Every year we encourage our tenants and leaseholders to enter our garden competition. Take part if you are a keen gardener with a talent for growing plants and you take pride in your garden.

You could have a large wildflower garden, a small vegetable patch or a few pots and tubs by your front door. Whatever size your garden is, we want you to enter.

Winners will be invited along to a prize-giving event, and announced in our Open Door magazine. Plus, there are garden centre vouchers to be won!

Judging will be based on effort, creativity, sustainability, colour, form, and variety of plants.

We are committed to supporting biodiversity across the city and encourage you to do so in your garden. Through the garden competition we want to reduce use of herbicide, pesticide or fungicide, promote gardeners using their own home-made compost, and raise awareness of wildlife gardening. Read our biodiversity pages to find out more.

2026 competition

This year, competition categories include:

• balconies – displays of gardening on residents’ individual balconies
• baskets and tubs – gardens with a display of different hanging baskets and tubs
• community gardens – gardens created and maintained by a group of people
• environmentally friendly gardens – gardens showing the use of upcycling or recycling and where no herbicide, pesticide or fungicide has been used
• kitchen gardens – gardens with some fruit and veg or other edible plants
• wildlife gardens – gardens designed to attract and provide a haven for wildlife
• new gardens – newly established gardens or newcomers to the competition
• young gardeners – someone under the age of 18 must have had significant input into the garden
• small gardens – a category to celebrate creativity in small spaces
• tallest sunflower

You can enter as many categories as you like – or the judges can choose for you when they visit your garden.

Enter the tenant and leaseholder garden competition

We will visit and photograph your garden on judging day, and award prizes in September.

• Friday 26 June: Closing date for entrants
• Wednesday 8 July: Judging day
• September 2025 (date to be confirmed): Prize-giving event