by Holly Chapman | 24 Oct 25 | Garden Design, News
BBC Gardeners’ World has announced the opening of its 2026 Beautiful Borders competition, themed Once Upon a Time.
Applications are open for the flagship BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC Birmingham in June, the Spring Fair at Beaulieu in Hampshire in May and the Autumn Fair at Audley End House and Gardens in Saffron Walden in Essex in September.
The Beautiful Borders competition encourages both experienced garden designers, students and community or charity groups to enter.
There are also limited £250 bursaries available for plants and props.
Lucy Tremlett, event director at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World events, comments:
“Gardens are great places for storytelling, and we can’t wait to see how this year’s entrants bring the Once Upon a Time theme to life.”
Applications will be open until 23 January for BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the Spring Fair, whilst the Autumn Fair applications close on 1 May.
by Holly Chapman | 14 Aug 25 | Garden Design, News
BBC 2’s Your Garden Made Perfect award-winning garden designer Pip Probert has been selected to design the headline garden at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair taking place 29 – 31 August 2025.
Probert’s Make a Metre Matter Garden reflects this year’s theme ‘Make a Metre Matter’ intended to encourage gardeners to transform a metre of outdoor space for the good of the planet.
Set in a small plot, the garden features vegetable beds, wildlife and pollinator patches, a mini pond, planters all incorporated into Probert’s signature recycled style.
Propert says the garden aims to “show multiple ways of enhancing just a small amount of garden space and to demonstrate how re-using things can be done in a way that looks new and fresh”.
Alongside an autumn table featuring seasonal food and drink, the fair also hosts a new in conversation with stage hosted by Ade Sellars chatting to Probert alongside the Caley Brothers and Jordan Weston.
The autumn fair will be at Audley End House and Gardens in Saffron Walden, Essex.
Find out more information on tickets here: bbcgardenersworldfair.com
by Holly Chapman | 20 May 25 | Garden Design, News
The BBC Gardeners’ World (BBCGW) Spring Fair took place over the early May bank holiday in Beaulieu, attracting its largest crowd of 24,000 visitors.
Presented by Adam Frost, Carol Klein and Arit Anderson, the weekend consisted of expert advice, workshops, plant and garden shopping, live music and several awards.
Horticulture student from Plumpton College, Molly Sheppard-Ward, took home the Visitor’s Choice Best Showcase Garden for her sensory Garden; Art in the Dark.
Visitors’ Choice Best Beautiful Border was given to The 160th Unbirthday of Alice in Wonderland, designed by Briony and Jonathon Dakic, in celebration of the original 1865 novel by Lewis Carroll.
Lucy Tremlett, event director at the fair’s organiser, Immediate Live, comments:
“We’re delighted that so many visitors came along to find inspiration and exciting ideas to try at home.”
The BBCGW Spring Fair is set to return to Beauleui from 1 – 3 May next year.
by Holly Chapman | 18 Apr 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
The rainforest biome at the Eden Project will host a BBC Live Lesson on Earth Day, 22 April.
Hosted by Naomi Wilkinson and Lizzie Daly, the lesson will be available on the BBC Teach website and broadcast at 11:00 on CBBC and BBC iPlayer.
Following the journey of the water cycle, children will be taken to the biome to learn about its constant movement and why the water cycle is essential for the planet.
Featuring contributions from Eden Project’s education lead Robbie Kirkman, the show will cover biodiversity, climate change, and our connections to the rainforest.
Kirkman says education is at the heart of the Eden Project, adding:
“Our programmes empower young people to better understand how they can help nurture and protect the planet.”
Another live lesson will take place on 25 April, focussing on the Eden Project’s annual food sharing initiative, The Big Lunch.
by Nina Mason | 02 Jun 23 | Domestic Landscaping, Garden Design, Long Reads, Topics, Website Exclusive
Katerina Kantalis is set to make her show garden debut this month. The Australian designer is creating a garden for the APL Avenue at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham alongside contractor New Look Landscapes, which will also be making its debut.
“New Look have done quite a lot in the commercial space and want to transfer their skills to the domestic area, whereas I’m more domestic. So, we’re bringing in skillsets from both sides,” says Kantalis.
‘The Chic Garden Getaway’ will aim to show visitors how much can be achieved within a small space. At just eight metres by nine metres, the show garden will include an area for entertaining, an outdoor kitchen, a vegetable patch, a small lawn and a water feature, connected by a winding path.
Kantalis wants visitors to be able to take “snippets” from the garden, in line with the APL’s theme this year – ‘Take Me Home’. “It’s trying to show people that you can fit a lot into a small garden and not be afraid to do so.”
You do need the budget, though. The APL grants £15k, but the overall garden needed to come in around £35k, says Kantalis. Fortunately, there were a wealth of suppliers willing to help Kantalis and New Look Landscapes bring their design to life. Take Marshalls, which is providing the hard landscaping, and Sunspaces, which is shipping one of its new pergolas over from Germany.
“We’ve been trying as much as possible to have items loaned to us, which means we can return them at the end of the show and not create too much waste. We don’t want to use anything that’s going to end up in landfill, so having items like the pergola loaned to us is great – and it works for Sunspaces too as they can promote their new pergola.”
There’s also fencing from Envirobuild, which is made from 95% recycled wood, as well as products from Rolawn, CORE Landscape Products, Hedges Direct, Rivar Sand and Gravel, The Otter Nursery, Farmer Gracy, Green Earth Habitats and Oxford Botanic Gardens.
“Working with the various suppliers has been absolutely brilliant,” says Kantalis. “They’ve really helped us out to be able to build the garden.”
The biggest challenge now in creating The Chic Garden Getaway will be time, says Kantalis. “We’re all still working with businesses to run, and the distance to Birmingham” – Kantalis is London based – “means a lot of overnight stays. We then only have just over two weeks to build the garden, which isn’t long.” 
Not that this is putting Kantalis and New Look Landscapes off creating more show gardens in the future. “It’s using your mind and your design in a very different way. There’s almost a bit of freedom to it. You’re not working to a client’s brief so you can be a bit freer with what you’re going to create.”
There’s also an element of education that Kantalis wants to bring to her show gardens and to inspire the next generation. “A show garden can be quite manicured sometimes, but actually gardens don’t need to be; it’s just about how you want to use your space, teaching your children about gardening, but also teaching others that gardening can be for anyone no matter what skills you have. It’s all about being proud of your garden and acknowledging how special it is to have an outdoor space.”
There’s a lot of messages to their garden this year and a lot to build ahead of the show opening its doors, but Kantalis and New Look Landscapes both seem ready, even eager, to take on the challenge.
Find The Chic Garden Getaway at BBC Gardeners’ World Live from 15-18 June at the NEC Birmingham.
by Nina Mason | 03 May 23 | Domestic Landscaping, Garden Design, Landscape Architecture, News, Topics
A Southampton-based company has been awarded Best Showcase Garden at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at Beaulieu last week.
The Landscape Service received the top award for its Nordic Retreat garden, which also scooped a Platinum Award. Managing director Luke Mills designed the minimalist garden as a temporary respite from the urban environment, with neutral colours, plants to create shade and natural hard landscaping materials.
Mills says: “The Nordic Retreat is our first show garden so I couldn’t be happier to have won this award. Inspired by my Nordic heritage, I wanted the garden to have a therapeutic effect, providing calm and respite from busy life. It’s been a real team effort by gardeners, landscapers, suppliers and sponsors, and I’m over the moon.”
BBC TV gardening presenter Frances Tophill presented the award to The Landscape Service, as well as the Best Beautiful Border and Platinum Award to ‘Not all those who wander are lost’ by Furzey Gardens and Minstead Trust, which provides training and work experience for people with learning disabilities.
The Beautiful Borders competition asks entrants to plant and create design features for 9m2 plots. This year’s theme was ‘My garden Escape’. Furzey Gardens and Minstead Trust were inspired by a poem from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The border features plants grown at Furzey Gardens, a stepping stone path, and a grand chair carved from the trunk of an old Elm tree.
Students from Kingston Maurward College in Dorset won the Spring Fair’s first inter-horticultural college competition. Inspired by the college’s Victorian heritage, A Wardian Garden won Best College Garden and a Platinum Award. All college teams were mentored by award-winning garden designer, Cherry Carmen.
Show assessor Richard Barnard says: “It’s great to have the colleges here at the Spring Fair. The quality of work is excellent and these brilliant students are the future of horticulture.”
