My annual pilgrimage to Gardeners' World Live has arrived, and what a week it will be!
My annual pilgrimage to Gardeners' World Live has arrived, and what a week it will be. Although I'll be up at the NEC early to help put the finishing touches to our plans, the show officially opens its doors to gardeners at 9.00am on Wednesday 10th and runs right through until Sunday 14th.
I've played a part in organising every show since developing the concept for this live gardening extravaganza back in 1993, and as it enters its 17th year I can honestly say visitors are in for a real treat this week.
Toby Buckland and the whole Gardeners' World TV team will be at the show, both filming the special programme for Friday night and appearing on various stages around the show. I'm particularly looking forward to the Taste of Greenacre garden, where the experts will actually be doing some gardening while rubbing shoulders with the public. Carol Klein, Joe Swift and Alys Fowler will all be around at various points.
With a surging interest in everything edible, the Grow Your Own stage will also prove a popular destination to see the experts in action, with Monty Don joining them for a couple of days, too.
Much of my week will be spent on our live action stage - the Gardeners' World Magazine Celebrity Theatre. As well as presenting some fun and informative shows on favourite flowers and wildlife gardening with Kevin Smith from the magazine team, I'll also be joining other experts on stage. Alys Fowler will be making her show debut and helping Kevin and I share practical and money-saving recycling ideas. With a little imagination it's surprising just what you can do with packaging we usually just put in the bin.
And if Alys is Queen of Thrift then Pippa Greenwood is Queen of Pest Control! Pippa and I have been gathering together a veritable menagerie of pests and problems for the show (yes, I have jars of captive lily beetles that need daily feeding) and will be sharing advice on controlling them.
Did I mention the glorious floral marquee with new plants looking for a new home? Giving in to temptation is something I love about this show. Then there are inspiring show gardens, plant societies, an orchid feature ... and kids go free at the weekend.
The Good Food Summer Festival runs alongside Gardeners' World Live this year, and tickets get visitors in to both events, so great value, and a great day out. If you're coming, do wear comfy shoes!
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