Blooming Beautiful Chelmsford competition open to gardeners

Keen gardeners and impressed neighbours are invited once again to make nominations for Chelmsford City Council's annual gardening competition, open now!

Part of the #LoveYourChelmsford campaign to keep our streets looking and feeling welcoming, the Blooming Beautiful Chelmsford competition seeks out the most colourful, sustainable and beautiful front gardens in the borough.

Residents of Chelmsford and the surrounding villages can enter or nominate a neighbour in three categories:

Best Kept Front Garden
Best Planter
Most Sustainable Front Garden

Entry is free: all you need to do is send in photos and a short description for the chance to win a £50 voucher to spend at Abercorn Plant and Garden Centre in Great Baddow, Chelmsford.

Councillor Malcolm Sismey, Cabinet Member responsible for Love Your Chelmsford, said, "Front gardens were introduced by the Victorians to create small green havens for residents and are now seen and enjoyed every day. They are the gardens and planters we keep for show, where we display our pride in our homes and neighbourhoods, and they're tremendously beneficial for wildlife and insects too. I'm looking forward to seeing a wide range of colourful, creative and cared-for entries this summer."

The closing date is Friday 27 July. To enter, please submit up to four photos of your garden or planter, with a description. You can do this via Facebook @LoveYourChelmsford, by emailing lyc@chelmsford.gov.uk or by post to Love Your Chelmsford, Freighter House, Drovers Way, Chelmsford CM2 5PH.

Finalists will be invited to an awards evening in August, where winners will be announced.

As well as the Blooming Beautiful Chelmsford competition, the Love Your Chelmsford team also run a bounty of events, schemes and volunteering opportunities for residents to help Chelmsford's environment stay beautiful. Find out more at http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/lyc.