Front Garden Competition 2024
For the 10th year the time has come for Westfield Parish Council to recognise the efforts of the Westfield gardeners in making their front gardens especially lovely.
As before, the judging is done at the start of July and, while some plants still have to find their colour or have gone past their best, the gardens of Westfield were looking spectacular. They had to deal with some very stormy weather in the couple of days before the judging and several people commented that some of their plants had been flattened by the rain!
Our judge, Mr Rob Wicke, was, as usual, delighted with the gardens he was asked to evaluate. He said “I’m always pleased to work with the Parish Council to show off the best of the gardens in Westfield. This year’s competition was very close between several gardens and the choice is getting harder each year. This year showed another challenge with the weather being very changeable and a very wet Spring has made it difficult for the gardeners”
The winning garden was that of Mr and Mrs Holcombe of Waterside Road. Mr and Mrs Holcombe have won this competition several times as their garden is always spectacular. Mr Holcombe said “We’re really pleased. We love to see the result of all the hard work that goes into it and it is great to see passers-by slow down and take a look.” Cllr Cooper, Chair of the Environment and Development committee, presented the cups and prize. Of this garden she said “This is an absolutely stunning garden, full of colour, with a nice mixture of very healthy shrubs and flowers.”
The winning container category was won by Mr Ivor Boswell of Fosseway Gardens. This is the first time that Mr Boswell has won the prize and he said “I’m really satisfied that the baskets have been recognised. I bring on all the plants in my greenhouse from February onwards and they create a display for many months. Thank you for the prize from Thomsons of Radstock. It’ll go towards next year’s display!” Cllr Cooper said that the baskets were absolutely outstanding, with the added benefit that they smelled wonderful!”
The prizes were vouchers kindly donated by Thomsons of Radstock and we are very grateful for their continued support.
The Chairman of Westfield Parish Council, Cllr Phil Wilkinson, said “It’s wonderful to see the people of Westfield showing off their front gardens. The number of entries has increased year on year, as has the quality of those entries. The current climate means it’s difficult for gardeners and we congratulate those that have done such a great job.”
Sometimes we have to add a special category while we are judging the competition because a garden may stand out as being different to many of the others. This year the judge asked if we could offer a commendation for the best use of a small space as the front of Sharon Maggs’ home in Upper Court was beautiful. Sharon said “I’m really buzzed. I’ve never won anything before and I get lots of comments about my garden from people who say they just love to see it. This cup will be donated to my 5 year old granddaughter, Erin, who loves to help me with the display.”
It’s been a wonderful year for the competition and we can’t wait for the entries in 2025.
