Largs gardener 'grown for gold' in Cardwell Gardenfest

Hugh Gibson lifted the Best Overall Garden trophy for his green-fingered prowess at the Cardwell Gardenfest competition.

Hugh Gibson with his wife Margaret in their wonderful garden (Image: Newsquest)

Hugh was presented his trophy and certificate for a second year (Image: Cardwell Garden Centre)

And Largs Community Garden won the Best Community Garden for its display on an unused railway platform.

A trophy was presented to volunteers at Largs Community Garden (Image: Cardwell Garden Centre)

Last year volunteers from the Douglas Park Project in Largs won the prize for the Best Community Garden category and used the money to create a sensory garden in the town.

Entries to the competition, organised by Cardwell Garden Centre, near Gourock, came from Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Inverclyde.

Judges in this year’s Gardenfest competition were Cardwell Garden Centre director, Kieran Gallagher and gardening expert George Irvine.

The winners were presented with a trophy (Image: Cardwell Garden Centre)

Each winner was given a trophy, certificate and a £50 gift voucher after seeing off other entries from all over the west of Scotland for the top spots.

The garden created by volunteers at Largs Community Garden (Image: Cardwell Garden Centre)

The trophies were presented by our sister title Greenock Telegraph editor, David Goodwin.

Kieran said: “The standard of entries across the board was very high again this year and it was a difficult decision to pick the winners.

“It’s obvious from how good the entries were that gardening is still a very popular activity. It’s a very enjoyable way to keep physically active and it’s also good for our mental health.

“Well done to the Gardenfest winners and I hope their beautiful gardens inspire others to take up or continue gardening and see their expertise literally blossom in front of their own eyes!"