Our judges have reached their verdict: the winners of the 2016 garden competition are –

GARDEN: basement garden of 1 St Stephen’s Crescent

“Although there were no flower beds as such, the owner has cleverly arranged the pots and containers to show a huge variety of plants and flowers in vividly contrasting colours.”

WINDOW BOX: Royal British Legion at 2 St Stephen’s Gardens

“Two smallish troughs, one above the other, display a splendid array of traditional summer flowering plants, in particular geraniums and lobelia.”

Honourable mentions – “the topiary garden with roses at 54 Sutherland Place, the pleasing boxes at 12 Moorhouse Road, a good range of pots at 20A Artesian Road and the descending cascade of pots at 33 Chepstow Road. ”

The judges found many other architectural displays with more restrained plantings, and noted that purple seems to be the colour of the moment!

And sadly, far too many front gardens were simply paved over, with little or no ornament….