Special Guests

Alan Titchmarsh CBE

Festival Theatre

Alan will be be talking about The Rhythm of the Seasons: Gardening as a Way of Life.

About Alan
Gardener, writer, novelist and television and radio presenter.

Monty Don OBE

Festival Theatre

Monty will be joining us to share insights on British Gardens: A Celebration and A Year at Longmeadow. He will also treat audiences to signings of his book – British Gardens which he co-authored with Derry Moore.

About Monty
Monty Don O.B.E. is the UK’s leading garden writer and broadcaster. He has been making television programmes for over twenty years on a range of topics, spanning travel, craft, outdoor living and, principally, gardening. He has been lead presenter of the BBC’s Gardener’s World since 2003 and since 2011 the programme has come from his own garden, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire. Monty has also made acclaimed prime time series such as Around the World in 80 Gardens, Monty Don’s Italian Gardens, Monty Don’s French Gardens, The Secret History of the British Garden, Monty Don’s Paradise Gardens & three series of Big Dreams, Small Spaces.

Born in 1955, Monty grew up in Hampshire where he gardened with his family from a young age, and was educated at a variety of schools followed by Magdalene College, Cambridge. From the early 1980s, Monty and his wife Sarah set up and ran a fashion jewellery business which enjoyed considerable success, but closed in 1990 just as Monty’s television and writing career was taking off.

A prolific horticultural journalist, Monty Don was the Observer’s gardening editor from 1994 until 2006. He now contributes a regular column for the Daily Mail and Gardeners’ World Magazine. Monty’s numerous books include the bestselling Fork to Fork, The Jewel Garden (both with Sarah Don), Around the World in 80 Gardens, The Complete Gardener, The Ivington Diaries, The Road to Le Tholonet, and his latest bestsellers Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs and Down to Earth. Monty’s most recent book, Paradise Gardens, like Great Gardens of Italy, was created with the acclaimed photographer Derry Moore. Monty believes in the value of communities of all kinds (schools, families, and rehabilitation projects) working together through an understanding and love of the land, and supports several good causes along these lines. Monty is a committed organic gardener, and was for many years the President of the Soil Association. Monty appears live in public at key literary and gardening events through the year. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire in H.M. The Queen’s Birthday Honours, 8 June 2018.

Dame Mary Berry

Festival Theatre

Mary will be talking to Alan Titchmarsh CBE about her brand new book, ‘My Gardening Life’, followed by a book signing.

About Dame Mary
Bestselling cookery writer and TV star cook, Dame Mary has written over 80 cookbooks, including the classic Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook (DK, 2017) which has sold over 1.5 million copies internationally.
Her career began when she developed a passion for domestic science at school and she went on to train at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. Later becoming a magazine cookery editor before publishing her first cookery book in 1966.
In 2009, Mary was awarded the highly coveted Guild of Food Writers Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2012 she was made a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
In 2020, Mary received the honour of Damehood in the Queen’s birthday honours. She has been an Ambassador for the Royal Horticultural Society since 2014 and is President Emeritus of the National Garden Scheme.

Adam Frost

Festival Theatre

Adam will be sharing his expert insight in two inspiring sessions: Creating Spaces that Make You Feel Good and The Joy of Spring Planting: What to Do Now.

About Adam
Adam is an award-winning British Garden Designer and presenter on Gardeners’ World (BBC2). He regularly presents the BBC’s coverage of multiple RHS Flower Shows and has featured on The One Show and DIY SOS (BBC 1), The Alan Titchmarsh Show (ITV).

In 2016 he won ‘Best New Talent’ at the RTS West Awards. Since 2007, Adam has amassed 7 gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He regularly lectures on a wide range of horticultural topics, both nationally and internationally and is a regular contributor to Gardeners’ World and other horticultural magazines.

Adam’s first book Real Gardens was published in 2015, followed three years later by How to Create your Garden. In March 2022 he published The Creative Gardener, an incredibly personal book of garden projects created during lockdown. Autumn 2022 saw his first Gardener’s World tie in book published – How I Garden.

Adam is trained in horticulture and landscape design and began his professional career in the mid-1980’s with an apprenticeship at the North Devon Parks Department. Adam later moved to Rutland where he began working with Geoff Hamilton at Barnsdale Gardens where he helped design and create many of the 38 small gardens which are still on show to the public today.

In 2014 Adam set up The Homebase Garden Academy with the specific aim of helping Britain’s next generation of horticulture students kick-start their careers, by teaching them about garden design and landscaping. As well as running his own garden design and landscape business he also sits on the board for the Horticulture Trades Association, is an RHS Ambassador and until 2022 he ran The Adam Frost Garden School where he hosted masterclasses on design and other gardening courses.

Frances Tophill

Festival Theatre

Frances will bring her thoughtful, ecology‑led approach to two inspiring sessions: Edible, Useful, Beautiful – Rethinking the Productive Garden and Creating a Garden that Gives Back. She will also be signing copies of her books after her talks:
A wildflower year
Rewild your garden
How to grow a garden
The modern gardener

About Francis
Frances is a gardener, author, conservationist and broadcaster. With a passion for plants and gardening, both functional growing of herbs and vegetables, and ornamental gardening she brings enthusiasm and joy to an audience of keen and new gardeners.

Sue Kent

Festival Theatre

Sue will share her Garden Notes and dives into Dig, Grow, Eat: Conversations from the Vegetable Garden. She will also be signing her books after her talks.

About Sue
Sue Kent is a television presenter for BBC2 Gardener’s World, an RHS Ambassador and an RHS and Gardener’s World Live garden design medal winner. This year she is one of the design team for BBC Garden Rescue

Sue is a hugely engaging presenter with real star quality. Her live events are engaging, interesting, fun and informative. She comes at gardening from an angle new to many of us but that is also completely relatable. She connects immediately with the audience through her infectious enthusiasm for the subject and her zest for life.

Jonathan Moseley

Festival Theatre, Kitchen Theatre & Potting Shed Theatre

Jonathan, will be hosting daily demonstrations and sharing his expertise in all things floristry. His sessions are not to be missed!

About Jonathan
Celebrity florist with over 35 years experience. Jonathan is one of the UK’s most celebrated floral designers and is a keen ambassador for seasonal British grown flowers. He grows a wide variety of flowers and foliage’s in his garden in Derbyshire and is a keen and knowledgeable horticulturalist . Jonathan aims to demystify the art of arranging flowers and is keen to encourage everyone to benefit from the mindfulness and wellbeing that being creative with natural materials brings. Jonathan appears regularly on ITV’s Love Your weekend and has a flower school based in Derbyshire.

August Beth

Festival Theatre & Kitchen Theatre

August will be sharing her knowledge and experience on growing vegetables with audiences at this year’s Festival during the following sessions:

*Talk Topic: The Productive & Beautiful Kitchen Garden
*The Heritage Seed Library: The Importance of Seed Saving & the History of Vegetables
*Demo: Vegetable Seeds to Sow This Month

About August
August is Head of the Raymond Blanc Gardening School at the two Michelin star Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Teaching guests how to grow food and beautiful gardens. She also shares her passion for plants on her instagram @augusts_garden

Jamie Langlands

Festival Theatre

Jamie returns to the Festival as a speaker, sharing insights from his RHS garden design journey.

About Jamie
Award-winning designer & RHS Malvern Mentor, Jamie returns to the Festival as a speaker, sharing insights from his RHS garden design journey.

Jamie Butterworth

Festival Theatre

Jamie will be bringing his expertise on choosing plants for your garden and signing copies of his book, What Grows Together.

About Jamie
Jamie Butterworth is one of the UK’s leading plant experts, a Sunday Times best-selling author, gardening broadcaster and founder of Form Plants Ltd.

Photo credit: Ollie Dixon

Nicki Chapman (Host)

Festival Theatre

Nicki will be welcoming our special guests onto the Festival Theatre stage each day. She’ll also be signing copies of her book, ‘So tell me what you want’.

About Nicki
Nicki Chapman is an accomplished TV presenter and broadcaster. She is the face of the nation’s favourite Escape To The Country and it’s two spin-offs, I Escape To The Country and more recently Celebrity Escape To The Country for BBC1. She has become a mainstay of the BBC presenting team, having been a central figure during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show since 2006. As of January 2025, Nicki joined the Magic Radio presenting team and hosts the iconic Mellow Magic every Monday to Thursday.

In the summer of 2024, Nicki’s memoir, So Tell Me What You Want, published by Little, Brown and Hachette, became an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller and was praised for lifting the lid on her fascinating career in the nineties and noughties music scene where she was one of the most influential music publicists overseeing the career of music giants such as The Spice Girls, Prince, Take That, Amy Winehouse and David Bowie to name a few.

Nicki often sat in at BBC Radio 2 for Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show, Michael Ball’s Sunday Love Songs and Romesh Ranganathan’s Saturday Show as well as presenting three documentaries for the station: The Fuller Picture (an in-depth interview with Simon Fuller), Here We Come – The Monkees at 50 and Let’s Abba Party.

Highlights of Nicki’s career range from being chosen to take part in BBC1’s Sport Relief showjumping programming Only Fools On Horses (eventually coming second), partnering with Christopher Biggins on Let’s Dance For Comic Relief and reuniting with her ex-Pop Idol judges Pete Waterman and Neil Fox to show her comedic side on Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got The Pop Factor. She was also the host of the long running BBC One hit Wanted Down Under as well as it’s follow-up show Wanted Down Under Revisited. In 2024, Nicki hosted the first series of Midsomer Murders Mayhem, the official podcast dedicated to the beloved and best-selling crime drama series.

Delving back into her music roots, Nicki has produced and presented Channel 5’s The Shocking Truth about Talent Shows and The Great Garden Challenge. Her other documentary presenting credits include Operation People Power, Britain’s Home Truths and Holding Back The Years, all for the BBC. She also created and presented the hit podcast Talking Success, where she interviewed some of the biggest names in the media and the arts.

In addition to her television and radio duties, Nicki is a much sought after event host and speaker, having previously hosted at The First Time Buyer Awards, The European Diversity Awards, Malvern Autumn Show and BBC Gardeners’ World Live.

After growing up in Kent plus a stint travelling around Australia, Nicki started her career in the music industry by joining MCA Records as a Promotions Assistant at the age of 20. She quickly progressed, becoming one of the youngest and most successful publicists in the music sector. Three years later, she moved to RCA Records as Head of TV Promotions where she formed a long-time association with Simon Cowell.

From 1995 to 2000, she was a joint partner in the Brilliant! PR Company which launched and/or represented artists including The Spice Girls, Annie Lennox, Charlotte Church, Take That, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Billie Piper, David Bowie, Van Morrison, S Club 7 and Amy Winehouse, as well as providing the PR for the BRIT Awards, various West End Shows and Channel 4’s hit series The Big Breakfast.

It was during this time Nicki was approached by ITV to appear as a judge on the then brand new entertainment show Popstars which proved an instant hit, with winning group Hear’say going on to sell over a million copies of their first single.

Having met with Simon Fuller in the nineties, Nicki joined his management company 19 Entertainment in January 2001 as Creative Director, working with artists and personalities such as David and Victoria Beckham, Will Young and Carrie Underwood.

Nicki continued her TV career on the new ITV/19 Entertainment show Pop Idol alongside fellow judges Pete Waterman and Neil Fox, reuniting with Simon Cowell for a show that regularly had over 10 million viewers per episode and changed the face of Saturday night entertainment.

Nicki is a proud Ambassador for British Dressage and a keen and active supporter of Teenage Cancer Trust, Childline and Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy.  After successful brain surgery in 2019, Nicki is now a passionate Ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity.

Martin & Jill Fish (Hosts)

Potting Shed Theatre

Potting Shed Theatre duo Martin and Jill will return to this year’s Festival to share their expertise and host guest speakers.

About Martin and Jill
Martin and Jill have been working together at shows for several years on the Potting Shed stage. Martin is an experienced gardener and passes on his knowledge through practical demonstrations, writing and broadcasting work. He is an RHS judge and chairs the RHS Tender Ornamental Expert Group. Jill is an experienced gardener and home cook and loves cooking with fresh produce grown in their Lincolnshire garden. Jill regularly shares her seasonal recipes in magazine features and on the Pots & Trowels podcast.

Raymond Blanc OBE

Festival Theatre & Kitchen Theatre

Raymond will be sharing his knowledge with theatre audiences. He will also be signing his book, Simply Raymond: Kitchen Garden – Seasonal Recipes from My Place to Yours after his talks.

About Raymond
Raymond Blanc OBE is a culinary icon renowned for his exceptional talent, innovation, and unwavering dedication to the art of French cuisine.

Born in Besançon, France, Blanc’s passion for cooking was ignited at an early age through his mother’s love for fresh, seasonal ingredients and traditional French recipes. Raymond Blanc retained 2 Michelin Stars for 41 years consecutively at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the place where gastronomy, gardens, and hospitality come alive in stunning surroundings.

As a pioneer of seasonality, sustainability, and sourcing locally, he instilled the Garden to Table ethos. Raymond is a much-loved figurehead who has been recognised by nearly every award within the hospitality industry and nationwide.

In 2008, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for of his services to culinary excellent and promoting healthy food in Britain, as well as, the highest French decoration, often described as the equivalent of a knighthood in France, Le Légion d’Honneur in 2013.

Jekka McVicar

Festival Theatre & Kitchen Theatre

Jekka will be sharing her expert advice in her talks: From Plot to Plate: Growing and Using Herbs All Year Round and Herbs: Flavour for All Seasons – How to Grow and Use Them.

About Jekka
Jekka McVicar has been growing, researching and championing herbs since 1975, and is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading herb experts. Awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) and the Gardeners’ Media Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, she has also received 62 RHS Gold Medals and is a familiar voice on national radio and TV, inspiring gardeners and cooks with the flavour, fragrance and everyday usefulness of culinary herbs. From her Herb Farm in Bristol and its Herbetum, she shares practical, kitchen-first growing advice — from sowing to harvesting and cooking — and her herbs have even been supplied for the film Hamnet. Her work continues to help everyone, from beginners to seasoned growers, get more taste, colour and joy from these amazing plants.

Huw Richards

Kitchen Theatre

Huw will be joining us to talk about growing organic food in raised beds on stage and for book signings afterwards.

About Huw
Huw Richards is a permaculturalist, digital creator, and co-director for Regenerative Media based in mid-west Wales. His YouTube channel has over 800,000 subscribers and his videos have collectively been viewed over 100M times. Huw has written four books with DK: Veg in One Bed (2019), Grow Food For Free (2020), The Vegetable Grower’s Handbook (2022), and Sunday Times bestseller The Self-Sufficiency Garden (2024).

John Goodby and Archie Mcadam (The Dewdrop Inn)

Kitchen Theatre

John and Archie will be treating audiences to live cookery demonstrations.

About John and Archie
John Goodby is an accomplished professional chef with over two decades of experience. John began his career in 2005 and has since built a reputation for delivering high-quality cuisine alongside consistently excellent service. His career has been marked by energy, dedication, and a strong commitment to craftsmanship, with every role approached at full pace and with passion.

John has competed in and won several culinary competitions and has also appeared on MasterChef, further demonstrating his technical skill, creativity, and confidence in a competitive culinary environment.

Since 2014, he has been an integral part of the team at the Dewdrop Inn, where he continues to work with the same enthusiasm and pride that he had on his first day. His longevity at the establishment reflects both his loyalty and his ongoing love for the craft.

Outside of the kitchen, John is a devoted family man. He has been married since 2014 and is the proud father of two daughters, aged 6 and 9, who remain his greatest inspiration.

Chef John Goodby is delighted to be cooking at the Malvern Spring Flower Show and looks forward to sharing his passion for fine food with guests at this celebrated event.

Chef Archie McAdam is a talented young chef with a growing reputation for dedication, creativity, and passion. At just 23 years of age, Archie has been cooking professionally since 2022 and has already shown exceptional commitment to developing his skills and understanding of the craft.

Driven by a deep passion for food and music, Archie brings creativity, energy, and a fresh perspective to the kitchen. His enthusiasm for cooking is matched by his strong work ethic, and he is widely recognised as a focused and motivated young chef with a promising future in the culinary industry.

Archie’s dedication to continuous learning and excellence has set him apart early in his career, marking him as one to watch as he continues to grow, refine his style, and make his mark on the profession.

About the Dewdrop Inn
The Dewdrop Inn is a family-run, locally owned restaurant and pub in the village of Lower Broadheath, just a ten-minute drive from Worcester city centre. Established on a genuine passion for great food and thoughtful, caring hospitality, the Dewdrop has become a much-loved destination for both locals and visitors alike.

The kitchen is driven by seasonal, honest cooking that celebrates flavour and quality, with strong links to local producers and the surrounding Worcestershire countryside. Over the years, the Dewdrop’s reputation for consistently high-quality food has grown steadily, earning the restaurant a loyal and supportive following who return time and again.

At its heart, the Dewdrop Inn is about family and community—offering a welcoming, relaxed environment where people can come together to enjoy well-cooked food made with care, attention, and pride.

Mark Potts (Cottage In The Wood)

Kitchen Theatre

Head Chef, Mark Potts from the three AA rosette restaurant, The Cottage In The Wood, Malvern will be cooking up a storm in the Kitchen Theatre.

Harry Milbourne and John Goodby (The Danesbury)

Kitchen Theatre

Harry and John will be treating audiences to live cookery demonstrations.

About Harry and John
Chef Harry Milbourne has been Head Chef at The Danesbury since its opening in 2023. He moved from Worcester to London in 2009, where he honed his craft under Michelin-starred brothers Chris Galvin and Jeff Galvin. He then continued his development at Arbutus in Soho, working under Anthony Demetre.

Harry went on to secure his first Head Chef role at The Empress in Victoria Park, where the kitchen was awarded two AA Rosettes and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. He later worked alongside Henry Harris on the opening of The Hero in Maida Vale.

He later returned to Worcester to open The Danesbury, bringing with him a refined yet approachable food style: modern British cooking with strong French influence, driven by seasonal produce, classic technique and confident flavours.

Chef John Goodby

Chef John Goodby is an accomplished professional chef with over two decades of experience. He began his career in 2005 and has built a reputation for delivering high-quality cuisine alongside consistently excellent service. His career is defined by energy, dedication and a strong commitment to craftsmanship.

John has competed in and won several culinary competitions and has appeared on MasterChef, demonstrating his technical skill, creativity and confidence in a competitive environment.

Since 2014, he has been an integral part of the team at the Dewdrop Inn, where he continues to work with the same enthusiasm and pride as on his first day. Outside the kitchen, John is a devoted family man, married since 2014 and the proud father of two daughters, aged 6 and 9.

Chef John Goodby is delighted to be cooking at the Malvern Spring Flower Show and looks forward to sharing his passion for food with guests at this celebrated event.

About The Danesbury

The Danesbury is a family-run, independent modern British restaurant based in Worcester, with close ties to the surrounding countryside and local producers. The cooking is refined yet approachable, rooted in seasonality and classical technique, with a subtle French influence.

The restaurant offers seasonal menus that change regularly, using carefully sourced British ingredients cooked with balance and clarity. Guests can expect well-considered dishes, a relaxed dining atmosphere and attentive service. The Danesbury serves midweek dining, themed evenings and a traditional Sunday roast, all with a consistent focus on quality and value.

At the RHS Malvern Spring Show, The Danesbury presents its approach to modern British cooking inspired by Worcestershire’s landscape and the kitchen garden.

George Uren, left (PIT Kitchen)

Kitchen Theatre

George will be treating audiences to live cookery demonstrations.

About George

Run by chef George Uren and long-time friend Adam Thomas, PIT Kitchen is garnering a reputation across the Cotswolds for its bold flavours and vibrant Middle Eastern-inspired dishes cooked over open flames. Having trained at River Cottage HQ, and with a background in recipe development for some of the UK’s leading hospitality groups and retail brands, George has a deep interest in agriculture and sustainable food production, which is reflected in his delicious menu, alongside global influences and a focus on good food, good company and good times.

About Pit Kitchen
Pit Kitchen is a live-fire restaurant and events concept built around cooking over flame, sharing food, and big, comforting flavours. Based in a converted barn in the Cotswolds, it focuses on grilled meats, vegetables, flatbreads, and sauces, with a strong emphasis on locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. The approach is informal and seasonal, with a global outlook and food designed to be enjoyed together.

Mark Stinchcombe (Eckington Manor)

Kitchen Theatre

Mark will be treating audiences to live cookery demonstrations.

About Mark

Chef Mark Stinchcombe is one half of the culinary couple behind the extraordinary Eckington Manor food offering.

Mark’s love of food began while he was still at school and he entered the kitchens of the acclaimed Royal Crescent in Bath, on work experience at only 16 years of age.

From there he moved on to Ston Easton Park in Somerset, where he served for two years and began to learn how to create menus by using local and seasonal produce. At Michelin starred Driftwood in Cornwall, and under the tutelage of Chef Chris Eden, Mark began to hone his fine dining chef skills before departing to ski slopes for a season of well-deserved youthful fun!

On returning to the UK, Mark undertook training stages in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the world, including The Fat Duck, Le Manoir and The Square. Following this, he started working at Lucknam Park (under Chef Hywell Jones).

It was at Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham, where he stayed for 2 ½ years, that Mark added classic French cuisine to his burgeoning craft.

Mark met his future wife and co-chef, Sue, while at Le Champignon Sauvage and together they travelled to Australia, Thailand and New Zealand, on a gastronomic culinary adventure.

Mark is MasterChef: The Professionals 2015 winner, showing the culinary world that he is one of the UK’s finest chefs.

Together, Mark and Sue excite guests and visitors with their seasonal menus and recipes developed using produce from Eckington Manor’s award winning farm, orchard, vegetable and herb gardens.

Mark’s food hero is Ben Shewry of Attica where he did a stage.

Caley Bros (Lorraine and Jodie)

Kitchen Theatre and Festival of Houseplants Theatre

The Caley Bros will be helping audiences discover mushroom varieties and simple ways to grow and cook them at home in their talk: Beyond the Button.

About the Caley Bros
Caley Bros (Lorraine and Jodie) are two sisters passionate about all aspects of growing good quality, sustainable, and delicious mushrooms.
Raised in Surrey their childhood was enriched with home-grown, nutritious and delicious food. From working on their folks’ and gramps’ allotments to holiday cover on a livestock farm in the New Forest that included tractor driving, sheep herding, vineyard planting, hay bailing, egg collecting and lambing to prepping geese for the festive season and so much more…

It is these experiences that gave the sisters a deep-rooted respect for good quality food, how to appreciate it, and what is just as important – how to source and support it.

Within a year of growing their first mushrooms the curiosity surrounding their change in careers and the story behind why they are now ‘mushroom farmers’ had them making simple, small-scale kits for their family, their friends and friend of friends so they too could get growing their own mushrooms.

Mark Diacono (Host)

Kitchen Theatre

Mark will be welcoming guests on stage and divulging on information about eating and living with the seasons and Plant Powered Plates: Delicious Veg Forward Cooking. He will also be signing copies of his latest book

About Mark
Cook, gardener, author and photographer, Mark has won Food Book of the Year twice, Garden Book of the Year twice and has inspired a new generation of gardeners to grow some of what they eat, championing a wide range of uncommon plants such as Sichuan pepper and mulberries.

Claire Lowrie (The Jungle Haven)

Festival of Houseplants Theatre

Claire will be talking about tropical indoor plants and nature‑inspired interior planting.

About Claire
Claire’s love for nature has always been a part of who she is, but it truly blossomed in her early 20s. Living in a small space without a garden, she found herself longing for greenery, so she started bringing houseplants into her home.
What began as a way to add a little life to her surroundings, quickly turned into a passion for nurturing plants and sharing what she learned along the way. When 2020 brought the world to a standstill, Claire decided to take her love for plants online, starting a YouTube channel to help others discover the joy of houseplants and grow their own green spaces.
Since then, she’s been fortunate to share her enthusiasm for plants in new and exciting ways. Claire was lucky enough to become the resident “Houseplant Expert” on series 2 of ITV’s “Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club”, she’s been featured on BBC Gardeners’ World, and continues to work on ITV’s “Love Your Weekend” discussing all things houseplants.

Whether it’s through creating content, connecting with the plant community, or sharing tips and tricks, Claire is passionate about inspiring others to embrace the beauty and benefits of houseplants in their lives.

Adam Critien (Earth Champion)

Festival of Houseplants Theatre

Adam will explore how these miniature worlds work, showcasing the fascinating variety of tropical plants that can truly flourish in terrariums – and how to create your own thriving, self contained garden on stage in the Festival of Houseplants.

About Adam
With a background in aquatics and conservation, Adam has a deep love for the natural world, and he enjoys helping others grow beautiful plants in their own homes to deepen their own connections to nature. Adam often focuses on unusual ways to grow and display plants, and he is especially passionate about terrarium ecosystems and the fascinating array of beautiful tropical plants that can be flourish in them.

Tessa Cobley (Ladybird Plantcare)

Festival of Houseplants Theatre

Tessa will share practical, eco friendly solutions that protect plants while supporting a healthy, thriving ecosystem with audiences.

About Tessa
In a natural ecosystem, nearly every creature is food for something else and biological pest control is the act of boosting the population of a pest’s naturally occurring predators. This is where Tessa comes in. Tessa is on a mission to help both home gardeners and houseplant enthusiasts understand common plant pest problems and adopt sustainable, effective solutions to tackle them while supporting a thriving ecosystem.

Tessa also runs Ladybird Plantcare, her biological pest control business, which provides consumers with a range of sustainable, environmentally friendly solutions for tackling common plant pests both in the home and garden.

Megan Warren-Davis (Forest Interior)

Festival of Houseplants Theatre

Megan will be speaking on From Trait to Trend: Bringing New Houseplants to Market and Indoor Jungle First Aid: Diagnosing Houseplant Problems.

About Megan
Megan Warren-Davis is a horticulturalist, creative and marketer working at the intersection of plants, people and modern culture. She is the creator of Neo Flora, a gold award-winning indoor plant garden that reimagined houseplants as immersive spaces, exploring their potential to support wellbeing, connection and everyday life.
With a background in commercial horticulture, Megan combines practical growing expertise with a deep interest in how plants shape our homes, identities and the way we live, particularly in indoor and small-space environments. Alongside her work, she is actively involved in the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA), where she helps build community, visibility and opportunity for the next generation of horticulturalists.

Megan is known for her experimental approach to houseplants, from glowing substrates to future-facing indoor growing concepts such as aeroponics, and for challenging traditional narratives around what houseplants are for. Through talks, writing and digital content, she explores how houseplants reflect wider societal shifts, creativity and our evolving relationship with nature, communicating complex ideas in accessible, engaging ways.
At the RHS Malvern Spring Festival Houseplant Festival, Megan brings a fresh, thoughtful perspective on indoor plants, blending horticultural knowledge, cultural insight and marketing flair.

Alina Hibbert

Festival of Houseplants Theatre

In sessions on stage, Alina will cover simple steps to houseplant success and take a closer look at the wonderful world of ferns, offering practical tips, care guidance, and inspiration for growing healthy, happy plants at home.

About Alina
Alina is a photographer, horticultralist and content creator from Sherborne, Dorset. Known for her bright and colourful personality and her extensive knowledge and experience in the natural and botanical.

Her affliction for nature is rooted in her upbringing, most notably through her dad working as a gardener, who taught her the foundations of horticulture. When she was given her first digital camera at age seven, photography soon became a hobby. She realised the visual medium was an outlet to demonstrate her appreciation of what our beautiful world has to offer

Whilst based in Bristol, she shares her unique stories of nature through her photography and content, to educate and encourage others alike to look at our surroundings with a closer heart.

Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek) (Host)

Festival of Houseplants Theatre

As well as hosting houseplant special guests on stage, join Michael for The Weird and Wacky Plant Show, followed by a book signing of Hortus Curious.

About Michael
A multihyphenate of the plant world, Michael Perry (AKA Mr Plant Geek) is a TV presenter, speaker, hortpreneur and author of Hortus Curious, a visual menagerie of the weirdest and wackiest plant species.

Michael got his start in new product development at Thompson & Morgan before quickly working his way up to becoming an authoritative voice knowledgeable in all areas of horticulture.

Michael has presented guest slots on ITV’s This Morning and Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch. He also regularly speaks at RHS Flower Shows and industry exhibitions across the globe. His focus on the fun side of gardening, with an emphasis on new plants and trends, encourages and nurtures the new generation of gardeners.