Four gardens across Jesmond have been awarded prizes by local environmental group Greening Jesmond as part of a competition for the Jesmond Community Festival.

Around 20 gardens were entered to the contest from across North and South Jesmond, including Jesmond Vale. The winners were chosen by a panel of four judges, with one prize handed out in each of four categories: smaller/ pocket garden, larger garden, edible and wildlife.

The smaller/pocket garden category included entries that were around 2.5 x 4 m in size and this years’ winner was 44 Lansdowne Gardens, that included foxgloves and sage.

A garden at No.25 Larkspur Terrace took the prize in the larger garden category, with a display that included Jubilee decorations and bird fountain.

Other winners this year were 28 Salisbury Road in the wildlife-friendly category and 58 Buston Terrace in the edible garden section.

The owners of 58 Buston Terrace, Rhiannon and Jim Hanson, said they decided to grow an edible garden since they have a dog and a young child and didn’t want any inedible plants in their garden that might be dangerous. They said they also like the idea of being self-efficient, with fruits and vegetables in the garden like rocket, lettuce, onion, garlic and several types of berries they can pick from their garden instead of having to shop for them.

Each winner was presented with a £10 garden voucher at an award ceremony in Jesmond Library. Notable mentions included a garden in Reid Park Road, which had 32 different kinds of flowers, and also the gardens at Dunira House and St Georges which are kept by volunteer gardeners.

Local environmentalist Tony Waterston created the competition six years ago, and this year’s awards were hosted by Councillor Wendy Young hosted the awards. This competition is a part of the Jesmond Community Festival, running from May to June 2022.