Tony Smith - Garden Guru

In seven years of exhibiting Tony has been awarded eight gold medals at BBC Gardeners’ World Live as well as RHS Chelsea, RHS Hampton Court, RHS Tatton Park Flower Shows. He has also achieved three RHS Best in Show awards. "For last years BBC Gardeners' World Live I created what some people felt was a rather challenging design called Dominion. It went down well with the judges although the public did seem to be a bit bemused! This year's design is, I think, a little more accessible. It's all about perspective, a subject that is very important to gardeners. Perhaps the first thing that gardeners think of when you say perspective is the kind of effect that can be achieved by tapering a lawn or path so as to create a false perspective, making the garden look longer. This can also be done with plants, largest leaves closest to the viewer and smaller as they move away. In future posts I will be exploring the many forms of perspective including the less obvious. For now I am keeping my fingers crossed that my Gunnera plants grow large and small enough in time for the show. I have two species of Gunnera growing in a heated glasshouse; the large manicata and the diminutive magellanica, now that's a contrast!"