Dig the City festival in Manchester looking for urban garden talent

Celebrity gardener Rachel de Thame is leading the search for the UK's best urban garden designers to exhibit at 2014's Dig the City festival - which returns to Manchester’s thriving retail district from Saturday 2 to Sunday 10 August.

Following the success of last year's festival, which saw over a million people visit the area, at this summer’s event organisers are offering the UK’s most talented and creative garden designers the opportunity to exhibit – right in the heart of the Manchester’s busy shopping district.

Professional and novice garden designers, landscaping and garden companies, businesses, cultural attractions, city councils and colleges, are encouraged to design a garden for the festival.

All entries will be assessed by a team of judges – led by BBC gardening expert Rachel de Thame and including Manchester city centre’s new National Trust Gardener in Residence, Sean Harkin – who will give the go-ahead to the most promising designs.

Gardens that are chosen to feature in the festival will be in with a chance of winning an inaugural Dig the City medal.

Designers are encouraged to submit entries for the following categories:

City Show Gardens
Design and construct a Show Garden that makes inspired use of urban outdoor space. Demonstrate high quality design and build, with innovative use of materials and appropriate plants that would thrive in the specified city setting.

City Grow and Eat Gardens
Design and construct a garden that includes edible plants in some aspect of the design. Demonstrate high quality design and build, with practical, attractive and novel ways to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs in small urban areas.

City Grow Anywhere
Design and construct inventive and unusual containers or group of planters, such as hanging baskets, window boxes, wheelbarrows or recycled tyres. Alternatively, create small-scale plantings for typical urban features, such as lamp-posts, balconies, bus stops and station platforms.

City Wild Windows
Design and construct beautiful mini gardens and other green features, utilising plants and/or cut flowers, in your shop or business window. This is a perfect opportunity to bring staff together to get involved and get creative.

Entrants are asked to submit a design or detailed sketch of their garden, together with a written brief and a list of plants by Friday 18 April.

More information, including full details of how to enter, plus terms and conditions, can be found at: www.digthecity.co.uk

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