Dig the City Seeks Garden Entries for Award-Winning Urban Gardening Festival
Britain’s biggest, boldest and most ambitious urban gardening festival is back. Dig the City will return to the streets of city centre Manchester from 31 July - 6 August 2015.
The festival offers a perfect opportunity for would be garden designers, businesses, shops, landscapers, both experienced and up-and-coming, to showcase their designs.
Entering its 3rd year, the festival is now the UK's largest and most respected urban gardening festival and has won plaudits from Monty Don, Rachel De Thame and Diarmuid Gavin as well being recognised as ‘Outstanding’ at the 2014 RHS Britain in Bloom Awards.
Dig the City occupies an interesting and accessible place in the horticultural calendar, and has a refreshingly different positioning from the rigours and regulations of RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows.
"This year's festival theme is Innovate and Interact; we're looking for more experiential gardens that break the boundaries of the traditional show garden concept. They might include hanging gardens, small space gardens, vertical gardens - we're open to all ideas and concepts. The aim of Dig is to delight, transform our streets and encourage everyone to green up the city."
Nelson Beaumont Laurencia, Dig the City Producer
Capitalising on the success so far, Dig the City 2015 will expand on the impactful elements of this summer’s event, such as the transformation of the St Ann's Square fountain, and edible garden arches that received a Gold medal last year.
Dig the City offers a chance for professional and novice garden designers, landscape architects, artists and cultural venues, garden centres, local businesses and retailers, universities and colleges, to exhibit a garden or creative display, right in the heart of the Manchester's busy shopping district.
The festival is now open for entries. Applications will be assessed by a team of horticultural experts who will give the go ahead to the most promising designs.
Those interested are asked to contact the organisers at digthecity@cityco.com for a pre-application discussion about their ideas. The final deadline for submissions is 16 March 2015.
For more information, including how to enter a Show Garden or get involved in other ways, go to www.digthecity.co.uk and follow @digthecitymcr on Twitter.