Scottish garden designer, Rachel Bailey, has scooped Best Show Garden and a Platinum award at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. The winning design, Where There’s Water, There’s Life, highlights the vital link between water, plants, people and nature, and showcases innovative design features that slow water flow and conserve resources, all set in a stunning garden landscape.

Gardening expert, writer and broadcaster, David Hurrion, announced the accolade following rigorous assessment by a panel of internationally acclaimed, multi award-winning garden and landscape designers. 90,000 plant-loving visitors will get a close-up view of BBC Gardeners’ World Live’s extensive collection of show gardens, floral displays and Beautiful Borders, picking up inspiration and ideas along the way.   

Rachel Bailey’s award-winning garden celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) and demonstrates how thoughtful landscaping can sustain life, promote biodiversity and create beautiful, functional outdoor spaces. Highlights include a rain garden, a decked walkway elevated over a pond, and a green roofed pergola covering a decked seating area.

BBC Gardeners’ World events are keen supporters of the talent, technical skills and teamwork of professional landscaping teams, and there where were double celebrations when the garden’s landscape team, Design It Landscapes from the West Midlands, won the Best Construction Landscaper award.

Show Garden assessment panel Chair, Roger Platts, the award-winning garden designer and horticultural expert, said: “In every area, this garden excels. The design, construction, landscaping and planting are of a very high standard and the garden has a lovely ambience. It demonstrates water collection and the green roof pergola is both imaginative and practical. There were some real moments of joy for the assessors as we discovered examples of the team’s attention to detail. I’m thrilled that visitors will see an exceptional garden which showcases the standards and skills that the APL demands of its member companies.”

On winning the Best Show Garden award, Rachel Bailey said: “This is an amazing result for our team, I’m thrilled. It shows what can be achieved when professional designers and landscapers work together from concept stage to bringing a garden to life. I’m grateful to the Association of Professional Landscapers and Society of Garden Designers for their support.”

Dan Ryan from Design It Landscapes said: “It’s a great thing to have achieved this for the APL and for Rachel. We’ve had a great team of APL member companies and suppliers providing behind the scenes support.”

Phil Tremayne, General Manager of the Association of Professional Landscapers said: “This 30th Anniversary Garden has blown us away and I’m thrilled to bits with this award. Collaboration between professional designers and landscapers is something we promote at the APL and we’ve had some great support with the garden from APL members.” 

This year’s headline Show Garden is BBC Gardeners’ World presenter and designer Nick Bailey’s The Plant-Based Garden. Nick’s sustainable design ethos swaps plastic, concrete and other human-made materials for natural alternatives. The Plant-Based Garden is the centrepiece of this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Make a Metre Campaign, designed to encourage people to transform one metre of outdoor space to support the planet. From pollinator patches to veg plots, miniature ponds to creative compost heaps, more than 10,000 campaign metres have already been pledged at GardenersWorld.com. Nick’s headline garden features a host of achievable one metre spaces, all designed to inspire visitors to join in at home.

Best Showcase Garden

Continuing the top awards at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, winner of Best Showcase Garden and a Platinum award was Just a Garden … by Derbyshire designer, Carleen Osborne. This pollinator friendly garden is inspired by the designer’s love for plants and the belief that gardening should be achievable and sustainable. Its planting is tailored to local microclimates whilst leaf litter, a log pile and hedge offer shelter for small mammals and amphibians.    

Chair of the Showcase Garden assessors, David Stevens, the internationally acclaimed garden designer, said: “We were impressed by this very cool, contemporary garden with its elegant upcycled features and a distinctive zigzag pattern that made it appear bigger. The shape, texture and form of the planting brought the garden alive, treating flower as a bonus. The use of leaf mulch in the shady side looked particularly beautiful. This was a fantastic result, created on a minimal budget.”

Carleen Osborne said: “I’m blown away to have won this award. Nick, my husband, and I are the perfect team and we’ve created a beautiful garden with lots of takeaway ideas to inspire gardeners. We’ve felt real satisfaction and joy from making aspects of the garden, like the screens, decking and furniture, and from planting together.”

Best Beautiful Border

BBC Gardeners’ World Live’s ever-popular Beautiful Borders offer inspiration for small garden spaces and challenging places. Creative designers from across the UK have packed these tiny plots with big ideas, all inspired by the theme of ‘Cultivating Connections’.

The winner of Best Beautiful Border and a Platinum award was North Yorkshire garden designer, Anita Rose, for The One to Three Border. The garden is designed to foster connections between oneself, other people and nature. Seating for three encourages reflection, a seat for two invites shared moments, and a single seat under a tree offers quiet contemplation. Its message is that it’s easy as 1,2,3 for visitors to replicate its look in their own gardens to cultivate calm and connection.

Co-Chair of Assessors for the Beautiful Borders, Ian Hodgson, said: “This was a Border with incisive and sensitive design, effective use of space, strong visual elements and exquisite planting. It was a potent interpretation of the Cultivating Connections theme.”

Anita Rose said: “It means so much to have won the Best Border award and I feel lucky to have been able to take part. It’s been an amazing experience, I’ve learnt so much and met so many lovely people that have supported each other.”

Best BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Subscriber Border and a Gold award went to first-time garden designer Ellen Tozer from We Say Grow in Bristol. Ellen’s design, The Golden Hour, is a restful space to reconnect and escape the hustle and bustle of daily life. Inspired by the golden hours of sunrise and sunset, it features warm, earthy tones in flowers and foliage with relaxing amber and orange hues. Wild, loose planting encourages a carefree, informal approach

Ellen Tozer said: “I’m really honoured to win this award for my first ever garden design, it’s been great fun to put together.”

Best Interpretation of the Theme and a Silver Merit award went to Jan O’Brien from Lancashire for Willow Moments and Memories, inspired by the work of Willow, a charity providing special days for seriously ill young adults. Jan is a beneficiary of Willow’s support and her Border features a river of memories with everlasting flowers, leading to a tranquil spot by a willow tree.

Jan O’Brien said: “I’m a first-time garden designer and only submitted my entry at the last minute so it feels incredible to have won this award after so many months of hard work. As a beneficiary, Willow is close to my heart so it’s wonderful to be able to give it a voice.”

Nine of this year’s Beautiful Borders were designed by members of Working for Gardeners Association, a charity that provides horticultural skills training through its Work and Retrain As a Gardener Scheme (WRAGs). Winner of Best WFGA Border and a Platinum award was Isabel Sabine from Winchester for Apple Core Values which explores how neighbours can create mini orchards in small gardens, fostering community spirit through planning, selecting apple varieties and sharing recipes and apple juice.

Isabel Sabine said: “I’m overwhelmed by the award and very grateful to the WFGA for the opportunity to create this garden. It’s been an amazing experience.”

Last night’s awards were presented at the Hillier-sponsored Let’s Talk Plants Stage in the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Floral Marquee, sponsored by L&G. Hosted by gardening expert David Hurrion, the stage offers a programme of daily plant advice sessions with specialists like Charles Carr, Head of Hillier’s Wholesale Nurseries.

Lucy Tremlett, Event Director at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World Live, said: “2025 is an astonishing year for BBC Gardeners’ World Live with more than 45 show gardens and Borders entered. Our illustrious assessors are a formidable bunch and it’s no mean feat to impress them. These awards recognise outstanding talent, creative vison and phenomenal commitment to bring a garden design to life, all for the enjoyment of our visitors. We know they’ll be taking home so many new ideas to try in their own gardens.” 

BBC Gardeners’ World Live takes place at the NEC Birmingham from 12-15 June. As well as the many inspiring Show Gardens and Beautiful Borders, the large Floral Marquee has eye-catching displays by specialist nurseries and growers, the Hot Off The Potting Bench gallery or brand new plants, the International Orchid Show, Let’s Talk Plants stage and Plant Expert advice desk.

Adam Frost’s Tasting Table is an interactive new gardening and gastronomy experience at this year’s event where home-grown produce and cooking collide. Guest chefs from Good Food Show Summer (Si King, James Martin, John Torode and more) will be dropping by for live cooking demonstrations and foodie tales. At the new ‘In Conversation With’ Stage, there’s entertaining chat with a lineup of well-known gardening personalities.

The BBC Gardeners' World Live Stage features Monty Don, Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Nick Bailey and Rachel de Thame with Nicki Chapman and the editors of BBC Gardeners' World Magazine. There are mushroom growing masterclasses, walks and tours led by the event’s Plant Experts, the Green Rooms House Plant Hub, plant and garden shopping, and hands-on gardening activities for children plus all the foodie fun of Good Food Show Summer with its celebrity chefs, demonstrations, theatres, workshops, and delicious food and drink to browse and buy.

Tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live are on sale at www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com (transaction fee applies) and on the door, and include entry to Good Food Show Summer (goodfoodshowsummer.com).