Better Homes And Gardens Competition Winners 2021

2021 Garden Competition Winners Announced 08Aug

This Summer saw Gloucester City Homes' (GCH) Sixteenth Annual Garden Competition and it was a popular way to showcase local residents hard work on their gardens throughout the summer period and prove that Gloucester has the most beautiful gardens!

Each year the competition celebrates the hard work and pride that people put into their gardens which makes Gloucester's communities more vibrant and beautiful places to live. All types of gardens are encouraged to enter and this year saw a wide range of gardens from newly transformed gardens, balconies and small spaces and communal gardens.

The virtual competition was a success with 14 entries and nearly 400 votes cast online. There were lots of amazing entries but only 4 awards given which were chosen by both the Public and GCH staff.

We are pleased to announce this year's winners as:

Winner – Catarina from Matson

Taking the overall prize with an impressive 91 votes is Catarina from Matson. Catarina's garden has won the competition for the past two years and she has since carried out the planting of more beautiful flowers and vegetables, as well as creating a colourful seating area. Catarina has also created a gardening group on Facebook which now has over 700 members where members can organise trades, ask questions and share tips about gardening.

The garden incorporates upcycling and a lot of items have been handmade including seating, a bar area and planters. The garden is a testimony to Catarina's hard work and imagination and it has been brilliant to see the garden developing over the past 3 years.

Runners Up – Lee-Anne from Matson and Marissa from Hardwicke

As the votes were so close there are two Runners Up this year. Firstly, Lee-Anne from Matson who has transformed her balcony into a colourful haven to sit and relax, buying all of the plants and the rug from local supermarkets, her son has helped by making the planter and upcycling a palette to make the shelving. Lee-Anne is very proud of the space which has a great view of the ski slope and proves that you can transform a space no matter how small.

The next Runner up is Marissa from Hardwicke who gained an excellent 41 votes from the public. Marissa has created a vegetable patch as well as a wildlife pond in her garden and has surrounded them by colourful flowers. Marissa aims to encourage her children to get involved with and enjoy the wildlife in the garden as well as growing and eating their own home-grown food whilst leaving some space for playing.

GCH Favourite Winner – Roy from Robinswood

The winner of our 'GCH's Favourite Garden' in this year's competition is awarded to Roy from Robinswood who maintains the gardens at Independent Living Scheme Broom House. The colourful garden which spans around the front and back of the scheme looks amazing and is enjoyed by not only residents but the local community. Although the weather has not been the best for gardeners this year, the garden looks magnificent and is a real labour of love by Roy.

Anita Pope, Director of Housing & Communities at GCH said, "A huge thank you to all of this year's entrants and congratulations to all the winners. We are thrilled to see so many people taking an interest in gardening and taking pride in their gardens and outdoor spaces. We are already looking forward to seeing the gardens progress and to see more entries next year."