Merrist Wood College students strike Gold with Best in Show triumph at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair

This marks the fourth consecutive year the college has taken part in the competition, continuing its strong track record of excellence.

Heritage Rewoven: A celebration of sustainable garden design

This year’s award-winning show garden, ‘Heritage Rewoven’, impressed both judges and visitors with a design inspired by Activate Learning’s award-winning Learning Philosophy.

The philosophy focuses on engaging learners by stimulating the brain, fostering motivation, and responding to emotion – three elements seen as equally essential to effective learning. These principles are reflected in the garden’s design through three interlinked circles, a motif used throughout the college.

Prioritising wellbeing, sustainability and biodiversity in their design, students were inspired to reuse cable drums left from a recent campus redevelopment project. These repurposed materials formed a pathway leading to a woven willow focal point, creating a cocooning space for rest and reflection.

This stunning structure, which was hand woven by the team on site, wowed the crowds at the event and will now be installed at historic West Horsley Place, where the willow was originally harvested.

A pond, framed by a canopy of trees and colourful climate-resilient plants, provided an essential water source for wildlife, encouraging visitors to reimagine their own gardens as biodiverse, sustainable spaces. All the plants used in the garden will return to the college nursery as teaching specimens.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that Merrist Wood College students have impressed at the event with their ongoing success reinforcing the college’s reputation as a leader in horticultural education and innovative garden design.

This talented student team made up of Olly Britten, 19; Ciaran Wright, 19; Harvey Fox, 21; Milo Wheeler, 19; Emily Harwood, 19; Ellie Burchett,18 and Matthew Jones, 17, designed and constructed the garden under the guidance of award-winning garden designer Cherry Carmen.

Award-winning success and industry recognition

Jo Manser, Group Director at Merrist Wood College, praised the students’ accomplishment: “We’re incredibly proud of our learners’ achievements at BBC Gardener’s World Spring Fair this year – not only in securing the Gold award, but also in winning Best in Show as well as being named runner-up in the People’s Choice Award in the Showcase Garden category.

“Just as importantly, the whole team demonstrated dedication, creativity and professionalism throughout the garden’s development. These qualities reflect the skills and values at the heart of our learning philosophy and are essential for future success in land-based industries.”

Chair of Assessors at the event, Ian Hodgson, commented: “We were incredibly impressed from the initial concept through to the final execution – every detail had been thoughtfully considered to create a truly atmospheric space. The team created a truly magical space, made all the more remarkable by the way they repurposed materials from around their campus.

“There’s genuine innovation, flair and meticulous attention to detail here. They should be immensely proud of what they’ve achieved.”

About the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair

The BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair is one of the UK’s premier gardening events, drawing thousands of enthusiasts, professionals, and exhibitors to celebrate innovative garden design, horticulture, and sustainable landscaping. The College Gardens competition offers an important platform for emerging talent in garden design education.

Learn more about Horticulture and Landscaping courses at Merrist Wood College

Merrist Wood College and University Centre, part of Activate Learning, continues to lead in land-based education offering horticulture, landscaping, arboriculture and countryside management courses among many others.

Go here for more information about our Horticulture and Landscaping programmes