Shropshire Star

Family fun and 50 year celebrations at BBC Gardeners' World Live in Birmingham

As BBC Two’s Gardeners’ World celebrates its 50th year, BBC Gardeners’ World Live has announced an exciting line up of activity at its much-anticipated NEC show later this month.

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Joe Swift, Carol Klein and Monty Don

Taking place from June 15 to 18, Gardeners’ World Live provides budding gardeners with wall-to-wall garden inspiration, exclusive access to top experts, unbeatable shopping and magic gardening moments around every corner.

Headed up by Monty Don, Carol Klein and Joe Swift along with Alan Titchmarsh, this year’s show will be jam-packed with 50th anniversary celebrations for all the family to enjoy.

As well as live music each day, there will be a vintage tea tent, face painting, bird feeder making and Father’s Day card workshops, craft sessions, picnics, street food, Pimm’s, fizz, plus a very special spiced beetroot birthday cake, recipe created by Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain.

As part of their celebrations, the Gardeners’ World presenters have been calling on fans to vote for the plant which has had the biggest impact on gardens over the past 50 years, with the winner being officially crowned the ‘Golden Jubilee Plant’. The nominated plants will be on display at BBC Gardeners’ World Live in a beautiful and inspiring gallery curated by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine associate editor, David Hurrion. The ‘Golden Jubilee Plant’ winner will then be unveiled on screen by Mary Berry as part of the one hour anniversary TV special of Gardeners’ World on Friday, June 16.

Birmingham City Council will be recreating their acclaimed exhibits from RHS Chelsea Flower Show, plant for plant, in the Floral Marquee. And more floral tributes to the anniversary include a three-tier birthday cake made entirely from peonies, plus a garden party scene of British cut flowers and table set for the Gardeners’ World presenters.

There will also be Show Gardens from Wyevale Garden Centres, Tesco, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society, plus five APL Avenue Show Gardens, twelve Beautiful Borders and Paul Stone’s Nostalgia Garden – a vintage village scene from 1967 complete with a babbling brook and garden centre featuring an original Flymo and seed packets from this milestone year.

The Anniversary Garden: A Brief History of Modern Gardens, created by Professor David Stevens and Peter Dowle. The Anniversary Garden will take visitors on a journey through gardening over the past half a century, from the crazy paving of the 1970s to today’s naturalistic planting.

Ticket holders to BBC Gardeners’ World Live will also get free access to the BBC Good Food Show and under 18s go completely free at the weekend.

For more information, click here