Inigo Digs Deep For Horticultural Honours

A green-fingered pupil from Highfield and Brookham has discovered that you really do reap what you sow.

Inigo Coller harvested not one but two awards at last week’s prestigious BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at Beaulieu, near Brockenhurst.

Crossing forks and trowels with professional gardeners from across the country, nine-year-old Ini earned the special Gardeners’ World Award trophy for his outstanding horticultural efforts as the youngest designer at the show – just hours after scooping an award with his dad.

Inigo and dad Jonny, who runs garden design company Floreat, were awarded a silver merit for their Time Together Garden in the ‘beautiful border’ category at the annual show, which attracted around 25,000 visitors.

The dazzling duo earned the gong after spectacularly sprucing up a three square metre plot, having worked hard to source suitable plants, visit nurseries and source hedging.

Inigo, who is also a keen drummer, has been working alongside his dad in their garden at home for as long as he can remember, helping with hedge planting and vegetable and flower growing, so he felt it was natural that the appearance at the spring fair should be a family affair.

Suzannah Cryer, Head of Highfield and Brookham School, said: “One of our key school messages is that together we grow and in the case of Ini and his dad, that couldn’t be more apt.

“As a community, we are really thrilled for both of them on their wonderful gardening success at Beaulieu, but especially for Inigo for whom this is an amazing achievement at just nine years old.” And she added: “Our nursery, pre-prep and prep school children proudly tend their respective fruit and vegetable patches, but from now on I suspect they may be calling on Inigo for some expert advice!”