A gripping final was enjoyed by an audience of more than ninety spectators at the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show on Saturday 28 April. The 2018 winner is Tim Miles, who graduated from the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh in 2017. Tim won a £2,500 travel bursary provided by the Percy Thrower Bursary. He is currently working at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent and was representing the South-East branch of the CIH.
Tim who was delighted to win this prestigious competition said “The entire journey towards winning Young Horticulturist of the year 2018 has been fun. I have enjoyed meeting members of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, as well as my peers who competed from Great Britain and Ireland. Most accolades celebrate longevity, so it is nice to be part of something that promotes young Horticulturists at the beginning of their careers. With the travel bursary I plan to go to Japan. I have a particular interest in Japanese woodland flora, and I am keen to learn more about Japanese horticultural tools and practices, especially pruning techniques.”
Emily Marston, an apprentice at RHS Harlow Carr, came second, representing the North, and third place went to Frances Porter, who is currently studying for a Level 3 Diploma at Derby College’s Broomfield Hall. Frances represented the North West and North Wales branch. The other finalists were Sally Newbrook, representing the South West, Josh Egan-Wyer representing West Midlands and South Wales, Owen Harlow representing Scotland, Leo Walsh representing Ireland and Rosie Innes-Taylor, representing the East. This year’s contest contained a wide variety of contestants, from those already working in the industry to those still enjoying their horticultural studies. The Question Master was Martin Fish, senior Royal Horticultural Society judge and horticultural expert. The questions reflected the breadth and diversity of horticulture, stretching and testing the contestants with a combination of quick-fire rounds and identification tests.
The lead national sponsors, Percy Thrower Bursary and Shropshire Horticultural Society, were joined by ICL, Harrogate Spring Flower Show, and the Horticultural Trades Association. Bord Bia sponsor the all-Ireland competition. Bulldog Tools sponsor the regional competitions across the UK and Ireland.
President of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Owen Doyle, said: “What a great YHOY competition this year. There was a buzz about the Harrogate Flower Show Event Centre on Saturday morning as the contestants milled around with the audience members and sponsors, waiting for the contest to begin. It always amazes me, as I struggle with a few of the questions, how broad our subject area is and what an encyclopaedic knowledge you need to have to win. But you don’t know what you don’t know, and I’m being slightly dishonest when I say there were only a few of the questions that I couldn’t get. The rapid-fire rounds demanded instant answers and I was really impressed by the calibre of contestants this year.
If we can continue to attract young people with this level of knowledge and capability, then our industry will be fit for the future. And the £2,500 travel bursary is a great prize for the winner, encouraging them to go and explore new regions of the globe. Horticulture is all about exploring and enquiring - you never stop learning. Congratulations to everyone who entered the contest and long may we continue to attract the 2,000 entrants each year. Special congratulations to Timothy Miles (B.Sc. Horticulture), our Young Horticulturist of the Year for 2018."
To find out more about the competition and how to take part visit the Young Horticulturist of the Year pages at www.horticulture.org.uk .
Join in the discussions with past and present competitors on Facebook CIHort and Twitter @CIHort.
Anyone interested in taking part in, or sponsoring the 2019 competition should contact the Chartered Institute of Horticulture - Email:
cih@horticulture.org.uk.
