Chris Bavin heads to the seaside town of Southport in Merseyside, where the Bloom team has been taking part in the annual floral competition for more than 20 years. After budget cuts in 2008, the council could no longer afford to look after all the town’s green spaces so this gold-winning Bloom team has slowly taken over more and more of the projects.


This year, they have ambitious plans to keep their town on the map and to maintain their Gold award. Firstly, Rotten Row, the town's famous half-a-mile-long herbaceous border, needs to be crammed with thousands of flowers by a team of volunteers.

Next, at the Botanic Gardens, a neglected heritage Fernery will be spectacularly brought back to life, with the aim of opening it permanently to the public. Finally, the local team will be blooming up Ainsdale High Street to make it feel welcoming for shoppers. But this year, the summer’s extreme drought threatens to scupper all their plans.

Rotten Row is a credit to those involved and the best "allotment" I have seen.

Maybe more keen gardeners could abandon those patches in fields and follow their lead.