Awards
Mayfield Park wins coveted Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award has been granted to Mayfield Park in Manchester with the judges declaring that they had ‘never seen such an outstanding urban park in 20+ years of judging’.
Design
Max Fordham House & Garden
The environmental engineering firm and its eponymous late founder designed Max Fordham House, the UK’s first net zero residential home in Camden, north London.
Gardens
Great Comp Garden 2024 Summer Show
Two-day summer show held to help safeguard the historic Great Comp Garden in Kent with its rich history of suffragists and female sporting endeavours.
Business
Semple Begg celebrate 10th anniversary with a touch of Dior & RHS Chelsea garden relocation in Scotland
Designers Susan Begg and Nicola Semple, based in Scotland and Switzerland celebrate their 10th anniversary, relocating their RHS Chelsea garden and prestigious Dior Cruise ’25 at Drummond Castle.
Gardens
Over 200 volunteers assisted in the rehoming of the 2024 RHS Chelsea Pulp Friction garden
People’s Choice winner, the 2024 RHS Chelsea Pulp Friction Growing Skills garden, which celebrated the Pulp Friction community has been relocated to its final destination in Nottingham.
Worth a listen
‘The Garden Design Confessional’ podcast series hosted by Darren Hawkes for Maggie’s
New ‘Garden Design Confessional’ podcast series, hosted by the award-winning landscape designer Darren Hawkes, featuring fellow Maggie’s garden designers.
Gardens
The value of a garden…
A new survey conducted by YouGov for STIGA, reveals that people would rather have smaller house if it came with a garden than a large house with no outside space.
People
Susan Raikes is the new Director of Wakehurst at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Susan Raikes has been appointed as Director of Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex to engage the wider public in the beauty and scientific value of the Wakehurst site.
Health
Gardens and local green space leads to lower incidence of antidepressant use
New research paper reveals strong link between living near green space and decreases in antidepressant prescription refills, highlighting the importance of nature for health & wellbeing and urban planning.
Charity
Blue Diamond Garden Centres launch Community Garden Competition
Prompted by their Octavia Hill inspired, 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden, Blue Diamond are offering financial support to five UK community garden projects.
Education
Great Bradfords School renovated garden opened by Jamie Oliver
Chef and author Jamie Oliver, opened the newly renovated garden at Great Bradfords Junior School in Braintree, Essex.
Design
The Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam greenhouse to become completely climate neutral
The eye-catching Amsterdam Hortus Botanicus greenhouse is being renovated to become completely sustainable, heated without gas – providing an inspiring example to all.
Gardens
Botanical Garden Leiden opens new Mediterranean garden
The oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands, Hortus Botanicus Leiden has opened their new climate resistant, sustainable and water-efficient, Mediterranean garden.
Environment
The new RHS Environmental Innovation Award goes to World Child Cancer garden
Designed by Giulio Giorgi, the World Child Cancer Nurturing Garden wins the new award that recognises efforts made to reduce footprint at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024
The 2024 RHS Chelsea Octavia Hill Garden wins inaugural RHS Children’s Choice Award
Designed by Ann-Marie-Powell, for Blue Diamond and the National Trust, the Octavia Hill Garden has won the new RHS Children’s Choice Award.
Charity
Build of Horatio’s Garden in Sheffield has started
Exactly one year ago, since it began its life as the Best in Show winning garden at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, work has started on Horatio’s Garden in Sheffield.
Gardens
The Oudolf Landscape at RHS Wisley is now open
The highly anticipated, transformed Glasshouse Borders by the internationally acclaimed landscape designer Piet Oudolf at RHS Wisley are now open.
Products
Wildflower seeds for RHS Chelsea WaterAid garden visitors
Seedball has supplied 25,000 bespoke matchboxes for Tom Massey’s WaterAid, drought-resistant show garden to be given away to visitors.
Local Heroes
Sandi Toksvig to open Bramshott village gardens event
The residents of Bramshott in Hampshire, open their gardens to the public every two years to raise money for local charities and to fund improvements in their own village.
Charity
NGS & Macmillan: 40th anniversary of a very special partnership
As part of Gardens and Health Week, the National Garden Scheme is celebrating a unique, 40-year charitable partnership with one of the most significant beneficiaries, Macmillan Cancer Support.
