THERE is just over a week left to enter The Hunts Post Garden of the Year competition and be in with a chance of winning up to £750 in cash. One of the most recent entries is from Shirley Elsden and her husband George, who have spent more than six years

THERE is just over a week left to enter The Hunts Post Garden of the Year competition and be in with a chance of winning up to £750 in cash.

One of the most recent entries is from Shirley Elsden and her husband George, who have spent more than six years turning their overgrown garden in Marsh Lane, Hemingford Grey, into a formal, yet colourful, haven full of their favourite flowers and plants.

Mrs Elsden, who designed the layout of the garden herself, said: "We started from scratch with the garden and it is so rewarding to see it now.

"We have now got the garden to the stage where it only needs a bit of weeding in the spring and the rest of the year it looks after itself. We have planned it so that there is something flowering all year round, which is a real delight."

The green fingered couple, who are in their seventies, get their gardening inspiration from books and have grown most of the shrubs in their garden from cuttings they have collected over the years.

Mrs Elsden said: "We both really enjoy gardening and everything you see in the garden has been planted by me or my husband. We have worked really hard on its layout and we're really pleased with it."

As well as flowers, the garden is also home to Greek figures, three different types of Conifers and a Golden Leylandii tree.

The Elsden's have entered The Hunts Post Garden of the Year best design category, which is open to anyone who is proud of their gardening achievements.

There are two other categories: most colourful display and best kept garden. The competition, which runs until September 30, is sponsored by Admiral Windows and Conservatories and has three cash prizes of £250 on offer as well as another cash prize of £500 for the overall winner.

To be in with a chance of winning, fill in the coupon on this page and send it with three pictures of your garden and a 200 word note detailing why it deserves to win, to Garden Competition, The Hunts Post, 30 High Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TB by Saturday, September 30 or visit www.huntspost.co.uk, click on garden competition and follow the instructions.