Melksham is bloomin’ environmentally responsible!

LOCAL couple, Katherine and Julian White, have been crowned the overall winners of Melksham in Bloom 2022 with their innovative and environmentally friendly garden. 

For the competition this year, Melksham Town Council challenged gardeners to ‘go green’ and create entries inspired by the theme of ‘environmental responsibility’. With their innovative use of ‘upcycled’ ornaments and scrap wood, and use of insect friendly wildflowers, Katherine and Julian wowed the judges winning  ‘Best innovative garden design’ and ‘Most environmentally friendly garden’, as well as being the overall winners of the annual competition. 

“We’re so excited to have won this year,” said Katherine, “it’s been such a thrill! 

“Our garden started off as a playground for our children with just a few pots to brighten it up. Since they’ve got older, we’ve added more and more pots, built garden furniture from scrap wood and filled it with ornaments and china from boot sales and charity shops. We love up-cycling and giving new life to pre-loved items and choose plants that butterflies and bees are attracted to. I often forget the names of the plants and am not an experienced gardener by any means, but it proves that anyone can do their bit for wildlife, no matter how big or small their space and no matter the size of their budget.”

The theme of this year’s competition ties in with the upcoming ClimateFest – a new event organised by Melksham Town Council that will raise awareness of the climate emergency and encourage residents to be more ‘environmental responsible’. ClimateFest will be held in the Assembly Hall on Saturday 17th September. 

The town council said, “The judges braved the heat and enjoyed meeting all the enthusiastic gardeners and seeing their beautiful gardens. They were very impressed with the effort that had gone into supporting wildlife and introducing eco-friendly practices in the gardens of homes, businesses and schools.” 

The winners of Melksham in Bloom will be celebrated at ClimateFest, where they will also announce the winner of the sunflower category, which is still open for entries! 

If you would like to enter the sunflower category, which will be judged in late August, email the town council’s Community Development Officer, Miriam Zaccarelli, for an entry form: miriamzaccarelli@melksham-tc.gov.uk. The deadline for entry is 19th August. 

The winners of Melksham in Bloom 2022 are: Large front garden, Pina Coombs; Small front garden, Bryan & Veronica Sandford; Large rear garden, Mary Saunders; Small rear garden, Jenny Fell; Courtyard, Gillian Clancy, External display with no garden, David Walker; Best single tub/container, Bryan & Veronica Sandford; Best single hanging basket, Bruce Petty; Best garden feature involving water, Laura Harding; Best innovative garden design, Katherine & Julian White; Most environmentally friendly garden, Katherine & Julian White; Best commercial/club premises external floral display, Market Tavern; Best shop window display, Dorothy House; Best school, Rivermead School; Best street, Mobile Home Park; Best allotment, Maria Adams.