BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair returns to Beaulieu with fresh, new attractions

Headline sponsor, Hillier, will present the Fair’s stunning, central woodland-themed show garden with shade-friendly planting, flowers and bulbs. Plant information will be available throughout to inspire visitors’ own garden plans, with advice pods and a large retail area stocked with Hillier plants and garden accessories.

The Get Growing Stage is a new space dedicated to home growing, hosted by horticultural broadcaster, author and podcaster, Ellen Mary, joined by well-known faces from the world of ‘Grow Your Own’. In the Plant Expert Workshop Marquee, visitors can take part in practical activities led by plant experts, including Peat-Free Propagation and Keeping Healthy Houseplants. At the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Stage, special guests Frances Tophill, Adam Frost, Sue Kent and Rachel de Thame will join the Magazine’s editors to share seasonal gardening advice.

On Saturday 4 May, Gardeners’ World presenter, Adam Frost, and Lime Wood Chef Director, Luke Holder, will be hosting an exclusive, limited availability Supper Club at Lime Wood with a menu featuring locally sourced produce, including from the Lime Wood estate. Guests will enjoy drinks, relaxed conversation with the hosts, and a set menu supper. Tickets £185pp, early booking advised.

Plants are the stars of the show with more than thirty specialist plant nurseries and growers and a wide range of high-quality garden retailers to browse and buy from. Volunteers from Maggie’s Southampton will be hosting a Plant Crèche and Wheelbarrow Porter Service. The Fair’s plant experts will be hosting tours of Beaulieu’s Victorian walled gardens, and there are floristry and mushroom growing workshops and drop-in tours of the Abbey Cloisters herb gardens.

The Spring Fair’s Showcase Gardens, College Garden competition, and compact Beautiful Borders are sure to inspire with their creative designs and imaginative planting, and the Association of Professional Landscapers will be hosting a Landscaping and Design Clinic.

At the BBC Good Food Market, there’s a tempting array of artisan food, drink and street food vendors offering mouth-watering seasonal flavours, all accompanied by live music at the Bandstand. At Beaulieu’s Victorian Kitchen, TV food presenter, Chris Bavin, will be introducing chefs from The Pig and Lime Wood who will be sharing an extended programme of daily ‘field to fork’ recipes.

Free, hands-on children’s gardening activities are available at the Budding Little Gardeners Workshops area, and young visitors can explore the Little Beaulieu adventure playground, Monorail Skytrain, woodland walks and abbey ruins.

Tickets on sale now at www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com. Tickets include access to all of Beaulieu’s grounds, gardens and attractions, including Palace House and the National Motor Museum.