Mimosa Design Wins Gold at BBC Gardeners’ World Live

We are delighted to share some fantastic news from the gardening world. Mimosa Garden Design has been awarded GOLD at BBC Gardeners’ World Live for their impressive “New Build Garden” project.

Led by Lucie and Henry Ponsford, the design tackled real-world challenges head-on and earned high praise from the judges for its strong “street appeal.” At its centre is a striking stepped water feature that functions as an attenuation tank. It pumps aerated water from downpipes to create a natural reservoir for homeowners. This feature manages rainwater effectively and reduces flood risk. It is an important innovation for building in Flood Zone 3 areas, which face a high probability of flooding and require careful planning and mitigation.

The garden also addresses a significant waste problem in construction. Instead of sending subsoil to landfill, which accounts for up to 60 percent of landfill volume, the team packed it into gabions. This approach creates instant structure and vertical growing space, diverts tons of earth from waste sites, and enhances the garden’s aesthetic appeal.

The planting scheme broke with tradition by using grasses creatively and integrating lawn and meadow turf within the gabions to promote biodiversity. Visitors were especially impressed by the varied trees and planting, all of which reflect the passion and innovation at the heart of the design.

The project was also a showcase of effective collaboration: Hot Tubs Oxfordshire, Hutsmith, and artist-in-residence Jayne Emerson contributed their expertise to bring the vision to life.

Lucie Ponsford commented:

“We are thrilled with the result. Our small but dedicated team has created an inspiring garden that elevates the potential of sustainable gardening, showcasing how innovative design can capture the imagination and encourage environmental responsibility.”

At Opendoorz, it is always fantastic to see our members gaining well-deserved public recognition for creative, thoughtful work that genuinely solves real problems. Congratulations to the whole team on this brilliant achievement.