The Beautiful Durham gardening competition

A gardening competition for Durham residents and businesses.

Beautiful Durham Beautiful lawn with trees and bedding plants

Beautiful Durham Containers with plants in a small garden

Beautiful Durham Garden in front of a bungalow with potted plants

Beautiful Durham Garden table on lawn with bedding plants along the side

Beautiful Durham Large hedge next to bistro table and pretty plants

Beautiful Durham Lush green lawn and fence with bedding plants

Beautiful Durham People look around a small garden with tropical tree in foreground

Beautiful Durham Pink flowers on a painted fence

Beautiful Durham Raised beds on lawn with bench in background

Beautiful Durham Small front garden with lawn, pots and England flags

Beautiful Durham Small garden with a pergola and patio

Beautiful Durham Small garden with patio area and seating

Beautiful Durham Summerhouse and plants with purple painted fence

Beautiful Durham Sunflowers and vegetables in garden allotment

The image gallery shows previous competition entries.

This year's competition is now closed. Winners were announced on October 5 and a full list is below:

Best business premises (large)

Finchale View Riding School, Leamside - Winner

Best business premises (small)

The Woodman Inn, Durham - Winner

Best group horticultural project

Belmont Allotments Club - Highly commended

Durham Gilesgate Primary School - Winner

Best sheltered accommodation

Belmont Parish Council, Broomside Court - Merit

Burnigill, Meadowfield - Merit

Sycamore Park, Brandon - Merit

Orchard House, Durham - Highly commended

Sherburn Hospital - Winner

Durham's best kept residential area

Hamilton Row, Waterhouses - Merit

Joyce Terrace, Ushaw Moor - Merit

New Acres, Ushaw Moor - Merit

Belmont Parish Council, Oakham Drive - Highly commended

Belmont Parish Council, Patterdale Close - Highly commended

Belmont Parish Council, Wantage Road - Winner

Best floral containers

John and Deborah Bell, Esh Winning - Highly commended

Mrs Wendy Davison, Witton Gilbert - Highly commended

Finchale View Riding School, Leamside - Highly commended

Langley Moor High Street - Highly commended

West Rainton and Leamside Parish Council - Highly commended

Richard Todd, New Brancepeth - Winner

Best house garden (small)

Mr Alan Clough, Ushaw Moor - Merit

Finchale View Riding School, Leamside - Merit

Barbara Hopper, Brandon - Merit

Susan Reed, Esh Winning - Merit

Alderman Phil Stoddart, Ushaw Moor - Merit

John and Deborah Bell, Esh Winning - Highly commended

Sarah Cleeve, Durham - Highly commended

Peter Thomson, Langley Moor - Highly commended

Richard Todd, New Brancepeth - Highly commended

Alison Young, Brancepeth - Highly commended

Mrs Wendy Davison, Witton Gilbert - Winner

Best house garden (medium)

Dennis and Sue Brown, Durham - Highly commended

Annabel and Chris Burns, West Rainton - Highly commended

Joe McMahon, Sherburn Village - Highly commended

Marie Morritt and Jean Ritchie, Ushaw Moor - Highly commended

Mrs Wells, Broompark - Highly commended

Reg Wright, Durham - Highly commended

Philip Wall, Belmont - Winner

Best house garden (large)

Dave Hall, Belmont - Highly commended

Leslie Roe, Shincliffe Village - Winner

Best backyard / patio garden

Barbara Hopper, Brandon - Merit

Jenny Flynn, Broompark - Highly commended

Marie Morritt and Jean Ritchie, Ushaw Moor - Highly commended

Peter Thomson, Langley Moor - Highly commended

Stewart and Janice Thomson, Framwellgate Moor - Winner

Best allotment / kitchen garden

Richard Hockin, West Rainton - Merit

Carole Hogarth, Quarrington Hill - Highly commended

Christopher Michael Horton, Brandon - Highly commended

Diana Snowdon, Waterhouses - Highly commended

John Michael Hogarth, Quarrington Hill - Winner

Best small village

Shincliffe Village - Winner

Best village

High Shincliffe - Highly commended

Broompark - Winner

Best large village

Belmont Parish Council - Highly commended

West Rainton and Leamside Parish Council - Winner

Judges discretionary awards

Gardening in a changing climate: Alison Young, Brancepeth

Keen to be green

Sarah Cleeve, Durham

Plant of the year

Sherburn Hospital

Best residential community award

Orchard House, Durham

Best overall entry

Leslie Roe, Shincliffe Village

The competition, which is free to enter, is open to residents, schools and organisations in Durham City and surrounding villages. Beautiful Durham encourages impressive floral displays and environmental improvements in the Durham City area. The aim is to create and celebrate a more attractive environment in which we can all live, visit or work. By entering your floral containers, garden, backyard, village, business, school or group into the competition, you will also be contributing to Durham City's entry into the Royal Horticultural Society's Northumbria in Bloom competition.

You can find out if you are in the area that can enter, and apply for the competition or you can contact us for a postal entry form.

Categories and previous winners

A full list of last year's winner is available upon request.

Even if you don't have a garden, you can still enter your plant pots, containers, window boxes or hanging baskets. There are 13 different categories:

Best business premises (public houses, hotels, shops, factories and warehouses etc.)
Best group horticultural project (schools, community groups, garden clubs, youth groups, churches, resident groups etc.)
Best sheltered accommodation complex/warden controlled housing area
Durham's best kept residential area
Best floral containers
Best house garden - small (under 150 metres sq)
Best house garden - medium (150 metres sq to 300 metres sq)
Best house garden - large (over 300 metres sq)
Best backyard or patio garden
Best allotment or kitchen garden
Best small village (population up to 500)
Best village (population 501 to 2000)
Best large village (population over 2000)