BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2019

The mysterious world of the plant breeder will be plunged into the limelight at BBC Gardeners’ World Live (13 – 16 June at Birmingham’s NEC) as the breeders of up to 80 new plant varieties join forces, with gardening writer and broadcaster Peter Seabrook at the helm, to create a spectacular Plant Pyramid display in the Floral Marquee.

Plant breeders are more usually found behind the scenes, creating new plants with irresistible features such as colour, longevity, scent, hardiness, drought tolerance or compactness – designing hybrids equipped for modern gardeners, modern gardens and modern climates. With an air of secrecy and a keen sense of competition, it’s a rare occurrence for such a diverse range of breeders to collaborate in a single display.

The spectacle takes the form of a monumental pyramid with four satellite pyramids – covered in upwards of 4,000 plants including new varieties of Garvinea the garden Gerbera,  Eating Apple, Sunflower, Pelargonium, Nemesia, Rose, Foxglove, Catnip, Alstroemeria, Echinacea and many, many more.

Highlights of the Plant Pyramid include:

• Farplants’ Nemesia ‘Lady Penelope’, one of the most anticipated launches, with a delicious fragrance and seemingly never-ending summer blooms
• Sakata’s Petchoa ‘BeautiCal’, considered one of the hottest introductions, with prolific, long lasting flowers
• Begonia ‘Sweet Spice Bounty’, one of the most floriferous scented begonias. Until 2021, Breeders Kerley & Co will donate 50% of Royalty income from sales of the plant to the David Colegrave Foundation, supporting training in horticulture.

Peter Seabrook said “This is the biggest floral display that I have ever planned and helped to stage. It is a unique coming together of all the UK’s most well-known seed brands and many international breeding companies.”

Complimenting the feature, the new Pyramid Stage hosts talks including Ball Colegrave with details of new Impatiens (Busy Lizzie) ‘Beacon®‘ and Petunia ‘Easy Wave® Lavender Sky Blue’; floristry demos by the Florist Holland team using cut stems of Garvinea, the Garden Gerbera; Peter Seabrook and Steve Bradley presenting their pick of the launches; and stage Sponsors Westland with Matt Biggs on successful indoor gardening.

There will be a host of wonders in the Floral Marquee and Plant Village for visitors to experience including:

• Spectacular shopping from over 100 places to buy plants, with 35 floral exhibitors having just received coveted medals at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019
• The exclusive launch of Rose ‘Crazy in Love’ by Style Roses – a stunning white shrub rose with large, repeat-flowering double rosette flowers in blends of cream and white, with a pink blush on new flowers
• The Plant Experts (The Guardian’s Lucy Chamberlain, BBC Radio WM’s Darren Rudge and Professor David Stevens) will be on hand to answer queries at The Advice Desk
• The Demo Bench with talks from the best in the business including ‘A Beginners Guide to Orchids’ (Laurence Hobbs Orchids) and ‘Growing Olive Trees in the UK’ (The Norfolk Olive Tree Company)
• Gardening superstars Monty Don, Adam Frost, Carol Klein and more, in conversation with host Jim Buttress

Visitors will be able to see all this, plus inspirational Show Gardens, talks from the Gardeners’ World TV presenters, 100s of exhibitors selling gardening kit and live entertainment. For info and tickets visit bbcgardenersworldlive.com