Show Highlights

Gardeners' Advice Panel including Head Gardeners Forum

Experts will be on hand to share their wealth of experience answering questions and providing short demonstrations and talks.

Martin Fish Bayer Garden Roadshow at the 2007 Show	Professor Chris Baines presenting at the 2007 Show	Geoff Stebbings presenting for the Bayer Garden Roadshow at the 2007 Show

Garden Design & Features

The Gardening Show 2008 will host a range of Show Gardens

Some pictures of previous show gardens at The Gardening Show

The Show will also host a number of vignette features such as the one seen in 2007 from Bryn Sygboriau.

Details of show gardens and designers for 2008 will be added shortly.

Amateur Gardening Club Competition

Calling all amateur gardening clubs / societies / individual groups... here's your chance to reimagine yourselves as Diarmuid Gavin or Charlie Dimmock and bring your own fantasy garden to life. Thanks to the prestigious Grosvenor Garden Centre, a garden design competition especially for amateur clubs / societies / groups is being held at this year's Show, The Grosvenor are putting up prizes worth £1000 for the competition which is open to all amateur clubs and societies.

Last year The Gardening Show's own local gardening club at Llangollen were invited to design and build a garden and came up with such an impressive effort (awarded a silver medal) that the Show organisers decided to make it an annual feature of the event.

The site before the build, members of the club during the build up, the finished product.	The Gang	Llan Garden

Clubs / Societies & groups are also invited to plant a container and or a hanging basket to be entered in a separate competition

(For more info please contact Stephen Green on 01978 869924 or email info@thegardeningshow.co.uk)

Welsh College Of Horticulture Student Garden Design Competition

We are delighted to welcome The Welsh College of Horticulture back to the 2008 event who are bringing a number of new attractions including a show garden and a student garden design competition - the competition will be held is a separate marquee and students are currently working on their designs - the drawings will be on display during the weekend and students / Staff will be available to answer questions on their designs

The Welsh College of Horticulture will also be hosting floral art demos and displays hosted by renowned florist Paul raven

Award Winning Horticultural Displays

A range of Horticultural displays including quality RHS exhibitors such as TV personality and champion fruit and veg expert, Medwyn Williams, Chelsea 10 times gold medal winner will be present at the event.

All the exhibitors are hand picked to ensure visitors get the best advice and quality as many of the exhibitors have sales tables.

Click here to view who's exhibiting

2007 Exhibitors

Tamarisk Nurseries - Cacti, succulents and airplants	Roualeyn Nurseries - Fuchsia Display	Dibleys Nurseries - Display of Streptocarpus
Medwyns of Anglesey - Display of Vegetables Gold Medal and Best in Show	Two Plants, Devine Nurseries - Display of Lilies	Deva Orchids - Display of orchids
Fryers Roses - Display of cut roses	Pennard Plants - Display of Agapanthus	Mickfield Hostas - Display of Hostas

A full list of the displays for 2008 will be listed shortly and can be seen in the Exhibitor List

NEW for 2008 - A number of socieites will be providing displays and inforamtion stands including

The Cottage Garden Society www.theCGS.org.uk
Hebe Society www.hebesoc.org

Quality Exhibitors

Click here to view who's exhibiting

Kitchen Garden Theatre - Presented by Welsh National Culinary Team

The Kitchen Garden Theatre 'Grow it - Cook it - Eat it..'

A dedicated theatre area with seating for over 120 will showcase dynamic, growing and cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend. Presenters will demonstrate easy to follow guide lines on how to get the best from home grown produce, including the benefits of using and eating organic food. (Charlie Dimmock was special guest in 2007)

This year the Kitchen Garden Demonstartion Theatre will be presented by The Welsh National Culinary Team led by Graham Tinsley MBE

Selected exhibitors are invited to present short talks and demonstrations and a full programme of events will be added soon.

Grosvenor Garden Centre Workshops

The Garden Know-How team, supported by Grosvenor Garden Centre, Chester offers visitors with a unique series of concise, practical "how to" workshops throughout the weekend. Here visitors have the opportunity to get involved with the workshop activities, ask questions and benefit from the expert guidance and experience of the tutors.

Nigel Snow, horticulturist and BBC Radio Stoke gardening presenter heads the demonstration area and will be accompanied by other gardening experts and personalities including:- Glyn Smyth, Head Gardener at Erdigg House Wrexham, Radio presenter Margaret Thrower, Richard Fishbourne from Wiggly Wigglers, Daily Telegraph writer Stephen Lacey.

Nigel Snow	Sam Yould, Head Gardener Tatton Park	Professor Chris Baines

A selected number of exhibitors will provide visitors with talks & demos, sharing specialist plant and product knowledge, a programme of events will be added soon.

Floral Art Marquee

NEW FOR 2008

Following the success of the Floral Art Marquee at the 2007 show, we are delighted that the Mercia and North Wales Branch of NAFAS will host their annual competition at The Gardening Show 2008, this will include a larger marquee which will also host a photography competition and a series of floral art demonstrations.

Kids Interactive Zone

From its beginnings The Gardening show set out to inspire and introduce children to the marvels of gardening and nature in exciting, "hands on" educational way. The Kids potting corner provides structured teaching sessions, allowing children to get their hands dirty! All children will have the opportunity to pot up a plant and take it home*

Other activities include garden games, face painting and lots more. *Subject to availability

Craft & Food Marquee

New for the 2008

The marquee will host some of the finest local craft workers and food producers.

Biodiversity, Wildlife, Rural Life and Environmental Village

Following the successful introduction of the Wildlife Walk in 2007, the Gardening Show 2008 will have an increased area for conservation & wildlife. Featuring demonstrations and workshops from Butterfly conservation, Bee Keeping, Newts in your Pond to willow weaving. At the centre of this area a North Wales Biodiversity garden will help visitors relate to and understand more about the importance of conservation and wildlife issues. Experts will be providing advice on a variety of topics such as how to attract wildlife to your garden. More information on demos, workshops and exhibitors will be added soon. Special guest Iolo Williams will be in the wildlife area on Sunday 8th June..

Fine Art and Sculpture Exhibition

Following the resounding success of the 2007 Fine Arts and Sculpture exhibition we are delighted to welcome UK Fine Arts back to The Gardening Show, with work from a mix of painters and sculptors see www.ukfinearts.com for more info & a full list of artists/ sculptors.

We are also delighted to be welcoming to work of world famous 'Willard Wigan'. The Show will host to a number of Willard’s Micro Sculptures that have to be seen to be believed. for more info please visit www.willard-wigan.com. Willard has recently produced a new sculpture which will be unveiled at The Gardening Show

Some pictures from the 2007 Gallery at The Gardening Show..

Schools Competition

Over thirty local schools have already plegded their support for two newly organised school competitions sheduled to take place at The Gardening Show, promising to be the biggest event of its kind ever held in the area. Schools will be taking part in two separate competative sections.

One

Create a life size scarecrow - Winning entry will be displayed on the National Vegetable Society demonstration garden...

Two

Create a display planted in a wheelbarrow - Wilkinson will be providing the wheelbarrows, Humax Horticulture will supply the growing media and Medwyn's of Anglesey providing the seeds.

David Green, one of the show directors said "we set out to encourage local schools and their pupils to get involved by cultivating their interest in horticulture and the environment which was spearheaded by a local schools initative "Healthy Schools Campaign". The Gardening Show Schools Competition provides scope for imaginative thinking where pupils can see their work displayed before thousands of show visitors".

Schools have been encoraged to plant up the wheelbarrows with whatever plants they want and judges will be looking for impact, colour and originality. Cash prizes and gardening products will be awarded to winners and runners up in the wheelbarrow and scarecrow sections.

Grow Organic Clinics

The National Vegetable Society North East Wales Branch New for 2008 will be an 'Interactive Allotment' with repsentaives from the N/E Wales Branch of the NVS probviding on-site practical tips and advice

(More info to follow)

Llangollen & District Gardening Club Open Show

We are once again delighted to welcome Llangollen & District Gardening Club and their open show. Due to an increased demand the show will move outside into its own dedicated marquee.

"Llangollen and District Gardening Club was reformed six years ago and from just one little acorn planted then, our oak tree is flourishing and to date we have nearly a hundred members. The Club meets once a month on the third Tuesday evening at the Hand Hotel in the centre of Llangollen. We enjoy a varied programme of excellent speakers on all topics of gardening to suit both the experienced and novice gardener. Our members are of all ages and we always meet within an informal and extremely friendly atmosphere. Throughout the year we also organise trips to both local and national events and places of interest. Membership is open to everyone.

The highlight of our year as a Gardening Club is always our Open Show and for the last two years we have been extremely proud to have held this within the larger event of The Gardening Show. The standard of entry within our own Show is always extremely high and the variety of classes for competition enables everyone to take part. Our co-existence with The Gardening Show has also enabled a larger audience to view our efforts and has encouraged and inspired other gardeners, from all over the country, to both form their own Clubs and organise their own Shows."

Food, drink and live Music

A wide selection of food and drink will be available during the weekend.

Inside, situated on the main stage and in full view of the inside of the pavilion, a large seated area with quality catering

Outside - A new catering village will feature more variety including the famous Rhug Organic Burgers, Doughnuts and a Pimms bar A chance to sit back, relax and enjoy the sound of live music from Llangollen Silver Band, and various other acts during the weekend.