Our In Bloom customer gardening competition celebrates customers who go the extra mile to create beautiful displays of greenery in our communities and to positively impact the local environment. Meet the winners of this year’s competition below!
The winners of In Bloom 2026
This year’s competition was bigger than ever before as we teamed up with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) 
and award-winning garden designer The Beardy Gardener to provided expert guidance for applicants and joined the judging panel alongside two-time In Bloom competition winner Luke Carpenter, our CEO Mark Washer and our Community Investment and Partnerships Manager Marta Rios.
We had a total of 96 applications this year and judges were very impressed by the care, attention to detail and love poured into green spaces across London, Hertford and the South and Southwest by the amazing green-fingered customers who applied. We are delighted to announce and showcase the wonderful winning gardens and gardeners!
There were prizes of £200 vouchers for first place winners, with £100 vouchers for second place and £50 for third place. All winners also received a certificate and trophy with their prize!
Reflecting on this year’s competition, In Bloom Judge Marta Rios said:
"Now in its third year, it is inspiring to see how In Bloom has become so much more than a gardening competition, helping strengthen community connections, reduce isolation and support customers' health and wellbeing. Each year, I leave moved by the customers I have the privilege of meeting and the stories behind their applications. Behind every garden is a story of pride, care and community, highlighting the powerful impact that a sense of belonging can have on people's lives and the important role our customers play in creating vibrant, connected communities. Through initiatives such as In Bloom and our Seed Fund, we are proud to support customers who are committed to making their communities better places to live, helping turn local ideas and passion into lasting positive change."
Meet the winners
Thriving Community Garden award
An award for individual customers or groups who have come together to create and maintain a thriving community garden or shared green space, contributing to the improvement of a communal area and reducing waste and litter. We were looking for inclusive and accessible community participation in visually appealing gardens with undeniable wow-factor and a range of greenery. It was also important to us to see the efforts made to recycle and reduce waste and plastics in these community gardens.
Beverley Murray, one of Bircherley Court's resident gardeners said:
"This garden provides the strength and reason to plant grow and enjoy what tomorrow will bring. I moved into Bircherley court in 2020 with my husband Alan who had Dementia. During lockdown, we spent as much time as possible pottering around and planting seeds in the narrow water gutter along the base of our balcony. Since Alan's passing three years ago, the garden area at Bircherley has been my refuge and happy place. We are totally blessed with our wildlife here. Winning the competition is just beyond all “soapy bubbles” one can blow in the wind …Wonderful!"
Small Garden Innovator Award
An award for individual customers who have creatively utilised smaller gardens, balconies, or indoor spaces to create vibrant green spaces within their homes through the use of hanging baskets, containers, houseplants and more. We were looking for innovative layouts and use of space, healthy well-maintained plants, originality, practicality and sustainable methods.
Winning gardener Rebecca Preston said:
"I have a busy day to day life juggling a family with full-time work, and my balcony garden provides a little area I can sit outside in to take a moment. I start seed sowing in the spring and enjoy the anticipation of watching them grown into fully fledged plants and I love pottering around deadheading in the evening sunshine when the day is done to wind down.
After living in many flats with little to no outdoor space (including through COVID), I now take advantage of being outside as much as I can. My balcony garden really feels like a little haven for the whole family. As we live in a flat it's especially important for my daughter to get involved and learn the value of being outside and enjoying nature. She helps me with sowing the seeds, watering the plants, but her favourite activity is hunting for bugs (both friends and foes!).Small spaces like this really encourage you to be creative and it's exciting to be recognised for what I've achieved with my own small garden. It would be amazing to inspire others with balconies to see what they could also achieve in their small space too!"
Sustainable Garden award
An award is for individual customers who have cultivated eco-friendly, sustainable gardens and green spaces. We were looking for outstanding and creative sustainable solutions, pollinator friendly gardens, recycled elements, homegrown produce, plant diversity and a clear positive impact on the environment.
Sustainable Garden winner Saowanee Warren said:
"Our garden keeps us busy and happy throughout the year, enjoying our harvest of fruit, herbs, vegetables and flowers. We both love plants and gardening, and so we were keen to restore and develop what was an overgrown and neglected space, prior to us creating our garden. Our neighbours also enjoy how the garden looks. We have intentionally brought in a wide and complementary mix of plants.
The feature we’re most proud of is creating an oasis for pollinators. We believe that we all have a responsibility to look after and improve the local wildlife. Every month of the year there are plants that we have grown purposefully to attract wildlife. We have introduced many plants that are bee and butterfly friendly. We are overjoyed to have been selected as the winner of the Sustainable Garden Innovator category. Winning the competition enables us to further improve our garden for future years and reinvest!"
Home Garden In Bloom award
An award celebrating vibrant private green spaces created by individual customers, that add beauty and biodiversity to the local area while showcasing some 'best-practice' gardening skills. We were looking for diverse green spaces with co-ordinated designs, a great use of space, creative personal touches and impressive maintenance standards.
Rachel Knight won first place and said:
"My garden really is my happy place. It’s somewhere I can escape to switch off from work and daily stresses and just be me. I love knowing that there is always something to look forward to, whether it’s seeing a plant come into flower, creating something new from something old, or simply sitting with a drink and watching the birds, bees, and butterflies.I know how lucky we are to having a garden, and I never take it for granted. My Mum has been a huge inspiration to me as her love of gardening has rubbed off on me. Her influence has encouraged me to try new things and to be creative.
Winning this competition means so much to me. Gardening gives me enormous pleasure, so having something I love doing recognised in this way feels very special. I hope it also shows that a lovely garden doesn’t have to be perfect or expensive. Ours has grown and changed over the 18 years we’ve lived here, using plants I’ve propagated or been given from friends or family, things we’ve recycled and upcycled and lots of love and imagination. I also love how the garden connects us with our community. Being outside, chatting to neighbours as they pass and sharing the garden with family and friends is all part of what makes it so special to me. Winning is the icing on the cake and something I am incredibly proud of."
Congratulations to all our winners for their hard work, creativity and dedication! Your beautiful gardens have helped brighten our communities, and we hope you enjoy your prizes and continue to make your green spaces flourish.
We welcome all customers to take part in our future community projects and initiatives like this which will be announced on our website, social media and in our customer newsletters. If you have an idea for a project you’d like to bring to life in your community, please contact our Community Investment and Partnerships team by emailing community.investment@sng.org.uk