Glasgow businesses that have helped to prettify the city with flower displays have been applauded at the latest ‘Let Glasgow Flourish’ Awards.
Organised by The Incorporation of Gardeners of Glasgow, the annual awards were decided by judges who roamed the streets during the first two weeks of August 2025, while the flowers were in full bloom, and awarded points for each display they found.
Hospitality businesses were prominent amongst the 72 business that received awards, with Grumpy Barista, Mharsanta, La Vita, Nico’s and Manuka nightclub among those taking gold awards, while DRG Group ‘swept the board’ with a haul of Silver awards across its restaurant portfolio.
But it was the Ardnamurchan Restaurant and Bar in Glasgow’s Hope Street that took the top prize – The Robertson Silver Spade Award – which was accepted by the venue’s general manager, Jean-Marc Ducasse, at a ceremony in the city’s Trades House.
Former Beechgrove Garden host, Lesley Watson, who presented this year’s awards, said: “All the winners should be very proud. You’ve cheered the city up with your colourful display of flowers and you are doing the wildlife good too.”
Commenting on the win, Ducasse said: “We’re very proud to have won The Robertson Silver Spade Award. We won the silver and gold in previous years so we’re over the moon to lift the big prize this year. The spade will have pride of place in our restaurant.”
Professor Beverly Bergman OBE, Collector of the House, added: “Congratulations to all of our winners. Thank you for making this beautiful city more beautiful than ever with your floral displays.
“Special congratulations to Ardnamurchan Restaurant and Bar on winning The Robertson Silver Spade and to all of the businesses who received bronze, silver and gold awards.
“We’re thrilled that so many of you play your part in enhancing your outdoor areas and entrances with beautiful planting and floral displays for us all to enjoy.”
The ‘Let Glasgow Flourish’ awards were launched in 1983, giving gold, silver and bronze prizes to commercial or institutional organisations within the city which ‘create and maintain an arboreal or floral display of a high standard for the benefit of the public’.
The awards cover everything from simple hanging baskets and window box displays to larger and more ambitious plantings. Judging happens across the city, taking in the city centre, east end, west end, south side and Merchant City areas.
The Incorporation of Gardeners of Glasgow was founded around 1605 as a trade guild to protect the gardening and horticulture trade in the city. It now operates solely as a charity, giving significant grants each year to not-for-profit gardening projects in the city, recently including support for projects at The Beatson and The Children’s Wood in the North Kelvinside area. The Incorporation also provides study bursaries to gardening and horticultural students.
The full list of hospitality winners is, with Gold awards: Amore (last year’s Silver Spade winner), Grumpy Barista, La Vita. Manuka, Merchant Chippie, Mharsanta, Nico’s, The Argyll Hotel, The Corinthian Club, The Hengler’s Circus, The Horseshoe Bar, The Islay Inn, The Maltman, and The Waterloo.
Silver awards went to: ABode Hotel , Atlantic Brasserie, Bag O’ Nails, Barolo, Berlinkys, Café Andaluz, Caffé Parma, Chrystal Bell & Co, Committee Room No9, Gamba, Gloriosa, Hajar Shawarma, Hillhead Tennis Club, Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel, Malmaison Hotel, Meze Meze, Molly Malone’s, Murphy’s Bar, Oran Mor, Revolution, Ristorante Pieno, Shanghai Shuffle, The Ben Nevis, The Bothy, The Citizen, The Counting House, The Gardener, The Piper Whisky Bar, The Steps Bar, The Sir John Moore, The Three Judges, Wee Paree, and Zhima.
Bronze awards were presented to: Café Antipasti, Dram, Drum and Monkey, Kothel, and Radisson RED.
