Garden Of The Year 2011

June and Derek McDonald of Station Road in Langford were winners of Biggleswade Chronicle Garden Of The Year 2011!

The green-fingered couple won the overall prize in another successful competition run by the Biggleswade Chronicle and sister paper the Bedfordshire Times & Citizen with Frosts at Willington.

The winning couple have both been gardening all of their lives and now Derek, 78, focuses on the vegetables while June nurtures the flowers.

They grow all kinds of vegetables, roses, fuchsias, dahlias and plenty of other flowers. This year they also have golden roses to mark their anniversary.

They achieved 50 years of marriage on Friday, September 16. The pair first met at the office where June was a typist clerk and Derek was an electrician.

They were married in a church in London’s Clapham Common. They later moved to Stevenage, where Derek worked as a cost estimator.

They have two daughters, Melissa and Tamsin as well as three grandchildren, Jaye, Jordan and Ryan.

Explaining their marital success, June said: “It’s teamwork. Our hobbies are the same and we are compatible.”

She jokingly added: “He does as he’s told. That’s what he tells everyone!”

The full list of winners, celebrated at an awards night in September, are as follows.

Garden Of The Year is set to return in 2012 so watch this space!

School gardens: joint winners Ursula Taylor School, Clapham and St John’s Foundation School, Kempston and Biddenham.

Young gardener: joint winners Jaye Larkins of Biggleswade and Eboni Hinds of Clapham.

Special prize: Bright Stars Children’s Edible Garden of Bedford

Large front garden: winner Mr and Mrs J Furnis of Renhold, Runners-up Mrs Jones of Bedford and Mr and Mrs McDonald of Langford.

Large back garden: winner Mr and Mrs Swales of Ravensden, runners-up Mr and Mrs McDonald of Langford and Mr and Mrs Jeffrey of Pavenham.

Small front garden: winner Mrs R Catt of Potton, runners-up T Cox of Sandy and Andrew Eriksson of Bedford.

Small back garden: winner Roy Richards of Wootton, runners-up Susan Roberts of Queens Park, Edwin Pearson of Clapham.

Commercial garden: winner Bluebell pub, Putnoe.

Community garden: winner Golden Garden and Community Garden, runners-up East Court and West Court led by Colin Thorman, Rothsay Road and Castle Round roundabout led by Anna Doody.

Allotment. vegetable garden: winner Kevin Jones of Bedford, runners-up Mr and Mrs McDonald, Mr and Mrs Swales.