Homes and Gardens / Garden Centres
Bristol gardener wins national award
A gardener from Bristol has taken home £1,000 worth of gift cards after participating in a national competition.
Roxy Fitzsimmons has won the wildlife friendly gardener category of the Not Your Average Gardener awards by Dobbies Garden Centres.
The 31-year-old has created a wildlife haven in her back garden of a rented property on a busy main road near the centre of Bristol.
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The data control assistant has created multiple wildlife corridors and worked with the tricky dry environment by planting drought tolerant plants and creating multiple ponds to keep visitors hydrated.
Explaining how she got into gardening, Roxy said: “It all started when I was kid, my parents would get me to help with the garden weeding, encourage me to spend time outdoors and be at one with nature. This turned into my passion.
“I’ve been lucky enough to live in rented properties that have each had a garden space and landlords who have encouraged my passion and let me run wild with gardening projects.
“I’m quite a creative individual and love getting stuck into a new project. I’ve channelled my inner Monty Don, who’s my gardening inspiration, and dove two feet in to do everything I could to attract wildlife to my green space.
“About two years ago I built a mini pond, introducing various water features, plants and foliage, and is home to a resident frog that enjoys hanging out in the toad abode.”
Dobbies’ horticultural director, Marcus Eyles, added: “Each year we’re amazed with the quality of talent entering our Not Your Average Gardener Awards and can’t believe this is our fourth year.
“It’s great to see novice gardeners to enthusiasts pouring passion into their green spaces by using sustainable products and practices to help impact the planet in a positive way.
“Our judging panel had a tough time whittling the entries down to four winners, and I’m exceptionally proud of Roxy for taking home the crown for our wildlife friendly gardener category.”
The Not Your Average Gardener Awards support those looking to better the green spaces around them, recognising the passion, dedication and innovative sustainable gardening techniques in the community.
The three other winners were: Jenny Winnard from Wigan, Phillip Stewart from Northern Ireland and Theodore Rumbold from West Sussex, who won the plant to plate gardener, creative indoor gardener and little eco gardener titles respectively.
Main photo: Dobbies Garden Centres
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