Silver gilt medal at Southport 2006

John pictured with TV garden designer, Diarmuid Gavin, at the Southport Flower Show.

'The Old Priory Well' garden made from reclaimed materials was designed by The Hidden Garden and won a silver gilt medal.

With a Little Help from my Friends

A Granada TV production with 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Brookside' star Jennifer Ellison

The garden was to be a safe and stimulating sanctuary for children. Based on the ‘Yellow Brick Road’, the idea was to have a path that led around the garden to smaller gardens within: play areas, jungle areas, planting areas all inter-connected and waiting to be discovered.

The garden was featured on Granada TV’s ‘with a little help from my friends starring Jennifer Ellison.’

The Old Asparagus Patch

Southport Flower Show debut - Chris Beardshaw

My debut and the idea that propelled me into a career in garden design.

Based on the fact that Formby, where I live, was once an important area for producing world class quality asparagus, I created a fictional garden where an old man cultivating the crop in a small allotment had suddenly left.

No one knew where he went, or why.

His overflowing watering can started a small wildlife pond. Then local trees such as Alder, Silver Birch., Poplar and Rowan crept into the area along with native wild flowers (self-heal devil’s bit scabious, evening primrose, harebell and many more) creating a small wildlife sanctuary.

Further developing the fantasy theme (and because that year’s show theme was sculpture) I created asparagus sprites, the spirit of the asparagus taking on human facial features and magically emerging from the sands blown in from the nearby shore!