Rougham Estate in Bloom
To mark the spirit of the Chelsea Flower Show, Rougham Estate is celebrating its own seasonal showcase this year.
Location
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham, Suffolk IP30 9HZ
Telephone
01359 270880- Date
- 18th May 2026 - 21st June 2026
About this event
To mark the spirit of the Chelsea Flower Show, Rougham Estate is celebrating its own seasonal showcase this year.
Across the Estate the gentle hum of bees, the colours of the wildflowers, the rhythm of farming and the smallest insects at work all come together in one living, interconnected landscape. Every corner has its part to play and at this time of year it is all beautifully visible.
Rougham Estate in Bloom is a chance to pause and celebrate this amazing biodiversity in motion.
Keep your eye on our social media where we will be regularly posting information and videos about the Estate.
Week 1: Flowers
The first week of the five-week celebration is focussing on flowers, to coincide with the start of the Chelsea Flower Show. There will be a beautiful display at the Blackthorpe Barn location, with Watson’s plants joining us for the long bank-holiday weekend 23rd – 25th May. Come along to get wise plant advice and buy plants for your own garden.
While you’re here, take a stroll through the Sunken Garden, which is looking better year on year; it’s just outside Roots Café where you might like to have a bite to eat on the decking, overlooking this place of calm.
Week 2: Minibeasts
For the second week the focus shifts to the wondrous minibeasts all around. We’re slowing down to celebrate the smaller residents of Rougham and everything they do to keep this place thriving.
Take a closer look and you’ll find everywhere is teeming with life. Bees are working the wildflowers, insects are threading through the hedgerows and all manner of creatures live in and around our ponds.
Later in June you can get really up-close and personal with this amazing world by taking part in the new Macro Photography workshop.
Week 3: Farm & Conservation
Week 3 takes us out into the fields to learn more about the farm, the hedgerows and the wildflower meadows that make Rougham Estate such a special place for wildlife and conservation.
The fields and hedgerows of Rougham Estate tell a story that goes well beyond farming. Wildflower strips run alongside the arable land and hedgerows are planted and maintained to support the creatures living here. Conservation sits at the heart of how the Estate is run and during this third week we’re heading out into the landscape to explore what this means in practice.
Week 4: Wildlife & Trees
Rougham Estate is home to a remarkable variety of wild animals and birds, if you know when and where to look.
During week 4 we’re exploring the wilder side of the Estate, from the deer moving through the woodland to the birds you’ll hear long before you see them, and taking a look at how traditional tree coppicing helps create the habitat that makes it all possible.
Week 5: Over to you!
To close our In Bloom festivities we’re turning the lens over to you, our eagle-eyed visitors. The Rougham Estate Eagle Eye photo competition celebrates the best of what you’ve spotted and captured here at the Estate.
More details to follow.
About the Venue
Blackthorpe Barn is an old medieval threshing barn, but these days the Barn and surrounding buildings are used for events including the festive Country Christmas shop, selling a wide range of Christmas decorations and gifts, and the Arts & Crafts fair at Christmas, as well as other events, the Roots Café, craft workshops and art exhibitions during the year. It is also used to host beautiful weddings during the summer months.
We are part of the Rougham Estate which grows sunflowers and pumpkins and runs events in the summer and autumn.See the events calendar for day-to-day information, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s on.
The Blackthorpe Barn was built around 1550, probably by John Drury who had just acquired the Manor of Rougham through the dissolution of the Great Benedictine Abbey at Bury St Edmunds in 1539.
