Eight of the country’s finest young horticulturists will battle it out at Rochdale Town Hall on Saturday 16 May in the grand final of the Young Horticulturist of the Year (YHOY) Competition. They have each won through earlier regional rounds to compete for the coveted title and a £2,500 Percy Thrower travel bursary to study horticulture anywhere in the world. In addition to cash prizes, this year’s finalists will each receive a Kent and Stowe Capability Trowel which have kindly been donated by prize sponsors Westland Horticulture.
Keith Nicholson, Marketing Director, at Westland Horticulture, said: “We’re delighted to be part of the Young Horticulturist of the Year Competition as a Prize Partner Sponsor. At the heart of Westland’s ethos lies a deep commitment to nurturing emerging talent within horticulture so our industry continues to thrive. Our Kent & Stowe Capability Trowel was inspired by the work of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, one of England’s greatest gardeners, it’s a multi-use tool that makes light work of all kinds of gardening tasks, and so we hope the YHOY grand finalists will enjoy using them long into their future careers.”
Helen Sessions, Membership and External Relations Manager for the Chartered Institute of Horticulture said: “The Young Horticulturist of the Year competition remains an important showcase for the future of our profession, recognising the skill, knowledge and commitment of the next generation. We are pleased to see a high calibre of finalists reach the grand final and are grateful to our sponsors and competition organisers, whose continued support enables the Institute to deliver this exciting annual competition and to identify and promote emerging horticultural talent.”
The prestigious national competition run by the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIH) is open to anyone studying or working in horticulture under the age of 30. The competition is widely recognised as an important platform for identifying and supporting emerging talent within the profession. Previous national and regional winners have gone on to secure placements in historic gardens such as Benton End and the prestigious Sissinghurst scholarship.
Finalists will be tested across a broad range of disciplines in quickfire rounds on topics covering horticultural practice, managed landscape and design, ornamental and amenity horticulture and sustainability.
