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Lord and Lady Cavendish in one of the award winning gardens.

HOLKER Hall's Garden Festival hit the highest standards in its 13-year history at the weekend as judges awarded a record number of gold prizes.

A total of 13 large' golds and 12 golds were awarded to the exhibitors under the standards determined by the Horticultural Exhibitors' Association.

However, the total of 20,000 visitors was considerably fewer than the 26,000 organisers had hoped for, which was put down to bad weather and other events over the same weekend, such as Appleby Horse Fair, that took punters away.

Lady Cavendish, of Holker Hall, said the quality of beautiful blooms and gardens on show was higher than ever before, which she said was "very exciting, because it's plants that you are here for".

Lord Cavendish added: "We sometimes get the feeling that some of the main shows are going away from horticulture and into design but our passion is plants."

Kim Wilde, 1980s pop diva turned horticulturalist, who won a prestigious gold prize at Chelsea Flower Show with a Cumbria-inspired garden, was a guest at Holker over the weekend.

She presented a copy of her Chelsea gold to Lord and Lady Cavendish in recognition of the influence Holker Hall and its people had on her prize-winning garden.

Inside one of the large, white marquees, in an atmosphere heavy with the scent of trampled grass, their passion for plants was shared by the surprised winners of the Lady Cavendish Award.

Husband and wife team Shirley and Terry Tasker, of Southport, added the trophy to a large gold they won for their brilliant display of petal power.

Mrs Tasker said they were "absolutely gobsmacked" to have won, especially after raindrops battered their delicate tropical plants as they were setting up.

Another of the winners, this time of a gold, was Amanda Delaney, of Appleby Road, Kendal, for her modern garden, inspired by the local landscape, called A Yam', or At Home' in local dialect.

However, she said: "I don't like being judged. I just like building gardens."

Her work drew many appreciative comments from the welly-wearing crowds.

Ivor Radeiven, who had come to the show with his wife Sylvia from their home in North Wales, said it was "delightful" with a "muted palette".

Mr Radeiven said: "We go to a lot of shows but this is one of the best."

The crowds of old and young weaved their way around stonewalling demonstrations, slate makers, trade stands and jugglers on stilts, all framed by the petals displayed to perfection in the marquees.

Meanwhile, grand-parents educated their grandchildren on the niceties of traditional jazz to the sounds of the Bill Bailey Band.

9:03am Friday 10th June 2005

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