The weather was typically wayward on Thursday, 15th August 2024, the first day of the Show. It rained and it was wet underfoot. Yet it made no difference to people’s spirits and the public poured through the entrance (dreadful pun) undeterred.
Feature by Jean Hill
There is always a warm welcome and there is so much to see. On Thursday visitors tended towards the show gardens and then the marquees. My favourite show garden is Now & Then by Absolutely Splashing. This is a garden that blends 1924 with 2024: vintage with modern, all beautifully integrated. A waterfall cascades down to a large pond that encourages wild life and provides a haven to all. It looked spectacular in the rain and will be glorious in the sunshine.
The 1804 Garden, by Hardern & Jarvis/Band of Builders & Melanoma UK, is there to raise awareness of skin cancer. Green spaces can be of benefit to a person’s well-being. This is also a beautiful space and will be rebuilt at a mental health hospital. A Garden for All Seasons illustrates a year in the life of a hedgehog. This is habitat as a haven where pollinators, birds, beneficial insects and hedgehogs can thrive.
I really enjoyed the Grand Floral Marquee and chatted to some really interesting exhibitors. Dibleys Nurseries are show-casing streptocarpus and other houseplants in a spectacular display. I enjoyed meeting folk from the Alpine Garden Society, in the Amateur Growers’ Marquee and admiring their beautiful plants. The vegetables and herbs on display are quite inspiring and encouraging. I thought that my herbs had not quite reached the gold standard…not quite ready to put them on display, but who knows…
Southport Flower, sponsored by the Seventy Ninth Group, is the UK’s largest independent flower show and attracts over 55,000 visitors across 4 days.
Nisha Katona MBE will be showcasing her skills this year, on Saturday 17th August.
Nisha Katona MBE is a true trailblazer. Since leaving behind a 20-year career as a barrister in 2014, she has become a highly successful restaurateur, cookbook author and TV chef. She is the CEO, executive chef and development chef of Mowgli Street Food restaurants, which currently has eighteen locations across the UK.
Nisha has a deep love of Indian cooking, and has written five cookbooks on the subject. Equally, she is passionate about business as a force for good. Nisha’s charity, the Mowgli Trust, donates over £500,000 to local and global charities each year.
Nisha is incredibly warm and articulate on camera. Her 20 years as a barrister have given her excellent public speaking skills, with an innate ability to draw in viewers. Irresistible.
Visitors to this year’s show can enjoy inspirational show gardens, spectacular floral displays and gardening advice. All this and a pop-up shopping village with everything you need for the home and garden, cookery demonstrations, live music and entertainment. The traditional Cornish pasties are absolutely delicious. Plenty of fine food to choose from.
Special guests for the Garden Theatre are: Carole Baxter and George Anderson of Beechgrove Garden and Adam Frost of BBC Gardeners’ World. There will also be: David Domoney of Love Your Garden, Skinny Jean Gardener of BBC’s and CBBC’s Blue Peter and CBeebeies star Justin Fletcher.
The Cookery Theatre is sponsored by Lancashire Tea and Nationwide Produce. Jemma Melvin demonstrated how to create a lemon posset, make lemon curd and bake biscuits to complete the treat. I can remember making lemon curd, alongside my mother. Traditional dishes seemed totally appropriate in this 100th year celebration.
I happened upon a charity for those with special needs and learning difficulties as I was leaving. Their display was truly impressive and I loved the wooden aeroplanes and the beautiful train, that are remembrances of times past. The weather is set to be fair for the rest of the Show.
The Show is on until 5pm Sunday 18th August 2024 to celebrate 100 years of Southport Flower Show. Check out the Southport Flower Show website and social media channels.
Southport Flower Show is a registered charity. Profits from the annual show and other park bookings are used to pay for the maintenance of Victoria Park as well as reinvesting in future flower shows.
Website: https://www.southportflowershow.co.uk
From the archives: Show stoppers and starters: the 100th anniversary of the Southport Flower Show, August 2024.
