Annual Front Garden Competition 2025

Front Garden Competition and What the Judges Are Looking For

Are you pleased with your plans for how your front garden is coming along? Do you like making a display of pots and containers for the summer, or looking after a full and cheerful hanging basket? Every summer Bishops Waltham in Bloom holds its annual front garden competition, when two judges (who are not from Bishops Waltham!) go round the town looking at the competition entries at a private property for:

  • Best Hanging Basket
  • Best Display
  • Best Front Garden
  • Best Street
  • Best Part Street

And at commercial premises for:

  • Best Hanging Baskets
  • Best Display.

We think it might help if we clarify for entrants what the judges are looking for.

In private gardens, the hanging basket needs to be planted up with healthy, well-cared for plants, and have a balanced shape and floral impact. You don’t have to have planted up the basket yourself but you do need to have looked after it for six weeks or so. The judges will be looking at just one basket, so if you have more than one, we’d like you to indicate (with a ribbon or something similar) which one is to be judged.

In the Best Display category, you can have some fun! The judges will want to see at least three containers, which can all be different sizes and shapes, displayed together to make an eye-catching, colourful and interesting group with lots of impact. This category could also consist of some imaginative ideas for planting up a feature such as a wheelbarrow or a bicycle. The main point here is that this is a floral display which is not planted in the ground.

The Best Front Garden category widens the scope to include more than floral, so as well as colour and flowers it can feature shrubs and even trees. If there’s a lawn it should be neatly mown with clear-cut edges (unless it is part of a wild garden). Please note that if a front garden cannot be seen from the road, access will be needed on the morning of Friday 11th July, when the judging will take place.

In the categories for the commercial premises, the hanging baskets will be judged as a whole, whether there is one basket or many. And the display category is the same as for the private premises, ie a clever and colourful display of containers.

The size of your front garden or your driveway or your courtyard doesn’t matter – it’s all a question of enhancing not only how your premises looks but also how your street looks and how lovely Bishops Waltham looks! If you’d like to take part, please contact Jacky Kippenberger, j.kippenberger@btinternet.com for an entry form. All entry forms will need to be completed and returned to her by 30th June. Judging will then take place on Friday 11th July, and all competitors will be invited to our BBQ which is held at the end of August. This is when the winners will be announced and the shields and certificates given out. We look forward to hearing you and seeing how lovely you have made our town look for all to enjoy!

CLASSES

PRIVATE PREMISES

A  BEST HANGING BASKET
If there is more than one basket on the premises, please tie a ribbon or something similar to indicate clearly which basket is to be judged.

B  BEST DISPLAY
Have fun with this one! It could be a planted feature (a wheelbarrow or a bicycle, for example) or a combination of planted containers all grouped together. Perfect for a courtyard garden, the judges will be looking for an exciting, colourful floral display not planted in the ground.

C  BEST FRONT GARDEN
This class may include a combination of flowers, shrubs, even trees. The garden can be hidden from the road but must be accessible on the day of judging.

D*  MOST FLORALLY ATTRACTIVE STREET

E*  MOST FLORALLY ATTRACTIVE PART STREET (MIN. 3 PROPERTIES)
Properties need to be adjacent to each other, forming a group, so please name the properties to be judged.

* IF THERE ARE INSUFFICIENT ENTRIES FOR CLASSES D AND E, THEY WILL BE COMBINED

COMMERCIAL PREMISES

F  BEST HANGING BASKET
These will be judged as a whole, whether there is one basket or many

G  BEST DISPLAY
As with Class B, this is a floral display not planted in the ground.

WHAT THE JUDGES ARE LOOKING FOR:
Healthy well-cared for plants; a basket should have a balanced shape and real floral impact; a display should be well balanced and fit together nicely as a whole with a lovely combination of colours. If the front garden has a lawn, it should be mown and have neat edging (unless it is part of a wild garden).

Front Garden Competition entry form 2025

I should like to enter the 2025 Bishops Waltham in Bloom competition in the following classes (please circle those classes entered)

A    B    C    D    E    F    G

PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY

NAME:         —————————————————————————

ADDRESS:   —————————————————————————

—————————————————————————

PHONE:       ———————         EMAIL:———————————————-

I agree that the judges’ decisions will be final.

SIGNED:——————————————————————–

NB …ALL INFORMATION ENTERED ON THIS FORM WILL BE USED EXCLUSIVELY BY BISHOPS WALTHAM IN BLOOM

FORMS TO BE RETURNED by 30th June 2025 to
Jacky Kippenberger j.kippenberger@btinternet.com
7 Charles Hemming Drive, Bishops Waltham, SO32 1QS

JUDGING will take place on Friday 11th JULY 2025