A talented group of BTC adult learners have won a Silver Merit medal at this year’s prestigious BBC Gardeners World Spring Fair in Beaulieu, Hampshire. The team, Susan, Fiona, Megan, Alex, and Aizel, wowed judges and visitors alike with their stunning student garden, ‘Obscuro’.

The garden, which was designed around the concept of a Victorian Tea Party, captured the imagination of everyone who saw it. The team spent months planning the garden build, with the help of Award-Winning Garden Designer Cherry Carmen, Course Leader Nigel Cox, and Horticulture Tutor Gemma Neech. Despite enduring three days of wind and rain during the actual garden build, the team pulled together and created a garden that was truly breath-taking.

The feedback provided by the professional judges was invaluable to the team, who found it very helpful in guiding them on how they can develop their garden design skills further. The team was thrilled with their success and is looking forward to building another show garden at the Royal Bath & West Show in June.

Sponsorship for the garden was provided by Hillier Nurseries, Kebur Garden Materials, Hedges Direct, and Rolawn, while many of the props were repurposed or recycled to demonstrate the importance of sustainable gardening. The team was grateful for the budget provided by the show to cover costs and is planning to rebuild the garden in the grounds of a hospital psychiatry facility in Weston-Super-Mare as a wellbeing resource.

Nigel Cox, Course Leader, was ecstatic with the team’s success,

“Such national horticulture events are a fantastic way of engaging with the public and demonstrating the skills that students learn during their time at BTC’s Cannington campus. The public response to the garden was phenomenal, and the team is excited about the future and the possibilities that lie ahead.”

Find out more about the show garden, including the list of plants used, here.

To find out more about RHS courses at Bridgwater & Taunton College, please call 01278 441234 or click here.