"The sun always shines in Malvern," said TV gardener Chris Beardshaw, broadcasting to millions of Gardeners' World viewers from the Spring Gardening Show on Friday.

But although the sun did shine, there were also grey clouds and showers at this year's event at the Three Counties Showground.

Heavy rain in the days before the show opened made creating the show gardens and setting up trade stands very difficult.

The wet weather, combined with hundreds of vehicles and exhibitors, turned large areas of the showground into deep mud.

Carol Nichols, of silver medal-winning Grange Farm Nursery in Guarlford, said it had been very wet setting up her stand and the muddy conditions were the worst she had experienced at the show.

Chris Jones, who designed the unusual science fiction garden Impact, described how a huge JCB got bogged down and then how it had skidded on boards put across the swampy ground.

"It was quite a sight. The JCB looked like it was water skiing over the mud," said Mr Jones, of the Shropshire-based Institute of Groundsmanship.

However, Chris Beardshaw's optimism was rewarded and the sun did come out when the show opened on Friday. BBC Midlands Today presenter Simon Keeling described the weather on the first day as "absolutely glorious" and was spot on with his prediction of sunshine and showers over the weekend.

The nation's favourite TV gardener, Alan Titchmarsh, said the Malvern show was an event everyone looked forward to.

"Gardeners don't let a bit of rain or mud put them off," he said.

Keen gardener Sue Chance, of Malvern, said the weather certainly hadn't put her off.

"I really enjoy coming to the show and rain doesn't put me off. I've bought some lovely plants, joined the RHS and looked into starting a horticultural course at Pershore College," she said.