Karen Barnes: Judging Belgravia in Bloom 2025

I always feel immensely privileged to be invited to judge either at the Flower Show, Chelsea in Bloom or Belgravia in Bloom by the RHS. For this year, I was invited to judge Belgravia in Bloom, a close neighbour to Chelsea and a beautiful ‘village’ set in SW1.

Judging Belgravia in Bloom 2025 offers a unique and inspiring experience, immersing myself in the heart of London’s floral artistry. This year’s floral extravaganza theme was: “Through the Seasons”.

Through this title, entrants reflect Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter across the elegant streets of Belgravia with their floral and planting interpretation.

I was part of a judging team of seven and as a judge, we are entrusted with evaluating a diverse array of floral displays created by local businesses, florists, and artists in Belgravia.

The judging involves assessing each installation’s creativity, adherence to the seasonal theme, and overall impact. As a trained judge, we are taught to have an open mind, appreciate how the entrant has interpreted the brief or schedule, look at the elements and principles of design, usage of colour and the choice of stems, plants and plant material used to create the installation.

There are so many elements of the judging process that we need to consider, and one important aspect as a judge, is to recognise how important it is to engage with the community, designers and owners of the businesses, as this builds strong partnerships with the Grosvenor Estate and the RHS.

Belgravia in Bloom places a strong emphasis on sustainability. Our judging criteria reflects this, with considerations such as the use of British-grown flowers, peat-free compost, and recyclable materials becoming increasingly important.

For each installation, I look at the workmanship in absolute detail and you will often see me with my hand and arm within the design to check how it’s been constructed and in what type of medium. For example, has it been sustainably created in an eco-friendly medium? has it been ingeniously created with a new method of construction?

The quality of the materials used, is also a taken into consideration…are the stems dehydrated, is there a method for the stems to be hydrated?

So many different areas to consider when judging!

This year we had over 50 entrants in the Belgravia Village, which is a phenomenal amount of installations! They bring colour and so much interest to key locations such as Eccleston Yards, Motcomb Street, and Elizabeth Street, where standout displays are traditionally found and where I definitely got my steps in!

Businesses invest in floral displays for Belgravia in Bloom for many reasons and as the years progress, it becoming more and more popular to take part.

So why would business invest in taking part in Belgravia in Bloom?

Well, for brand visibility & marketing, as eye-catching floral displays draw in pedestrians and tourists, increasing the chance of spontaneous visits or purchases. People often take and share photos of beautiful displays on social media, giving businesses free exposure through user-generated content.

It shows support for the local community and participation in cultural events, and it provides positive PR and local buzz around Belgravia in Bloom often highlight participating businesses, enhancing their reputation It fosters goodwill with local councils, residents, and neighbouring businesses.

In a premium area like Belgravia, a well-designed display can distinguish a business from its competitors as well as enhancing the ambience and overall customer experience, encouraging longer visits and repeat business.

Floral themes can tie into seasonal promotions or product launches, boosting revenue and the influx of visitors during the event naturally increases potential for sales!

It showcases creativity, especially for lifestyle brands, restaurants, or boutiques, it’s an opportunity to visually express their identity. It also engages their staff, in a fun, creative project that boosts morale and internal culture.

Winning or being featured in the event’s official awards brings prestige and further media coverage.

The culmination of the judging process is the announcement of winners, which brings significant attention and celebrates the creativity and effort of participants. Being part of the judging panel not only contributes to the Belgravia in Bloom success, but also offers tremendous pride and enjoyment for all of us who are privileged to have been invited to judge.

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With over 35 years’ experience, Karen Barnes is one of the UK’s leading consultants to the floral industry and an expert in product development, future trends & colours, and floral photography design & planning. She’s an interior floral designer, high profile wedding and event floral planner, and prominent international competition judge.​​In a distinguished career, Karen has been awarded gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, selected to judge two Floral Design World Cups and been voted one of the top ten florists in the UK by The Independent on Sunday Newspaper.​​Her style and influences come from new and popular flower varieties, fashion, art, travel and emerging trends on a global scale.​Karen Barnes NDSF, IoPF, AIFD, CFD, CAFA, UKFJG