The entries for Westfield Front Garden Competition have been submitted, the judging has taken place and we are delighted to announce that the winners are: Mr and Mrs Preston in Glebelands for ‘Best Front Garden’ and Mrs J. Chant at Kestrel Place for ‘Best Container’.

Mrs Preston said that their winning garden was the result of making use of a lot of water that had been saved from use in the house. The judging was done by Dave Vallance of Bath College, Somer Valley Campus. There were five criteria in each category.

For the front gardens, the criteria was ‘initial impact’, ‘structure’, ‘use of aspect and space’; ‘flower colour and use of plants’, ‘quality of plant care and general health’ and ‘potential all-year interest’. It was noted that conditions this year have been very difficult, with the lack of rain and the intense heat making it a challenge to keep any garden looking vibrant.

There was a winner, however, and that winner had a garden with a good choice of well-established plants, despite the conditions. Mr Vallance said: “This garden has an excellent choice of plants, providing colour all-year round, and there is an effective variation of height in a well-thought-out design. The repetition of some plants, especially the tobacco plants, works well with splashes of colour in between. This is a well-established garden that has been maintained with a great deal of care.”

A commendation was given to 42 Nightingale Way, that came, once again, a very close second. Mr Vallance said: “Considering this is a fairly new garden and an unusual shaped plot, this gardener has done a great job of making good use of the plot, with a huge variety of plants and lovely range of height, colour and flower shapes and forms that have made use of every space. This garden will get even better with time. As every gardener knows, a great garden is not made overnight!”

For the container category, the criteria was ‘initial impact’, ‘use of plants and colour’, ‘presentation, balance and symmetry’, ‘quality of plant care and general health’ and ‘potential for long-term display’.

The winner of the container category had what the judge described as: “An unusual choice of plants that worked very effectively. Each individual container was very good and the overall effect very pleasing. There was a simple selection of plants and the containers matched the colours of the flowers well, creating an excellent initial visual impact.”

A commendation was given to 36 Waterside Way for their containers that were very nicely arranged. Mr Vallance said: “There was a good use of repetition of colour and style of plant that, altogether, gave a truly harmonious effect which was very tasteful.”