The hunt is on for Scotland's next young garden designer

The competition challenges youngsters to design a garden which could be chosen to be displayed at Gardening Scotland in the summer.

Schools in the Borders are invited to take part and design a garden featuring one of the competition's themes for 2020; Wildlife Gardening, One Planet Picnic, Keep Scotland Beautiful’s 20th birthday or the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.

The more creative and unique the garden, the better. Especially those which use gardening scraps, edible plants or that attract wildlife.

Eve Keepax, Food and Environment Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: "Our annual Pocket Garden Competition is a practical and fun way for pupils to learn about food, the environment and biodiversity, as well as developing their creative design skills.

"Now in its fifth year, the competition has inspired schools from 30 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas to take part. We have seen schools produce fantastic designs full of clever surprises with innovative ideas. I hope that many more young people will participate

this year."

By taking part in the competition children are given the chance to consider the environment around them, and learn about it in a fun, hands-on way.

And as this year will be the Year of Coasts and Water 2020, children are encouraged to explore the stories, folklore and history of Scotland's water.

Chair of the Garden for Life Forum, Anthony McCluskey, added: "We are looking forward to seeing how schoolchildren meet the design challenge again this year, especially as our coasts and inland waters are such inspirational places.

"It’s more important than ever that we help wildlife in our gardens and grow our own food sustainably, and these designs can help in a small way to address the problems our planet is facing."

The closing date for submissions is Wednesday, March 11.

For more information, visit www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/pocketgarden