If you've got a great idea for a garden, applications for the 2026 Beautiful Borders competition are now open for BBC Gardeners’ World Live at the NEC Birmingham.
Whether you’re an experienced designer or amateur gardener, a student or school gardening club, or a charity or community group, 'The Beautiful Borders' are an exciting opportunity to share your talent, skill and love of plants with tens of thousands of gardening fans.
Measuring just 9m2, the Beautiful Borders are miniature wonders, brimming with fresh inspiration for small gardens which will be on show at the event which runs from 18th-21st June 2026.
The theme for the competition is ‘Once Upon a Time’, inviting entrants to show how even the smallest garden space can become a storybook. It’s personal stories and lived experiences that the events team are looking for rather than film or book interpretations and limited bursaries of £250 are available for plants and props.
Lucy Tremlett, Event Director at Immediate Live, organisers of BBC Gardeners’ World events, said: “The Beautiful Borders are a hugely popular feature at our events, with visitors spoilt for choice for brilliant ideas for their own gardens.
"The designers put so much effort, planning and creativity into their Borders, many of them drawing on personal stories and lived experiences for inspiration. Gardens are great places for storytelling, and we can’t wait to see how this year’s entrants bring the Once Upon a Time theme to life.”
Borders are assessed on site by expert assessment panels, with medals, awards and constructive feedback for every entrant. The top awards are Best Beautiful Border, Best Interpretation of the Theme, and Best BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Subscriber Border, with a People’s Choice award for visitors’ favourite design.
Winner of the ‘best in show’ for their Beautiful Border and a Platinum award at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live was North Yorkshire garden designer Anita Rose for The One to Three Border, designed to foster connections between oneself, others and nature. Anita’s Border featured different seating scenarios for reflection and quiet contemplation.
Alex Valk, a BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2025 Gold award winner, said: “The Beautiful Borders gave me a chance to test myself and the freedom to explore my own creative ideas.
"The atmosphere on-site was brilliant; everyone shared ideas and helped each other. I met fantastic new plant-y friends and winning the Gold gave me a much-needed confidence boost.”
Entries are now open at bbcgardenersworldlive.com, closing on 23 January 2026.
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