Held from Friday 30 August – Sunday 1 September, the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair an event for both the beginner as well as experienced gardener, will feature Showcase Gardens, Beautiful Borders and plethora of plants from specialist nurseries and growers.
New for 2024, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine expert and horticulturalist David Hurrion, will present this year’s headline Showcase Garden, designed to help visitors get practical ideas and solutions for their gardens. This year’s special guests include Adam Frost (Friday), Joe Swift (Saturday) and Rachel de Thame (Sunday). The BBC Gardeners’ World presenters are to join the editors of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine for seasonal gardening chat to help visitors with ‘what to do now’. Throughout the Fair, David Hurrion, will be talking plants with a series of experts.
The APL Landscaping Skills Competition returns as two member companies of the Association of Professional Landscapers create a show garden against the clock to showcase their skills under pressure. The new Get Growing Stage, will feature TV chef Marcus Bean, who is hosting a daily line-up of growers and foodies, sharing tips on how to make the most of the autumn months. Joining Bean on stage will be Adam Kirtland, broadcaster and writer Helen Cross , the Sussex-based fungi specialists, the Caley Brothers, community grower Cara Thompson, urban smallholder Sara Ward, and Cambridgeshire dahlia grower, Kim O’Brien.
The Beautiful Borders, the fair’s mini show gardens are themed ‘Share My Space’. The Shared Ecologies Border by Peter Buchanan and Libby Bettney from English Heritage’s Historic and Botanic Garden Training Programme at Audley End House and Gardens brings plant, animal, and human communities together. Emma Atkinson’s Finding Your ‘Pink’ Border is an oasis for new mums navigating early motherhood, inspired by flamingos whose pink colouring fades after giving birth but returns as the chick matures. In Feasting Amongst Nature’s Aria, Michele Brunnberg sets an intimate dining experience amongst bird and butterfly friendly features and planting.
Sam Cortis and Becca Heard’s Occupation! Border celebrates the power of people coming together to establish a community garden. Sam Wheeler’s The Artist’s Studio Garden is a creative space for making art inspired by plants and nature, while Terry Gilmour’s (The Cockney Gardener) Fancy A Cuppa celebrates the wellbeing benefits of a cup of herbal tea after gardening. Zoe Defoe’s Talk In Space also explores the mental health and therapeutic benefits of sharing space and conversation, surrounded by nature.
Tours of the Audley End House and Gardens’ history will be hosted by the Plant Experts, Lucy Chamberlain, Saul Walker and the English Heritage gardens team. Visitors can also join drop-in tours on the day, including a guided tour lead by ‘Capability Brown’ as he shares his visionary plans for the local landscape as he saw it in the 1760s, and Mr. Vert, who shares insight into the daily routine of a Victorian kitchen head gardener.
More than thirty specialist plant nurseries and growers will be exhibiting at the Autumn Fair, along with retailers selling garden accessories, décor, tools, equipment and furniture. The Plant Crèche will be run by volunteers from English Heritage for donations.
Louise Ellis, Head Gardener at Audley End, said: “The BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair is a really special event for our team and we like to get stuck in! We get to share our beautiful grounds and gardens with thousands of keen garden fans and visitors, our trainees will be showcasing their wonderful Shared Ecologies Border, and we’ll be on hand to answer any questions. It’s going to be a great weekend!”