The brainchild behind National Children's Gardening Week says he's happy with the response to the campaign to encourage the gardeners of the future.

Neil Grant, MD of Ferndale Garden Centre in Derbyshire, who is also BBC Radio Sheffield’s garden expert and co-presenter of the weekly garden phone in, now hopes it will become an annual event.

The first National Children's Gardening Week took place during this week's half-term for most of the country’s schools. 

“Children love growing plants, love being in the garden, but they are often impatient growers, wanting to see instant results,” said Neil.

“The event was designed to capture children’s enthusiasm at a time when results are immediate. Pretty much throughout the UK children can plant all the popular plants with little fear of weather damage or the need for complicated protective growing."

Ferndale Garden Centre led the way during the campaign, but other garden centres up and down the country also took part, including Palmers, Leicestershire; Kershaws, Brighouse; Blue Diamond; Perrywood, Essex; and Barton Grange.

Neil added: "We are pleased with the take up and we are happy to have created some fun for children encouraging them to garden for life. 

"We will repeat the pot painting when we open the summer beach plus and the grow your name activity."

If your garden centre took part in National Children's Gardening Week let us know by emailing neil.pope@tgcmc.co.uk