ABOUT 100,000 visitors are expected to converge on Malvern’s Three Counties Showground over the next four days for the first major horticultural event of the year.

Malvern Spring Gardening Show, which opens today, can trace its roots to a small weekend regional flower show in 1986 but has now blossomed into a televised international occasion.

A joint venture between the Royal Horticultural Society and the Three Counties Agricultural Society, it features a host of celebrity gardeners, stunning gardens, fabulous blooms and hundreds of tradestands.

Sharon Gilbert, spokesman for the showground, said: “The Spring Gardening Show continues to go from strength to strength.

“Not only does it now attract gardening enthusiasts from all over the country, but we are welcoming more international visitors, exhibitors and media each year.”

As always, centrepiece of the show is the magnificent RHS floral marquee which features displays from 100 of the finest nurseries from around the UK and abroad, while among the new attractions this year will be a ‘Garden In Harmony’ Theatre, a ‘Landscaping Live’ demonstration area, and an olive grove garden.

The Country Living Pavilion, with superb shopping, is at Malvern for the first time.

There are 31 gardens, including a Tudor-style parterre, an eco-friendly shepherd’s garden and a vertical rock garden inspired by a fusion of Chinese and Japanese art.

Included in the show gardens are 11 imaginative creations, courtesy of candidates in the Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship, sponsored by Bradstone.

2011 is the International Year of Chemistry and the Scholarship gardens have ‘atom’ as their theme.

Theatre host, television gardener James Alexander-Sinclair, will welcome Matthew Wilson (Landscape Man, Channel 4), Mike Dilger (Springwatch, BBC’s The One Show), Queen of Herbs Jekka McVicar, and Worcestershire’s eco-gardener Brigit Strawbridge.

They will be joined by Joe Swift, Chris Beardshaw and Kim Hurst in the Inflight and Companion gardens.

Other highlights of the show – which features in tomorrow night’s Gardeners’ World programme on BBC2 – include an eco home and garden area, with a specially designed shepherd’s garden, the world’s smallest cinema run on solar power, and plenty of advice on everything from green roofing, organic gardening, and water saving, an artisan food and crafts market and Britain’s biggest floral art display.

• For pictures and reports see your Worcester News tomorrow.