A Bournemouth couple have been named as the overall winners of B&Q’s annual ‘Gardener of the Year’ competition.
Odette and Rob Warmley received £10,000 prize money, a £2,500 B&Q gift card and a ‘golden’ watering can.
Their garden, which also topped its category of ‘Best For Entertainment’ has been the couple’s passion project for over a decade, inspired by their travels, friends and family.
The gardening enthusiasts, who said they were proud to win, plan to spend their prize winnings on a new garage door and a trip to New Zealand to see family and friends.
Odette and Rob have been working on their garden since 2008.
They’ve transformed it from a simple and unimaginative area into a quirky and fun entertaining space with different garden zones.
There are two entertaining areas, a seating and outdoor kitchen area – which they’ve named the ‘chapel’, and an area full of colourful plants with two archways that lead you from the house through to the rest of the garden.
The garden stood out to the judges as a garden that is a place of joy, and one that was very much about them personally as well as a great space for entertaining.
The judges were impressed by the structures and walls built from upcycled and repurposed materials and the way that everywhere you look there’s something that catches your eye – from the planting to the sculptures and the different zones.
Odette said: “We are so proud to have been crowned 2024 B&Q Gardener of the Year, and for all of our hard work on the garden to have been recognised in such an amazing way.
“We can’t wait to share the news with all our family, neighbours and friends.
“We envisage many more parties taking place in the near future!”
Mairi Devlin, B&Q Head of Outdoor, said: “Congratulations to our worthy winners!
“At B&Q, we celebrate gardens of all shapes and sizes, and Odette and Rob’s Garden is one-of-a-kind with its innovative and creative use of different entertaining zones.
“We loved the use of colour throughout the garden, and the unique personal touches inspired by their life and travels which all add to the ambience of the space – perfect for entertaining.”
In its fourth year, the B&Q Gardener of the year competition seeks to celebrate and recognise the best gardens and outdoor spaces that bring creativity, colour and joy.
For 2024, there were four categories: Most sustainable garden, Best for planting, Best use of a small space and Best garden for entertainment.
Odette and Rob won their category – Best garden for entertainment – and were then selected from all the category winners as the 2024 B&Q Gardener of the Year.