The aim of this long running competition is to encourage the residents and community of Derby to take pride and improve their immediate and surrounding environment.

The competition is split into categories, each of which promotes and challenges different aspects of environmental enhancement. 

There are 6 categories within the "main" competition

Best Front Garden category

This is all about finding the city’s best front garden. We want to make Derby a more vibrant and attractive city to live in with gardens that create a feel good factor.

The judges will be looking for:

• the best use made of the front garden and good use of different circumstances and any limitations
• the layout and innovative design of the garden, including sensitive use of materials and structures other than plants
• the overall effort invested within the garden
• the use of colours, shapes, textures and contrast
• the health, vigour and suitability of plants, including freedom from weeds
• the visual impact of the garden, does it have the ‘wow’ factor? 

This is about injecting colour into the city and celebrating floral displays - the essence of Derby in Bloom!

To qualify for this category you must have a defined area that is dedicated just to the display of flowers. Examples are: hanging baskets, window boxes, tubs and flower beds. The public must be able to see the floral displays, so only front-of-property entries qualify.

The judges will be looking for:

• the visual impact of the display, does it have the ‘wow’ factor?
• the use of colours, shapes, textures and contrast
• evidence of the quality of maintenance
• the quality and health of plants used, and if they’re free from disease, pests and weeds.

Best Wildlife Garden category

In today’s environmentally aware times this is an important category within Derby In Bloom. We want to encourage gardens that support wildlife. We also want to increase awareness of environmental issues such as recycling and sustainability. For this category, back garden entries qualify.

The judges will be looking for:

• evidence of environmentally sound practices used, for example, composting and water saving systems
• evidence of wildlife in the garden
• the use of native/wild plants.
  

This category is designed to get communities working together; developing and strengthening the local community is a major aspect of Derby in Bloom. The garden must be easy for the community to access at all times; exceptions would be for reasons of security. The definition of ‘community’ can be interpreted in many ways. For example, residents could get together to enter their street, or a community project/ a housing complex with a common area could enter. As long as there’s community involvement, it qualifies.

The judges will be looking for:

• evidence of community involvement and effort in the garden
• a communal garden that is inviting and easy to access for the community
• the visual impact of the garden – the ‘wow’ factor
• the best use made of the garden
• the layout and innovative design of the garden, including the sensitive use of materials and structures other than plants.
  

Best Pub, Café, Restaurant or Hotel category

We want to encourage local businesses to play their part in enhancing Derby and making the city a more attractive environment to socialise in. Derby in Bloom is about visible displays which the community can enjoy so, to qualify for this category, the public must be able to see displays from the front of the premises. This means that beer gardens at the back of premises don’t qualify.

The judges will be looking for:

• the visual impact of the premises – ‘wow’ factor
• the best use made of the display
• the layout and innovative design of premises, including the sensitive use materials and structures other than plants
• the use of colour.
  

We want to encourage local businesses/ traders to play their part in enhancing Derby and making it a more attractive environment to work and live in. To qualify for this category, the public must be able to see displays from the front of the premises.

The judges will be looking for:

• the visual impact of the display – ‘wow’ factor
• the best use made of the display
• the layout and innovative design of premises, including the sensitive use of materials and structures other than plants
• the use of colour.
   

Best Newcomer

We want to encourage people of all abilities who haven’t entered before to take part in the Derby in Bloom initiative. To qualify, it must be the first time you’ve entered the competition. You may enter any of the six categories.

See the 2008 competition results

Back to the main Derby In Bloom page. 

Contact us

For more information contact Derby City Parks.

Telephone Dawn Dagley 01332 716518

Fax 01332 716512

Minicom 01332 256666

email parksadmin@derby.gov.uk