Discover a garden for every lifestyle in Hillier’s ‘Neighbourhood of Gardens’ at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair

Hillier Garden Centres and Nurseries has announced its return as headline sponsor of BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, unveiling an ambitious new show garden that celebrates how outdoor spaces can be designed to suit different lifestyles, life stages and personalities. 

Now in its sixth consecutive year as headline sponsor, the Hillier involvement at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair reflects its long-standing commitment to inspiring gardeners of all experience levels, championing great design and sharing expert horticultural advice. Taking place from 1st to 3rd May, the event is particularly significant for Hillier as it returns to the beautiful grounds of Beaulieu, located in the company’s home county of Hampshire. 

For this year’s event, Hillier has created a striking new garden concept designed as a neighbourhood of gardens arranged around a central feature of four doors. Each door opens onto a distinct garden space, inviting visitors on an immersive journey through four contrasting yet relatable outdoor environments. Together, the gardens show how thoughtful design can respond to the way people live today – reinforcing the idea that gardens are about people as much as plants. 

The Family Garden 

Designed for modern family life, the Family Garden is a vibrant, hardworking space where children can play freely, parents can unwind and everyone can learn, explore and grow together. At its heart is the belief that a family garden should evolve with the people who use it, shifting effortlessly from a lively daytime hub to a relaxed evening retreat. Featuring soft turf, raised vegetable beds and a rustic wigwam hideaway, the space balances practicality with imagination. Resilient, family-friendly planting brings movement, scent and year-round interest, with feathery ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuissima, aromatic herbs like lavender, rosemary and thyme, and pollinator-friendly perennials. A relaxed dining area completes the garden, making it ideal for easy outdoor living. 

The Potted Garden 

The Potted Garden is all about creative freedom and instant impact, proving that beautiful outdoor spaces don’t need permanent borders or beds. A curated collection of sculptural containers forms the framework of the garden, allowing planting to be swapped, refreshed and reimagined with the seasons. Vibrant blooms sit alongside textured foliage and aromatic herbs, from bold statement plants to trailing varieties that spill softly over the edges of their pots. Paired with a sociable seating area, the garden shows how flexible, low-commitment container planting can deliver colour, personality and style for busy lifestyles, renters or those new to gardening. 

The Cottage Garden 

Rooted in the romance of traditional English gardens, the Cottage Garden offers a peaceful, nostalgic escape from the pace of modern life. Abundant planting of roses, lupins and digitalis creates a soft, layered tapestry of colour and scent, while acers, terracotta pots and bird feeding features welcome wildlife into the space. The result is a calm, life-filled garden where birdsong provides a natural soundtrack, seasonal change is celebrated and quiet moments of reflection and enjoyment unfold throughout the year. 

The Urban Jungle 

Completing the quartet, the Urban Jungle Garden is a contemporary retreat shaped by layers of lush, immersive greenery. Architectural planting, including acers, banana plants, fatsias and ferns, is combined with glossy-leaved evergreens to create depth, texture and year-round interest. Designed as a space for unwinding and stepping away from the digital world, surrounding foliage helps to soften sound and create an intimate sense of calm, offering a peaceful retreat even within urban surroundings.  

Together, the four gardens form a vibrant neighbourhood that reflects the diversity of today’s gardeners – from families and professionals to traditionalists and design-led plant lovers – offering inspiration for every type of outdoor space. 

Emma Fell, Head of Horticulture at Hillier, commented: “We wanted this garden to feel relatable and human – a collection of spaces shaped around how people really live today. From busy families and rented homes to those looking for calm and connection with nature, each garden tells a different story. Our hope is that visitors leave feeling inspired and confident to take ideas home and make them their own.” 

Alongside the show garden, Hillier invites visitors to enjoy the full Hillier Experience, combining expert gardening advice, an onsite shop showcasing Hillier-grown, peat-free plants, and stage appearances from the Hillier horticultural specialists. Visitors will also have the opportunity to sign up to the Hillier Gardening Club, unlocking exclusive offers, expert tips and seasonal inspiration. 

BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair takes place from 1st to 3rd May at Beaulieu. Tickets are available from www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/spring-fair/. 

For further information, visit www.hillier.co.uk. 

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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 over 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.  

In 2026, Hillier achieved international recognition after being crowned International Grower of the Year at the AIPH International Horticultural Industry Awards. The company also received awards for Finished Plants and Trees and Sustainability, recognising its leadership, innovation and commitment to responsible growing. 

Other recent successes for the company include sponsorship of BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, alongside the continued success of the free ‘Hillier Gardening Club’ loyalty programme, 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.