Tips for Britain in Bloom

The 2015 finalists have been announced, the days are getting longer and the sun is making an ever more frequent appearance – meaning that In Bloom groups all over the UK will be working hard on their entries in preparation for judging in July and August.

At Amberol, we feel passionately about the competition and so in 2014 we produced a free booklet with tips for putting together a successful entry. Whilst we don’t have room for all 50 tips, here are a few suggestions.

Know the criteria

When entering any competition, it is important to know what the key success criteria are and what the judges are looking for. Full guidelines and a breakdown of the competition mark scheme in the form of a downloadable pdf can be found on the RHS website. However, to summarise, the competition is judged on three main criteria:

Have an action plan

Although judges’ visits take place in the summer, ideally initiatives should be planned all year round. Looking at the judging criteria may generate some ideas about what needs doing in your community. Walk around the area to try and see things with a fresh pair of eyes – which places are an eyesore and in need of attention? Where offers great potential for additional planting, creating wild areas or community gardens?

Don’t re-invent the wheel

Visit other communities of varying sizes with differing challenges to see what they have done, as well as private and public gardens, parks etc. to see a variety of planting schemes, designs and layouts. Your entry should be specific to your community’s needs, but you may get some valuable inspiration from what others are doing – or not doing. The RHS provides useful examples of case studies and competition entries on their website, and most groups love to share what they are doing with like-minded people.

For the complete selection of tips, contact us today at info@amberol.co.uk – but hurry as copies are running out fast!