Wilko Asks: Are you the UK’s Best Amateur Gardener?

June 16, 2017 by Lucy

orange tulips

Hands up if you think your garden, allotment or little patch of green paradise is worthy of a winning prize!

Wilko recently contacted me to help spread the word about their Wilko Amateur Gardener of the Year competition. Lloyd Taylor, Head of Garden Category, is keen to help discover the talents of gardeners up and down the UK:

“We know that UK residents are garden lovers and we want to celebrate those skilled amateur gardeners who might not otherwise be recognised for their talents,” he said. I’m really passionate about helping more and more people discovering the benefits of gardening, so I’m really enthused to see the variety of categories in Wilko’s competition this year – with recognition for allotments, wildlife gardens, upcycled gardens, and even young gardeners set to be rewarded for their efforts.

Six lucky entrants from across the UK will be picked as category winners, shortlisted by an experienced garden judging panel, including Dominic Cole, President of The Gardens Trust and award-winning garden designer, Andrew Fisher Tomlin, before being selected by a public vote on the Wilko social media channels.

The categories to enter are:

– Best Allotment
– Best Garden Design
– Best Hanging Basket/ Container
– Best Junior Gardener
– Best Wildlife Garden
– Best Upcycled Garden

The competition will remain open until 30 September 2017, with winners from each category receiving a trophy and a £100 Wilko gift card. The overall winner, picked from the six finalists, will be named Wilko Amateur Gardener Of The Year 2017 and will also receive an additional £250 Wilko gift card to boot!

If you think you have what it takes to be a winner, all you need to do is email an image of your garden to wilkogardener@wearebrazenpr.com and include your name, valid email address, contact telephone number, as well as stipulating the category that you’re entering.

Full competition details and terms and conditions can be found at: www.wilko.com/show-by-departmet/garden/icat/wilkogarden

Finalists will be informed by 30 October 2017 if they have been shortlisted for the categories.

If you’re thinking of entering – just do it! And good luck 🙂

Filed Under: allotment, competition, garden Tagged With: Amateur Gardener, Competition, Wilko

Garden Competition – Win a Garden Store!

June 14, 2017 by Lucy

These days, there’s a lot of love for the once humble garden shed. If your garden shed or garden building has become as much of a feature of your garden as its flower borders, shrubs and trees, then maybe this is the competition for you!

Win a Garden Store!

Waltons are inviting shed lovers all over the nation to submit a picture of their shed, summerhouse or outdoor garden building, with a few words about why you love it. The first prize for the ‘I love my shed’ competition is a garden storage unit worth £149, just like the one here: https://www.waltons.co.uk/overlap-mower-store.

Waltons Overlap Storage Shed

The competition starts on 15th June, and closes on the 28th. The winner will be announced on 6th July 2017. You can make your entry below, via the form.

Good luck and happy gardening!

Filed Under: competition, garden

The Cut Flower Patch competition

March 30, 2014 by Lucy

The Cut Flower Patch - Grow flowers all year round

The Cut Flower Patch – Grow your own cut flowers all year round

You might recognise the name WellyWoman from the green-fingered end of the blogosphere spectrum. Louise Curley has been blogging as WellyWoman since 2011, and also writes for the likes of The Guardian’s Life&Style section, as well as Grow Your Own, The Simple Things and Gardens Illustrated magazines. So it’s fair to say, she knows her onions. And cut flowers.

Louise’s book Cut Flower Patch: Grow your own cut flowers all year round is a practical but beautifully put together publication, and serves as an inspiration for those looking to make the most from home-grown blooms all year round. And the great new is that I have a brand-spanking-new hardback copy to give away!

Here’s some information from Amazon about Cut Flower Patch: Grow your own cut flowers all year round:

“Louise Curley looks at what makes a great cut flower, ideal conditions and soil and the tools you’ll need. There is advice on what to grow – from favourite hardy annuals, half hardies and biennials to spring and summer bulbs to adding foliage and fillers to balance arrangements – and advice on how and when to sow, how to support your plants and tips on weeding, deadheading, pests and feeding.

“Growing your own such means greater choice, working with the seasons and super fresh flowers. Bought flowers can be expensive and the international flower trade often means dangerous chemicals, poor working conditions for growers, demands on water resources and the ‘flower miles’ of worldwide airfreight.

“This book will help you get the most from your patch with guidance on how to cut the flowers so that they keep producing more blooms and how to look after them once they have been picked. The Cut Flower Patch is completed by a selection of flower arranging tips and sample arrangements as well as tips on finding great containers, planting plans and a helpful year planner.”

COMPETITION ENTRY

To enter my Cut Flower Patch: Grow your own cut flowers all year round competition, simply leave a comment below, making sure that your contact email address has been supplied in the appropriate field (no need to go public, wordpress automatically hides email addresses).

The winner will be picked in one week – Sunday 6th April – at 9:00pm. One comment/one entry per person.

Good luck!

Filed Under: competition, flowers, sustainability