Record crowd at BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair at Beaulieu

The event, which took place over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, was the biggest in its five-year history.

The fair featured show gardens, expert advice and workshops, plant and garden shopping, food and drink, and live music.

The main attractions were presenters Adam Frost, Carol Klein, and Arit Anderson, who spoke on the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Stage.

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine Stage (Image: Stuart Purfield) Hillier’s feature garden also drew in the crowds.

Visitors were asked to nominate their favourite designs alongside the official show garden awards.

The Visitors’ Choice Best Showcase Garden was won by Molly Sheppard-Ward, a horticulture student from Plumpton College, East Sussex, for her sensory garden, Art in the Dark.

This was designed for a fictional war veteran experiencing sight loss.

Plant buying (Image: Stuart Purfield) The runners-up were David Long from Dorset for his Theatre of Greens show garden, and Weymouth and Kingston Maurward Colleges for Aperture.

The Visitors’ Choice Best Beautiful Border was The 160th Unbirthday of Alice in Wonderland by Briony and Jonathan Dakic from Dakic Garden Design in Arundel.

The runner-up was Seeds of Sisterhood, an edible border by an all-female team from Landygirls Landscaping and Alex’s Garden Design from Wantage.

Lucy Tremlett, event director at Immediate Live, organisers of the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, said: "What a glorious weekend we had for our biggest ever Spring Fair at Beaulieu, with plenty of sunshine and some wonderful gardens and plants to enjoy.

"We’re delighted that so many visitors came along to find inspiration and exciting ideas to try at home.

"We’ll be back next year with a new collection of gardens, some fantastic guests and more exciting features.

"We’re already looking forward to it."

Rachael Goldstraw, head of marketing and business development at Beaulieu Enterprises, said: "We were delighted to welcome over 24,000 visitors to this year's BBC Gardeners' World Spring Fair at Beaulieu.

"The event continues to grow stronger each year, and this year's Fair was no different."

The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair will return to Beaulieu in the New Forest from May 1 to May 3 next year.