Warwick in Bloom goes digital with an 'at home' year

With garden centres and nurseries reopened this week, Warwick in Bloom has announced the launch of this year’s competition.

Organised by Warwick Town Council, this year’s competition has been retitled ‘Warwick in Bloom from Home’ and has switched to an email-based entry and judging format to enable the annual contest to proceed while observing social distancing under current coronavirus guidelines.

Warwick in Bloom from Home is open to residents or any business with a CV34 postcode.

The categories for the digital format of this year’s event have been simplified into four areas:

Category 1: Gardens

The Gardens category is open to gardens of any size – small gardens, large gardens, front gardens, or back gardens.

Category 2: Children’s Planting

The Children’s Planting category features two sub-categories: one for the Under 8-years old and one for the over 8-years old.

The In Bloom team especially welcomes entries that show

gardening or planting projects worked on by youngsters while at home during the restricted access to schools and social clubs.

Category 3: Container Planting

The Container Planting category covers hanging baskets, window boxes, tubs and planters – and this year also welcomes indoor container planting, such as herb pots on a windowsill, to

provide those without outdoor space to participate.

Category 4: Community Planting

The Community category is for collaborative planting – for streets, community-living gardens and other shared places – where multiple people have contributed, in line with social distancing, to make a shared space look its best.

Cllr Richard Eddy, chair of community culture at Warwick Town Council said: “Warwick in Bloom is an event that our green-fingered community looks forward to every year, providing them with a sense of reward for their time and attention to green spaces and horticultural achievements.

"Normally, the In Bloom team spends time visiting entrants’ homes, schools and gardens throughout the town to judge their planting, but that isn’t practical this year under current Coronavirus guidelines.

"However, we remain passionate in regard to celebrating our entrants’ planting and blooms this year and so, for 2020, we’ve switched to an email-based submission and judging format, so we can see and understand what everyone’s green fingers have worked on during lockdown.

"Get planting, get growing and happy blooming.”

From now through to the beginning of July, entrants are invited email photos and/or a video to show their planting and growing achievements.

Warwick in Bloom from Home also welcomes the inclusion of any written background information about entrants’ planting, especially if working on a green project has provided a 'welcome distraction' through the current restrictions.

Entries can be submitted from now through until the competition’s closing date on July 10 by emailing [email protected] with photos sent as attachments, along with

information stating which category is being entered and any supporting background information.

Further information is also available at www.warwicktowncouncil.gov.uk/warwick-in-bloomFor anyone who wishes to enter but does not have access to email, please call Warwick Town Council on 01926 411694 for support.