‘Reflection’ of a Donegal childhood wins top gardening award

A garden inspired by a childhood in Donegal has won a prestigious award in the UK.

Edward Doherty grew up in Manorcunningham before moving to Conwal at the age of 15. Many of his early experiences are from family adventures around Ballymacool, Letterkenny and Manorcunningham.

For the past 20 years, he has worked in Manchester for online gardening retailer J Parker’s - a leading online gardening retailer, family-run since 1933 - as their Marketing, Community and Events manager.

Edward’s ‘Reflection’ - a personal interpretation of the overarching theme ‘Once upon a time’ won Platinum, Best Beautiful Border and Gardeners’ World Subscribers Awards at BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair, which highlights the very best that horticulture has to offer, held at Audley End House & Gardens in Essex.

Inspired by Edward’s childhood, ‘Reflection’ was born from a nostalgic idea - one all about reconnecting with nature and family in fun and engaging ways.

From playful mishaps in the family border to blackberry picking on sunny autumn days, the garden captured an enduring sense of family and identity rooted in a bygone era.

“The football represents my first run-ins with flowers; kicking a ball into granny’s border,” Edward says of his motivations.

“As for the blackberries, they represent something purer and less destructive. We would often walk as a large family group through the countryside down broken paths for some fresh blackberry picking.”

The J Parker’s website says Edward’s design was: “Colourful and abundant, the cottage-style planting was intentionally intimate, almost wrapping its arms around anyone walking down the path. It also quietly reflected favourite plant choices from three generations of family gardeners.”

“When I started coming up with the concept of this garden and choosing the plants, I quickly realised that my colour schemes and plant choices were very similar to those of my mother and, in turn, her mother,” Edward adds. “It feels like without knowing it, those early experiences subconsciously shape our planting styles. Dahlias, Verbenas, and Salvias, for example, have been consistent go-tos for all three generations.

“One of my fondest memories with my siblings was of us climbing, and often falling out of, a giant oak tree in our garden - making oak an obvious addition to this garden. Engraved into every piece of oak are the GPS coordinates of where each of us now lives. This means that when I sit and relax in this garden, I have that sense of comfort that they are with me. Not only that, but the oak bench itself is also engraved with the GPS coordinates of the family home in 1980s Donegal.”

Standing tall to one side of the garden, five oak pillars of various heights reflected the enduring closeness of five siblings who remain very much grounded in their Donegal upbringing, despite now living in different parts of the world.

J Parker’s continues: “‘Reflection’ also created a habitat for insects to thrive, echoing the Irish countryside. In one corner, a country-style wooden fence added to the garden’s rustic character, deliberately weathered and slightly rotten in places. Sandstone chippings set within wooden paving formed the gravel path, reflecting materials popular in Donegal in the 1980s. An apple tree added another playful touch, recalling the simple pleasure of picking fruit straight from the tree.

“At the heart of the garden, the oak bench provided a place to sit, relax and reflect. It featured a reference to Seamus Heaney’s writing on blackberry picking, alongside a bottle of Football Special, the Donegal soft drink. These small details helped make ‘Reflection’ feel like more than just a garden inspired by Edward’s past; it became a space where visitors could pause, reflect and perhaps find something of their own story within it.

“The planting was central to the character of ‘Reflection’, combining bold structure, late-season colour and plenty of nectar-rich flowers.”

Carex ‘Evergold’ brings bright, variegated foliage and an elegant arching form, helping to soften borders and add colour and texture. Miscanthus ‘Ferner Osten’ provides height and movement with its upright growth and feathery flowerheads, creating strong late-season interest. Meanwhile, Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ makes a bold statement with its large, silvery leaves, offering a striking contrast against greener foliage and colourful flowering plants. Together, the three varieties provide a versatile combination of colour, structure and texture for contemporary garden designs.

Agastache ‘Blackadder’ produces upright violet-blue flower spikes from midsummer into autumn, while Perovskia ‘Blue Spire’ adds violet-blue flowers above silvery-grey foliage in August and September. Scabiosa ochroleuca provides soft yellow pincushion flowers and an important food source for pollinating insects. Other late-summer favourites include Verbena bonariensis, with tall stems of purple flowers, Gaura ‘Whirling Butterflies’, which produces delicate white blooms, and Imperata ‘Red Baron’, whose green foliage develops striking crimson-red tones.

Edward adds: “I am so pleased to hear the reaction to my childhood garden. Being part of a show like this is amazing, with so many amazing gardens from designers who inject so much passion and personal experiences into them. It was a real joy to be around and I hope that the garden encourages others to reflect on their own early experiences and how they have shaped their own gardening adventures.”

J Parker’s has an Irish branch, meaning customers can order plants online from www.jparkers.com and will have them delivered directly to their door from its distribution site located in Dundalk.