The Putney Society is bringing back its beloved front garden competition this February with a playful new name and an ambitious mission: transforming the concrete “gardenless GAPs” of central Putney into blooming showcases that brighten the streetscape.
The competition targets those sad spaces where bins and bicycles have colonised what could be colourful gardens. The campaign focuses on 21 streets, from Oxford Road and Burstock Road to Lacy Road and Norroy Road, where even small patches of green can make a surprising difference to how a street feels.
Think of it as guerrilla gardening for the front garden set. A few containers of herbs, some window boxes bursting with colour, or even just swapping concrete for climbing jasmine can transform not just individual homes but entire streets. The benefits ripple outward: more habitat for bees and butterflies, cleaner air for everyone who walks past, less water flooding drains during downpours, and streets that simply feel more welcoming.
The organisers need your help spreading the word: a community effort only works if neighbours know it’s happening.
The competition’s greatest hits
This is far from the competition’s first outing. The Putney Society garden competition has celebrated local green fingers for years, often with spectacular results. When judges walked the streets in 2022, they handed out 7 Gold, 24 Silver and 77 Bronze certificates to gardens that stopped passersby in their tracks. Norroy Road took the crown as most floriferous street, while the Jolly Gardeners pub on Lacy Road bagged a Gold Award, proving that even drinking establishments can do their bit for biodiversity.
By 2024, the competition had grown to cover 28 streets. Then in 2025 the competition took an unexpected year off and Wandsworth Council stepped in with its borough-wide Wandsworth in Bloom competition as part of the Borough of Culture celebrations, which drew entries from across Wandsworth in 11 different categories.
But now the Putney Society version is back, and refocused on what it does best: celebrating and encouraging front gardens in central Putney, one street at a time.
Three competitions, three different flavours
Wandsworth has become something of a gardening competition hotspot:
The council’s Housing Gardening Competition is exclusively for council tenants and leaseholders, with categories for private gardens, balconies, and community gardens. Winners get up to £100 in gardening vouchers, which is handy if you’ve just transformed your balcony and fancy expanding your plant collection. Last year’s stars included James Phillips (best private garden), Marilia Benton (best balcony), and Ethelburga Community Garden.
Wandsworth in Bloom debuted in 2025 as a big borough-wide initiative welcoming everyone from businesses to schools to community groups. With 11 categories ranging from allotment plots to shopfront displays, it’s the most comprehensive competition with judges including Charles Shi from Kew Gardens, and winners get celebrated at a swanky ceremony. St Micheals Foodbank Community Garden swept up last year, winning both the community food growing category and the Most Vibrant award.
The Putney Society garden competition is the hyperlocal option, the one that’s really about your neighbours and your street, and it’s been delightfully low-key. No entry forms required in 2022 – judges simply strolled the streets noting which gardens made them smile. Details about judging timeline and awards are still to come.
What makes this one special is the transformation angle. Wandsworth in Bloom celebrates gardens that already exist. The Putney Society version wants to create new gardens where there currently aren’t any. It’s explicitly targeting those depressing paved-over spaces dominated by wheelie bins, encouraging residents to reclaim them for flowers, herbs, vegetables, or anything that’s green and growing.
The campaign launches now, but planting season doesn’t begin until late March, so there’s plenty of time to get planning. If you live in one of those 21 target streets and want to help spread the word, the organisers need volunteers to spread the word. Contact Judith Chegwidden if you fancy being part of making your street a bit greener and considerably prettier.
