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THE GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOW

Water garden makes a splash for show

Saving water may not have been the first thing on most people's minds during the wet summer in North Yorkshire.

But as the sunshine came out over the showground, two students from Askham Bryan College were the centre of attention for creating a "water efficient garden".

Richard Smith and Sue Scott, both HND students at the college, near York, were part of the team who built the garden in three days near the flower hall and who were there to see Countryfile TV presenter John Craven give the garden its grand opening. It has been a particularly good week for Richard, 19, who created the drawings for the garden based on the team's design, as he has also won a competition to design the gardens at the Merchant Adventurers' Hall in York.

John Craven, who said he remembered his days as a junior reporter in Harrogate covering the Great Yorkshire Show, praised the design of the garden, which was aimed at conserving water.

Commissioned by the New Homes Marketing Board, the students' brief was to design a small garden, typical of new houses. Mr Craven said: "It is fitting this garden should be launched at the show where people from urban and country areas get together.

"Water efficiency - and it is the same in farms, factories and in homes - not only helps the environment but also cuts down on water bills."

The natural-look garden featured drought-tolerant plants like lavender, thyme and grasses, gravel surfaces to allow rainwater to soak into the garden, a water butt and a small lawn made of drought-tolerant turf. Co-sponsored by Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency, the idea for the garden came from the dry summers of 1995 and 1996.

Richard said the team had been very pleased with the result of their preparations.

As for his plans for the Merchant Adventurers' Hall, he said he would be responsible for transforming the whole area and planned to include mainly warm coloured shrubs, with lots of reds, pinks and blues.

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