Perseverance Pays

Wyevale East Nurseries announces winner of Student Garden Design & Build Award 2011

Wyevale East Nurseries announces Susan Willmott and Adele Ford as winners of the Student Design & Build Award 2011.  Their joint submission ‘Coastal Drift’ was the best design with a great link to the description in the brief.  ‘Coastal Drift’ is their second entry to the Student Design & Build Award.  Their entry in 2010 was unsuccessful however their perseverance has paid off with their winning entry this year. 

The Student Design & Build Award, now in its second year and is proving to be a great success across educational establishments.  The Student Design & Build Award was initially launched by Wyevale East Nurseries in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society and is aimed at students of horticulture or design at level 3 or above. 

Susan Willmott and Adele Ford were both students of BA in Garden Design at Hadlow College in association with the University of Greenwich at the time of submission and graduated this summer.  Susan Willmott is continuing her studies with a post graduate MA in Landscape Architecture.  Adele Ford is currently volunteering at Great Dixter. 

Entries received for this year’s Award came from a higher number of colleges than in 2010 showing a greater interest in the Award.  The brief for this year’s Student Design & Build was for a garden 4 miles from the coast in an area of high rainfall with two different soil types.  Ford and Willmott opted for the free draining soil which is reflected in their plant range. 

The concept to this year’s successful entry is based on the concept of the movement of plants and drift of the sea represented by the shapes of the wall, materials and the choice of plants. 

The winning design ‘Coastal Drift’ will be submitted, in accordance with standard procedures, to the Royal Horticultural Society for an opportunity to design and build their entry as a show garden in the Small Garden Category at the Royal Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2012.

Richard McKenna, Director at Wyevale East Nurseries commented: “I am delighted to have two worthy winner of the Student Design & Build Award 2011.  The opportunity to give two newly qualified garden designers a launch pad for their careers is as exciting and rewarding for me as it is for Susan and Adele”

The judges of this year’s Award were: Chris Young, Editor of The RHS’ The Garden Magazine; Christine Parsons, Director responsible for Design membership at BALI; and Richard McKenna, Director at Wyevale East Nurseries.  

Source: Wyevale East Nurseries.