As a lifelong listener to The Archers, I never imagined I'd one day watch Bridge Farm bloom into real life – but this summer I can do just that at a unique Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) show.
There are certain sounds that define a country childhood.
For me, one of them was dum-de-dum-to-dum, the signature tune of The Archers. My grandmother adored the iconic Radio 4 rural soap opera. My grandfather abhorred it. He would rise, pointedly, and leave the room the moment the familiar tune struck up at five past seven. I stayed. I listened. And I've been listening – on and off - ever since.
Growing up with The Archers means the rhythms of Ambridge subtly embed themselves into your life. And for me, that was professional as well as personal.
As a Country Living editor in the Nineties, I was lucky enough to be invited to Peggy and Jack Woolley's wedding – a moment that felt as real as any village celebration. Later, I recruited Lynda Snell as a writer for Country Living (she came into the office several times) and I also commissioned a profile of David Archer himself – Tim Bentinck – when the programme celebrated its 70th birthday.
At Country Living, we once even staged our own Archers-inspired play and invited friends and family to watch. Ambridge has always felt like part of our extended family.
Which is why I was genuinely thrilled to discover that our new Country Living columnist, the celebrated garden designer Jo Thompson, is creating The Archers 75th Anniversary Garden for the RHS Badminton Flower Show this July. For the first time ever, an Archers-themed garden will appear at an RHS show, marking the programme’s extraordinary 75 years on air.
Designed to bring Bridge Farm to life, the garden reflects the show's deep-rooted themes: organic farming, sustainability, family and resilience. Set in the aftermath of the recent sewage spill storyline, it imagines a hopeful front garden, lovingly rebuilt and replanted. Visitors will see orchard fruit trees growing through wildflower meadows, a wildlife pond, a cheese-making area, and even Bridge Farm's familiar noticeboard, bunting and vegetable boxes.
Jo Thompson describes the project as "an absolute joy", adding: "The Archers world feels incredibly familiar to so many people… I've loved the challenge of imagining how that much-loved place might translate into a real garden at RHS Badminton."
Jeremy Howe, Editor of The Archers, agrees: "The RHS garden will be a wonderful opportunity for fans to see Bridge Farm brought to life as never before – we can't wait."
The RHS has also hinted that members of The Archers cast are expected to attend, with further details to be revealed closer to the show, adding an extra frisson of excitement for long-time listeners like me.
For those of us who have grown up with Ambridge in our ears, this garden will feel like a love letter – not just to a radio programme, but to rural life itself. I’ll be there in July, watching and listening closely. Some old habits die hard.
The Archers 75th Anniversary Garden will be on display at the RHS Badminton Flower Show, held at the beautiful Badminton Estate in South Gloucestershire, from 8-12 July.
This brand-new RHS touring show marks the first time an RHS Flower Show has taken place at Badminton, making it a particularly special moment for both gardening lovers and Archers fans alike.
Tickets and full show details are available at rhs.org.uk.
16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration
RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space
Adam Frost's practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, from simple garden design ideas to a full garden makeover.
Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere
Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners, Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.
National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts
The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.
Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.
DK The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening
Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.
DK RHS Practical House Plant Book
The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.
Ten Speed Press Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers
A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. In Small Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.
No Dig Garden Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1
Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.
Kyle Books In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round
Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round with In Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.
The RHS' Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.
Bloomsbury Wildlife Wildlife Gardening: For Everyone and Everything
Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? In Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything, Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.
DK My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors
Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.
DK RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space
If you're looking for new garden ideas, the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.
Lorenz Books How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening
This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.
DK RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers
Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.
Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest
Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.
Vicky Carlisle is Editor of Country Living at Hearst UK. She heads up a talented editorial team delivering multichannel content across homes, decorating, crafts, wildlife, food, health and travel. She has been telling stories for magazines and blue-chip commercial clients for three decades. She has also worked for Hearst in the US, where she launched America’s first alternative health magazine. She has won three top industry awards. She has BA in English from Durham University and an MA in Journalism from Cardiff University. Follow Vicky on Instagram @vickycarlisle or Linkedin.
