Beginner gardener wins medal at flower show with pretty pink design

Samantha Stringer, who runs a hair and beauty salon in Latchford, found her passion for gardening while renovating her first home with her boyfriend.

Last year she attended the Tatton Park Flower Show for the first time and, after speaking with others at the event, decided she wanted to take part.

Despite not having any qualifications or professional experience in gardening, in February she applied to take part in this year’s event and was accepted.

Tatton Flower Show opened on July 17 and ran until July 25, showcasing stunning designs from a variety of gardeners.

Samantha, who lives in Padgate, was selected to design a long border, a smaller section of garden designated by a wooden frame, and was tasked with fitting the theme ‘Make a Statement’.

Using a mixture of textures and shapes, Samantha created her long border to give visitors a ‘wow feeling’.

The 31-year-old used a total of 21 different varieties of plants including daisies, dahlia pom poms and echinacea, with 210 plants used in total that she cared for in her own garden before the show.

Samantha's design featured 210 individual plants (Image: Supplied)

“If I can envision something, I can bring it to life,” she said.

“I think it’s years of trial and error in my own garden. I knew what I liked and visioned it to look a certain way and found the plants that made it look that way.

Samantha’s design was an entirely pink creation to showcase a message of self-love and took five days to create the eye-catching garden.

“Everyone at the show seemed to like it because it was a little bit different,” she said.

“When you go to a show like that there tends to be multiple colours, but I don’t think there’s many people that do a full pink statement border in that way.

“I was really shocked at how many people did come around it because I didn’t have a feature like everyone else, I wanted my feature to be the plants.

“So when people started taking pictures in front of it, it was really nice that people enjoyed something a little bit different.”

Samantha's design saw her win a silver medal (Image: Supplied)

As part of the flower show, each of the designs were judged and awards were given out to some of the gardeners, including Samantha who won a RHS silver medal for her spectacular creation.

“There were a lot of people there that were actually designers and they were desperate to win a medal, but I was just grateful to be there,” she said.

“When they came over, I was excited and shocked – deep down I really wanted one and then I was really happy I did manage to get one.

Friends, family and even some of her clients, came to support her at the show and see her design.

“It was nice of them to come and see what I’d created because I’ve been speaking about it,” she said.

“They paid for their tickets, so it’s really nice when people support you, especially when it comes out of their own pocket as well.”

Samantha has now started an Instagram account to help share her tips and tricks in the garden to help other beginners.

“My clients were quite shocked that I was interested in gardening, but then I think me talking to them with my tiny bits of knowledge I’ve noticed people do like to help each other,” she said.

“You always get a few ideas from different people, and I’ve definitely inspired friends and family, I think it’s opened people’s eyes that it’s a good hobby to have.

“Some people do think gardening is just for older people, but I think it’s nice to have something that you can potter around for an hour or two and have that time for yourself.”