How I Designed a Show Garden for BBC Gardeners’ World Live: My Step by Step Journey to Creating a Beautiful Border
- Georgina
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
Thinking About Your Own Show Garden?
If you’ve ever looked at a show garden and thought, “I’d love to try that one day,” take this as your sign.
You don’t need a degree or a perfect plan. You need an idea, a willingness to learn, and the courage to take the first step. Donna Sutton was still learning when she decided to create her show garden for BBC Gardeners World Live. Read on to find out her journey from “I’d love to do that!” to creating her award winning beautiful border…
“You don’t need to be a professional to create something meaningful, just someone who’s brave enough to try.”
The Opportunity That Found Me
In October 2024, I was one month into my WRAGS placement through the Working for Gardeners Association (WFGA), when we were invited to a talk by BBC Gardeners’ World about the Beautiful Borders and how to apply.
I never imagined the opportunity would come so soon. It felt like fate, and I couldn’t let it pass me by.
With support from the WFGA, including a prospective design course and the guidance of one of their trustees as a mentor, I began planning. It all felt new and a bit surreal, but if you’re reading this and thinking “could I do something like that?” the answer is yes. I didn’t have it all figured out. I just said yes, and started.
Submitting My Vision
To apply, I had to design a border based on the year’s theme and submit both 2D and 3D drawings, plus a short written brief explaining the story behind my design.
Designing from the Heart
The 2025 theme was Cultivating Connections, and I saw it as the perfect chance to tell a personal story.
“This border represents my transition from maiden to mother, and the connections I’ve cultivated along the way.”
My border reflected the emotional journey I’d been on. From the fast-paced years before motherhood, into the grounded, rooted space I found as a parent and gardener.
Annuals represented that earlier phase, full of movement and energy. The bridge at the centre symbolised the shift. On the other side, hardy perennials spoke of growth, stability and deep roots.
The Joy of Being Accepted
The judges asked whether my plants would be in flower by June, a fair concern, especially for a new designer. I explained that I’d grown the flowers for my own wedding a few years earlier and they’d bloomed too early. That mistake taught me a lot, and this time, I knew how to get the timing right.
When I got the email to say my border had been accepted, I was over the moon. From there, everything started to grow, literally and figuratively.
From Seed to Show
I’d already bought seeds, just in case, and started sowing right away. With help from Askham Bryan College, D-Tail Plants and fellow RHS students, we grew everything ourselves. Sowing, potting on, pinching out, moving plants from warm to cool — it was a full-on learning curve.
To anyone wondering if they know “enough,” the truth is, you learn by doing. You just start, and grow alongside your plants.
Plants With Purpose
Annuals:
Gypsophila elegans ‘Covent Garden’
Nigella damascena ‘Albion Green Pod’
Nigella damascena ‘Miss Jekyll White’
Nigella damascena ‘Miss Jekyll’
Salvia viridis ‘White Swan’
Orlaya grandiflora
Lagarus ovatus ‘Bunny Tails’
Briza maxima
Setaria viridis ‘Caramel’
Centaurea cyanus ‘True Wild Form’
Perennials:
Astrantia major
Scabiosa caucasica ‘Perfecta Alba’
Scabiosa caucasica ‘Perfecta’
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Sheen’
Thymus serpyllum var. albus
Storytelling Through Space
The design featured a handmade willow bridge, built by me and my dad using coppiced willow from the garden where I worked. Two fairy sculptures, one small and one large, represented me before and after motherhood. Underneath the bridge, a birdbath symbolised my pregnancy.
It’s moments like these that remind me: gardens don’t have to be just beautiful. They can tell stories. Yours can too.
Showtime at the NEC
In June 2025, we headed to BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC with all the plants and sculptures packed carefully into the van. Over the next four days, we built the border.
Judging day came midweek, and I was beyond thrilled to receive a bronze award. The judges loved my take on the theme and encouraged me to explore garden design further. Their feedback was incredibly encouraging.
Meeting the Public, Sharing the Journey
From Thursday to Sunday, the show was open to visitors. Talking to people, answering questions, hearing what they saw in the border, was the most rewarding part.
People asked how to bring parts of the design into their own gardens, and many followed up afterwards through social media. The conversations haven’t stopped.
“Creating gardens that feel like stories, where every plant has a place, is exactly where I want to be.”
What’s Next on My Garden Path
In September, I start the RHS Level 2 Theory course at Askham Bryan College. I’m hoping to enrol in a design course next year, and I’m so excited to keep creating spaces where emotion and plants meet
If you’ve ever looked at a show garden and thought, “I’d love to try that one day,” take this as your sign.
If it’s on your heart, do it. I promise, it’s worth it.
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Make sure you follow Donna on instagram where she shares her gardening tips and learnings & you can stay up to date on her gardening journey (@thegranarygarden)