Meet the future of garden design...
For three young designers RHS Show Tatton 2010 represents both an amazing opportunity and – potentially – the fright of their lives.
Hugo Bugg, Olivia Stewart and William Quarmby will all be building show gardens after being announced as finalists in the RHS Young Designer of the Year competition.
All three designers receive a grant of £12,000 to create their garden, provided by the North West Regional Development Agency together with the RHS. The three gardens will be judged by RHS judges at the show, which takes place from 21-25 July, and the overall winner will be crowned the first RHS Young Designer of the Year.
So who hopes to exhibit at Chelsea 2011, which entrant is an absolute beginner when it comes to garden design and who is a classical pianist? Read on for the lowdown on these talented finalists.
Meet the finalists...
A childhood spent outdoors in the Devonshire countryside, helping his father in the family garden, left Hugo with a passionate interest in gardening. Combining this interest with a flair for art and design, he graduated from University College Falmouth in 2008 with a first class honours in garden design. He also picked up the ‘Student Garden Designer of the year’ award for the Society of Garden Designers during this time, and joined forces with fellow award-winner Maren Hallenga to form a business - Hallenga and Bugg Landscape Design.
Hugo and Maren, originally from Germany, worked on a £22m lottery-funded project in Cornwall. They have since been working on numerous private schemes and constructed their first show garden at Future Gardens 09 - and in their spare time they both completed the RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture!
‘Our business was going from strength to strength when in February 2009 we received the news that Kristin, Maren’s twin sister, had been diagnosed with breast cancer,’ said Hugo. This year Kristin started her own charity, called CoppaFeel!, which encourages a proactive attitude towards diagnosing breast cancer, and recently Maren decided to commit 100% of her time working for CoppaFeel! and supporting her sister.
‘Maren assisted me during the initial concept and ideas stage of the Tatton project,’ said Hugo. ‘I will now continue and complete it on my own - so not only is it my first RHS show garden, but it is my first solo design project.
‘Maren has not left the garden design world entirely as we both intend to bring CoppaFeel! to Chelsea Flower Show. I am currently working on a show garden proposal, which we hope to build at Chelsea 2011. Hopefully Tatton Park will provide me with the experience of creating a successful RHS show garden, and perhaps even interest a possible future sponsor for the Chelsea garden.’
Outside the world of garden design Hugo stays loyal to his love of the outdoors, regularly playing hockey, golf and tennis.
Hugo's garden
Hugo’s early interest in architecture influenced his garden design, which is based around Liverpool’s revolutionary Albert Dock. The Albert Dock features the UK’s largest collection of Grade I listed buildings, including the world’s first non-combustible warehouse built solely from cast iron, brick and granite. His design celebrates the work of architect Jesse Hartley, presenting an abstract and simplified interpretation of the Albert Dock.
‘I’m ecstatic to be in the final. It’s a wonderful opportunity but also very daunting,’ said Olivia Stewart, a graduate of the Oxford College of Garden Design, where she studied for a Post Graduate in Residential Landscape Architecture.
Olivia only realised her passion and flair for gardening in her 20s, but she soon forged a career maintaining all manner of gardens in all kinds of conditions, from private city and country gardens of all sizes, as well as woodland conservation.
Her most recent heroes include Andy Sturgeon, in particular appreciating his sculptural style and stunning designs.
As well as a passion for all things horticultural and her love of the outdoors, Olivia leads an active lifestyle, often mountain climbing and scuba diving. She is also a keen musician, having played classical piano from the age of seven.
Olivia's garden
The initial inspiration for Olivia’s Tatton design - Clear Waters Rising - stems from a recent camping trip to the Lake District, where the awe-inspiring landscape had a profound impact on her. She credits both the stunning natural environment and the craftsmanship involved in the local stonework as key sources for inspiration.
Furniture design graduate William Quarmby fell into garden design after he was offered a job at a friend’s landscaping company. Within 18 months, he was running his own landscaping and design business in Northallerton, Yorkshire.
Now, three years in, he has been shortlisted for Young designer of the Year, and is the only one of the three finalists to have worked at Tatton Show before. Will was part of the team that produced both a full-sized show garden and a Back-to-back garden for Harlow Carr, winning silver-gilt both times.
‘I’m pretty chuffed,’ said William. ‘But this is my first time heading up a team to produce a garden – it’s very different.’
William’s heart is very much rooted in the outdoors and he spends as much of his free time as possible in the countryside. He enjoys shooting and is a keen mountain biker, regularly setting out on the North Yorkshire Moors that provide him with so much inspiration.
Will's garden - Moor Work
‘Our design has been inspired by the West Pennine Moors,’ said William. ‘We have created a functional space that would suit any town or city garden.’ Silver birch is underplanted with heather, and a curving path guides you through to a hardwood timber bridge that crosses a stream. The seating area at the back of the garden is a modern take on a grouse butt, using its curved walls for protection from the elements.