GREEN-FINGERED residents are being invited to show off their skills in a competition honouring the borough's best gardens.

Six Town Housing have announced the return of their annual 'Flower Power' contest, which gives tenants that live in their 8,000 properties the chance to have their eye-catching efforts.

There are just over two weeks left to submit applications for this year's awards, which attracted more than 100 entries in 2015.

The categories this year include Best Individual Garden, Most Improved Garden, Best Communal Garden and Best Edible Garden.

There is also an award for pots, baskets and small spaces, and a "Waste Not Want Not" award for gardeners who recycle or have created fully sustainable gardens.

Young gardeners, or adults who have found that gardening has changed their lives for the better, can enter the Garden That Helped Me Grow category.

Winners in each category will receive £100 gardening voucher prizes, with runners up receiving additional awards.

Entrants must live in a property managed by Six Town Housing and it is also possible to nominate the gardens of other tenants.

John Merrick, Director of Neighbourhoods at Six Town Housing said: “We are always really impressed by the standard of competition entries we receive from tenants.

"Entrants make their community brighter for everyone and it is always a hard task for judges to select just one winner in each category.”

An online entry form is available at www.sixtownhousing.org and application packs can be mailed out to tenants on their request.

The closing date for entries is Friday, July 8.