A WREXHAM garden centre is inviting amateur gardeners, of all ages and backgrounds, to enter its annual gardening competition.
Not Your Average Gardener Awards launched on World Environment Day and set to celebrate novice gardeners and enthusiasts alike, Dobbies' Moreton Park store is marking its fourth year of the awards with the help of a robust panel of horticultural and wildlife experts to crown four winners.
With four new categories, judges will be looking for a variety of gardeners of all abilities from across Moreton Park to put themselves, or a friend or family member, forward to be in with the chance of scooping Dobbies' annual gardening prize.
Dobbies’ senior houseplant buyer Claire Bishop.
Dobbies' senior houseplant buyer and recently appointed Royal Horticultural Society Chair of Assessors, Claire Bishop, will join Dobbies' horticultural director and seasoned judge, Marcus Eyles, to crown the new Creative Indoor Gardener and Little Eco Gardener categories. Claire said: "It's a real honour to be part of the Not Your Average Gardener Awards for its fourth year and I can't wait to see the talent from our houseplant enthusiasts in Moreton Park.
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"The awards have been designed with full inclusivity in mind, so we're looking for people of all ages and skill levels to get in touch and tell us about their vibrant green space that they have a real passion for."
Judge Marcus Eyles.
RePollinate, a Scottish-based charity that conserves and enhances the UK's threatened pollinators through education, scientific research and the creation of pollinator friendly habitats, will judge the Wildlife Friendly Garden category.
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Leigh Biagi, project coordinator at RePollinate, is thrilled to be partnering with Dobbies on the judging panel. She said: "We are so delighted to be asked to judge the Wildlife Friendly Gardener category of the awards. At RePollinate we are passionate about doing all we can to support nature in our green spaces, no matter how big or small that space may be."
Project Coordinator at RePollinate, Leigh Biagi. Photo: Christopher Bowen
Social media gardening expert, Michael Griffiths, aka The Mediterranean Gardener, joins the panel to judge the Plant to Plate Gardener category. He said: "I'm delighted to be part of this year's Not Your Average Gardener Awards, and can't wait to see all the fantastic entries from gardeners in Moreton Park. It's a great opportunity to celebrate the creativity and commitment of amateur gardeners."
There's a prize pot of £4,000 to help successful applicants take their award-winning garden to the next level, each taking home a £1,000 giftcard to spend in their local Dobbies' store.
Entries close on Friday, June 30 and winners will be announced early August. To find out more about how you can get involved and to take part, visit: dobbies.com/not-your-average-gardener-awards
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