Urban Gardens, a spectacular edible headline show garden by Adam Frost, orchids from all over the world, and new stages and workshops are just some of the exciting new highlights at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, returning to the NEC Birmingham from 13-16 June. It’s the perfect summer day out for green fingered folks and first-time gardeners alike, with inspiring show gardens and floral displays to enjoy, achievable ideas to try at home, plants a-plenty to browse and buy, well-known gardening faces sharing expert advice, and hands-on workshops to dive into.

BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost’s headline Show Garden, The Chef’s Table, is sure to draw a crowd at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live. The large, walk-through garden will be a vibrant celebration of home-grown produce, featuring a rustic outdoor cooking and eating space set amongst an array of tasty plants. Adam will be hosting a daily programme of ‘plot-to-plate’ themed conversations and delicious demos on his garden with chefs and culinary friends from sister event, BBC Good Food Show Summer, including James Martin, Michel Roux, and BBC Good Food’s Cassie Best.

New for 2024 and designed to inspire town and city types, the Urban Gardens space, sponsored by Blue Diamond Garden Centre group, is packed with ideas, plants and products for creative containers, brilliant balconies and wonderful window boxes. On the Urban Gardens Stage, Ade Sellars (AKA The Good Life Gardener) will be hosting daily sessions by a line-up of expert urban gardeners, and there will be a Showcase Garden showdown between the UK’s top young landscaping teams, fresh from their success at WorldSkills UK, the national youth skills event. Two talented teams will compete to create the perfect city garden, mentored by award-winning garden designer, Cherry Carmen. Blue Diamond will present their own feature garden, showcasing ten essential plants for urban gardens, with all plants featured – and more - available to buy in the dedicated Urban Gardens retail area.     

Orchid lovers will be thrilled to hear that BBC Gardeners’ World Live will be the new home for the British Orchid Council’s annual International Orchid Show. This exciting ‘show within a show’ will be a major highlight of the breathtaking Floral Marquee and will feature displays by more than 25 - 30 specialist orchid growers, offering breathtaking displays and expert advice for orchid lovers!

Clive Lloyd and Nicky Wakley from the International Orchid Show said: “We can’t wait to be in our new home at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, sharing the secrets of these exquisite plants with a huge new audience.”    

The BBC Gardeners’ World Live Floral Marquee is always a treat for the senses with its heady scents, colourful displays by specialist plant growers and nurseries, plants to buy, and feature highlights. In this year’s expanded Hot Off The Potting Bench walk-through gallery, visitors will be able to view brand new plants and varieties close-up as they vie for this year’s Peter Seabrook Award for Best New Plant at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Horticulturalists, Lucy Chamberlain and Saul Walker will be hosting Plant Expert Workshops as well as offering one-to-one help at the popular Plant Expert advice desk and hosting garden tours and walks. Take a seat at the Floral Marquee’s Let’s Talk Plants stage to get floral advice from BBC Gardeners’ World presenters, stage sponsor Hillier’s plant specialists and special guests.  Floral Marquee sponsor, Legal & General, will again host a lounge for their retirement customers.

Also new for 2024 is the Get Growing Stage, an exciting, informal, drop-in space that’s dedicated to the joy of home growing. Garden Organic’s Chris Collins will host a daily programme of top tips and growing advice, joined by a line-up of well-known ‘Grow Your Own’ gurus, including Jason Williams (Cloud Gardener UK), Hannah Reid, Adam Kirkland and Lydia Lakemoore. Chefs from The Pig and Lime Wood hotel will be hosting alfresco cooking demonstrations on-stage, next to The Pig Allotment Garden which marks the opening of the new The Pig on the Farm near Stratford-Upon-Avon in June.

Whether your garden is postage stamp or park sized, there’s abundant inspiration at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Stroll along the avenues and take in the impressive Show Gardens by award-winning designers and teams, including Derby College with Derbyshire Historic Building Trust, Adam Marshall (AKA @greenfingeredcityboy) and Kate Mason for an NHS establishment in Lancashire & Pippa Probert will be presenting ‘The Viewers Garden’.

Pick up interesting ideas for smaller gardens from the mid-size Showcase and Feature Gardens from designers including; A Plot Amongst the Chickens by Benjamin Shutler; Share My Space-With Nature by Carleen Osbourne; The Pig’s Allotment Garden by The Pig (Homegrown Hotels); Nature’s Embrace by Becky Sibley (Wild Thyme Designs Limited); Flora & Flavour by Hannah Reid; Take Me Home by Consuelo Franco (Franco Brain); Stop and smell the flowers by Julie Haylock (Sandhurst Garden Design). Plus border ideas from the ever-popular Beautiful Borders whose 2024 theme is ‘Share My Space’.

In the Association of Professional Landscapers’ APL Avenue Show Garden Competition, four member companies will be showcasing their skills, creating back garden designs inspired by the theme, ‘The Good Life’.  The entries this year include Anna Helps Garden Design with Costa Cadiz, Fenton Gardens with Lunatica, Dan Hartley Garden Design with Eco Oasis and Katerina Kantalis with The Mediterraneo Garden. 

You’re never far away from a familiar face at BBC Gardeners’ World Live and visitors can enjoy some entertaining gardening chat at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Theatre. Presenters Monty Don, Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Carol Klein and Joe Swift will be ‘in conversation’ with Nicki Chapman and swapping summer garden tips with the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editors. Theatre sponsor, British Garden Centres, will be hosting daily sessions with guests, Michael Perry.

Keen indoor gardeners can head straight for the new layout House Plant Hub designed by Hayley of Mint Plants with its tempting House Plant Market and Stage where host, Ellen Mary, and expert special guests will be sharing their secrets for happy, healthy house plants.

Shopping opportunities are a major attraction at BBC Gardeners’ World Live with a vast range of plants for sale in the Floral Marquee, Plant Village, House Plant Market and new Urban Gardens zone. 100s of high-quality retailers will be on site, selling garden accessories, décor, tools, equipment and furniture, both inside and outside the show halls, with plenty of show offers and bargains to be had. There’s a Plant Crèche for hands-free, hassle-free shopping and a car collection service available for heavier items.

The popular Health for Life Wheelbarrow Competition returns this year, nurturing the next generation of gardeners and growers. Children from local schools and nurseries will be creating wheelbarrow planters with a ‘food and climate change’ theme, sharing their designs with tens of thousands of visitors. There’s plenty to keep young visitors entertained at the show too, like admiring carnivorous plants and bonsai in the Floral Marquee, joining The Conservation Volunteers for a drop-in seed sowing session, or enjoying fish and chips or an ice cream. Children aged five and under go free every day (ticket required) and under 16s go free at the weekend.

Tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live include entry to the BBC Good Food Show Summer, featuring demonstrations, theatres, stages and talks, book signing, tastings and workshops, street food, and delicious food and drink to taste and buy. The show’s foodie stars include Nadiya Hussain, James Martin, Michel Roux, The Hairy Bikers, Becky Excell and many more. Visitors can dine in style by booking a sit-down meal at the BBC Good Food Restaurant, inspired by the country’s leading food website, bbcgoodfood.com.

Rachel Poletti-Gadd, Portfolio Director - Gardening Division at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World Events, said: “From Adam Frost’s headline Show Garden and Urban Gardens space to the Get Growing Stage, Plant Expert Workshops and more, we can’t wait to share this year’s exciting new highlights with visitors, along with the show’s much-loved favourite features. We’re also thrilled to be welcoming the annual International Orchid Show which will be a wonderful addition to our Floral Marquee. If you love gardens and plants, gardening and growing, or just enjoy a great day out with excellent food, drink and entertainment, there really is no better place to be this summer. Inspiration and new ideas to try at home, expert advice, famous faces, delicious food and unique shopping opportunities – BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Good Food Summer have it all!”

Tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC Birmingham (13-16 June), including entry to BBC Good Food Show Summer, are on sale now at www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com