A woman who has made a career out of her passion for gardening will host the Bay of Plenty Garden & Art Festival's Long Lunch event this November.

That much-lauded woman is Lynda Hallinan, who has spent her working life writing and talking about gardening from first-hand experience. Former editor of ‘NZ Gardener' and ‘Weekend Gardener' magazines, she previously edited the gardening pages of ‘Your Home & Garden' and ‘NZ House & Garden' magazines, fronted TV gardening shows, was a Sunday Star-Times columnist, and talked gardening on air for many years.

Lynda remains a columnist for various magazines, continues to produce books and is a popular speaker at NZ gardening events.

BOP Garden & Art Festival director Marc Anderson says the festival team is delighted that Lynda will be hosting the lunch, and those attending can expect both a knowledgeable and colourful presentation.

Joining Lynda will be NZ's 'bug man” Ruud Kleinpaste, and the event will include live musical entertainment.

The festival's ever-popular Long Lunch will be held on November 20 at Tauranga Racecourse's Doncaster lounge. Attendees will be on the receiving end of a three-course luncheon and a glass of bubbles on arrival.

While in Tauranga, Lynda will visit a few of the festival's gardens. There are plenty to choose from.

The 2022 festival, with Bayleys as the principal festival partner, offers 74 garden and art stops – of these, 20 are art studio stops and 30 per cent of the gardens are new to the festival.

Visit: www.gardenandartfestival.co.nz for ticket sales and more information.