The Garden Media Guild Awards are judged by top professional gardeners and media experts.

• Each category has either two or three judges.

•  Judges in different categories have no contact with each other, so are not aware of winners or shortlists in other categories until the shortlists are published.

• We do not reveal who has judged which category, as entrants may feel upset or offended if they think a friend or colleague has not shortlisted them.
• Judges are rotated and generally serve for 2-4 years. Approximately one third of the judges every year have not judged in the previous years.
• For more about how the judging works, see Behind the Scenes – Judging The Awards (link)

Simon Akeroyd

Author of thirty gardening books, Simon is Head of Historic Landscapes at Painshill in Surrey. He was previously a journalist and producer for the BBC gardening website, and has worked as Garden Manager / Head Gardener for both the RHS and National Trust

James Alexander-Sinclair

James Alexander-Sinclair FSGLD is one of the UK’s leading garden designers. An award-winning writer, broadcaster and speaker, he is Vice-President and Garden Design Ambassador of the Royal Horticultural Society and a Veitch Memorial Medal recipient (2022). He writes for major publications, such as Gardeners’ World, Country Life, Gardens Illustrated, contributes regular columns to Scribehound, and co-hosts The James and Joe Garden Show podcast.

cIAR bYRNE

Ciar Byrne is a freelance journalist with a weekly gardening column in the Daily Mail, writing for  a wide range of magazines including Gardens Illustrated. She has a garden design diploma from the English Gardening School and an RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture. She has been a journalist for more than 25 years, working on staff for The Independent, The Guardian and Private Eye before going freelance. You can find her on Instagram, X and Substack @thehalfwildgarden

Guy Barter

Guy is RHS Chief Horticulturist. After working in the horticultural industry Guy ran the plant trials at Wisley.

There followed three years at Gardening Which?, before running the RHS members’ gardening advice service.

Currently Guy is involved with horticultural press and PR, gardening podcasts, community gardens and social media.

Alexandra Campbell

Alexandra Campbell is an award-winning journalist who has worked or freelanced for many national newspapers and magazines, including Good Housekeeping, The Times Magazine, The Financial Times and Harpers’ Bazaar. She is the author of over 20 books, published by Penguin, Little Brown and Cico and is currently writer, photographer and video creator on the Middlesized Garden YouTube channel and blog. She is also co-chair of the Garden Media Guild.

Lucy Chamberlain

Lucy's new book, RHS Grow Food Anywhere, was published by DK on 2nd Jan, 2025 (Lucy also authored RHS Step by Step Veg Patch, 2012, DK).
She writes regularly for Amateur Gardening, and has also contributed to Gardeners' World, and The Guardian online.
She co-hosts the Talking Heads gardening podcast (450K downloads), shares her garden at @lucychamberlaingardens (Instagram), is the guest gardening expert on BBC Essex radio and won GMG Practical Journalist OTY in 2020.

Amicia de Moubray

Author of 20th Century Castles and other books, journalist for The Times, Country Life etc & co-founder Faversham Life. Owner with Richard Oldfield of Doddington Place Gardens, an RHS Partner Garden in Kent.

Ashley edwards 

Ashley is currently Head Gardener at Crocus and On-Screen Gardener for a new series of BBC1’s long running show, DIY SOS. Ashley is also a regular presenter for BBC2’s Gardener’s World and contributes monthly for Gardener’s World Magazine. 

Ashley uses his platform to help connect people to nature, and tap into its extraordinary properties for healing and wellbeing. As a trained Horticultural Therapist, Ashley has seen first hand how this connection can be so vital even in the darkest of times. 

ERROL FERNANDES

Errol Reuben Fernandes is Head of Horticulture at the award-winning Horniman Museum and Gardens in South London. A presenter on ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club and C4’s The Great Garden Revolution, he writes for a range of publications including Gardens Illustrated, The Guardian, The Telegraph and Bloom, and speaks widely on sustainable, inclusive gardening.

Rosie Fyles

Head of Gardens at Chiswick House and Gardens Trust and formerly Head Gardener at Ham House and Garden. Known for her wild-life friendly, climate conscious approach to historic gardens, she has contributed widely to print and broadcast media, including Gardens Illustrated, Period Living and the Sunday Times.

Lexi Gee 

Lexi is a horticultural and disability writer, Co-Editor of GMG E-Bulletin, GMG Committee and GMG Awards Co-ordinator. 

Posy Gentles

Posy Gentles is an author, journalist and garden designer.

aNISA gress

Anisa is a trained horticulturist and has more than three decades of experience within horticultural journalism. She is Features Editor for the b2b retail gardening title Garden Trade News and takes on freelance projects for both consumer and trade publications in the UK and abroad. Anisa sits on the GMG committee and is also a Trustee of Brogdale Collections in Kent.

Annie Green-Armytage

Award winning garden photographer, writer and accredited psychotherapist with widely published work.  Recent awards include winner of the Beautiful Gardens category in the International Garden Photographer Awards and the Garden Media Guild Features Photographer of the Year in 2021.

Åsa Gregers-Warg 

Åsa Gregers-Warg is the Head Gardener at Beth Chatto’s Plant & Gardens. Her role includes external projects such as the planting at Chattowood Housing Development, as well as promoting sustainable gardening practices through advice, talks, articles and content for publications. She is the recipient of Andalusia House & Gardens’ Letitia Glenn Biddle Award 2025.

Stephanie Hafferty

Stephanie Hafferty is an award-winning edible gardener, author, writer and speaker, specialising in sustainable, year-round food growing and seasonal plant-based recipes for national and international publications, her website No Dig Home and YouTube channel StephanieHaffertyHomesteading. Author of two bestsellers  (and winner of GMG Practical Gardening Book of the Year 2017) her third book is due in 2026. She also judges top horticultural and food awards, including for the Soil Association, the Guild of Food Writers and the GYO Awards

Lucy Hall 

Editor, presenter, podcast and events creator & presenter, journalist & researcher. Trustee of the National Garden Scheme. Formerly Editor of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and Associate Publisher, Deputy Editor of Gardens Illustrated.

Rosy Hardy

Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants has 24 RHS Chelsea Gold Medals, is an RHS Master Grower, Honorary Vice-Presient of the RHS and a RHS floral Judge. 

She also runs the Rosy Hardy Gardening YouTube channel, delivers gardening talks and regularly contributes to gardening magazines and radio programmes.

Kimberley Hornby George

Kimberley Hornby George is Co-chair of the Garden Media Guild and owner of Hornby George PR, a trade and consumer PR agency for the garden, home, gift, pet and leisure industries.

Humaira Ikram

Humaira Ikram has been working as a professional Garden Designer at Studio Ikram for over 15 years and specialises in client focussed landscapes, which are pollinator friendly and as sustainable as possible. She runs the Garden Design Diploma at the KLC School of Design, is a Gardens Advisor to RHS Hyde Hall, and RHS Judge and on various selection and advisory panels for the RHS. She is Co-Curator of the newly established thehub.earth highlighting sustainable, ethical and cross sector events, as well as an award winning broadcaster, who has contributed to BBC Radio 4 Gardeners Question Time, been part of garden focussed TV and media campaigns and programmes and writes for various gardening magazines.

Sue Kent

Sue Kent is a BBC2 Gardeners’ World TV presenter, garden designer on Garden Rescue and won the GMG New Talent Award in 202. Born with an upper limb disability from Thalidomide, she gardens using her feet and hands, inspiring others to garden whatever their ability. Sue is an RHS Ambassador for disability inclusion and has won medals for her show gardens at RHS Hampton Court and BBC Gardeners World Live.

Tony Kirkham

Formerly Head of the Arboretum, Gardens and Horticultural Services at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew,  author of many books, on the RHS Council, chairs the Woody Plant Committee and a trustee of the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Sandra Lawrence 

Sandra is a journalist and author who has written for all the broadsheets and many, many magazines, including The Times, Telegraph, The English Garden and Hortus. She has written over 20 books, including the Witch's Garden series for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a new biography of garden maverick Ellen Willmott, Miss Willmott's Ghosts. 

Tom Leonard

  Tom Leonard is a professional horticulturist and Senior Gardener at Brownsover Hall Estate. Known also as Daisy Desire: The Drag Queen Gardener, Tom blends horticultural expertise with inclusive public engagement, regularly appearing at RHS shows and on television, championing diversity, creativity, and wellbeing through the power of gardening. 

Alison Levey

Alison Levey writes The Blackberry Garden blog, celebrating the pleasure of gardening rather than giving How To advice. It won GMG Blog of the Year 2019, and ranked as the No.1 UK Garden Blog 2017–2020 (Vuelio).

MANOJ MALDE 

An award-winning designer, Manoj Malde has worked on a number of gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He has presented on BBC’s Your Garden Made Perfect and C4’s Garden of the Year. Manoj is also a regular contributor on BBC Radio London’s Robert Elms Show and the author of ‘Your Outdoor Room’.

NialL McCauley

‘Niall Gardens’ on YouTube & Instagram, gardening TV presenter and winner of the Alan Titchmarsh New Talent of the Year Award 2022.

Andy McIndoe

Andy is a garden consultant and designer with over 40 years experience in the industry.  A garden writer and author of a number of books he is an online tutor with Learning with Experts and a well known speaker to Gardening Clubs and Horticultural Societies nationwide. A long standing member of the GMG he is an experienced judge and contributor. 

Jekka Mcvicar

Jekka has been awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour in Horticulture by the Royal Horticultural Society.  She has written nine books including Jekka’s Complete Herb Book, which has sold over one million copies worldwide

REKHA mISTRY

Head Gardener at historic Haddon Hall (Bakewell, Derbyshire), TV Presenter, Speaker, Garden Advisor, Author of Rekha's Kitchen Garden and winner of GMG Individual Social Media Winner 2023.

Hayley Monckton 

RHS, Director of Communications. A keen gardener, Hayley is passionate about championing the difference we can all make growing plants to mitigate against the climate and biodiversity crises and help our health and wellbeing. She heads up the Communications division, responsible for press, PR and social media. Hayley graduated from the University of Surrey with a BA in English and Business Studies.

kim o'brien

Kim O’Brien is an award-winning garden designer and head gardener at an RHS-funded community garden. She appears regularly as a stage expert for BBC Gardeners World shows and is on their panel of Assessors, as well as the judging panel for Anglia in RHS Britain in Bloom. She writes for several publications, including Amateur Gardening.

Philip Oostenbrink

Head Gardener at Walmer Castle & Gardens, author of The Jungle Garden and articles for the RHS Plant Review and RHS The Garden. Regular contributor to BBC Radio Kent/Sussex/Surrey's Sunday Gardening programme and has a podcast called Plants, People and Places.

Sue Oriel

Sue Oriel has twenty years experience in hands-on television production and as CEO of several sizeable independent TV companies. She has previously judged television awards for BAFTA, Broadcast Magazine, RTS and others. Her Country Lane Flowers company now grows flowers commercially and is a member of Flowers from the Farm.

Mike palmer

Mike Palmer is a garden writer, Amateur Gardening magazine columnist, garden podcaster, Instagram diva and a previous Chair of the Garden Media Guild. 

Jane Perrone

Jane Perrone is head of inspiration at Scribehound Gardening and a garden writer and author, including her latest work The Atlas of Deadly Plants. She is the host of houseplant podcast On The Ledge and writes for a range of garden publications. 

Ann-Marie Powell

Ann-Marie Powell is an award-winning garden designer, author, and TV presenter known for bold, sustainable gardens that support biodiversity. With nearly 30 years of experience, her 2024 highlights include the Hampton Court Palace redesign and winning both the RHS Chelsea Children’s Choice and BBC People’s Choice Awards. A Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers, she has written four books and contributes to publications like The Telegraph and Gardens Illustrated.

Kirsty Raper

Instagram specialist and founder of Rebuildagram.(TechPixies “Social Media Provider of the Year”). Co-founder of Reels Rockstars training individuals and businesses (Great Dixter, Hauser & Wirth, Lorraine Candy, Sophie Robinson, Trish Halpin and Michelle Ogundehin)  in Instagram reels.

Advolly Richmond

Plants, gardens and social historian and columnist, Fellow of the Linnean Society and a Champion for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Author of ‘A Short History of Flowers: The stories that make our gardens,’ and garden history presenter on BBC Gardener’s World.

Charlotte Rowe

Charlotte Rowe is a multi-award-winning garden designer whose work includes more than 300 urban and rural projects in the UK and abroad. Her gardens have been widely featured on television, in newspapers, magazines and specialist books. She won Gold at the 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show with No Man’s Land. Charlotte also lectures on garden design, regularly tutors at the Inchbald School of Design and is a Member of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers. Her boutique London-based studio, led by Design Director Tomoko Kawauchi, is renowned for creating elegant, contemporary town and country gardens.

Juliet Sargeant

Juliet Sargeant is an award-winning garden designer, writer and broadcaster, and a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. She also runs the Sussex Garden School, teaching garden design and horticulture. Her latest book, Start with Soil, created with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, helps gardeners understand and care for the ground beneath their feet.

Alister Thorpe

Renowned London-based advertising, portrait and garden photographer with clients such as British Airways, Jaguar Land Rover, New Balance and top national and international garden designers. His portraiture clients include the Prime Minister.

ANN TRENEMAN

Ann Treneman is an award winning writer and journalist who writes a weekly gardening columnist for The Times as well as her long-running Notebook column for the paper. She is also a garden designer who has exhibited at RHS Chelsea and Tatton Flower Shows. Her books include RHS Greener Gardening: Containers and Horti Curious: A Gardener's Miscellany of Fascinating Facts and Remarkable Plants. 

Tamsin Westhorpe

Garden writer, author, lecturer, RHS judge, curator and gardener at Stockton Bury Gardens in Herefordshire. A regular contributor to national gardening magazines and author of three books. Previous editor of The English Garden and Inside Horticulture. An authority on practical horticulture.

Richard Wilford

Richard has worked at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew for 36 years and is currently Manager of Garden Design. He is a writer, photographer and author of eight books on plants and gardens, many illustrated with his own photographs.

Chris Young

Chris Young is a leading writer, publisher, designer and consultant in the gardening industry. He runs CY Gardens, a consultancy specialising in design, publishing, marketing, media and business development. Consultant Gardening Publisher for DK Books, he previously edited RHS The Garden and was Head of Editorial at the RHS, overseeing all publishing platforms.