RHS Britain in Bloom champions crowned in the greenest-ever UK Finals
One of four brick signature flowerbeds with sustainable and drought resistant plants is seen at the entrance to the town. Sept 21, 2022 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Amersham is a Britain in Bloom 2022 finalist. ..Photograph by RHS/Suzanne Plunkett
The RHS Britain in Bloom UK Finals returned today after a two year absence, with an increased focus on the environment.
The 45 finalists from across the UK, who were nominated to the Finals after impressing the judges in their regional and national competitions, rose to the challenge of limiting their environmental impact, with more water butts, recycled materials and drought-tolerant species than ever before in their displays.
In addition to being awarded a gold, silver gilt, silver or bronze medal, groups compete in categories including town, village and Business Improvement District, to be named overall category winners, and can be nominated for a series of discretionary awards by a panel of judges.
Amersham in Buckinghamshire took the top prize, being crowned overall winner alongside securing a gold medal and winning their category (Town), wowing judges with their stunning sustainable displays, innovative projects and engagement with the community. The town also scooped the Sustainability Award for their holistic approach to planet-friendly horticulture, ensuring there were flowering varieties year-round, swapping out short lived annuals and increasing wildflowers in the town by 30%.
Category winners also included:
Dunstable in Bedfordshire (Large Town) that featured green roofs on bus shelters that withstood this summer’s extreme temperatures and a rain garden planted with perennials that acts as a local flood protection system;
North Berwick in Scotland (Coastal) who planted perennial shrubs to cope with harsh maritime conditions, removed bags of invasive cineraria from the sand dunes and installed 15 troughs of herbs and vegetables for the community to pick; and
Rochdale in Greater Manchester (Small City) who planted over 3,000 trees, created three wildflower meadows and brightened alleyways with colourful planting. The group has engaged a wide variety of groups in gardening in the community, including hospices, mosques, schools and businesses.
Other winners on the night included Danny Poland from the Cumbrian village of Irthington, competing in the competition for the first time. Danny won the competition’s Young Champion Award, as he and his team combatted this summer’s dry weather with his inventive ‘hydration station’ – a bicycle towing a water butt.
Kingsbridge in Devon won the Award for Horticultural Excellence, with their plants exceptionally well cared for and still in prime condition at the end of summer, including their eye catching tranquillity trail.
Darren Share, Chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, said: “Congratulations to all the finalists for putting on such impressive displays this year while embracing sustainable horticulture. We enjoyed seeing the forward-thinking ways groups are working to make their planting more resilient to climate change and also contributing to carbon reduction in their communities.
“Amersham were well-deserving winners, with their stunning horticulture backed up with a holistic approach to benefiting nature and the environment.”
Rachel de Thame, presenting the awards, commented: “It has been fantastic to celebrate gardening groups from across the UK who contribute so much to their communities. From helping wildlife, to engaging young people in the power of plants and helping grow a green future, all of the volunteers work tirelessly to create areas local people can be proud of. Britain is most certainly blooming.”
Winners were presented with their trophies at the RHS Britain in Bloom 2022 awards ceremony, held this afternoon in London, and unveiled to the public on BBC One’s The One Show.
Full results of the RHS Britain in Bloom 2022 UK Finals can be found at www.rhs.org.uk/get-involved/community-gardening/news/articles/bloom-awards-results
