Commissions are currently full. I’m now booked until after Christmas, but I’d love to discuss and schedule new commissions for the new year — please get in touch.
Some gardens become part of the competition itself.
It might be a particular allotment plot, a well-kept greenhouse, a run of runner beans, an old apple tree at the end of the site, or the trestle tables of a village show laid out with marrows, dahlias and jars of jam.
At Little World Workshop, I create bespoke handmade dioramas of gardens, allotments and growing spaces for gardening clubs, allotment associations and horticultural societies across the UK.
Rather than another conventional cup or shield, a bespoke diorama can recreate a place that means something to the people taking part — the plots they dig, the beds they tend and the show they look forward to every year.
Each piece is individually designed and made by hand in my Surrey workshop.
The best gardening dioramas don’t necessarily need to show the gardeners.
Often, it’s the garden that holds the memories.
The shed with the water butt beside it. The neat rows of leeks. The sweet peas climbing their canes. The compost bays, the brick path and the gate everyone leans on to chat.
Perhaps there’s a plot that has won Best Kept Allotment year after year. A show garden that put your society on the map. A community orchard planted by founding members.
Using photographs and other reference material, I recreate that scene as a three-dimensional miniature, concentrating on the shapes, colours, planting and distinctive features that give it its character.
The result is something made specifically for your club or show: a trophy as unique as the garden it celebrates.
For an allotment association, it might be a miniature plot complete with raised beds, a shed, netting and a wheelbarrow.
For a flower and produce show, it could be the show bench itself — prize onions, a giant pumpkin and a vase of dahlias.
For a horticultural society, it might be a favourite border, glasshouse or the garden where the annual show is held.
For community and school gardens, it could be the growing beds, polytunnel or orchard that volunteers built together.
Each award can be presented on a wooden plinth or displayed under glass, with an engraved plaque recording the competition, winner and year.
It’s a trophy connected to the place where things were grown — made to be admired and kept long after the judging is over.
Custom gardening dioramas can be created for a wide variety of growing spaces, including:
If your competition takes place in a garden that people recognise and remember, there’s a good chance it can become a Little World.
A miniature garden can be the winner’s trophy for an annual show, or celebrate an allotment site’s anniversary.
A society might commission one as a long-service presentation for a show secretary, a thank-you to a site rep, or a memorial to a much-loved plot holder.
For perpetual awards, we can discuss a design intended to become part of your show’s tradition — something winners will recognise and want to see their name added to.
You don’t need plans or drawings to enquire about a commission.
Good photographs are usually the best starting point. Pictures taken from several directions help me understand the layout, planting and features that make the garden recognisable.
Tell me about your competition, the garden you have in mind and when you need it for presentation day.
Share the date, the award and a few photographs, and I’ll come back with ideas and a price.
Little World Workshop — handmade dioramas and bespoke trophies, made in Surrey.