Dorset’s most wildlife-friendly gardeners were honoured in an awards ceremony at Castle Gardens in Sherborne sponsored by The Gardens Group.

It was the culmination of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s 10th annual Wildlife Friendly Gardening Competition, which this year reached more gardeners than ever before this year with a record-breaking 73 gardens judged.  The competition linked up with the trust’s ‘Get Dorset Buzzing’ campaign, an initiative helping gardeners of all levels to encourage more wildlife into their gardens.

The awards were presented by Trust president Dr George McGavin, who gave an entertaining and engaging talk about why everyone should care about wildlife in their gardens. Highlighting how insects are integral to the ecology and biodiversity, he said pest control would take care of itself without the need for chemicals when gardeners provided food and habitats for pollinators, invertebrates and insects.

Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group, said around 700 gardens had been judged since the competition started 10 years ago – an encouraging sign that people were taking responsibility for the way they interact with wildlife at home. “Every year the standard of entries rises, as gardeners of all ages and levels of experience come up with creative ways to build an oasis for themselves and any wildlife visitors. Far from the days when us wildlife enthusiasts were a rare and misunderstood breed who felt like they should meet in secret, gardening with wildlife in mind is now more popular than ever, and initiatives like ‘Get Dorset Buzzing’ are a fantastic way to feed this enthusiasm. As gardeners, we collectively have the potential to make a huge impact on Dorset’s natural environment and the creatures that live within it, so it’s incredibly fulfilling to see just how far we’ve come over the past decade.”

Picture caption: Winners of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Friendly Gardening Competition 2019 with Dr George McGavin.