BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine has revealed the winner of its annual Gardens of the Year Competition in its December issue, with Simon Richard’s garden in Folkestone, Kent topping the judge’s votes.
Simon beat hundreds of entrants to win over expert judges including: TV presenter and Gardeners’ World Magazine columnist, Alan Titchmarsh; Garden designer and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, Arit Anderson; Garden designer and author, Ann-Marie Powell; BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Content Director, Kevin Smith, and last year’s winning gardeners.
Simon inherited a very traditional garden with a large central lawn and mature trees, with a sweet summer house with a Kent tiled roof, a pergola, and an apple and pear arch – features that gave him a great foundation to build on. The biggest transformation was digging up about two-thirds of the lawn and creating a gravel garden, inspired by Beth Chatto. Over time, he filled the space with a mix of self-seeding plants and deliberate plantings.
On being announced the winner, Simon said: “'I was completely thrilled to be make it to the final six, which to me was like winning anyway. To be the overall Judges’ Choice is wonderful and slightly surreal. Being recognised for doing something I absolutely love is really very special. Thank you, Gardeners’ World Magazine!”
TV presenter and BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine regular Alan Titchmarsh said: "This is a classic example of good hard and soft working together, with some lovely planting. It’s not over complicated and the pond is lovely too.’
Garden designer, writer and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Arit Anderson said: "I really like this garden. He had a goal and cracked on with it, absolutely nailing his vision, from a brown lawn in June into a gorgeous gravel garden and largely done with plants. The use of grasses – how they work with the light and screen the house, plus the relaxed and subtle use of materials is just lovely."
Garden designer, presenter and author Ann-Marie Powell said: "This is lovely! He’s really used the dynamic of the uplift and worked with nature, creating an evolving ecology for all seasons. The birds will love the seedheads in winter and self-seeders create more plants."
BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Content Director Kevin Smith said: "I love how he’s been so climate conscious and had worked with that. The planting is beautiful, with great height, structure and texture. It’s a garden that’s all about plants."
As winner of the Judge’s Choice Award 2025, Simon wins a seven-night Italian holiday for two worth £7,000, staying at Hotel Palazzo Belmonte on the Cilento coast, south of Naples, courtesy of Long Travel.
All six finalists in this year’s competition had their gardens professionally shot by leading garden photographer Jason Ingram and will feature in BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine in 2025/26. The finalists are:
- Francis O'Kane and Barry Hopkins, Stockwell, London
- Kamal Hussain (Kaan), Saltaire, Yorkshire
- Kate Marshall-Evans, Avonwick, Devon
- Paul and Sian Everden, North Walsham, Norfolk
- Sheila Averbuch, Pencaitland, Edinburgh
- Simon Richards, Folkestone, Kent
They now also enter the People’s Choice Award, which is open to the public for voting from 20 November until midday on 18 December 2025. For full details of all the gardens and the prize – a 7-night holiday for up to six people in the award-winning Riverside Cabins in rural Shropshire worth £3,000 – and to vote for your favourite garden, see GardenersWorld.com/peoples-choice. Look out for the winner of the People’s Choice award in the March 2026 issue of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine.
