Buckets of inspiration and bags of expert advice will be available to gardeners at this year’s much anticipated Malvern Autumn Show, held from 27th – 29th September at Three Counties Showground, Malvern.
From enormous vegetables and fabulous flowers to a veritable emporium of plants, bulbs, seeds, tools and equipment, not to mention great insights and tips from some of the best-known personalities in the horticultural world, the UK’s largest harvest season celebration is not to be missed.
Marvel at the supersized produce on display in the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship a renowned source of new Guinness World Records for spectacularly large crops. See the world’s heaviest pumpkins, longest runner beans and biggest chilli peppers, just some of the 31 adult classes that can be entered by enthusiasts in what is fondly known as the world cup of giant vegetable growing. This year’s competition will include a class for the heaviest cantaloupe melon, with a whopping £1,000 of prize money for the winner.
Elsewhere there will be Grow to Show classes in the Harvest Pavilion, where amateur growers of fruit, flowers and vegetables will compete to garner awards for quality entries in more than 100 individual classes, the winners of which will go through to compete for the coveted ‘Best in Section’ accolade.
The RHS Flower Show in the Floral Marquee will be attended by over 40 specialist nurseries and growers, who will be creating spectacular displays and offering expert advice and opportunities to buy top quality plants.
Those who enjoy floral art are in for a special treat, with a competition organised by The National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) to find new talent in addition to the annual event staged at Malvern, the 2024 theme for which is ‘A Canopy of Colour’. NAFAS has some 30,000 members, split into 17 regions, each of which will be represented by the winners of individual competitions. Each will be exhibiting a display titled ‘Razzamatazz’.
This year’s show will see some 65 specialist nurseries selling a wide range of plants and bulbs, with plenty of choice for sensational spring displays. Peruse the Plant Village and Bulb Market to see a huge selection from renowned suppliers, such as Petrichor Bulb Specialists, Hillyards of Oundle, HW Hyde and Son and Pheasant Acre Nurseries, all in one place.
Exhibiting for the first time in the Plant Village will be Malvern Salvia Collection, a specialist grower with a passion for salvias. Rob Edwards is on a mission to make gardeners aware of the many hardy cultivars of this colourful and often fragrant perennial. He grows more than 50 varieties and keeps a keen eye on the work of French breeders coming up with new salvias able to cope with lower temperatures. Rob, whose nursery is just 10 minutes from the Three Counties Showground, will be bringing along cultivars such as the red ‘Royal Bumble’, deep purple ‘Nachtvlinder’ and the tall purple ‘Amistad’.
“There are more than 1,000 different varieties of salvia and many are so hardy and easy to grow,” says Rob, who will be helped at the show by his brother Andrew. “They like a sunny spot with free-draining soil and do well in pots if the garden tends to be on the wetter side. As well as coping with cooler temperatures, they are drought tolerant too.
“Salvias are a member of the mint family, although their roots are less invasive. Some varieties send out runners, but you can just break them off and make new plants.
“Salvias look lovely in borders and make great companion plants: when their leaves heat up in the sun they provide a natural fungicide and are great from deterring aphids from roses and pests from vegetables.
“They’re such good doers, with so many different varieties and colours. I just want to encourage people to enjoy them and I’m really excited to be bringing them along to Malvern Autumn Show, an event I’ve always visited every year.”
For those who would rather not carry around bags bulging with purchases, there will be a free plant crèche and porter service, offering a safe place to store pots before they’re conveniently transported to cars when it’s time to leave.
Horticultural heroes love the Malvern Autumn Show and there will be plenty of well-known gardening experts to see and hear at this year’s event. Expect plenty of top tips on preparing for a beautiful spring garden, introducing seasonal colour over the autumn and winter months, and the best late season edibles to plant.
BBC Radio 2 and Escape to the Country presenter Nicki Chapman will be hosting the Garden Theatre throughout the weekend. On Friday she’ll be joined by BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost, with Rachel De Thame on Saturday and Arit Anderson on Sunday.
Celebrity florist and floral expert on BBC’s The Big Allotment Challenge Jonathan Moseley and gardener, author, broadcaster and plant-based nature therapist Ellen Mary will be at the show every day, while Garden Organic’s Head of Horticulture Chris Collins, well known to generations of children as a former Blue Peter gardener, will be speaking on Sunday.
Several of the experts will also come together for a Gardeners’ Question Time during the show.
Gardening consultant and broadcaster Martin Fish will return to Malvern Autumn Show to host The Potting Shed theatre, located in the Harvest Pavilion, and he’ll be joined by a variety of guests throughout the weekend.
Tickets for Malvern Autumn Show 2024 cost just £20 in advance, with children under 16 free of charge, and are available to book here: https://www.malvernautumn.co.uk/