Staff and students from two Midlands land-based colleges are joining forces to create a major show garden at an annual countryside festival.
Pershore College and Moreton Morrell College, both part of college group WCG, have been brought together to create a 30m by 17m show garden at The Game Fair, which is being held at Ragley Hall in Alcester from the 23 to 25 July.
The show garden will be one of the major attractions at the three-day festival, which is returning after a year away and regularly attracts in excess of 120,000 visitors.
Students have led on the design of garden which aims to promote the use of technology in gardens and how horticulture is adapting to modern times.
The show garden will be split into four distinct interconnected smaller gardens, all interpreting the ‘Smart’ theme.
The Climate Change Garden has been designed to take into account the changing weather conditions in the UK, looking at plants that will thrive in months of low rainfall and also those in flood conditions.
The Eco Garden looks at the importance of bees and other insects to the planet’s biodiversity, showcasing a range of habitats that can be created in a domestic garden. While the Production Garden displays how homeowners can make the most out of small space in their gardens to grow produce.
Finally, the Smart Garden is a modern contemporary garden, which shows how modern technology can be integrated – with features include a solar-powered electric car charging station, robotic mower and vertical living wall.
The project has seen students join forces from a range of courses, including horticulture, landscaping and floristry, to create the garden – with support from a wide range of sponsors and businesses.
Businesses supporting the show garden include Tarmac, Talasey, Gardens of Reflection, Keder Greenhouses, Readyhedge, Cub Cadet, Solar Technology, Electric Zoo and Vegepod.
The support businesses have enabled the college to access the range of supplies needed to create the garden, including turf, plants, paving, polytunnels, hedging – and even an electric car.
Gardens of Reflection has been appointed main landscape contractor for the garden and all of its team were trained at Pershore College.
Mike Roberts, garden design and horticulture lecturer at WCG, is managing the design and planting and has award-winning success of creating show gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
He said: “This is by far the largest show garden we have every undertaken and we’re all excited to get to work on site at Ragley Hall to create something truly special for The Game Fair.
“Our students have been designing this garden for well over a year now, as we had been planning to showcase it at the cancelled 2020 event. But this has meant more students have been able to engage in the project and gain the valuable experience of being involved in the creation of a show garden.
“We have had incredible support with local, regional and national companies getting on board to help us make the design a reality.
“It’s set to be a brilliant weekend. I know the students are looking forward to seeing their designs come to life and it will be a proud weekend for everyone involved.”
For more information about The Game Fair, which takes place from Friday, July 23 to Sunday, July 25, visit www.thegamefair.org.
PICTURE CAPTION: Staff and students preparing for the show garden