Wellies and Wonderland Welcomed at Harlow Carr

Budding Gardeners Competition

Two of our ten partner schools* from the North West took part recently in the ‘Budding Gardeners’ competition held across all four RHS gardens during the summer half-term holiday.

Pupils and staff from All Souls CE Primary School, Heywood and Urmston Grammar School, Trafford crossed the Pennines equipped with all the plants and materials to create their gardens within a 1 metre square plot.

Urmston Grammer School's 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Urmston Grammar School’s Growing Sense garden club had chosen the theme of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, an idea which came from a play which had recently been put on at the school. The choice of plants (colour and texture) reflected the themes of the Red Queen, the White Queen and the forest. The centrepiece was the Mad Hatter’s tea party, complete with teapot, teacups and cakes!

Year 5 at All Soul’s chose the theme of re-cycling and opted for old wellies as containers in which to grow a selection of vegetables, herbs and fruit, much of which their gardening club had grown from seed. Their display was entitled ‘Give it some Welly!’

Planting the wellies

Hrad at work!

All done!

Both schools won a Harlow Carr Gold Award and Urmston Grammar School came fourth in the ‘People’s Choice’, voted for by visitors to the garden.

Deirdre Walton, RHS Regions Manager said ‘I was very impressed with the imagination that had gone into the design of the gardens, and the hard work needed to bring together all the plants and materials needed. It was great that pupils were so involved in the design and creation, and those that I spoke to on the day had greatly enjoyed their trip to Harlow Carr’.

*Campaign for School Gardening Regional Advisor, Andy Cannell, who is supported by Manchester Airport, runs termly twilight training sessions on gardening in school at all ten partner schools in Greater Manchester and East Cheshire. To find out more, please click here.