The Spring Mediterranean Gardening Fair will return this year for our first spring event since 2019. It will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27, at CONFEST (horse fair and monthly market site) in Estoi, from 10am to 4pm each day. Entry costs €1 and children enter for free.
This will be our first spring event open over two days to give visitors more time to enjoy the variety of plants on offer in safe conditions. Plant nurseries will have the opportunity to restock for Sunday.
If you are looking for specific plants, it will be possible to make a pre-order to collect at the event.
We are very grateful to the plant nurseries for their support of this initiative when we will once again be able to celebrate Mediterranean gardening in the Algarve. All funds raised will go to support the work of MGAP (Mediterranean Gardening Association Portugal) and APEJECM (Associação de Plantas e Jardins em Climas Mediterrânicos).
This event will take place at the same venue as the successful Autumn Fair held in October 2021. The whole site is level and accessible and immediately next to free and extensive car parking.
There will be more space allocated for exhibitors at this Spring Fair and the whole event will be outside in the open air. Our partners for this event, CONFEST Horse Association of Estoi, will provide a full catering service and there will be vegetarian options.
We are very grateful to the president and his team from the Junta de Freguesia de Conceição e Estoi for their enthusiastic support.
Covid-19 measures include masks, distancing and hand sanitisers, but these will depend on the DGS rules in force at the time. These details will be confirmed later, so please check our website and Facebook page for updates.
During the event, visitors can take advantage of the plant crèche immediately next to the car park where purchases can be left in safe hands while continuing to enjoy the many attractions of the day.
The popular MGAP Book Shop will have new and second-hand gardening and natural history books for sale. An MGAP Plant Sales table organised by our members will have plants from their gardens and MGAP members will also provide gardening advice and plant identification for visitors.
Native plants and native plant seeds will be for sale, as well as ornamental and container plants, with unusual plants from arid and tropical zones. You will find fruit trees and herbs and a large range of succulents suitable for the garden and for containers. This is an opportunity to buy the most appropriate plants for your garden and benefit from the advice and guidance of the knowledgeable nursery owners.
Hot meals, refreshments and bar facilities will be available and all funds from the catering will go to CONFEST. There will also be a range of organic produce and products for sale.
Finally, we ask everyone to help reduce plastic waste – we will provide a space to recycle plant pots and also please bring your own bags/boxes if possible.
For more information, visit www.mgaportugal.org, email [email protected] or call 289 791 869 / 918 718 474
By ROSIE PEDDLE
