Gardener's Festival Time

Gardening guru Pippa Greenwood is on her first vist to the Toby Buckland Garden Festival, writes CATHERINE COURTENAY.

- Catherine Courtenay

IT’S NOT UNCOMMON for Pippa Greenwood to be stopped when she’s out shopping.

While pushing her trolley down the aisles she may be presented with dilemmas involving aphids on roses or blighted tomatoes, so familiar is she to gardeners across the country who lap up her advice on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time.

And, although a supermarket may not be the best place for an impromptu advice session, she says she loves the challenge of helping out.

“I feel for doctors,” she muses. “At least I don’t get bunions or internal intimate problems put to me. Canker and red spider mite with some slugs on the side have got to be preferable!”

Pippa’s own garden is in Hampshire but she’s on her way to Devon for the Toby Buckland Garden Festival where she’ll be handing out advice on growing veg and taking part in a question and answer session.