The University of Exeter's award-winning floral display.

University gets gold for garden

The University of Exeter has won a Large Gold Medal for its floral display at the Devon County Show.

The University team, led by nursery foreman Gordon Newton MBE, won the prize for a display that will be seen by up to 8,000 visitors over three days.

Every plant in the display was grown by University gardeners at the University’s own nursery. The display included pink and white hydrangeas, primula, ferns, impatiens and tall ficus plants. University staff worked hard to control light, temperatures and watering to ensure that each plant was at its absolute best for the show. The team used organic biological controls, rather than pesticides, to keep pests and diseases at bay.

Other University staff, including joiners, worked together to construct the stand and produce landscaping elements to complement the plants.

Director of Grounds, Iain Park said: “I am really proud of the effort the staff involved put into the display for the County Show. The whole grounds team justly deserves a Large Gold Medal, providing recognition of the quality of work that is carried out throughout the year across the Exeter Campuses.”

University staff, students and visitors, can enjoy the array of plants, including many unusual and exotic varieties, growing on Campus. The University of Exeter is renowned for its beautiful campuses, and is a registered botanic garden and arboretum. The University’s campuses in Exeter provide 153 hectares of green space, tended by 30 staff. A tree survey is currently underway to catalogue some 11,000 trees. The University houses the national collections of Azara, a South American evergreen plant, the wild conifer collection in association with the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and recently acquired the national heuchera collection.

Date: 22 May 2009