THE queen of gardening Charlie Dimmock was impressed with Holker Garden Festival on her first visit to the prestigious South Cumbria event.

The popular celebrity gardener was a hit with the crowds that she met around the showground and during her talks in the Kitchen Garden Roadshow Theatre at the festival on Saturday.

Speaking to the Evening Mail, the down-to-earth gardening expert said: "I've never been to Holker. I can see why people are drawn here, it is just so beautiful, it's relaxed and very chilled."

The star, who shot to fame on the BBC's Ground Force, was particularly keen to look around the stunning gardens of Holker Hall which she had seen photographs of.

She said: "It's beautiful, the formal and then the informal woodland areas, I'm looking forward to seeing that."

The flame-haired TV favourite was able to find plants for her own garden while having a look around the stalls. She said: "There's an awful lot of stuff that you can spend your money on, I spent £60 on some carnivorous plants. They are the type of plants boys like to grow, they are pretty cool, they eat gnats. They are great to put among plants, especially where you get midges. They are unusual-looking and structural and they have some strange flowers to them which makes them a bit interesting."

The best in show garden, large gold and horticultural award prize was presented to John Roberts and the team from Sharp Paving Ltd, in Kendal. Bridging the Gap featured a 1950s garden and modern day garden, separated by a wooden bridge and water feature.  

Charlie said: "John's garden is great, I love the clever design which shows the contrast between a modern garden against a traditional garden."

The TV presenter loved the show gardens created by schools finalists Sandside Lodge School, Ulverston, and Dane Ghyll Primary School, Barrow, who won gold awards. Sandside was also best in show.    

She said: "The schools' gardens are really cute. I like the little tipi and flags. 

"People say children just want to be on computers but, if you give kids a bit of space in a garden, they love to get out there, get dirty, do their own thing. Mum and dad might have to do the watering, but they love it. 

"I would say to anyone; make a little raised bed a metre square, or even have a big container, fill it with potting compost and let them plant some plants from seeds like nasturtium, carrots and vegetables."

Charlie says gardening shows and garden centre are brilliant places to inspire people. "It just gives people lots of simple ideas. A lot of the small gardens give much more inspiration for your average person for what they can do in a small space," she said.

Having done 20 gardens in 10 weeks for her new BBC One show, Garden Rescue , Charlie was quite happy looking at the gardens rather than getting her hands dirty.    

The show is due to be broadcast this summer and sees Charlie team up with The Rich Brothers to transform gardens. 

"It's about the journey of doing a garden. We get the brief from the clients with a budget. The smaller budgets make us stop and think a lot. There are all sorts of themes different themes and ideas," she said.

Charlie remembers very well when she visited Walney with Alan Titchmarsh and Tommy Walsh for Ground Force to create a beach front garden in 1999 for Linda Harris of Biggar Bank Road. 

She laughed: "There was horizontal rain and wind and there must have been 100 people stood outside the garden and the director was saying 'you can't stand there, she's coming home and going to know something's going on'. Then there was 100 people walking up and down the beach front with their dogs, it was hysterical."