Over 120 roads nominated in community competition’s ninth year
June heralds the annual BS4 Good Gardens competition where a host of volunteer judges take to the streets of St Anne’s, Brislington and Knowle to admire, critique and hand out awards to fellow residents whose front gardens have met the winning criteria.
Residents were asked to nominate their road to be judged and in turn agree to volunteer to judge another road in the district. This year over 120 roads have been nominated to take part. Judging criteria includes:
Does the garden promote healthy living? Has the gardener made good use of their different circumstances and limitations? Does the garden exhibit a good use of colour, plant texture and shape? Is this garden likely to be attractive to wildlife e.g. appropriate plants with flowers, fruit or berries for feeding birds and insects?
If the judges decide that the garden meets any of these suggestions the resident is awarded a window sticker. Photos of winning gardens are then shared on the BS4 Good Gardens Facebook page. A winner of winners is chosen at random after all judging is completed. They win a meal for two at The Knowle pub. All winning households also qualify for a discount at local another local business, Hatcher Flooring by displaying the sticker in their window.
Now in its ninth year, the idea behind the competition was hatched in 2015 by local resident Ruth Drury,m seeking to bring together the local community through a shared love of gardening, even in the smallest of spaces or window boxes, and to encourage everyone to contribute to making the local area attractive, wildlife and environmentally friendly, and pleasant to explore. For the last few years, BS4 Good Gardens has been organised by local resident Laura Chamberlain.
Laura said, “Special thanks go to Hatcher Flooring, The Knowle Pub, ER&B Print and individual donors for their support in helping the event go ahead – and to all the gardeners and volunteer judges, without whom it just wouldn’t happen.”
This year’s award logo was designed by Vic Waugh and leaflets by Charlotte Harris. For more -information, please follow @BS4GoodGardens on Facebook