The Ransoms All-Island Garden Competition was a blooming success this year, following its Presentation Evening at the Jersey Royal Showground on 29 July.

Organised by the Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society, the annual competition offers garden owners across the Island the chance to showcase their sun-drenched beds and lush green lawns.

The All-Island Garden Competition featured 24 different categories, ranging from Small Gardens to Best Kept Large Allotment and even Gardens attached to a Hotel. This year, the competition received a total of 50 entrants.

Pictured: Ransoms Garden Centre, known for its horticultural expertise, sponsored the competition, providing gift vouchers for the winners and discount vouchers for all participants.

Judges Martin Preisig and Colin De La Haye travelled across the Island for three consecutive days to visit, score, and enjoy all the gardens on display. Each garden was scored out of 100 points, allocated for general appearance, cultivation, and layout.

Express attended the RJA&HS Presentation Evening to discover the perfect ingredients behind Jersey’s award-winning gardens…

Overall Competition Winners

Ian and Beverley Le Marquand impressed the judges, winning the Andre Ruellan Memorial Rose Bowl for Overall Winners with a perfect score of 100.

Pictured: Ian and Beverly Le Marquand’s competition-winning garden. The gardening duo also won the Quenault Trophy and the Norman Ltd Challenge Trophy.

The couple said: “We won the category of formal garden, which means we like lots of lines, patterns, and colours. We make sure that the hanging baskets all marry in with the rest of the borders as well.”

Patio Garden excluding a lawn – Michael & Betty Quenault

Michael and Betty Quenault placed first in the Patio Garden excluding a lawn (less than 100 square metres) category with a score of 96.

They revealed that the key to a vibrant blossom is having a theme, as their garden was inspired by “Clarice Cliff and the early 20th-century Art Deco movement”.

Best Kept Allotment (Medium) – Neil Howell

Neil Howell was the winner of Best Kept Allotment (Medium).

“It is the range of vegetables and the relaxation the garden allows me, which leads to success,” he said.

“It’s wonderful growing vegetables and watching them come from seeds to seedlings and then full-grown plants.”

Informal Garden – Pat Jackson

Pat Jackson, winner of Informal Garden, explained that the judges particularly enjoyed her “very wildlife-oriented garden” which prioritised encompassing bird and butterfly houses.

New Competitors (allotment, vegetable garden at home or field) – Lorie & Gavin Rault

New competitor Lorie Rault shared her first experience entering the All-Island Garden Competition:

“It can be really challenging, and you have to love gardening,” she explained.

“You have to want to get into your garden, do some watering when it’s really hot, and need to be digging when it’s raining.”

Ms Rault was inspired to enter the competition after encouragement from the community.

“We are part of a big allotment, and the wonderful thing we have found is that we all talk across the hedges, swap seeds, we give tips, and it just brings everyone together,” she added.

Gardens attached to a Tourist Attraction – Gorey Promenade

Gorey Promenade won the Gardens Attached to a Tourist Attraction category.

The team managed to make numerous renovations to the public realm, including renovating the fountain and adding new benches in the area.

“That magic ingredient is planning,” the team said.

“It is understanding that the work you are doing now will benefit you in the next year, not this year.

“It’s considering time and being patient, whilst understanding the conditions around us as we are becoming more and more Mediterranean.

“Gardening is important in Jersey as we live in such a beautiful place, so it’s nice to be able to add more value.”

The Judges: Martin Preisig and Colin De La Haye

Pictured: Martin Preisig and Colin De La Haye, this years judges enjoying the serene and blossomed entrants gardens for this years judges for the All-island Garden Competition.

The All-Island Garden Competition judges Martin Preisig and Colin De La Haye shared their advice for budding gardeners: “Looking after the plants and attention to detail.

“It’s got to have a design and a colour scheme. Colour that matches and blends in with the surrounding areas.”

They cautioned Islanders about harsh climates when trying to artistically assemble botanical havens.

“This year has been more challenging than previous years,” the judges said.

“The hot weather and heatwaves we experienced during the springtime and the intense winds have caused a lot of damage to plants and gardens.”

Despite the weather, the judges were most impressed by the amazing lawns.

“Islanders have done a lot of work to make sure the lawns were as good as previous years despite the heat, and the borders were unfaultable,” they said.

Pictured: Artur Bobak, Przemyslaw Poznanski and Jayson Montanez, who won Barry Sylvester Memorial Trophy, Prior Cup, and Alternate Challenge Cup awarded for having the second overall highest points.

Evita de Vos, head of marketing at Ransoms Garden Centre, said: “There are so many types of gardens, and we have 24 classes in this competition.

“I think that passion, and a lot of love, and I think colourful wins the prizes as you could see with the garden that won 100 points – go big on colour.”

Rachelle Robinson, the RJA&HS horticultural secretary, added: “I’m very lucky as I’ve seen the gardens every year.

“It’s my favourite job, even when I do so much different stuff with the RJA&HS, such as helping organise shows, yet the garden competition stands out to me year on year.

“I get to see and experience their lovely gardens and meet the lovely people behind the magic.”

Pictured: Rachelle Robinson said: “I just think after Covid-19, I noticed such a big difference. The entries shot up as people had more time and wanted to be outdoors when we were forced to stay inside.”

She added: “It doesn’t matter whether you’re young, middle-aged, or a bit older, it’s so important for Islanders to have their own outdoor space or garden.

“That space for people to be able to just get away from the normal day-to-day stuff that we must deal with is essential for everyone’s wellbeing.”

A full list of results is published on the RJA&HS website.