Congratulations to Steve Partridge from Capel Manor College. Steve, studying for his Professional Gardener Level 2 City and Guilds Practical Horticulture diploma, has been selected as one of our 2026 Landscape & Horticulture Students of the Year for the North Thames region.
Steve has a five-year vision of developing his landscape skills and aiming for Senior Gardener roles. This year, he particularly excelled at his assessment for a fictional client, transforming a west-facing garden, overcoming drainage issues, integrating social aspects within the design and build with seating and outdoor dining options.
He champions “gardening” as much more than just “mowing lawns” and wants to advise future horticultural students to demonstrate how they are the scientists and designers on the front lines of sustainability and biodiversity.
Steve is praised within his tutor nomination by Rachel Godfrey, Lecturer in Horticulture:
“A dedicated, hard-working individual who delivers consistently on a theoretical and practical level.”