A PASSIONATE gardener is set to see her eye-catching design feature in a popular BBC exhibition.

Agata Macioszek, of Westcliff, will be taking her work to BBC Gardeners’ World Live and it is due to come to life at Birmingham’s NEC Arena as one of the show gardens in the “beautiful borders” category.

With the theme for this year’s event being flower power, Agata’s design plays on the contrast of light and dark and is called May the Flora Be With You.

It comes after Agata initially came up with two designs, but the Westcliff resident believes the chosen piece reflects the year we have been made to contend with due to the coronavirus pandemic and hopes it will impress those who head to the exhibition.

She said: “I am incredibly proud to be taking my design to BBC Gardeners’ World Live.

“The pandemic has resulted in us all bouncing between the light and dark, hope and despair, even if we don’t all talk about it.

“At times, all of us had to draw on some inner strength and the power of plants and nature really helped many people cope with the pandemic.”

While BBC Gardeners’ World Live will be unable to go ahead in its usual format due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a special outdoor edition of the annual show will take place between August 26 and 29.

Agata admits the exhibition not being scheduled for its usual June slot means she has been forced into making some adjustments to her original proposals.

She added: “Moving the date to August presents some challenges.

“I have to rethink part of my design because different flowers will be in bloom.

“But thinking about plants is what I love doing.”

Agata believes continuing to indulge in her hobby has helped her get through an unprecedented period in our lives and she hopes others take inspiration from her work.

She admitted: “I love working alongside people so they can learn how to develop and fully own their gardens. That way, they get so much more out of it.

“Showing someone how to get involved in re-potting, pruning or sowing seeds often leads to them catching the gardening bug and it can be life changing.”