THE winners of the Henley Front Garden competition have been announced.
The contest, which was last held in 2019, is organised by the town council in partnership with the Henley Standard.
There were four judging categories — the best-kept front garden that is well maintained, the best for nature that provides benefit for wildlife and biodiversity, the best for horticulture, which is judged on gardening skill and plant knowledge and the most innovative, which rewards originality.
The judges were Councillor Kellie Hinton, who chairs Henley in Bloom, Diana Barnett, of Greener Henley, Becky Walker, who worked with Bloom for about 15 years and Kyle Dowling, the manager of the council’s parks services team. Together they walked around the town on Monday last week, visiting gardens in Hart Street, Fair Mile and Reading Road.
The winners for 2026 are as follows:
For the best kept front garden: Keith Thatcher, of Market Place.
For the best front garden for nature: Jill Richardson, of Milton Close.
For the best front garden for horticulture: Viv Greenwood, of West Street.
For the most innovative front garden: Caroline Freeman, of Barlow Mews, in Hart Street.
The judges praised the “outstanding quality” of this year’s entries.
Mr Thatcher’s garden had a “vibrant collection of containers” filled with “a diverse mix” of plants, trees and flowers.
Ms Richardson’s garden was chosen for its “abundance of pollinator-friendly planting” and how it has “maximised benefits for wildlife” by providing habitats and food for animals in Henley.
Ms Greenwood’s garden featured an “impressive combination of mature specimen plants” that the judges said created a “stunning” overall effect.
Meanwhile, Ms Freeman’s garden was called “a garden that makes you smile” by the judges.
The four winners will be invited to attend an awards reception hosted by Henley in Bloom, with Mayor Ian Reissmann and the judges, in September.
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