Show Garden Success at RHS BADMINTON
Show gardens are a wonderfully wild business.
Show gardens are a wonderfully wild business. They take a small army of sponsors, suppliers, growers, landscapers, planting specialists, consultants, coordinators and designers, all pulling together with one shared goal: to create the very best show garden possible.
Months, sometimes years, of planning, refining and preparing all come down to a fleeting window on the showground. Add a record breaking heatwave into the mix, and the endurance required from everyone on site reaches another level entirely. But when the dust settles and the RHS judging is complete, seeing that hard work recognised makes every single minute worthwhile.
I'm beyond thrilled to share that Macmillan Cancer Support's The Nascent Shade Garden at the inaugural RHS Badminton in the Cotswolds received:
🌿 RHS Gold Medal
🌿 People's Choice Award
🌿 Best Construction Award
Winning Best Construction after 12 days of relentless heat is an incredible testament to the skill, determination and resilience of the team at Artisan Landscapes. The fact that they were all standing - and somehow still smiling - at the end of it is what made it truly incredible.
Seeing that precision hard landscaping come together with the artistry, rich plant combinations, and remarkable plant health achieved in equally challenging conditions - thanks in to our wonderful and brilliant planting team led by Bryony and Caleb, you all were incredible and delivered pure magic.
To then receive an RHS Gold Medal and the People's Choice Award is something we'll never forget. Knowing that so many visitors connected with Macmillan's message and chose to vote for this garden makes all the hard work even more meaningful.
This garden will always hold a special place in my heart. As a landscape designer, being able to share Macmillan’s mission in a way that truly resonated with so many people is a privilege. To then see that vision recognised in such an extraordinary way is something I will cherish forever.
A huge thank you to everyone who made this possible. Show gardens really are a team effort, and this one was something very special.
Warmest
Elle (an incredibly proud RHS Gold Medal garden designer) x
Special Thanks & Acknowledgments
Creating The Nascent Shade Garden was only possible thanks to the tireless work, dedication, and generosity of every single person and business involved.
Our Main Sponsors & Leadership
A massive thank you to our main sponsors, Macmillan Cancer Support, and their incredible team - Lee-anne Menzies, Jane Joyner, and Anisha Panchmatia, for their unwavering support and shared vision throughout this journey.
A massive thank you to Will Cooke, Founder and MD of Artisan Landscapes, for putting his complete faith and trust in me to design, develop, and detail The Nascent Shade Garden. Working on this project has been a total joy and an absolute privilege, and I couldn't have asked for a better project teammate or collaborator.
Huge thanks also to Gareth Wilson, our No. 1 Project Consultant, for his expert guidance every step of the way.
The Build & Planting Teams
Artisan Landscapes: Huge credit to Will and his landscaping team Kyle, Alastair, Paul, Hamish, Pete, and Tim for their monumental skill and effort. Taking home Best Construction was hugely deserved!
The Planting Team: Led by the fantastic Bryony Waddington and Caleb Job, alongside George William Flynn, Rob Johnston and Caroline Pheasey, plus our brilliant volunteers Kat and Phoebe. The planting was absolutely phenomenal.
Project Sponsors
We are immensely grateful to our sponsors for supplying the materials and equipment that laid the foundation for this garden:
Artorius Faber, for the most fabulous, stone bench and paving
Urbis, their custom water bowl was incredible
Big Hedge Co.
Alide Hire Services
The Potthouse Collective
APC Workwear
Bowland Stone Ltd
Almondsbury Forge Works Limited
Steintec
Project Suppliers
To our growers and nurseries—thank you for growing and nurturing the amazing trees and plants that held up so remarkably under the sun:
Deepdale Trees Ltd
Kelways Plants Limited
Creepers Nursery
West Kington Nurseries
Stoneworld
