English Garden Roadshow

Following its previous successful appearances, the English Garden Roadshow will be returning with an expert panel taking ‘question and answer’ sessions each day at 11.00, 13.00 and 15.00.

Article from English Garden Magazine Roadshow

we are delighted to be out and about this summer with The English Gardenroadshow, travelling around the counties, with our knowledgeable and enthusiastic panel of experts. Our first show at Bath, on the May Bank Holiday weekend was a great success - with the weather being kind to us (more or less!) and lots of folk packing into the show marquee to get their problems solved. The best way to prune wisteria being high on everyone’s list.

It’s all go this summer, with Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, Wiltshire and, for the first time, Althorp Park in Northamptonshire. Check below to see which shows you might be able to get to - and then email us to put your name down for a chance of some free tickets. The lively ITV West presenter Peter Rowell will be our masterly compère again for the shows, and our four super experienced experts will be mixing and matching the shows and coming up with their own very individual answers to those tricky, but so important, gardening questions.

Entry to the roadshow is free once you are in the showground itself, with shows held two or three times a day. And everyone receives a free gift of some gardening ‘goodies’ to take away as a great memento of the event.

Hope to see you some time this summer! Janine Wookey, Editor.

 

Roadshow Panellists

Jon Wheatley is an International and National Flower Show Judge. He has designed and built no less than five Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winning stands and seven gold medal winning stands at Tatton Park, Hampton Court and the NEC. He is a Lecturer and Horticultural Consultant for a number of Colleges and an Arboricultural and Forestry Consultant. On top of all this he owns and runs a bedding plant nursery and landscape management business in the Chew Valley.

Mary Payne trained in horticulture at Studley College and the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. She lectured at the University of Bath for 10 years and holds the prestigious Master of Horticulture from the RHS, awarded as their top student. She has been a guest presenter on Carltons weekly gardening programme “Garden Calendar” for three years as well as a series on house plants for a HTV lunchtime magazine. Her own garden has been featured in the HTV series “All Gardens Great and Small” She is also responsible for the innovative prairie style planting scheme at Lady Farm near Bristol which has been featured in all the major gardening publications and was voted one of the top 10 gardens by Gardeners World. In 2004 Mary was awarded an OBE for her service to horticulture.

Vic Verrier was awarded an MBE for services to horticulture and the Community of Somerset in the 2003 Honours list. He has also been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s long service award and medal for over forty years service in 2001. He is a Member of the Guild of Horticultural Trade Show Judges, a Member of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens, Chairman of South West in Bloom, and is Chairman of the Educational Advisory Panel for Cannington College. He has broadcast weekly since 1984 for BBC Radio Bristol/Somerset Sound from such shows as Chelsea. He was also the Somerset Judge for the second year running for the BBC TV Points West Real Gardens Competition.

Steve Bradley is a freelance garden writer and broadcaster who studied horticulture at Writtle, Cannington and Pershore Colleges, achieving the RHS Master of Horticulture Diploma. He has worked for BBC and independent television stations as a presenter and was researcher / presenter on three official Chelsea Flower Show videos. As an author, he has over 30 titles to his name, including Propagation Basics, winner of the Garden Writers’ Guild Award for Best Practical Book of 2002. In October 2002, he joined Peter Seabrook as gardening correspondent for the Sun newspaper. As a magazine contributor he is behind the ‘Masterclass’ series in Gardens Monthly, and writes specialist articles for the RHS journal and BBC Gardeners World Magazine.

Images from the English Garden Roadshow