Henchman Topiary Awards return for 2025 to celebrate Britain’s best garden sculptors

Talented topiarists from across the UK and Europe are being called upon to sharpen their shears for the Henchman Topiary Awards 2025.  

Following the resounding success of the inaugural awards in 2024, the popular competition founded by leading ladder garden specialist Henchman is set to return this spring – and will be expanding to accept entrants from across Europe. 

Launching on 20th March 2025, the Henchman Topiary Awards will celebrate the art of transforming foliage into stunning living sculptures. This year, the competition expands across multiple countries, giving topiary enthusiasts from across Europe the chance to showcase their skills. The awards will once again feature two categories – Best Professional Topiary, for seasoned topiarists and horticultural professionals, and Best Home Garden Creation, for passionate gardeners and enthusiasts who have mastered the craft in their own green spaces. With separate winners crowned in both the UK and Europe for each category, entrants will have the opportunity to earn recognition for their craftsmanship and take home some fantastic prizes. 

A panel of top topiary and horticulture experts will judge the entries. Returning this year are Andy Bourke, professional topiarist and popular influencer known as ‘The Hedge Barber,’ and Michael Buck, Head of Horticulture at Creepers Nursery. Joining them are new judges Petra Hoyer Millar, Editor of The Dirt News and runner-up in last year’s Home Gardener category, and Patrick Salembier, President of EBTS France.

The champions in each category will be awarded a Henchman ladder of their choice, ensuring they can continue sculpting their masterpieces with the best tools available. The competition will be open until the end of May, providing entrants with plenty of time to refine their masterpiece, with the winners being announced at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival on Saturday 5th July 2025.    

Last year’s competition attracted over 75 entrants, including some extraordinary displays of skill. West Sussex-based Harrie Carnochan won the Professional Gardener category for his precisely sculpted, symmetrical designs, while David Hawson from Aberdeenshire claimed victory in the Home Gardener category with his intricate hedge scene featuring countryside and marine creatures, inspired by Moby Dick. 

Owen Simpson, Managing Director at Henchman, said: “We were blown away by the stunning works of art we received in the inaugural Henchman Topiary Awards. The incredible passion and talent displayed in last year’s competition was simply inspiring and compelled us to expand the awards across Europe this year in search of even more talented topiarists.  

“Topiary is a timeless traditional art form that has taken on a new lease of life in the garden in recent years, which was evident in the creativity of the entries we received. We can’t wait to see what works of art are submitted this year and celebrate the professionals and home gardeners who have created them!” 

Submissions are open from 20th March until 31st May 2025. To enter, participants are invited to submit photographs and a brief description of their topiary work through the official competition page at https://www.henchman.co.uk/pages/henchman-topiary-awards.  

For more information and full competition terms and conditions, visit: www.henchman.co.uk. 

The Judges 

Andy Bourke – The Hedge Barber – Professional Topiarist and Online Influencer 

Andy has worked in horticulture for over 10 years and is a professional hedge cutter and topiary artist. Using traditional hand cutting methods, Andy has worked on small intricate topiary designs as well as larger, organic shapes. Andy is better known online at The Hedge Barber – creating aesthetically pleasing videos of his topiary creations. 

Michael Buck – Head of Horticulture at Creepers Nursery  

Michael started in horticulture while trying to forge a career in football, 17 years ago, which saw him experience different sectors within the industry. For the past 10 years, Michael has spent his time working on many exciting nursery and garden projects across the UK and Europe, and has since become the Head of Horticulture at Creepers Nursery. 

Petra Hoyer Millar – Editor of The Dirt Horticulture News 

Petra is a gardener, horticultural journalist and editor of The Dirt News. A fan of all things topiary, she is the creator of a large cloud-pruned yew hedge and shapes, for which she was runner up in the 2024 Henchman Topiary Awards in the Home Gardener category. Retrained from her economic background, she has enough RHS horticultural diplomas to know how to propagate, plant and prune her way through anything green. 

Patrick Salembier – President of EBTS France

Patrick is the president of European Boxwood and Topiary Society France (EBTS France) and the editor of Buis et Topiaires. Passionate about sharing his knowledge, he published The Boxwood Manual in 2017. Since 2012, Patrick has also been the designer of the gardens at Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, bringing expertise and creativity to one of France’s most renowned landscapes. 

Entry T&Cs 

The competition will run from 20 March 2025 to 31 May 2025. The competition is open to UK and European residents only. Entrants must be over 18 years old. Employees of Henchman and their relatives, as well as any other company linked to the awards, are not eligible to enter. By entering the competition, participants agree to abide by the terms and conditions outlined on Henchman's website. 

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.