Gardeners in Wantage, Grove and Steventon have been showing what they’re made of in The Vale Housing Association’s summer garden competition, which has attracted one of the highest ever number of entries.
The competition was judged by Anne-Marie Pratley, Secretary of the Abingdon Horticultural Society, and Emily Griffith, Communications and Research Manager at The Vale Housing Association. Ms Pratley commented, We judged more gardens than ever before this year so the competition was especially fierce. I think gardening programmes on TV have sparked a new interest amongst a lot of people - the gardens we visited have been really creative and varied
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Two winners who were especially pleased to have won a prize this year were Mr and Mrs Fox of Longcot. Although they had entered the competition three years running, this was the first time they had won a prize. Mrs Fox commented, The garden now looks totally different from when we were first here. The best thing for us about gardening is watching plants grow from seeds.
Emily Griffith, Communications and Research Manager at The Vale Housing Association, said, We were thrilled that so many people entered the competition. The colour and variety of these gardens really make a difference to local neighbourhoods and we’re pleased to be able to reward the efforts of everyone who has put in such hard work. Some of these gardens have been completely transformed since we first saw them.
The winners of the contest are due to be awarded with certificates and garden vouchers on Tuesday 6th August.