Let it always be there
The Field|July 2023
This summer, in halls and marquees across the land, gardeners will gather for one of the most anticipated events in the community calendar: the village flower show. Ursula Buchan explains its enduring appeal
Ursula Buchan
Let it always be there

IN THE late 1980s, I was involved in the making of two series of programmes for Channel 4, entitled Village Show. We visited flower shows all over the kingdom, including one close to where I lived. I remember the director saying to me, with a melancholy shake of the head, that he didn't suppose that the particular village show we were filming - where I had recently been invited to judge the vegetable, flower and fruit classes - would survive more than another five years. I am pleased to say that he was wrong, and that in July I shall be judging at this still-popular show for the 35th consecutive year.

This story is from the July 2023 edition of The Field.

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This story is from the July 2023 edition of The Field.

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