Marlborough garden festival on

The five-day Hunter's Garden Marlborough festival started yesterday and the region's hospitality industry is gearing up for a bumper few days.

Celebrating 10 years, the festival features a wide range of guest presenters, workshops and Marlborough gardens. The event started with the Marlborough Sounds garden tour, which was fully booked.

This year's festival features a varied line-up of speakers, including Auckland-based wetlands specialist Beverley McConnell, Sir Tipene O'Regan, who is presenting a workshop on traditional Maori remedies and resources, and the head gardener at England's Great Dixter, Fergus Garrett.