Three judges have walked the length of Portland Road looking at all the front gardens and commercial buildings to decide which should be the winner of our Portland Road in Bloom Competition 2019. The lucky winner will be given two tickets to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2020.
Our judges started with a list of the gardens and floral decorations that they found most attractive and gradually eliminated them one by one. Eventually they agreed that the winner is the front garden of 325 Portland Road.
They said “A small front garden which always looks very attractive. An additional space with trellis has been created for extra colour. There’s also an arrangement of attractively planted pots. Really welcoming and beautifully kept.”
Congratulations to the green-fingered resident who will be receiving her prize later this year.
Several other gardens and floral arrangements were highly commended. Here are some of the judges’ comments about other gardens:
“Lovely window boxes, baskets and pots even on the side entrance stairs to the first floor. Shows how colour and cheer can be added, allowing for practical uses – use of plants for the way we live now.”
“Lovely little ‘secret garden’, visible only by leaning over the gate. Immaculately kept (not a weed, even between paving stones), lots of colour and all space used, including walls and fences, while still allowing for practical uses.”
“This ex-shop window is a little South Norwood gem. The window is wonderfully creative, with extremely well-established cacti and succulents, as well as a quirky, fun display using all kinds of props and materials. This one is technically not a garden, but is a delight for all – we couldn’t leave it out.”
“Despite running a busy café, the owner always has a colourful, attractive display of plants at the front. This one is the best small business, non-professional planting in Portland Rd.”
“A notable feature of all places with attractive planting was that they were also well-kept, clean and tidy – an achievement in itself, with so much wind-blown litter.”
“Well done to local businesses which use professionally cultivated displays – they also add to the colour and attractiveness of the street frontage as do the shops that use artificial flowers as a window display.”
“Finally, St Luke’s church have recently installed well- proportioned, attractive planters in front of the church in Portland Rd and along the Spring Lane side. There’s also a brand new garden along the front wall, planted with attractive shrubs which will look really lovely from next year.”