Tisserand English Garden Landscapes of Great Hallingbury to compete at BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair at Audley End

A crack horticultural team from Great Hallingbury will compete at the three-day BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair at Audley End at the end of this month (Fri Aug 30-Sun Sept 1).

Tisserand English Garden Landscapes will face Landscapes By Design, of Basildon, in the Association of Professional Landscapers’ (APL) Skills Competition at the fair.

The companies will aim to complete an impressive competition standard show garden in just 16.5 hours.

The theme of this year’s APL Skills Competition is That’s Entertainment. Each garden must incorporate paved, decked and planted areas, with a water feature and feature tree.

Tisserand’s entry, There’s No Place Like Home, has been designed by award-winning Hertfordshire-based garden designer Sarah Plested, from Bramley Apple Garden Design. It is a stylish social space to enjoy food, drinks and fun with friends and family.

Landscapes By Design’s entry, Fiesta Flora, has been designed by Paul Newman, from Hertfordshire-based Design Scape. The garden blends the natural beauty of plants with a spirit of celebration and relaxation.

Keeping a close eye on proceedings – and the clock – will be the association’s professional judges, who will assess the interpretation of the brief, use of materials, technical skills, quality of workmanship, attention to detail and finish.

APL spokesman Phil Tremayne said: “The Skills Competition is designed to inspire and impress autumn fair visitors and to prove that gardens don’t have to be big to be beautiful.

“Our assessors have extremely exacting standards and will be watching the teams with both a technical and creative perspective. The theme has great potential to highlight Essex’s popular reputation for fun, sociable and stylish living.

“These are two exceptional landscaping companies so expectations are high. We’re really looking forward to seeing what the teams have in store for us.

“And if visitors like what they see, the APL Design Clinic is the perfect place to stop by for a chat with one of our experts about inspiration for their own garden.”

The teams will begin work two days before the autumn fair opens to the public, making their final touches on Friday (August 30), when the clock will stop at noon.

Visitors can inspect the finished show gardens throughout the event, picking up inspiration and ideas to take home from some of the landscaping industry’s leading professionals.

The BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, in association with English Heritage, includes a collection of inspiring new Showcase Gardens, Beautiful Borders and plant displays.

The BBC Gardeners’ WorldMagazine Stage, hosted by the mag’s editors, features seasonal gardening chat with Gardeners’ World presenters Adam Frost (Fri Aug 30), Joe Swift (Sat Aug 31) and, new to the fair, Rachel de Thame (Sun Sept 1).

At the new Get Growing Stage, TV chef Marcus Bean will host a daily programme of sessions with expert produce growers.

There are Plant Expert garden tours, hands-on autumn bouquet-making, mushroom growing, seed sowing and new bug hotel workshops, and historical performances to enjoy plus plant shopping and a Good Food Market.

For more details and to book, see www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com.