English Courtyard Developments won this award for their stunning development at Sandbourne Court in Bournemouth. The judges felt this garden best achieved what it was designed for – the retired. An easily maintained garden with a well considered balance of planting and hard landscaping with good access, wide walkways, handrails and plenty of areas to reflect and relax. A real gem!
Simply the best Show House Garden
The show house garden category, sponsored by Showhouse Magazine, attracted 30 entries from builders in England, Scotland and Wales and the short list of 17 was judged by members of the public.
Television garden presenter Joe Swift, who with two partners runs a company called Modular Garden, added an expert view: “I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and standard of the entries. There were a few that were not quite what I would have done, but that is what gardening is all about - they should be tailored to suit owner’s individual lifestyle.”
Joe’s company works alongside house builders, often designing and building the show garden, which has a clear price tag attached to it. Potential buyers are then able to gauge the added cost of a properly landscaped garden and discuss individual requirements, such as colour schemes, textures, maintenance and, of course, price.
Joe says his company is unashamedly mass market, the cost of his gardens starting at about £6,000. A spend of this kind can produce quite an impact in a small (30ft x 12ft) garden. The most expensive he has built so far cost £30,000, but relative to the price of the house, the cost was not unduly high.
It seems that the kitchen accounts for about 10 percent of the cost of a new home, but the cost of a garden is working out at only about three percent – a small price for a thing of beauty that will certainly make the home immediately more saleable. Gardens can be a good investment as well as areas of great joy.
