Swansea’s best back gardens will soon be under the spotlight with the return of an annual floral treat.
The category is one of several making up the Swansea in Bloom competition set to once again make the city a more pleasant place to live, work and visit.
Application forms are now available that offer people the chance to nominate either others or themselves for an award.
A deadline of Friday July 2 has been set for entries and people are encouraged to use environmentally-friendly methods.
Lou Faligno, age 68, of Cwm Chapel Road in Bonymaen, won the best garden category last year but has been honing his gardening skills for decades.
Mr Faligno said: “I first became interested in gardening when I was about 26 and my late brother bought some seeds. I said they’d never grow and I was fascinated when they actually did. I was instantly hooked.
“I also used to work for Ford for 27 years and when I was about 50 they started running an education assistance programme. I decided to study the scientific aspects of gardening and botany and got a B+ in an RHS course.
“I’ve now got a shrub garden, a patio, a pond garden, a lawn, many trees and a greenhouse with fruit including lemons and baby peaches.
“I’m going to enter the back garden category in Swansea in Bloom again this year because my home faces north and the front garden is often in the shade. The garden isn’t too much hard work thesedays because three-quarters of it is already established.”
Swansea in Bloom is now in its 17th year and was originally set up by a voluntary committee to encourage more floral displays in the city.
Other categories include best allotment plot, best new entrant, best pub, best restaurant, best cafe, the green gardener award, the young gardeners sunflower competition and best container garden.
Matthew Johnson, of Fforestfach, won the award for best container garden in 2009.
Swansea in Bloom is free to enter and everyone who submits their forms will be sent a starter pack full of top tips and ideas to help them on their way.
Mr Faligno is now on the Swansea in Bloom committee and will be one of the judges this year for the best front garden category. He’s also won Swansea in Bloom awards several times in the past.
Mr Faligno said: “Swansea in Bloom is a great competition. It’s a case of pooling together and seeing how we can make Swansea a better looking place and I think it really does make a difference.”
Swansea Council organises Swansea in Bloom.
All Swansea in Bloom entrants will receive a 10 per cent discount at the Friends of Botanics Plant Sales held every Saturday until September 25 between 10am to 2pm at the Botanical Gardens in Singleton Park.
Have a look at http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=17400 for more information or call 01792 635124.
All entries received before Friday June 4 will be entered into a prize draw with prizes including an overnight stay and meal for two in the 5-star Morgans Hotel, four tickets to see a repertory show at Swansea Grand Theatre and four tickets to Outdoor Shakespeare.
