The Haringey in Bloom competition, which has been running for a number of years, encourages and rewards residents, businesses, schools, voluntary and community groups who take pride in their environment by brightening up and improving the borough using floral and shrub displays.

This year there's a new emphasis in the competition. To coincide with the launch of Haringey's Greenest Borough Strategy, and to encourage gardeners to make the most of Haringey's green spaces and think about the ways in which they garden, judges will be looking at whether the entry is an example of sustainable gardening.

Winners of Haringey in Bloom could see their entry form part of Haringey Council's borough submission into the London in Bloom competition, where efforts may be recognised as being among some of the best in London!

To encourage entry Haringey Council has arranged a number of incentives ranging from a geranium and advice plus a 25% discount on water butts and compost bins from the Sunshine Garden Centre as well as free compost and wood chip mulch which the Council will arrange for entrants to collect from selected borough parks.

This year sees twelve categories in the competition.

The Front Garden category is open to anyone with a front garden that can be seen by the passing public and must incorporate a lawn or a flowerbed to display shrubs and flowers.

The Container Garden category is for any area such as a front garden, patio or balcony that is visible to the passing public which does not have lawns or flowerbeds and only uses window boxes, hanging baskets or containers to display the plants.

To recognise the efforts that more and more people are committing to creating a greener Haringey, the Wildlife Garden award will be given where an outstanding commitment to enhancing the wildlife and bio-diversity is shown. This could include a residential garden, shared garden or community garden.

The Community Garden category is awarded to a garden, patio, building frontage or area of ground where the display has been created specifically for the shared enjoyment of others such as visitors, residents, a single group or multiple users. This could include an estate, places of worship, day centres, or community projects.

The Sheltered Housing Scheme within Haringey which has the best blooms will win this category. The judges will be looking at the colour and design of the garden, and will take into account the part played by the residents in planting and maintaining the scheme. In addition individuals who also live in Sheltered Housing and Good Neighbour Schemes are also eligible to enter this category.

New for this year is the Allotment Site which will be awarded to an allotment site and not a single allotment plot. Many of the borough's allotment sites have been identified as being important places for wildlife and features such as hedgerows and ponds which encourage this, are considered best practice. The judges will also be looking at the proactive work done by the Allotment Association to promote organic gardening, recycled water use, composting and the avoidance of using pesticides and chemicals and will be looking at the Associations policies which should include the encouragement of these practices.

The Greener School Grounds category recognises the successes that many schools have achieved in making their school grounds greener places. This could include the creation of a garden within the school grounds, adding potted plants or hanging baskets to the grounds or the planting of trees. The judges will consider the involvement of students in the creation and maintenance of these green spaces, the links with the curriculum, encouragement of wildlife, food growing and maintenance regimes when marking entries.

Every school that enters the Greener School Grounds category will also have the opportunity to nominate one pupil from their school for the Young Gardener award. This award recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to their schools entry.

Initiatives to improve the environment take place in the borough each year. Often these are on such a local level that the changes go unrecognised. The Neighbourhood Award is open to anyone who feels they have made a difference to their neighbourhood. This could be the planting of a few bulbs to brighten up what would otherwise be a gloomy area, or a few residents from an estate or street getting together for a local tidy up.

The Business Premises category is for industrial or business premises for example shops, garage forecourts, hotels or offices, but excluding pubs or restaurants, whose floral displays or gardens improve the premises' appearance and can be seen by the passing public.

For those who own, manage or just know of a pub which is brightened up by its floral displays that can be seen by the passing public, then the Bloomin' Pub category is appropriate. However ear gardens that cannot be seen by the passing public do not qualify for this category.

The final category for this year is for any Restaurant with an attractive frontage or garden, but only if floral displays can be seen by the passing public - so rear gardens do not qualify.

Entries for the competition close at 5pm on Monday 22 June and judging will take place during the first week of July. For an entry form email parks@haringey.gov.uk, or download from the council’s website at www.haringey.gov.uk/online_entry_form.doc.