Award: Bronze Medal

About the garden

This ornamental garden offered visitors a beautifully stylised walk through the Cotswolds, drawing inspiration from the region’s quintessential features rather than replicating the landscape in miniature. The design celebrated the charm and heritage of the area, inviting viewers to reflect on the beauty of the countryside with fresh appreciation.

At the heart of the garden was a covered seating area, designed in the style of a church lychgate, offering shelter and a sense of tradition. A diamond-shaped water feature framed the view from this spot, spilling gently onto a waterwheel, adding movement and sound to the tranquil setting.

Water & Woodland Elements

A stone-sided watercourse with a ford crossing ran through the garden, beside which sat a bench shaped like a stone footbridge, inviting visitors to dip their feet in the cool splash pool. At one end of the garden, semi-mature beech trees were underplanted with woodland species, echoing the ancient beech woodlands found throughout the Cotswolds.

Design Inspiration & Purpose

The garden was inspired by the features and landscapes of the Cotswolds, designed for anyone who enjoys walking in the countryside. It encouraged visitors to look more closely at the natural beauty around them and to find inspiration in the everyday details of rural life.

Historical & Botanical References

The planting scheme included species chosen to reflect the region’s historic wool trade, such as:

• Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’ (lamb’s ears) – with soft, woolly foliage
• Buddleia ‘Morning Mist’ – another woolly-textured plant

These subtle botanical references added depth and storytelling to the garden’s design.

Sustainability & Reuse

Sustainability was a key theme:

• Many plants were recovered from clients’ gardens, having been unwanted or neglected but still healthy.
• Materials were sourced locally, reducing the garden’s carbon footprint.
• While the garden would not be relocated in full, almost all elements were reused in other projects.

Planting Highlights

The garden featured around 300 individual plants, supplied by various nurseries and private collections. Key species included:

• Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’ – representing the wool trade
• Acer campestre (field maple) – a reshaped specimen from a client’s garden
• Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ (Korean lilac) – a legacy plant from a previous show garden
• Fagus sylvatica (common beech) – evoking ancient woodlands
• Hyacinthoides non-scripta (bluebell) – for woodland underplanting

Plant lists were provided by the designer as a guide, based on the time of year, location, and client brief. Final plant selections depended on growing conditions and availability, and while updates were made where possible, accuracy could not be guaranteed.

About the designer

Born and raised in the Cotswolds, Luke Gunner began his career in horticulture 15 years ago at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens. Developing a love for unusual plants, he went on to work with sub-tropical species at Ventnor Botanic Gardens, on the Isle of Wight,  after which he took on a role managing the Exotic Garden at RHS Garden Wisley. Luke then returned to the Cotswolds and works as a designer at Cotswold Estates and Gardens, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2025.

What are the advantages of designing a garden at the show?

Luke wanted to build a garden that will be viewed and appreciated by a large number of people, he also got involved in the project as a celebration of Cotswold Estates and Garden’s 60th anniversary.