PREVIOUS winners of the Cardwell Gardenfest contest are encouraging others to enter this year’s competition.

Last year’s Best Overall Garden winner, Hugh Gibson has been passing on his gardening expertise and knowledge to others since he lifted the coveted trophy.

Now he says some of the novice gardeners he has helped are ready to enter this year.

Hugh said: “Sometimes all it takes is to give people who are enthusiastic about their garden some encouragement and pass on some gardening knowledge and experience.

“My main job is to point them in the right direction and get them to a standard where they can enter a contest like Gardenfest, which gives them something to aim for.”

Last year’s Best Hanging Baskets trophy went to Mary Lunday who says you don’t have to be an expert gardener to take part in the competition.

Greenock Telegraph:

She said: "I certainly don’t consider myself one, and I won an award in the competition.

“If you think you have a nice garden then give it a go and enter.”

The contest is open to anyone from the west of Scotland and all you have to do to enter is submit a maximum of three photographs per category being entered.

There are six categories: Best Community Garden; Best Hanging Baskets; Best Planted Containers; Best Junior Gardener for Under 16s; Best Wildflower/Nature Friendly Garden and Best Overall Garden.

Gardeners can enter as many categories as they wish with the winner of each category receiving a £50 Cardwell gift voucher, a trophy engraved with their name to keep for until next year’s contest is held and a certificate.

Entry photographs should be emailed to cardwellgardenfest@gmail.com or posted to Cardwell’s Gardenfest, Cardwell Garden Centre, Lunderston Bay, By Gourock, PA19 1BB.

Entrants should include their name, postal address, email and phone contact details. The judges decisions are final and entries close on August 25.