THERE is a green theme running through this year's Festival.

Ex-ballet dancing flower arrangers and Worcester's biggest-ever flower show are giving local gardeners a reason to put down the watering can.

On Thursday, Mark Welford and Stephen Wicks, former professional dancers with the Royal Ballet, will combine dance, music, theatre and flower arranging in their humorous show Blooming Marvellous.

Welford and Wicks, better known as the Bloomsbury Boys, hope to enthral the audience with a variety of floral designs while they share some gossip from the world of ballet. One of the highlights of this highly original stage show is watching two large flower arrangements being created to music, and there should be plenty of laughs when, armed with a stopwatch, the Blooms-bury Boys invite members of the audience to try their hand at floral arrangement against the clock.

On Tuesday, August 22, National Collection owner Una Dunnett invites us into her World of Hostas. The hands-on and free-of - charge lecture will reveal how Mrs Dunnett, from Warndon, grows more 680 varieties of the hosta plant in her 50ft by 50ft garden and how she became an adviser to the gardeners who look after Prince Charles' National Coll-ection of hostas.

She will also be making an appearance at the annual flower show at Cripplegate Park on Saturday. The show, which will take place under a huge marquee, starts at 2pm and local growers will be displaying their prize plants, fruits and vegetables. BBC Hereford and Worcester will present the special programme Hoe, Mow and Grow live from the site. There will be a raffle, and a team of experts will be on hand to answer gardening questions.

From Sunday, 20 children can become wildlife adventurers when Wild Things! takes place in Cripplegate Park. The nature trail is suitable for children with disabilities and booking is advised. Blooming Marv-ellous is at the Swan Theatre at 7.30pm on Thursday, August 17, and tickets cost £12. The World of Hostas is also at the Swan at 2pm on Tuesday, August 22 and is a free event. The Flower Show and Wild Things! are free.