THE seeds of an idea for a Monmouthshire gardens festival are to be discussed at a public meeting on September 14 in Shire Hall.

Horticulturalists, garden suppliers, green-fingered residents, or anyone interested in contributing ideas or finding out more, is invited to the meeting which is being spearheaded by Louise McGuinness from adventa, the Monmouthshire Rural Development Agency.

"I've been germinating the idea of a gardens festival for some time," says Louise.

"Like the Monmouth­shire Walking Festival, which was started by adventa and has just been taken over by a team of volunteers, I'd like to get a large group of people together who would be keen to work up a festival with adventa's support and a small amount of our funding in the initial set-up period, with the idea that ultimately some of them would then take it on themselves."

Louise, who is the festival and events co-ordinator for adventa, is looking for innovative ideas, suggestions for the format of the event, venue and timing.

"I am open to all ideas because I want this Gardens Festival to come from the ground up. Ideally I want to pull together as many people as possible including those with a commercial interest in gardens and those who garden for pleasure. I am keen to hear from people who are enthusiastic gardeners, members of gardening clubs, those who belong to allotment societies, people who open their gardens to the public and are in the Yellow Book and people who aspire to get their gardens in the Yellow Book. I'd also like to include garden designers, people who maintain gardens or sell things for gardens – anyone with ideas for a gardening event for Monmouthshire to be piloted some time next year."