Talks Theatres

RHS Malvern Spring Festival is one of the great annual gatherings of the gardening and cookery glitterati, making it the place to find inspiration for both your garden and your table.

One of the starriest ever line-ups, including a gardeners’ world-class roster of green-fingered gurus,  appeared on the five stages across the 2024 Festival.

Festival Theatre

The 2024 Festival Theatre, supported by My Pension Expert, boasted a jam-packed timetable featuring gardening glitterati and celebrity favourites, who will inspire visitors with lively talks, fun and informative demonstrations. Visitors will also be able to take-home expert advice from the much-loved Gardeners’ Question Time.

The likes of Alan Titchmarsh MBE, Frances Tophill, Adam Frost, Ellen Mary plus so many more horticulture experts appeared in the Festival Theatre in 2024 – click here to find out more!

The Festival Theatre is located on the Festival Green, where visitors can enjoy delicious street food from a wide range of vendors located in the area, while performers in the band stand provide entertainment.

Peter Dowle, award-winning garden designer and founder of Leaf Creative dressed the Theatre in the theme of ‘A celebration of plants from around the world’ including trees/plants from Australasia, Asia, the Americas & Europe.

Tips & Tricks Theatre

The Tips & Tricks stage, supported by Clean Air by Resysten, featured a range of experts demonstrating how to fix, make and create things for your home and garden from a range of items that perhaps you typically may not have thought of!

It also featured a timetable of talks from a range of florists, horticultural experts and growers on topics such as growing, harvesting and maintaining florals and vegetables.

Visitors could learn top garden and growing DIY skills from a range of skilled experts including Niall McCauley, Cara Thompson, Jason Williams (Cloud Gardener) and Carolyn Dunster, among others. Click here to find out who else joined them in the Tips & Tricks Theatre.

The Tips & Tricks Theatre was dressed by the husband and wife team Rachel Baynton & Peter Harrison. The main theme was up-cycling and re-using. The planting scheme included ‘easy to grow’ achieve plants such as vegetable seedlings, micro-greens and cottage garden favourites such as tulips and aquilegias.

NEW Festival of Houseplants with Green Rooms Market

This brand new area for 2024, hosted an impressive array of horticulture experts sharing their advice and top tips on everything from how to choose the perfect houseplant for your space, to troubleshooting advice for tricky specimens through talks, demos and drop-in or bookable workshops. Click here to find out more.

 

NEW Kitchen Garden Theatre

The new Kitchen Garden Theatre, created by award-winning designers Stonebarn Landscapes, invited you to step into a world where the beauty of gardening and the artistry of cooking unite seamlessly. Visitors could immerse themselves in the charm of this unique theatre and have the opportunity to be seated within a working kitchen garden. The theatre was surrounded by raised beds adorned with an array of herbs, flowers and vegetables, creating a vibrant atmosphere of colours and scents. Many visitors enjoyed live cooking demonstrations by a lineup of talented chefs and outstanding local food producers.

The focal point of this immersive and educational experience was the connection between cultivating herbs, fruits, vegetables, and flowers and their culinary applications. Theatre host, Mark Diacono, brought a wealth of expertise to the stage, offering practical insights and clever ideas that bridge the gap between the productive garden and the kitchen.

Visitors explored the garden’s varied offerings, from soft, cane, and bush fruits to raised beds featuring an assortment of herbs and edible flowers. The inclusion of fruits and vegetables drew on the richness of the culinary possibilities showcased in the theatre.

The garden emphasised innovative gardening techniques to shield crops from pests or adverse weather conditions whilst making the most of a small space. Visitors could discover how to create a controlled environment for specific crops using structures like cages or covers, unlocking the secrets to a successful harvest.

The new Kitchen Garden Theatre spread inspiration, encouraging visitors to embrace the joy of growing and cooking with home-grown ingredients and demonstrating how to incorporate them into meals, drinks and garnishes. Visitors could witness the entire life cycle, from cultivation to consumption and gain valuable insights into gardening practices and culinary creativity, fostering a deeper appreciation for sustainable living.

This was not merely a theatre; it’s a celebration of the journey from soil to plate.

Visitors learnt how to create a kitchen garden, grow their own, make the best of garden produce and brushed up on home cooking with guests including Si King (Hairy Bikers), Lorraine Caley, Marcus Bean and Jekka McVicar. Click here to find out who else joined them on this unique stage. 

Potting Shed Theatre

The Potting Shed Theatre was once again brought to RHS Malvern Spring Festival and hosted by expert horticulturalist Martin Fish.

The expert talks and Q&A sessions provided by an impressive lineup of horticulture specialists this theatre hosts are not to be missed by those new to gardening through to those with years of experience.

Martin was joined by expert nurseries, growing gurus, including Chris Collins on stage, plus:

  • 20224 master growers ‘Hilary Collins from Grafton Nurseries’
  • ‘Stella Exley from Hare Spring Cottage Plant’ covering camassias & perennials
  • ‘Vicky Fox from Plantagogo’ – Heucheras & tiarella specialists
  • ‘Rob Hardy from Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants’
  • Flowers from the Farm West Midlands Group – Discover the beauty of seasonal local flowers
  • Jonathan Moseley – Growing & arranging fabulous flowers
  • Chris Collins and Ellen Mary will also be joining Martin
  • Steve Hickman – Hoyland Plant Centre  Agapanthus & nerines
  • Martin & Jill Fish – Gardening on the Menu: Growing & cooking seasonal produce
  • Q&A: Ask the experts with Jon Wheatley & Martin Fish
  • Colin Jones, Fuchsia specialist from Roualeyn Nurseries

Book Signings

Visitors could get books signed by their favourite gardening and cookery authors, including Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Jekka McVicar, Mark Diacono, Arthur Parkinson, after their talks in theatres across the Festival. All their latest books, along with selected gems from their back catalogues, were available from on-site independent booksellers Rossiter Books and at signings after their talks.