Islington in Bloom - Entries Open May 3rd. Closing Date June 7th

 

Islington’s favourite gardening competition is open for another year, enabling gardeners of all abilities to get growing to help create a cleaner, greener, healthier borough.

 

The 21st edition of the competition is going to be bigger and better than ever, and we are keen to involve as many of Islington’s diverse communities as possible. Everyone can get involved – people don’t need to have any experience, or even a garden! 

 

The competition is open for entries from May 3^rd until Friday 7^th June – read on to find out how you can get involved. 

 

Islington is one of London’s most densely populated boroughs with the least amount of green space – so we need to make the most of every available space. We want Islington to be cleaner, greener, and healthier, and our gardening competition is a great way for us to reimagine our shared spaces together and make this happen. Gardening has many benefits for people and the environment:  

 

• It raises our spirits by making our shared spaces more beautiful. 

• It makes Islington more attractive to pollinators and other wildlife.  
• It supports biodiversity and helps protect our environment. 
• It brings people together and is great for health and wellbeing.  
• It’s fun! 

 

All entries are welcome.   

  

To find out more about this year’s competition, meet the judges and get advice on what makes a great entry, come along to the Islington Gardeners Plant Sale at Olden Community Garden, Whistler Street, N1 1NJ on Sunday 28^th April, 2 – 4pm where we’ll be sowing seeds, potting plants, offering advice and selling plants.

 

This year, we have arranged two free talks / workshops to build your knowledge and skills:

 

On Sunday 5^th May we welcome horticulture lecturers and authors, Christine and Mick Lavelle to the Islington Ecology Centre. Mick and Christine will be talking about how to make your garden more wildlife friendly and the importance of sustainable soil management. Booking is essential – More details and free tickets available here: Islington in Bloom Talk: Wildlife friendly gardening Tickets, Sun, May 5, 2024 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite

 

On Sunday 12^th May, Camden based rewilding gardener, John Welsh will run a tree pit gardening workshop at the Ecology Centre. John will share advice & tips on creating a tree pit garden, species selection, maintenance and management. Booking is essential – More details and free tickets available here: Islington in Bloom Talk: Tree Pit Gardening Tickets, Sun, May 12, 2024 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite

 

Details of the competition:

 

03^rd May 2024 – 07 June 20234                                            

 

There are lots of categories to enter – whether you’re keen to transform your front garden, your window sill, or a community garden in your local park. You can enter as an individual, a community group, street or a business. Simply fill in the online entry form and submit 2 photos via the Islington In Bloom webpage here: Islington Council: Islington in Bloom | Islington Council – Entry form will be available from May 3^rd.

 

The categories for 2024 are: 

 

• Best community garden (large community gardens, community centres with staff etc)
• Best park (groups gardening in public open spaces)
• Best estate (estate gardening groups, residential care homes etc)
• Best children's planting (category for schools, children's centres, and projects led by children)
• Best edible garden (food growing)
• Best window garden
• Best container garden (majority of plants growing in containers)
• Best front garden (majority of plants growing in the ground)
• Best tree pit garden
• Best blooming business
• Best street (residents groups gardening eg multiple front gardens, series of tree pit gardens, on street planters, parklets, etc)
• Best hidden gem (private spaces ie back gardens, roof terraces etc)

 

There are fantastic prizes to be won: 

 

• All entrants receive a voucher for a free bag of compost from Camden Garden Centre  
• The first, second and third place in each category receive a Garden Centre Gift Voucher
• Everyone receives an award certificate 

 

You can get more inspiration via the @IslingtoninBloom Instagram page, which shows gardening tips, fun facts and some the previous year’s entries.

 

Islington in Bloom would not be possible without the competition’s sponsors, so we would like to extend a warm thank you to:

 

• Angel Central
• Camden Garden Centre
• N1 Garden Centre 
• Islington Council’s Housing Department
• Islington Gardeners
• The Islington Society
• NSL
• Partners for Improvement in Islington
• Warwick Landscaping
• Active Landscapes
• Thor's Trees
• Marlborough Highways
• Holloway Park 
• The Angel Association

 

Happy gardening and we look forward to seeing your entries!!