First Chelsea Flower Show win for garden designer

A Rutland-based garden designer has won a medal at her first RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Nicola Oakey received a silver gilt for highlighting the plight of the UK song bird in her show garden.

The SongBird Survival Garden aimed to show the narrative of a bird's daily life with a birdhouse den made from reclaimed materials showing motifs of threatened UK songbirds.

Gavin and Stacey actress Alison Steadman was one of the visitors to the garden and said she had picked up some tips to attract birds into her own garden.

Ms Oakey said she wanted to include three elements, "shelter, water and food that are instrumental to birds' lives" in her garden.

"My design is inspired by the movement and perspective of a bird, foraging for food and water while moving between points of safety and shelter.

"Two pathways weave between layers of planting, mimicking how birds prefer to move through a network of cover," she said.

Ms Oakey said the garden featured a birdhouse den made from reclaimed materials, with bird-friendly planting which provides natural sources of food and nesting material.

Ms Oakey said her parents were florists and avid orchid growers, who had won seven gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show previously.

She said: "It's just lovely to be able to follow in their footsteps.

"It's exciting to follow the family tradition and come to Chelsea."

Once the Chelsea Flower show has finished, Ms Oakey says the whole garden will be relocated.

"We're taking it on a lorry up to Hull to its permanent home with the Neighbourhood Network Charity, who manage a bustling community centre, based in Bransholme.

"It currently doesn't have an outside space, so it'll create a lovely place for people to sit and an oasis for birds in the city," she said.

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