Bath In Bloom bring home 60th anniversary award
Bath, the inaugural winners of Britain in Bloom, have been crowned champions in the 60th year of The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) nationwide gardening competition.
There were 52 finalists from across the UK, who made it to the finals after impressing judges in their regional and national competitions, competed to be winner in one of 11 categories, as well as for an RHS award.
The overall winner was awarded to Bath in Bloom, who achieved a gold medal in the Small City category and who first won the competition in its maiden year.
The judges were struck by Bath’s strong emphasis on community and environment and it showed excellent engagement with local schools, facilitating horticultural activities from planting trees to creating raised beds for edibles.
“Bath in Bloom showed not only outstanding horticultural displays but also great dedication to their community and the environment,” says Sarah Galvin, RHS head of national community programmes.
“They were the first ever winners of the competition, 60 years ago, so it’s a great pleasure to be able to crown them champions once again in this special anniversary year.
“Over the past six decades Britain in Bloom has evolved from what many saw as a rural hanging basket competition to a major socio-environmental campaign that is improving villages, towns and cities across the UK.”
Other highlights noted by the judges were the Parade Gardens and the Bath Women’s Institute Garden, with its bench for quiet contemplation and plenty of herbs which are there to be harvested by all.
First-time entrants Wrexham in Bloom, in Wales, won the City category and a gold medal, delighting judges with a balance of annual and perennial displays, including 20 wildflower meadows throughout the city.
Other winners included Forres in Bloom, Scotland, who won the Town category and impressed with outstanding bedding displays, planters and baskets throughout the town.
The Wee FIBbees (the Wee Forres in Bloom bees) were cited as an outstanding example of education with schools, enabling children to grow vegetables, tender perennials and annuals.
Darren Share, chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, adds: “Huge congratulations to all finalists of the 2024 Britain in Bloom competition, especially in this milestone 60th anniversary year.
“Each group demonstrated the creativity, hard work, and commitment to sustainability that Britain in Bloom has championed for six decades.”
Full results of the RHS Britain in Bloom 2024 UK Finals can be found online but elsewhere, the RHS have given the first sneak peak into some of the gardens at next year’s Chelsea Flower Show.