90,000 visitors were spoilt for inspiration at BBC Gardeners’ World Live this year with a bumper 48 Show Gardens, Showcase Gardens and Beautiful Borders to enjoy. The annual four-day event at the NEC Birmingham (12-15 June) is a plant lover’s paradise, packed with ideas and floral finds to take home.
BBC Gardeners’ World presenter and designer, Nick Bailey, wowed the crowds with his stunning headline Show Garden, The Plant-Based Garden, created entirely from natural materials. His message was to ‘Make a Metre Matter’ which is this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World campaign for 2025, encouraging as many people as possible to transform just one metre of outside space for the good of the planet. More than 11,000 metres have been pledged to date at gardenersworld.com, including pollinator beds, veg patches, ponds and composting spaces. Experts from Hillier, plant supplier for The Plant-Based Garden, showed visitors how to replicate the The Plant-Based Garden’s aesthetic and ethos at home.
Fellow BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, keen veg grower and home cook, Adam Frost, was proud to present The Tasting Table, an exclusive new gardening and gastronomy space. Si King, John Torode and Lisa Faulkner were among guest chefs from sister event, Good Food Show Summer, that dropped by to whip up garden-inspired dishes and share foodie chat in a rustic-chic setting.
Adam Frost, Nick Bailey and BBC Gardeners’ World colleagues, Monty Don, Rachel de Thame and Frances Tophill, joined Nicki Chapman and BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editor, Kevin Smith, on stage at the BBC Gardeners’ World Theatre, sponsored by British Garden Centres, for summer gardening tips and advice. Exclusive new ‘An Audience With’ events offered intimate garden talks and tours with Nick Bailey and Rachel de Thame. At the new ‘In Conversation With’ Stage, leading gardening personalities discussed wide-ranging topics from small-space food growing and how to ‘green’ our cities to worm composting and gardening for wildlife.
Specialist plant nurseries, growers and retailers pulled out all the stops with their stunning displays, tempting visitors with new plants to browse and buy. In the Floral Marquee, sponsored by L&G, the Hot Off The Potting Bench gallery displayed more than ninety brand new plants. This year’s Peter Seabrook Award for Best New Plant at BBC Gardeners’ World Live went to Dahlia Gardenetta® Velvet Crush. This robust and sturdy new dahlia from Ball Horticulture and Allensmore Nurseries is perfect for patio containers with double lavender-purple, two-tone flowers and deep bronze leaves.
BBC Gardeners’ World Live visitors voted for their own favourite plants and gardens throughout the event. The Visitors’ Choice for Best New Plant at the Hot Off The Potting Bench gallery was Dahlia Gardenetta® Velvet Crush. QVC’s Reflective Retreat designed by Kitti Kovacs for QVC was the Visitors’ Choice favourite Show Garden, with Sunflower Power designed by Hannah Thomas for Beth’s Sunflowers Charity winning Visitors’ Choice Showcase Garden. The Bud and Blossom ‘Reflection’ Garden designed by Trinity Catholic School History Group from Leamington Spa was the Visitors’ Choice Beautiful Border winner.
Winners of the always popular Health for Life School Wheelbarrow Competition were Balsall Common Primary Academy in Coventry and Foxhollies Special Educational Needs School in Moseley, Birmingham. St. James Catholic Primary School in Rednal, Birmingham was the Visitors’ Choice winner. This annual competition celebrates young gardeners and growers, providing an opportunity to showcase their teamwork and creativity to BBC Gardeners’ World Live visitors.
Lucy Tremlett, Event Director at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World events, said: “This year’s incredible show gardens were an absolutefeast for the senses, with Nick Bailey’s sustainable The Plant-Based Garden a sight to behold. 2025 is the year of BBC Gardeners’ World’s ‘Make a Metre Matter’ campaign and there were ideas throughout the event for ways to create planet-friendly metres with a big impact. We added more horticultural highlights with the BBC Gardeners’ World presenters and Magazine editors, the Floral Marquee, displays of indoor, outdoor and brand new plants, the International Orchid Show, new workshops and stages, expert tips and advice, book signings and children’s activities. Adam Frost’s Tasting Table was a fantastic new feature, celebrating the joys of home-grown produce, outdoor cooking and great conversation. We can’t wait for more green-fingered fun at our Autumn and Spring Fairs, set against some stunning heritage backdrops.”
BBC Gardeners’ World Live returns to the NEC from 11-14 June 2026. The BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, in association with English Heritage, takes place at Audley End House and Gardens in Essex from 29-31 August 2025. Tickets are on sale now at www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com. Transaction fee applies.
The BBC Gardeners’ Spring Fair takes place at Beaulieu in the New Forest from 1-3 May 2026.
Source Julie Parmenter, Brampton PR
