Islington in Bloom

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, or – in the Best Blooming Business category – even as a business.  

The categories for 2023 are: 

• Best Front Garden (with the majority of plants grown in the ground) 
• Best Container Garden (with the majority of plants grown in containers) 
• Best Children's Planting (category for schools, children's centres, and projects led by children) 
• Best Community Garden
• Best Street
• Best Housing Community Gardening (category for estate gardening groups, community centres, and residential care homes) 
• Best Park Community Garden
• Best Blooming Business
• Best Window Box
• Best Tree Pit 
• Best Edible Garden (food growing)
• Children’s Poster Competition (this is only open to schools in Islington - contact us for more information)

The competition will open on Tuesday 4 April, check back here from that date for details on how to enter.

The deadline for entries is 11.59pm Friday 19 May.

You will need:

• Two photos of your entry 
• Your name 
• Your address 
• Your email address 
• Your phone number
• Are you nominating yourself or another project?
• Details of your nomination – or the project you are nominating

Details of the Schools children's poster competition will be announced – along with some exciting news – after the Easter holidays.

Photographs are important to help with judging. Please photograph as much of your planting as you can.

Before you start, wipe your camera lens with a lint-free cloth such as a glasses cloth. Activate HDR or high-resolution mode on your camera app (if applicable).

If possible take your photos from two different angles.

Do not submit photos of individual plants or people.

Often landscape format will help you capture more of your garden than portrait.

Avoid facing directly into the sun when taking photos – often cloudy days can help prevent awkward shadows.

For window boxes and balconies please include a view from the street.

In the past, gardening competitions were all about colourful hanging baskets and neatly trimmed lawns. This year we want to go further, so we have made some changes to the guidelines that will help you make a positive impact on biodiversity in our borough. 

Here are a few things to think about when planning your entry for Islington in Bloom:  

• Is your planting sustainable, with plants that can tolerate drier conditions and perennial plants instead of annual bedding plants? Are you collecting rain water and using mulch to suppress weeds and retain water? Have you used any recycled or upcycled materials? 
• Is it a good place for wildlife? Are there plants that provide food sources for birds, bees and other pollinators? Is there a small wild area for habitat? Is there a bird box or feeder, bug hotel, log pile, or small pond or water feature? 
• Is it attractive? Is there a good mixture of plants? Are there different textures, colours and shapes of leaves? Do you have plants that will provide interest all year round – evergreen shrubs, climbers or trees? 
• Is it well-tended, pruned, watered, and looking healthy? Is the planting suitable and does it work well in its location? 
• Does it include herbs, fruit, or vegetables? 

We are inviting children to create a poster for the 2024 edition of the Islington in Bloom gardening competition. Entries should be submitted by Friday 7 July 2023. Please note that this competition is only open to schools. 

The winning design will be used to help promote next years competition. We are looking for a design which will encourage Islington’s diverse communities, including residents, schools, young people’s centres, community groups and businesses to get involved and make their borough greener, brighter and more wildlife-friendly!

The competition is open to children of all ages and will be judged in the following age categories: 

• Infants (5 years and under)
• Primary (6 – 10 years)
• Secondary (11 – 15 years)

The winners of each category will receive prizes sponsored by Cass Art Islington and a personalised certificate. The overall winner will receive a £50 Cass Art voucher.

To enter, email the following to inbloom@islington.gov.uk:

• The name of your school or young people's centre, its address and postcode; your name, position, phone number and email address; and an alternative contact name. 
• The poster design(s). All documents should be in JPEG or PDF format, and each poster file should be named with the participant’s name, age and school (for example, ‘John Doe, 7 years, sample school’). 

For further information, please contact us on inbloom@islington.gov.uk.

A great poster will:

• include the words ‘Islington in Bloom 2024’ (tip: keep the text in the centre of the design)
• be in a portrait format and feature content which fits the In Bloom theme, such as flowers, trees, fruit and vegetables, gardening, pots, tools, homes, people, birds, insects and other wildlife
• be bright, bold and colourful
• include the child’s name, age and school or young people’s centre in the file name.

Check the website to stay up to date with the competition.  

For gardening tips and fun facts, follow our Instagram account @islingtoninbloom. Here you can also be inspired by the creations of some of last year’s winners. You can also share your work and help us promote the competition by using the hashtags #IslingtonBlooms and #IslingtonInBloom on Twitter and Instagram. 

We will inform entrants of the results by email.