An overnight stay at The Newt hotel will set you back several £100s, but for £25, a day ticket to its new Great Garden Show in May will give you access to some of Somerset’s most exclusive gardens and countryside. Show visitors might not be able to access the hotel itself, but will be able to roam much of its 800 acres of gardens and parkland, enjoying one of the most impressive hotel landscapes in the country.
Running from May 9-17, the show is The Newt’s solo horticultural show debut. Having been the headline sponsor at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show from 2022-2025, The Newt is now going it alone, in partnership with Country Living, and its show promises to be spectacular.
“Our event will be a show for all demographics, from young families to professionals to people who want to get into gardening. It will be focussed on subjects like trees, flowers, edibles, with a big plant fair. It’s going to be really fun,” says The Newt’s head gardener Harry Baldwin.
Harry’s vision for the show includes unofficial themes for each of the nine days. Opening weekend is very much family-focused, with flower crown making, horse and carriage rides, tractor tours and even a military Roman reenactment. (The remains of a Roman villa on the site are now part of an extraordinary museum and full-scale villa reconstruction, including a working hypocaust underfloor heating system – fires are lit every day except December 25 so that visitors can experience a Roman heating system in action.)
Day three, Monday May 11th, reflects Harry’s passion for horticultural education. “We are a place for education, for both professionals and everyday gardeners,” he says. “There will great talks and demonstrations around the garden to give students and people new into horticulture a taste for what it offers.”
Tuesday May 12th is tree day. Harry’s highlights include an ancient tree walk and talk with specialist Jill Butler and a talk on ash dieback by Robert Taylor. “That one’s pretty poignant,” he says. Visitors can also watch The Newt’s tree team demonstrating woodland machinery in the Deer Park, and learn about tree identification.
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On Wednesday 13th it’s the turn of flowers, with everything from propagating perennials to maintaining a wildflower meadow. Thursday 14th is all about edibles, including growing veg from seed and a greenhouse tour.
On Friday 15th is a chance to celebrate The Newt’s garden partners. (An annual Newt garden membership includes free access to partner gardens like Great Dixter, Kew Gardens and the Eden Project.) “A number of partners are coming and giving talks and demonstrations,” says Harry. “Tregothnan Gardens in Cornwall make their own tea, so there’s a Tregothnan Newt high tea experience. They’ll bring the tea, we’ll do the scones, jam and cream.”
The final weekend is a biggie, with everything from Alan Titchmarsh on the Newt Question Time panel on Saturday 16th (“I don’t think he quite knows what he’s let himself in for,” laughs Harry, who will be compering) to a bio blitz day on Sunday 17th. “It’s a big wildlife count,” says Harry, “with experts on bats, butterflies, birds and more. They’ll be stationed all around the site for a 12-hour wildlife count, and visitors can sign up to help for an hour. A really nice family activity.”
Last but not least, Saturday 16th is plant fair day. “There’s a crescendo up to it,” says Harry. “You can’t have a horticultural fair without plants there and we have lots of different nurseries coming, from the rare and unusual to our common garden plants. It’s going to be a hive of activity with people bartering and buying plants. Really fun.”
A day pass for the Great Garden Show is £25, redeemable against a 12-month Membership. Go to The Great Garden Show for the full programme and to buy your ticket.
