A FOREST home where you could live without any power blew judges away at the RHS Tatton Flower Show.
Landscape architect Nathan Webster won a gold medal for the Best Young Designer Garden and Best Construction for his garden entitled ‘Off The Grid’.
The 24-year-old created a sunken lodge, surrounded by chopped log retaining walls, an outdoor shower and an open fire.
A big wooden table, benches and logs provide plenty of space to eat outside.
The design shows how someone could live within nature, self-sustainably.
Nathan, from Lowton near Warrington, said: “I am still really shocked to win gold.
“I have been working really hard over the last year to plan it all.
“There are lots of big features.
“My idea was that anyone who had a 9-5 job could leave their life and live here off grid.”
This competition offers the next generation of garden designers the change to showcase their budding talents on the big stage.
Nathan, who went to Golborne High School, developed a love for nature when he was a young schoolboy.
“I started young, cutting the grass for neigbours,” he said. “I was minted when I was eight!
“I worked during the summer holidays at a landscape company with my dad.
“All my family works in landscaping and construction. I’m the first that has gone into designing.”
Nathan worked with award-winning garden designer Pip Probert and found the experience ‘really inspiring’.
When he was 17, he created a Back to Back garden at the show.
“Creating my own garden is a natural progression,” said Nathan.
“I’ve been working and designing gardens at RHS Tatton over the last six years in various formats and want to continue showcasing my designs at this amazing show.”
Magnificent pine and birch trees create height and scale at his award-winning garden, while retaining the natural theme of the garden.
Modern elements, such as a cantilevered outdoor shower, tie in with the contemporary design of the lodge.
An innovative compost bin is hidden beneath a camouflaged lid near the outdoor fire.
The garden features a limited planting scheme in line with the informal woodland tone, with a colour scheme of green textured plants including ferns, nettles and bracken with flashes of royal purple from herbaceous plants.
Nathan said: “We used sandstone steps and paving to give a not to the natural sandstone in the local area.
“We used lots of materials from Delamere Forest.
“The main feature of the design is upcycling and reusing materials, something that can be implemented in any garden.
“Hopefully, I can do Chelsea in the future.”
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