Garden design competition

Call for aspiring garden designers in the Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire areas to design a ‘City Garden’ at our Tatton Park show

Let's Go Fly a Kite Back to Back Garden (2019)

BBC Radio Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside are joining forces with the RHS to run an exciting garden design competition which gives three listeners the chance to design a garden at this year’s RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (22–26 July).

The competition asks amateur gardeners and aspiring garden designers to create and submit a ‘City Garden’ design, incorporating creative ways to get the most out of a small outdoor space. Entrants should also tie in a link to their local BBC region as a winning design from each – Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside – will be chosen to represent the corresponding radio station at the flower show this summer, allowing the selected three an opportunity to see their designs come to life.

The Phytosanctuary Garden Young Designer Garden (2019) The Very Hungry Caterpillar Back to Back Garden (2019)
At the show, the RHS will decide on the ultimate winning garden which will be relocated to the Society's newest fifth garden, RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford, Greater Manchester, which opens to the public later this year.
 

“This is a money-can’t-buy opportunity for someone passionate about gardening and design to see their vision come to life at an RHS Show, gain expert advice and hands-on experience in garden design. I am very excited to see what the BBC Local Radio listeners come up with and which of the three gardens will be selected to be rebuilt permanently at RHS Garden Bridgewater – what a fantastic opportunity for a budding designer.

As more and more of the population live in cities and urban areas we hope these ‘City Gardens’ will provide fantastic take-home inspiration for everyone especially those visitors with limited outdoor space.”

Gemma Lake, Manager of RHS Flower Show Tatton Park

The winning designers will be given the opportunity to work with a professional mentor and landscape contractor to bring their designs to life at Tatton, and will have free entry to the show throughout the week.

How to enter the competition

Entries must arrive by Monday 17 February. Judges will select a winning design from each region, Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside and will consider: how well the garden interprets the theme ‘City Gardens’, how interesting and creative the design is, the effective use of plants, how well the design has considered sustainability issues and how realistic the design is within a small budget and space.

Information on how to enter the competition is available on the BBC website and online at BBC Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.