A Londoner who went skip diving to create his dream Jamaican-inspired backyard has won the BBC Gardeners’ World magazine Garden of the Year competition.
Wayne Amiel’s stunning 20ft by 44ft plot of verdancy was judged winner out of thousands of British entries by judges Alan Titchmarsh, Diarmuid Gavin and four-time Chelsea gold-medal winner Kate Gould.
Senior NHS manager Mr Amiel, 59, spent eight years transforming the pile of builders’ rubble in his narrow Clapham garden into his very own slice of Jamaica, where he grew up. He calls the garden “Clapham meets Jamaica”.
With a tiny budget left over after buying the property, Mr Amiel tried skip diving for discarded plants. He said: “I’m in shock. It shows what is possible to do in a small north-facing garden in London on a budget.
"I was astonished to find people throwing plants out. I’ve found all sorts, including a gorgeous purple lilac and a tree fern. I’ve also grown lots of plants from seeds and cuttings.”
Alan Titchmarsh told Gardeners’ World: “It is a brave and exuberant garden. I love the colonial shack feeling of the veranda.”
