After 31 years, Art in Action is a firm fixture in many people's calendars, and it is easy to see why. The event brings together an almost overwhelming array of arts, crafts, music, dance and performance, from across the world, an array which inspires, excites and, in many cases, offers the opportunity to buy and cherish. The inspiration comes both from the work itself and from the opportunity to talk to artists and crafts people as they demonstrate the techniques they use and explain why they chose their subject and medium. Practical classes allow young and old alike to try their hand.

This year saw changes in the event, including a reduction in the number of people taking part (a wise response to feedback from a public that felt there was just too much going on), the use of the splendid new open-air theatre, and an emphasis on art in nature and in the natural world. The last included an Art in Nature tent appropriately and attractively set within the plants in the garden centre area, and a sculpture garden planned and planted by that exceptional plantswoman, herb specialist and RHS gold medal winner Jekka McVicar.

The sculpture garden is circular and had at its heart a large bronze tumbling hare by sculptor Jeremy James, artlessly holding a concave sundial crafted by Joanna Migdal, flanked by benches by Philip Koomen whose shape and form paid tribute to the trees whence they came. The natural world also featured in the work of another RHS gold medal winner, Ann Swan. Her delicate botanical paintings included a delightfully formal portrait of an artichoke, executed in pencil and coloured pencil. From the other side of the world Xiuwen Cao Jinshan drew on her farming origins to produce a large body of colourful and engaging folk paintings featuring the everyday lives of Chinese peasants. The portrait of Herb Girl (pictured above) shows her face on, hands clasped, proudly displaying her prizewinner's rosette and behind her a riotous display of flowers through which barely visible butterflies pick their way.