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pictured above: 1. the winning garden design by William McLauchlan of primary 5, St. Catherine's Primary. 2. the pupils of St. Catherine's Primary with our landscaping professionals. 3. Class P4C of Gracemount Primary School with Ms Turnbull. 4. the winning front garden design by pupils Kelsie Grant and Erin Neave of primary 4 at Gracemount Primary School.

Everything’s coming up roses at Cruden Homes’ Edinburgh development - Evolution, thanks to the green fingered pupils from Gracemount and St Catherine’s primary schools, who recently helped plant two new gardens they had designed for the showhome.

Situated within the Gracemount suburb of the capital, Evolution is an innovative development of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and two and three-bedroom homes.

When the company opened the stylish two-bedroom Viceroy showhome towards the end of last year, they wanted beautifully landscaped gardens that would match the property’s stylish interior by IKEA and opened up a design competition to pupils from the development’s neighbouring primary schools.

The children clearly relished the task, as their designs were an inspiring mix – including gardens with their own football pitch, swimming pool complete with slide, tennis court and a river with a feature bridge for ease of access to the back door.

A winning design by William McLauchlan from Miss Holland’s primary five class at St Catherine’s was chosen for the back garden, which included stepping stones, a bird bath and a seating area. An equally impressive entry from Kelsie Grant and Erin Neave from Ms Turnbull’s primary four class at Gracemount Primary was picked for the front of the house, featuring potted plants, a rose garden and a bird house.

Caroline Elliot, sales and marketing manager at Cruden Homes (East), says: “We were overwhelmed by both the number of entries we received and by the imagination of the children. They made it very difficult for us to choose the overall winners.

“The pupils really enjoyed the opportunity to visit the development and take part in translating their school’s winning design into an actual garden. They quite literally ‘mucked in’ to create a beautiful outside space that matches the interior of the showhome. I’m sure we will receive a lot of positive comments and feedback from visitors to Evolution over the coming months.”

A landscaping company working with the children on the gardens saw some promising futures for the pupils, as many made light work of the digging and planting. Several of the children were equally inspired by the landscaper gardeners and also at the prospect of a job where you are allowed to get muddy every day. Gardening can certainly work up an appetite, so in helping to plant the many shrubs and plants that make up the lush new surroundings, the children responsible for the winning designs were each rewarded by Cruden Homes with a large kilogram bar of chocolate.

Gracemount provides an established setting that includes local schools, shops and leisure facilities as well as excellent road and transport links to the city centre and beyond. The area is currently undergoing a substantial regeneration initiative, which Evolution is part of.

Prices at the development are currently released from just £139,000 and a ‘5% deposit match’ scheme provides buyers the opportunity to get their foot on the property ladder with only a small deposit. For further information on Evolution or to visit the new garden at the Viceroy showhome, please call Cruden Homes on 0845 220 2525.

To view more photos of the front garden landscaping by Gracemount Primary School, please click here.

To view more photos of the rear garden installation by pupils of St Catherine's Primary, please click here.