West Bridgford-based firm Creative Roots Landscaping is one of five landscape contractors and garden designers competing for this year’s APL Avenue Best Show Garden award at BBC Gardeners’ World Live.
Hosted for the fourth year running by the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL), this year’s entrants have been challenged to create show gardens which illustrate how a typical back garden can be packed with inspiration from travels abroad and the garden styles of different cultures across the globe.
Toby Pritchard, who is an RHS Level 3 qualified horticulturalist as well as associate director at Creative Roots Landscaping, is leading the project, taking ideas from Cambodia, Morocco and Florida.
Designed for someone who takes in all cultures through travel, the space will feature a stream taken from the Yves Saint Laurent gardens in Marrakech, heavy exotic foliage to give the illusion of warmer climates, and hardwood decking built on stilts – a common sight in southern Florida.
The Show Garden Assessment Panel, which includes internationally-renowned garden designer Kate Gould and chairman of Hillier Nurseries, Robert Hillier, will decide who takes home the accolade of Best APL Avenue Show Garden. There will also be a public vote for the visitors favourite.
Designer Toby Pritchard said: “We’ve taken our time and carried out extensive research in order to create what we think is a show-stopping design which we hope will impress the show assessors as well as the general public.
“Our ultimate aim is to present a garden draws its inspiration from a mix of countries – but is also achievable and sustainable for garden enthusiasts everywhere.”
The competition is made up of four other landscaping companies from Worcestershire, Suffolk, London and Northamptonshire.
Bob Sweet, horticultural director of BBC Gardeners’ World Live, said: “Each of the designs showcase the immense talent that the landscaping companies have.
“We know that the gardens will be built to a very high standard and will provide achievable inspiration to the Show visitors, giving them ideas for how to apply inspiration from their own travels around the world, at home.”