The Family Potager Garden, created by head gardener Emma O’Neill, which incorporated ideas for families on tight budgets and with small plots, was deemed a winning design at the Audley End House show on September 4.

The garden was split into four beds and included a child-friendly ‘mud kitchen’, with a mini 30cm diameter pond and opportunities for children to make mud pies. There was also a clever composting area complete with space for vegetable plants, a bug hotel made from hanging baskets, and seating for mum and dad. Much of the garden was built from reusable and recycled materials, and the plants were grown from seed from our Heritage Seed Library.

“We were really excited to show gardeners some easy projects for them to replicate at home - and delighted to win an award,” says Emma. “The four bed potager is perfect for introducing variety and diversity to small gardens and each family member could look after one quarter.

“The compost bay, made from two wooden pallets surrounded by vegetables, shows that compost bins can be integrated into the heart of a garden. And no matter how small a growing space is, a tiny pond can still effectively attract water flies and all-important pollinators like bees.”