The garden at St Bernadette's Avenue, Belfast, announced as 'Best Kept Garden' in the south east area.
Apex in Bloom 2024 winners
Thank you to all those who entered the 2024 ‘Apex in Bloom’ Gardening Competition. We received entries from across Northern Ireland, with winners being selected for both the south east and the north west area. Entries were kindly judged by Margaret Rose Doherty, Apex Senior Assets Officer.
Each category winner received a £50 voucher, with runners-up receiving a £25 voucher.
South east area
Best kept garden
Winner – Gary Harper, St Bernadette’s Avenue
Runner up – Marta Kukie, Ballynafoy Close
Best garden for pollinators
Winner – Genevieve Du Plessis, Westland Cottages
Runner up – Leanne Patton, Areema Grove
Best pots & hanging baskets
Winner – Asta Statkiewicz, Burren Meadow
Runner up – Ivor Morrow, Rathcoole Gardens
North west area
Best kept garden
Winner – Venessa Maddieson, Scutchers Lane
Runner up – Peter & Rose McCafferty, Woodlands Avenue
Best garden for pollinators
Winner – Shelly McAleer, Clondermott Park
Runner up – Annabelle Turner, Glendale Road
Best pots & hanging baskets
Winner – Gloria McCusker, Evish Grove
Runner up – Angela Chrysafidis, Beraghvale
Apex is a new business supporter of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. Margaret Rose Doherty advised that when gardening it’s important to consider using pollinator-friendly plants, creating sensory areas with scented plants like lavender or a small ‘rewilding’ area and to mowing less frequently to improve biodiversity. More information can be found at www.pollinators.ie.
