Community gardeners battle to win RHS medals
The RHS Britain in Bloom finalists 2024 – all 52 of them – will be competing for honours in the 60th anniversary year of the UK’s biggest gardening competition.
The finalists compete in 11 categories to compete for RHS gold, silver gilt, silver or bronze awards. One category winner goes on to win RHS Britain in Bloom Overall Winner for 2024. Judges assess each group on improving the local environment, community engagement and horticultural excellence.
In the Small City category is Bath in Bloom, the first winner of the competition in its inaugural year. Celebrating sustainability, the group grow their plants in-house to ensure quality and variety. They take cuttings of native plants from locations across the city to grow in their dedicated nursery.
RHS Britain in Bloom finalists 2024 – first-time finalists
First-time UK finalist Wreay in Bloom, in Cumbria, is proud to represent their rural village. Community and heritage have always been paramount to the group. A focus on planet-friendly gardening takes centre stage through the building of community herb gardens in donated raised beds.
Bringing people together and making gardening accessible to all remain strong themes. Haywards Heath Town is working with schools, girl guides and scouts. This is to try and ensure that children get a quarter of their daily activity through gardening. Blooming Milford is planning a Flower and Produce Show for the first time in 30 years.
Kay Clark, RHS Community Development Manager, said: “While planting trends may change and environmental practices evolve, the belief that plants and communal green spaces are important for creating healthy and happy communities endures. Britain in Bloom groups enhance the local environment, share skills and knowledge, and create opportunities to improve local wellbeing. In this anniversary year, we’ve chosen the theme of friendship, to highlight how community gardening can bring people together.”
Friendship flower seeds
The RHS will be sharing ‘friendship flower seeds’ to Britain in Bloom groups. More than 2 million flowers, including sweet peas, cosmos, nigella, gypsophila, rudbeckias and zinnias will be sown and planted by Bloom groups. These will create spectacular displays of cut flowers for everyone to enjoy.
There are 17 Bloom regions that all hold their own Bloom competitions. The highest-performing entries compete in the UK finals. Each of the finalists will be visited by a pair of Britain in Bloom judges in the summer. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in the autumn.
To learn more about community gardening in your area, visit www.rhs.org.uk/community.
RHS Britain in Bloom Finalists 2024 and categories
| Village: | |
| Bedfordshire | Woburn in Bloom |
| Cumbria | Wreay in Bloom |
| Derbyshire | Blooming Milford |
| Shropshire | Norton in Bloom |
| Lancashire | Chipping in Bloom |
| Tyne and Wear | Washington Village in Bloom Society |
| Ulster | Donaghmore Horticultural Community |
| Yorkshire | Grassington in Bloom |
| Large Village: | |
| Lincolnshire | Great Coates in Bloom |
| Guernsey | Floral Forest |
| Northumberland | Holywell in Bloom |
| Scotland | Lauder in Bloom |
| Somerset | Cannington in Bloom |
| Ulster | Cullybackey Community Partnership |
| Wales | Saundersfoot in Bloom |
| Yorkshire | Roberttown in Bloom |
| Small Town: | |
| Essex | Frinton in Bloom |
| Gloucestershire | Stonehouse in Bloom |
| Ulster | Tidy Randalstown |
| Town: | |
| Merseyside | Ainsdale in Bloom |
| Scotland | Forres in Bloom |
| Northamptonshire | Upton in Bloom |
| Somerset | Glastonbury in Bloom |
| Yorkshire | Todmorden in Bloom |
| Large Town: | |
| Anglia | St. Ives in Bloom |
| Greater Manchester | Altrincham in Bloom |
| Northumberland | Cramlington |
| West Sussex | Haywards Heath Town Council |
| Somerset | Yeovil in Bloom |
| Wales | Colwyn |
| Small City: | |
| Leicestershire | Loughborough in Bloom |
| Staffordshire | Burton in Bloom |
| Hampshire | Gosport in Bloom |
| Somerset | Bath in Bloom |
| City: | |
| London | London Borough of Havering |
| Scotland | Bonnie Dundee |
| Wales | Wrexham in Bloom |
| Coastal: | |
| Jersey | Parish of St. Helier |
| Lancashire | Heysham Flower Power Heysham Village |
| Scotland | North Berwick in Bloom |
| East Sussex | Bexhill in Bloom |
| Urban Community: | |
| Staffordshire | Winshill in Bloom |
| London | Hale Village London Ltd |
| Greater Manchester | Spotland and Falinge |
| BIDs: | |
| Hertfordshire | Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council |
| Cumbria | Ulverston Business Improvement District |
| London | Team London Bridge |
| Devon | InExeter |
| Town Centres & City Centres: | |
| London | Canary Wharf Management Limited |
| Greater Manchester, | Rochdale in Bloom – Rochdale Town Centre |
| Dorset | Shaftesbury in Bloom |
| Surrey | Farnham in Bloom – Farnham Town Council |
