Council chief salutes gifted gardeners (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Council chief salutes gifted gardeners

6:08pm Monday 4th August 2008 in Alresford

SEASONED gardeners from Alresford have flourished in a Winchester horticultural competition.

Berni and Helen Sheppard scooped first prize for best front garden in Winchester City Council's annual gardening competition for its tenants.

The couple, of Mitford Road, are a formidable partnership, having won the award at least three times previously.

"I was absolutely bowled over by the begonias in the front," said Cllr George Beckett, council leader and owner of George Beckett Nurseries in Compton. "It was the neatness and attention to detail that struck me. There is obvious close care and attention, and the garden is completely pest free."

Mr Sheppard, 73, a retired Ministry of Defence dog handler, said: "We've lived here since 1960 and have been doing the garden for many years - it started as just a hobby."

Also among the winners were the residents of Victoria House, Hyde, for having the best supported housing garden in the district and Bishop's Waltham-based Ron Ruddle, recognised for his hanging baskets.

It is the third successive year that Mr Ruddle has blossomed in the best hanging baskets category and said he took 300 cuttings from last year's crop to create his latest prize-winners.

Commenting on the 76-year-old's baskets, Cllr Beckett said: "I was impressed by the variety, the health of the plants and the colour match. They are free from pests and all in all are a splendid example of hanging baskets!"

He added tenants at Victoria House had created "a wonderful visual effect" in their enclosed garden, which was boosted further by the proceeds from a summer fair, which raised £308 towards buying new plants for the plot.