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BBC Gardener of the Decade competition consisted of the five of the previous Gardener of the Year title holders going head to head at the Eden Project, with 5 garden tasks to be judged, independently of the BBC, by the Eden Project staff to RHS standards. After three tasks, the lowest scoring contestant would be eliminated, another one would fall after the 5th task, and then the remaining 3 would build a 2.5 by 1.5 metre border suitable, according to the DEFRA and Met Office predictions, for the climate predicted to be in Cornwall in 2040.
The first task was border maintenance, the second was taking root and hardwood cuttings and the third was pests and diseases. After the first gardener was knocked out, the remaining four had to graft apples, using grafting tape and knives, followed by plant identification.
The final three contestants designed, wrote about and planted their borders which were judged by staff from The Eden Project to Royal Horticultural standards. Katherine’s inspirational design placed her as an 80-something gardener of the future and foretold of the nature of gardening in 2040. To read Katherine’s design piece please download it here.
BBC Gardener of the Decade was televised on 12th December at 8pm with Katherine beign announced as the winner at the end of the show.
Katherine received a beautiful Dartington Glass vase, an invitation to the press day at Chelsea Show in May 2009, a day’s visit to the Gardeners World gardens at Berryfields (to be featured in an episode of Gardeners World) plus a day at Sissinghurst with a guided tour by the Head Gardener.
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