Gloucestershire Echo

Bloomin’ marvellous Spring festival puts change centre stage

- Lewis CLARKE lewis.clarke@reachplc.com

IF you are looking for a way to spruce up your home, your garden, or your taste buds, then you won’t want to miss the RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2024.

This four-day extravagan­za of plants, food, and fun is back with something for everyone at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern from May 9-12.

As part of the 2024 festival theme, ‘Gardening for Change,’ a new Festival of Houseplant­s - in collaborat­ion with Green Rooms Market - will enable visitors to step into a world of indoor greenery and contempora­ry horticultu­ral wonders in the newly built Kildare Hall. This dedicated space will be a treasure trove of indoor plants, curated by some of the UK’S finest botanical businesses, with experts and wellknown social media influencer­s on hand to provide advice and guidance when choosing plants or understand­ing how to care for them. Expect vibrant botanical displays from muchloved classics to rare and exotic specimens, engaging workshops and an abundance of shopping opportunit­ies.

Another new feature for this year’s festival is the Kitchen Garden Theatre, designed by Stonebarn Landscapes. This new, immersive theatre experience will offer visitors the chance to sit within a kitchen garden while watching live cooking demonstrat­ions from a range of chefs and food producers. Expect lots of expert tips, clever ideas and inspiratio­n on cooking with homegrown ingredient­s.

Visitors can also tuck into breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea at the new ‘Garden Shed’ dining experience, looking out over the view of the Malvern Hills. These new dining sheds can accommodat­e between two and six people, with set menus featuring freshly prepared dishes such as slow cooked Worcesters­hire lamb (or jackfruit) served on flatbreads with a fresh herb salad, lemon posset dessert and homemade cakes.

Pre-booking is essential and available at: https://www.rhsmalvern.co.uk/ whats-on/food-and-drink/

The Bluebell Bistro (a new addition to the 2023 festival) will return for 2024 and will be offering guests new breakfast and afternoon tea options, in addition to its lunch menu.

A new ‘Taster Ticket’ has been introduced for 2024, offering a chance to experience a first glimpse into the show. Priced at £15, the Taster Ticket welcomes visitors into the showground from 2pm on Saturday May 11. Suited to those looking to visit the show for the first time, families looking for a fun afternoon out, or anyone wanting to do some dedicated plant shopping to liven up their own green spaces.

Plans for the much-anticipate­d RHS Malvern Spring Festival show and feature gardens - the first of the year’s floral show season - are well underway, with details to be revealed in February.

Organisers say that this year will include a brand-new experienti­al feature garden from RHS gold award-winning designer, Jamie Langlands, who was awarded the coveted prize in 2023 for his ‘The Wildlife Trusts: Wilder Spaces’ garden. Jamie’s unique 2024 feature garden will be unlike anything the festival has seen before.

As sustainabi­lity forms a key part of 2024’s ‘Gardening for Change’ festival theme, the pot amnesty will make a return to this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival. Visitors can opt to take any purchases home in a compostabl­e/ plantable pot, rather than a plastic one (which will be recycled after the festival), with free pot swapping stations dotted throughout the showground.

Following success last year, the Tips & Tricks area will return with advice, upcycling and cost-saving tips from experts. The Floral Marquee, alongside the Plant Village and Pavilions, will return fully stocked.

The Festival Theatre will once again feature a line-up of expert horticultu­ralists and TV gardening personalit­ies, and there will be family fun for all ages in the Discovery Zone, with arts and crafts sessions, science-based activities, workshops and entertainm­ent.

Tickets for the RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2024 start from £26 (with under 16s free of charge) and can be bought via https://www.rhsmalvern.co.uk/

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 ?? Pictures: Mikal Ludlow Photograph­y ?? RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2023
Pictures: Mikal Ludlow Photograph­y RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2023

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