Gardens of the Year 2026 – Best of the Best – winner revealed!
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Published: Tuesday, 15 September 2026 at 11:33 am
Thank you to everyone who voted in our Gardens of the Year 2026 competition. After showcasing your top three gardens in our June issue we can now reveal our ultimate winner – Nadine Mitschunas and her Oxfordshire allotment.
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Congratulations to passionate gardener and expert ecologist Nadine, who beat 20 fellow finalists and then a people’s vote ‘top three’ to be our ‘Best of the Best’ for her stand-out garden, now spanning three adjoining plots and a shared space wildflower meadow at Fir Tree Allotments, Wallingford.
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The competition was judged by BBC Gardeners’ World presenter, Arit Anderson; garden designer and author, Ann-Marie Powell; BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Director of Brand Voice, Kevin Smith, and Head Gardener at Crocus, Ashley Edwards, all of whom praised Nadine for her naturalistic design, biodiverse planting, sustainable approach and immersive atmosphere.
• To read more about Nadine’s garden then and now, and what the judges had to say, plus practical tips and advice on planting for wildlife, grab a copy of the October issue or subscribe here.
• For a full tour of Nadine’s allotment garden with presenter Ashley Edwards, head over to our YouTube channel
• For more inspiration from a truly shared space for plants, pollinators and people, tune into our podcast.
• For a reminder of all 20 gardens in our Gardens of the Year 2026 ‘Best of the Best’ competition, from 2016-2026, scroll down.
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Best of the Best - meet our finalists
Congratulations to all 20 finalists in our Gardens of the Year 2026 ‘Best of the Best’ competition. For a reminder of each fantastic garden, see the full line-up below. Thanks also to everyone who voted for their favourite garden, with a special shout-out to Jo and Andi Butler and Pam Woodall, who, along with Nadine, made it into the top three.
2016
Steve Moodey, Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Winner – Small space category
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Taking advantage of microclimates within his south-facing plot, Steve transformed a small, overlooked, clutter-filled garden into a tropical hideaway using dense structural evergreen foliage for privacy and to add to the tropical feel, and some tall exotic plants for scale and drama. A curved path through the various vistas also added movement and a sense of journey.
Magda D’Ingeo, Reigate, Surrey
Winner – Family Plots
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The arrival of Magda’s daughter made her see her new build through fresh eyes, inspiring the creation of a natural playground that would entice her family outdoors, stimulate the senses and share her love of plants. Areas for play included a scented bower and rope swing, a vine-covered treehouse, and multi-tasking features such as decking and a sandpit doubling as a coffee table.
Pam Woodall, Poole, Dorset
Winner – Wildlife Gardens
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Opening up what appeared to be an impenetrable jungle of brambles and fallen trees, Pam then multiplied useful plants by seed and division to create a lushly vegetated garden. Adding a pond, vibrant flowers, log-edged paths for a woodland feel and keeping mature trees, the space then attracted a host of wildlife, including birds, amphibians, insects, squirrels, badgers and deer.
2017
Caroline Cassell, Waltham Abbey, Essex
Winner – Small Space and Judge’s Choice
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Dividing a traditional cottage garden into a series of rooms, Caroline was able to add multiple spaces in which to enjoy the romantic and exuberantly planted borders, including a circular dining area and lawn, and a patio and deck placed to catch the afternoon sun. Climbers such as fragrant honeysuckle, small trees and box balls helped to blur boundaries, draw the eye upwards and add structure.
Helen Rushton, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire
Winner – Wildlife Friendly
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What started as a derelict croft and rough farmland slowly evolved into a bucolic, biodiverse haven for wildlife with sweeping meadows, native shrubs and hedging, three ponds, and dozens of boxes for bats and nesting birds. The compost heap attracts pygmy shrews while roe deer roam among the wildflowers. The whole garden teems with bees, butterflies and invertebrates.
Caroline Critchlow, Mainland, Orkney
Winner – Challenging Plot
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Battling with storm-force winds, Caroline and husband Kevin transformed their derelict plot using stone walls to create pockets of shelter, raised beds with staked plants and mesh-centred windbreaks, charming sculptures and a spectacular linear pond. The setting’s fantastic view of the Scapa Flow inspired a colour palette of resilient plants that would reflect the sea, with the design drawing the eye to what lies beyond.
2018
Wayne Amiel, South London
Winner – Judge’s Choice
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Wayne took his narrow, north-facing site, full of builder’s rubber and on a different level to the ground-floor of the house and turned it into a little slice of his Jamaican childhood. The whole thing was done on a shoestring budget, using bold exotic foliage for a jungle feel, an intimate seating area of painted chairs, pots of vibrant blooms, and small trees and obelisks of climbers for height and shelter.
Richard Small, Tyne and Wear
Winner – People’s Choice
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Visualising his small concrete yard as a plant-filled oasis, Richard painstakingly assembled a calming vista of containerised evergreens and a restrained palette of all-white flowers, including alliums, foxgloves, lobelia and lupins. Terracotta-coloured tiles and gravel were also employed to create a link to the house, with lighting bringing the garden to life in the evenings.
2019
Frank Bowdler, Wigan
Winner – Judge’s Choice
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Frank’s garden was originally dominated by a long side lawn with leylandii hedging and patches of sparse planting. Over several decades, he filled it with hundreds of plant species, clever topiary, an old well covered with clematis, and meandering paths through the packed borders. A circular brick patio provided a focal point at which to stop and enjoy the abundance.
Annette Eales, Hampshire
Winner – People’s Choice
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This lawn-to-cottage garden project was as much about gardening as therapy as it was about creating a peaceful sanctuary for Annette and her family. The immersive and artistic space included a potting shed, pathways and pergolas, pollinator-friendly plants and wildflowers that complemented the meadow view beyond, a sheltered seating area and repurposed furniture serving as pots.
2020
Elizabeth and Malcolm Schofield, Buckie, Moray
Winner – Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice
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Given the task of turning a steep hill above a public footpath on the north-east coast of Moray, Lizzie, Malcolm and their daughters created a flower-filled paradise for all to admire, combining tropical planting and a gravel-pathed coastal aesthetic. Small, raised beds were added for growing vegetables, wildflowers sown on the bank, and the kids took full advantage of the slope via a built-in slide.
2021
Thomas Jose, South Yorkshire
Winner – People’s Choice
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After developing a series of hidden shelves on which to show off his beloved collection of Japanese maples, Thomas then crammed every space with plants for year-round interest, but also to enhance the colourful autumn display provided by the acers. Many of the plants are in pots, so an extensive but sustainable irrigation system was needed to keep the garden at its best.
Nadine Mitschunas, Oxfordshire
Winner – Judge’s Choice
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Nadine took on a sunny, weed-choked allotment site and created a paradise bursting with blooms and buzzing with wildlife. Working across three plots, hundreds of ornamental species grow alongside an abundance of fruit and vegetables, and, through her work as a pollinator ecologist, she has included stunning naturalistic planting that encourages a host of wildlife to visit.
2022
Vicky Ward and Maxine Stringer, Cornwall
Winner – People’s Choice
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Steep inclines, exposed conditions and a truly remote location were some of the challenges Vicky and Maxine overcame as they gardened their allotment-style plot by the sea. Stone, reclaimed wood, found objects and a host of tropical but resilient plants were brought along the coastal path to be integrated into what is now a garden in which to also enjoy the sea.
Nicola House, Kent
Winner – Judge’s Choice
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Designing a holiday-at-home sanctuary where her family could truly feel rested was a big impetus behind the creation of Nicola’s naturalistic idyll. Taking a relaxed approach to planting meant mixing ornamentals, wildflowers, veg and herbs, while almost every structure has been donated, upcycled or repurposed. The shed is a particularly important place to gather around a fire and enjoy the view.
2023
Clive-Johnson Cooper, Edinburgh
Winner – Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice
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When Clive moved into his house, there was no garden, just a makeshift extension that the previous owners used as a living room. Having gardened since childhood, he used his passion to create a courtyard oasis just streets away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, focusing on the careful positioning of structured and tropical foliage to create a private and immersive green space.
2024
Sara Faulkner, Raynes Park, London
Winner – Judge’s Choice
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Sara’s small, urban back garden is now a nature-loving haven for family and wildlife with several seating areas, a summerhouse, and vintage furniture and pots to give it a boho, lived-in feel. Dividing the plot into three interwoven sections and planting multiple small trees, shrubs and climbers around the boundaries to create depth and privacy, plus colourful perennials, this layered garden now provides year-round interest.
Andi and Jo Butler, Telford, Shropshire
Winner – People’s Choice
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Jo and Andi were largely inspired to create their lushly planted tapestry of creatively designed garden ‘rooms’ by their travels in Asia, using upcycled materials and propagated plants and flowers, and working around several mature trees. It includes multiple innovatively lit seating areas, a greenhouse and a grow-your-own area, an extensive collection of roses and hostas, and an abundance of wildlife-friendly planting.
2025
Simon Richards, Folkestone, Kent
Winner – Judge’s Choice
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Simon’s beautiful gravel garden was partly inspired by attempts to upkeep a traditional lawn over recent hot summers. With recycled turf and soil and added structure from two interlinked, wildlife-friendly ponds, a drought-tolerant prairie-style planting palette was introduced throughout the bed, borders and pots. Places to sit and take shade completed the picture.
Kamal Hussain (Kaan), Saltaire, Yorkshire
Winner – People’s Choice
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Creating a colourful, flower-filled garden that brings joy to passersby while providing for pollinators and other beneficial wildlife was the inspiration behind Kamal’s transformation of this tiny canal-side space. A bijou seating area surrounded by containerised plants, flowers and climbers provides a place to read, relax, and watch the world go by. It’s also a haven for passersby who stop to share the joy.
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