Gardening… a competitive activity, for some

When you buy seeds online from Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk), the idea of competing with someone else’s gardening and seed-sowing exploits may be the very furthest thing from your mind. For newcomers to flower, herb and vegetable seeds in particular, the focus is understandably on getting not great results, but any results. But for the more seasoned gardeners, it’s difficult to resist the temptation to compete with others for major prizes – even if the emphasis, such as in the case of RHS Britain in Bloom, is on showing off a locality rather than merely one person’s gardening skills. 

Why are we thinking about this? Well, we were reminded of the competitive element of gardening partly by the sad news of the passing of Georgina Skuse, whose enthusiasm for gardening drove her and her husband to win Bristol in Bloom for ten years on the trot. Known as Gena, Georgina was born in the Clifton Wood area of the city in 1936, the youngest of six children. She packed plenty into her life, including poetry and catering, but it was gardening that proved her passion and hobby, with her garden being one for all seasons that attracted visitors from far afield. She would stand and talk to every person stopping to admire her garden, and we can only salute her life here at Seeds By Post.

Still, it did get us thinking about what other gardening competitions are continuing to take place, with the hot weather making this summer – of all summers – the perfect season for it. It’s not unknown for local authorities to encourage residents to make the most of their herb, vegetable and flower seeds, with Wokingham Town Council, for example, running the Greenfingers competition that includes various categories such as front garden, back garden, containers and window boxes. The entry deadline has been extended to Friday 19^th July, and entrants will be judged by members of Wokingham Horticultural Association, on or around Thursday 1^st August.

And of course, we can’t ignore all of the awards that have been dished out at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, running from 9^th to 14^th July. From the Ecover Garden of Matthew Childs that was voted best in the Show Garden category, to the Cool Garden that was deemed Best Summer Garden and the winner amongst the Low Cost, High Impact Gardens, Mid Century Modern, it’s clear that plenty of gardens have been wooing the regular users of mail order seeds in attendance. One award in the show is also decided by public vote, so why not have your say on which garden should receive the coveted People’s Choice award? You can vote until 4pm on Saturday 13^th July.

Or maybe you’ve had enough of all of this thought of competing, and would just like to get down to some good old fashioned, relaxing gardening at your own home? Whatever your stance on gardening competitions, Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) remains the premier online source of the finest cheap seeds.

Editor’s Note: Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.