Frogheath Landscapes Apprentice impresses at Chelsea Flower Show in the build of a gold winning garden
Published on 21 May 2025
00:00 - 00:00
As told by Frogheath Landscapes apprentice, Oli Leonard-Best to freelance Marketing Manager Harriet Wallis.
Introduction
Frogheath Landscapes have been training apprentices for over 20 years. Many of our apprentices have gone on to be successful landscapers, either within the company or through starting their own business. This includes Henry Duck from Studio Create, which operates in Dubai.
Most recently, Frogheath Landscapes has been recognised as “Apprentice Employer Of The Year” at Plumpton College, for their commitment to training apprentices in landscaping and horticulture.
Frogheath Landscapes were approached by two garden designers to build their garden at Chelsea Flower Show in 2025. Oli spent a week travelling up to the site of the show in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea, to contribute to the build of his first show garden “Seawilding” designed by Ryan McMahon from Musa Landscape Architecture.
Day 1:
When we arrived on site the organisers were still digging the footings for our garden. This meant we could only unload some of the tools and materials from our vans. There is so much traffic and machinery, slots to stop, unload and move are very tight.
Day 2:
Today we built the main structure of the stand with sleepers and laid the concrete base for the water tank. We then put in posts with ply wood for back wall of the garden. These stand about 4m tall. We added soil to the garden in preparation for planting. Lastly, we started the side wall of rocks.
Day 3:
Today we finished off side wall of rocks. The big job for the day was to put the water tank on the concrete base. This will be where the sea grass is planted and displayed. The seating area for the garden features large rocks which we installed. Towards the end of the day, we started planting trees.
Day 4:
The large back wall was painted with black paint. We complimented the finished side walls and front of the stand with rocks and placed in the rock steps. To finish the week, we planted more trees and put in the hedges at the back.
What Oli says about the experience:
“I’ve felt very tired because of long days but I have managed to have a nice rest this weekend and feel ready for this coming week. I have had a great time and glad I’ve had the opportunity to be part of it all.”
Seawilding’s designer, Ryan McMahon, was asked what he thought about Oli’s performance:
“I had no idea he was an apprentice!” He exclaimed to Harriet. “He just got on with the job, worked really well with the team and showed great initiative.”
The finished garden:
The following week, Oli was relocated to a local project with another Frogheath Landscapes team, whose work continued in gardens across East Sussex throughout the entire Chelsea Garden build time. Thanks to his efforts, the hard landscaping was mostly complete, with Ryan and a small team of volunteers focusing on planting in the second week.
On Tuesday 20th May, Medals Day at Chelsea, it was announced that Seawilding received a Gold Medal. This was the first time that seagrass was feature at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and highlights the increasing importance of marine conservation in the fight against climate change.
Conclusion
Everyone involved in the build of both gardens, from admin and logistics through to transport, build and planting has worked hard and Frogheath Director Steve Moody is very proud of the team effort. With apprentices like Oli getting such a good start in their landscaping careers, the future is looking bright for the industry.
Frogheath Landscapes is an award-winning landscape gardening company based in Burwash, East Sussex. Established for over 25 years, they pride themselves on building beautiful gardens with sustainability and longevity in mind.
www.frogheath.co.uk
Ryan McMahon is a Scottish / Australian Garden Designer and Architect and Director MUSA Landscape Architecture. This is his first time building a show garden at Chelsea Flower Show
www.musalandscape.com
Chelsea Flower Show, run by the RHS is the pinnacle of horticultural excellence showcasing the world of world renowned garden designers.
www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show
Category: Horticulture
Learn more about our history
Since the original 400-acre College farm was bought back in 1919, Plumpton College has certainly seen a lot of changes.
Stay connected
Keep up to date with us online. Give us a like and follow us on:
