Television gardener Diarmuid Gavin is to headline at this year’s Dig the City festival in Manchester this August.
The award-winning garden designer will be presenting a number of free talks and demonstrations at the UK’s biggest urban gardening festival.
He joins fellow TV gardener, BBC Gardeners’ World expert Rachel de Thame, at the free nine day event, and will appear on Saturday 9 August to give talks on urban gardening and landscape design – from simple digging to grand statements, and inspiration from around the globe.
He said he was thrilled to be taking part.
“The festival inspires all gardeners and wannabe gardeners out there to utilise their urban space and make it work for them.
“We need to encourage more people to garden, and with a high proportion of the population being city dwellers, urban gardening is the solution. It doesn’t matter how small your urban space is, you can make it green, grow your own and enjoy it.”
Dig the City will be offering food, flowers and a fête, markets, music, a petting farm and plenty of green themed activities for kids. At the heart of the festival is the display of show gardens, all vying for a prestigious Dig the City medal.
The line-up of show gardens from around the UK already includes an interactive garden from horticultural destination Tatton Park. Visitors can join Tatton’s gardening team to create a Karesansui (Japanese Dry Garden), an island of harmony in the heart of the city centre. Other exhibitors include Friends of the Earth and Manchester School of Art.
Working with the National Trust and major retailers including Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and M&S, Dig the City will offer a full programme of family events. It is a free festival, however some talks and special events are ticketed. For more information on tickets, visit www.digthecity.co.uk.
