Bright Green Shoots (2011)

The 2011 show is now over but please read on or click on the links in the top right of this page to find out more about what you missed.

A new feature – Bright Green Shoots – is being launched at this year’s National Gardening Show. The feature is designed to showcase entrepreneurs who are making their name in the horticulture world with their gardening skills and creative flair.

The initiative is the brainchild of Jo Thompson, one of the country’s rising stars in garden design. Winner of a Silver Gilt medal for the Demelza Garden at the Chelsea Flower show in 2009 followed by a Gold medal last year for the Best Urban Garden in show, Jo is always on the look-out for new talent and ideas. Jo's reason for creating Bright Green Shoots is to inspire gardeners to experiment with new ideas whatever the size of their garden. The entrepreneurs she has chosen are all very different, but unified by the passion and imagination to create something that will help make a difference to the environment and get people gardening – whether it be wild flowers, an olive grove or an eco vertical allotment.

The four Bright Green Shoots chosen by Jo Thompson are Mark Diacono, Fabrizio Boccha and Georgie Newbury and Armando Raish.

Mark Diacono is the creator of Otter Farm, the UK’s only climate change farm. The farm in Devon is home to orchards of pecans, peaches, almonds, szechuan peppers, apricots and a vineyard. Mark’s objective is to revolutionise the British larder by sustainably growing delicious food normally sourced from overseas. Author of a number of award–winning books, Mark also leads the Garden Team at River Cottage, appearing in the TV series and running courses and events at River Cottage. Mark will be bringing seeds and plants of many of the varieties of edibles he grows at Otter Farm and River Cottage to the Show.

Fabrizio Boccha and Georgie Newbury set up Common Farm Flowers, a unique seven acre wildlife haven in Somerset, to demonstrate that everyone can have flowering plants in their gardens all year round. Using organic gardening methods, they are one of the first flower farming businesses in the UK to grow wildflowers to cut and sell as bouquets. They have also proved that gardening organically attracts an increasing variety of wildlife in our gardens.  Whilst Fabrizio focuses on biodiversity and growing the wild flowers, Georgie concentrates on the cut flower business side. They will be showing gardeners at the event the ongoing work of a commercial cut flower garden throughout the working year, together with a planted meadow to demonstrate the huge variety of plants that can happily co-habit.


Armando Raish, a trained architect, is the founder of Treebox, which is dedicated to creating innovative growing solutions both in and outside the home. Driven by the desire to generate increasing sustainability within the urban community, Armando has developed the concept of passive building in his Easiwall system to provide vertical gardening solutions for small and tall spaces. The materials used are not only sustainably sourced and mostly produced in the UK but are also 100% recyclable. The Green Walls range from vertical allotments and ornamental planting installations, which transform brick and concrete walls, to working height gardens for the less able – all of which Armando will bring to life in a specially designed four-walled garden called Up and Over, with each wall reflecting a different theme to demonstrate the exciting versatility and scope of vertical planting.

Come and meet the four entrepreneurs throughout the show, plus you can meet Jo Thompson on Friday the 2nd. Also, don't miss them speaking about their work in the Show’s very popular gardening talks programme - click here for more information.