Untold hours of labour and love go into the fantastic entries for campaigns such as South West in Bloom. But there are also some key points to be aware of when preparing for any garden competition which will give you that all important edge over the others.

Some judging tips:

– Its important to make a good impression; the judge has limited time

– Shrubs and hedges should neatly clipped and any dead plants, flowers or leaves removed

– Plants should look healthy. There should be no disease or insect infestation

– Garden design is important, and includes layout, use of colour, line, form, texture and plants

– Beds should be well mulched with material that doesn’t look as though it was put down the day before judging

– Try to have a clear theme for the garden and stick to it

– Lawns should be healthy, weed free and nicely edged

– Resist the urge to put in an instant garden or planted garden. It will be obvious to a competent judge.

We are delighted to welcome Richard as one of our judges for #ILoveMyDevon Garden 2022. Here’s a bit more about him.

I have worked in the horticultural industry for forty six years years, forty two of which have been spent working in local government. In local government I came up through the ranks from gardener with Birmingham City Council to becoming Leisure Community Development Manager at Torbay Council where I worked for fifteen years until I retired in 2015. At Torbay I was responsible for parks, allotments, sports fields, play areas, funding and park friends groups.

 

I have been a South West in Bloom judge for over fifteen years and am also the Devon coordinator for the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood” award, entries which are managed by South West in Bloom. 

 

In my home town of Bovey Tracey I lead the South West in Bloom entry. I also manage South West in Bloom’s Best Parks competition.

 

For over twenty years I was a Green Flag judge for Keep Britain Tidy, judging parks, nature reserves and community projects in the South West.

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

I am a Living Options Devon Trustee and a keen walker. Being able to access the outdoors with friends and family means everything to me and is really the best thing for my mental and physical wellbeing.  There are over 14 million disabled people in the UK, and more than one in five of us will be affected by disability at some point in our lives. Why would we as a society not want everyone to benefit from the great outdoors?

When I see a tramper being used is one of the most joyous things I think – and it’s so simple, there should be trampers everywhere!    I am sure most of us, or family and friends we want to spend time with, will need some sort of tramper at some point in our lives. Living Options will continue to work tirelessly to make sure that our world is accessible for all and all are included in the benefits of being outdoors.

Please get involved with the HCT Turf  #ILoveMyDevonGarden capaign and feel proud that you are part of sharing the outdoors with everyone. And if you are not already a tramper user, do look out for them when you are out and about!

Susan Fallon

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

Susan Fallon

We are delighted to welcome Susan as one of our judges for #ILoveMyDevon Garden 2022.

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

The art of capturing a great photograph often doesn’t come down to what equipment you have but rather some basic understanding of light and composition. Let’s have a look at some ‘rules’ of photography.

Composition – an essential one

This usually draws people in; things such as leading lines and the rule of thirds are two popular compositional guides. The rule of thirds works by placing the main centre of attention on both a horizontal “third” line and a vertical “third” line, which you can see in this picture below. When relating this to lawn photography, possibly by placing the horizon on one of the horizontal lines, this could achieve the rule of thirds. Another example would be to place a feature such as a shape in the lawn on one of the verticals.

“The rule of thirds” – HCT Turf archive image

Lighting

Arguably as crucial, if not more, is lighting. When lighting your lawn images, you rely on the natural light around you. As a rule of thumb, bright sunshine looks warm and inviting but creates shadows in your picture. Cloudy or overcast days give the image a cold and flat look, but shadows are reduced. When thinking about the time of the day, I love to shoot during the golden hour, or as the sun becomes much lower and gives a lovely golden glow to the image. Try taking pictures at different times of the day and see which you like best; there is no right or wrong, so try and experiment.

2021 entry

Angle

When taking your images, it’s good to think about the angle or height you might want to take your photo. The height at which you take your picture will change the depth/layering of the image. The higher you take the photo, the flatter the image will look; try getting lower and creating foreground interest. As a rule of thumb, choose either low down or from height. Taking a photo from head height is the easiest way to take a picture, but it will mean your images look very similar to all the other images we see on the internet.

2021 entry

Now you have a few tips and tricks that you can use while photographing your lawn images. If you can remember composition, lighting and angle, you will be set to capture a great shot. I look forward to seeing your entries. Good luck!

Felix Northover

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

We are delighted to welcome Felix as one of our judges for #ILoveMyDevon Garden 2022. Here’s a bit more about him.

With a distinction in UAL Photography and a 1st in Film and TV from Exeter College, as a professional full-time photographer and filmmaker I now list the college, Exeter Chiefs, Exeter City Council, Devon County Show, ISCA Wellbeing and SWComms, among others, as key corporate clients.

 

From my base in Devon, my work takes me across the country and often beyond; opening up opportunities and experiences that both challenge and excite me on a daily basis.

 

Professionalism stands at the core of my work, allowing me to create content that captivates and engages my audience from every aspect; each and every new project offers an opportunity to grow, to learn and to exceed client expectations with the highest quality end result.

 

To find out more, visit – felixnorthoverphotography.com

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

People often ask us what to do with them, why they have appeared and whether they are harmful to the lawn, children or pets.

There’s no need to do anything with them. But you can just brush them away if you would like them gone. Whether you remove them or not, won’t make any difference to whether they spread as spores from toadstools exist in the air all the time anyway.

The majority of toadstools are not poisonous, but animals are very unlikely to eat anything which is.

Of the thousands of different types, only two main fungi could do actual damage to gardens. The rest of them will not cause any deterioration to lawns. The two to beware of are Armillaria (honey fungus) and Marasmius (a type of fairy ring). Other types of fairy ring are not harmful.

See the RHS website advice for how to identify and deal with these two specific fungi:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/advice-search?keywords=Toadstools

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