An Stockbridge nursery has been awarded a prize at the 2026 annual Pocket Garden Design Competition by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Arbor Green Nursery was awarded the Food for People Category by the judges for its entry Our Eco School Pocket Garden.
The garden included plants that can feed people and wildlife, including purple sprouting broccoli, broad beans, nasturtiums, strawberries and potatoes.
Pupils “learned that human-edible food is also needed for wildlife and that they can be shared”.
Arbor Green Nursery, in Stockbridge, was awarded the Food for People Category. © Supplied
The competition, run in partnership with Garden for Life Forum, encouraged nursery and school pupils, aged three to 18, to design a miniature pocket-sized garden which include food for people, are good for wildlife and reuse something.
More than 170 entries from 24 local authority areas across Scotland were submitted, representing the work of whole classes and schools and inspired by the 2026 theme “fresh water”. In total 26 designs were selected to build and grow their gardens highlighting fresh water as “a precious resource that sustains life, and shapes so much of Scotland’s landscape, history and culture.”
An online showcase featuring images, video and stories of the winning gardens created from those designs went live for 10 days in June, and now the final eight winners have been announced.
Lathallan Junior School, Aberdeenshire won the Gardening for Wildlife category while the Fresh Water category was won by Ullapool Primary, Highland.
Arbor Green Nursery, in Stockbridge, was awarded the Food for People Category. © Supplied
In the public vote more than 5,000 votes were cast over 10 days, and Milngavie Primary in East Dunbartonshire was awarded first place.
In second place was North Ayrshire’s Beith Primary School, while third place went to Bardykes Farm Nursery.
Eve Keepax, Education and Learning Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Ahead of the summer it’s wonderful to share happy news and celebrate the efforts of children and young people across the country who have been recognised as overall winners of the Pocket Garden Design Competition.
“We’ve been running the competition for a decade, but the entries, and the transformations from design to real gardens never cease to amaze us and those that visit the showcase every year to vote for their favourites. Our wildlife is in trouble so it’s wonderful to be able to share this good news about so many children enjoying learning about how to look after local wildlife and putting the learning into practice.
“The competition provides a great way to connect children and young people with the natural world, food growing, and local wildlife while supporting Scotland’s Learning for Sustainability ambitions. We’re looking for funding to support the competition in the future so please do reach out if you want to find out more.”
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