THE Malvern Spring Gardening Show was another outstanding success, despite the frustration of persistent wet weather hampering preparations right up to the evening of the show. Attendance over the three days topped 93,000, well up to the record set last year.

Floral exhibitors and standholders had to bring their showpieces together over sodden turf inevitably turning to mud where it was cut up by the heavy traffic.

The permanent roadways and paved areas proved their worth, and were supplemented by a great many plastic panels laid down and linked together, providing additional walkways and enabling the crowds of visitors to keep their shoes clean over the muddy paths.

One could see what a quagmire it would have been in places where liquid mud oozed out from beneath the sides of the panels.

The weather turned sunny and warm throughout the first day of the Show on Friday; and though it proved duller and cooler for the weekend, at least the rain held off. This was a blessing for everyone, but now there will be a much more testing time than usual as the showground is made ready for the Three Counties Show next month.

The Three Counties Agricultural Society (TCAS), founded over two centuries ago, has greatly extended the use of its picturesque showground, hosting a great variety of events each year, from just its own three day show up to 1958, to more than 200 days now. The Malvern Spring Gardening Show, first held in 1986 as a regional show, is now recognised nationally as the main spring gardening show.

The Royal Horticultural Society became joint organisers with the TCAS from 1990 and this has greatly enhanced the event. Leading nurseries compete to exhibit at Malvern. The RHS Floral marquee provides over one and a half acres of space for a total of 110 floral exhibits. "Such is the competition for places, that over 50 per cent of applicants had to be turned away," said Bob Sweet, Head of Shows Development at the RHS. "We are almost overwhelmed by the number wanting to exhibit and have to pick out nurseries with something special.

"The dull and wet Spring must have caused problems in bringing on plants. Despite this the judges have awarded no less than 30 gold medals, a total only once exceeded in 2002 with a total of 34. What an achievement when conditions have been so unhelpful." Owens Bros of Worcester once gain gained a gold award for their exhibit featuring conifers.

The much-coveted Best in Show award went to a former winner Southfields Nurseries of Bourne, Lincolnshire, for their superbly colourful display of cacti and succulents. "By hybridising the cacti we have managed to enhance some of the colours," explained Mrs Linda Goodey.

This year there were no less than twelve Show Gardens, resulting from a great variety of themes in their concept and planning. The Best Show Garden award went to Wiggly Wigglers for a garden which appeared to have been allowed to revert to nature, full of wild flowers and uncultivated.

"It is our first effort at a show garden," explained Heather Goringe, whose husband Philip farms a thousand acres with arable crops and beef cattle at Blakemere, Herefordshire. Heather became interested in earthworms and their digesting of green plant material. She developed convenient ways of composting household waste in special stacking containers that encourage the activity of the worms.

"Our garden envisages an elderly Mrs Warhurst who is now content to sit out on her chair, next to her derelict Triumph Vitesse with its tattered canvas roof and a variety of trays of wild bird food, and to enjoy the wildflowers and the wildlife, including rabbits under the bank. She has lived here 50 years and used to meticulously tend the garden. But now she is happy pottering and watching and encouraging the many birds and butterflies and other small creatures.

"It took six lorry loads to set up our garden. The high bank has straw bales piled underneath the depth of soil and turf. The two old apple trees were transplanted and the little shed set up. We grew the turf with many wildflowers, including cornflower, red campion, plantains, clovers. The oxeye daisies just failed to open their flowers in time for the Show, but we were awarded silver gilt, if not gold, and are so thrilled with our Best Garden award."

Wiggly Wigglers has caught on in a big way, with the business now dwarfing that of the thousand-acre farm. In these days when farm diversification is the in word for every farm management adviser, Heather's brainwave has led to an outstanding example of what it can achieve. Wiggly Wigglers supplies a whole range of garden and wild-life items. Other farmers are involved in producing worms in manure under polythene tunnels and Philip has 30 acres cropped to produce bird seed.