Haringey in Bloom 2023
Haringey in Bloom is our borough’s annual gardening competition to celebrate imaginative, sustainable and beautiful green spaces.
It’s a collaboration between the communities, local businesses, residents and the council so that local people help to shape where they live. That’s why, in addition to celebrating the best private gardens and balconies in the borough, Haringey in Bloom also awards great communal and school gardens, because they all play a major role in transforming the way our streets look and feel and brings people together to do it.
Haringey in Bloom picks out some of the best gardens, window boxes and vegetable plots each year and recognises the great contribution that they make to the local community and environment. Every person that enters is given a pack of free seeds to plant.
The competition runs through the summer, with awards presented to winners in September.
The deadline for entries is 31 July.
In addition, our panel of judges will offer a ‘sustainability bonus’ in each category, that’s extra points for gardens, etc. that help to increase biodiversity, or reduce pollution, or provide other wider benefits.
How to enter
Please email us at resident.involvement@haringey.gov.uk with:
- Your name
- Garden address
- Email address
- Phone number
- Category you would like to enter
- Two photos of your garden or green space (for each category)
- Sustainability benefits that your garden or green space features (more detail below).
The deadline for entries is 31 July 2023.
Join the Haringey in Bloom WhatsApp community (external link).
Schools
If you are entering the category for schools, please let us know in your email what role pupils are playing in the creation and maintenance of the garden – as well as how the garden promotes learning and life skills. Our panel will award extra points for gardens that bring some of these benefits.
Sustainability bonus
In our scoring, we give extra points to gardens that bring 3 or more of the sustainability benefits set out here:
Minimising plastic, energy use and resources
- Reducing single-use plastics
- Using non-plastic or recycled materials (pots, planters, mesh, etc)
- Using rainwater or greywater
- Using homemade compost
- Composting garden waste
Creating bee and bird-friendly habitats
- Bee-friendly planting - visit the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) page on plants to attract bees (external link).
- Wildlife-friendly planting - visit the RHS page on plants to attract wildlife (external link).
Increasing plant diversity
- A mix of plants is ideal for pollinators, with native species included - visit the RHS page on plants to attract pollinators (external link).
- Native wildflowers - visit the RHS page on native wildflowers (external link).
Improving climate-resilience
- Drought-tolerant species - visit the RHS page on drought-tolerant plants (external link).
- Rain gardens - visit the RHS page on rain gardens (external link).
- Depaving: gardens that open up the ground to improve drainage (by removing a paving slab/s or concrete).
Growing edible plants
- Edible flowers - visit the RHS page on edible flowers (external link).
Competition categories
Our panel will score all categories on imaginativeness, sustainability and visual impact:
- Front garden
- Back garden
- Balcony
- School and nursery*
- Vegetable plot
- Hanging basket or window box
- Community group garden
- Supported housing communal garden
- Business
* Gardens in the school and nursery category will be awarded extra points for pupil involvement and learning.
For more information, please contact resident.involvement@haringey.gov.uk
Haringey in Bloom winners 2022
Back garden silver winner
Front garden gold winner
Front garden silver winner
See some of the other entrants to the Haringey in Bloom 2022 competition
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