Aquavista in Bloom 2026:
winners revealed

Cartoon penguin with a flower lei enjoys festive activities among flowers, bees, and butterflies near the Aquavista in Bloom sign.

Celebrating community gardening, wildlife and creativity across UK marinas

Every summer, Aquavista marinas up and down the country quietly compete for bragging rights that have nothing to do with wi-fi speed, bertholder showers or diesel prices. We’re talking hanging baskets, herb beds, bee hotels and the odd planted-up wellington boot. Yes, it’s Aquavista in Bloom season, and this year the crew at Haven Knox-Johnston couldn’t have been prouder to sponsor the awards for the very first time.

From Monday 13th to Wednesday 15th July, our very own Paul Knox-Johnston set sail (well, drove mostly!), around the country with judges Fran and Rich of the narrowboat YouTube channel Floating Our Boat. This was very much a road trip rather than a boat trip, with Paul travelling in Claude, his somewhat untrustworthy VW camper van, while Fran and Rich followed on in their motorhome, Percy, keeping half an eye out for a broken down Claude on the way. Fran and Rich were the perfect crew for the job of judging, between them bringing 80 years of combined gardening experience to the table! Both have been keen gardeners since their twenties, later turning that passion into professional careers, with Fran City & Guilds qualified and both having either trained or worked in garden design as well as hands-on gardening itself.

Three days, six marinas and countless cups of tea later, they’d seen it all.

The judging criteria

Marking a marina’s garden isn’t just a case of “ooh, pretty flowers.” Our judges assessed each shortlisted site against five categories:

Overall Visual Impact – first impressions, colour, wow factor and consistency across the site.
Quality of Planting & Maintenance – plant health, variety, tidiness and general TLC.
Creativity & Originality – unique planters, upcycled materials and imaginative use of space.
Community Involvement – boater participation, events and on-boat displays.
Environmental & Wildlife Value – pollinator planting, wildflower areas, bug hotels and sustainable gardening.

Six marinas made the final shortlist, split across three regions: Kings and Lemonroyd flying the flag for the North, Diglis and Crick for the Midlands, and Limehouse and Packet Boat representing the South.

It wasn’t always a straightforward comparison. As Fran and Rich pointed out, judging a compact town-centre garden against a site with acres of woodland to play with is a bit like judging chalk and cheese, so the criteria above did the heavy lifting, keeping things fair regardless of how much space each marina had to work with. One thing that struck the judges across the board was just how many marinas had embraced wildlife-friendly gardening this year, from bug hotels and dead hedges to bee-friendly borders, whether they had a whole field to spare or just a windowsill.

The bling for the marina office

No award is complete without some proper silverware, and this year’s trophies were something rather special. Each one was handmade by Jo Munford of Seaview Studios (who HKJ trust to work her magic on the TYHA awards too), with the Aquavista in Bloom 2026 logo reimagined as a hand-painted glass panel, all set into a solid oak frame. Every trophy was individually engraved with the winning region and the “Outstanding Overall Site” title, meaning no two are quite alike, much like the gardens they were awarded for. We think they’ll look rather smart sitting on the shelf in the marina office. A well-earned bit of bling after all those hours toiling in the soil!

Three wooden and glass “AQUAWISTA at bloom” awards shine outdoors, ready for festive activities and celebration.

A bumblebee gathers nectar on a pink coneflower with green foliage in the blurred background.

North winner: Kings Marina

Kings Marina greeted the judges with planted-up cows at reception (as you do), lavender and herb beds humming with pollinators, and an orchard grown in what was once dead space. Boaters work together to keep the gardens thriving, there’s a vegetable allotment feeding the bertholders, and most of the planting is grown on site using homemade compost. There are even beehives buzzing away. It’s fair to say the judges were impressed, and the sense of community carried on well after the inspection was over, with Fran and Rich joining the marina’s regulars for their regular Friday drinks.

Lemonroyd Marina gave them a run for their money. Built up in an impressively short space of time, this site is a genuine haven for wildlife, with bird feeders, bug hotels and quirky planters (including a very inventive recycled chest of drawers) dotted across the whole marina. The judges called it “an extremely close second,” which, in a two-horse regional race, is about as tight as it gets.

Purple flowers in a green pot hang in the foreground, with boats and a pier visible in the background.

A potted arrangement of purple and white irises with yellow and pink daisies, set outdoors on a sunny day.

Midlands winner: Crick Marina

Crick Marina brought the pollinators out in force too, with a reconstructed lock garden planted with lavender, dead hedges and log piles tucked into corners for wildlife, and inviting seating areas for boaters to relax in. What really set Crick apart, though, was the community spirit behind it, from an active garden club to a lively Facebook group keeping everyone growing together. Crick also gave us one of the trip’s funniest moments, when Paul couldn’t resist trying out a garden swing.

At Diglis Marina, colourful planters greeted visitors at the gate, flowers spilled from boats and moorings, a grapevine climbed over an arch, and there was even planting on top of the gas bottle store (creativity marks well earned). A pretty, well-kept lockside garden rounded things off nicely for communal use.

Purple and white flowers in a hanging basket on a quay with boats and buildings in the background.

Orange flowers with green leaves in focus, with a canal, buildings, and a blue sky with clouds in the background.

South winner: Limehouse Marina

Limehouse Marina simply couldn’t be topped. The judges praised the outstanding quality of the planting, with vibrant flowers, scented herbs and a genuinely tasty range of vegetables thoughtfully combined to bring the space to life. Clever vertical growing and planting on a disused swing bridge made the most of a tight urban footprint, and many of the plants are grown just around the corner in a nearby garage. Above all, the judges were struck by the passion behind it and the way the garden brings colour, insects and community together in the heart of the city.

Packet Boat Marina delivered creativity in spades, from two planted-up boats (one hand-built by a resident bertholder) to a wall planter fashioned from a recycled pallet. Lavender and a row of sunflowers thick with bees greeted visitors at the entrance, while wildflower patches and individually tended plots, ranging from veg gardens to planted-up boots, gave the whole site a relaxed, personal feel.

Red dahlias and purple flowers grow near a river with boats and trees visible in the background.

Congratulations to Kings Marina, Crick Marina and Limehouse Marina, the 2026 regional winners, and to every marina that made the shortlist. Six sites, three days and one thing in common – proof that a bit of soil, a lot of enthusiasm and a genuine sense of community can turn even the smallest patch of earth into something rather magical. All the marinas who took part in Aquavista in Bloom, not just those shortlisted, should be rightly proud of what they’ve achieved, making their sites a far more bright and colourful place for boaters and wildlife alike.

The prize giving itself was a lovely occasion. Aquavista regional managers and marina managers, along with Fran, Rich and Paul, gathered to see the Hanging Basket and Community awards handed out first, before the main event: the three regional Outstanding Overall Site trophies, unveiled to plenty of cheering from the room. Winning teams were presented with their certificates and trophies at a celebration alongside the Haven Knox-Johnston team, plenty of proud smiles all round.

A huge thank you to Fran and Rich for their expert eye (and patience, after three days of judging pollinator planting), and to every boater who picked up a trowel this year. We can’t wait to see what next year’s judging tour brings!

Six people stand outside, smiling with certificates after festive activities, beneath a banner reading “Our Heroes”.

Aquavista in Bloom 2026 Winners

🎥 Watch Fran and Rich’s Boaters in Bloom video to meet the finalists and discover how Aquavista marinas are helping to create greener, more welcoming waterside communities. 🌸

WATCH HERE