Brainchild of Paul Jupp from Meadow in My Garden and soil health Guru Eddie Bailey from the RhizoPhyllia School of Gardening, the Soil Health Lab is a new focus for all gardeners keen to look after Nature and the soil.

The knowledgeable duo are running free hands-on workshops, showing how to choose the right wildflower seeds for your soil and sharing the latest thinking sowing, ground preparation and no-dig gardening.

Interactive displays including powerful microscopes give visitors a glimpse of the micro-life that lives in the soil below our feet.

Toby says ‘It’s an amazing attraction, and as every good gardener knows, if you encourage beneficial soil-life to thrive your plants will be healthier and happier too.’

The Lab is a Festival First and is located on the North Lawn near the Main Speakers Marquee. An ‘unmissable’, to add to your Fest ‘to-do’ list!

Meadow in my Garden is is all about promoting a better understanding of plant communities – helping gardener’s find the right seed mix for their situation (function, aesthetic, soil type, aspect etc). As a not-for-profit community interest company, they have been promoting flower meadow creation in gardens and public green spaces for over ten years and their recent work with Eddie Bailey brings new insights and a fresh perspective to the fascinating relationships between plants and micro-organisms.

RhizoPhyllia‘s mission is to teach new insights and a fresh perspective of gardening, so gardeners can grow nutrient-rich food and connect with nature. Eddie is a geologist with a passion for the importance of soil and a keen interest in new thinking about it’s care and cultivation. Eddie and partner Harry set up the RhizoPhyllia School of Gardeing in 2022 and run workshops that help gardeners understand and harness the soil food web. They have since taken their work on the road winning Retail Innovation award for the educational workshops they showcased at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2023.