Phoenix in Bloom 2023 has wrapped, and the winners are...

Our annual gardening competition, Phoenix in Bloom, celebrates residents who go the extra mile to make our community more beautiful; whether that’s through sprucing up a balcony or shared area, keeping your garden tidy and beautiful or cultivating a show-stopping display.  

Residents from across the Phoenix area entered this year’s competition and were shortlisted by our expert judges, residents Pat and Eileen and Phoenix Grounds Maintenance Operative, Joe. The judges scored each entry based on colour, arrangement, profusion and use of space among other things.  

The judges have spoken, and the winners are... 

Best Residential Garden  

1st place: Stephen Fuller 

The judges said: “This garden had fantastic impact and a huge variety of fruit and flowers. Amazing. Lots of colour and to top it off, a fantastic pond with beautiful Koi carp.” 

2nd place: Monika Stefaniuk 

The judges said: “An amazing garden. No weeds. Lots of colour and the pizza oven was outstanding.” 

3rd place: Joy Heelan 

The judges said: “The garden was full of flowers and colour, a great wildlife pond and very restful.” 

Best Balcony Display  

1st place: Patricia Woolley 

The judges said: “We were very impressed with Patricia’s display, especially in such a small area to work with. There was plenty of colour, variation and decoration, which included water features as well.” 

2nd place: Marjorie Henry 

The judges said: “An impressive display considering the limited space she has. There was not a lot of variation in colour, however, we were impressed with the variety of plants.” 

3rd place: Anna Chuchulska 

The judges said: “There was a nice satsuma plant which added a splash of colour. It looked like a lovely place to sit outside and relax. Next year, we'd love to see a few more colours and a little decoration.” 

Best Young Gardener 

1st place: Aurora Kiresci 

The judges said: “Aurora has done very well for her age growing tomatoes and pumpkins and we liked the lovely tortoise in its enclosure. Stag beetles in the garden are a plus.” 

2nd place: Layla Paice 

The judges said: “Layla is very good at growing veg to eat, runner beans, tomatoes, etc.” 

3rd place: Demi Bissmire 

The judges said: “Demi is a really good grower; she takes seeds from a sliced tomato to grow them and there’s a massive variety of fruit and veg including strawberries. She makes good use of everyday items to plant things in.” 

Best Residential Community Garden 

1st place: Hazelhurst Court Extra Care Scheme 

The judges said: “There’s been a lot more planting, a lovely pond and great colours. Well looked after.” 

2nd place: Moorside Matters Garden 

The judges said: “A lovely splash of colour and good variety of plants which cheers up anyone attending the doctor's surgery.” 

Best Fruit and/or Vegetable Plot or Allotment 

Winner: Farmstead Community Garden 

The judges said: “Very impressive plots all over the allotment, with a variety of fruit and vegetables, all with impressive growth considering the time of year. All plots were extremely well looked after and we noticed good improvisation, with some plots using empty plastic water bottles on some plants, to enhance growth.” 

This year’s winners were invited to an awards ceremony and handed their prizes by Phoenix resident and Chair of the Board, Carmen Simpson, who said: “Each year I am more impressed by the Phoenix in Bloom entries; it’s great to see fellow residents put so much love and effort into their gardens and take pride in their work! I’m especially pleased to see so many young gardeners getting involved and I encourage them to be proud and keep up the good work!” 

Congratulations to this year’s winners! Thank you to everyone who entered and to our judges. 

If you missed your chance to enter this year, don’t worry, our annual gardening competition will return in 2024, so make sure you’re ready for when entries open in June. Click here to receive an email notification when next year’s competition opens.