Each year the Chartered Institute of Horticulture hold the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition. It provides a fantastic opportunity to test competitors’ knowledge and can meet with fellow horticulturists from all over the UK and Ireland.
Each year the Chartered Institute of Horticulture hold the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition. It provides a fantastic opportunity to test competitors’ knowledge and can meet with fellow horticulturists from all over the UK and Ireland.
It compromises of three heats, the first heat is a local heat where competitors were required to log online to answer 40 questions ranging from topics such as plant identification, soils, plant maintenance, turf, propagation and garden history.
Followed by the Regional Finals where the top 8 competitors in the Southeast compete for a place in The Final. Current Level 2 Horticulture Apprentice, Henry De Wit Chaney as secured himself a position within the top 8 out of 200+ entries!
Once the main competition started there were a mixture of direct questions to individual students and questions which were open to the panel. Buzzers were available and the fastest person to buzz in would get the chance to answer and earn points. The competition lasted an hour and half and when the results were calculated Henry and another student came joint third. A tie breaker question was given, and Henry beat the other competitor to come third place in the Southeast region.
The winner from this event goes through to the Grand Final in May and will be required to answer questions covering all section of Horticulture. The winner of the Final receives the £2,500 Percy Thrower Travel Bursary, provided by the Shropshire Horticultural Society & the Percy Thrower Trust, to fund a horticultural trip anywhere in the world. Second place winner goes home with £950, 3rd with £550 and the rest of the runners up all receive £200, all to be used in any way they wish.
Each of the finalists is also awarded membership to the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and PlantNetwork.
Previous winners have visited Borneo, China, New Zealand, South Africa, the Himalayas, and the Galapagos Islands to name just a few!
Gareth Batts, Senior Trainer & Workplace Mentor in Horticulture & Landscape said “I am really pleased for Henry for coming third in the Southeast region. He has worked hard over the last two years of his apprenticeship and the topics we have learnt at college such as Plant identification, using handheld power tools, soil cultivation, plant maintenance and Turf Establishment.”
He continued, “This has put him in good position for answering the questions. Henry has thrived over the last two years of the apprenticeship, and it is great to see how well he has done in his studies, he is fast approaching gateway where he will sit his final exam and then enter the world of Horticulture employment.”
