It has been a hard winter here in the UK and winter is often a difficult time for gardeners, stuck inside during the bad weather and with very few signs of growth to keep them going. If your garden is an important part of your physical or mental well-being, then winter can be especially harsh.
And so I would like to plant a container garden that brightens up the winter days and/ or contains early spring flowers that signal that winter is finally coming to an end. However, as you know, ornamental gardening isn’t my area of expertise and so I thought I would run a design competition and leave it up to those of you who are much better at it :)
Design Brief
I have a large half-barrel container that I can use (it’s 1 1/2 ft or 45 cm in diameter). I will accept entries from anywhere in the world, but the garden has to be able to grow in the UK climate and be hardy outside for the winter (USDA zone 7/8). Ideally it would need minimal attention once planted and would look good for several years.
The plants should be evergreen, winter- or spring-flowering. I can amend the potting mix to keep them happy, but they will all have to thrive in the same mix. Even though this is primarily a kitchen garden, there is no requirement for any of the plants to be edible :)
How to enter
To enter the design competition, send your design to me in an email. If you’re good at drawing by all means send a plan; if you’re not then you can simply send a planting list. If you have already designed and planted such a container then you send a photo!
The closing date for entries is midnight (BST) on 30th April 2010. The winner will simply be the container which I think best embodies the spirit of the brief, and the prize will be a signed copy of my book The Alternative Kitchen Garden: An A to Z. I may publish any or all of the entries here on my website.
If you have any questions about the brief or the rules, then get in touch!