Best kept gardens crowned as competition returns
The winners and judgers of the Bungay In Bloom best kept garden competition 2021. - Credit: Bungay In Bloom
Forget the Olympics ... the best kept gardens in Bungay have been crowned at a special ceremony.
Bungay in Bloom, along with the Bungay Society and Town Council, revived the competition following the success of the Bungay Open Gardens event.
Locals had been invited to submit their gardens for judging in the relaunched Bungay Best Kept Gardens competition.
Pat and Margaret Sheppard presented with the Seamons' Cup by judge Lisa Doubleday. - Credit: Bungay in Bloom
Organiser Didy Ward said: "Lockdown and the fine weather gave many gardeners the opportunity to really get to work on their gardens, and the recent open day in Bungay gave many the opportunity to show off their hard work.
"Building on that, we joined forces to run a garden competition too.
"There were three categories which people could enter, but gardeners these days are also very conscious of the need to encourage wildlife into their gardens.
Winners of the best front garden, Alison and Mike James, with judge Frances Betts - Credit: Bungay in Bloom
"Gone are the days of neatly mown lawns with strips of regimented bedding plants around the edges and all of the gardens entered reflected this with some patches of grass left unmown, attention paid to the right plant in the right place and an emphasis in colour, texture and form."
Alison Gifford-James and Mike James, of Kings Road, were crowned as winners of the best front garden, while Sue and Roger Simpson's Chaucer Street garden claimed the prize in the small or courtyard garden category, following the ceremony at Bungay Castle on Sunday.
Gardens were also judged on their attractiveness to wildlife, with Simon and Mel Taylor, of Tower Mill Road, and Karen and Ken Lodge, of Beccles Road, named joint winners, taking a prize donated by Christopher and Terry Reeve in memory of their sister Jasmine Lingwood.
Winner of the best courtyard garden Sue and Roger Simpson with judge Maureen Davies - Credit: Bungay in Bloom
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But it was Margaret and Pat Sheppard, of Quaves Lane, who took the overall garden prize, winning the Seamons Cup in the process.
Lisa Doubleday, granddaughter of Ronald Seamons who donated the cup when he was chairman of the Bungay Urban District Council in 1964-65, said: "This garden has ticked all the boxes. It has beautiful planting for year-round interest, edibles, lots of nooks that invite you to explore, a pond, areas for composting and rainwater harvesting, lots of wildlife, and all created on a very difficult slope."
Joint winners of the best wildlife garden, Simon and Mel Taylor with judge Chris Reeve - Credit: Bungay in Bloom
Joint winners of the best wildlife garden, Karen and Ken Lodge, with Terry and Christopher Reeve - Credit: Bungay in Bloom
