Forget the Chelsea Flower Show!! – after its runaway success last year during lockdown, it was decided that the Civic Engineers Flower Show should become a firm date in our green fingered team’s diaries. Once again, the flower show was part of the Practice activities for Mental Health Awareness Week as the mental health benefits of spending time outdoors amongst nature and green is well documented.

Everyone across the Practice was invited to share pictures of their indoor and outdoor plants and gardens! And boy, they did not disappoint with their creative, exotic and frankly inspiring green displays. Stephen O’Malley was appointed as Head Judge, appropriate given his love of all things green and nature based, he had the unenviable task of working out who the winning contenders were. As you’ll see from his judging comments, he took the job extremely seriously, they wouldn’t look out of place in a gardening magazine…….

Drum roll please…………and the winners are;

The Edible Garden award – Dan Podesta, Associate – Manchester studio

Judges comments – the juxtaposition of engineering rigour in the setting out and composition of the plants, in the anticipation of the organic evolution of their growth, there can only be one winner in this anatomical arm wrestle between order and biological anarchy. Another one for a harvest update!

On why it should win – there were strong contenders, but the scale and ambition of Dan’s garden wins by a nose dip on the line.

Best image – Adrian Koba, Senior engineer – London studio

Judges comments – I think the photographer has brought in to sharp focus the immense beauty of these casual miracles. It’s not that these plants or flowers are ordinary, they are clearly very special, but they occur often in the green spaces we regularly encounter and take for granted. I think this selection of images really helps us to appreciate the abundance of special when we care to look properly.

On why it should win – again strong competition for this title, but I thought the communication of the majesty in the everyday here was impressive.

Best presentation and overall winner – Emilie LeClerc, Design Engineer – London studio

Judges comments – An exotic, lush mix of tropical, multi-layered ,multi stemmed and multimedia accoutrements. This all lends itself to trigger the imagination in making a short journey to think of the experience in such a climate!

On why it should win – no shortage of challenge for this showcase, but the alchemy of the planting and setting made me feel it was easy to imagine being in this actual environment. And for this reason I think Emelie wins overall.

Well done to all those who entered and get designing your displays for 2022!