Toby Buckland's Garden Festival line-up announced

Toby Buckland, horticulturalist, writer and TV presenter is pleased to announce the line-up for his 2016 Garden Festival at Powderham Castle, near Exeter.

The festival will take place over two days, Friday 29th April and Saturday 30th April, 10am-5pm

This year’s fluorescent Festival line up provides well dug gardening expertise along with pots of entertainment.

Toby Buckland, Festival MC, a twinkle in the eye and a merry horticultural quip at the ready, whose ambition is to sail a garden shed down the River Exe. His career has taken him from Devon nurseryman, to professional gardener and on to presenting numerous TV shows, including BBC Gardeners’ World and the Chelsea Flowershow while still finding time to write gardening columns, run his plant centre and work on garden design projects.

“I’m delighted that my favourite, top-rated gardeners and friends are going to be together under one ‘canvas’ roof sharing their extensive horticultural knowledge in the most entertaining way,” says Toby.

“This was always my vision for the festival, an alternative to the more formal shows with great nurseries and plant expertise at the heart. It's a celebration of what is good in gardening in Devon with added fun: live music, arts and crafts, theatricals, delicious food and drink.”

Joe Swift
RHS Gold Medal winning designer, presenter of BBC Gardeners’ World and Times columnist, but did you know he’s part of a Youtube hit comedy trio “Three Men Went to Mow”, plays bass guitar, is a lifelong Arsenal fan, and when he gets the chance enjoys fishing and golf. He says along with gardening these provide perfect retirement pursuits – not that he is ready to do that just yet with many new design projects on his horizon.

Christine Walkden
One of Britain’s busiest gardeners and regular contributor on Gardeners Question Time and the BBC One Show, she’s recently informed and amused us on the Antique Road Trip and somehow also manages writing, speaking, consultancies, and is patron of her local hospice. Her forthright manner about gardens and gardeners keeps her audiences rocking with laughter.

Jim Buttress
Raconteur extraordinary, RHS judge and winner of the Queen Victoria Medal, exSuperintendent of the Royal Parks, keeps all laughing with stories of his gardening exploits. From his early days as a naughty convent schoolboy sent as punishment to join the gardener, to tales of encounters with HM the Queen and corgis via judging the Bahrain Flower Show, Jim keeps them coming and now has yet another career as a popular after dinner speaker.

“Good things come in small packages,” says Toby.  And with clever design and the right choice of plants small gardens can be very beautiful indeed.  And this year’s festival is all about showing and empowering gardeners to make the most of their plots whatever the size.”

Joe Swift takes up the theme with his discussions on design and planning and Christine will be concentrating on getting the best from your plants from seed to soil.

The popular Q&A’s are back, packed with useful information and added hilarity, not to be missed, plus many talks from lesser-famed but highly knowledgeable gardening aficionados.

The main speakers tent is supplemented by ‘Kitchen Cuttings’ talks held in the Victorian Kitchen in the heart of the castle - gripping slots filled with gardening ephemera from a talk on Devon’s first tea plantation to taking advantage of global warming by planting your own olive grove, or creating your own urban jungle.

Our choice of hand-picked specialist nurseries means you can get instant answers to your garden questions direct from the people who have spent a lifetime devoting themselves to raising plants and get insider tips on everything from sowing seeds to the luscious ornamental Strawberry Tree.

Go along and celebrate some of the West Country’s finest nurseries with a packed programme of talks, demos, and plenty of gardening inspiration for all.