Kent Garden Inspired by Japanese Design | UK Garden of the Year

Step inside a bold and emotional garden in Kent, where Japanese aesthetics meet British meadow charm. Judges including Zoe Ball explore this unique space created by an experimental gardener who reimagined a neglected barn into a living sanctuary.

UK Garden of the Year S01 E01
00:00 – Meet the Garden Experts
04:36 – Kent Garden with Japanese Aesthetics
09:12 – Exploring a Rule-Breaking Design
13:48 – Garden Tour with Balcony Views
18:24 – Exotic Garden in North London
22:59 – Textures and Foliage Over Flowers
27:35 – Villa Garden Beauty in Highgate
32:11 – Living Wall and Modern Garden Aesthetics
36:47 – Surrey’s Backyard Design Makeover
41:23 – Winner of UK Garden of the Year

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UK Garden of the Year tours the country in search of the most stunning private gardens. From sleek modern spaces to blooming cottage retreats, expert judges visit jaw-dropping designs to crown the very best green oasis in Britain.

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in the UK we can’t get enough of gardens big and small modern and traditional they are the part of our house that can make us feel most at home now people across the country have submitted their gardens as contenders for garden of the year they’ll be judged on the design the planting and the overall experience of spending time in their gardens from each part of the nation the best will go through to a grand final where one will be named the winner casting their eye over Britain’s gardens are broadcaster and gardening enthusiast Zoe Ball i want to see the grand i want to see the roses i want to see the vegetables and fruit i think a garden can say so much about the people who have built it created it and grown it award-winning garden designer Manoj Malde what I’m looking for in the gardens is clever design but really what I want to see is real passion from the homeowner and former young horticulturist of the year Lacklan Ray the best gardens always evoke an emotion i want to see each plant working for its space in the garden throughout the seasons only one will be crowned the UK’s garden of the year oh yeah look at this we are in for such a treat aren’t we this time the judges have traveled to the south of England to visit four gardens all competing for a place in the final wow look at that i know this is extremely special even the furniture is so rich i just want to lie on it that’s fabulous isn’t that amazing if only every garden had a building with a balcony so you could observe from this height it’s wonderful here we are in the south where we experience hot dry summers and what a great opportunity for gardeners to grow plants that can really thrive in those conditions whilst it’s beautifully hot and sunny it can also be very dry in parts this can create a very challenging environment for the gardener [Music] the first garden to be visited by our three judges is the barn in Kent this unusual garden stands tall amongst a long grass meadow and wraps around a traditional converted barn it’s owned by experimental gardener Andrew who was inspired to take up gardening after traveling to Japan i know how a great garden makes me feel very similarly to how a great record makes me feel or how a great movie or a great book makes me feel or a great painting i know that feeling in me and that’s the feeling that I want when I come out in the morning or when I walk around here at dusk and so really it’s just it’s a workshop where I’m experimenting and I’m playing with plant material that I love and putting it together until it gets to that point where it it generates that feeling in me when I bought the barn it was most unpromising there was no garden at all to speak of just this one loan structure in a field there were two large sycamore trees over there that were creating lots of shade and surrounding the barn was really nettles rough grass and it was time for a change andrew has created a sensory overload in a unique garden bursting with color and texture my vision was to be completely surrounded by a garden by this living breathing entity the whole process probably in bits took something like 2 or 3 years it’s purely instinctive and you know it’s the feeling of really being truly alive it helps make my home a sanctuary armed with only the basic facts about the garden and its creator the judges will now assess the barn [Music] wow this is breathtaking i don’t think I’ve ever seen an approach to a house as beautiful as this but it’s amazing it’s like a little sort of nod to the agricultural history that this building probably has and I love that black clapperboard really really gorgeous and it’s a fantastic trick that designers often use to create a black backdrop or a dark backdrop and then put greenery in front of it cuz it really makes foliage pop to me it just feels like that scene from Gladiator where he walks through the cornfield oh should we do that walk absolutely man do you know the speech this is your moment you know what i need to get that script out I think look at this though we are surrounded by so much i love the way we’ve sort of got to fight our way through all the foliage you can’t see in a bit of soil it’s absolutely covered i feel like our adventure is just beginning [Music] oh this is absolutely fabulous oh wow it’s just I feel joy seeping into my body with this view it’s incredible isn’t it and I love the way the grasses beyond the boundary are being brought into the planting here i think it’s very effective being able to look out over there and because we’re raised up on this deck you know it’s giving us this sort of heightened perspective of both obviously the garden but the wilder landscape it’s absolutely phenomenal it’s gorgeous what is happening here is that whole repetition of color you know you’ve got the dark leaf of that rose there you’ve got ladybird poppies repeated there and there and then you’ve got that red rose over there so again repetition of color lovely rhythm yeah exactly and it’s guiding your eye through all the way and and probably around the corner yeah every angle you look at it I’m loving like you know the reds of the roses with the purples of those aliums in there look at the brightness of that it’s bonkers i’m wondering though how on earth do you garden this i mean there may be a method but I almost think that it is kind of trial and error and just seeing what does well where and actually isn’t that the joy of gardening what I really like is the way they’ve actually decided to just do away with the idea of having a lawn which is a wonderful thing for being able to cram more in throughout the year and as one thing fades another thing comes through it feels like I’m in a painting yeah you know it’s such a work of art isn’t it absolutely [Music] if you come back here and take a seat of course you’re then looking at the garden from a whole different height and look at that [Music] and guys look at this so you know you were talking about that painting so here’s your frame and there’s the painting and actually if you think about it we have another painting from the balcony upstairs so you’ve got two gorgeous viewing points [Music] so the magic continues around the corner yeah absolutely these I’m loving the all the conifers all the different pines quite an unusual thing to bring in a garden like this it is and particularly so close to the the front of it here you know we’ve got these lovely little dwarf conifers but then he’s planted it here with an agave which is just such an odd combination not the kind of thing that anyone would ever really consider to do but no but then I guess this garden is so personal and really when it comes to gardening and it’s your own personal space it allows you to do whatever you want to do [Music] ah this is where it all happens engine room yes oh completely highlights the fact that this is a working garden and gardener though and I love seeing this you know this is how a real gardener works isn’t it you know we’ve all got a little potting shed or a little corner where we’re trying things out you know some successfully some perhaps not [Music] i mean look at this to be able to take in all the surroundings here this meadow and then get yet another perspective on this fabulous garden if only every garden had a building with a balcony that you could observe from this height it’s wonderful some of the choices as well are just not things that you would necessarily think or associate with one another i mean this has given us so many ideas to take home and try hasn’t it and very bold choices and quite you know off pie I think and that sort of just shows the brilliance rule breaker love it now the judges must give their scores for the barn each will mark the garden out of 10 but one will hold back their score until they’ve seen all four gardens where the winner in the south will then be decided this time manage will hold back his mark this garden breaks all the rules but let’s face it rules are there to be broken what it does do is it actually shows the gardener’s character in abundance the only thing that I would have done is made the decking pathway slightly wider just for comfort however a gorgeous garden the gardener here has created something truly unique in this dreamy romantic setting of this meadow you have this deep rich border enveloping this incredible house an eclectic mix of plants and flowers some which you might not necessarily see together quite bold choices i’m going to give this garden a nine i think today’s garden has been an absolute belter the way in which the lawn has been sacrificed in favor of great big deep borders is just phenomenal it really allows the gardener to give a new dimension to the planting viewing it from different angles with plants that would maybe be normally associated at the back of the border being at the front of the border seems a bit counterintuitive but actually it works so well i’m going to give this garden a nine in each garden our judges will choose the special place which impressed them most sitting out here on this deck just taking in the view of this magnificent garden this is our favorite [Music] spot broadcaster and garden enthusiast Zoe Ball garden designer Manage Maldi and former young horiculturist of the year Lacklan Ray are touring the UK to find the garden of the year this time the trio are in the south of England where behind an ordinary London terrace lies an exotic garden that has been designed to thrive for decades to come classical singer Mona began working on the 300 ft long garden over 20 years ago she has drawn inspiration from her Lebanese heritage to transform this space into a garden filled with striking color combinations and unusual plants from around the globe the most important thing for me in any garden but particularly in this one is to create a garden for all seasons and I wanted something exciting exotic interesting that made you feel throughout the year that you’d gone on holiday so I moved here 22 years ago and what I found was a completely blank space there was literally nothing here except three desiccated apple trees and nothing else i wanted to be able to plant the plants that I was passionate about which were Mediterranean plants these are the plants that speak to me to create her exotic paradise Mona has had to add over 350 tons of material to improve the soil and create borders now the garden has a patio area and a greenhouse with a seedom roof as well as a water feature and sculptures dotted along the winding path the garden also features wild borders and abundant corrochia a plant usually found in the southern hemisphere every plant I’ve chosen myself most of them I have planted myself and all the design of the garden was not done by a designer it was all done by me this garden is my life it’s a love affair i’m passionate about it and I don’t think I could live without it [Music] wow goodness oh my i wasn’t expecting this in a North London garden i know at a townhouse look at that i’m very excited about this [Music] look at that it’s absolutely extraordinary isn’t it i mean absolutely chalk with color full but yet hardly a flower in sight it’s all about textures and foliages and heights as well you know yeah the trees are so tall aren’t they and you can’t even see where it ends absolutely that’s a great way of creating intrigue in the garden cuz you just don’t know where it’s going to stop also living roof here on the greenhouse very cool and actually that’ll go a little bit brown in summer but as soon as the rain start that’ll just flush up again should we go exploring please let’s do it [Music] [Music] isn’t this lovely yeah so calming really calming there’s a real change in atmosphere in this area don’t you think and I think it’s this that’s doing it just having a little bit of water tinkling away and a great place to just stop as a pause i mean I’m immediately just drawn to the diversity of the planting i consider myself pretty up there in terms of knowing plants and there’s things here that I just could not put a name to it’s extraordinary there are some things that are recognizable like the the tetropanax and the the cordi lines for instance but then we’ve got things like this which you know I don’t even know where to start with it it’s incredible and look at those croakas there don’t they signify another entry point to that pathway that you can carry on on your journey absolutely through the croakas we go through the kokas we go wow it looks like a really windy path isn’t it very shaded like all the canopies like really coming over [Music] oh my god smell the It is just divine beautiful there seems like so many different varieties of plant in here it’s actually to me it looks very Mediterranean these are the plants that I would be so used to growing in the med [Music] oh yeah far less enclosed now i love it really exploring here fantastic oh the colors here what’s that tree that’s beautiful that’s katinus yeah and there’s definitely a theme in that use of the bronzy color with this kroia as well which is quite a gorgeous thing highly unusual though m these just don’t get grown anywhere it’s pretty clear from the unusual use of plants from all over the world here that this gardener has a lot of skills and a lot of knowledge about some of these beautiful plants i mean to be honest there there are plants here that I have never seen in gardens that I’ve visited in anywhere in kind of certainly not in North London [Music] it’s never ending this place i know it’s wonderful i don’t think it will ever end i don’t want it to oh look i think we need to take a little bit of a perch don’t you nice i love that yakar straas of that that’s gorgeous it looks like it’s inspired you know a 70s light fitting it’s a perfectly spherical absolutely there’s so many different textures and forms around here you just don’t know where to look there’s a real focus on tree trunks and stems and that lovely height of plants here it’s a clever thing isn’t it is what’s quite a narrow garden if you take it very tall but quite narrow trees you’re giving this great height feels like a lot more space absolutely it’s not just about flora and fauna it’s about the branch structure the textures of the bark and I’m eyeing my eye keeps on falling onto that absolutely stunning arutus x andraenoides i’m so jealous because I’ve been after that tree for ages and look at it and as that matures the outer skin peels off and that’s when it reveals that orangey bark underneath [Music] this looks like journey’s end here oh we’ve made it to the end of the garden really lovely look what we find i love this garden for its kind of exotic journey that it takes you on this meandering path past so many incredible structural plants but then you finally reach this destination very cool calm spot at the bottom what I really love is the way the gardener has treated this garden because generally as a designer what I would do with a very long lean garden is try and create rooms in different areas but by sweeping in and out you are still creating those points of intrigue not something that I would generally do because as I say I would do the rooms but it still works and also really clever planting throughout this garden because although we have got these pocks of flowers and some roses there’s some clemetus the verbina the fox gloves mainly the stars of this garden are these really wonderful very tall trees with beautiful bark these incredible very exotic plants from all over the world which are going to give you color and texture the whole year round seeing the way in which plants are used here is is just mind-blowing this is a garden that’s really preparing for the future it’s it’s gearing itself up to this this changing climate we have if I didn’t know I was here in London today I could be anywhere in the world the judges will now give their marks out of 10 for the Mediterranean garden this time Lacklin will hold back his score i got such a nice surprise coming into this back garden today to find something truly unique it’s clearly a gardener who’s very passionate about the plants they’re using and cares a lot about them i love the way they’ve crammed so much into the space with the use of very interesting pruning techniques i think it’s just wonderful the gardener here is exceptionally skilled the species that I’ve seen in this garden I have never seen anywhere else this garden is a real educational space for future gardeners and actually what they’ve managed to do is grow plants here which are going to be much more appropriate as the weather patterns change however what I find is that this garden is lacking just that inspirational side of design i’m going to give this garden a seven what strikes me about this beautiful garden is the love that has gone into it and the knowledge of the gardener so clever there is something here whether it’s structural or these beautiful tall trees with incredible barks these exotic shapes and the roses and the flowers in there as well there’s something in here for everybody i’m going to give this garden an eight our favorite spot was the water fond there was a change in atmosphere there cooler calmer you could still see the beautiful species of plants and actually what it gave you was that just little inkling of there is more to come [Music] the next garden to be visited by the judges lies behind a modern villa in Highgate in London it’s a contemporary space which echoes the traditional English garden swedishborn Camila drew inspiration from her grandparents’ garden to create a space that is now enjoyed by her own family it is a place for everyone to breathe and re-energize and there is space for everyone to do what they want to do in their little corner of the garden i just knew I wanted it to be really really green and enveloping and that when you walk into it you feel like there’s plants all around you i told all my friends I bought this massive ugly house but I think I can soften it up with some green plants it was a big project and it was full of concrete 60x 60 white porcelain tiles and the building itself is really harsh so we used a garden designer when we started planning this garden i found someone I clicked with instantly and it was very much a collaborative thing and I think also for me I need to help all the bees and bumblebees out there so there is this many flowers that you can squeeze in per square meter camila’s garden is built over three levels in the basement there’s a courtyard at ground level there’s a social space with informal seating and dining areas on the first level cozy seating wraps around a fire pit and growing up the side of the villa is a vertical garden our vision for this garden was that everyone in this family should have a space and I think when we work together it turned into something quite magical when I walk into this garden what I feel is a sense of pride and calm and also a closeness to my grandparents i very much modeled this garden on their garden judges Zoe Ball Manoj Maldi and Lacklan Ray are touring the UK to find the garden of the year today they’re in the south of England visiting Highgate in London where owner Camila has transformed her garden into a tranquil green space fit for all the family oh my god we’re looking on a glass floor there’s a room down there there’s a pool down there beautiful little courtyard oh nice courtyard with the aces and they’re changing color as well how gorgeous is that it’s just that little area down there oh my look at that that is absolutely breathtaking absolutely fabulous it’s like a show garden isn’t it it’s just I can just see the three of us sat out here in this seating area you know having a drink in the evening have you got another seating ready for dinner very exciting oh wow look at that that is incredible living wall yes yes and it looks as if it’s sweeping around to the side i think we should go and have a look [Music] i know this is extremely special i’ve seen living wolves before but I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite that spectacular it’s amazing look at those formiums that are actually just swinging out lovely buders and I love the fats japonicas the big palmate leaves this just looks like a jungle that’s actually creeping up the walls it’s beautiful so that is an extremely impressive specimen could you do something on a slightly smaller scale if you had absolutely you can yes you can have a like a 50 by 50 panel or a meter by meter and just have a single panel and there you have a brilliant living wall loving the materials here i love the way this wood has silvered and it ties up with those pre-formed concrete slabs yeah and it’s a gorgeous color isn’t it is which then ties in with the water feature and that beautiful and that gorgeous heart but let’s not ignore the planting here it is sublime and I think you know the way things are just spilling over the edges of the hard materials you know it’s just softening it that little bit what’s more these foxtail liies I think just timed our visit perfectly cuz they are real showstoppers and they’re orange lacklin i know goes against the grain a little bit because it’s not my favorite but actually you know I think they just stand out so well you know there’s there’s nothing that you can see against them and actually the planting is quite accessible you know you can go to a nursery and actually get these plants quite easily it feels like waves of the plants and you got the arrantia and the roses the salvas as you come up through here and the pines sort of dotted here through there telling that [Music] story I love these concrete stepping stones and the way they have been staggered through the planting and these beautiful grasses so many delights to look at and then looking back on the house from this terrace as well can you feel how this garden is actually growing this way and literally climbing up the house with that living wall and they’ve continued the theme as well up on the the roof terraces there with obviously planting in pots because there’s no available earth that’s something that somebody could use on a a small roof terrace or a small balcony you know it’s all working well for me and just the story continued slightly the daisies that go all the way up and through just giving it that kind of wildness but really beautifully planned [Music] i think we’re nearing the end of the garden here but a whole other area lawn lovely place for hanging out relaxing sunbathing really protected so no one can really overlook you it’s such a great garden for socializing isn’t it you got the fire pit over there lovely covered area if the weather’s not so great football pitch for the kids and then these seating areas back through and the planting in this area again is is sublime what they’ve done is they’ve reused plants which we’ve already seen in other areas of the garden which carries on a theme yet over here we’ve got a bit of a sort of almost woodlandy area to the back of the garden which is obviously offering privacy and you know a visual screen to the end of the garden i think it’s lovely i like the way that they’ve got the climbers and the fences here just to try and sort of disguise and mask them which is a lovely feature [Music] well this is a great place to end our tour and end the day isn’t it it’s absolutely stunning you’ve got everything here what’s amazing is the way that every single square inch of this garden has been considered the construction is phenomenal the use of different materials is lovely the planting is just exceptional i think it’s just quality from start to finish the gardener here clearly has impeccable taste levels this is really clever design right up my street even the furniture is so rich i just want to lie on it you know i know point out that it’s more comfortable than my sofa at home and actually the materials have been really thought through the deck the stone color scheme has really been thought through as well it’s just delightful [Music] now the judges will score the highgate garden this time Zoe will hold back her mark this is such an impressive garden very contemporary yet I love the way it’s softened with the planting choice the living wall is magnificent and the other thing I love about it is all these wonderful places to entertain whether that’s a party whether that’s a family whether that’s just you reading a book and everywhere you might sit the garden is all around you on a balcony all the way up through the back here so beautifully designed very clever what I really love about this garden is the rhythm and repetition that starts all the way from that top height and it just gently tumbles down with the planting and comes all the way through the different tiers along the garden and takes you all the way back to that beautiful seating place with the fire pit this garden is absolutely gorgeous i definitely am giving this garden a 10 this is an absolutely fantastic garden the use of materials the quality of the construction the way in which the plants bring it all together the changes in levels it’s got a little bit of everything if I was going to be critical I just think for my taste it’s perhaps too contemporary and lacks a bit of soul that a garden may otherwise have that’s something perhaps that will come with time and maturity in the garden but all around a wonderful experience i’m going to give this garden a nine we’ve decided that our favorite spot is this gorgeous seating area you can chill out relax but you can use it as a beautiful entertainment space it actually connects back with the house which is fantastic and you are surrounded and hugged by all this gorgeous planting and it’s just the most beautiful place to relax and chill [Music] out the final garden the judges are visiting is in Surrey owners Jan and Nigel had a dream of turning a modest suburban garden into a luxurious modern haven i come from a big family of gardeners i don’t wear gloves when I garden i like to sort of be in contact with the earth and it’s just relaxing four five 6 hours later you think “Oh okay i’ve I’ve been out there the whole time and that’s what I like i enjoy working in the garden under Jan’s supervision she’s very much the gardener i’m very much the undergarder but we enjoy doing it together and we enjoy the space that’s [Music] created initially the garden was very much a blank canvas we inherited a basic structure so it was a terrace wall grass path at the side shed in the corner very stark really we were very fortunate to be able to work with a garden designer their skill and talent is to interpret what they hear and present and reflect it back to you the joy of having a designer is they sort of divide the space up so although the garden you know is as big as it was when it was empty it looks bigger this Surrey contemporary garden includes several distinct areas directly outside the back door of the house is an extensive hosta collection deeper into the garden is a modern summer house and a dining area which sits underneath a perglar towards the back of the garden is a small wildflower meadow with steps leading to a further seating area i mean the last couple of years have shown even more how important the the space is i can’t imagine not having it actually wow hostas galore wow and there’s more oh my goodness that’s fabulous like a whole bank of them i love that they’re all in pots they’ve kind of created this border very clever look at this though oh wow i didn’t expect this that’s incredible that is stunning isn’t it that’s not what I was expecting at all no now guys clever look at this what have you seen front door come in focal point straight away and although there is symmetry of course on both sides with you know the the hedges but actually they’ve also broken it up a little bit as well it’s great but it does drive your eye all the way through that is gorgeous let’s keep exploring shall we should we go should we go should we wander [Music] valarian beautiful so these colors these hedges here they’re really sculptural aren’t they and they are actually creating a direction aren’t they they are saying you need to go this way i like that but also with you have the gaps that you can see through other parts of the garden yeah you get a little tease of what’s beyond and behind and these birches are magnificent aren’t they i reckon the gardener must be scrubbing them they’re looking for that very clean radiant look which they’re obviously giving very beautiful though what is also lovely is that the trees at the back are being drawn all the way right up to the house because of the canopies of this silver birch you can see how there is not just garden at this level but there’s garden at that level as well and that’s gorgeous i think the planting for me actually is is pretty good here you know we’ve got the theme of the box continuing from here we’ve got grasses carrying it way all the way through the border but just little glimpses of color and flower throughout you know it’s the pianies and the flow mist there i love that sculpture there and have you noticed how it actually reflects the seed heads i love this the perovsky i just think it’s such a beautiful color and obviously it’s not just out yet really appropriate for this garden as well we’re in the south it’s hot it’s dry this is something that’s going to work well here and these beautiful but look at this how they’ve repeated that pompom shape so you’ve got the pom poms of the naughtier then you’ve got the edge knops and again actually if you think about it they’ve even reflected it in the flow as well so you’ve got that repetition of shape going all the way through i love the steelely blue color on that Echinox i just think it’s such a wonderful thing this time our judges are in the south of England and they’re touring the last of the contenders a contemporary garden in Surrey we’ve reached this point isn’t that beautiful that sculpture really does draw you doesn’t it it really does and the verbina just floating beautifully in the breeze there and they’re so delicate that’s gorgeous it’s such a subjective thing to have ornaments and sculptures in a garden you know and it can really ruin a space but I think this is what makes this area and what’s really lovely is that when you’re sat at that dining table and you look out look at that view all the way through and that ring you kind of just peek through it it’s just wonderful what a gorgeous focal point oh wow oh yes so we’ve come from a formal lawn into this amazing meadow beautiful wild meadow this is a this is a proper example of a meadow isn’t it it’s really good we’ve got all sorts going on in here we’ve got the the napweeds the oxide daisies the the yellow rattle the ladies bed straw we’ve got some oregano here and I can even see the seed heads of a few uh cows lips you know really diverse mix of plants in here i’ve just noticed the um the sculpture how do we feel about that i don’t dislike it but I just think the color for me is maybe just a little bit abrasive i was going to say that I actually quite like the structure but the color really jars in this area i would prefer it to kind of blend in with with the meadow a little bit more see I quite like it cuz it’s a big statement i can see what you mean because it is a lovely natural area and it’s quite contemporary isn’t it maybe it would have worked in another area but that’s the great thing with art it’s subjective isn’t it how’s that for a water feature isn’t that gorgeous that’s perfect absolutely beautiful what they’ve done here very clever it’s a black dye that you can put into the water that acts almost like a reflector a mirror so you can see the pergl is reflecting in there the jasmine is also reflecting in the water and can you imagine on a lovely day where you’ve got fluffy clouds they’ll be even reflected in there it’s really useful as well obviously cuz it stops the algae growing in the pond but it’s also harmless to wildlife it is it’s a great thing they’ve done [Music] and the summer house this is beautiful that’s gorgeous should we let’s take a name i think we should oh what a relief to get out this is a lovely garden room isn’t it and you can just hear the sound of the water tinkling away what’s really great about this room is the fact that you can come in here on a wet day and still have a connection with the garden you sort of feel you’re in the garden you don’t really feel like you’re in it you’re part of the garden which I guess designers are always trying to achieve aren’t they you know even from the house you’re trying to get that feeling of bringing the garden into the house so actually they’re being quite clever here so gray floor gray gravel it feels as if this is extending outwards i quite like that it’s a great garden to use again we’ve got lovely areas to sit and socialize there’s some really clever ideas in this garden the judges will now mark the garden out of 10 this time Lacklin will hold back his score this is a garden that’s clearly had some design input i think the Wildflower Meadow is absolutely impeccable a really nice feature to have if I was going to be critical perhaps there’s a few corners that have been forgotten about or not just quite maintained to the same standards as the rest of the place but overall I think it’s an impeccable garden i really love the planting in this garden the floss the hostas as you enter and then these silver birches which really are superstars and they feature in every little area of the garden from the formal garden at the bottom with that wow factor water feature and then you’ve got the lawn area to hang out and just be quite peaceful to this lovely meadow up here so many special places a place here for every mood i give this garden an eight the space has been divided really well incredible layout i love the structural planting and the trees right from the back create this gorgeous canopy that comes all the way through right up to the house some really strong elements here i give this garden an eight there’s a number of areas in this garden that could be considered as the best spot however for us it’s most definitely that wonderful vista from the house leading up to the gorgeous bronze circular sculpture the use of space the design and the plants all complement it wonderfully that’s why we’ve chose it as our favorite spot [Music] having explored all four gardens in the South it’s time for the judges to reveal the final scores and announce the regional winner which will take its place in the final of the UK’s garden of the year first the Mediterranean Garden i scored this an eight manos you gave it a seven lacklin what did you think this was an intriguing garden botanically very interesting i mean there was plants in there that I’ve never come across it was unusual different and there was some interesting take-h home ideas i thought I gave it an eight okay add those together 23 next to be scored is the barn in Kent i scored this a nine lacklin you gave it a nine manos what did you think whilst this garden actually really showed the true character of the gardener and that planting worked beautifully with the rest of the meadow I did feel that it lacks spatial awareness i gave this one an eight okay which makes 26 [Music] now the judges will score the Surrey Contemporary Garden i give this an eight manos give us an eight lacklin what did you think this was a wonderful garden there was clearly the influence of a designer involved however I liked the way that the gardeners had perhaps put their own personal touches on things with the use of sculptures and statues around the place there was a nice restraint in the planting it all worked very well i too gave it an eight ah 24 and the final contender to be scored is the Highgate Villa Garden you scored this a nine lacklin Manosh you gave it a 10 i thought this was fabulous the use of plants and the materials swept all the way through and up the house with that incredible living wall so many places to entertain and for family i thought it was magnificent i give it a 10 which means score is 29 so there we have it the Highgate Garden is the winner in the south yes a worthy winner it was a magnificent garden impressed by its rich charm and vibrant planting choices the judges have voted the Highgate Villa Garden the winner it takes its place in the final of Garden of the Year next time the judges are in Wales and the West of England to visit four more fabulous gardens i feel like a kid again i just want to skip through this field i could see myself coming in here on a real scorching hot summer afternoon and just sitting under the shade of this tree you’ve almost got the eye view of the wildlife that’s prickly pear when you pick a pawpaw or a prickly pear well next time [Music] 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