Your Gardens
| Latest News: The main categories in the competition are now closed for entries, but you've still got until August 25th to enter your tallest sunflower!!! |
Welcome to Your Gardens, the local gardening competition, organised by Bracknell Forest Borough Council, generously sponsored by the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP) and with media support from the Bracknell Forest Standard.
The Aim of the Competition - Categories
- How to enter
- Judging Process
- Judging Criteria
- Discretionary Awards
- Your Gardens Awards
- Important Dates
The Your Gardens Competition recognises the efforts of the community in enhancing the local landscape and providing a quality environment. The action by the community links in with the Council's commitment to sustainable development and improving the visual environment.
The competition aims to:
- Support the Bracknell Flowers campaign through partnership
- Improve the appearance of Bracknell Forest
- Promote positive environmental behaviour
- Develop community pride
- Encourage wildlife
As always, the emphasis is on participation not competition!
- Best Front Garden
This includes balconies and containers gardens. All entries must be visible from a road or footpath. - Best Community/Neighbourhood Garden
This includes communal areas, community centres, churches, parish offices and so on. If you are part of a winning team let us know! - Best Commercial Premises
We are calling on all local businesses, pubs, shops, and offices to make the most of your outdoor spaces and gain some valuable publicity for your efforts! - Best Children's Garden (Individual)
If you’re a budding gardener then this is the one for you. Gardens have to be created by children but can be any size, from a postage stamp sized patch to a whole landscape! Children must be under 16. - Best Children’s Garden (Group)
If you are part of a gardening club or team, put your horticultural skills to the test and be in with a chance of winning some great prizes. Children must be under 16. - Tallest Sunflower
This category is a bit of fun for everyone! Judged purely on height, sunflowers will be measured in early September.
There is a range of different categories for every type of garden and gardener!
The Your Gardens Competition has now closed to new entries with the exception of entries into the Tallest Sunflower category, which will remain open for entries until 25 August.
If you would like to be entered onto the mailing list for next year's Your Gardens Competition then send your contact details, including your address, to yourgardens@bracknell-forest.gov.uk or call us on 01344 352000.
The judging process applies to all categories except for the Tallest Sunflower Category.
- Questionnaire
If you are completing a paper entry form, we will send you a questionnaire so that you can provide us with supporting information. The questionnaire is your opportunity to tell us about aspects of your garden or gardening practice that might not be immediately apparent from viewing the garden. If you are entering online, you can give us this information on the entry form itself. 
Preliminary judging
We visit all gardens and score them against the judging criteria below and take photographs. No appointments are made for visits and no prior warning is given. The only exception to this is the Children’s Garden category where we do arrange visit times.- Shortlisting
On the basis of the completed forms, questionnaires and the preliminary judging scores, entries are shortlisted to proceed to final judging. - Final judging
Final judging is done by committee at the end of July. The results are announced at the awards ceremony in September. - Tallest Sunflower Category
Once we receive your completed application form we ask you to send us the measured or estimated height of your sunflower by a date towards the end of August. We visit and verify the height of the tallest five sunflowers in early September.
All entries, except for the Tallest Sunflower Category, are judged against the following criteria:
- Quality of floral display -
Colour, form, composition, and horticultural practice. - Quality of permanent planting -
Variety, year-round interest, and scent. - Quality of design / use of space -
Imagination, use of colour, and depth. - Contribution to the visual environment -
impact on streetscene. - Environmental consideration -
Use of native plants, encouragement of wildlife, water conservation, peat free, chemical free, composting, and energy conservation.
In addition to the main category winners, there are a number of judges' discretionary awards up for grabs! They are as follows:
- Best Floral Display
- Best Use of Space
- Best Wildlife Garden (native plants, habitat creation, presence of wildlife)
- Most Environmentally-friendly Garden (careful use of water, composting, peat and chemical free)
- Best Community Team Working
- Most Innovative Design
The Your Gardens Awards is held in September to which all entrants are invited. Prizes are awarded and a good time is had by all!
- 31 March 2008 - launch of competition and entry forms available
- 13 June - closing date for entries (except for Tallest Sunflower category)
- End of June - preliminary judging
- End of July - final judging
- 25 August - deadline for Tallest Sunflower competition
- Early September - measuring sunflowers
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