THE Echo has teamed up with Scott’s of Southend to launch a competition which celebrates the beautiful gardens in our county.

A fantastic prize of £300 of vouchers for garden centre Scott’s of Southend is up for grabs – plus the kudos of winning!

To enter, we just need you to send photos of your prized plot.

We will publish our favourites in the Echo.

It could be your front garden, your back garden or a vibrant green space you have honed somewhere at home.

The lockdown has seen a surge in people getting into gardening and many have been busy outdoors sprucing up their space with flowers or creating their own peaceful haven.

Scott’s of Southend, a nursery and garden centre based in Sutton Road, is packed with plants, trees, garden furniture and accessories that will make your outside space even better.

Echo:

Like many garden centres Scott’s has now reopened to the public, with social distancing policies in-store and cleaning stations on hand to keep customers safe. Lots of new plants, trees, products and tools now available at the nursery.

This week has seen the return of the Chelsea Flower Show (albeit online) and gardening enthusiasts everywhere have been taking inspiration from the show to create their own superior exterior at home.

A poll by the Royal Horticultural Society found that 57 per cent of people value their gardens more now than they did before the lockdown.

Someone who knows all about gardening is Terry Babbage, chairman of the Benfleet Horticultural Society.

The society has 700 members and is celebrating its centenary this year.

Terry has been tuning into the virtual coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show. He said: “I normally go on the first day of the show.”

Like so many others, Terry has been busy in the garden at his Benfleet home filling pots with bedding plants. His garden is now filled with a sea of geraniums, fuchsias and begonias.

Terry says no matter the size of your garden you can add some colour, even with hanging baskets.

He said: “Get your hanging baskets up filled with plants.

You will have continual colour through the summer months to the first frosts,” he said.

How to enter: send your photos along with your name, contact number and address to victoria.birch@ newsquest.co.uk or upload your entry below. 

The closing date is June 3.