In its very first year on the garden show circuit, Suffolk brand, She Grows Veg, has scored a hat-trick of awards that champion the brand’s dedication to horticultural excellence.
The heirloom seed company, founded by Lucy Hutchings and Kate Cotterill, produced a beautiful, opulent and inspirational presentation featuring signature heirloom varieties of vegetables in a rainbow of colours, presented in a modern twist on Renaissance paintings.
The fledgling firm first made a name for itself in its debut at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May, exhibiting its ‘Edimental’ veg exhibit for the very first time amongst fabulous floral displays and leaders in cutting-edge garden design and won the RHS gold medal for its display that promoted the beauty of vegetables.
Despite being new to the scene, and having only launched in November 2023, She Grows Veg has now further made its mark amongst leaders in the gardening world with a second RHS Gold Medal awarded at the recent Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, as well as the ‘New Design’ award for its innovative exhibit.
The judging panel is hand-selected by the RHS based on their experience and area of knowledge, including horticulturalists, garden designers, landscape architects, contractors, head gardeners, journalists and lecturers.
Floral exhibits are graded using the RHS Floral Criteria across three sections: Plants, Overall Impression and Endeavour.
Kate explains, “The RHS medal is considered a hallmark in horticultural excellence and to have been celebrated for our exhibit is a huge accolade for She Grows Veg. We are extremely proud to have achieved full marks for our exhibit and to be taking away two gold medals in our first year at RHS, as well as the ‘New Design’ award.
“The positive feedback from the judges has been invaluable and we are excited to build on this in future years.”
Lucy adds, “Our mission for our exhibit was to encourage more people to grow their own food and to show vegetables in a way they haven’t been seen before at a flower show. We have been blown away with the warm welcome we have received from visitors and other exhibitors, and taking three awards away is the icing on the cake,”
Visitors to the She Grows Veg exhibit particularly enjoyed the chance to step into the frame and become part of the art with She Grows Veggies vegetable adorned selfie frame, providing the perfect backdrop to create a memento of the day.
“Being a part of these two amazing events has also been a great opportunity to speak to keen gardeners and plant-lovers about our heirloom seeds and how to grow them.” More information at shegrowsveg.com.
