Spring gardening show

The two-year-old was just one of the 90,000 visitors expected at the three-day event, which continues today and tomorrow, and has attracted garden-lovers from across the country.

Top awards for local garden designers

Hilary Collins' trip to the jungle won Malvern Design Associates a silver medal in the Show Gardens section of the Spring Gardening Show.

Ten garden designers had entered the competition to design a new garden from scratch and Hilary took her inspiration from Kiplings' The Jungle Book.

Using huge blocks of stone, tropical plants and old wood she based her garden around the rose red stone temple of King Louis.

"It took five days of work to build on site, but it was worth it to get the award," said Hilary, who runs Malvern Design Associates from the former walled garden of Madresfield Court, near Malvern, with her husband Steve.

A bronze medal in the show gardens went to Creative Landscapes of Hartlebury, for whom designer Keith Southall produced an exhibit called A Room with a Perennial View in support of the Gardeners Royal Benevolent Society.

The Best Show Garden Award went to Hamptons Garden Services of Sully Glamorgan, with a design entitled A Gentlemen's Retreat.

Crowds flock to show's first day

Huge crowds caused traffic chaos around the Three Counties Show Ground at Malvern on the first day of the Spring Gardening Show.

Queues stretched back more than five miles on the approaches to the Blackmore Show site as the prospect of fine weather brought visitors out in their thousands.

"It was the best first day attendance we have ever had in the 18 years of the Spring Show," said Three Counties Agricultural Society Press officer Sharon Gilbert.

"We are hoping to attract around 90,000 people over the three days of the event and this was a brilliant start." The show, which runs until Sunday evening is jointly organised by the TCAS and the Royal Horticultural Society, and is now regarded as the first major national horticultural event of the year.

"It is right up there in the big league as far as volume and quality are concerned," said RHS shows director Stephen Bennett, "And there is a waiting list for exhibitors."

RHS judges awarded 30 gold medals, the same number as last year, and among them once again was one for Owens Bros (of Worcester) Limited for its display of conifers.

The firm, which is run by Tony and Joan Owens and based at Claines, has hit gold ever since the gardening show started in 1986.

"It must be down to the way we grow and display our plants," said Mrs Owens, "or perhaps we've just been lucky."

Another gold medal went to Rushfields of Ledbury for a display of choice perennials for spring.

Gareth Smith, director of the TCAS, said the organisers had worked hard to build on the "phenomenal success" of last year's event which drew record crowds of 88,000.

This year, the organic gardening section has been expanded and there has been increased educational activities and initiatives including a gardening competition for schools.

"It is most important we appeal to the younger generation," Mr Smith added. "They are the gardeners and horticulturists of the future.

A host of gardening celebrities are due to appear at the show, which ends at 6pm tomorrow night, for workshops and demonstrations and the show site is packed with around 500 trade stands.

Solve problems in labyrinth

Visitors to the Spring Gardening Show are being given the chance to walk and dance their troubles away.

That's the invitation from Malvern garden designer Fiona Hopes who has built a modified form of the classical seven-circuit labyrinth, especially for the event.

"The pattern is more than 3,500 years old and can be found in virtually every culture in the world," Fiona explained. "It's used for problem solving and can be walked or danced. So I hope to see a lot of happy people here."

She had originally intended to create the labyrinth in turf with bark paths but, at the last minute, had to change to stone.

"It took me a day to lay it out and I had to mark the pattern out with flour first," she added.

Branch out with bonsai

Probably the oldest visitor to the Spring Garden Show didn't have green fingers, but green leaves.

Because a larch bonsai tree on the stand of Clive Marcham from Broadway, started life way back in the 1890's.

"There has been a real explosion of interest in bonsais in Britain over the last five years," said Clive, "but as yet ours can't begin to compare with those in Japan where they have one 760 years old."

Sadly, some people attracted by the ornamental appeal of bonsais fail to look after them properly.

"They don't realise bonsais need as much attention as a plant," Clive added.

"Although they are a tree and live outside they need watering and feeding regularly as well as pruning to keep them healthy. Some owners think bonsais can survive on their own but that's not so."

And the cost of a two foot high larch bonsai? Around £2,500.

So it pays to take care.