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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.”
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.
A FREE home show is coming to Manchester next month
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new event is heading to Manchester in May that’s been created to help people get on the first rung of the property ladder.
Whether you’re overwhelmed by taking that first step or wanting to find out more about affordable homeownership options, the Manchester Home Show promises to be a one-stop shop.
You’ll be able to chat to experts, receive FREE financial and legal advice, and learn all about schemes like Shared Ownership.
How do you actually buy a house? How can you boost your savings? How do you cope with the rising costs of owning a home? All these questions will be answered at the Manchester Home Show.
You’ll even be able to browse for a home, with leading providers showcasing new properties available across Manchester and the North West, each one suited to first time buyers, second-steppers and those looking to downsize.
There’ll be hundreds of affordable homes available to browse, from apartments to spacious homes.
If you spot your dream home, you’ll even be able to register your interest on the spot.
Sponsors of the event include major providers of first time buyer developments including Gecko Homes, L&Q, Places for People, Plumlife, and Tembo.
The free event will help you get to grips with the vast array of affordable homeownership options available.
Manchester Home Show is taking place in May
Expect live sessions and workshops, plenty of information on affordable housing products, and the chance to meet conveyancing solicitors and mortgage advisors with free one-on-one appointments.
You may also discover affordable buying schemes you didn’t know existed, like Shared Ownership, Deposit Unlock, First Homes, and schemes exclusive to people aged 55 and above.
There’ll be exclusive merchandise, prizes and incentives for all attendees.
The Manchester Home Show comes from Share to Buy, the country’s number one property portal dedicated to affordable homeownership.
The Manchester Home Show will take place on Saturday 31 May 2025 between 10.30am and 4pm, at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel.
It’s free to attend but you’ll need to register for tickets – head HERE to register.
You can also follow @sharetobuy on Instagram HERE for the latest.
A brand-new immersive ‘walking theatre’ and XR experience has landed in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
We hear the word immersive thrown around a lot these days, but if the notion of walking through some of your favourite fantasy and sci-fi worlds in a state-of-the-art XR tour doesn’t fit the definition, we don’t know what does.
Get ready to pull on a headset and be dropped into a different universe, Mancs.
This is Immersia XR: an industry-leading immersive entertainment and XR (extended reality) experience has just been unveiled right here in Greater Manchester.
Anyone for a ride on a magic carpet?
Credit: The Manc GroupCredit: Immersia XR (supplied)
Immersia XR specialises in what they call ‘Walking XR Theatre – a new term for a new kind of experience’, and boasts big plaudits across the board, with an average Google rating of 4.8 from dozens of reviews already.
Having just made its Manchester debut to the public at Trafford Palazzo (located right next to 0161’s famous Trafford Centre) this summer, the new addition brings cutting-edge technology blended with iconic family-favourite tales in an “unforgettable walk-through format.”
A lucky few have been treated to our first time, including us here at The Manc, and you’ll have to take our word for it when we tell you it’s a truly incredible experience.
It’s the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, and although there are other similar VR and AR offerings around the region, you won’t find anything quite like ‘walking theatre’ and this free-roam experience.
Credit: Supplied
As you can see above, there are a number of experiences to be enjoyed right from the off, including two modes inspired by childhood classics, Alice in Wonderland and Tales of Aladdin.
Ever fancied trying your hand as an astronaut and walking on the surface of the moon as you look back at the Earth below? Course you have! No training involved in this one, either.
Take that, Katy Perry, you can keep your short-lived Blue Origin nonsense to yourself.
Immersia XR’s ambition doesn’t stop there, though, as they are also preparing to introduce the exciting new ‘Terracotta Army’ experience in the near future.
Here’s a glimpse at how it looks inside the goggles:
Already open to the public and running up until Sunday, 6 July 2025, Immersia XR is fun for all ages, with kid-friendly zones and accessible narratives built into the experience.
Best of all, there are actually very few bells and whistles; no screens, no controllers – it’s just you walking through the story of your choice.
Immersia XR’s founder, Ian Xiang, said: “We’re not just launching a new attraction—we’re pioneering the future of storytelling. Walking XR Theatre is where cinema, theatre, and technology converge to create magic. You don’t just watch the story—you walk through it.”
Tickets are on sale now, with adult prices starting from only £17, children (ages 3–15) from just £12, and family tickets (2 adults, 2 kids) from £54. Great value for money.
Concession tickets are also available for students and over-65s, priced from £16, and group bookings of 10 or more receive 10% off. You can even get 20% off all ticket types with the early bird code: PRESS20. You can grab yours HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
5th April 2024 
