Silver-Gilt Medal for ‘Plants, Routes and Branches’ Sparsholt College Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show  

 
Sparsholt College have continued their RHS Chelsea Flower Show medal-winning run with the news of Silver-Gilt awarded to the team. 

This exciting accolade is Sparsholt College’s sixth Silver-Gilt medal adding to the collection of ten Gold medals and three Bronze medals, alongside seven ‘Best in Category’ awards. 

The news was announced after a busy Press Day where celebrities, renowned horticulturalists and Royalty themselves were able to have an exclusive view of the gardens. Famous faces visiting the Sparsholt College stand in the grand pavilion included Gerry Edwards, David Domoney, Sue Kent, Stefan Buczacki, Carol Klein and Deborah Meaden. 

Sparsholt College’s 2024 garden entry ‘Plants, Routes and Branches’ is inspired by the routes that come from studying Horticulture. 

The fantastic design has been created by Sparsholt’s multiple-medal-winning-team including Chris Bird who is celebrating his 26^th RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden design this year alongside fellow Lecturer Lucy Lewis.  

Sparsholt College is delighted to team up with The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation to create Sparsholt’s 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Discovery entry ‘Plants, Routes & Branches’ to promote career routes in horticulture. 

Visitors to GPA004 can discover four distinctive sections in this carefully crafted design created to celebrate the areas essential in supporting students of horticulture to become dedicated industry professionals. The four areas include The Laboratory Area, A Nursery Growing Area, a Classroom Area and a Workshop Area.  

Chris Bird, Horticulture Lecturer at Sparsholt College, commented on his medal-winning run with the College:

“At this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show the judges have worked hard to uphold the superb standard of the show and we are delighted to receive a Silver-Gilt award which reflects the hard work and commitment of our tremendous team.”  

Lucy Lewis, Horticulture Lecturer at Sparsholt College added:

“We are really proud of our result – all the effort from the students and staff has paid off and it has been great seeing visitors enjoying and interacting with our exhibit. We love what we have all achieved.” 

Julie Milburn, Sparsholt College Group Principal commented:

“We are exceptionally proud of the Sparsholt College RHS Chelsea Flower Show team this year. The students have worked so hard to help create such an impressive garden. We would like to congratulate everyone for their hard work and also congratulate and thank the academic team for their dedication and commitment to excellence which has seen the outstanding achievement of a sixth Silver-Gilt medal whilst celebrating 125 years of Sparsholt College.”  

The garden will look to the future generations of horticulturists, exploring the numerous and exciting career routes they may follow. This includes continual developments of new plants, showcased through the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year. The garden aims to signpost potential career routes and opportunities provided by the Horticultural industry for both new learners and those looking to branch out their careers.