BBC Gardeners’ World Live is one of the highlights in the horticulture diary. Four days filled with beautiful show gardens, talks from the best in the business, beautiful blooms and flowers, and house plants galore. And the fact it coincides with the Good Food Show (hello free samples!) makes it a firm favourite with us! With two new arrivals on the Honest team, we couldn’t think of a better way of introducing them to the wonderful world of gardening than a team trip to the show – so that’s just what we did!
Amongst the bustling gardens and flower marquees, some of our clients could be found sharing their knowledge and products with green-fingered guests. For the second time, Hillier Garden Centre was the main sponsor for the event and provided beautiful blooms for some of the featured gardens, including garden designer Paul Stone’s “A Garden Fit for a King”- a pollinator oasis inspired by Highgrove Arboretum.
That’s not all! Hillier also sponsored the main ‘Let’s Talk Plants’ stage which saw many talks by industry experts – think Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh and Sue Kent… the bee’s knees of the gardening world! As well as talks by Hillier’s very own Charles Carr, who showcased its new plant species which were then available to buy at the event.
It was a scorcher of a day, but luckily EP Barrus was sheltered inside and away from the sweltering sunshine (note to self: sun cream is a must for next year’s event!) with their stall split into their three respective brands; Town & Country, Wilkinson Sword, and WOLF-Garten. Each brand appealing to the different types of gardeners, whether you’re a nature newbie or an avid gardening guru – Barrus has something for everyone!
On the other side of the hall was BASF Nemaslug sharing their wonderful slug-busting nematodes. The stall was bustling all day, which is to be expected as this time of year is prime slug season. Seeing the BASF Nemaslug team share their knowledge and help others with their pesky pests in the garden was fantastic – but who knew slugs could swim?!
Amongst the crowds of sun-kissed visitors, we spotted lots of familiar faces. Ellen Mary Gardening was hosting the House Plant stage throughout the entire show and was joined by so many wonderfully interesting guests, all on a mission to help you turn your home into a green oasis.
Back out in the sunshine, we found Lucy, better known as She Grows Veg – hosting a talk beside her very own featured garden “The Secret Homestead” which was also sponsored and had plants provided by Hillier. Every single plant and flower in the garden was edible in some way, reinforcing the message that home-grown food really is best and accessible to all. Hosta’s, dahlias, pansies and a wide array of fruit and vegetables filled every inch of space, creating a colourful walkway to a beautiful greenhouse, which housed several types of tomatoes! This stunning show garden was awarded Silver Merit by the judges, and rightly so! Congratulations Lucy!
It’s safe to say that BBC Gardener’s World 2023 left us feeling green with envy at the beautiful gardens and plants, but also provided heaps of ideas and inspiration for our own outdoor spaces. It also offered us the chance to keep up with the latest garden trends, conversations, and initiatives – as well as a chance to mingle amongst old and new faces!
Now that the show is done and dusted, it marks the start of a busy couple of months of events for our clients, with GLEE just around the corner and many summer RHS events. We are going to be as busy as ever, and we can’t wait!
