A GREEN fingered gardener has received Powys County Council’s cup for having Best Kept Garden in Montgomeryshire.

Richard Drayton, 38, from Montgomery, has been transforming his garden at Tan y Mur in the town over the last couple of years and said that he is ecstatic that all the hard work has paid off.

Mr Drayton, who works for Stairways in Buttington, has been helped in the garden by his daughters and has received gardening tips from his Auntie Jackie.

Taking pride of place are his Passion Flowers that he has been specially cultivating.

Richard said: “I’m ecstatic to have won this on my first attempt.

“I’ve really put my heart and soul into this and it feels absolutely amazing.

“It was a garden for the kids to play in, but as they’ve grown older I’ve cleared it to make space for growing flowers.

“I’ve had a lot of help in the garden from my daughter Lily.”

“I had a nervous breakdown a couple of years ago, and gardening has helped me recover.

“It’s something that I find relaxing.”

Richard added: “Growing the passion flower is quite hard, you need to keep it out of the wind. I’ve done a lot of research into growing them.”

The competition is run by Powys County Council to recognise tenants who work hard in their gardens. The council is delighted to reward this effort.