RHS Show Cardiff highlight of first National Gardening Week

30th January 2012

In the grey of January thoughts turn to the colours of spring, and where better to find them than the RHS Show Cardiff April 20-22. Tickets are now on sale (www.rhs.org.uk/cardiff) for this first Royal Horticultural Society show of the season set in the splendid parklands of Cardiff Castle at the heart of the Welsh capital, where last year record crowds turned out to enjoy the best of the spring blooms and to seek inspiration for the gardening season ahead.

This year’s event provides the finale to the first ever National Gardening Week, the RHS bid to get the nation growing, and the show will be used to launch a new Campaign for School Gardening initiative to get the kids out there with their forks. The Cardiff show is already a big hit with youngsters through its Schools Wheelbarrow Competition, which once again will showcase the imaginative planting and creative horticultural talents of pupils from some 70 schools in South Wales.

Groundwork and the RHS have teamed up to shout about the enormous importance gardening and green space have in reviving urban communities. Landscape designer and broadcaster, Chris Beardshaw is creating show features, sponsored by M&S, at every show this season, starting with Cardiff. Chris has been visiting community gardens in Merthyr and Cardiff for inspiration and has met some of the people who volunteer their time to create and maintain an ‘Urban Oasis’ for local people to enjoy.

There will also be show gardens from Wales’ leading designers, including two times Best in Show winner Gaynor Witchard who embarked on a garden design career after tasting success at the show. This will be the eighth RHS show in Cardiff, delivered though a partnership between Cardiff Council and the Royal Horticultural Society, and organisers are delighted with its growing popularity. RHS Shows Director Stephen Bennett said: “We’ve had glorious April sunshine for a couple of years and that has attracted bumper crowds to this beautiful park for a show of the highest quality.”

The event features over 50 floral exhibitors from across the country, amongst them Ron Scamp whose Quality Daffodils won the Best Floral Exhibitor for the sixth year running at last year’s event. Ron said: “Last year was the best Cardiff show so far. The ambience created that weekend was unsurpassed by any other show that we do, everyone seemed to be having a great time, enjoying the excellent quality of plants available.”

Highlights of the RHS Show Cardiff include:

Show gardens
Talks, demonstrations and expert advice from some well-known gardening names
Floral marquees & Plant Plaza
Schools Wheelbarrow competition
Garden furniture and equipment
Craft Village
Cafe Quarter
Food Hall
Nature trails
Street entertainers
Live music on the bandstand

Cardiff Council Executive Member for Sport Leisure and Culture, Councillor Nigel Howells said: “The RHS Show has grown into one of our outstanding Cardiff events, attracting gardening fans and casual visitors from far afield. It’s great that the show is a feature of the first ever National Gardening Week.”

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