GREEN-FINGERED scientist Rob Dawson cut down the competition to reach the final of a national gardening show.

Rob, 35, who works at the Research Councils in North Star Avenue, made it to the final three of BBC2’s The Great Chelsea Garden Challenge, which celebrates the best of British amateur gardening talent.

The competition, airing from May 11, saw Rob face-off against five fellow floral enthusiasts constructing four gardens in the hopes of winning the ultimate plant prize – the chance to design and build a garden for the Oscars of the gardening world, The Chelsea Flower Show.

Rob, from Southwick, said: “I couldn’t believe I made it through to the final because I felt like I was on the back foot for a bit. It was pretty nerve-wracking to design a garden to that scale but I loved the end design.”

For the final challenge the budding gardeners designed a show garden and were judged to Chelsea Flower Show’s exacting standards by judges, the Royal Horticultural society’s James Alexander Sinclair, gold medal winning garden designer Ann-Marie Powell and Gardeners’ World favourite and mentor Joe Swift.

Rob proved he had the hedge on the competition as he made it to finals week, impressing with his ambition and creativity and producing his best garden of the competition on the final episode.

His Look Closer garden celebrated his love of plant science with wooden fence panels and shelving to represent a science lab, a wooden circle to add theatre and mimic the view through a microscope and plants including bananas and ferns.

“I want everyone to get interested and get passionate about gardening and I used materials that you pick up in B&Q,” Rob said.

Rob was uprooted in the final by 52-year-old nurse Sean Murray but said he was overjoyed to have the opportunity to do what he loves.

“When I saw the last episode with Ann-Marie looking at my garden and saying she loved it, I had tears in my eyes because it means such a lot to me. To get that feedback is something you dream of.

“It turned out exactly how I wanted it to and I don’t think I could’ve done anymore.”

Over the course of the four-week competition, the 35-year-old’s enthusiasm grew and his confidence blossomed.

He said: “I think my favourite moment was completing the first cottage garden. I’d never done anything like that before and actually completing a successful water feature made me think for the first time, I can do this.”

And the gracious gardener said he was overwhelmed by the support he received, with the hashtag #RunRobrun trending on Twitter due to Rob dashing about with a wheelbarrow to finish his garden.

“The support has been amazing. One night I had about 400 messages on Twitter and it’s great to see people getting involved, taking more of an interest in gardening and enjoying the show.”

Rob is now helping series winner Sean design his show garden and hopes the programme will help sow further seeds of success for him in the gardening world.

He plans to grow his garden design activities and build a garden in honour of his beloved grandmother, who passed away three years ago.

“I learned so much. It was a once in a lifetime event and fingers crossed something will come of this and I will get to do a lot more gardening design in the future,” he said.