The flower show has been a regular feature of Taunton's summer since 1866

Taunton Flower Show is held in Vivary Park in Taunton. The centre piece of the show are the large competitive classes and floral classes marquees. The competitive classes are open to all and consist of approximately 250 different classes for amateur gardeners, crafters, floral artists and children. The floral marquee features traders who mount show displays of their flowers and plants. Around the marquees are a wide range of horticultural traders. The centre of the park is an arena where events such as marching bands, dog displays, dramatic motor bike events etc take place. The show also features other smaller marquees - we have a bees and honey show and in 2009 we are also having a wine show. The show also has a children's zone where our younger visitors can be entertained.

For the last few years we have encouraged professional garden designers to build show-gardens where you can be inspired.

2011 sees the 145th Taunton Flower Show. A show was held on Thursday 16th August 1866 in the grounds of a Mr Kinglake of Taunton and led, in the course of time, to the establishment of Vivary Park at top of the towns High Street. The Edwardian Park was fully restored in 2001 and continues to provide a magnificent backdrop to what the media rather grandly dubbed The Chelsea of the West a few years ago.

This years show on will still have horticulture at its heart although in recognition of the need to attract a new generation of green-fingered enthusiasts sees the continued development of of gardening events as well as floral and craft displays.

The show has weathered two world wars and even a flash flood in 1997 when the park appeared to revert to its historic role as the fishponds of the Bishop of Winchester (Vivary being derived from Vivarium - Latin for 'fishpond'). Exhibitors had worked up to midnight to set up their displays the evening before the show. Torrential rain overnight meant the site was two feet deep in water as day dawned. The public were barred entry on the grounds (or waves!) of concern for their safety and judges donned waders to examine the entries before making way for the sad sight of workmen dismantling what they could as the waters subsided.

The show will always be subject to the vagaries of the weather. In 2001 one weather report on the first morning forecast a heatwave, unhelpfully stated that anyone attending the show would be fried alive. It took considerable effort to get the message to other media commentators that the tents were actually the coolest place to evade the excessive heat but attendances were demonstrably down that year.