Housing association residents and staff have created a pioneering front garden being unveiled at this week’s Kent County Show.

The new Sittingbourne-based AmicusHorizon garden aims to shatter the perception of what a social housing garden often looks like. Show visitors will be able to compare it with a more typical plot of similar size, underlining the transformation that can be achieved without spending a lot of money.

The new garden features herbs, salads and vegetables, a small fruit tree, fragrant flowers and a bench.

Beth Williams, Kent resident and chairman of the AmicusHorizon Residents’ Council, said: “Half of the showcase garden will display how some people think a social housing garden looks – unkempt and full of weeds. But the reality is many AmicusHorizon residents have amazing front gardens they can be really proud of. So the other half of the showcase will display the reality of what can be created with a bit of hard work.”

This is the first time a housing association has put on a display like this at the Kent County Show, which opens on Friday and continues on Saturday and Sunday..

Contractor Blenwood Grounds Maintenance, and David and Sallie Shaw, who are AmicusHorizon residents and judges of the Swale in Bloom contest, worked on the project, alongside Mary Howard, AmicusHorizon’s chair of Kent Repairs and Management Programme (RAMP) and Nikita Robinson, Resident Liaison Officer for Kent. Children from The Abbey School in Faversham also shared ideas and contributed to the design.

Shaun Morris, head of estate services at AmicusHorizon, said: “Visually the garden will look amazing, but it can be replicated by any of our residents who have a front garden. Hopefully this will inspire them.” He added that residents without gardens were encouraged to take ideas from the showcase garden to use on their balconies and window sills.

Meanwhile, the association’s Innovation for Renewal (IFORE) team which has established an international sustainability project at Rushenden that aims to cut residents’ energy use by 80%, will also be exhibiting at the County Show. They will showcase “smoothie bikes” that will offer visitors the chance to make an energy efficient fruit smoothie drink via pedal power.

AmicusHorizon is one of the largest housing associations in South East England, with 28,000 homes in Kent, East Sussex, Sussex West, Surrey and South London,??It has assets of £1.196 billion, an annual turnover of £151.7m and reserves of £35.3.