A firefighter who spent four years transforming his tiny patio into a green oasis for his wife has been named the first ever winner of the B&Q Gardener of the Year.
Gary McLaughlan, 44, who is Sunderland born and bred, and has been a firefighter for 17 years, said he was ‘relatively new to gardening’ when he started on the project to transform the space for his partner Lindsay.
The garden, which measures just 4.5 x 3.5m and was one of the smallest to be entered into the competition, features vertical irrigated plant walls, an ornamental fishpond, and even Church Tracery panels.
Judges of the contest praised Gary for ‘creating a garden oasis in the heart of an urban area’ and awarded him £10,000 in prize money, a B&Q Green Card giving access to free plants, and the B&Q Golden Trowel.
Gary McLaughlan, 44, who is Sunderland born and bred, and has been a firefighter for 17 years, spent four years transformed his dingy tiny patio into a stunning tropical oasis for his wife Lindsay (left, before, and right, after)
Pictured: Gary’s garden before the renovation was a dumping ground for building materials, ladders and even old radiators
The firefighter said he was ‘relatively new to gardening’ when he started on the project to transform the space for his partner Lindsay
The winning garden, which measured just 4.5 x 3.5m was one of the smallest to be entered into the competition, demonstrating that size doesn’t matter when it comes to creating an impactful and creative outside space
Runners up created ‘havens of colour for wildlife’ and a vegetable garden with bounteous plots
Spanning four criteria including: four creative designs stood out against thousands of entries and impressed the judging panel.
Each of the runners up will be awarded £1,000 in prize money for their outstanding achievement against their chosen criteria.
Best use of colour
Diane Crimes from Cheshire, who has used colour in an imaginative way to create separate ‘zones’ in her garden
Diane Crimes, from Cheshire, has used colour in an imaginative way to create separate ‘zones’ in her garden.
Growing the majority of her plants from seeds or cuttings, Diane has succeeded in creating a haven of colour, which not only looks magnificent, but which also attracts wildlife
Best grow your own space
Kevin Thorne from Cambridge, who transformed his formerly hedge-heavy and wild-bordered garden into a bounteous plot throughout lockdown. Kevin created zone spaces, including a patio area, kitchen garden, and area called ‘the secret garden’, which features a collection of bee-friendly plants and colour
Kevin Thorne from Cambridge, who transformed his formerly hedge-heavy and wild-bordered garden into a bounteous plot throughout lockdown.
Kevin created zone spaces, including a patio area, kitchen garden, and area called ‘the secret garden’, which features a collection of bee-friendly plants and colour
Best use of imagination
Simon Thornewill created a truly unique space in his front garden. Simon has been working on his garden for the past five years and has built up a collection of tropical and exotic plants including bananas and gingers
Simon Thornewill created a truly unique space in his front garden. Simon has been working on his garden for the past five years and has built up a collection of tropical and exotic plants including bananas and gingers.
Featuring decking, a hut, water features and even a bridge, Simon’s imaginative space perfectly fulfilled the quirky and eccentric criteria the judges were looking for.
Best eco-friendly garden
Jane Clark, whose garden is nestled away in the windy wet west of Scotland. Gardening on a very exposed acre, Jane has spent the last six years developing what was a wet, boggy, clay, weed-infested field into a thriving wildlife oasis
Jane Clark, whose garden is nestled away in the windy wet west of Scotland. Gardening on a very exposed acre, Jane has spent the last six years developing what was a wet, boggy, clay, weed-infested field into a thriving wildlife oasis
The competition, which launched in May, sought to celebrate gardens great and small following research revealing that 80 per cent of Brits had got more into gardening in the last year.
Nearly 2000 entries were submitted from green-fingered Brits across the UK, who entered their outside spaces against five criteria including: best use of colour; best use of small space; best use of imagination; best grow your own space and best eco-friendly garden.
Gary’s garden maximised space and demonstrated a breadth of creative thinking which impressed the judging panel.
The competition judges, made up of award-winning garden designers, Matt Childs and Humaira Ikram, B&Q Outdoor Category Director, Steve Guy, and comedian, Jim Moir, were particularly impressed with the clever use of materials in the winning garden.
Elements included reclaimed items from the local area, including driftwood from a nearby beach, stained glass windows cleverly used as a skylight, and even planters made from an old RAF luggage trunk.
Gary said: ‘I’m absolutely over the moon to be crowned the first ever B&Q Gardener of the year!
Featuring vertical irrigated plant walls, an ornamental fishpond, and even Church Tracery panels, Gary’s garden maximised space and demonstrated a breadth of creative thinking which impressed the judging panel
‘I originally designed the garden for my partner, Lindsey, who spent time gardening as a child, so I wanted to create a space for her which evoked those memories.’
He added: ‘I never thought it would win any awards, until I spotted that B&Q was looking for everyday gardeners who may not have expansive outside spaces – that’s when I knew I had to enter.
‘I get so much enjoyment out of gardening and feel very proud that my small outside space made such an impact on the judges.
‘I’m relatively new to gardening, and still have a lot to learn, but this competition has most certainly shown that you don’t need a huge garden or bags of experience to create a uniquely beautiful outside space.’
Gary said he was ‘absolutely over the moon to be crowned the first ever B&Q Gardener of the year’ by comedian Jim Moir
The 44-year-old said he gets ‘so much enjoyment out of gardening’ and feels ‘very proud that his small outside space made such an impact on the judges’ (pictured judges Humaira Ikram, Steve Guy, B&Q Outdoor Category Director, Jim Moir and Matt Childs)
Comedian and garden-enthusiast Jim Moir commented: ‘It was the versatility of Gary’s garden that struck me – I could imagine myself sat there in the mornings with a cup of tea, surrounded by all those fantastic plants, and then enjoying a beer under the outside lights in the evening.
‘Despite being a small space, the garden seemed to be the perfect place to enjoy and unwind come day or night.’
Matt praised the way in which Gary ‘used every opportunity in his small courtyard garden to maximise planting potential, which consisted of a wonderful palette of textural foliage, creating a garden oasis in the heart of an urban area’.
For Humaira Ikram, it was the breadth of criteria which the winning garden delivered against which was particularly impressive.
Matt praised the way in which Gary ‘used every opportunity in his small courtyard garden to maximise planting potential, which consisted of a wonderful palette of textural foliage, creating a garden oasis in the heart of an urban area’
He said: ‘Not only has Gary created an imaginative small space, with bold use of textures and planting, but he has also considered sustainability with his irrigation system which is fed through the fishpond.’
In keeping with the competition launch, which saw Jim Moir issuing a ‘call to trowels’ while sat on a floral throne, the winner has been awarded his prize in suitable style, featuring the same floral throne and sought-after B&Q Golden Trowel. Video content of the awards ceremony is available here
Steve Guy, B&Q Outdoor Category Director says: ‘At B&Q, our mission is to cater for each of our customers individually by providing them with a great range of quality plants, enabling them to create amazing outside spaces, just like Gary’s!
‘In launching the B&Q Gardener of the year competition, we sought to celebrate gardens of all shapes and sizes.
Judges of the contest praised Gary for ‘creating a garden oasis in the heart of an urban area’ and awarded him £10,000 in prize money, a B&Q Green Card giving access to free plants, and the B&Q Golden Trowel
‘Our winning garden is a great example of a space which could have proved difficult to work with, but with careful consideration and innovative thinking, has been transformed into an oasis, with versatile areas for Gary and Lindsey to enjoy.’
Alongside the B&Q Gardener of the year, four runners up were chosen, based on the criteria, each of whom receive £1,000 in prize money.
A separate B&Q Community garden of the year competition, also a first for 2021, saw Brickmakers Wood community garden in Ipswich chosen as the winning entry. Previously an unmanaged site, littered with decades worth of rubbish, Brickmakers Wood has been transformed by local volunteers into a lush and vibrant space for the residents to enjoy.
As B&Q Community garden of the year, Brickmakers Wood will receive a B&Q Green Card, giving access to £2,500 worth of plants, as well as an expert consultation session with award-winning garden designers, Matt Childs and Humaira Ikram.