Members awarded 6 medals at RHS Hampton

With RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in full swing, BALI’s Chief Executive Wayne Grills was in attendance on Tuesday 2 July after joining the All-Party Parliamentary and Gardening Horticulture Group (APPGHG) and the Ornamental Horticulture Round Table Group (OHRTG). Wayne visited award-winning member gardens throughout the day, congratulating them on their medal success.

Many BALI Registered members have participated in RHS Hampton Court this year, with several Registered Affiliate members having either built, designed or sponsored gardens, achieving three Gold Medals, two Silver Medals and one Bronze Medal between them. The themes surrounding the gardens this year continues to focus on mental and physical well-being and the support nature can offer.

Along with the gardens that were judged this year, the RHS Back to Nature feature garden returned having impressed crowds at RHS Chelsea in May. Co-designed by Registered Designer member Adam White MBALI and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and built by BALI Registered Contractor The Landscaping Consultants, the garden is a true celebration of nature and inventive natural outdoor play. Waterfall, dens and a hollow log returned, alongside new elements including a wildflower meadow, rolling hill and summer planting.  

The first Gold Medal was awarded to Registered Contractor Rosebank Landscaping who built The Cancer Research UK Pledge Pathway to Progress show garden. The Best Construction Award was also presented to this garden due to its striking curved layout which was formed of a pathway that meanders through a richly-scented planting scheme. At the centre of the space is a sunken seating area that encourages visitors to relax and reflect beneath the shading of the pledge tree. 

Another Gold Medal was awarded to Registered Designer Tony Woods MBALI and Registered Contractor Garden Club London for The Thames Water Flourishing Future Garden. The central rainfall pavilion shows the essential cycle of water that we all rely on to live and grow. A blooming flower meadow is a miniature version of Thames Water’s sprawling urban wetlands.

The third Gold Medal went to BALI Registered Contractor PC Landscapes for the Lifestyle Garden Stop and Pause Garden. The garden, which won the Best Lifestyle & Global Impact Garden and the Best Construction Award, include different textured spaces providing opportunities to notice and enjoy the transitions. Seating areas create places to stop, pause and reflect while enjoying the sight, sounds and smells of nature.

The fourth Gold Medal went to BALI Registered Contractor member Belderbos Landscapes for the Smart Meter Show Garden. The garden which won Best Show Garden, is an immersive metaphor for our future environment and explores the relationship between carbon emissions and our natural world, encouraging each of us to install a smart meter, thus providing the platform for a smart energy system which will help us to move towards a lower carbon economy.

The Silver Medal went to Registered Contractor Cotswold Estates and Gardens for the show garden Year of Green Action. The garden shows how engaging with the natural world can foster deep, lasting connections that motivate us to care and act for the environment.

The second Silver Medal winner was BALI Training Provider Writtle University College for the Crest Nicholson Livewell Garden. The park features a community space and a contemplation area. The community space is a flexible area for users of all ages and abilities to come together and interact in a relaxing and stimulating environment.

Landscaping Solutions scooped up the Bronze Medal for the Global Impact Gardens – The Forest Will See you Now. In this typical temperate forest setting, deciduous broadleaf trees predominate with Betula pendula, a smattering of Pinus sylvestris and an understorey of hazel and Acer campestre. A compacted earth path snakes through the forest and leaf litter and fallen branches cover the forest floor.

Several BALI Registered members sponsored gardens this year, including Landscapeplus who sponsored the APL A Place to Meet show garden, as well as CED Stone Group who sponsored the Through Your Eyes show garden.

Many of our Registered members are also exhibiting at the festival this year including artificial grass supplier Easigrass, greenhouse supplier Gabriel Ash, tree supplier Majestic Trees and classic rose supplier Peter Beale Roses.