Birmingham florist and floral designer Ashley Edwards of Ash Tree Floral Designs has been awarded an RHS Gold Medal at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2026 for her floral tablescape exhibit, “At the Threshold: The Garden Comes to the Table.”
The exhibit explored the transition from spring into early summer, combining living plants and seasonal cut flowers to create an immersive tablescape inspired by growth, movement, and the changing garden. Designed using sustainable, foam-free mechanics, the installation featured a layered palette of greens, soft pinks, lilacs, yellows and whites, with florals appearing to grow through and around the table itself.
A distinctive feature of the design was a network of raffia-wrapped root structures woven throughout the exhibit, symbolising connection, rhythm, and the idea of putting down roots in a new home and garden.
Ashley, founder of Ash Tree Floral Designs, specialises in weddings, installations, workshops and naturalistic floral design, with a strong focus on seasonality, texture and sustainability. Although experienced within the floristry industry and floral competitions, this marked her first time exhibiting competitively at an RHS show.
“It was honestly such a huge surprise and something I’m incredibly proud of,” Ashley said. “So much planning, problem-solving and physical work went into creating the exhibit, and I learned an enormous amount through the process. The support from the RHS Malvern organisers, fellow florists, growers and my husband was amazing throughout.”
The exhibit also celebrated British-grown flowers and locally sourced plant material, working closely with independent growers and suppliers wherever possible.
Ash Tree Floral Designs is based in Birmingham and creates bespoke wedding and event flowers across the Midlands and beyond.
Photos by Dave Fennell Wells / @davefw_photography
1 comment
It was such a lovely surprise to do so well 🙂
Definitely caught the floral competition bug!
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