You will never want to leaf

* I was invited to the press preview for and provided with a pair of tickets to Gardeners’ World Live so I’m marking posts from the show as 'Ad’ - as usual my views and opinions are very much my own. Be sure to check out all of my posts from the show.

The banana plant we saw recently at the Newark Garden Show reminded me of this beautiful border at last year’s Gardeners’ World Live, and once I dug the photos out I had another mixed smile and groan at the garden’s cheesy title. The theme for the Beautiful Borders at the show was ‘My Garden Escape’ and I think I’d quite happily escape to this garden, despite the cheese, and who knows maybe I wouldn’t want to leave…

This garden, designed by Kiran Vaidya, invites us to escape to our very own slice of tropical paradise. By just using foliage the garden shows the versatility and variety of leafy plants ‘whilst highlighting the important role of greenery in relieving stress and promoting positive mental health, especially in urban communities where access to green spaces is limited.’

And I don’t know about you, but just looking at these photos makes me want to breathe more deeply and breathe in the fresh air. In my mind’s eye that breath is cool, but not cold and warm enough to be comfortable.

I love the textures and colours that you can get through foliage, along with the drama. Though of course having these plants in your garden is likely to come with the need for additional care and attention over the cooler months, but I can’t help but think it’d be worth it.

* With thanks to Gardeners’ World for inviting me to Gardeners’ World Live, it was as fabulous as ever!

The Garden Year: May 2024

Welcome back to this month’s Garden Year linky - if you were here last month, it was great to see you. If you’re joining for the first time, you’re very welcome. The linky will stay open for the whole month, so I hope you’ll pop back during the month. I’m looking forward to reading about your garden projects and garden visits.

Happy bank holiday, isn’t May great?! It’s been a slow start to gardening here this year which is mostly due to the weather - it hasn’t been the most inspiring, and it’s actually been cold, much colder than it should be at this time of year. For the first time in a couple of years though I have sown some seeds - I’m starting small with some sunflowers, but I’m hoping they’ll grow big and tall! Moving house really did mess with my growing my own, at first because I was hopeful and optimistic that it would happen quickly, and then more realistically about moving plants as they were growing as I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave them for the new owners!

I don’t have a greenhouse in this garden (yet), so that’s brought its own challenges especially with the temperatures I mentioned before. Anyway, I’m keen to read what you’ve been up to in your gardens, or the gardens you’ve visited so can’t wait to read the posts you link.

Advice, inspiration and places to visit

• RHS advice: jobs to do this month

• Gardeners World advice and inspiration

• National Trust gardens and parks to visit

• English Heritage historic gardens to visit

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You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Gardeners' World Live 2024: Win a pair of tickets for Sunday 16 June, plus discount code

Once again I’m happy to pair up with the team at BBC Gardeners’ World Live for this competition where you can enter to win a pair of standard adult tickets to BBC Gardeners’ World Live at Birmingham NEC. The tickets offered as the prize for this competition are valid for Sunday 16 June, 9am entry with a RRP of £56.00. For details of how to enter please see the ‘How to enter’ section further on in this post. I also have a discount code which you can use when purchasing tickets, the code is shown in the ‘Use my discount code’ section also further on in this post.

As you know I love going to Gardeners’ World Live so it’s great to be able my readers the opportunity to go too. Below I’ve included what you can see at this year’s show, but if you want to see more from my visits to previous year’s shows then be sure to take a look at my posts - and come back here after the show, as I’ll be adding to that collection of articles.

What to see at this year’s show

• BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost’s headline Show Garden, The Chef’s Table - a large walk-through garden full of vibrant home-grown produce, a rustic outdoor cooking and eating space. Adam will also host a daily programme of ‘plot-to-plate’ themed conversations and demos with chefs from the BBC Good Food Show including James Martin and Michel Roux.

• New for this year, and designed to inspire town and city dwellers is the Urban Gardening space, sponsored by Blue Diamond Garden Centre group - expect to see ideas, plants and products for creative containers, brilliant balconies and wonderful window boxes.

• On the Urban Gardening Stage Ade Sellars (aka The Good Life Gardener) will host daily sessions with a line-up of expert urban gardeners, and there’ll be a Showcase Garden showdown between the UK’s top young landscaping teams with both teams competing to build the perfect city garden designed by Cherry Carmen.

• The show is also the new home for the British Orchid Council’s annual International Orchid Show which will surely be the highlight of the Floral Marquee with displays by more than 20 specialist orchid growers and societies.

• Also in the Floral Marquee will be an expanded Hot Off The Potting Bench where you can see brand new plants and varieties close up. There will be Plant Expert Workshops and the Plant Expert advice desk, or you can soak up the floral advice from BBC Gardeners’ World presenters, plant specialists and special guests on the Let’s Talk Plants stage.

• Another new addition for this year is the Get Growing Stage - an informal, drop in space dedicated to the joy of home growing, as well as a daily programme of top tips and growing advice and alfresco cooking demonstrations.

• The highlights of the show for me are always the Show Gardens and this year they will be showcasing back garden designs inspired by the theme ‘The Good Life’. The Showcase and Feature Gardens are always a place to pick up ideas and inspirations for gardens sized more similarly to our own gardens, and the Beautiful Borders really are just beautiful and show how much can be done with a small space - their theme this year is ‘Share my Space’.

• You can catch up with the presenters from Gardeners’ Wold at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Theatre who will be ‘in conversation’ with Nicki Chapman and swapping summer garden tips with the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editors.

• If you’re a keen indoor gardener then head for the House Plant Hub, which also includes a House Plant Market and Stage.

• There’s plants for sale too in the Floral Marquee, Plant Village, House Plant Market and new Urban Gardens zone, so make sure you have plenty of scope to carry your plants home!

• And the Health for Life Wheelbarrow Competition also returns, where children from local schools and nurseries create wheelbarrow planters with a ‘food and climate change’ theme which visitors can vote on.

• And finally, your tickets also include entry to the BBC Good Food Show Summer with demonstrations, theatres, stages and talks, book signing, tastings and workshops, street food and plenty of food and drink to taste and buy.

Phew. It’s a great day, but one that’s often full on - so make sure you’re ready for it. I love it!

How to enter

To enter to win a pair of standard adult tickets valid for Sunday 16 June 9am entry, you need to leave a comment on this blog post telling me why you want to attend Gardeners’ World Live, then click on the widget below and complete your entry - you can get more entries by interacting on social media.

Win a pair of standard adult tickets for Gardeners’ World Live at Birmingham NEC Sunday 16 June 9am entry

A winner will be chosen and contacted by email on Wednesday 15 May.

Use my discount code

Use the discount code* GARDENS20 for 20% off standard adult/concession entry tickets (excluding Saturday) - this code expires on 9 May 2024. From 10 May use the discount code* GARDENS15 for 15% off standard adult/concession entry tickets (excluding Saturday) - this code expires 6 June 2024.

*Discounts valid on adult/concession standard entry tickets on Sunday 16 June only. Not valid on Saturday, VIP, 2-day tickets, added extras or with any other offer. 20% discount offer starts on 1 February and ends at 23:59 on 9 May 2024, 15% discount offer starts on 10 May and ends at 23:59 on 6 June 2024. £3.95 transaction fee per e-ticket order. Details correct at time of publication.