From giant elephants to storybook boots: Winners of the 2025 Henchman Topiary Awards revealed

The art of topiary took centre stage this weekend as the winners of the 2025 Henchman Topiary Awards were unveiled at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival – celebrating some of the most imaginative living sculptures found in gardens across the UK and Europe. 

Now in its second year, the Henchman Topiary Awards were launched by leading garden ladder specialist Henchman to recognise both passionate professionals and home gardeners who are excelling in the art of topiary – whether perfecting traditional techniques or reimagining what’s possible with plant sculpture. The awards honour creativity, craftsmanship and dedication – from decades-long personal projects to historic restorations brought back to life through sculpted hedges. 

This year’s winners span four main categories and include a towering holly elephant, a whimsical boot inspired by a children’s story, and a 36-foot-long yew dragon. Alongside these playful creations, the awards also celebrated the precision and artistry of more traditional designs, from meticulously restored formal gardens to finely clipped knotwork and architectural hedging.  

The entries were carefully judged by a panel of respected horticultural experts and designers from the UK and Europe, including Andy Bourke (The Hedge Barber), Michael Buck (Head of Horticulture at Creepers Nursery), Petra Hoyer Millar (Editor of The Dirt News) and Patrick Salembier (President of EBTS France). A special Henchman’s Choice award was also selected by the Henchman team. 

UK – Professional Category 

Winner: Chris Reeve 

Returning after placing second place in last year’s competition for a detailed frog, Chris Reeve from Suffolk claimed the top prize in the professional category with a whimsical living sculpture that inspired a children’s book for young families visiting his workplace – the gardens of Helmingham Hall. 

His winning entry – a giant work boot – forms part of a playful trail of topiary creations that Chris began in 2003, which also includes a hat and crown. A passionate author as well as a seasoned gardener, Chris’ topiary inspired him to pen a children’s book, “Dan the Giant and the Lost Woolly Hat”, featuring his art throughout the story and combining storytelling with horticulture. 

Second place: Darrell Adams 

Darrell Adams secured second place with his remarkable restoration of a formal topiary garden, a design featuring meticulously clipped hedges that forms geometric patterns around a central circular water feature, complemented by taller, sculptural topiary elements. From Hampshire, Darrell has spent a decade transforming the garden from a neglected state into a showcase of traditional craftsmanship and horticultural excellence. 

Highly commended: Grant Orchard and Jordan Kilby 

Grant Orchard and Jordan Kilby both, both from East Sussex, were highly commended for their outstanding entries.  

Grant’s entry maintains a famous topiary garden with playful forms and sculpted hedges. The garden features large, undulating hedges, bird-shaped topiaries, and sculpted grass mounds that create a sense of movement.  

Meanwhile, Jordan impressed judges with his skilful use of box and yew to create a freehand topiary, shaped instinctively without a set design. Originally just an overgrown mass, the piece was gradually sculpted into a flowing form that plays with light and shadow throughout the day. He also presented a tall, elegant topiary of a peacock, perfectly capturing its regal posture in greenery. 

UK – Home Gardener Category

First place: Paul Everden 

Paul Everden won the Home Gardener Category with a topiary garden he has nurtured for over 35 years. Based in Norfolk, his design is centred around a 17th century farmhouse and features high hedges, pleached walkways, and a three-level knot garden laid out with precise visual diagonals. With 500 carefully planted stems, intricate gravel patterns, and a central fountain, Paul maintains his garden to an exacting 5mm tolerance, showcasing remarkable dedication and skill. 

Second place: Angela Hawkins

Peterborough-based Angela Hawkins took second place with her beloved holly elephant “Mungo”. Over the past 25 years, Angela has patiently trained and sculpted this unique topiary, named after an elephant-shaped hill in Spain. Mungo now towers as high as the neighbouring bungalow, with Angela only recently passing on clipping duties as he grew too large to manage alone. 

Henchman Choice Award: Kim Palmer

Selected by the Henchman team, the Henchman’s Choice award went to Kim Palmer from Suffolk for “George” – her extraordinary 36-foot-long yew dragon. 

Started in 2009, Kim imagined the dragon as a place to one day read stories to a grandchild – a dream recently fulfilled. George is trimmed twice a year with lightweight shears, and Kim is now building castellated battlements and a tower around a nearby pond to complete the scene. 

Europe – Professional Category 

Winner: Cédric Bronnimann 

Cédric Bronnimann from France won the Professional Europe category for his exceptional work at the Château du Grand Jardin in Haute-Marne. The Renaissance-style garden features 56 architectural yew shapes – from pyramids to spirals – maintained with traditional hand tools and meticulous attention to symmetry and form. The work reflects centuries-old French topiary heritage and continues to be refined under Cédric’s expert care. 

Europe – Home Gardener Category 

Winner: François Vandangeon 

François Vandangeon impressed the judges with his imaginative boxwood and yew topiary that depicts Jeanne de Belleville’s boat sailing from a wall, complete with Taxus baccata soldiers charging toward defenders behind sculpted battlements. Based at Château de Villeneuve in France, François combines creativity with traditional craftsmanship, managing these towering three-metre-high sculptures that require careful, and sometimes daring, maintenance. 

Clare Lenaghan-Balmer, Head of Marketing at Henchman commented: “We’re thrilled to reveal this year’s Henchman Topiary Awards winners – a celebration of creativity, skill and personality in every leaf and branch. This year's entries captured the true artistry behind topiary, from storybook sculptures and abstract designs to masterfully maintained classics.  

“With the competition growing year on year, and more categories added for 2025, the standard has been incredibly high – making the judges’ decisions tougher than ever. We’re proud to recognise the outstanding talent shaping gardens across the UK and Europe, and hope these winning designs inspire others to pick up the shears and give topiary a go.” 

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The 2025 Henchman Topiary Awards once again highlighted the extraordinary talent and dedication behind some of the most imaginative and technically impressive living sculptures. Announced at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, this year’s winners prove that topiary – whether whimsical or traditional – remains a vibrant and an evolving art form. 

Ends

Editors notes

Henchman has been a pioneer of specialist garden ladders and safe hedge-cutting platforms since 1994, when it launched its first model at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Founded by father and son duo Mike and Tom Kitching, over the past three decades the company has evolved from a small family business to the leading garden ladder brand in the UK.

Based in Wiltshire, the dedicated design team at Henchman offers a wide range of unique products created to keep customers safe on uneven terrain while working at height.

Its collection includes the cutting-edge Fully Adjustable Tripod Ladder, Fully Adjustable PRO Tripod Ladder, the Hi-Step Platform, the Wheeled Henchman, as well as a range of large capacity wheelbarrows and accessories, all designed to make gardening a safe, sturdy and enjoyable experience.

Henchman has pioneered the way in ladder safety and is the first and only fully EN131 certified Tripod Ladder on the market in the UK and the rest of the world.

From the National Trust, to the England Rugby team and Royal Households, and not forgetting thousands of gardeners, DIY-enthusiasts and professionals, Henchman helps its customers get the job done, safely.