treatments with a tailored experience.
The month following saw the group moving up North and all the way to Manchester, where people can now book professional treatments best suited to them, right on their doorstep.
If you’re feeling scepticalstill, you can take it from us here at The Manc; we couldn’t tell you how relaxing and comforting these massages are.
There are a range of treatments available and we opted for two bespoke massages, a sports massage and a deep tissue massage.
Each experience is suited to your personal needs meaning each massage therapist will be able to fine-tune their relaxation abilities to what benefits you best.
After choosing the bespoke massage that I felt would work best for me, I went into this with no prior massage experience and I came out feeling taller, broader and more refreshed. Highly recommend.
Mid-day office massage? Yes, please.How relaxing. What a shame you have to go back to work after!Credit: The Manc Group
My masseuse guided me throughout the whole process and we soon discovered that I was able to tolerate much harder pressure than I thought which helped release tension I didn’t even know I had!
The same applies to how firm you’d like your session to be, as the masseuse can help with a brief overview of your time together, but the amount of pressure you like is down to personal preference.
It’s not just massages either: there’s everything from waxing, nails and hair to physio and IV drips; how about getting Marbella ready in less than an hour with a spray tan service set up wherever you are?
As Ruuby is a mobile and remote work environment, there are a number of at any time up and down the country, meaning your next beauty slot could be as little as an hour away, find out more HERE.
An award-winning Manchester cocktail bar is serving a Tiny ‘Tini martini cocktail flight
Daisy Jackson
Martini cocktails are one of the world’s most iconic and stylish cocktails, and come in a lot of different shapes and sizes, despite classically being made with only a few ingredients.
If you’re still dipping your toes into the world of the vodka martini cocktail, or if you’re a super fan always eager to try a new take on this beloved drink, can we introduce you to the ‘Tiny ‘Tini’ flight?
This clever creation is as photo-worthy as it is delicious – three miniature martini cocktails, served perfectly chilled in ‘flight’ form on a tray in one of Manchester’s very best bars, Blinker.
The Tiny ‘Tini has been launched by legendary vodka brand GREY GOOSE to celebrate the resurgence of vodka martini cocktails (vodka is one of the core ingredients, the other is typically vermouth).
Blinker, which was earlier this year named the 22nd best cocktail bar in the UK, is already famed for its menu of vodka martini cocktails , so was a perfect choice for the GREY GOOSE Tiny ‘Tini collaboration.
Here, they’ve created three different miniature takes on the classic cocktail- the house martini cocktail, made with GREY GOOSE vodka, house vermouth, orange bitters and an olive; the Spanish Gibson, with sherry and onion brine (if you’re a fan of savoury cocktails, this is the one for you); and the champagne martini cocktail, with GREY GOOSE vodka, champagne cordial, Lillet Blanc and orange bitters (a gateway martini cocktail for the uninitiated).
Each of the three perfectly sized drinks is served in a special frosted miniature martini cocktail glass and is the perfect size for flavour exploration – while also staying perfectly chilled down to the last sip.
The Grey Goose Tiny Tini martini cocktail flight is available at Blinker in Manchester
Best of all, the Tiny ‘Tini flight also makes vodka martini cocktails that little bit less intimidating.
Lexa Ulijaszek, UK Ambassador for GREY GOOSE commented: “When it comes to the vodka martini cocktail, size does matter for some.
“Sometimes a full-sized martini cocktail can be a little bit too intimidating. Or over the course of great conversation between friends, the final sip of your drink may not be as superbly chilled or balanced in taste as the beginning.
“As a result, the offer of a ‘sip sized cocktail’ is gaining traction across many of the UK’s most influential bars.
“A sip size GREY GOOSE Tiny ‘Tini is the perfect solution – beautifully crafted, expertly chilled, elegantly served with rich taste. A flight of three petite drinks allows you to responsibly enjoy the perfection of the ‘first sip’ of a martini cocktail while also experiencing a range of unique flavours.
“The trend is very much a UK-wide affair, with some of the best bars across Manchester, Edinburgh and London all serving the GREY GOOSE Tiny ‘Tini – ushering in a brand new and bold ‘sip sized’ era for the vodka martini cocktail.”
The GREY GOOSE Tiny ‘Tini flight at Blinker in Manchester costs £12 and is available until 30 April.
Daisy Jackson -
5th April 2024 
