RHS Flower Show Cardiff - 16th to 18th April 2010

Cardiff offers the best in spring plants and accessories for the start of the gardening season. The RHS celebrate all things Welsh with many local exhibitors and produce. A fantastic day out for all the family.

SCHOOL WHEELBARROWS ROLL TOWARDS RHS SHOW CARDIFF

61 schools across Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Caerphilly are getting their green fingers busy in preparation for this year’s RHS Show Cardiff in the parklands of Cardiff Castle April 16-18 following the runaway success of the wheelbarrow competition in previous shows.

The Schools Wheelbarrow competition, supported once again by Legal & General, is an initiative that began in Cardiff, and has grown into a hugely popular attraction at the show, giving youngsters the opportunity to be creative and colourful in learning about the soil. Grangetown Nursery is competing for the third year running, with a design inspired by a wood sculpture in the city’s Bute Park, using sweet peas grown from seeds, hyacinths and daffodils, willow and moss.

Grangetown Higher Level Teaching Assistant Carol Bartlett works with the youngsters and says: “The children here get outdoors as much as they can, they love gardening in our vegetable patch and wild garden and really look forward to creating and showing their wheelbarrow at the RHS event in April.”

Cardiff is the first outdoor show in the Royal Horticultural Society season, and features the best of the spring blooms from nurseries across the UK, with ideas and inspiration for the growing season ahead.

This year’s wheelbarrow entry includes 42 schools from Cardiff, 13 from Caerphilly and 6 from the Vale. The wheelbarrows will be on show to the public across the three days of the show, with 4,000 people voting for their favourite last year, and the winners announced at the end of the final day. Last year’s winner was the Peacock from St David’s CIW Primary, Colwinston, Cowbridge. Second prize went to Marlborough Junior, Cardiff, for their turtle ‘George’, and third prize to Millbank Primary, Cardiff, for their ‘Bee Friendly’ barrow.

The week before the show there will be a display of photographs of the designs in Queens’ Arcade, to help promote the competition, and encourage the public to come along and vote.

RHS Shows Director Stephen Bennett said: “We really look forward to seeing the imaginative results of the local youngsters’ efforts in a competition that has become a trademark of the Cardiff show, and a great way for children to get involved in a practical way with conservation and the natural environment.”

Judges will be looking for visual impact, colour and originality. Bulbs can be planted into pots and transferred later, or plunge-planted straight into the wheelbarrow. And classmates will be able to see the results of their labour for free as the show gives free entry for under 16s. And to encourage those horticultural talents, there are gardening voucher prizes for 1st (£100), 2nd (£75) and 3rd (£50).

Cardiff Councillor Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture said: “The wheelbarrows have proved a tremendous attraction at our RHS show, and thanks to the generous help of Legal & General we are taking messages of conservation and the educational benefits of gardening into even more schools. I’m delighted that schools in the Vale and Caerphilly are also able to get their green fingers involved.”

Cardiff Council is providing the wheelbarrows free of charge to encourage more schools’ gardening activities and participation in the Cardiff Schools in Bloom competition.

Adrian Clark, Location Director of supporter Legal & General said: “We are delighted to support this innovative competition for the third year. The quality of the entries last year was superb, the themes of conservation, preservation and protecting the environment were evident, and the hard work that the children had put in to create their wheelbarrows was clear to see.”

In addition to the wheelbarrows, the show also features show gardens created by the finest Welsh horticultural talent, expert advice and numerous plants and accessories for sale. The event has plenty of entertainment at hand, with nature trails, street entertainers and live music throughout the weekend. The beautiful parklands site also contains a Craft Village and a taste of Welsh produce in the Café Quarter.