At the forefront is Harry Dean, who studied a Level 3 in Horticulture at Reaseheath College before progressing on to the BSc (Hons) Landscape Architecture course at University Centre Reaseheath, and whose award-winning designs combine creativity, sustainability, and practical innovation.
Harry gained national recognition at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2024, where he won one of only four Gold medals in the Long Borders category for his show garden ‘A Gourd Time’. The design celebrated 100 years of Over Allotments in Winsford, showcasing vegetables, fruits, and flowers grown by the community, and inspiring visitors to embrace the ‘grow your own’ movement.
“It was a huge honour to be able to celebrate 100 years of growing local produce with a show garden at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park. Competing at such a high level is a challenge, but everyone on the team was incredibly supportive,” Harry said.
Building on this success, over the summer Harry received a Silver Medal and the Innovation Award at the Arley Hall Garden Festival for his garden ‘Leaf it Out’. The design combined ornamental and edible planting with recycled items, including a clothes rack and sink, to promote sustainable growing in small or indoor spaces.
“I wanted to design something that shows you don’t need lots of space or expensive materials to make a difference. It’s about rethinking how we use what we already have,” Harry explained.
Now working as a landscaper with Acorn Landscape Services in Knutsford, Harry was sponsored by Acorn, Steel and Scape, Step In, and Winsford Sustainability Group, with additional plant support from Winsford’s Over Allotments Association.
longside Harry’s achievements, Reaseheath is also celebrating its future horticulture stars. At the same Arley Hall event, a team of Level 2 Horticulture apprentices claimed a Gold Medal in the festival’s ‘Creative Corners’ competition, introduced to mark the 30th anniversary of the event.
The garden was designed and built on-site under the guidance of Apprenticeship Delivery Manager Fiona Jordan and Horticulture Skills Coach Carl Gerrard, with support from Jo Mills. It showcased sustainable planting, clever structure, and teamwork, with all plants generously donated by Proctor’s Nursery.
Carl Gerrard, who also entered his own garden Urban Oasis, received a Gold Medal in the individual category.
“It was a real privilege to be involved in the Arley Hall Garden Festival and to support our apprentices as they brought their ideas to life,” Carl said. “The level of creativity and commitment they showed throughout the build was incredible.”
This International Landscape Day, Harry and the apprentices exemplify the talent, creativity, and sustainability coming through Reaseheath’s Horticulture and Landscape Architecture courses, proving the next generation is already shaping green spaces for the future.
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