GREEN-FINGERED student gardeners have released their design for a competition run by a celebrity horticulturist.

The team from Writtle University College won the Young Gardeners of the Year contest run by David Domoney last year.

And now they have dreamt up a garden based around a floating decking platform anchored by a full-sized tree for this year’s hotly anticipated event.

The group – made up of nine further education students who are being guided by lecturer Ben Wincott – are now looking for suppliers and sponsors ahead of the pre-build.

Student James Durham, 30, from Hertfordshire said they wanted to create a calm area in the middle of urban life.

He said: “The main concept of our garden is sustainability.

“We hope our garden will be an oasis in the middle of the urban desert, giving the homeowner somewhere to get away from it all – a space that brings them closer to nature and wildlife in the heart of the city.”

The annual competition is organised by celebrity gardener Mr Domoney, who is a charted horticulturist and makes regular appearances on ITV favourites This Morning and Love Your Garden.

The contest gives students invaluable experience of designing and building a show garden.

This year’s finals are being held at Ascot Racecourse for the first time at the new Ascot Spring Garden Show in April.

Half a dozen of the UK’s leading horticultural colleges create a showstopping back garden and go head-to-head for the coveted title and a gold medal.

Writtle proudly scooped top honours last year and are determined to defend their title this time around.

The entrance to the garden is lowered and filled with harvested rain water, with porcelain stepping stones, lined by the sculptural and dramatic plant equisetum. The aim is to create movement, reflections and a natural element in the small 5m by 4.5m space.

The team have suggested a pump system could be used taking this water to irrigate the whole of the garden.

There are then steps up from this path to a decking area made of recycled plastic raised on stilts, which gives the illusion of the deck amongst the plants.

Students have also decided to use the Queen’s regal colours of purple and gold as a nod to the Royal Ascot venue.

Each garden will be judged by an expert panel, which includes horticultural industry leaders, home and garden magazine editors, and acclaimed garden designers and landscapers.

There will also be a people’s choice award for those who visit the racecourse to delve into the host of stunning gardens.

Student Grace Fairbrace, 17 from Chelmsford, said she and the rest of the team were looking forward to the chance to show off their skills at the exciting annual event. She said: “This is a really exciting project which gives us the opportunity to develop our design and build skills at a high-profile event. We’re really looking forward to it.”

The teams will have five days to build and plant their gardens in the Garden Terrace on the Grandstand of Ascot Racecourse, ready for the show’s opening day on April 13.