Would you like to share your garden design talent with thousands of gardening enthusiasts? Applications for BBC Gardeners’ World events’ Beautiful Borders competition are now open.

The Beautiful Borders are compact, 9m2 show gardens, bursting with creative design features and imaginative planting. These colourful mini masterpieces are always a popular highlight at BBC Gardeners’ World Live and Spring and Autumn Fairs, providing visitors with endless inspiration and take-home ideas, particularly for small or challenging garden spaces.

Creating a Beautiful Border is a fantastic opportunity to gain show garden experience at a large-scale pubilc event and to showcase your skills to a large, enthusiastic audience. Whether you’re a design or landscaping professional, a first-time designer or student, or a gardening club, community group or charity, BBC Gardeners’ World events’ friendly and experienced horticultural team support entrants every step of the way, from application to final build. Limited bursaries worth £200 are available to applicants for plants and props - 25 bursaries for the flagship BBC Gardeners’ World Live and twelve for the Spring and Autumn Fairs. 

The creative theme for the 2025 Beautiful Borders competiton is ‘Cultivating Connections’, inspired by the power of garden spaces, no matter how small, to foster meaningful connections of all kinds. Whether it's connecting cultures, species, generations or communities, or deepening our relationship with nature, education or mental wellbeing, the organisers are looking for small spaces with big impact.

Entries are assessed on site at all events by esteemed professional assessors, with medals for all and awards presented for Best Beautiful Border, Best Interpretation of the Theme, and Best Subscriber Border for the best design by a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine subscriber. Event visitors have their say too, voting for their favourite Border in the Peoples’ Choice award.   

Lucy Tremlett, Event Director at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World events, said: “We – and our visitors - never cease to be impressed at the creativity that goes into the Beautiful Borders. The designs are not only technically brilliant with an eye-catching aesthetic, but really come from the heart, often reflecting a designer’s personal story, journey or experience. Gardens are wonderful spaces to bring human beings and nature together, so the Cultivating Connections theme should inspire some really strong entries. We can’t wait so see them!”

Winners of the ‘best in show’ Beautiful Borders and Platinum awards at BBC Gardeners’ World events’ 2024 competitions were:

• BBC Gardeners’ World Live, NEC Birmingham: Leanne Woods for Following In My Footsteps, inspired by the designer’s experience of following in her grandparents’ gardening footsteps. The Border provided a dual space for relaxation and for children to play. 
• BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, Beaulieu, Hampshire: Andrew Williamson and Laura Hall for Together, inspired by the supportive space provided for people affected by cancer at Maggie’s Southampton.
• BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair, in association with English Heritage, Audley End House and Gardens, Saffron Walden, Essex: Amy Drewitt for The Daisy Chain, a multi-generational family garden. 

Commenting on her experience, Amy Drewitt, winner of the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair Best Beautiful Border winner, said: “I had such an amazing experience designing and building a Beautiful Border. Working alongside such industry titans and gaining so much experience was amazing. To end up winning a Platinum and then Best Border was a real dream come true and has helped me to launch my own garden design business.”

To enter a Beautiful Border for a 2025 BBC Gardeners’ World event, download the application form and find full details, including bursary information, at www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com and www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com. Applications close on 23 January 2025 for BBC Gardener’s World Live and the Spring Fair, and 1 May 2025 for the Autumn Fair.

Tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the Spring Fair are on sale now. Autumn Fair tickets go on sale in the spring. Highlights at BBC Gardeners’ World events include inspiring Beautiful Borders and show gardens, spectacular floral displays, plant and garden shopping, theatres and stages featuring gardening tips and advice from BBC Gardeners’ World TV presenters, Magazine edtors and plant experts, garden tours and talks, and workshops and demonstrations, plus delicious food, drink and live entertainment.

www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com www.bbcgardenersworldfair.com