Hillier to take centre stage at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair 2025

Hillier has revealed its garden design for the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair 2025, marking its fifth consecutive year as the headline sponsor of the event. The 2025 design has drawn inspiration from the success of last year’s woodland themed garden, with a fresh and vibrant blend of plants, trees and organic features that encapsulates a serene garden setting. 

As visitors approach, they will be greeted with a colourful herbaceous display including plants such as Primula, Scabiosa, Lupins and Digitalis. Glancing further into the scene, they’ll notice stepping stones leading through soft pastel block planting, alpine planting and on to a sun-drenched gravel garden alongside a gentle stream at the heart of the garden. The garden invites a sense of calm, as the trickling stream winds its way through the tranquil setting, merging areas of bright sunshine and cool shade as it transitions into a beautiful woodland display with a variety of favourites including green hostas, ferns and sprawling Brunnera. An impressive array of tall tree ferns are dotted across the woodland floor, creating depth and bursts of deep greenery. Framed by an Eleagnus- Quiksilver and complemented by a rich tapestry of mixed planting and soft textured flora, this blend of sunny and shady landscaping offers visitors true inspiration on how best to landscape based on existing terrain.  

The finishing touch to this exquisite design is the backdrop behind the woodland planting, drawing inspiration from gardens which blend into the existing topography. Hillier creates an expanse of mature trees, such as birches and cherries, a glorious natural backdrop to the setting. This unfolding expanse of borrowed landscape provides a lush framework of dramatic appeal. 

Chris Francis, Wholesale and Retail Director at Hillier, commented, “We are thrilled to unveil our design for the 2025 BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair. This year, we wanted to expand on the woodland theme which was so well received in 2024. By capturing the organic aspects of the woods, and blending in bright sunlit spaces, this design encourages viewers to stop, listen and appreciate the smaller details. This garden embodies the Hillier ethos – blending traditional planting with innovative ways to enjoy the outdoors and make the most of entertainment areas.” 

The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair holds a special place for Hillier. Set in the picturesque grounds of Beaulieu, near the company’s Hampshire roots, the event provides a unique opportunity to connect with the local community and share its passion for gardening. 

As part of the Hillier Experience, alongside their creative garden display, Hillier will be offering one-to-one advice from their experts, as well as the chance to purchase from their best-selling range of plants at the onsite shop. It's the perfect place for gardening enthusiasts to discover new ideas and take home something special. 

The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair is taking place from 2nd to 4th May 2025. Tickets are available from www.gardenersworld.com. 

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Editors notes

“To inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future” Hillier is one of the leading names in the horticultural industry, with 160 years of growing and retail experience.

Founded in 1864 by Edwin Hillier, the company remains a family-run nursery with the fifth generation now actively involved in the family business as it continues to grow.

Not only is Hillier the largest producer of semi-mature trees in Europe and grower of over one million plants at its Hampshire nursery, but it also employs over 750 staff across its nursery, amenity trees and 22 garden centre divisions and is a flourishing multi-million pound company. It proudly holds the world record for the most consecutive gold medals awards at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with 74 wins.

As one of the leading growers in the UK, Hillier is involved in many peat-free initiatives, including the RHS Peat-Free Fellowship, the largest peat-free collaborative research project globally. The company was amongst the first nurseries to become 100% peat-free across both its production nursery and retail garden centres, and all Hillier plants are grown in peat-free compost.

Recent successes for the company include the launch of its online shop, the substantial redevelopment of Hillier Garden Centre Newbury and the acquisition of the Rosebourne Garden Centre Group in November 2022, as well as sponsorship of BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, and the incredibly popular free ‘Hillier Gardening Club’ loyalty program which now has over half a million members.

Renowned for being a leading breeder of plants in the UK at its 100% peat-free nursery in Hampshire, each year Hillier introduces amazing new varieties. Many of these have become essentials in British gardens and the company continues with the tradition of innovation and the introduction of new garden plants in the present day.