Gardeners can be winners

Calling all green-fingered heroes.

The New Zealand Gardener magazine is looking for you as part of its annual Gardener of the Year competition.

It is held in association with Kiwicare, and there is $25,000 of garden gear in prizes.

Editor Jo McCarroll says the aim is to celebrate Kiwis who are helping others in their community through gardening.

‘‘In previous years we’ve had nominations for people who’ve inspired kids through school gardens, who’ve raised money for charity through a plant stall, and who have grown food to share with struggling families, but every year we hear about other great Kiwi gardeners doing amazing things.’’

Gardeners can be nominated in 10 categories: Junior Novice Best Green-Fingered Neighbour Make a Difference Gardener Garden Club Champ Best School Garden/Gardener Best Vege Gardener Best Flower Gardener Best Community Garden/Project Best Gardening Grandparent. The finalists’ stories will be in the October issue of the magazine and readers then get to vote which of the 10 category winners should be named New Zealand Gardener’s 2013 Gardener of the Year.

‘‘Receiving the award entries is one of the highlights of the year for us at the magazine,’’ Ms McCarroll says.

‘‘We laugh, we cry and we are always genuinely moved by people’s kindness and sense of community that seems to come with their joy of gardening.’’

There is such a high calibre of candidates, Ms McCarroll says she is glad the overall winner is chosen by public vote. The overall winner will receive a year’s worth of Kiwicare Garden Products, $2500 of Mitre 10 gift cards, $2500 of Go Gardening gift cards and a luxury trip for two to the 2014 Ellerslie International Flower Show in Christchurch.

‘‘I love all our finalists. I could never pick a winner so I’m glad it’s left up to the readers to choose.’’

The competition attracts hundreds of entries and thousands of votes

Last year’s winner, Sister Rosemary Revell from Auckland, says if you know a gardener worth celebrating, nominate them at once.

‘‘It’s been an awful lot of fun for me and the prizes were just amazing,’’ she says.

Photo: JOHN SELKIRK Garden winner: Sister Rosemary Revell is New Zealand Gardener’s 2012 Gardener of the Year. She is encouraging people to get involved in this year’s competition.