The Garden Festival’s Creative Director Gabrielle Jackson takes a look back at the first five years… Flags are fluttering, “Cataclews” in their flowery hats are playing jaunty music, the Castle courtyard is crowded with amazing plants, delicious scent of coffee in the air…Toby and I are nervously waiting by the Castle gatehouse. It is 2 …
In 2018 we’re launching a campaign to secure the future of the iconic M5 willow man who strides alongside the motorway near junction 23 at Bridgwater. Created by artist Serena de la Hey in 2000 as part of The Year of the Artist the willow man was conceived as a temporary structure and now nearly …
BBC Radio Devon presenter Toby Buckland’s annual Garden Festival returns to Powderham Castle near Exeter for its fifth year this April, bringing with it a host of West Country flower growers, talented designers and makers, local bakers and horticultural experts from the world of TV gardening. Located in and around the stunning deer park location …
Although usually too small to see with the naked eye, pollen grains are incredibly important providing the means for plants to reproduce themselves and food for insects. Pollen contains the male reproductive cells of flowering plants and provide protein for the larvae of the many insects which convey them. As well as insects and mammals, …
Devon’s largest recycler of green materials, Coastal Recycling, is launching their new compost, Coastal Organics, at Toby’s Garden Festival on 27th and 28th April. The new compost is made entirely from garden waste sourced from the county’s household recycling centres. In a two-phase process that takes up to six months, gardeners’ unwanted grass clippings and …
Dr Ian Bedford, Head of Entomology at the John Innes Centre explains what we can do to make our gardens a better place for these delicate insects Butterflies are one of the most fascinating insects to see and a welcome visitor to our gardens. However, their numbers are sadly in decline and they need our …
How Toby’s Garden Festival is sponsoring community art project TRAIL’s Pollinator Sculpture Award 2018 and how you can help reduce the use of plastic straws by Trail’s Rose Bailey TRAIL is having an exciting start to 2018 and this year’s Sculpture Trail and other environmental awareness activities, look to be bigger and better than ever! …
Did you know that apple trees aren’t grown from pips? Kevin Croucher, owner of the award-winning Devon tree nursery, Thornhayes, explains the art of apple tree grafting… If you were to sneak a peek in Kevin Croucher’s nursery fridge, instead of the usual pints of milk and veg in the crisper drawer, you’d find packs …
Ever wondered how the professional stilt walkers who entertain us at Toby’s Garden Festival manage not to fall over? Our flower-bedecked Festival friends Abi and Star – aka The Higher Beings – reveal all… How long have you been stilt walking and how did you get into it? Abi – I got my first pair …
John Challis, the actor and author best known for playing Boycie in the BBC’s most successful ever sitcom Only Fools and Horses is to speak at Toby’s Garden Festival in April 2018. Keen gardener John will be at the two-day garden fiesta on 27th and 28th April at Powderham Castle signing copies of his book, …
