Garden Festival a whizzing success

Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival at Powderham Castle on 1st and 2nd May was a "whizzing success" in it’s second year. 

The two days opened with explosive "daytime fireworks", whooshing coloured smoke, and showering sparks in the clouds for opening ceremony with Toby and the Countess of Devon cutting the ribbon on Friday and (Lady Courtenay on Saturday) to start the day with live music, the festival Tuk Tuk and lots of local school children all ready to get gardening in the dedicated children’s marquee.

“I was thrilled with the turnout to my second Garden Festival at Powderham Castle,” says Toby.

"Despite the typical Bank Holiday weather West Country gardeners came out in their thousands. It was a great atmosphere and everybody came determined to have a good time and come away with lots of gorgeous plants!”

Christine Walkden and Bob Flowerdew filled the the Speakers Marquee to bursting and smaller ‘Kitchen Cuttings’ talks in the Victorian Kitchen were immensely popular. People seemed to particularly appreciate the fantastic food on offer to warm us all up on a cold day, and the cheery music. Christine Walkden was great fun, taking selfies and wowing the crowds as she rode around the festival with me in our TukTuk.

The local schools who came loved the Growing Devon Schools marquee with its fun mud kitchen and free seeds to plant, and of course the children were thrilled by the opening fireworks which went off when the Countess of Devon cut the ribbon at the start of the day.

“Next year we intend to build on our success,” says Toby, “maintaining the quality and bringing in those new nurseries with unusual plants that you can’t find anywhere else. We’ve got the size about right now and we just want to make it more exciting with lots of fun and free entertainment for our visitors. There is a keen band of gardeners who know about us now and are happy to turn out whatever the weather, making Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival a must event in the calendar.”

Photos: Matt Austin.