A POPULAR gardening competition is now officially open for entries after the conclusion of its launch event.

Councillor Denise Cobb, the deputy mayor of Brighton and Hove, launched this year’s City in Bloom competition at the Jubilee Library on Monday.

Organisers are taking a different view of gardening in this year’s competition by welcoming people to submit their entries online – all in a bid to promote sustainability.

Bosses say the scheme will allow entries to be photographed at a time when the gardener considers it the best time to showcase their entry, enabling judges to see them in their prime.

Categories open for entry via photographs include best front garden, best basement, best window box, best hanging basket, best commercial frontage, best licensed premises, most innovative planting, best wildlife garden, best school garden and best urban patch.

The following categories will be judged in person and have a closing date of June 19 – best street, best community garden, best school garden and best charity community garden.

The competition launch takes place at Brighton’s Jubilee Library foyer on Monday, March 30 at 1pm.

For more information visit brightonandhovecityinbloom.co.uk