Enter the Best Kept Garden competition in Antrim and Newtownabbey

Is your garden bursting with vibrant blooms? Now it’s your chance to showcase your garden by entering Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Best Kept Garden Competition.

The Council is encouraging local schools, businesses, individuals, and community groups to get involved and showcase their gardening talents. This annual competition celebrates not only beautifully maintained gardens but also promotes sustainability and biodiversity throughout the Borough.

Whether you grow herbs, fruit, vegetables, colourful flowers, or trees, this is your chance to shine. With a variety of categories, there’s a place for every green thumb, from beginners to seasoned gardeners.

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, said: "Our Borough is home to so many flourishing spaces filled with vibrant colours, fragrant blooms, and allotments filled with healthy veg. Gardens, window boxes, and allotments are more than just green spaces, they’re places for sharing knowledge, building community and expressing creativity. I would encourage our residents, schools, businesses, and groups to take part. This competition highlights the incredible talent in our Borough and the positive impact gardening has on our wellbeing and our environment."

Gardening trowels at the ready! Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Julie Gilmour, joined pupils from Parkhall Integrated College to officially launch this year’s Best Kept Garden Competition.placeholder image
Gardening trowels at the ready! Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Leah Kirkpatrick, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Julie Gilmour, joined pupils from Parkhall Integrated College to officially launch this year’s Best Kept Garden Competition.

Categories include:

  • Best Kept Garden
  • Best Kept Front / Container Garden
  • Best Kept Community Planting
  • Best Kept Commercial Premises
  • Best Kept School Grounds (entries close 23 June)
  • Most Wildlife-Friendly Garden
  • Most Sustainable Garden
  • Best Kept Allotment Plot

Entries will be judged on overall design, environmental impact, plant variety, and visual appeal.

Finalists will be invited to a special Best Kept Garden Awards Ceremony and will receive a garden centre voucher to support their future gardening projects.

School entries close on Monday, June 23 and all other entries close on Monday, July 21.

For more information, visit antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/best-kept-garden

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