I entered a Garden Design Competition last month and last week have received the fantastic news that I have got through the first stage!

It is the Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship Programme sponsored by Bradstone and in conjunction with The Three Counties Show Ground.

To enter I had to design a small show garden for the 2011 Malvern Spring Gardening Show (May 12 -15 2011).

The brief was that it had to reflect the theme of the Atom which celebrates UNESCO's International Year of Chemistry which happens to be in 2011. So I busied myself and tried to come up with something a little different which was pretty hard as an atom is an atom and there are very few things you can do with it!

Now I have to complete another set of application forms for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) judging panel to decide whether my design is good enough to be constructed for the Malvern Spring Show.  If I am lucky enough to get through the second stage I will get a small bursary to help with the materials and plants but I will have to try and find a sponsor(s) to enable me to build the best show garden I can.

This show garden I believe will also be judged by the RHS so there may very well be an opportunity for a medal too!

I think it is going to be very difficult balancing Blue Daisy, my studies and this wonderful opportunity but it really has to be done, it is a one-off opportunity and things like this don't come along every day!

There is another final stage, for those people who are lucky enough to get to the second stage (there could be any number of us but historically it's under 10) the show gardens will be judged by the Scholarship Programme, Bradstone and The Three Counties team and the winner will be awarded the Scholarship which will commence in May 2011 and be delivered by members of the Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship team!  Even if I don't get chosen to be the 'scholar' the experience I'll get from taking part in this whole process will be invaluable.

What a fantastic opportunity, I am really excited at the prospect of getting through stage 2 and pretty terrified too!!

Anyway, watch this space I'll let you know how I get on!