BBC Gardeners’ World launches 2025 events calendar
BBC Gardeners’ World launches its 2025 events calendar with exciting news that Nick Bailey will be designing the headline Show Garden at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2025. The BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, designer, plantsman and author will create a sustainable garden that’s bursting with colour. Nick will host live, daily sessions from his garden, sharing tips and advice on how to garden more sustainably. At the Let’s Talk Plants Stage in the Floral Marquee, experts from Hillier, plant supplier for the headline garden, will be explaining how to recreate its look - and ethos - at home.
2025 is set to be another inspiring year for BBC Gardeners’ World fans with three unique events on offer – the flagship BBC Gardeners’ World Live and seasonal, boutique events at heritage locations. Each event has its own distinct appeal, and visitors can expect achievable, take-home ideas, top quality plants, hands-on experiences and a great day out across the board.
The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair celebrates the start of the gardening year, returning to beautiful Beaulieu from 2 – 4 May. This delightful day out in the New Forest appeals to gardeners, heritage seekers and motor enthusiasts alike with tickets that include access to Beaulieu’s extensive grounds, gardens and attractions, like the National Motor Museum and Palace House. At the Spring Fair’s Hillier Experience, visitors can enjoy the headline sponsor’s woodland-inspired show garden, plant advice pods and extensive plant retail area. BBC Gardeners’ World presenters Adam Frost, Carol Klein and Arit Anderson will join the buzzing BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Stage to chat topical gardening advice with the magazine’s editors. There will be Showcase Gardens, Beautiful Borders and College Competition gardens too.
New for 2025 at the Spring Fair is the In Conversation Stage, featuring a daily programme of informal chats with acclaimed horticulturalists and gardening personalities. Another new addition is The Spring Table, an eye-catching, ticketed space for seasonal food, drink and tablescaping demonstrations. The Spring Table features guest chefs and mixologists from the Lime Wood and Pig hotels, floral designer Jordan Weston (AKA The Bearded Botanist) and expert mushroom growers, Caley Brothers.
The Spring Fair’s floristry and mushroom workshops are back, along with Plant Expert Tours of Beaulieu’s kitchen and ornamental gardens, and an extensive array of specialist plant nurseries and garden retailers. The vibrant Good Food Market offers a delicious array of street food and artisan produce to taste, tipple and take home, with plenty of live music to kick back to. Book Spring Fair tickets at www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com.
As spring turns to summer, Birmingham’s NEC transforms into a haven for bees as BBC Gardeners’ World Live comes to town. Taking place from 12 - 15 June, this ever-popular, flagship event attracts tens of thousands of keen gardeners looking for the wow factor, new plants, and an idea or two for their beloved gardens. Headline designer Nick Bailey will lead a talented bunch of award-winning designers, all committed to inspiring the crowds with their impressive show gardens. The Association of Professional Landscapers returns to BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2025 with its showcase avenue of brilliant back gardens, created by a selection of member companies to demonstrate their technical excellence, attention to detail and creative use of materials. This year’s APL Avenue features a very special garden, celebrating the organisations 30th anniversary.
BBC Gardeners’ World presenters Monty Don, Adam Frost, Nick Bailey, Frances Tophill and Rachel De Thame will join Nicki Chapman and the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editors for summer gardening chat and questions from the crowd. New for 2025 is The Tasting Table, an alfresco cooking workshop space hosted by Adam Frost with chefs from the Good Food Show Summer, bringing fresh, ‘plot to plate’ ideas to life. Ticketed sessions go on sale soon.
Providing inspiration for smaller gardens and tricky spaces are the ever-popular Beautiful Borders, each packed with creative design and planting. With a theme of ‘Cultivating Connections’, each will have a unique story to tell. In the spectacular BBC Gardeners’ World Live Floral Marquee, visitors can expect stunning displays by leading specialist plant nurseries and growers, the orchid societies and groups of the International Orchid Show, and thousands of plants to browse and buy. In the Hot Off the Potting Bench walk-through gallery, plant breeders will be unveiling exciting new varieties, all competing for the Peter Seabrook Award for Best New Plant. There’s expert horticultural advice to be had throughout the Floral Marquee, from drop-in talks at the Let’s Talk Plants Stage, sponsored by Hillier, to the Plant Experts’ advice desk.
The Urban Garden space returns for 2025 with its stylish showcase gardens, retail space and stage, all offering ready inspiration for town and city gardeners. Fans of indoor gardening will enjoy the Houseplant Market and stage for the best in eye-catching home greenery and top tips from house plant experts. With its extensive Plant Village, hundreds of garden retailers and exhibitors, guided Garden Walks and Plant Expert Tours, hands-on demonstrations and the Schools’ Wheelbarrow Competition, there really is something for everyone.
Tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live include entry to the Good Food Show Summer which celebrates seasonal summer food with talks, top chefs and experts, tasty food and drink, and live entertainment. Book tickets at www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com.
Looking ahead to mellow autumn days and the changing seasons, we move to wonderful Audley End House and Gardens in Saffron Walden, Essex for the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, in association with English Heritage (29 August – 31 September). BBC Gardeners’ World presenters Adam Frost, Rachel De Thame and Frances Tophill will take to the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Stage for daily garden chat, seasonal gardening advice and visitors’ questions with the magazine’s editors.
Autumn Fair highlights include inspiring Showcase Gardens, Beautiful Borders, and the Association of Professional Landscapers’ Skills Competition, where local landscaping teams compete to build a show garden in just 16.5 hours. The new Autumn Table features seasonal food and drink workshops, and visitors can take in Audley End’s restored Parterre Gardens while enjoying ‘in conversation’ chats with horticultural personalities. There are Plant Expert Tours of the organic Kitchen Gardens, hands-on floristry, seed sowing and mushroom growing workshops, and a great range of growers, nurseries and retailers selling quality plants, gardening equipment, accessories, furniture and more. At the Good Food Market, visitors will find scrumptious street eats, fabulous food and drink to taste and buy, and live music. Autumn Fair tickets include full access to Audley End House, grounds and gardens. Tickets available at www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com from spring 2025.
Lucy Tremlett, Event Director at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World events, said: “2025 is set to be another fantastic year of BBC Gardeners’ World events, with exciting new features across all locations. We’re particularly thrilled to have Nick Bailey joining us at BBC Gardeners’ World Live with his inspiring garden design that champions sustainable gardening practices. Whether you’re a seasoned regular at BBC Gardeners’ World Live or are joining us for the first time at the Spring or Autumn Fairs, you’ll be blown away by all the incredible show gardens, plants, friendly advice and more on offer.”
Details correct at time of print.