RHS Malvern Spring Festival has announced its special guest line-up for 2026, including TV gardening favourites Monty Don OBE and Alan Titchmarsh CBE, as well as food legends Mary Berry DBE and Raymond Blanc OBE.

RHS Malvern Spring Festival, a trailblazing four-day seasonal showcase of new horticultural trends and innovations, returns to Three Counties Showground, Malvern from 7 – 10 May 2026 with an outstanding line-up of expert horticulturalists, TV gardening personalities and special guest speakers.

TV presenter, broadcaster and host of BBC’s Escape to the Country and RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Nicki Chapman returns in 2026 to host the RHS Malvern Spring Festival Theatre. Joining Nicki on stage across the four days will be some of horticultures most well-known and much-loved personalities, including one of the UK’s favourite gardeners, Alan Titchmarsh CBE. In addition to being a passionate gardener, Alan is also a successful writer and TV presenter, best-known for BBC’s Ground Force, BBC’s Gardeners’ World and ITV’s Love Your Garden. Alan will share his insights and experience of gardening throughout the changing seasons on Friday 8 May.

Joining Alan in conversation about her new book, My Gardening Life (2026), on Friday 8th, will be culinary icon, Mary Berry DBE. While Mary may be best-known for her numerous cooking programmes, including BBC’s The Great British Bake Off, and penning over 80 cookery books, she is also an enthusiastic gardener, an RHS ambassador and regular presenter for BBC’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show programmes. Describing gardening as the second great love of her life, Mary will join Alan Titchmarsh to share her passion for growing plants and visiting gardens, and the important role that being outside, connecting with nature and celebrating the seasons has played in her life for 90 years. This is an exclusive opportunity to see two of the UK’s most beloved TV personalities live on stage together, sharing a mutual appreciation and love of gardening. Mary Berry joins RHS Malvern Spring Festival this year in partnership with DK (the nation’s leading publisher of gardening books).

On Saturday 9 May, host Nicki Chapman will be joined by another of the UK’s favourite gardeners, Monty Don OBE. Best-known for hosting BBC’s Gardeners’ World since 2003, Monty has been making TV programmes and writing about horticulture, outdoor living and travel for over 20 years. Monty will share insights and anecdotes of life at Longmeadow, his garden in Herefordshire from which Gardeners’ World has been filmed from since 2011.

Other well-known faces from BBC’s Gardeners’ World joining the RHS Malvern Spring Festival line-up this year include Frances Tophill (Thursday 7th), Sue Kent (Thursday 7th) and Adam Frost (Sunday 10th). Frances will join Nicki on the Festival Theatre stage to share her tips and experience of creating a productive garden that gives back and is useful, edible and beautiful. Sue Kent, who shares her passion for gardening with an upper limb disability on BBC’s Gardeners’ World, will be in conversation with Nicki Chapman about her vegetable garden, as well as her latest book, Garden Notes with Sue Kent (2023). Adam Frost will be sharing his tips and advice for spring planting and creating spaces that make you feel good.

Multi-award-winning garden designer, Jamie Langlands will return to RHS Malvern Spring Festival once again in 2026 as a special guest at the Festival Theatre stage. Jamie, whose creative and award-winning show and feature gardens have been enjoyed by many at RHS Malvern Spring Festival over the past few years, will be sharing his journey as an RHS garden designer, as well as his top tips for designing with nature and how to plant for both beauty and resilience.

This year’s new-look Kitchen Theatre – designed by Jon Wheatley of Stonebarn Landscapes – will combine culinary creativity with horticultural brilliance in celebration of the theme ‘Grow Your World’. This exciting feature garden meets interactive kitchen demo stage will bring the flavours of the world to both plates and planting beds. This year’s ‘Grow Your World’ theme celebrates the rich tapestry of global food cultures through plants that not only look beautiful, but taste amazing. Vibrant planting schemes inspired by Asia and the Americas will sit alongside classic, familiar English herbs and vegetables, drawing connections between our gardens, our kitchens and our continents. Visitors can enjoy live cooking demonstrations and discover practical tips for growing and using a wide range of plants at home, making global flavours part of the everyday.

The Kitchen Theatre: Grow Your World will be hosted by food and gardening writer, Mark Diacono, who will welcome special guests including culinary icon, Raymond Blanc OBE. Raymond is renowned for his exceptional talent, innovation and unwavering dedication to the art of French cuisine, and for retaining two Michelin stars for 41 years consecutively at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons’ restaurant. Joining Raymond on stage for a cooking demo will be Garden Presenter and Head Tutor at The Raymond Blanc Gardening School at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, August Bernstein. Multi-award-winning RHS gold medalist, author and organic grower, Jekka McVicar, will share her expert tips for growing herbs for every season, and how best to use them. Jekka’s family-run herb farm in Bristol has been featured on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, BBC’s Marcus Wareing’s Tales From A Kitchen Garden and Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.

Additionally, the Kitchen Theatre: Grow Your World will host chefs from some of the best restaurants and eateries across the surrounding counties, showcasing their culinary talent live on stage. PIT Kitchen, based in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, are developing a reputation for their vibrant, Middle Eastern-inspired flavours, laid-back vibe and beautiful Cotswold setting. The Dewdrop Inn, based in Lower Broadheath, Worcestershire, is a family-run country pub known for its excellent seasonal dishes, created using locally sourced ingredients. The Danesbury, based in the heart of Worcester city centre, serves up flavoursome dishes with a rooftop view of the city’s cathedral. Eckington Manor, based near Pershore, combine British and European cuisine with ingredients from their own farm to create an imaginative and diverse menu.

The Festival of Houseplants, which debuted at RHS Malvern Spring Festival in 2024, returns with a line-up of expert horticulturalists and influential gardening personalities to offer visitors ideas, inspiration and advice for growing their own indoor plants. Michael Perry (aka Mr Plant Geek) will host the Festival of Houseplants theatre this year. Michael is a passionate gardener, content creator and presenter, and has appeared on ITV’s This Morning and The Alan Titchmarsh Show. Michael will be joined by Adam Critien (aka Earth Champion), who has a background in aquatics and conservation and will be sharing his enthusiasm for terrarium gardens and explaining why they’re such a fascinating ecosystem, ideal for displaying an array of tropical plants. Alina Hibbert, photographer, horticulturalist and content creator, will share her love of little plants and tips for houseplant success, while Tess Colbey will use her expertise in biological pest control to explain how to identify what may be damaging your plants and answer a plant health Q&A session on what to do if your plants aren’t thriving.

Martin and Jill Fish are set to return with their popular Potting Shed, offering tips and advice for both beginners and more experienced gardeners. Martin is an experienced gardener, writer, broadcaster and RHS judge. Jill is an experienced gardener and home cook and loves cooking with fresh produce grown in their Lincolnshire garden. Jill regularly shares her seasonal recipes in magazine features and on the Pots & Trowels podcast.

Jonathan Moseley is a familiar face at RHS Malvern Spring Festival and is known for his engaging and enthusiastic floral demonstrations. Jonathan will be sharing his expert tips as a floral designer across multiple stages throughout the weekend, covering how to create seasonal, sustainable and stylish displays, as well as how to blend houseplants with floristry, and seasonal designs.

In addition to a packed programme of celebrity and special guest speakers, RHS Malvern Spring Festival debut the very first RHS-judged gardens of the year – including a brand-new Blooming Borders category and Floral Tablescaping category, in addition to the Indoor Gardens category, which debuted in 2024, and the much-loved outdoor Show Gardens category – host over 70 of the UK’s top nurseries in its vast Floral Marquee, as well as shopping opportunities, food and drink, and family friendly activities to enjoy.

For further information and for the full line up details, see rhsmalvern.co.uk