WINNING DESIGNS
Following the cancellation of last year’s RHS show at Tatton Park, this year saw three winning designs brought to life by amateur gardeners from the North West. Photography: RHS_Charlotte Graham
Over the summer, three amateur designers won a competition run by the BBC and the Royal Horticultural Society which saw their garden designs come to life at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park.
The winning designs grabbed the judge’s attention thanks to their creativity and originality and beat hundreds of entries in the competition that challenged entrants to submit a design for a City Garden.
The winning gardens designed by Dawn Evans, Sue Burke and Denise Reddin were created with the help of award winning designer Lee Bestall to be enjoyed by the thousands of visitors at RHS Flower Show.
The Windrush Garden by Manchester winner Dawn Evans has also been chosen by RHS Garden Bridgewater curator Marcus Chilton-Jones to feature permanently at the society’s newest garden in Salford. Dawn was inspired by her parents’ Jamaican heritage, their generations’ journey to the UK and the unwelcoming climate they inherited in their new country. The garden is a little piece of Jamaican paradise with exotic planting including hostas, blousy canna lilies and giant palms.
Dawn said: “I hope the garden will show people just what can be done in just a small space.”
Denise from Oswaldtwistle, was the winning Lancashire designer – her garden Bee Happy in the City is a relaxing, fun city garden for a young couple or family where the garden has become an extension of the home featuring upcycled household objects including an old roll top bath transformed into a water feature. Nods to Lancashire run throughout the garden with Accrington brick forming a path and, of course, red roses. Bees are encouraged into the garden through the wildlife friendly planting and bee houses.
Denise said: “For a Lancashire lass to have the experience of designing and creating a garden at RHS Tatton Park has been a dream come true and working with expert garden designer Lee Bestall has been fantastic.”
Merseyside winner Sue Burke was inspired by The Beatles. Her garden My City – Our Music features a green lawn in the shape of a guitar representing the music of the Merseybeat with planting colours taking inspiration from four famous Beatle Album covers – The White Album represented by a white border, Sergeant Pepper and Yellow Submarine inspired the more zingy colours and the black and white paving a nod to the famous Abbey Road album cover.
Sue said: “It’s been an incredible experience and I have thoroughly enjoyed the creative process and working alongside Denise and Dawn.”
