Lerwick gardeners celebrated by community council
A NUMBER of green-fingered town residents have been recognised in Lerwick Community Council’s latest gardening competition.
The overall winner of the contest was Katrina Paul of Bankfield, Seafield.
Her home features a new garden created in the last couple of years alongside a house build.
Lerwick Community Council said it “already looks like a mature landscape dominated by wildflowers”.
The judges were said to be particularly impressed by the forward planning of the site, and the care given to enhancing the views from the house, including creating a sunken seating area.
Paul has rebuilt a whole drystone daek and also used original flagstones from the old house to good effect.
There was extensive use of recycled items to create interest and much thought given to making it a welcoming habitat for hedgehogs, birds and bees.
Runner-up and winner of the best wildlife garden award was Janice Leask of Longland, Sound.
The community council said the mature garden seems to “consider nature and wildlife in every corner and hosts resident hedgehogs and bird nests”.
They also noted a large variety of bee-friendly planting designed to bloom across a long season, including wilder areas.
Careful planting around the mature sycamores using plants that enjoy shade enhances the variety, while there are water dishes, bird baths and feeders.
Leask also makes her own nature-friendly fertiliser and pest control products from nettles, rhubarb leaves and garlic.
Among those highly commended were James and Angela McNeallie, of Commercial Road.
Their house sits near the Grantfield roundabout on one of the busiest roads in Lerwick, but “delights passers by with beautiful flower displays at the front of the house”.
The small back garden was described as a “riot of colour, a fantastic mix of perennials and annuals, with most of the plants grown from seed”.
Also highly commended were Mickey Moan and Regina Johnson of Cheyne Crescent.
It was the smallest garden entered, but is described as being “full of flowers, mature plants and vegetables as well as areas for sitting and for grandchildren to enjoy”.
The community council said there were also lots of environmentally friendly recycling and ideas for gardening on a budget, including propagating plants to sell for charity.
Mida Hawick of South Lochside was also highly commended for her home’s small back garden, which “hides a wonderful variety of colour and a big variety of plants”.
One notable plant is a 50-year-old vine in a small shed, covered in dozens of bunches of grapes.
The winner received a trophy and cash prize, while the other prizewinners were given vouchers from sponsor Harbro.
The winner and runner-up also received a wildflower selection from sponsor Species on the Edge – red clover, bird’s-foot trefoil and meadow vetchling.
They are all species that provide nectar and pollen for native Shetland bumble bees.
The seeds were collected in the wild and germinated at the Shetland Amenity Trust as part of the Species on the Edge project.
The judges commended all the nominated gardens and said that every Lerwick gardener helps make Lerwick a better place.
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