Shows and Events:

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

9th - 14th July 2013

 

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is the world’s largest annual flower show with inspiring garden designs and the very best that gardening can offer.

 

The show will host displays of floral design, inspiration for small spaces and budgets, as well as marquees filled with roses and rare plants. Discover a mix of glorious show gardens with a wealth of opportunities to see planting and country crafts close up. The hundreds of trade stands provide products and accessories for every gardener.

 

Restaurants, cafés and picnic areas, plus live music entertainment from two bandstands offer the chance to relax in truly magnificent surroundings.

 

Location: Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU

 

Telephone: 0844 338 7505

 

Visit: RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

21st - 25th May 2013

 

Nowhere makes gardening more fashionable than the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. A catwalk of colour and creativity, the brightest new ideas, the latest trends and the pinnacle of design make this show the one the world wants to see.


This year RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be celebrating their centenary, with a superb line-up of show gardens to inspire you. The magnificent displays in the Great Pavilion will show off exciting new plants alongside favourites from 1913 and, on an historical theme, there’s a display of 100 years in pictures, a spell-binding look at how Chelsea style has evolved through the decades. Around 550 companies are exhibiting, including 37 show gardens, over 100 growers and nurseries, florists, floral arrangers, educational organisations and 250 trade stands.

 

We’ll be returning again for the third year, with a newly designed stand on Pavilion Way, with our guests Country Living Magazine.

 

Location: The Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, SW3

 

Telephone: 0844 871 7627

 

Visit: RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Malvern Spring Gardening Show

9th - 12th May 2013

 

Whether you are an avid gardener, or simply enjoy wildlife and the great outdoors, The Malvern Spring Gardening Show will inspire you.

 

Wander around Malvern’s inspirational show gardens, including the new range of themed gardens based on the Tour De France 100th anniversary. Explore the impressive displays of plants in the RHS floral marquee and pick up tips from the experts at the Plants and People Theatre, Landscaping Live area, Allotment Theatre, and the Plant Pavilions too. Keep your eyes peeled for the nations favorite celebrity gardeners, including Carol Klein, Chris Beardshaw, Mark Diacono and James Alexander Sinclair.

 

With over 500 trade stands at the show, there will be something to suit all types of gardener.

 

Location: The Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW

 

Telephone: 01684 584924

 

Visit: Malvern Spring Gardening Show

RHS Show Cardiff

19th – 21st April 2013

 

This years RHS show in Cardiff is expected to be even bigger and better than last years.


Set in the grounds of the magnificent Cardiff Castle, there will be inspirational show gardens, two floral marquees, and a spring allotment area where you’ll find advice and practical demonstrations on ‘grow your own’. We will be there in the second floral marquee, with our mascot Morris Minor Traveller. There are also trade stands, craft markets, and live music from the bandstand.

 

There’s plenty for families at this year’s show too, with fossil hunting, making a bee hotel, or gardening with Blue Peter's Chris Collins, plus the children’s book-themed wheelbarrow competition.

 

Location: Bute Park, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF10 3RB

 

Telephone: 0844 3387505

 

Visit: RHS Show Cardiff

Cornwall Spring Flower Show

6th & 7th April 2013

 

The Cornwall Garden Society is holding its annual spring flower show, at the Boconnoc Estate, near Lostwithiel. This year will be their 101st show, with 156 competitive classes, more than 100 specialist growers, plus show gardens and trade exhibitors from all over Britain.

 

This is one of the earliest shows of the year, but despite the cold weather we have been having, it is expected that there should be an opportunity to see some of the later flowering varieties of many plants at this years show, particularly in the Magnolia, Rhododendron and Herbaceous categories.

 

Location: Boconnoc Estate, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0RQ

 

Telephone: 01209 714488

 

Visit: Cornwall Spring Flower Show

Early Spring Plant Fair

30th March 2013

 

The Hardy Plant Society Somerset Group is once again collaborating with East Lambrook Manor Gardens to hold an Early Spring Plant Fair on Easter Saturday, 30 March 2013 at the iconic cottage garden created by plantswoman and gardening writer Margery Fish. Fourteen of the South West’s top independent plant nurseries will be there and it will offer a golden opportunity to buy choice and unusual plants of the kind not usually found in garden centres.

 

The plant fair will run from 10am to 5pm with the £4 per head entry price also giving full access to the famous gardens and its own specialist Margery Fish Plant Nursery. RHS and HPS members get in at the reduced price of £3.50.

 

Location: East Lambrook Manor Gardens, East Lambrook, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5HH

 

Telephone: 01460 240 328

 

Visit: Early Spring Plant Fair

Snowdrop Open Garden

1st February onwards

 

The East Lambrook Manor garden re-opens for the 2013 season on 1st February, primarily for the snowdrops which come into flower around then - depending on the weather!


There is a wonderful collection of over 80 varieties of galanthus (snowdrop) found in clumps growing around the garden, with the bulk of them to be seen in the areas known as the Ditch and the Woodland Garden. There is also a special raised snowdrop display bed so that visitors can see choice varieties close up.


The best time for the snowdrops changes slightly from year to year, so please ring to check before setting out if you want to be sure of how they are doing.

 

Location: East Lambrook Manor Gardens, East Lambrook, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5HH

 

Telephone: 01460 240 328

 

Visit: Snowdrop Open Garden

Country Living Magazine Christmas Fairs

London 7th – 11th Nov, Glasgow 22nd – 25th Nov & Harrogate 29th – 2nd Dec 2012

 

The Fairs bring together hundreds of exhibitors from all over the UK in a festive extravaganza of quality and craftsmanship.

 

Avoid the humdrum of the high street and support some of Britain’s most talented craftspeople. Choose from a dazzling array of original gifts for everyone on your Christmas list, find inspired home decorating ideas and indulge in tasty traditional treats from the food hall. There will be a Winter Garden, creating the impression of stepping into a snowy winter wonderland and a Christmas Theatre which will feature a selection of season food demonstrations and entertaining expert talks, providing you with plenty of ideas to delight your friends and family this season.

 

Location:
Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0QH
SECC, Exhibition Way, Glasgow, G3 8YW
Harrogate International Centre, Kings Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG1 5LA

 

Telephone: 0844 8480150

 

Visit: Country Living Magazine Christmas Fairs

Apple Day

21st October 2012

 

The tradition of growing apple trees is celebrated in the annual Apple Day events in October and this year members of the British Plant Nursery Guide, have joined forces to run a range of talks by experts, tasting sessions and children’s events to encourage more people to grow their own fruit, especially some of the old varieties. 

 

18th October : Thornhayes Nursery, Devon
Tree expert, Kevin Croucher, will lead you in an autumnal sampling feast of a range of varieties of dessert and culinary apples and apple recipes. The 33 acre tree nursery offer an excellent range of apples and other fruit trees and with Kevin’s expertise he will make sure you have the right tree for your situation and needs. Cost £21 - There are limited spaces so booking is essential.

 
Kevin runs various courses and events throughout the year, an example can be seen on our YouTube site.

 

20- 21st October : Perrywood, Essex/Suffolk Borders

To celebrate the quintessentially English apple, they will be running a series of events on October 20th & 21st. Family run nursery Perrywood, stock more than 20 varieties of apples including those suitable for desserts, cooking and for growing in smaller spaces. More unusual varieties include:

 

Howgate Wonder, a very large cooking apple
Pitmaster Pineapple – an old English Russet from the West Midlands, which crops heavily and has a pineapple like flavour
Ashmeads Kernal – an old variety originating from the 1700. Has a unique peardrop flavour
Court of Wick – introduced in 1790 from Yatton, Somerset. Has a crisp yellow flesh

 

‘Try before you buy’ tasting & Match-making service – Visitors will have the chance to taste some of the old fashioned and modern apples available from the nursery with expert advice to help visitors find the best apple varieties for their garden, whether they are looking for a compact or cordoned specimen or a large heavy cropper for an orchard setting they’ll find the apple tree for you!

 

Coffee Shop – Special apple dishes will be available in the coffee shop

 

27th October: Coolings, Kent
Apple Advice 10:00 – 17:00 Interested in growing your own? Need advice on how to get started? Their team of Apple Experts will be on hand to help with all your apple-related questions. Also apple tasting, pruning advice and how to select the best apple tree for your garden.

 

Meet the Experts 14:30 – 16:00 Author Steve Bradley, regular contributor to The Sun newspaper gardening column and presenter on Radio Kent, shares the benefit of his horticultural experience in this interactive garden advice session! Cost £10 per person

 

Coffee Shop - A selection of apple based homemade cakes and pudding will be available. Also the Farmer’s & Craft Market will be selling the freshest products and latest crafts from independent local traders.

 

Buying apple trees - A limited range of Apple trees will be in stock on the day however customers can pre order their trees from the full range which is available from early December.

 

Throughout October: Wykeham Mature Plants, Yorkshire
During October they will be taking pre orders of the best known apple varieties which crop reliably in the North of England, such as Tydimans Early, Laxtons Superb, Ellisons Orange, Court Perdu, Bramley, Melrose, Elstar, Beauty of Bath (despite the name, experience shows that it will crop well in the North), James Grieve, and Elstar. 

 

This 100 acre specialist tree and mature plants nursery is located just below the North York Moors in the Vale of Pickering on the Downey Estate. They offer a good range of mature fruit trees (5-6 yr old) grown on vigorous root stocks which can create a good sized tree in your garden in a matter of years. The perfect solution to create a large specimen for a feature in your garden or to act as screening with trees reaching up to 20 feet.

 

Location: Throughout the UK

 

Telephone: 07753 604296

 

Visit: Apple Day

Damhead Nursery BBQ and Open Day

28 September 2012

 

Damhead Nursery will be holding their annual Open Day and BBQ at the nursery near Edinburgh. Sue Gray and her team will be joined by Sushiela Jamieson (stone sculpture), Creme de la cupcake, Kitchen Harvest (jams) and Four Winds (wooden sculpture).

Come along and meet everyone and have a look at the great value quality stock and their range of landscape shrubs, trees and fruit.

 

Location: Damhead Farm, Lothianburn, Edinburgh EH10 7DZ

 

Telephone: 0131 445 4698

 

Visit: Damhead Nursery BBQ and Open Day

Autumn Harrogate Flower Show

14th – 16th September 2012

 

September is the month when the garden is at its most productive and in celebration of the season, top growers from across the UK will be exhibiting their very best produce at the Autumn Show.

 

There will be the Vegetable Championships to find the perfect specimen, including the Fruit Show and the heaviest onion competition! The very best in flowers will be on display in the Specialist Societies Marquee and in the Flower Arranging and Floristry Marquee. Fruit and vegetable growing demonstrations will be available from Kitchen Garden Live, with expert advice from The Garden Roadshow. Inspiration for the garden can be found all over the show with 12 beautiful borders designed and created by gardeners from across the country.

 

The Food Marque will tempt you with a tasty mixture of fine foods and drink, and Fodder Cookery Theatre will be showing you how to cook local fresh produce. There will be large selection of craft and gift stalls, plus horticultural items for sale, to appeal to all tastes.

 

Location: Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 8PW

 

Telephone: 01423 561049

 

Visit: Autumn Harrogate Flower Show

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