It was a good show at Malvern this year despite the weather. Some heavy rain and wind meant that more than one Show Garden tree had to be propped up or tied down. There was an interesting variety of Show Gardens on display, including a crop of 'Festival Gardens' which are aimed at giving amateurs, or those just starting out in Garden Design, the opportunity to produce their first show garden. Although these are small, they are judged at RHS standards just as any garden on the Main Avenue at Chelsea would be. Giving the new designers an opportunity to have their work displayed to the public and judged at the highest level will hopefully give them the confidence and credibility to move forward in their careers. They may even decide to step up to the next level and design a full show garden in subsequent years.

My favourite design is the 'Bringing Nature Home' Garden by Graduate Gardeners (above). This garden won a RHS Gold Medal and was also awarded Best in Show for 2014. I like it because, in my mind, it is a fairly simply yet very well done. I believe, having a good strong design is the key to the success of this garden. It displayed well proportioned areas and good use of vertical as well as horizontal design. The hard landscaping is well constructed, with a fairly modern feel and the whole scheme is finished of with attractive naturalistic style planting.