Garden festival promises to be bigger and better next year
Toby Buckland’s annual garden festival at Powderham Castle, Devon, is fast becoming recognised as one of the most important events of its kind in the South West, attracting celebrity gardening experts and providing an annual rendezvous for enthusiastic gardeners and award-winning regional nurseries.
Next year's festival on 1 and 2 May will be a bigger event with the same mixture of some of the country’s best plant specialists plus gardening craft and equipment stalls, entertainment and high quality local food producers.
Horticulturist, writer, TV presenter and new President of the Herb Society, Toby said: “I'm delighted with the success of the first festival and thrilled that so many specialist nurseries want to join us that we've had to made the festival even bigger.
“It's clearly struck a chord with the region's gardeners who want the diversity and quality that our festival offers. For 2015 we've got some brilliant prominent gardeners and speakers coming who I have huge admiration for, more stalls, more live music and delicious food and drink.
“It's always been my ambition to showcase the best of West Country horticulture and I can't wait to do it all again!”
Yet again the festival has attracted a host of top gardening experts and celebrities to the South West for 2015.
Talks from some of Britain’s favourite gardeners include Christine Walkden, BBC One Show gardener, presently on our screens in “Glorious Gardens from Above”, BBC 1, organic garden supremo and regular Gardeners Question Time panellist, Bob Flowerdew. Plus RHS Judge Dread and former Royal gardener,
Jim Buttress from The Big Allotment Challenge, Toby himself, specialist growers and the ever popular, Q and A sessions.
Bob Flowerdew, a long-serving panel member of BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time is known as one of Britain's leading organic gardener and has over 30 years’ experience and is a font of wisdom and knowledge.
Christine Walkden is best known for her appearances on TV gardening programmes and in particular The One Show. She hosts Glorious Gardens from Above, which is being shown this autumn on BBC One daytime television featuring some of the most picturesque gardens in the country from the air.
Jim Buttress is one of the UK’s leading gardening experts and returning for a second year by popular demand.
He was superintendent of the Royal Parks for 25 years and his clients have included Her Majesty the Queen and his ‘old friend’ the Queen Mother.
Jim again features as a judge in the second series of the popular Big Allotment Challenge which has just finished filming and is due to be shown next April.
With over 8,000 visitors in the first year the festival received superb feedback and thousands of visitors who really enjoyed their day out in the beautiful setting of Powderham Castle, near Exeter.
Exhibitors were also happy, achieving excellent sales as the event was so popular, some having to restock after selling out Friday night.
“My Festival at Powderham Castle stands out,” says Toby.
“Not only because the location is spectacular but the atmosphere is so friendly it's more akin to huge garden party than a traditional garden show.
“And that's because the festival is a hub for all the fantastic horticulture in the South West - a region that's brimming with keen gardeners and growers with so much to celebrate.”
Toby welcomes everyone to his festival at Powderham Castle in Devon and is also delighted to announce a second, new festival, at Bowood House and Gardens, Wiltshire on 5th and 6th June 2015.
The duo of festivals will be celebrating gardening throughout the South West.
