Gilbert White’s House & Gardens in Selborne will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Unusual Plants Fair this weekend.

Since 1992, the fair has been a trailblazer in bringing together stallholders from across the country with unique and quirky plants.

Every year visitors are delighted by the selection of specialist nurseries and leave with their car boots full of plants. 

The only exception was 2020 when Covid prohibited the fair from opening. But this lapse has meant the team at Gilbert White’s House & Gardens is preparing to put on a great display for the official 30th Unusual Plants Fair.

Tracing the footsteps of the pioneering 18th-century naturalist Gilbert White (1720-1793), the David Attenborough of his day, the event seeks to inspire a love for the natural world.

In addition to White’s interest in ornithology, he was a keen gardener and experimented with growing melons in hotbeds – a gardening skill which was still in its early stages during the 1700s.

At the Unusual Plants Fair, experts will be on hand to provide visitors with advice on their curious plant delights throughout the day. Whether it be how or where to plant a new specimen, or providing fun facts and recommendations for planting schemes, the experts have lots of hints and tips to share. 

There will also be workshops and demonstrations. On the Saturday, Rosemary Lanning, a flower arranger at Gilbert White’s House, will lead hand tied flower posy workshops at 11am and midday for £8 per person. On the Sunday, Louise Arthur, from Rough Around the Hedges, will be holding free drop-in willow weaving demonstrations.

The Unusual Plants Fair is always held over Father’s Day weekend, and specially for the 30th anniversary children go free and for adults, tickets are £9. See gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk