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NS&I SELECTS AND NURTURES GARDENING TALENT FOR THE SECOND YEAR

13 March 2009

 

  • Winners of NS&I Growing Gardens Today competition announced
  • NS&I sponsor the Grow Your Own area at BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2009

For the second year, judges of the NS&I Growing Gardens Today competition have selected three unique and visionary garden designs to be displayed at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2009. The winning designs all feature growing fruit and vegetables, modernity and sustainability as key themes. These are requirements of the competition that links in with NS&I's ongoing sponsorship of the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) Grow Your Own campaign.

The three winners, based in Devon and Bath, will all receive a £5,000 grant to build a 25m² garden and showcase in the Grow Your Own area of the show.

Tim Mack, Head of Marketing and Communications at NS&I commented, "NS&I is proud to run the NS&I Growing Gardens Today competition for a second year.  We are delighted that growing your own is getting more and more popular and this competition can help to encourage that. The winning designs demonstrate how you can be both sustainable and creative in a small space. We were once again impressed by the standard of entries to our competition and look forward to seeing the winning designs on show in the Grow Your Own area at this year's event."

Three winners – three very different visions

Old fashioned principles with a modern twist
Winner Sally Wilding-Webb from Devon has been interested in gardening for as long as she can remember. She even has the gardening gene in her blood, having come from a family of gardeners. Her grandfather was a classically trained Victorian Head Gardener and her father hand-built lawnmowers and gardening equipment for a living.

Sally is looking forward to bringing her garden design to life, saying “I’m delighted to have been selected as a winner for the NS&I Growing Gardens Today competition. I’m looking forward to the thrill and excitement of constructing a garden at a high profile gardening show. In my design, ‘Everything in the garden’, I aim to show that growing fruit and vegetables can be productive, beautiful and above all enjoyable!”

‘Everything in the garden’, shows that a garden can be more than a vegetable plot but also a space to relax and enjoy from inside and out. It encompasses modern techniques – such as a rainwater harvesting system under the pathway, a pond to encourage wildlife and lavender to welcome bees for pollination. Her design also includes a wide array of fruit and vegetables and a compost bin for recycling waste, such as vegetable peelings and garden clippings that can be used again in the garden once rotted down.

A balanced ecosystem
Winner Sheila Jean Dearing, a former bio-medical scientist, also from Devon, has always been deeply interested in gardening and developed her passion further when she began cultivating her own gardens. Sheila, who has an Honours degree in Environmental Science, an RHS General Certificate in Horticulture as well as a Diploma in Garden Design, was driven by her love for gardening to move into professional garden design and has been doing this for three years.

Of her winning design, 'Forest to Fork’, she says "My inspiration came from the principles of forest gardening; creating a balanced ecosystem. For me this is the epitome of the Growing Gardens Today theme - creating a haven for growing your own produce, as well as being sustainable and environmentally friendly."

'Forest to Fork' combines creativity with science to produce a space that is both beautiful and practical. Designed using FSC softwood throughout, this garden demonstrates how a small space can be productive, low maintenance and eco friendly with a modern feel. Specially selected plants readily available in most garden centres have been chosen for the plot to show just how easy it can be to grow and nurture.

Sustainable, stylish and sleek
Winners Christopher Parry and Rene Humphrey from Bath have both been passionate about garden design for several years. And after graduating from the Oxford College of Garden Design in 2007 they went on to set up their own garden design business TwentyEightDesigns. A lot of their inspiration for designing comes from various travels and Rene’s Scandinavian roots, as well as wanting to change a space into something better and make it more functional.

The designers said, "We created a garden, ‘Urban Veg’, that encompasses all of the Growing Gardens Today components. ’Urban Veg' is a contemporary space made for today's city lifestyle - a combination of two types of gardens into one. The space is good for both living and entertaining but also shows how easy it is to grow vegetables, fruits and herbs for homemade salads and other yummy dishes."

The ‘Urban Veg’ garden, designed to be as sustainable as possible, incorporates many recycling components such as reusable materials, a sleek built in compost bin and reclaimed bricks for walls. The garden will show how a small space can be used to grow your own as well as being environmentally friendly, relaxing and stylish.

Show details

The three designs will be featured in the Grow Your Own area, sponsored by NS&I, at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live (10-14 June 2009), held at the NEC Birmingham.

Visitors to the show will have the opportunity to choose their favourite of the winning designs in a public vote.  Each of the three winners will also provide NS&I with a weekly ‘blog’ in the build-up to the show.  Keep visiting www.nsandi.com/rhs for further details on the winners and their designs as they progress in the lead up to the show.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About NS&I

NS&I is one of the UK's largest financial providers with 27 million customers and over £94 billion invested. It is best known for Premium Bonds, but also offers Inflation-Beating Savings, Guaranteed Equity Bonds and Children's Bonus Bonds in its range.  All products offer 100% security, because NS&I is backed by HM Treasury.

For more information on NS&I’s involvement with the RHS and Grow Your Own campaign, visit www.nsandi.com/rhs

About BBC Gardeners’ World Live

Now in its 17th year, BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2009 is a tantalising mix of show gardens, floral displays, practical demonstrations, entertainment and shopping opportunities in spades. Expert gardeners will give practical demonstrations and advice on growing and using fruit, veg and herbs. More than 100 nurseries will have stands in the RHS Floral Marquee, displaying to the highest standards in their hopes of winning one of the coveted RHS medals. More information can be found at www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com.

About the RHS

The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. Its charitable work includes undertaking scientific research into issues affecting gardeners, holding plant trials and educational events and activities.

RHS membership is for anyone with an interest in gardening. Support the RHS and secure a healthy future for gardening. For more information call: 0845 130 4646, or visit www.rhs.org.uk

RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

Media team
NS&I has a number of spokespeople available for interviews and our experienced radio team is available via our ISDN line: 020 7602 4522.

The numbers below are for media use only. Customers wishing to contact NS&I can find details here.

Gareth Headon 020 7348 9494
gareth.headon@nsandi.com
Gill Stephens 020 7348 9449
gill.stephens@nsandi.com
Iman Asante 020 7348 9301
iman.asante@nsandi.com
Monica Del-Villar 020 7348 9654
monica.del-villar@nsandi.com

ISDN for interviews

020 7602 4522

Out of hours

All numbers above diverted to staffed mobile phones
 

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