The hunt is on for gardens to include in next year's Tauranga Garden and Art Festival.

The Tauranga Garden and Art Festival team is keen to hear from anyone interested in the possibility of their garden featuring in the November 2018 event.

It is also the chance for people who have done an excellent job flexing their green fingers to share the joy of their labours

Festival director Marc Anderson says members of the festival team have been out visiting gardens already – some are festivals favourites, others are returning after a break, and there are exciting newcomers too.

But, he's keen to see more, as the plan is to feature 60 gardens from throughout the Western Bay of Plenty in 2018.

Gardeners who are interested, but unsure whether their gardens will make the cut, are encouraged to make contact.

Lara Weston, whose garden featured for the first-time last festival is full of positive feedback for those considering submitting their gardens.

'We encourage anyone thinking about being part of the festival to put their garden forward. We found it to be a really rewarding experience sharing our garden with our local and wider community.

'It's not often you get the opportunity to showcase your hard work to a wide variety of people and to share your ideas with gardeners or green fingered enthusiasts. The gardens involved in the festival are all so different and size is definitely not a hindrance. One of the best gardens we saw on the trail was very small, offering a mini woodland feel.

'As we discovered, festival goers are not there to critic your garden, they are there to enjoy your vision and design. We found many of the attendees looking for simple ideas and inspiration that they could incorporate into their own piece of green paradise. As gardeners we're all constantly learning and working with nature, and being part of the festival allows you first hand access to a great pool of knowledge, via your visitors!”

The 2018 festival will be held over four days with all gardens open for the duration. It will be held from Thursday November 15 to Sunday November 18.

Anyone interested in submitting their garden in the festival should contact Marc on 5702525 or email on info@gardenandartfestival.co.nz