The South-East Regional Final saw eight competitors taking part with an online test of 40 questions on topics covering areas such as plant identification, soils, plant maintenance, turf, propagation and garden history.
Theere was a plant identification and pest round took place with the fastest person to buzz in getting the chance to answer and score points.
The winning contestant went through to the Grand Final, at Hestercombe in Somerset on 9 May. Full list of finalists are here. SE winner was Al Coffey.
The overall winner receives the £2,500 Percy Thrower Travel Bursary, provided by the Shropshire Horticultural Society & the Percy Thrower Trust, to fund a horticultural trip anywhere in the world. Second place goes home with £950, third place with £550 and the rest of the runners up all receive £200.
Each of the finalists is also awarded membership to the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
Previous winners have visited Borneo, China, New Zealand, South Africa, the Himalayas, and the Galapagos Islands.
The event was held in the college’s glasshouse, where a tomato crop is being grown in partnership with Thanet Earth.
Hadlow College Senior Horticulture Skills Trainer Gareth Batts, who was on the adjudication panel, said: “I am pleased that Hadlow were able to support this competition in holding the regional finals. We were due to hold it in 2020 but due to COVID this had to be postponed. During the event it was great to showcase the horticulture opportunities that we offer at Hadlow and to give tours to the wider industry showing the collaborative projects that we are undertaking. The gardens were open for visitors to explore and discussions regarding our new orchard took place.
"As a trainer I was able to showcase what our horticulture students do at Hadlow and I was able to network and create further links with the industry to benefit the students, visits to other gardens and speakers to the college are in the pipeline because of the event.”
“The apprenticeship students were involved with the setting up of the event as well as creating information posters for the visitors to see. It has helped build their industry knowledge, team working and communication skills, all essential parts of the apprenticeship. We look forward to having the opportunity again in the future to hold this event and hopefully next year a Hadlow student will make it through to the regionals.”
See HortWeek 2024 course listing here: https://www.hortweek.com/careers-horticulture-course-directory-2024/horticulture-careers/article/1866225
