Te Puke to feature prominently in BOP Garden and Art Festival

Juliann Hawkey in her and husband Alister's garden that will feature in the 2020 Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival.

It's spring and Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival gardeners are finalising the beautification of their plots in readiness for the November garden and art trail.

Among those are a number of Te Puke gardeners, as eight Te Puke gardens will feature in the November 19-22 festival, sponsored by Bayleys.

The gardens include old favourites, and one that has come back after a rest.

In some of them, art will be displayed. Festival goers can expect to see a rustic metal garden art creator, a jewellery maker, and botanical paintings featuring vibrant colour and flowing medium (washes and glazes).

Tickets to the festival can be purchased at Te Puke Florists, and, in Pāpāmoa, at Pacifica Home and Garden Store.

They are also available at Palmers Bethlehem (which is the festival's garden and art trail sponsor), Décor Gardenworld, from eventfinda and through the festival website www.gardenandartfestival.co.nz. One day tickets cost $35 and a festival pass (covering four days) is $65.

BOP Garden & Art Festival director Marc Anderson says there is an exciting number of properties new to the biennial festival.

''They'll join old favourites, as well as some that have returned after a break. All up there are 80 garden and art stops this year with 12 specific art studio stops within that number,'' he says.

Marc urges people to keep an eye on the festival website for any updates related to Covid-19.

As the situation stands, the festival's garden and art trail will be held if the district is still in alert level 2 in November. Marc assures that ticket holders will be reimbursed if the situation worsens and the trail cannot go ahead.