Sunshine, show gardens & fabulous flowers at Gardeners' World Spring Fair
Image: Brampton PR / BBC Gadeners' World
A record 25,000 visitors flocked to Beaulieu in the New Forest at the start of the month for the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair. This annual three-day celebration of gardening, growing and outdoor living is a popular early May Bank Holiday destination for experienced gardeners and first-time growers alike. With its relaxed festival vibe, the Fair attracts plenty of non-gardeners too, tempted by delicious food and drink at the Good Food Market and Street Food Village, shopping, live music, family activities and all of Beaulieu’s attractions included in the ticket price.
The Spring Fair was bursting with inspiration and take-home ideas, from the showstopper Neighbourhood of Gardens by headline sponsor, Hillier, to Showcase and College Gardens, Beautiful Borders, and floral and vegetable displays. BBC Gardeners’ World presenters Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Sue Kent and Ashley Edwards joined the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine team on stage to share their expert knowledge, answer visitors’ questions, and stop for a selfie or two.
Professional assessors presented official awards to the talented teams that created this year’s Spring Fair show gardens. It was Gold for Southampton-based design and landscaping duo Vicky Lincoln and Rob Woodhouse for their Showcase Garden, Nature’s Spa, a contemporary wellbeing and relaxation space (pictured above left). Also winning Gold and Best College Garden were horticulture and landscaping students from Merrist Wood College, Guildford for Heritage Rewoven, a garden packed with recycled, repurposed and found materials from around their campus.
In the Beautiful Borders category for small-scale show gardens, New Forest charity, Minstead Trust’s Garden of Many Hands won a Platinum award from the assessors and the Best Beautiful Border accolade. The charity’s New Forest Day Opportunities programme supports people with learning difficulties and autism through work, with participants involved in every aspect of this award-winning Border. Best Interpretation of the Theme and a Gold award were presented to students from Coastland College - Kingston Maurward Estate in Dorset for their garden, Salty Towers. Inspired by the theme of ‘Reimagined Traditions’, the garden explored the tradition of coastal salt harvesting with a feature pergola representing the historic blackthorn salt filtration towers used in exposed coastal landscapes.
Spring Fair visitors got to have their say too, voting for their own favourite gardens. They shared the assessment panel’s view, voting Vicky Lincoln and Rob Woodhouse the People’s Choice Best Showcase Garden for Nature’s Spa. People’s Choice for Best Border went to Stacy Blake, Ethan Dodman and Shaun Beale from Woodslee Landscapes in Broughton, Hampshire for A Journey to Wellness which depicted a story of diagnosis of illness, through tests and treatment to a place of hope and recovery (pictured above right).
Lucy Ashworth, Event Director at Immediate Live, organisers of the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, said: “Wow, we had an absolute blast at Beaulieu this year, even with the odd shower or two to freshen up the plants. There’s always a real buzz around the Spring Fair as visitors spot new ideas, inspiration and exciting new plants to take home. We can’t wait to be back next year.”
Rachael Goldstraw, Head of Marketing and Business Development at Beaulieu Enterprises, said: “The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair is a real highlight of our year at Beaulieu. It’s always wonderful to see so many visitors making the most of their day to explore and enjoy our attractions, from Palace House and the Abbey ruin to the National Motor Museum and Victorian gardens.”
The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair returns to Beaulieu from 30 April – 2 May 2027, with exciting show gardens and displays, expert advice and talks, garden tours and demonstrations, hands-on workshops, plant and garden shopping, seasonal tasting sessions, delicious food and drink, live music and more. Early bird tickets go on sale in October.
(Image: Heritage Rewoven - Merrist Wood College)