SOMETIMES an outside space comes on your radar that is so different, unusual and beautiful, that you just have to share it.
Last week, I watched Steve Mills win the inaugural Gardena Top of the Plots overall and Best Garden Plot award with one of the most incredible I’ve ever seen.
Steve Mills has built an arch using a polytunnel frame – and grown over it.
Steve has grown pumpkins, roses, clematis, gourds and apples over his arch
Roger Atkinson won the best allotment plot at the Gardena Top of the Plots Awards
All the winners at the Gardena awards, held at Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, Oxfordshire
The 65-year-old has spent 14 years creating an oasis on an plot in , putting together an incredible archway of hanging , gourds, roses, clematis and .
There’s over 100 trees in the three-levelled S-shaped maze.
“The idea came after I visited RHS Wisley and saw their pear arch. I loved the idea of reaching up to pluck a pear,” he told .
“I hadn’t quite expected that I would get so carried away. I bought a polytunnel and saw the shape was perfect so I used the frame .
“I started with some – on semi dwarfing rootstock so they wouldn’t get too big – if you go upwards and keep them tight, you can get a lot more on.
“Then I wanted – and I thought, if I train them over – they’ll be flowering in late June, or July, to give some summer colour – and they smell great – most of them are chosen for scent.
“And then I got into a bit of a craze, I had three on there and then planted a whole lot more this year.
“There’s also a lot of clematis, a grape vine and a kiwi fruit.
“I’ve also trained pumpkins and squashes over them in the past – although this year the pumpkins were all wiped out by powdery mildew.
“Everything compliments each other – the apples blossom in April, then the Wisteria arrives, then the roses, the grapes just do their thing – it gives all year interest.
“What I love about is that it allows you to experiment – there’s no ‘you have to weed it today’ or ‘you have to do this’ – the allotment will carry on – and if it doesn’t work this year, you’ve got next year.
“I don’t grow salad crops as I’m very busy in the summer so I can’t do the watering it needs. Instead I grow fruit trees as they can cope with the extremities of the weather.
“But the main point, is that you should be having fun. It shouldn’t be a chore. Don’t stress.”
Author and YouTube Gardener Huw Richards , who judged the Gardena competition, said: “I was blown away by the diversity of the gardens and allotments of the Top of the Plots entrants.
“Visiting the finalists and exploring their vibrant allotments and gardens served as a reminder for me of the power of gardening, and how much joy it brings.”
Roger Atkinson, 65, from Knowle, Solihull, West Midlands, won the Gardena Top of the Plots Best Allotment category for his “stress-busting” space he’s nurtured for 20 years. This year he grew 50-punnets worth of.
He told : “I grow all the standard things – potatoes, parsnips, beetroots.
“I’ve got some perennials. I do have a bed of asparagus, which is one of the best things I do, because it’s lovely in the spring and it takes almost no effort.
Fruit trees are great, they need hardly any work and keep coming back
Roger Atkinson
“I use the method – our site is very heavy clay – not only is it less effort, but fundamentally you’re not destroying the ecology of the soil and all the structures that the worms build up. I also make compost, leaf mould and I plant green manure.
“At the moment I’ve got beetroot, which can stay in the ground for a long time. I’ve got parsnips, which I’ll be digging until next February, March.
“I’ve got kale, which I’ve only grown recently, but I’m absolutely loving and it just keeps going all winter and I’ve got celeriac, which again is a fantastic crop.
“And I’ll plant autumn broad beans this month too.
“Plus I grow a lot more flowers now – which is great for pollinators and biodiversity and looks lovely.
“The main thing to remember is ‘grow what you want to eat’ and think much wider than vegetables – fruit trees are great, they need hardly any work and keep coming back.
“Don’t try and do it all at once – cover half of it with cardboard – otherwise you’ll be overwhelmed.
“And do some form of composting.
“My favourite thing to grow is rhubarb and asparagus. They both come in early spring and are a good sign of what’s to come for the summer and look marvellous.”
Kale is considered a superfood – because it’s extremely dense in vitamins, minerals, antioxiddants and fibre.
It can grow over Winter and there’s several different types – including Kale ‘Rainbow Candy Crush’ – which has striking purple leaves.
In colder areas, it’s worth fleecing it – but most types are pretty hardy over the colder season.
B&Q are selling seeds for £2.50 now. It’s not the best time to plant them – but you could get away with it under protection.
Mike Farrell, Chairman of the National Allotment Society , said: “Top of the Plots has been a brilliant way to highlight the best of Britain’s allotments, and the important role they play in communities around the country.
“It’s not just about the produce grown, but the connection with nature, the time spent outside and the way allotments bring people together. We’re looking forward to seeing the competition grow next year as more green-fingered gardeners rise to the challenge.”
Also in Veronica's Column this week...
Top tips, plant of the week, news and a competition to win a walk in fruit and veg growing cage
For more gardening content and competitions, follow me @biros_and_bloom
NEWS! Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s brilliant picture book character Zog will be making a very special appearance at the Eden Project this October half term.
From October 25th explorers will have the opportunity to set off on their own mystical mission to help Zog and the Flying Doctors by uncovering special ingredients hidden around the site.
As they go, visitors will discover characters from the story, fun facts, and clues to help them solve an intriguing puzzle.
NEWS! The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has launched its ‘Value of Gardens’ report, which, for the first time, quantifies the economic, environmental, and social contributions of the UK’s 22 million private gardens.
It’s findings included the fact that in urban areas, trees can cool concrete surfaces by 12°C, lawns are incredibly effective at slowing water runoff, absorbing 99 per cent of rainfall and reducing flood risk. Plus, green spaces actively remove air pollution; a one-metre dense hedge is capable of absorbing the pollution of a car travelling 500 miles in just seven days.
The report says eight in ten UK adults agree that gardens benefit their physical health, and 85 per cent report benefits to their mental state. Gardening is a socially inclusive pastime enjoyed by 30 million people, helping to burn calories and reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases.
And, it offers significant cognitive benefits, with daily gardening linked to a 36 per cent lower risk of dementia in older adults.
WIN! One winner can take home a Gardening Naturally 1.5m squared walk-in fruit and veg cage – which protects them from birds, butterflies and other garden pests. To enter visit www.thesun.co.uk/GARDENINGNATURALLY or write to Sun Gardening Naturally competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. October 25, 2025. apply
PLANT OF THE WEEK Erigeron Karvinskianus – still bravely flowering now, but the best thing about ‘Mexican Fleabane’ is that it spreads into all the concrete cracks and pretties them up, bringing life to stone paths and walls. Looks great with ferns.
JOB OF THE WEEK Plant garlic and bulbs, prune climbing roses, and look out for bare root apples and pears – as this is the time to get them in.
