BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair - 11-13 September 2026
Autumn looks good at Audley End
BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair (11-13 September) brings together everything gardeners love about the season.
Expect NEW beautiful gardens, expert advice from leading gardening names Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Sue Kent, and NEW to the show Ashley Edwards,
The Autumn Table with NEW tasting experiences, specialist nurseries and 31 floral exhibitors, delicious food at the Good Food Market and plenty of ideas to take home.
Set within the spectacular grounds of Audley End House & Gardens, it’s a chance to spend a day discovering new plants, picking up practical tips and enjoying one of the country’s most impressive historic estates.
This garden demonstrates a range of planting combinations and things you can do in your own garden within a single metre squared. Although the garden is realistic to a small garden plot, we aim to show multiple ways of enhancing just a small amount of space within.
We are trying to show how re-using things can be done in a way that looks new and fresh, plus how we all like to put our own mark on a space and add a few quirky bits!
The planters have come along to each show as part of our “Make a Metre Matter” experience and this time are being used in a real garden setting to create structure.
Again we want to demonstrate how we can accommodate pollinators and wildlife into the garden and even a few edibles – creating a space that combines all the interests of a true gardener!
SPEAKER_00
Well, it's almost time for the twenty twenty six BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair. The fabulous Audley Owned House and Garden in the Saffron Walden in Ethics. There really is so much on offer this year as always. And it's from Friday the eleventh to Sunday the thirteenth of September. And one firm favourite is Pitt Brobat, and I'm very pleased to say Pitt joins me now. How are you today?
SPEAKER_01
Oh fine, thank you. And I'm looking forward to the show.
SPEAKER_00
I bet you are. I bet you are. So much uh on offer that hopefully we'll we'll be able to cover. You'll be at the show all weekend, won't you? And and this year you've designed the Little Explorer's Garden. Can you tell tell me a little bit more about that?
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, this one um is a little bit different for me. It's um uh a kids' space, basically, somewhere for them to learn, play, and and connect with the outside. Um because not many children are really going out and getting dirty and touching plants and and just exploring. So that was my main kind of focus really.
SPEAKER_00
And so tell me a little bit more about what what people can get out of this and talk me through how it works, especially the children. But obviously, you know, other people, you know, other adults could get can get more out of this too.
SPEAKER_01
Well, I think I want them to be wowed, so I want them to see lots of different colours and textures and shapes and to to draw them in, really. So we've got all sorts of things from banana plants, um, you know, lots of bright colours, reds and yellows. I wanted a a kind of jungly effect, um, and that kind of leads us on to maybe the the main feature within the garden, which is a pagola feature, but it's it also doubles up as a play frame. So there's monkey bars, and they have to climb up some steps to get to a um a raised deck, and then they can slide down into the garden, into the mud, um, and basically just enjoy kind of being out amongst the plants.
SPEAKER_00
Sounds like uh yeah, sounds like right, up every child's uh dream is getting into the mud, doesn't it? Yeah. What is it what is so important about sparking the imagination of of the next generation and really kind of getting hold of that imagination and making sure that they are having fun so then they can kind of explore a little bit more and be creative.
SPEAKER_01
I think there's just so many things and reasons why they don't have to go outside. So I want to give them a reason to come outside and and be surrounded by all these wonderful things. There's so many different jobs that children can don't even know about but could go into in the future. I I used to be a part of the um uh campaign for school gardening, and so you know, I've quite often gone into schools and and tried to explain how there's science and there's art and there's um you know uh geography, everything links to to our outside world. So I think anything that can just encourage them to get out and and find things. You know, I want to put lots of um bugs and insects around the garden as well, and we've got a little pond there so they uh with nets and they can go out and they can find, you know, little insects that are maybe hiding in the pond. It's it's just about being allowed to to try things and and you know I'm very strict in my own garden. Even the poor dog isn't allowed to venture from the from the pathway. You know, everyone's got to stick to the root and not touch my plants, but this one, this garden is different.
SPEAKER_00
I I suppose there's there's a real joy, isn't there, when children realise that actually um vegetables, fruit and vegetables don't grow in the supermarket and and finding I mean, even I just remember that joy of uh of the crest on on the toilet paper, you know, when you're gonna you're growing things. And it does, it's a genuine surprise, isn't it, for some children to realise that actually they don't you don't just grow them and order them online and they come to your door.
SPEAKER_01
That's it. I mean, even just the the very simple kind of cut and come again uh lettuce. I remember doing that, and at the time, you know, my family have always been really keen gardeners, so there was very little space for me to stick anything like that in. So we had a pot, but the the whole kind of going out and cutting it and then literally putting it in the bowl and eating it immediately. I I was just I just loved that. It was brilliant to think that I'd grown it, even though it hadn't been in long, it didn't take me long, but the process just excited me.
SPEAKER_00
Absolutely. Well, we're heading, as we as we've said, it's the autumn fair, so we're heading into a whole new season now, are we? What what can we expect this year with all the weird weather that we've been having?
SPEAKER_01
I know. Well, I've already kind of lost a lot of the leaves on my trees in in the garden, and so I think it in some ways it's happening sooner because the the plants are oh well, they think we're already there. I think they think they've had their time and it it's uh we're well into autumn already, but um we've we've got lots of things that we can do. You know, there's also a lot of things that we need to just simply leave. Um I've got a hedge in the garden at or the end, you know, we want to delay um trimming hedges so that the the birds have got somewhere to go and to to hibernate and and various animals, you know, ivy as well. I've I've got a play tunnel in the garden and it's going to be covered in in ivy. Um, but in our own gardens, we want to leave our ivy and and you know allow it to um provide lots of food and um and and also shelter for our autumn pollinators. You know, we've got lots of things that we can do as well to feed them. But I think the most important thing is leaving water out. That's something that is so simple and and everyone can do. And that's a great job for our little ones, you know, to go out and to replenish the the water source, just a little dish, give them fresh water every day, you know, make sure there's nothing floating in it, leaves and and debris. You know, it's such a simple job, but such an important one.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, and there'll there'll be so much offer uh advice on offer, won't there, for everybody coming um to the the um autumn fair, because I suppose some people might be very confused and not really sure of what's happening in their gardens and uh and and it's you've got to be proactive, obviously, but you've also got to be reactive in these in these situations and kind of think a little bit more about what is happening. Like you say, the plants are all a bit confused like we are.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, and and also, you know, like you say, some of the plants are going over quicker, people want to know what they can what they can buy to put in their gardens to to kind of prolong the interest and and make sure that next year, because it sounds like it's gonna be hot again, you know, that we've we've got the right things, and there'll be loads of people at the show that you can speak to. This is one of my favourite ones. I think because it's generally my last one of the year, I just I love going and buying bulbs and and a few things to extend my my growing season in my garden, and I just find it it's such a fantastic show. It's always one I look forward to.
SPEAKER_00
Well you've you've designed more than 40 show gardens over over your career. What what keeps you coming back? What keeps your your sort of creativity flowing?
SPEAKER_01
Oh, you know, this one will be number 53. Oh no, well I'm well out with 40.
SPEAKER_00
Good grief. I'm sorry about that.
SPEAKER_01
No, no, it's it's gone really quick. But I just I think um because I do so many events, I'm seeing all these things that people are putting together and and new products and new plants and and all these new new people coming through, and they've got lots of different ideas, and that spurs me on. So as soon as I'm invited or somebody says, you know, uh, two-word brief, like like something for the children, I'm off and it it just starts. I think there's just so many things that you can include in a garden space that you never run out of ideas.
SPEAKER_00
No, absolutely. And there's thrifty gardening as well. We've got to think about cost of living, we're thinking about the climate, we're thinking about all sorts of things. But this this whole event is absolutely fantastic, isn't it? You've got a lot of two plate ideas, you've got all the special guests, you've got you guys, you've got the special guests including Francis Topil, Adam Rossi, who can I mean there's all the big names um going in. I think I think one of the main things is there's a it's something for everybody, isn't it? There's the table tasting, there's the the plants on offer, there's the in conversation today, there's all sorts of uh of things to to grab people's attention. But if I could ask you Pip if you were to tell a visitor to come along to for one thing at the BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair, what would it be? Can I well, if you can pinpoint one thing, what would it be? I know.
SPEAKER_01
I I absolutely love it because sometimes I'm judging, so I would normally say the borders and the gardens, because the borders allow, you know, new people to come through and and and just just very small plots. So I suppose that, but the talks tense really good, and oh gosh, there's just so much that you can be involved in, and you can bring the dogs. I I have to say it is one of my favourite shows.
SPEAKER_00
It is. Well, you've got to bring something. There I I remember there are there are you maybe kind of coming shopping and things, and you need crates and you need bits and pieces. Don't underestimate how much carrying stuff you'll end up doing. Because you do, don't you? You come along and you think I'm just gonna wander around, but then oh, I'll have that, and oh I'll have that.
SPEAKER_01
No, it's so far from home, this one for me. It's about four and a half hours for me to get there. And last year I went home with olives and grow your own mushrooms, kits and books. Yes. The van that should have been emptier on the way home.
SPEAKER_00
Be warned, people, be warned. Um thank you very much, Pitt. Like we say, you're going to be we're going to be there for the whole weekend. Um you designed the Little Explorer's Garden, which sounds absolutely fabulous for all the young po potential green fingered um little ones that we've got running around. Friday the eleventh to Sunday the thirteenth of September at the fabulous Audley End Housing Garden in Saffron Walden in Essex. Thank you very much. Have a wonderful show.
