County garden designers win awards at RHS event
Two garden designers have won awards at a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) event.
Mark Draper won best show garden and a gold medal for The Cotswold Garden, and Laura Ashton-Phillips was given a silver for her creation Eat, Drink and be Rosemary, at the Malvern Spring Festival.
Mr Draper said he and his team were "absolutely delighted" that their "hard work had paid off", with the team who built the garden also winning an award.
"Getting the construction award, particularly for the lads involved in building the garden, is a real tribute to the hard work they’ve put into the build," he added.
Mr Draper, from Graduate Gardeners Ltd in Bisley, aimed to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary and reflect its work in the Cotswolds through his design.
He added that the garden was designed for those who "enjoy family time and entertaining friends".
Ms Ashton-Phillips, who lives in the Forest of Dean, said her design was inspired by "native wild species combined with cottage kitchen gardens".
She said it was created with zero waste in mind, with all materials being repurposed as part of a mental health and wellbeing garden for children at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
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