About the competition 
The competition is now in its seventh year and covers more than 200 streets in Ashton, Ashton Vale, Bedminster and Southville.
The competition is coordinated by Southville Community Development Association (SCDA) .
Rules for 2009 competition
- This year we are only undertaking a single round: the distribution of our Good Garden Award posters.
- Front garden can mean balconies, window boxes, containers or hanging baskets for those homes without front gardens.
- Garden must be visible from the street, hidden gardens don’t count.
- The competition is not restricted to domestic gardens, but can include, for example, pubs, businesses, community and public gardens fronting on to the street.
- Try not to crease the certificate as you put it through the letterbox. If you have time, knock on the door and give the certificate to the person directly.
Criteria for Judging
Judges might ask themselves the following questions:
- Does the front garden or frontage make a significant impact upon the street scene?
- Has this gardener made good use of the different circumstances and limitations of the site, (eg large garden, small garden, no garden etc)?
- Is there a ‘wow factor’? Would passers by be likely to pause in admiration as they passed this garden or frontage?
- Does the garden exhibit a good use of colour, plant texture and shape?
- Is there variety and good design, perhaps with a sensitive use of non-plant materials?
- Is this garden likely to be attractive to wildlife, e.g. appropriate plants for feeding birds and insects? (Note: nesting is unlikely to be relevant given the very small size of most gardens).
- Is there evidence that neighbours have co-operated with each other, offered practical help etc, especially to older or disabled people, in order to raise the visual quality of the street?
- Having considered all the above, remember that we are not looking for a small number of the ‘best’ gardens, but to recognise people who have made a reasonable attempt to brighten up the neighbourhood. When in doubt, give it out. In previous years we have found that about one-third of gardens get an award, although this will vary from street to street.
Thanks
We are grateful to the following people for their help with the competition:
- Peter Bird for the ‘Good Garden Award’ design
- Martin Glancy for the design and construction of this website
- Katie Murton for winning plaque design
- Our volunteer judges without whose help the competition could not happen
Contact us
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the Front Garden Competition or the Open Garden Day then contact Ben Barker via the Southville Centre, Beauley Road, Southville, BS3 1QG, (Tel) 0117 9231039 (Fax) 0117 9077198 or email info@southvillecentre.org.uk