GREEN-FINGERED gardening fans flocked to Audley End for the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair.
The event featured seasonal garden inspiration, expert tips, advice and tours, hands-on workshops, and plants to browse and buy.
Highlights included talks with BBC Two Gardeners’ World presenters Frances Tophill, Arit Anderson and Adam Frost, the Gardeners’ World Magazine team, David Hurrion and Chris Bavin, grow-your-own advice from leading experts at the Let’s Grow Talks area, plant expert tours of Audley End’s organic kitchen garden and historical tours of its Capability Brown landscape.
The award for Best Showcase Garden went to Lucy Chamberlain, plant expert and head gardener at East Donyland Hall, near Colchester, and the Audley End kitchen garden team of Gemma Sturges and Kelly Fowler.
The trio’s fruit and veg-packed Edible Garden Through Time was a celebration of ‘grow your own’, highlighting three key periods of food-growing history, and scooped a platinum award.
The exhibit started its journey with a traditional 19th Century kitchen garden, moving on to a family vegetable patch from 1968 - the year of Gardeners’ World’s first broadcast - before reaching a contemporary growing plot that reflected the organic and wildlife-friendly gardening principles adopted at Audley End, East Donyland Hall, and many veg gardens and allotments across the UK today.
The judges were gardening editor, horticulturalist and journalist Ian Hodgson, and award-winning designers Shaun Beale, from Aura Landscapes, and Pip Probert from Your Garden Made Perfect and Outer Spaces Landscaping and Design.
Ian said: “This was a tour de force exhibit of veg gardening through the ages, underpinned by exquisite craftsmanship and attention to historical detail, both in plant varieties and props from the period.
"It worked as a garden both as a whole and in parts, with something for everyone.”
A thrilled Lucy said: “I’m elated and overwhelmed to get this award as it’s our - and my - first show garden.
"It’s been a really interesting journey delving into plant history, landscaping materials and plant varieties.”
Gemma added: “We’ve had so much engagement and interest in the showcase garden from visitors.
"Our garden teams and volunteers work so hard all year round and this has been a great way to put Audley End on the map.
"We just love gardening, so winning this award is a lovely bonus.”
Winners of the Association of Professional Landscapers’ Skills Competition and a platinum award were JJH Landscapes from Oxfordshire and Radial Landscapes from West Sussex.
The winning team’s 21st Century Jacobean Garden was a drought-tolerant garden designed by Adam Vetere with elegant geometric features that mirrored elements of Audley End’s Great Hall.
The BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair returns to Audley End from August 30 to September 1, 2024. Tickets go on sale in the spring at bbcgardenersworldfair.com.
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