Isle of Wight attraction Osborne House wins gardening awards

The team of staff and volunteers have been celebrating a fantastic end of the season for 2023 and two prestigious award wins.

They scooped two top accolades at the South and South East in Bloom Awards 2023 - gold in the historic parks and gardens category and gold in the walled garden category.

The annual competition is part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom competition which showcases gardens as great places to visit and celebrate the hard work of garden teams.

Toby Beasley, head gardener at Osborne, puts this success down to the hard work of the team and dedicated group of volunteers.

He said: “It takes a lot of work to maintain the gardens at Osborne, one of the most spectacular historic gardens on the Island, and indeed the country.

“Alongside our staff we have around 70 garden-based volunteers who have really made this year possible, particularly after challenging conditions this summer.

"We’re exceptionally grateful to each and every one of them for their brilliant efforts in 2023 and continuing support.”

Garden volunteers undertake a variety of different tasks at Osborne, the seaside retreat of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

This includes potting plants for the glasshouse, tending to borders, supporting plants growing in the woodlands, and arranging flowers to display inside Osborne House.

There are also many more volunteers who help direct visitors around the gardens and answer questions on the plants and their history.

Toby said: “English Heritage always welcomes new garden-based volunteers at Osborne to help out in the garden, nursery and with odd maintenance tasks, so we’d love to hear from anyone who might be interested to join us."

Find out more online by clicking the link at the top of the article.