The Pioneering Spirit - GardensDB Browse [ ![](/images/leaf_icon.svg) Gardens**DB** ](https://gardensdb.com) [ Gardens ](https://gardensdb.com/gardens) [ Shows ](https://gardensdb.com/shows) [ Studios ](https://gardensdb.com/studios) [ People ](https://gardensdb.com/people) [ Search gardens, designers, shows… ](https://gardensdb.com/search) [ Login ](https://gardensdb.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fgardensdb.com%2Fgardens%2Fthe-pioneering-spirit) [ Register ](https://gardensdb.com/register) [ ](https://gardensdb.com/search) Discover - [ Home ](https://gardensdb.com) - [ Gardens ](https://gardensdb.com/gardens) - [ Shows ](https://gardensdb.com/shows) - [ Events ](https://gardensdb.com/events) - [ 360° tours ](https://gardensdb.com/360-tours) - [ Trails ](https://gardensdb.com/trails) People & studios - [ People ](https://gardensdb.com/people) - [ Studios ](https://gardensdb.com/studios) - [ Books ](https://gardensdb.com/books) - [ Jobs ](https://gardensdb.com/jobs) Organisations - [ Sponsors ](https://gardensdb.com/sponsors) - [ Charity & non-profits ](https://gardensdb.com/charities) - [ Collectives ](https://gardensdb.com/collectives) - [ Companies ](https://gardensdb.com/companies) - [ Education ](https://gardensdb.com/education-institutions) - [ Nurseries ](https://gardensdb.com/nurseries) Account - [ Login ](https://gardensdb.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fgardensdb.com%2Fgardens%2Fthe-pioneering-spirit) - [ Register ](https://gardensdb.com/register) Discover - [ Home Today's highlights ](https://gardensdb.com) - [ Gardens Show gardens, catalogued ](https://gardensdb.com/gardens) - [ Shows Horticultural shows ](https://gardensdb.com/shows) - [ Events Festivals, courses & open days ](https://gardensdb.com/events) - [ 360° tours Step inside, long after the show packs up ](https://gardensdb.com/360-tours) - [ Trails Curated routes through the gardens ](https://gardensdb.com/trails) People & studios - [ People Designers, judges, growers ](https://gardensdb.com/people) - [ Studios Design practices ](https://gardensdb.com/studios) - [ Books Recommended reading ](https://gardensdb.com/books) - [ Jobs Roles in the industry ](https://gardensdb.com/jobs) Organisations - [ Sponsors Organisations that back the gardens ](https://gardensdb.com/sponsors) - [ Charity & non-profits Causes behind the gardens ](https://gardensdb.com/charities) - [ Collectives Groups & community projects ](https://gardensdb.com/collectives) - [ Companies Suppliers & contractors ](https://gardensdb.com/companies) - [ Education Schools, colleges & universities ](https://gardensdb.com/education-institutions) - [ Nurseries Plant suppliers & growers ](https://gardensdb.com/nurseries) [ Submit a garden ](https://gardensdb.com/gardens/submit) [ About GardensDB ](https://gardensdb.com/help) ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/media/a7c37c40-8047-4bbd-8ca5-c343f723d3a7/conversions/PXL_20260617_172530335-gallery.webp) [Gardens](https://gardensdb.com/gardens) / [ BBC Gardeners' World Live 2026 ](https://gardensdb.com/shows/bbc-gardeners-world-live-2026) Beautiful Borders ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/awards/bbc-gardeners-world-live-platinum-award/icon.webp) Platinum Award The Pioneering Spirit ======================= Designed by Mark Selby At a glance Show BBC Gardeners' World Live Year 2026 Category Beautiful Borders Border About this garden The story ----------- Every summer, a tent would be packed and camping kit prepared so as to discover the wild beauty of the countryside. From besides the River Frome, perched overlooking the Isle of Purbeck or enveloped in the ancient woodlands of the Sussex Weald, camping allowed me to forge a bond with nature; a love found in the beauty of plants as well as the practical skills needed to live alongside them. A camp would be made with fallen branches bound by natural cordage, rain water gathered from stretched canvas and with a warming fire always built at its heart. This pioneering spirit - of being inventive with materials and situation - persists within me and my work as a designer. Today, I aim to create gardens that retain a sense of the wild in their planting, while also designing functional objects to harmoniously exist within them Award Recognition ------------- - ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/awards/bbc-gardeners-world-live-platinum-award/icon.webp) Platinum Award BBC Gardeners World Live The people behind it Designer ---------- - [ MS Mark Selby Designer ](https://gardensdb.com/people/mark-selby) Photography Gallery --------- ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/media/a7c37c40-8047-4bbd-8ca5-c343f723d3a7/conversions/PXL_20260617_172530335-gallery.webp) ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/media/c97cd986-d719-4ea4-8a10-1bcdf03da8f3/conversions/PXL_20260617_172533350-gallery.webp) ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/media/906a4639-ef7a-4f43-a2b7-825a8856cf9f/conversions/PXL_20260617_172536829.MP-gallery.webp) ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/media/0270077c-04ee-485c-b9fe-e888a97f7266/conversions/PXL_20260617_172540712-gallery.webp) ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/media/de0602ef-e377-4f7d-b5bd-929c3dfc13bd/conversions/PXL_20260617_172522588-gallery.webp) ![](https://cdn.gardensdb.com/media/6dfceb63-49a2-4499-b646-c849cd9cd121/conversions/image-gallery.webp) ![]() / Photo: Brought to life by Organisations --------------- ![](/images/leaf_icon.svg) Gardens**DB** The world's largest collection of show gardens online, kept free, kept current, and shaped by the community that uses it. 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