Search under way for Shropshire's top gardens
The search is on to find the best gardeners in Shropshire and Mid Wales in a new-look competition.
The search is on to find the best gardeners in Shropshire and Mid Wales in a new-look competition.
The Shropshire Star is today launching its Garden of the Year 2012 competition, in conjunction with the National Gardens Society.
Horticulturalists whose plots are a cut above the rest will receive prizes from TV gardener Chris Beardshaw during a VIP ceremony at Shrewsbury Flower Show in August.
Today competition organiser Andy Richardson said: "We are looking for the very best that Shropshire has to offer. Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid-Wales have immaculate plots of all colours, shapes and sizes and the Shropshire Star/NGS competition will shine the spotlight on them.
We believe we have gardens to rival those on display each year at Chelsea – we want gardeners to send us their photographs and details."
The competition will reflect the diversity of gardens across the region by offering prizes in a number of different categories.
Allison Walter, of the National Gardens Society, said: "We want to create a level playing field, so we are making sure that every type of garden is catered for.
"People who have modest-sized gardens will be eligible for a category for plots that are less than half an acre.
"Shropshire has a great number of people who have generously-proportioned gardens, and they will be accommodated in a category for gardens that are more than half-an-acre.
"People who live in urban environments will have a special category all of their own, for the best town garden."
Mrs Walter added that the contest also hoped to encourage youthful gardeners and there would be a category for gardeners under 40-years-old.
She said: "There are two more categories. We'll be looking to find the best community garden. That category will be open to organisations which have created a plot that is used by numerous people in a particular area or location. Finally, we'll also have a category for the best village group of gardens, which will reflect villages or hamlets that have a cluster of great gardens."
The competition will also have an overall winner, determined from the six individual categories.
Mr Richardson added: "In the first instance, we want gardeners to get in touch with us by either emailing or posting photographs of their gardens.
"Hopefully, people will be able to send good images – they should bear in mind that the images will be used by judges to draw up a shortlist, so we'd urge them to make sure they capture a good photograph.
"They can also write a few paragraphs about the type of garden they have, how long it's taken to develop, what its key features are and any other interesting details. An expert panel of judges from the NGS will then assess allthe entries and provide a shortlist."
The competition will be open to all-comers until noon on July 23, when entries will be closed. A shortlist of 18 gardens will be drawn up – three for each category – and a group of judges will then visit the gardens during the final week of July to decide on a winner.
Mrs Walter said: "We're hoping that the competition will have positive benefits for Shropshire and Mid-Wales. The NGS organises open gardens throughout the spring and summer months, raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity. We'd very much like the event to help us to identify new gardens that we can include in our NGS programme for 2013.
"We are also keen to encourage gardening excellence in Shropshire and to encourage younger gardeners to get out and make the most of their plots."
Entrants' gardens will be featured in the Shropshire Star and at www.shropshirestar.co.uk, while winners will also enjoy a complementary day at the Shrewsbury Flower Show.
The awards categories
- Garden over 1/2 acre
- Garden under 1/2 acre
- Town garden
- Garden with an owner under 40 (any location; any size)
- Best community garden
- Best village group of gardens
- Garden of the Year, an overall champion
How to enter
Tell us something about you, why your garden is so special, and back up your claims with photographs for the judges. Don't forget to include your full name, address and contact details, and tell us which category you wish to enter.
By Email: Entries can be sent electronically, with a selection of jpeg images, to [email protected]
By post: Fill in this form and mail it to Shropshire Star Garden of the Year 2012, Features Desk, Shropshire Star, Waterloo Road, Ketley, Telford, TF1 5HU.
Entries must be received no later than noon on July 23. Members of the NGS are eligible to enter, but NGS committee members are not. The competition is not open to employees of Midlands News Association, or their relatives. The Editor's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entrants can only enter one category. By entering, gardeners automatically agree to taking part in publicity relating to the competition.