Jack Dunckley's garden takes visitors on a tour through British history

JOIN the Malvern Gazette & Ledbury Reporter as it presents live coverage of one of the UK's leading gardening shows from 10.30am on Thursday, May 8.

Pictures from the show can be accessed by clicking the 'related links' below.

4.32pm: Nearing the end of the second day, the show has been called a great success by Three Counties spokesperson Sharon Gilbert.

She said: "Judging by how it's been looking we're going to at least equal last year's visitor numbers.

"We are really delighted with the quality of this year's show particularly because we had such a cold spring.

"People are having a lovely time, sitting on the bank enjoying the music and looking at the all the exhibits.

"We're really pleased at how it's turned out."

3.10: The president of the Three Counties Agricultural Society, Lord Apsley, is busy meeting the exhibitors at this year's show.

He said: "This is the first opportunity we have had to meet everyone."

Lord Apsley and his wife Lady Apsley are particularly looking forward to seeing the Downs School's award winning garden.

Lord Apsley said: "I keep on seeing the steam from the miniture train but haven't got around to looking at it properly yet."

2.50pm: Will Leaper and Bridget Evans are manning the organic tent and are definately pleased with how the principles have caught on over the past decade.

Will said: "This was the first representation of organic gardening at a major horticultual show in the UK.

"It has definately grown."

1.47pm: Sustainablity is the buzz word for garden designer Alex Bell.

Alex, from Sussex, created a garden called Moel Bryn - the old Celtic word for Malvern - usingvegetables and ornamental planting alongside provides an inspirational example of how sustainable principles can be applied to everyone's garden.

Alex said: "Malvern is a lovely setting to be building a garden.

"We won a silver award, which is quite an achievement."

12.27pm: Show garden designer, Jack Dunckley, aged 15, has created a colourful garden representing a walk through British history.

Starting in the Bronze Age with arid plants, as visitors progress around the garden they move into the Tudor and Elizabethan periods.

Next stop is a segment representing both world wars, before an exotic-plant filled area to represent colonialism.

Jack, from Albourne, West Susex, said: "I wanted to use lots of different styles of planting in one space and this was the one way I could do it."

"I've been interested in gardens from the age of four or five when I used to ride around on the front of my dad's lawn mower."

Jack wants to be a landscape gardener and is going the right way about it after being awarded the chance to create gardens at Malvern and the Hampton Court show.

11.30am: Caroline Livingston has travelled from Beaconsfield to see the Malvern Spring Gardening Show for the first time.

She said: "It's delightful. So far I'm amazed b y the extent of it. I imagined something much smaller.

"I go to quite a few garden shows and I think this is a close second to the RHS show in Chelsea."

Friday, May 9, 10.28pm: It's the second day of the show and already noticeably busier.

Visitors are wasting no time in investigating the huge array of ehibits.

4.45pm: The Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship has been announced and Colwall hopeful, Mark Eveleigh, narrowly missed out for his entry with the Downs School.

Chris said: "Mark's garden was a beautiful piece of work and very enterprising."

3.25pm: The Chicago Teddybears Society Jazz Band has taken to the stage and are getting feet tapping with their brass-heavy renditions of old-time classics.

Trombones, trumpets and a double bass fill the air to complement the fine weather and put a smile on visitors' faces.

2.19pm: Stalls selling everything from hammocks to handbags can be found on site.

Michelle Parker is an artist blacksmith and her large metallic garden ornaments seem to be a hit.

Michelle, from Droitwich, has a working blacksmiths next to her stall, with hammers bashing away on anvils to bring the designs to life.

She said: "I've been here for 16 years now. It's a brilliant show. The people are lovely, the staff are fantastic and I love the ground itself."

12.52pm: Malvern Floral Marquee is buzzing with green fingered enthusiasts.

The tent is rammed with colourful displays featuring native and exotic flowers and plants.

Morris and Carolyn Arnold, from Solihull, have had their eyes caught by numerous sweet smelling flowers.

Morris said: "We have spent an hour and a half in the floral marquee already.

"We've got about three bags full of plants and we haven't even been the whole way round."

11.35am: The show is in full swing with jazz bands entertaining the crowds an the sun shining.

Exhibitor Neil Lossock is displaying his giant metal and wood dragon scultures.

Neil from Stoke Lacy, near Bromyard, has attended the show for years with his company Dragonswoodforge.

He said: "Interest is mixed from people, but you can sometimes get the phones ringing when you get home.

"The deragons are quite a big draw. They certainly stand out."

10.24am: Crowds are already flocking to see the many vibrant exhibits at this year's show.

The competition gardens are all looking ther green best, with an interesting addition from the Boys in Blue.

West Mercia Police has created a real 'blast from the past' to celebrate their 40th birthday.

Their garden, created with Adcote School, in Shropshire, sows a police station in 1967 and one in 2008.

West Mercia spokesman, Stephen Grundy, said: "We have been doing a number of ommunity events to get out in the public eye.

"This garden looks at how life has changed oan policing has changed since 1967.

"The first garden shows the style of garden in th 1960s, whle the second one brings it right back to the present."

11:29am Friday 9th May 2008

Related Links

Malvern Spring Gardening Show pictures

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