Green-fingered gardeners from Largs are encouraging locals to enter the Cardwell Gardenfest contest.

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 to enter: Best Community Garden, Best Hanging Baskets, Best Planted Containers, Best Junior Gardener for Under 16s, Best Wildflower/Nature Friendly Garden and Best Overall Garden.

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.

Hugh said: “I have spent a lot of time helping other people create their own gardens and some of them will be entering Gardenfest this year.

“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 is a well-known face in Largs.

She said: “You don’t have to be an expert gardener to enter Gardenfest. I certainly don’t consider myself an expert and I won an award in the competition.”

Gardeners can enter as many categories as they wish with the winner of each receiving a £50 Cardwell gift voucher, a trophy 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 Friday, August 25.