THE JUDGES
Helen Elks-Smith
Elks-Smith Garden Design
Helen Elks-Smith is a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designer, she is also a trustee of the Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG) and has won multiple awards including two RHS gold medals and two Design Excellence Awards from the British Association of Landscape Industries.
David Dodd
The Outdoor Room
David Dodd has run The Outdoor Room successfully for over 25 years and has built the company to be one of the most well-respected and sought-after landscaping businesses in the country. The Outdoor Room has secured countless RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medals and has been responsible for many beautiful garden schemes over the years.
David also purchased Pots & Pithoi and has since ran both businesses side by side. Pots & Pithoi supplies Cretan Terracotta pots and planters to the trade from his base in the heart of West Sussex.
Rosemary Coldstream
Rosemary Coldstream Garden Design
Rosemary Coldstream is a multi award-winning garden designer. Her design practice transforms a wide range of residential and commercial spaces, from rooftop gardens and bijoux city courtyards to large country estates. Projects combine flair and creativity with a constant focus on quality and attention to detail. Clients are the forefront of the design process. Helping them to realise their dreams gives Rosemary and her team immense pride and satisfaction. Rosemary is a registered and accredited member of both the SGD and BALI.
Mark Gregory
Landform Consultants
Mark Gregory is a Horticulturally trained landscaper. He is the Managing Director of Surrey based Landscape design and build, Landform Consultants Ltd a company of sixty people including landscape architects, garden designers and a highly skilled workforce.
Landform Consultants is highly regarded as one of the top landscaping companies in the country and involved with some mind-blowing schemes; predominantly high end residential and upmarket commercial projects,The Company has won every major landscape accolade going, several many times over and Mark is renowned for his in-depth technical knowledge of all things landscape. He lectures widely in the UK and overseas and is totally immersed in the industry.
John Wyer
Bowles & Wyer
John Wyer is CEO of Bowles & Wyer, a multi-disciplined landscape design practice based in Bedfordshire. It has been operating for almost 30 years and works worldwide to create outstanding gardens.
Gareth Wilson
GKWilson Garden & Landscape Consultancy Ltd
Leaving college at 17, Gareth has worked in the landscape industry since 1989 and is a multi RHS gold medal winner. Gareth is a member of multiple professional bodies. He provides technical and product advice to leading paving companies, mentors and trains landscapers across the UK, is an expert witness, provides arbitration and mediation services. Gareth is a level 3 trainer and assessor, an online and on-site mentor in landscape construction for contractors, garden designers and show gardens. Gareth is also BBC X-Rays garden and landscaping expert and a committee member of B/507 British Standard. gkwilsonlandscaping.co.uk
Holly Youde
Urban Landscape Design Ltd
Holly runs the successful landscaping company Urban Landscape Design Ltd in the North West, and is chair of the Association of Professional Landscapers. She’s passionate about raising standards through the industry through training and business development.
Jake Catling
The Landscaping Consultants
Founding The Landscaping Consultants at the age of just 24, the company follows director and owner Jake Catling’s lead by example presence and bold go-getting attitude. In 2017, Jake was named as one of the Pro Landscaper’s ’30 under 30’ winners, demonstrating that drive, ambition and belief. Jake maintains a traditional approach to his contemporary craft to positively contribute to the wider industry as a whole. His personal method and desire to give back, develops a thriving community for staff members, designers, contractors and clients alike. Everyone involved in the process becomes part of the TLC community feeling.
Liz Hughes
Provender Nurseries
Liz Hughes has a strong horticultural background spanning 38 years in the industry and a BSc Honours in Horticulture. With a passion for writing, plants and people, Liz is the Marketing Manager at Provender Nurseries organising trade shows, events, articles and editorials, working closely with colleges and overseeing all of Provender Nurseries social media.
Liz also enjoys developing new talent, hosting and judging the Student Design & Build Awards, working on many RHS show gardens at Hampton Court and Chelsea over the years and judging design competitions with colleges.
Ross Conquest
Conquest Creative Spaces
Conquest Creative Spaces is a multi-Award Winning Sussex Landscaping company that pride itself on its professionalism and attention to detail.
Founded back in 2008 by Ross Conquest the company become known for building complex design & build schemes gaining a solid reputation for delivering high standards of work and stand out projects, not just residentially but in the show garden world too.
Lewis Normand
Bernhard’s Nurseries
Lewis is an experienced Garden Designer and Plantsman based in Perth, Scotland. Over the years, he has lectured in Garden Design and Horticulture at College and University, designed gardens in the UK, Europe and Middle East and written for a number of prominent publications. As well as writing, Lewis supplies plants to garden designers for all major flower shows in the UK. A lover of plants, Lewis collects Snowdrops and Hebes and is on a number of plant society committees.
Rupert Keys
TASK Academy
Rupert has been running his successful business, Keyscape Design & Construction for 30 years. He is also a mentor and tutor on the APL (Association of Professional Landscapers) Apprenticeship scheme at Myerscough College, Lancashire alongside his work with World Skills UK and tutoring at The Cotswold Gardening School (CGS). During his career Rupert has built many award-winning show gardens at some of the top gardening shows in the country. Most recently he was the principal contractor on the award winning APL garden in association with World Skills UK at Gardeners World Live 2021. The garden won ‘Gold’ and ‘Best Construction’
Rupert has been the landscape expert on many BBC gardening programmes both on camera and behind the scenes including Real Rake-Overs, Flying Gardener, Housecall and Weekend Gardener.
Rod Winrow
Garden House Design
Rod Winrow, Managing Director of Garden House Design, landscaping and creating great gardens since a career change in 1996.
Garden House Design are now known for their above patio styling solutions working with other industry professionals to enhance clients gardens. Rod is an ex Chairman of the Association of Professional Landscapers, a Judge for SGD, APL and recently an RHS Trade Stand Judge.
Lisa Wilkinson
Pro Landscaper
James Scott
The Garden Company
James founded The Garden Company in Hertfordshire in 1991. Since then, he and his team of designers and landscapers have been bringing clients’ dreams to life with bespoke, handcrafted gardens. James is highly committed to sustainable gardens that celebrate nature. With an impressive track record of winning national awards, he was named by Pro Landscaper last year as one of the Top 25 Most Influential people in landscaping.
Mark Draper
Graduate Gardeners
Mark Draper is a garden designer/director working for Graduate Gardeners Ltd for 30 years. Working on domestic gardens, from small town gardens in Bath and Cheltenham, to large country estate in the Cotswolds. Mark has personally won 3 RHS Gold Medals and Best In Shows along with 19 BALI awards. When not designing gardens, Mark can be found running the trails around the Stroud Valleys.
Alistair Bayford
Maylim
Alistair Bayford, Business Development Director at Maylim, is a Chartered Landscape Architect with over 20 years’ experience designing, constructing and managing parks and public realm in London. His work has seen him involved in large scale regeneration projects and the implementation of urban greening on projects in Thamesmead and Camden. Projects include iconic parks such as Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The Regents Park.
Brian Herbert
Outdoor Options
With over 30 years’ experience in the industry Brian Herbert established Outdoor Options in 2001 specialising in domestic projects in Surrey and the surrounding areas, winning multiple BALI awards and RHS Show medals during that time. In addition, Brian is increasingly involved in promoting landscaping as an evolving and attractive industry to the younger generation through his work with BALI and Merrist Wood College.