Gold at Malvern

The medal was awarded for the Astrology Garden, designed by Jake Poloni and constructed by BSc and HND2 Horticulture students. 

Jake said: "It is amazing, I am so happy we have won a gold medal, I think we have deserved it because we have put in many hours of work.

"The judge said it was a very clean garden. I am very proud and really pleased with how it has been brought together by everyone, it has turned out better than I imagined.

"It was a real team effort and we felt astrology was a very hard theme. But we have used quite strong shapes and the flow around the space encourages people to meander through. It is simple but it works."

The astrology themed garden is made up of the three key elements, the sun, earth and moon, through which visitors are led by star signs of Indian sandstone pieces embedded in the path. The sun is represented by a large gravel area with cedar seating, looking out to other parts of the garden.

The garden‘s main focal point is The Dark Planet, a large round sculpture by David Harber, situated at the centre of a pool of water on an island of grasses, and symbolising the earth.

Horticulture student Joe Buxton added: "We have put in a lot of hard work this year,
Jake's design was fantastic and it has translated really well into the actual garden we've built, which comes through in the result we have achieved.

"It has been a very rewarding experience for us all and we have enjoyed the many positive comments people have made as they pass through during the day."

Students aged 14 to 16 on Warwickshire College’s Star 14 programme were also highly commended in the Schools category for their science garden.