THE hunt for the area's best example of domestic horticulture reached its climax when a small town garden scooped the top award.

Anne Morris's Ashfield Road pride and joy was the judges favourite after a selection process that reduced more than 45 entries to a shortlist of six in the Glorious Gardens competition.

The competition was organised through Andover WI County Market, which is one of the largest in the country. The market opened in 1946 with a small stall in Andover's George Yard and its first weekly taking of £4. Now the annual turnover exceeds £70,000 from the seven weekly stalls.

It was when customers of the outdoor plant stall started to bring photographs of their gardens to show the stallholders that Annie Bullen decided it would be a good idea to encourage them through a competition, which she devised and planned.

Photographic entries were invited initially so that Annie, chairman Sue Peecock and Tina Wells could choose a 'long list' of 13 gardens which they then visited.

These were whittled down to a shortlist of six for the final judging.

The judges were Tim Rumball, editor of Amateur Gardening magazine and Joe Scicluna, editor of the Andover Advertiser, and they spent several hours touring the Hampshire countryside and deliberating on the merits of the widely differing gardens.

Anne's comparatively small town garden scored highest because it impressed the judges with its carefully thought out designs, beautifully manicured presentation and choice of planting.

It is packed full of interesting plants and designed with good association and colour in mind and while it is quite a long, narrow plot it is made interesting by the sub-division into garden 'rooms'.

Other finalists included Michael Hume's old fashioned cottage garden at Leckford.

Julia Jenkins' one-acre garden at Abbotts Ann included a vegetable garden, flowers, fruit and a wild garden, while Eileen Rotheram created a peaceful garden at Weyhill out of a patch of woodland, including a pond and a newly laid out grasses garden.

At Hurstbourne Tarrant Sue Jones used skill and imagination on her cottage courtyard garden, filling a small space with imaginative planting and making good use of a large pond and some original walling.

In contrast Kate Gregory's three acre plot at Ibthorpe offered a special challenge. Kate knew nothing about plants so took a course at Sparsholt and has since worked with the landscape to create a wildlife pond, a natural looking bank, a herbaceous border, a potager and a cut flower bed.

But it was the stunning and meticulous preparation of Anne's garden that finally won over the judges.

At the presentation of certificates to the first, second and third placed entrants Tim Rumball described her garden as immaculate in its concept, preparation and presentation and praised her exceptional use of separate areas and planting.

It is now hoped the Glorious Gardens competition will become an annual event, nurtured by the WI County Market.