A team of landscape gardeners led out of Glossop are celebrating show stopping success.

The latest came at the iconic RHS Flower Show in Tatton where there was double delight for Gareth Wilson, of Glossop’s G.K.Wilson Landscaping and Business Consultants. 

For Gareth was involved in providing the guidance, consultation and mentoring to help teams involved in the creation of two award-winning show gardens for the Tatton flower show spectacular. 

The first, ‘The Balanced Garden’, was designed by Amy Gunning, who was designing her first show garden. 

This garden was awarded a Gold Medal and People’s Choice awards for the creation of a garden with intergenerational appeal. 

Amy, who graduated with a Distinction in the subject at the London College of Garden Design, explained the inspiration behind the garden. 

“It came from the frequent situation we come across as garden designers - creating a garden for both adults and children to enjoy within a small urban garden whilst also keeping planting central to the design,” she said. 

“This space aims to achieve just that: to show how a small family garden can be plant-filled, have beautiful spaces and meet the needs of both children and adults, without the kids (and their toys!) taking over. The result is a small space where adults can unwind and entertain, and children can play, explore and relax.” 

Contractor Ian Stone and his wife Kirsty Stone from George Stone Gardens Limited built the garden to Amy’s design, with Gareth in the role of consultant, and they were delighted to scoop the Gold Medal. 

The idea certainly stole the imagination of the public too, winning the People’s Choice Award. 

The second award-winning garden at Tatton this year was entitled ‘Chained to Tech’. 

This garden was designed by Rachel Platt and built by Mitchell Salthouse of Glossop-based Everest Garden Landscapes, who employed Gareth as a consultant. 

The garden highlights some of the physical and mental effects of screen-based technologies and won Silver Gilt, Best Construction and People’s Choice awards. 

The awards are the latest in a long line of honours Gareth and the various teams he has worked with have enjoyed over more than a decade of success, genuinely making Glossop home to the most successful team of garden show builders in the north. 

The Tatton show honours were preceded this year with successes at both the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court. 

Thomas Hoyle from T Hoyle Landscapes in Hollingworth, Adam Worrall from PrecisionScapes and Mitchell Salthouse from Everest Garden Landscapes were all involved with building both award-winning gardens together with Gareth.

At Chelsea in May they all worked with world-renowned garden designer Paul Hervey-Brookes to create the RBC Brewin Dolphin Garden, which won a Silver Gilt Medal.  

Then at Hampton Court last month, again they all worked with Paul to build the Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden. 

This garden took the Gold Medal and People’s Choice Best Show Garden, receiving more than 80,000 votes from the public.  

Gareth was full of praise for everyone’s hard work in creating the remarkable show pieces.  

“It is hard days; it is taxing but the lads have all done incredibly well,” he said. 

Over the last decade, Gareth and the teams he has worked alongside have collected no less than ten gold medals for show gardens created at Chelsea, Hampton Court, Tatton, Chatsworth and more. 

Gareth was first inspired to start creating show gardens when he visited Tatton Flower show over a decade ago. 

“Tatton is synonymous with back-to-back gardens, and I thought I could have a go at creating one. I brought a designer in that could work with me and in our very first attempt we won a ‘best in show’,” he explained. 

Striving for gold he then got a team together the following year to create another show garden which scooped that very accolade. 

The rest, as they say, is history, with Gareth and the team going on to work on numerous projects, including alongside world-renowned designer Paul Hervey-Brookes on some of the finest award-winning show gardens in the country.  

“We have gone from strength to strength and worked with lots of designers,” says Gareth. 

From 2015/2016 the team have branched out to create show gardens across the country, including Hampton Court (where they won Gold at the first time of trying) and Chatsworth. 

Gareth described the feeling of winning the very first Gold at Tatton: “The elation for me and the whole team was wonderful - everyone was really pleased for us - it was a lovely feeling and a wonderful community spirit as everyone wanted us to do well and were pleased that we had. There was a lot of champagne!” 

Gareth is a fellow of Professional Garden Consultants, works as an ‘expert witness’ plus mediator, trainer and     assessor of landscapers and is on the British Standards Paving Committee. 

For the future Gareth is again looking forward to creating more big show gardens with major sponsors next season.