Haringey in Bloom 2024

Haringey in Bloom is our borough’s annual gardening competition to celebrate our creative, sustainable and beautiful green spaces.

Gardening is great for your health and wellbeing so it’s a great excuse to get out and give yourself a boost while you brighten up your corner of Haringey too!

In Bloom brings our communities, local businesses and the council together and celebrates how we shape our local spaces. That’s why we include everything from private gardens to window boxes, communal spaces and school gardens in the awards, because they all play a major role in transforming the way our streets look and feel and bring people together too.

Whatever type of space you garden, you are contributing to the local community and environment. So every person that enters In Bloom will be given a pack of free seeds to plant to say thank you.

The competition runs through the summer, with winners announced in September.

The deadline for entries is 31 July 2024.

The panel of judges will offer a ‘sustainability bonus’ in each category – that’s extra points for entries that help to increase biodiversity, reduce pollution, or provide other wider benefits.

Please email us at inbloom@haringey.gov.uk with:

• your name
• garden address
• email address 
• phone number
• category you would like to enter
• two photos of your garden or green space (for each category)
• any sustainability benefits that your garden or green space features - see the sustainability bonus section

The deadline for entries is 31 July 2024.

Our panel will score all categories on creativity, sustainability and visual impact:

Front garden

For residents who have cultivated a beautiful front garden with a variety of flowers, plants, special features, design and layout.

Back garden

For residents who have cultivated a beautiful back garden with a variety of flowers, plants, special features, design and layout.

Mini marvel

Balcony (where permitted), hanging basket or window box – for residents who have used window boxes, baskets, or pots to effectively utilise their space and create a visual display of colour, creatively with design and layout in a miniature space. This may be on their balcony or as part of their garden.

School and nursery

For schools and/or nurseries that have cultivated a beautiful garden and encouraged children and young people’s involvement in and learning about gardening. Gardens in the school and nursery category will be awarded extra points for pupil involvement and learning.

Vegetable plot or greenhouse

For residents who grow fruits and vegetables on their property to showcase the sustainability of food growing and its benefits for health and wellbeing.

Communal garden

For gardens that are shared by a council estate, multi-storey block of flats, or sheltered scheme which is vibrant and has improved the neighbourhood.

Business

For businesses who have cultivated a beautiful garden which is attractive to customers and has a variety of flowers, plants, special features, design and layout.

For more information, please contact inbloom@haringey.gov.uk

If you are entering the category for schools, please let us know in your email what role pupils are playing in the creation and maintenance of the garden – as well as how the garden promotes learning and life skills. Our panel will award extra points for gardens that bring some of these benefits.

In our scoring, we give extra points to gardens that bring 3 or more of the sustainability benefits set out here:

Minimising plastic, energy use and resources

• Reducing single-use plastics
• Using non-plastic or recycled materials (for example: pots, planters and mesh)
• Using rainwater or greywater
• Using homemade compost
• Composting garden waste

Creating bee and bird-friendly habitats

• Bee-friendly planting – visit the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) page on plants to attract bees
• Wildlife-friendly planting – visit the RHS page on plants to attract wildlife 

Increasing plant diversity

• A mix of plants is ideal for pollinators, with native species included – visit the RHS page on plants to attract pollinators
• Native wildflowers – visit the RHS page on native wildflowers

Improving climate-resilience

• Drought-tolerant species – visit the RHS page on drought-tolerant plants
• Rain gardens – visit the RHS page on rain gardens
• Depaving: gardens that open up the ground to improve drainage (by removing a paving slab/s or concrete)

Growing edible plants

• Edible flowers – visit the RHS page on edible flowers

See all of our gardening tips videos.

If you want to read up about gardening, check out our In Bloom booklist at your local library and check-out our council social media channels where we will also be posting ‘top tips’ advice.

All of these titles are widely available in Haringey for library members. Not a member yet – joining is easy!

Use the links to see if the book is in stock or reserve a copy.

Be inspired by some of last year’s entries! Good luck!