Robert Myers MSGD and Matthew Keightley MSGD have taken the two most prestigious awards at the Society of Garden Designers’ sixth annual awards ceremony, receiving the Grand Award and Judges' Awards respectively in front of an audience of almost 400 guests.
The accolades were presented at a ceremony at The Landmark Hotel in London on Friday 2nd February where 21 winners were announced out of the 43 finalists and Fernando Caruncho was presented with the SGD’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.
International
Sponsored by Landform Consultants
Winner: James Basson MSGD
Project: Villa Palmera
Contractor: Gaudissart
What the judges said: “A small garden that feels spacious and interesting. The creative planting softens the leap from garden to landscape and creates a wonderful atmosphere. A lovely, gentle intervention on the site."
Public or Commercial Outdoor Space
Sponsored by Vande Moortel
Winner: Robert Myers MSGD
Project: The Magic Garden
Contractor: Frosts Landscapes
What the judges said: “A really exciting, generous and inspirational project that stood out in the category. The design is striving, innovative and cohesive, handling an intimidating setting extremely well with good references to its history. The garden is full of surprises and fun. It really is magical."
Student Design - Commercial
Sponsored by British Sugar Topsoil
Winner: Nicky Burridge
Project: Cambridge Cottage
What the judges said: “An excellent visual presentation and a lovely design demonstrating a good understanding of scale. Formality and asymmetry have been combined to create a design that perfectly compliments the facade of the building."
Student Design - Domestic
Sponsored by London Stone
Joint Winner: Sheila Jack
Project: Modern Surrey Garden
What the judges said: “Beautiful sketches illustrating a wonderfully restrained design that demonstrates a lightness of touch and a strong visual stillness.”
Student Design - Domestic
Sponsored by London Stone
Joint Winner: Sheila Jack
Project: Contemporary Garden
What the judges said: “A bold design that fits into its surroundings without being too imposed. Demonstrates a good grasp of the scale of the larger country garden and a good, well-proportioned relationship between the spaces. The strong graphic style complements the atmosphere captured in the plan.”
Medium Residential Garden
Sponsored by Capital Garden Products
Joint Winner: Matt Keightley MSGD
Project: Tyre Hill House
Contractor: Rosebank Landscaping
What the judges said: "A fantastic exercise in restraint demonstrating a clarity, simplicity and purity that It is simply beautiful. Accomplished, balanced and well finished, it is a stunning composition, almost spiritual in its concept."
Medium Residential Garden
Sponsored by Capital Garden Products
Joint Winner: Ian Kitson FSGD
Project: Estuary Garden
What the judges said: “An inspiring project. Different, unusual, challenging and innovative demonstrating a huge amount of thought and attention to detail."
Roof Garden
Sponsored by Gavin Jones ltd.
Winner: Emily Erlam
Project: Plimsoll Terrace
Contractor: Landform Consultants
What the judges said: “A fascinating garden with a lovely feel about it. Well finished and full of character, the beautiful planting and clever incorporation of water create a wonderful feeling of calm."
Garden Jewel
Sponsored by Brett Landscaping
Joint Winner: Jane Brockbank MSGD
Project: Coach House
Contractor: Urban Eye Construction
What the judges said: “A worthy winner in a very strong category. An intriguing space, the garden offers an interesting antidote to hard geometry with generous planting, a beautiful finish and a strong environmental message."
Garden Jewel
Sponsored by Brett Landscaping
Joint Winner: Sue Townsend MSGD
Project: Sinuous Path
Contractor: Landform Consultants
What the judges said: “Another incredibly accomplished entry in the Garden Jewel category. The clever use of a difficult space creates a relaxing corner in a busy urban setting. The sinuous path creates a lovely sense of journey and achieves an amazing amount of movement and flow in a space of this size & shape."
Large Residential Garden
Sponsored by Gabriel Ash
Winner: Acres Wild – Principal Designer Debbie Roberts MSGD
Project: Ridgmount
What the judges said: “A beautifully planned garden in a lovely setting creating romance and a sense of place. The use of the meadows is key to linking it to the landscape and is exactly what a garden of this nature requires. A seamless and creative design demonstrating the skill of the designers. An extremely professional plan with good attention to detail allowing for easy interpretation."
Small Residential Garden
Sponsored by Stonemarket
Winner: Helen Elks-Smith MSGD
Project: Harbour Garden
What the judges said: “A strong, emotive response to the setting creating a fantastic sense of place. The use of timber is a clever way to bring the boundary down and create a degree of separation from neighbouring gardens. A sympathetic design paired with beautiful planting."
Big Ideas, Small Budget
Sponsored by Country Supplies
Winner: Anne Windsor
Project: Shared Courtyard Garden, Manchester
Contractor: Barnes Walker Landscapes Ltd & Fryatt Landscapes
What the judges said: “A lovely design that has transformed what was previously a dead space into a flourishing garden. Well thought through, the budget has been imaginatively and sensitively used to create something beautiful to look at all year round. Composed and tranquil, the garden is a pleasure to walk in. A modern take on the classic inner courtyard gardens found in Paris and Rome."
The Lifetime Achievement Award
Sponsored by Alitex
Awarded to: Fernando Caruncho
Awarded by the Council of the Society of Garden Designers.
The SGD Council said: “This award is gifted by the SGD Council to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the garden design profession. Since the arrival of his first garden in the early 1980’s this designer has created timeless gardens in Spain and internationally with a simplicity and lightness of touch using geometry, light, water and connection to the wider environment at the heart of his projects. He is an inspirational philosopher, landscape architect and gardener who continues to inspire with his philosophical approach to garden creation and the SGD is delighted to present him with this years Lifetime Achievement award."
Planting Design
Sponsored by Barcham Trees plc
Winner: Matt Keightley MSGD
Project: Tyre Hill House
Contractor: Rosebank Landscaping
What the judges said: “A self-confident design showing exceptional skill and offering exactly the right planting solution for the space. Celebrating the art of composition in garden design, it is contemporary, peaceful and very very accomplished."
Healing or Learning Garden
Sponsored by Easigrass™ Distribution ltd
Winner: Ann-Marie Powell Gardens; principal designer Ann-Marie Powell MSGD
Project: Chestnut Tree House
Contractor: Garden House Design
What the judges said: “An absolutely fantastic garden that demonstrates amazing value for money. Gentle, soft and magical, it has been sensitively and creatively designed so that it sits naturally within its woodland setting. This is a role-model garden that children in particular will love."
People's Choice Award
Sponsored by Homes & Gardens
Winner: Fiona Stephenson MSGD
Project: Domaine de Cambou
The People’s Choice Award is run in conjunction with the SGD Awards media partner Homes & Gardens magazine. Domaine de Cambou was designed by Fiona Stephenson MSGD and was voted favourite garden among 17 shortlisted gardens in a public vote by SGD members, Homes & Garden readers and the general public.
Paper Landscapes
Sponsored by Green-tech ltd
Winner: Carolyn Willitts
Project: Hale Garden
What the judges said: “An accomplished presentation demonstrating a lovely understanding of the seasons. An intriguing, inspiring and evocative design."
Hardscape
Sponsored by Hardscape
Winner: Ian Kitson FSGD
Project: Estuary Garden
What the judges said: “Bold, ambitious and beautifully constructed, the garden ticks all the hardscape boxes. Beautiful curved retaining walls and hard detailing demonstrate the greatest degree of difficulty, beautifully executed."
Historic Garden Restoration
Sponsored by Deepdale Trees
Winner: Christian Sweet MSGD
Project: Villa Balbiano, Lake Como, Italy
What the judges said: “A beautiful restoration demonstrating excellent attention to detail and a beautiful finish. A sensitive interpretation of the historic context and careful attention to detail in the restoration of key features has created a stunning garden for those visiting, giving a real sense of what was there before.”
The Judges' Award
Sponsored by Harrod Horticultural
Winner: Matt Keightley MSGD
Project: Tyre Hill House
Contractor: Rosebank Landscaping
What the judges said: "A fantastic exercise in restraint demonstrating a clarity, simplicity and purity that It is simply beautiful. Accomplished, balanced and well finished, it is a stunning composition, almost spiritual in its concept. A self-confident design showing exceptional skill and offering exactly the right planting solution for the space. Celebrating the art of composition in garden design, it is contemporary, peaceful and very very accomplished."
The Grand Award
Sponsored by CED Stone Group
Winner: Robert Myers MSGD
Project: The Magic Garden
Contractor: Frosts Landscapes
What the judges said: “A really exciting, generous and inspirational project that stood out in the category. The design is striving, innovative and cohesive, handling an intimidating setting extremely well with good references to its history. The garden is full of surprises and fun. It really is magical."