Ever dreamt of bringing a garden to life with BBC Gardeners’ World? Applications for next year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Beautiful Borders competition are now open. With three live events to choose from, why not take up the challenge and share your imagination and love of plants with tens of thousands of gardening fans.

Always popular with visitors, the Beautiful Borders are compact, 9m² gardens, brimming with fresh inspiration for small garden spaces. From first-time designers and amateur gardeners to experienced horticulturalists, the Beautiful Borders are a fantastic way to share a vision, express creativity, tell a story or realise an ambition. For charities and community groups, creating a Border is a memorable and impactful way to raise awareness or attract donations for a cause or campaign. Student teams and schools can grow their knowledge and skills, enjoy team working, and share a sense of purpose and achievement.   

Every year, there’s a new creative theme to stimulate ideas. Celebrating 60 years of BBC Gardeners’ World, the Beautiful Borders theme for 2027 is ‘BBC Gardeners’ World Inspired Me To …’. Every Border is a blank canvas made from wooden sleepers, filled with topsoil. Entrants can select either a square or rectangular plot. The BBC Gardeners’ World events’ horticultural team supports entrants every step of the way, from application to build and final reveal. Limited bursaries of £300 are available for plants and props.

Completed Borders are assessed on site by a panel of esteemed professional show garden assessors, with medals, awards and constructive feedback for every entry. The top awards are for Best Beautiful Border, Best Interpretation of the Theme, and Best BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Subscriber Border, with a People’s Choice award for visitors’ favourite designs.

The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair takes place at Beaulieu in Hampshire from 30 April – 2 May 2027. Entrants for BBC Gardeners’ World Live will be part of a very special moment as the event opens at its exciting new location at the Packington Estate near Coventry in Warwickshire from 17 – 20 June. The BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair takes place at English Heritage’s Audley End House and Gardens from 3 – 5 September.

Isobel Mills, Horticultural Events Manager at Immediate Live, the organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World events, said: “BBC Gardeners’ World events are all about inspiration and achievable ideas to try at home, and the Beautiful Borders are a much-loved highlight. We really enjoy seeing visitors and Border teams deep in conversation about the plants, colours and design features used, and the stories behind them. Entering a Border is no small undertaking, but we know from designers’ feedback each year that they really enjoy the experience and the support they get throughout the process. We can’t wait to see next year’s entries which, along with BBC Gardeners’ World Live’s exciting move to the Packington Estate, will be a wonderful way to mark BBC Gardeners’ World’s 60th anniversary.” 

This year’s ‘best in show’ Beautiful Borders were:

BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair: A Garden of Many Hands by New Forest Day Opportunities and Minstead Trust, a charity working with people with learning difficulties and autism. This woodland design was inspired by an original New Forest folk tale, written by people supported by Minstead Trust. After the Spring Fair, the Border was rebuilt at Furzey Gardens.

BBC Gardeners’ World Live: The Pioneering Spirit by East Sussex-based designer, Mark Selby. Inspired by wild countryside adventures and camping, this Border featured a water-harvesting table made from coppiced chestnut and British wool.

BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair: Reflection by Manchester-based Edward Doherty, a nostalgic journey through memories of growing up in Donegal, and a reminder of how early life experiences can shape future gardening adventures.

Mark Selby, winner of Best Beautiful Border at BBC Gardeners’ World Live this year, said: “This was my first show garden and I was very happy, if a bit overwhelmed, to win the award. Creating the garden was a lot of work, but it was a great learning journey, particularly the positive feedback from the assessors. I’m launching my own garden design business, and this was a great event to showcase that.”

Entries for 2027 are open at www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com and www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com. Application deadlines are 22 January for the BBC Gardener’s World Spring Fair and BBC Gardeners’ World Live, and 30 April for the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair.

Tickets for the BBC Gardener’s World Spring Fair and BBC Gardeners’ World Live are on sale now.  Autumn Fair tickets go on sale in the spring. Highlights include show gardens, Beautiful Borders and floral displays, stage talks and top tips from the BBC Gardeners’ World TV presenters, the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine team and a host of gardening personalities, talks, garden tours and workshops, plant experts and specialist nurseries, plant, garden and outdoor lifestyle shopping, and great food, drink and live music.

www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com

www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com