Myerscough to form part of ‘Northern Star’ garden at RHS Tatton

Myerscough horticulture staff with 'The Garden Ninja' Lee Burkhill

RHS and BBC North West Tonight are producing a horticultural community hub for the event.

Designed by television presenter and garden designer Lee Burkhill, the ‘Garden Ninja’, the RHS and BBC Northern Star garden will bring together five different communities joined together at the centre.

The different groups each have their own border conveying their own distinct message, which has been stylised into garden designs by Lee and joined together with key blue themed garden sculptures and a custom hand-built blue chevron bench at the centre representing the North Western coast and skies.

Myerscough College Gardens represents Lancashire in the project, and with the other contributors, have worked with Lee on the designs, with the finished garden aiming to show how horticulture can empower local communities and bring them together.

The BBC Northern Star garden will exhibit at Tatton Park between Thursday July 20 and Sunday July 23.

Last week, BBC North West Tonight visited Myerscough to preview the event and chat with staff and students taking part:

Myerscough College gardener, Louise Leyland, has been overseeing the project and said: ‘’We were contacted by Bernard Pendleton, the chair of North West In Bloom, who told us we were one of five organisations who had been chosen out of 650 to take part.

‘’I spoke to Lee about what we wanted to achieve from Myerscough being part of Tatton, and what we do here, aside from working with the students is what we do in the gardens for pollinators and biodiversity, and what people can do to work with that.

‘’So we’ve selected various plants from our borders and others that we know are proven to help with this.

‘’The wonderful thing about gardening is that you start to understand the bigger picture, and that’s what people see when they come to Myerscough, and what the students get, is a deeper level of understanding of horticulture.

‘’It’s certainly what people tell us is that when they visit Myerscough they take away ideas that they haven’t known before. It’s shared knowledge in a magical place that you don’t get from books or tv.

‘’Working outside, I know there’s something to gain from every season.’’

Myerscough students have loved being involved in the project too.

One of them, CJ, said: ‘’The things I like the most (about working on the garden) is that it’s beautiful, it’s a nice area to work in, and it’s nice to see the work you have done eventually.

‘’For me it’s a big help with my mental health too, I feel at ease and relaxed when I’m in the gardens, especially when you’re working and doing something practical.

Another Myerscough student, Amber, added: ‘’It’s quiet and peaceful. I can look at the different flowers, lots of plants, how to arrange them. It’s fun.

Lee Burkill said: “Gardening is a really diverse practice, whether that’s based on budget, style, plants or location. But it is for everyone, so this is representing all sorts of diverse gardens.

“It’s a tricky task – trying to blend them together and showcase the best of them so that everyone gets an equal display for the design. Hopefully, we will show other new gardeners that there is a place for them, and there is a style for everyone.”

Lex Falleyn, show manager for RHS Tatton Park, said: “Our goal for RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2023 was to shine a light on local talent and community causes. We have worked closely with the Bridgewater community outreach team to identity a broad range of communities that are gardening for good.

‘’We are thrilled with the way Lee has pulled his ideas together and can’t wait to share the garden and stories with visitors in July.”

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park runs from 19 to 23 July.