GREEN-fingered gardeners have been praised for the quality of their front gardens.

The praise comes from the judges in the 2019 Front Garden competition run by Holmes Chapel Parish Council.

Every year the council runs a best front garden competition in the village, and there are two prizes, Front Garden winner and Dane Housing Bungalow winner.

Cllrs Michael Street and Patricia Cotton toured the village admiring the residents’ front gardens, and were very impressed by the quality of gardens on display.

Cllr Street said: “The quality of front gardens within the village is excellent, and it is great to see how much time and effort residents put into making their gardens look so attractive.

“It is an honour to travel round the village looking at the wonderful gardens on display.

“The winners were delighted to have been chosen and the council looks forward to seeing what residents can do with their front gardens in 2020.”

The winners received a trophy and garden vouchers.

Knutsford Guardian:

Dane Housing garden winners, from left, Cllr Michael Street, Cllr Patricia Cotton, Malcolm Coates, Glenda Coates, Cllr Brian Bath

The winners of the Front Garden competition were Pauline Horne and Dean Johnson, and the Dane Housing Bungalow competition was won by Malcom and Glenda Coates.

Dean shared his five top tips for making an attractive garden: keep on top of the little weeds; hoe the flower beds regularly; lawns benefit from regular mowing, ideally twice a week, and trim all the shrubs regularly to keep them in shape.

In addition Dean has recently began to treat the lawn with lime, which has been very successful.

Knutsford Guardian:

The winning Dane Housing Bungalow garden

Knutsford Guardian:

The winning front garden