I was very pleased to be invited to take part as a judge for Englefield’s annual Best Kept Village Garden competition, which is part of the annual Englefield Flower Show, having viewed the event last year.
Most of the gardeners who entered last year entered again this June, so I enjoyed seeing the differences in their gardens.
For many people, their gardens are informal places for relaxation so they don’t necessarily think about entering them in a competition, but I would strongly encourage people to enter the competition; it’s not only a chance to showcase your garden but pick up tips and ideas.
In addition to judging the horticultural skills employed, I was looking at the variety of plants in the gardens and whether they were planted in the correct place with regards to growing requirements. I was also looking at the visual interest of the gardens in terms of plants and garden structures, and whether the garden was divided into formal areas, growing areas, compost and propagating sites.
It was interesting to see if they were family-focussed gardens or designed more with socialising in mind.
All the gardens were of a very high standard and it was incredibly difficult to choose a winner, who will be announced at the flower show at the primary school playing fields on Saturday, July 14th.
I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and came away with a few ideas for my own garden and the Englefield Estate gardens!
Sue Broughton