v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v Page 72 • The HERALD • 24th April 2025 FAWLEY GARAGE MOTs/Repairs/Tyres Diagnostics/Servicing Call Now for your Free No Obligation Quote 023 80891057/023 8089 0552 Email: accounts.fg@btconnect.com AUTOPAT A Family Business Established since 1982 PROMPT & EFFICIENT v Servicing v Mechanical Repairs v MOT’s - Petrol & Diesel v Air Conditioning Service Unit 3, Hardley Ind. Est., Hythe 023 8084 0163 BLACKFIELD GARAGE SERVICES LTD Tel: (023) 8089 3146 MOT’s AND SERVICING, ACCIDENT REPAIRS, INSURANCE AND PRIVATE WORK FREE ESTIMATES EXHAUSTS AND BATTERIES ETC All makes and models of vehicle Courtesy cars available Members of the Retail Motor Industry Federation Blackfield Crossroads, Blackfield BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair is Back at Warm, sunny days have been ordered as the countdown begins to this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair. is annual celebration of seasonal gardening, growing, food and drink returns to Beaulieu, from 2nd–4th May. Keen gardeners, aspiring good-lifers, food lovers and holidaymakers alike ock to Beaulieu in their thousands for garden inspiration and ideas to take home, new plants, tasty food and drink, and a great day out. ere’s a bumper crop of new surprises to mark the popular event’s h anniversary. Headline sponsor Hillier’s large, woodland-themed feature garden takes centre stage and is sure to inspire. A colourful herbaceous display sets the scene, with stepping stones leading through so pastel planting to a sun-drenched gravel garden and stream. Moving into cool shade, the garden transitions into a woodland display with tall tree ferns, deep greenery and mature trees. e Hillier Experience o ers plant information a-plenty, 1:1 advice pods, a large shop and new plant launches. Charles Carr, Hillier’s Head of Wholesale Nurseries, will be sharing expert plant advice at the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Stage and Subscriber Club Lounge. e BBC Gardeners’ World campaign for 2025 is Make a Metre Matter. Supported by BBC Two’s Gardeners’ World TV series, the Magazine, events and digital platforms, Make a Metre Matter encourages gardeners to transform a metre of outdoor space to support wildlife, biodiversity and edible plants. Multi award-winning garden designer, Pip Probert, from BBC Two’s Your Garden Made Perfect will create an exciting collection of metres for the Spring Fair, all designed to inspire visitors to make their own small but meaningful changes for the good of the planet. Gardeners across the UK are invited to join the campaign by creating their own special metres and sharing their designs. A selection will feature in a special edition of BBC Gardeners’ World on 13th June, recorded at BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC Birmingham. New for 2025 is e Spring Table, an eye-catching space for seasonal food, drink and tablescaping inspiration, hosted by BBC food broadcaster, Chris Bavin. Luke Holder, chef director at the New Forest’s ve-star Lime Wood Hotel will be sharing delicious, no-cook dishes. Mixologists from e Pig will be preparing plant-based tipples at ‘make and taste’ cocktail masterclasses. Mushroom-growing experts, Lorraine and Jodie Caley from Caley Brothers, will be showing how to make pickled mushrooms for a delicious addition to antipasti platters or charcuterie boards. Floral designer, Jordan Weston ( e Bearded Botanist), will be introducing the elegant art of Ikebana ower arranging. Pre-book an exclusive seat or drop by to watch and learn. Carol Klein will make her Spring Fair debut this year. e BBC Gardeners’ World presenter will be live at the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Stage on Saturday and Sunday, sharing seasonal gardening advice and chatting about the Make a Metre Matter campaign with the Magazine’s editors. Adam Frost will be Friday’s guest presenter and Arit Anderson joins the fun on Saturday. Adam Frost, Carol Klein and Spring Fair Plant Expert, Lucy Chamberlain, will be signing copies of their books each day. ere’s more garden gossip to be had at the exciting new ‘In Conversation With’ Stage sponsored by egg, Cracking Energy, hosted by garden podcaster and writer, Adam Kirtland (@viewfromthepottingbench). is informal, drop-in stage features a daily programme of relaxed chats with acclaimed horticulturalists and gardening personalities. Guests including August Bernstein ( e Raymond Blanc Gardening School), Jason Williams (Cloud Gardener UK) and KellyJane Leach (@dirtygardgarden.with.kimenhoe) who will be discussing life in and out of the garden. e the Spring Fair’s inspiring show gardens, plants and specialist nurseries. For visitors wanting to get hands-on, learn something new or develop their skills, there’s a packed daily programme of hands-on workshops. New additions this year are Willow weaving workshops and Forging demonstrations with Dingle Forge. All workshops are bookable. Spring oristry fans will also nd free, daily tablescaping demonstrations at Beaulieu’s Palace House. is year’s new Arena highlights are the New Forest Tractor and Engine Club’s collection of vintage Land Rovers, tractors and mini steam engines, and the Beaulieu-based Countryside Education Trust, celebrating its 50th anniversary with coppicing workshops and some four-legged friends. For younger visitors, there are daily falconry displays on the Palace House lawn, and the Little Beaulieu adventure playground, Monorail Skytrain and woodland walks to explore. With its impressive Showcase Gardens, College Gardens and Beautiful Borders, the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair is bursting with achievable ideas for outdoor spaces big and small. e Showcase Gardens include e Lighthouse Community Garden designed by Poole-based Matt Evans from e Garden Room Living & Landscape Design Studio, in association with Elliots. Salisbury-based designer David Long’s creation, From Darkness to Daylight, portrays a journey of imposter syndrome, from selfdoubt to being ‘good enough’. roughout the weekend, Spring Fair Plant Experts Lucy Chamberlain, Saul Walker, Bob Sweet and Beaulieu Head Gardener, Kelvin Yapp, will be hosting guided tours of Beaulieu’s Victorian Walled Kitchen Gardens and Ornamental Gardens (bookable). ere are drop-in tours of the Abbey Cloisters Herb Garden with the Beaulieu garden team too. e Spring Fair’s Beautiful Borders competition features a collection of mini show gardens by local garden designers, charities and community groups. e competition is designed to spark ideas for small gardens and tricky spaces, with every entry packed with clever design features, colour and planting. Carol Klein Adam Frost ‘In Conversation With’ Stage is surrounded by Continued on page 73
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