Gardener of the Year

Year 9 Writhlington student, Jess Buckle has won a coveted place in the finals of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Young Gardener of the Year.

Jess has a flair for creative gardening and a passion for Orchid propagation and the judges were very impressed with Jess’s work and in particular the teaching she did in a recent trip to Rwanda.

Jess explained:

I went to Rwanda in February and worked with girls from FAWE school. I designed and ran workshops on the lifecycle of Orchids, helped set up a new orchid propagation laboratory at the school and lead treks into the rainforest to research orchids in the wild. It was really exciting and an incredible opportunity

The horticultural competition season is well underway and alongside other teammates, Jess created an Orchid display for the Malvern International Orchid Show where they were awarded Best Trade Exhibit, beating competition from orchid nurseries across the UK, Europe, South America and Asia.

Jess is now designing a new Orchid display for this year’s Hampton Court Flower Show, where the winner will be announced in July.

Head Teacher Mark Everett commented:

We are very proud of our Orchid Programme and the opportunities it provides our students. We have beaten some of the world’s leading Orchid Nurseries, run by adults who have spent years learning and perfecting their trade. Our students are creative, ambitious and best of all determined to prove that if you have a passion for something, you can achieve anything –  no matter how big.’

 

Photo – Jess (left) and Emily Thearle (Right) at the London Orchid Show

 

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