Merrist Wood winners
Flying the flag: the team from Merrist Wood secured top honours at the 2025 BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair (Merrist Wood)

Adam Frost Merrist Wood
Gardeners World presenter Adam Frost with the winning Merrist Wood students (Merrist Wood)

Winning team Merrist Wood
The Merrist Wood student and tutor team celebrate their award-winning show garden (Merrist Wood)

Merrist Wood College and University Centre again demonstrated its horticultural excellence by securing top honours at the 2025 BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, held this month at Beaulieu in the New Forest.

The college's innovative show garden, Nature’s Gallery, captivated judges and visitors alike, earning the Platinum Award and the Best in Show title in the College Gardens competition.

This is the third consecutive year that Merrist Wood students have showcased their talents at the event, building upon their previous successes, including last year's Platinum and Best in Show accolades.

The 2025 College Gardens competition challenged participating institutions to create budget-friendly gardens under the theme “Nature’s Art within the Garden”.

Merrist Wood's Nature’s Gallery offered a serene woodland setting inspired by the mathematical Fibonacci sequence, highlighting the intrinsic beauty of natural forms and sustainable design.

The garden featured reclaimed and repurposed materials sourced from the college’s 400-acre estate, emphasising environmental responsibility and creative reuse.

The student team – comprising Archie Brooks (aged 17), Oli Adcock (19), Harry Bulmer (18) and Olly Childs (20) – worked under the mentorship of award-winning garden designer Cherry Carmen.

Jo Manser, group director at Merrist Wood College, said: "We're extremely proud of the learners' achievements, not just with the Platinum award but with the attributes they have shown throughout the creation of the garden. These attributes are embedded throughout our learning philosophy, showing the skills learners will need in their future careers.”

Chair of assessors Ian Hodgson, who presented team Merrist with their winners’ trophy, said: "This team effort showed how an idea could be transformed into an awe-inspiring garden. Recycled structures were used innovatively throughout, like the cattle feeder seating area and pond – all set in exquisite woodland. These students showed the future of garden design is in safe hands."

For more information about Merrist Wood College and University Centre, visit merristwood.activatelearning.ac.uk.