Shrewsbury keeps 'town of flowers' reputation with four award wins

Shrewsbury’s reputation as the “town of flowers” has received a boost after the town won four horticulture awards.

The county town may have lost its historic flower show in recent years, but it secured four accolades at the Heart of England in Bloom Awards.

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It won the Mike Garwood Memorial Trophy for outstanding horticultural achievement at The Dingle; the RHS Gold award; the best “Small City” and it was the overall winner for the Heart of England in Bloom region.

The results were announced at the awards ceremony at Malvern’s Three Counties Showground earlier today (Thursday, October 22).

The Mike Garwood Memorial Trophy is a discretionary award recognising outstanding horticultural achievement. The Dingle secured the trophy for the second consecutive year, following judges’ praise last year for its move towards more sustainable planting, including the introduction of palm trees into its flower beds.

This year’s judging tour followed a significantly revised route, giving regional judges the opportunity to discover different parts of Shrewsbury and see more of the work taking place across the town.

Highlights included the Column Allotments, named Aldi’s Community Allotment of the Year in 2025, and Riverside Gardens, where judges were able to see the progress of the landscaping works while the site was still being developed.

Following the completion of landscaping works by Morgan Sindall, Shrewsbury Town Council’s horticultural team is now preparing to plant the gardens over the coming month.

The tour also showcased the town council’s Weeping Cross Nursery, where more than 330,000 plants are grown each year.

Judges also saw the work of the council’s new street cleaning team, which helps maintain the town’s streets and public spaces, alongside the established Stepping Up team, which has opened up footpaths in communities across the town.

Stuart Farmer, chairman of the Shrewsbury in Bloom Committee, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with these four awards, and I want to thank everyone on the committee, our town council staff and all the volunteers who put so much time, effort and enthusiasm into making this happen.

“The judges saw the progress being made at Riverside Gardens, and we wanted to give them a fresh perspective on Shrewsbury by creating a new route to showcase other important parts of the town.

“The success of Shrewsbury in Bloom is something staff from across the organisation have contributed to and can be proud of.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to represent the Heart of England region at Britain in Bloom in 2027, where we have a lot more to show. It’s a fantastic opportunity to build on this success and demonstrate what makes Shrewsbury special.”

“Wonderful recognition!”

Councillor Alex Wagner, chairman of Shrewsbury Town Council’s Operations Committee, said: “These awards are a wonderful recognition of the skill, care and dedication that go into maintaining Shrewsbury’s gardens, parks and public spaces throughout the year.

“From growing hundreds of thousands of plants at Weeping Cross to creating displays at Shrewsbury Castle and The Dingle, and delivering planting schemes across the town, our teams work hard to make Shrewsbury look its best.

“The Dingle’s achievement is particularly pleasing, demonstrating how we can continue to deliver outstanding displays, even during much drier summers, through more sustainable approaches to planting.

“I’d like to congratulate everyone who has contributed to this success. It’s something the whole town can be proud of.”

Shrewsbury’s overall regional win secures the town’s place as the Heart of England in Bloom region’s representative at the Britain in Bloom awards in 2027, giving it another opportunity to showcase its horticultural excellence, environmental work and community spirit on the national stage.