Courtyard jungle in Edinburgh crowned Garden of the Year by BBC Gardeners' World magazine
Wednesday 25 October, 2023
An urban-jungle garden, nestled in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland, has been named the Judgesโ Choice winner inย BBC Gardenersโ World Magazineโs annual Gardens of the Year Awards 2023.
With an array of carefully curated plant species and a thoughtfully designed layout, Clive Johnson-Cooperโs garden in Edinburgh was the chosen winner from almost 1,000 entries by expert judges including: TV gardening presenter and Gardenersโ World magazine columnist, Alan Titchmarsh; BBC Gardenersโ World TV presenter, Arit Anderson; multi-award-winning garden designer, television presenter, journalist and author, Ann-Marie Powell; Yeo Valley Organic Farmโs head gardener, Sarah Mead; BBC Gardenersโ World Magazine Editor, Kevin Smith, and last yearโs winning gardeners.
When Clive moved into the home in 2005, there was no garden. Clive transformed a makeshift extension, creating an outdoor space and the small Scottish courtyard is now a serene and tranquil oasis, just streets away from the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh city centre.
This yearโs entries to BBC Gardenersโ World Magazine Gardens of the Year 2023 competitionย revealed new trends influencing gardenersโ designs, including a notable shift towards gardening in more compact spaces, with a surge in creativity in the use of diverse foliage and leaves. The winning Scottish garden is a tapestry of leaves of different sizes, shapes and textures, with all the plants expertly chosen, positioned and woven together.
The Gardens of the Year judges loved Cliveโs sophisticated garden and unanimously agreed that it should be the 2023 Judgesโ Choice.
Arit Anderson commented: โI love the views from both the balcony and bedroom, what a wonderful outlook to wake up to. Heโs considered the views from both parts of his house. The fact that heโs managed to create a garden here is great.โ
Alan Titchmarsh commented: โThis is very good. Heโs really thought about the scale of the garden and also the texture created by the foliage. Heโs brought the garden together very successfully. And I love the cheeky metal signs.โ
BBC Gardenersโ World Magazineโs Editor, Kevin Smith, adds: โCliveโs garden proves that you donโt need a lot of space to create a peaceful garden. Itโs simple, mostly green, but really beautiful. The mix of different plants makes it feel like a small jungle in the city, and the climbing plants make the space seem bigger. Itโs very calming, even in the middle of the busy city. Itโs a challenge to get the planting just right in such a small space, but Clive has done an impressive job.โ
Cliveโs garden is now also entered into BBC Gardenersโ World Magazineโs Peopleโs Choice Award, alongside seven other gardens who made the final shortlist, including:
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Lyn Buller, Kent
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Oliver Hymans, London
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Irene Berry, Scottish Borders
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Dionne Sambrook, Warwickshire
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Andy Spray, Leicester
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Simon Mabury, Leeds
ยทย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Helen Maxwell, Carmarthenshire
All the shortlisted gardens can be found on GardenersWorld.com and inside the November issue ofย BBC Gardenersโ World Magazine.
More stories
Visit our news page for moreAll the latest releases from Immediate
- Hedgehogs making a comeback in annual BBC Gardenersโ World Magazine Survey
- BBC Gardenersโ World Magazineโs May issue becomes highest revenue generating monthly in the UK in 15 years
- Tom Kerridge takes over the BBC Good Food cooking app in the run-up to Christmas
- ABCs 2023: Immediate brands maintain market-leading positions