The Virtual Village Fete

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Congratulations to our seven winners as chosen by garden writer and horticuluralist, Jack Wallington. The entries were so good that we have a second gallery of Highly Commended entries too! Scroll through the galleries below - don't forget to click on each image to see its full glory!

Best container garden - Lynn. Jack says, "Visually amazing and everything is fantastic for pollinators."
Best shot of an insect on a plant - Colleen. Jack says, "Although sad for the bee, this is an incredible moment with the crab spider matching the colour of the daisy for camouflage - this was one of my top contenders for the story it tells on top of the photography skills."
General produce category - Steve. Jack says, "This is a really strong category, and I have to hand it to this one. The volume, variety and condition of the produce is fantastic."
Most flamboyant insect - David. Jack says, "Amazing colours and photography."
Vegetable that looks most like a celebrity - Lisa. Jack says, "I had to wonder if this was carved by Jeremy Clarkson himself."
Food fails - Phoebe. Jack says, "We’ve all been there with the sad lonely apple."
Ugliest veg - Ruth. Jack says, "So ugly it’s a beautiful thing!"

Man standing in garden — (c) Jack Wallington

Hi from Jack! He says:

After twenty years working in the creative industries, I retrained between 2015 – 2017 at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to become a horticulturist and landscape designer, opening my studio full time in January 2018. Writing, art and nature have always come naturally to me – my first loves – and they all pointed to this new career after a key turning point in my life.

I have designed over 70 gardens across the UK and written columns and features for Gardeners’ World, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Gardens Illustrated, RHS The Garden and The English Garden. I released my first book, Wild about Weeds, in 2019 and A Greener Life in 2022, and was lucky that both were named The Times Gardening Book of the Year.

The combination of growing, showing and explaining what I do to help others has allowed me to communicate a new approach to gardens I create in my designs. This new wild way connects people to nature deeply and more meaningfully than other gardens can. It is explored in my weekly Wild Way newsletter in which I also share the study of wildlife and wildflowers from our remote farm in the Pennines.

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