Best Kept Garden Competition 2022 – the results are in!

A little dedication and a lot of devotion has paid off for a group of bpha Retirement Living residents, who have scooped ‘Best Kept Garden’ awards.

There were five awards in total to recognise the different spaces residents have, and individual gardening styles.  Three of the awards were won by Bedford-based residents, who sent in photos and videos to showcase their hard work.

A team of judges had the tricky task of deciding the category winners. They focussed on factors including the health of the plants, and any conservation features such as wildlife habitats, and plants chosen for pollination.

The winners are:

Best Ornamental Garden – Woburn Court, Kempston (Carole and Doreen)

Best Individual Effort – Sir William Harpur House, Bedford (Beverley)

Best Kitchen Garden – Tavistock Court, Bedford (Tim and team)

Carole and Doreen, who won ‘Best Ornamental Garden’ said: “It is nice to be recognised for all our hard work creating a sun garden with lights and quirky characters. We now have a lovely colourful garden for all the residents at Woburn Court to enjoy. We hope more people will come to sit and have a cuppa and a chat. It is worth all the aches and pains that we suffer for all the lovely comments that we get.”

bpha CEO, Kevin Bolt said: “I’ve been lucky enough to visit the winning gardens and meet the gardeners too. I’m so pleased that we’ve been able to recognise their work, but what’s most apparent to me, was the positive effect this work has had on their fellow residents – the creation of beautiful spaces for all to enjoy.”

Fsella Afzal-Pagliari, bpha Community Engagement Officer and competition organiser, said: “Congratulations to all of the winners! The effort put into these gardens is amazing. I’ve really enjoyed seeing the entries come in, and particularly talking to the winners about what their gardens mean to them.”