GREEN-FINGERED residents in Southend have been busy planting and pruning for a competition.

South Essex Homes was delighted with the standard of entries for its first-ever Garden in Bloom competition.

Best overall garden winner was Jean Wetton, of Hornby Avenue, Southend. The prize for best communal garden went to Stephen McAdden House, in Burr Hill Chase, which is maintained by Shirley Nunn.

Other prizes went to Lionel Bennett for best window box, to Norman Shields, of Pear Tree Close, for best vegetable garden and Bob and Lily Dunne of Furzefield, Southend, for best vegetable garden. Wendy Reiss, of Southchurch Rectory Close, Southend, received a highly commended certificate.

All the winners were presented with certificates and awards by the chairman of the South Essex Homes’s board, Phil Lyons.

He said: “We have been really impressed with the number of entries received, all of which were of a very high standard.

“The winners have put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to ensure their gardens are of pristine condition in terms of colour, quality and planting.”