Andrew Wilson: How does your garden grow?

Bord Bia Bloom’s Show Gardens Chief Judge, Andrew Wilson, is a garden designer and landscape architect, teacher, and writer. He tells us about his garden at home in Surrey, England, his role judging the Show Gardens at Bord Bia Bloom, and what he is looking forward to seeing at this year’s festival. 

I would describe my style as… modernist. I live in Chertsey, Surrey, not far from the River Thames, in a Georgian house with a contemporary, glazed extension to the rear. The garden is often likened to a pizza slice in its shape as it is wide but tapers to a point. The design was implemented four years ago but retained a 200-year-old apple tree (Blenheim Orange) and a large Magnolia. The design is semi-formal and rectilinear in layout with two York stone terraces, cantilevered steps, and two water tanks. Deep perennial beds run around the lawn with the space divided by yew hedges. 

My favourite plant in May is… Salvia ‘Caradonna’ – I love the deep indigo colour. It will now flower until September, but the stems are also dark, so it keeps on giving into the winter.   

At this time of year… I check the water clarity in my ponds. The sunshine can be strong, but the aquatics and shading plants haven’t really got into full swing yet, so I have to keep an eye on algae. 

In my garden I try to… reduce watering as much as possible. I have no irrigation, and I use a leaf mould to enrich and retain moisture as the soil is sand and gravel. I’m not too picky about total weed removal and try to keep a balance. We have a rich insect and bird population within the garden.   

My work involves… large-scale and high-end garden design with Gavin McWilliam in the McWilliam Studio, which is one of the UK’s leading garden and landscape practices, and regular teaching at the London College of Garden Design in Kew. I also have one eye on retirement and spend some time in my second garden in Devon. 

At Bord Bia Bloom I will be… assessing and then judging the Show Gardens with my fellow judges. Our decisions revolve around the brief information supplied by the various designers which gives us a sense of direction. We then have to consider whether or not the gardens successfully achieve the stated aims. In some gardens we are unanimous, but others can lead to great debate. We have time to reflect on the various awards before the medals are finalised. I love this role and seeing the new ideas each year. 

The difference between a show garden and a residential garden is… that a show garden has to work at the time of the show, whereas a real garden has to work all year round and into the future. It would be difficult, for example, to deliver a winter garden at Bloom. Otherwise, ideas can easily be transferred from show to reality. 

This year I’m looking forward to seeing… gardens that relate sustainable thinking to the reality of people’s gardens. I also want to see imaginative and creative ideas. These excite me and refresh my own thinking. 

Andrew and his fellow Show Garden judges will assess this year’s gardens over two days preceding Bloom and the winners will be announced on the opening day of the festival, Thursday, 29th May. You can read about this year’s collection of gardens here.