Category: Malvern Caravan Show

The Malvern Plant & Garden Fair is fast approaching, taking place at the Three Counties Showground on September 12 & 13.

The premier plant sale promises an open-air Plant Arena with 50 nursery exhibitors, including 36 RHS-award-winning specialist nurseries, and is held at the perfect time for planning Spring garden projects.

Excitement is building amongst the specialist growers booked to attend the event. Nursery exhibitors have been unable to trade as they would have done before the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are really looking forward to returning to Malvern for this plant sale extravaganza.

Watch this short video of Vicky Fox, from Plantagogo, can’t wait to be back at Malvern to showcase their jewel-like hardy perennials.

As well as providing an opportunity for visitors to find something really special for their garden, it’s hoped the Malvern Plant & Garden Fair will signpost visitors to the wealth of nurseries on their doorsteps and encourage them to make more purchases in the weeks and months to come to support these growers.

The Malvern Plant & Garden Fair takes place on 12 & 13 September, with tickets from £10 per person.

Click here to buy tickets

Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, famous for their stunning herbaceous perennials, have announced that they are bringing a brand new Japanese Anemone to the Malvern Plant and Garden Fair – 12 & 13 September.

Rosy Hardy announces the new plant, called “Frilly Knickers”.

The Malvern Plant & Garden Fair is an Autumn plants sale with a great selection on offer from the UK’s best nurseries and specialist growers. It’s your last chance of the gardening season to get out and shop and just the right time to buy bulbs and start planning those Spring projects.

The event promises numerous gardening, crafts and food trade stands, and advice and top tips from our favourite experts and growers.

Tickets are limited so booking online in advance is recommended, book here.

The Malvern Plant & Garden Fair – 12 & 13 September 10am to 4pm.

Following the recent change in Government advice, it is with much regret that we can confirm the cancellation of the following events that were due to take place at Three Counties Showground this year.

CountryTastic – 9 April

RHS Malvern Spring Festival – 7-10 May

Three Counties Championship Dog Show – 4-7 June

Royal Three Counties Show – 12-14 June

Whilst we are devastated to be making this announcement, we wholeheartedly support the Government on this matter. We know these events are a calendar highlight for many thousands of people and that our exhibitors, designers and staff spend many months preparing for the shows, but public health and safety has to be our number one priority.

The cancellation of our shows will have a big impact on our staff and wider community in many ways. With this in mind, and with the uncertainty facing us in the months ahead, it’s more important than ever that we pull together to support the most vulnerable amongst us. We are currently looking at ways that we as an organisation can get involved in wider community efforts.

Currently, the cancellation advice only affects CountryTastic, RHS Malvern Spring Festival, Three Counties Championship Dog Show and Royal Three Counties Show. We’re hoping to hold Malvern Autumn Show at the showground as planned. We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates should the Government advice change.

We will be in contact with everyone who has purchased tickets to the four cancelled events, along with all our stakeholders within the next 21 days.

We would like to thank our visitors, exhibitors, sponsors and all who support our shows, and extend our best wishes to everybody at this challenging time.

Hundreds of beautiful, handmade sunflowers are being sold across Lichfield to raise funds for a Royal Horticultural Show Garden inspired by a local hospice.

The sunflowers will form a stunning installation in the ‘Moments that Matter’ Show Garden at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival in May and will also raise funds for the garden and St Giles Hospice.

The four-day festival, which runs from May 7 to 10 in association with boutique travel company Great Little Breaks at Three Counties Showground, Malvern, attracts over 100,000 people annually and is seen by many as the official start of Spring.

Award-winning garden designer Karen Tatlow commissioned the flowers, which are made of corten steel – a metal with a natural, pre-weathered rust-like appearance, from local company A.T. Services.

The funds raised through the sale of the sunflowers will be split with fifty percent going to help build the show garden and fifty percent to St Giles Hospice.

Karen said more than 50 flowers had already been purchased following the launch of the garden project and even more people had expressed an interest.

“It’s unbelievable how many sunflowers have already been sold – everyone seems to really like the idea and so many more have said they are going to get theirs,” she said.

“Some people who claim they are completely hopeless gardeners have joked that even they can’t kill these flowers off.

“We are hoping to sell 500 of the metal sunflowers to make an amazing art installation in the show garden that will really get people talking.

“But if we sell that many it will also represent an amazing contribution from the local community, both towards St Giles Hospice and towards making this garden happen for them.”

Once purchased the sunflowers will first go to create part of an art installation at the heart of the show garden at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, after which they will be brought back along with the garden, which will be rebuilt plant by plant at the hospice.

People can then collect their sunflowers in person from St Giles Hospice, Whittington between Monday 18th – Sunday 31st May or they can choose to leave their sunflowers at the hospice, where they will become part of the garden installation for all to enjoy.

Rob Tunnah, director and owner of A.T. Services, which is based on the Lichfield Road Industrial Estate in Tamworth, said they were delighted to be supporting the project.

“A.T. Services is a welding, fabrication and engineering company and we can make more or less anything for anyone, but I must admit the sunflowers are a bit different for us,” he said.

“We are a family business, established over 32 years ago by my father Andy and five generations of our family have lived in Whittington, where the hospice is, so we are very happy to be contributing to our local community.

“It’s very different from our normal work, which generally involves sheets of metal, not petals and it’s been a challenge  but we’ve really enjoyed being part of it and look forward to seeing the garden in bloom.”

You can buy your sunflowers for £20 each at the St Giles Hospice Show Garden website at https://stgileshospiceshowgarden.com/buy-sunflowers/ or contact Karen Tatlow Garden Design at karen@karentatlowgardendesign.co.uk or 07432 646275.

The sunflowers will also be on show at Downes & Daughters. Whittington Newsagents. Grangewood Garden Centre, Tamworth, Lichfield Garden Centre, Curborough and Just Granite, Cannock, but are only available to purchase online.

Whittington Newsagents have offered to process the purchase on line for anyone who doesn’t have internet access.

Information about the project is available at https://stgileshospiceshowgarden.com/

Advance tickets for RHS Malvern Spring Festival – where the sunflowers will be on display – are now on sale, with prices starting at just £20 for RHS and Three Counties members, or £22 for the general public (plus 75p transaction fee). Children under 16 go free. Group tickets are also available.

For further information visit www.rhsmalvern.co.uk or call 0844 811 0050.

Some of Britain’s top gardeners and gardening enthusiasts have underlined the importance of gardening, saying spending more time in the soil is extremely beneficial to our health and wellbeing.

Monty Don, Chris Beardshaw, international florist Jonathan Moseley and radio DJ Jo Whiley – just some of the special guests that will be appearing at RHS Malvern Spring Festival from May this year (9-12)- have commented on how gardening helped to overcome challenges in their lives.

RHS Malvern Spring Festival, sponsored by Great Little Breaks, is seen by many as the official start of spring and home to inspirational RHS Gold Medal winning show gardens, top-quality specialist plant and floral exhibitors in the beautiful Floral Marquee and expert advice from some of the UK’s top gardening and food heroes.

BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley explained how her garden was a solace during the ‘relentless abuse’ that she received last year from a faction of Radio 2 listeners.

“I certainly did some manic weeding,” she laughs. “It’s fair to say some borders were butchered. But in all seriousness the garden did help – it was a place to retreat when it got too much, particularly on a tough day. I loved the stillness of the garden; the birdsong; the gentle sounds of nature were a huge help.”

National treasure of the gardening world, Monty Don, has spoken at length about his own battles with depression. With a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing at RHS Malvern Spring Festival this year, Monty underlines the importance of our connection to the land.

“Connection to the land is very, very important. It goes back to the seasons and an understanding of how things change and recover,” he commented.

“One of the great features of depression is when you become immune to the evidence of wellbeing around you; it could be a lovely day or you hear a beautiful piece of music but it’s not reaching you. That’s always a bad sign. I think conversely a good sign is that you can be in a dark grey space and you see a little primrose or violet and realise it’s beautiful and alive, or you hear some birdsong which uplifts you. The point is that these all feed in and you react and something happens which enriches you.”

For garden designer, broadcaster and plantsman Chris Beardshaw, the garden is a place that makes him “feel well”.

“That’s why I was interested in exploring when I was a kid,” he explains. “I remember the feeling of coming home from school, chucking my bag into the house, sometimes getting changed but more often not and heading out to climb trees, fall into the stream, grub around hedgerows, that kind of thing. I was most in touch when I was outside. The worst place for me is, bizarrely, sitting in an office.”

You don’t even have to have a garden at all, to feel the benefits of horticulture for wellbeing – without breaking the bank, explains floral designer Jonathan Moseley.

“With wellbeing at the top of the agenda and people wanting to re-engage with nature, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Add into the fact that so many young people don’t believe they will ever own a garden and it’s clear to see why cut flowers are attracting more and more interest,” he said.

“At this time of year so many spring flowers are really inexpensive. For under £4 you can get some nice tulips, hyacinths or daffodils and all I’ll do is add in some berried tree-ivy, pussy willow and some birch branches and chuck that in a jug or a vase.”

RHS Malvern Spring Festival, in association with Great Little Breaks, has today unveiled plans for a new Women for Wellbeing forum as it celebrates International Women’s Day.

The forum, which will be chaired by journalist Alys Fowler, will include high-profile members: Barbara Wilkinson, president of the Herb Society; Stella Exley, a floral marquee grower; DJ Jo Whiley; Tamsin Westhorpe, journalist and RHS Show Judge and Hannah Genders, an award-winning garden designer and author.

It is the first time the festival has featured such a forum in a year when wellbeing and mindfulness will be a key inspiration for much of what is happening at the event running from May 9-12.

The line-up of both experts and ambassadors from the world of horticulture will tackle a number of topics including gardening and health, gardening and global sustainability, horticultural influence on lifestyle trends and gardening as a career for women.

Head of Shows Diana Walton said the forum had taken a great deal of commitment and hard work by the Malvern team to pull together such an enviable list of influential women.

“We are very excited to announce this new project on International Women’s Day and feel very privileged to bring together this group of women with the aim of having a positive impact on the future of horticulture in the UK,” she added.

“It is widely accepted that being outdoors and in the garden has a profound effect on people’s mental health for the better.  We also know that it helps to talk and this is what this forum is all about.”

RHS Malvern Spring Festival is seen by many as the official start of spring and attracts more than 100,000 people annually. Visitors flock to see its inspirational show gardens and beautiful Floral Marquee, get top tips from the experts and enjoy the best food and drink that Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire have to offer.

This year it also boasts 10 women among its stellar collection of show garden and Green Living Space designers – many of whom have changed career to retrain as garden designers.

Hannah Genders, who has been awarded a Gold Medal and People’s Choice Award at Malvern, said today gardening was “uniquely hopeful” and she was looking forward to encouraging more women to embrace it to look ahead and plan for the future.

“I’ve always had an interest in the therapeutic aspect of gardens and design, and it’s so much wider than the gardens I’ve created for hospitals and special schools in the last twenty years,” added Hannah who first launched her landscape design business 20 years ago.

“It involves us all, we garden to be in touch with nature, to be physically working outdoors, to care for our environment and we look forward. Gardening is uniquely hopeful, I’m planning and planting now for the future.”

RHS Malvern Spring Festival takes place from May 9-12. Advance tickets are now on sale now, with prices starting at just £19 for RHS and Three Counties members, or £21 for the general public. Children under 16 go free.

It’s the social media hit of a generation as #plantsofinstagram attracts millions of followers with millennials falling head over heels for the not-so-humble houseplant.

Now the official photographer for this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival, in association with Great Little Breaks, has come up with ten top tips to get the best from your flora as you put it in the frame.

It comes as show organisers reveal this year’s theme for the event running from May 9-12 is ‘Through a Lens’. Plans are also in the pipeline for Instagram friendly points throughout the showground situated at the foot of the picturesque Malvern Hills.

Stuart Purfield, who has been photographing show gardens and specialist nursery exhibitors in stunning style for more than ten years, now gives his lowdown on how to capture that flawless Instagram snap.

And top of the list is to ensure the plant is the star and as with all celebrities look to create the perfect lighting and style the background.

But Stuart also warns that forgetting the basics such as cleaning fingerprints off the lens and de-cluttering the surroundings could ruin the most effective staging.

“Flora is well known for its shades of colour and textured surfaces, which won’t be precise in your photo if thwarted by a fingerprint or two. Therefore, first and foremost, clean your lens!” said Stuart.

And clear up your temporary studio too, he suggests.

“When photographing at home, move the focus of your photo to a less cluttered area or remove any distractions from the focal point.”

Now that most social media pictures are taken on a phone Stuart also has some recommendations for getting the best from your device’s camera. For starters making sure your stance is solid and holding it steady.

“With a camera I would use a tripod but it is equally important to keep your phone steady. When photographing close-ups, a tripod is a must. It is possible to get a tripod attachment that can be used with your smartphone. This may initially look a bit unusual, but you will achieve fantastic shots.

“Holding your arms outstretched or far away from your core can make the camera sway. Move your elbows into your sides to give extra stability.”

Stuart’s other tips include letting the elements shine through – don’t even let rain stop the photo shoot. Use it for balcony shots and window sills and let raindrops drip from your plant.

“Equally, when the sun is shining, use the reflections created in water features or off shiny surfaces to enhance or amplify the depth in your photo.”

Social media snappers should also play with angles together with the light and use a more is more approach.

“Plants can be photographed from underneath or side on to capture a point of view that is different from what we see from a standing perspective,” added Stuart.

“Why not try to backlight flowers late in the day which will cast a nice warm glow as well as lighting your flowers from behind. Petals are translucent and this effect will make them appear to glow.

“Consider where the sun is before snapping. Is the sun behind the flower? This can create great patterns through the leaves and flowers. Are the shadows too strong? Maybe use a piece of white card to reflect or “bounce” the light back into the flower to reduce shadows.”

“Even though your smartphone might advertise that it is great in low light, light is essential to get the best photo of any subject. And natural light is your most practical everyday accessory for this.”

Houseplants are a firm Instagram trend with health-conscious youngsters contributing 2.2million posts of trailing greenery to the hashtag #plantsofinstagram

Seen by many as the official start of spring, the RHS Malvern Spring Festival attracts more than 100,000 people annually. Visitors flock to see its inspirational show gardens and beautiful Floral Marquee, get top tips from the experts and enjoy the best food and drink that Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire has to offer.

Advance tickets now on sale, with prices starting at just £19 for RHS and Three Counties members, or £21 for the general public. Children under 16 go free. Group tickets are also available.

UK short breaks experts Great Little Breaks has been confirmed as headline sponsor of the RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2019.

And to mark the headline partnership, people will be able to win one of eight ‘money can’t buy’ VIP experiences at the RHS Malvern Spring Show, which takes place at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern from May 9-12.

Lucky winners will get to rub shoulders with superstar gardeners, floral experts and celebrity chefs – whose identities are still a closely guarded secret!

The highly-anticipated gardening and food festival, seen by many as the official start of spring, attracts more than 100,000 people annually. Visitors flock to see its inspirational show gardens and beautiful Floral Marquee, get top tips from the experts and enjoy the best food and drink that Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire has to offer.

Short break experts Great Little Breaks is part of the Worcestershire travel organisation hotelshopUK Ltd. With over 20 years trading and over 100,000 loyal customers, it will return to the prestigious event for the second year running after sponsoring the Festival Theatre in 2018.

Boasting over 13,000 positive reviews and specialising in breaks that celebrate what the UK has to offer, Great Little Breaks will have its team on hand at the show to chat to festival goers about the new rise of experiential breaks, to share some top tips for experiencing the UK and some inside industry secrets of where to visit in 2019.

Diana Evans, Great Little Breaks managing director, said after first experiencing the festival last year, deciding to continue the partnership had been an easy decision.

“We loved being at the RHS Malvern Spring Show last year, it really does have something for everyone so we can’t wait to return as headline sponsors,” she said.

“The show kicks off the spring for thousands of people every year and is virtually on our doorstep. Partnering at the festival is a great way for us to support our local community and to highlight the fantastic attractions that Malvern and the surrounding Three Counties have on offer.

“We specialise in giving our customers a whole host of added extras when they book a break with us, from packed lunches and guidebooks to event tickets, so we’re going to be giving away very special VIP ‘added extras’ over the coming months to celebrate the festival partnership. Full details are top secret at the minute, but it’s safe to say that our winners will be in for a ‘money can’t buy’ experience with some of the well-known faces who will be attending the festival.”

Claire Blackford, sponsorship account manager at Three Counties said they were thrilled to be working alongside Great Little Breaks for the second year running.

“Having Great Little Breaks at the festival last year was such a perfect fit. Not only does our Three Counties commercial team have over forty years’ experience in the travel industry between us, we know from visitor feedback that the Great Little Breaks team was a huge hit with the crowds too.

“The VIP giveaways we have planned for this year’s festival are really special – we can’t wait to reveal all in the run up to the event.”

The RHS Malvern Spring Festival takes place from May 9-12. Advance tickets are now on sale now, with prices starting at just £19 for RHS and Three Counties members, or £21 for the general public. Children under 16 go free.

Group tickets are also available. For further information visit www.rhsmalvern.co.uk or call 01684 584924.

To look for the perfect UK getaway, visit www.greatlittlebreaks.com

Photo from left to right: Diana Walton, Head of Shows at Three Counties, Diana Evans, Managing Director at Great Little Breaks, Kate Paszkowec, Marketing Manager at Great Little Breaks and Claire Blackford, Sponsorship Account Manager at Three Counties

The Three Counties Showground, which hosts some of the UK’s biggest celebrations of agriculture and horticulture, has today announced it has appointed a new agency to handle its PR and manage its social media accounts.

Nathan Rous PR was chosen following a competitive five-way pitch with the new partnership officially launched this month.

Senior members of the Three Counties management team will work alongside the Shropshire-based firm to create a new strategic direction for communications around high-profile events at the showground including the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, The Royal Three Counties Show and the Malvern Autumn Show.

Diana Walton, head of shows, said the showground had undergone a massive transformation over the last few years and wanted a fresh and innovative approach to PR.

“We were looking for an agency to challenge the way we think and in a very competitive pitch process the Nathan Rous PR team stood out, demonstrating the expertise, capability and enthusiasm that we need in a partner,” she added.

Director and founder Nathan Rous said today he was delighted to have secured the contract at such an exciting time for the prestigious site in Malvern, Worcestershire.

Mr Rous said they were extremely proud to be working with the Three Counties Showground as they embark on their next chapter.

“It’s a very exciting brief that appeals to all our strengths from pulling together creative content across a host of mediums to boosting engagement with target markets and new potential customers. Our team is thrilled to be working on this new account.”

The Three Counties Showground also hosts a number of other events including the annual Farming Conference and CountryTastic

Founded in 2008 Nathan Rous PR has gone from strength to strength with clients in the UK, Europe and US. The recent acquisition of two big brands in America has also seen the company grow its workforce.

Other clients include international bikeshare firm nextbike, Christmas tree specialists Pines & Needles and Shropshire’s Sansaw Estates.

Photo L to R: Suzy Hillier, Head of Commercial at Three Counties, Nathan Rous Director & Founder of Nathan Rous PR and Diana Walton, Head of Shows at Three Counties.

You may remember the Work of Heart Garden designed by Clare Young which featured at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2018. We are delighted to announce Clare has been awarded the JustGiving Award for Most Creative Fundraiser of the Year.

Clare created the ‘Work of Heart Garden’ in memory of her husband Ken after being advised to knit by her psychologist to help manage her grief and the mental health symptoms she experienced following his loss.

Her knitted creation and her tremendous fundraising for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, who helped care for Ken, saw Clare shortlisted to the final three in the JustGiving Creative Fundraiser of the Year category earlier this year.

Following a public vote, where over 35,000 votes were cast, the winners were revealed at a glittering star-studded awards ceremony in London on 20 Noember, with Clare being crowned ‘Creative Fundraiser of the Year’.

Work of Heart Garden, a 4m by 4m full size woollen garden modelled on a hospice bedroom, has so far raised £26,000 for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, with fundraising still ongoing at www.justgiving.com/workofheartgarden

Clare was joined by knitters who helped create the garden and representatives from the hospice charity as she picked up the prestigious award. Following her win Clare said, “I’m totally speechless. I started knitting sat at home on my sofa to manage the grief and mental health symptoms I was experiencing following the loss of Ken. Some days I couldn’t even leave the house. Never in my wildest dreams did I think creating a knitted garden would lead me to receiving 50,000 knitted hearts from people right across the world, to meeting and welcoming so many new and wonderful people into my life, and picking up this award.”

“There has been a whole community of people who have helped build Work of Heart Garden and I would like to dedicate this award to them. This award is for every single person who has knitted, crocheted, donated, supported, volunteered and voted for Work of Heart Garden in support of Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court.”

“It was a huge honour to be present among so many inspiring and brave fundraisers at the awards who are all making such a difference to their local communities and causes. Well done to all of them.”

“Creating Work of Heart Garden has been a wonderful experience. Not only have I achieved my aim of raising awareness of the work of Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice and vital funds for their care, but I hope I have encouraged more people to talk more openly about hospice care, loss and grief. If my story helps just one person not to be afraid of going to a hospice I will be happy.”

MORE ABOUT THE WORK OF HEART GARDEN

Work of Heart Garden grew from the seed of an idea after Clare’s psychologist suggested she pick up her knitting needles to help manage the symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD she was experiencing following her husband’s death from cancer in 2015.

Clare started knitting dolls to sell at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, then yarn bombed the hospice with a special thank you message. The press coverage from this led to an invitation for her to create something at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2018, where her friend Suzy Hillier heads up Commercial Operations.

Clare gathered together friends, volunteers and community groups to pull together a once in a life time creation and set up an online giving page on JustGiving so people could donate towards her efforts in support of Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court.

The creation became the first ever full size knitted show garden installation for the RHS, proudly unveiled and showcased at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2018. It has since appeared at The Cotswold Show and Food Festival, Gloucester Cathedral and Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice Autumn Fayre.

NEW to RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2018, the Green Living Spaces feature, in association with London Stone and Hortus Loci, embraces contemporary living, showing how first time buyers and renters can green up their limited space and bring the outside in.

Two balconies, two patios and an interior room will be packed with inspiring ideas for festival goers to take home with them. The designers will create spaces that are functional, beautiful and portable, ensuring the garden can travel with those moving houses.

RHS Ambassador, Jamie Butterworth and Mentor of Green Living Spaces, said: “More people are on the move than ever before, with 37% of the British population in rented accommodation. Because of this, we need to be more creative with how we garden, and where we garden.

“We need to find new, creative ways to bring plants into our lives.  This new category is a fantastic way of showcasing and encouraging #GenerationRent to get gardening and get growing.”

Hoping to encourage the next generation of horticulturalists, the designers will demonstrate practical, inspirational and beautiful ways of maximising space using carefully chosen plants from nurseries in the Floral Marquee and Plant Village.  Visitors will be able to take home both the ideas and the plants to turn those dreams into a reality.

Jamie added: “House plants have a huge range of benefits – they improve the air quality in our homes; absorbing air pollutants, they reduce stress, control humidity, reduce sound levels, and above all look beautiful. Plants are good for us and the planet so any way that we can green up our increasingly grey Britain is beneficial to all.”

Here’s what visitors can look forward to this year:

The Salad Deck by Andy Bending

With beds bursting with edible delights, a living wall of salad leaves, plenty of herbs and edible succulents, this is a garden that’s set to taste as good as it looks. Founder of Bristol Organic Gardening, Andy Bending is championing self-sufficient gardeners and putting the environment at the heart of his design with sustainable, reclaimed timber decking.

The Urban Escape by Sebastian Conrad

Art inspires this varied space that aims to spark curiosity with a collection of artistic items placed within a planting scheme that brings soothing tranquillity as well as energising colour.

Lush green ferns and plants with mild white tones bring the relaxation element while corals and bright oranges create a vibrant feel within the space.

Horticulture student Sebastian brings bags of creativity over from Germany where he’s worked in theatre stage design as well as in a bespoke artisan flower shop.

Outside Number 39 by Elaine Portch

The younger generation, in the form of Elaine’s daughter, has inspired this balcony, which offers space to eat outdoors as well as to relax and unwind. Using varying levels of plants to create the effect of being in a larger garden, it includes easy to maintain succulents, grasses, herbs and chillis.  Garden designer Elaine specialises in residential outdoor spaces and will be using plenty of up-cycled pieces of furniture, re-purposed planters and sculptural works to bring colour and interest to the balcony.

Grow, dine and relax by Anne Keenan

This balcony is designed around creating a relaxing space to sit and entertain friends as well as to cook and share food while surrounded by easily grown edible plants.

Award-winning landscape architect Anne Keenan has imagined a newly engaged couple’s outdoor space as her inspiration. Her concept will include easily transportable elements for re-use or up-cycling at their next home.  Plants include herbs, salads and figs as well as violas and day lilies.

Tickets are now on sale for RHS Malvern Spring Festival, which takes place from Thursday 10 May until Sunday 13 May. Free entry for children under the age of 16 is available throughout the festival. For more information on ticket prices, please call 0844 811 0050 (calls cost 7p per minute plus network extras) or visit www.rhsmalvern.co.uk.

CLARE YOUNG, a widow from Gloucester, is inviting people to sponsor a knitted heart this Valentine’s Day. For just £5, each sponsored heart will feature in a full size knitted show garden installation that she’s creating at RHS Malvern Spring Festival in memory of her husband, Ken.

Clare is offering anyone the chance to sponsor a ‘work of heart’ for a suggested donation of £5. A knitted or crocheted heart will then be created for a loved one and displayed on a specially designed tree within the show garden that will be revealed at the festival from May 10-13.

All donations from the sponsored ‘works of heart’ will be contributing towards the ambitious fundraising goal that the Gloucestershire widow has set herself.  Clare aims to raise a whopping £50,000 for the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, to both commemorate what would have been Ken’s 50^th year and thank them for their wonderful care.

Clare said: “The garden has grown into something far bigger than I ever imagined, the response has been incredible. People have been knitting hearts in memory of loved ones from all over the world and this garden is all about love so Valentine’s Day seemed like a perfect opportunity to make a timely tribute to someone special.”

Since the plans were unveiled in January, the garden has received an outpouring of support from across the UK and beyond. Crafters and community groups from Minchinhampton to Missouri, USA and from Cheltenham to Christchurch, New Zealand have been busy crafting knitted hearts for the garden.

Clare continued: “Last week, I had an email from Ian, a widower who had seen news of the garden and instinctively knew that he wanted to donate his late wife, Jane’s, wool to my garden. She was an amazing weaver and keen gardener so I am making a pot of flowers for Ian using Jane’s wool.

“By giving people the opportunity to sponsor a work of heart in memory of a loved one or as a gift of love for a partner, I hope more people can be a part of the project, whilst helping me raise funds for the hospice which helped care for my husband so beautifully.”

To have a work of heart displayed for a loved one in the Work of Heart Garden please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/workofheartgarden where you can make a suggested donation of £5 and leave a Valentine’s message for your loved one.

All proceeds from the Work of Heart garden will be donated to Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice, helping them provide specialist care for people living with life limiting conditions and their families.

For more information on the Work of Heart Garden visit www.workofheartgarden.org, like www.facebook.com/WorkofHeartGarden on Facebook or follow @WorkofHeartKnit on Twitter or workofheartgarden on Instagram.

Details on Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice can be found at www.sueryder.org/leckhampton

To find out more about RHS Malvern Spring Festival, May 10 to 13, visit rhsmalvern.co.uk