A person’s daily screen time averages over five hours in the UK, which adds up to 1,825 hours over a year or 76 days in total. Hobbies are often side lined, and replaced with technology like social media or online streaming. 

When wracking her brain for a garden design idea, Christina Cobb felt glued to her phone while experiencing a creative block. Then it dawned on her, while scrolling away, “I want to design a space that actually physically separates you from that sort of distraction.” And so, the Cleary Gottlieb: Time for Creativity garden concept was born. 

It’s pretty common to be lost within the doomscroll, while neglected passions are pushed further away. A space where people are encouraged to pursue creativity and lost hobbies, the All About Plants garden explores what can be achieved in an environment free from distraction and technology.

Inside Cobb’s garden, built by Shovel and Spade Landscaping, a winding path led you from the entrance, through a wooden glasshouse, before reaching a peaceful seating area surrounded by vibrant planting, “where creativity, focus and time can be reclaimed,” explains the garden designer. 

The garden’s focal point was an oak glasshouse, constructed by Signature Oak. In a chance meeting, Cobb met local couple Lynn and Nick Bond during an open gardens event last year. “I fell in love with the work Nick [Bond] had done in his own garden,” Cobb explains. 

After seeing the impressive woodwork and traditional joinery he’s capable of, “I knew I’d have to speak to him if I was to do Chelsea again. After a couple of wines, I had the confidence to knock on their door to ask if they would help, and they said yes,” Cobb explains.

After picking up a Silver-gilt medal for The Restorative Balcony Garden sponsored by Viking during her RHS Chelsea Flower Show debut in 2023, she always aspired to come back. 

Leaving another RHS show with a medal, an emotional Cobb describes the Gold win:

“Just getting a design to Chelsea is a huge achievement in itself, so it’s even more incredible to have all your hard work and the efforts of everyone involved rewarded with a Gold medal. It actually still doesn’t quite feel real.”

While meeting Kim Cattrell was a real highlight, Cobb also looks back at the success of the garden in relation to the concept:

“In addition to being really proud of the medal we achieved, I’m so happy the theme of the garden resonated with visitors to the show and those following along at home. I so firmly believe that making time for being creative does you nothing but good, and it was great to hear that so many people agreed with that message.”

In the wake of a social media ban for under 16 year olds, the concept might be more relevant than ever. 

To add to her accolades, Cobb was given a Pro Landscaper 30 Under 30: The Next Generation Award back in 2021. “When I started studying garden design and got into the landscaping industry, it was on my list of things I wanted to achieve,” she says. Honoured to be recognised, she congratulates the successes of other recipients of the award, including the Best All About Plants garden designer, Ashleigh Aylett for the Woodland Trust: Forgotten Forests Garden.

To be in with a chance of winning a Pro Landscaper 30 Under 30: The Next Generation Award, enter this year’s competition.