Reporter Ashley Ball has been up and down the borough meeting the most keen gardeners in the region.
While the community garden contenders will be revealed next week, the private garden finalists are all featured below.
Have a read of each of their stories before casting your vote for your favourite.
You can access voting here.
Please note you need to be a registered website user in order to vote, it's free and you can do that here.
Here are all the contenders:
JACK COOKE
JACK Cooke had a blank canvas to work with when he moved into his Kingstone home six years ago.
What he has created in that time is testament to his hard work, creativity and youthful exuberance.
At just 26 he has skills well beyond his years and he is prepared to do the hard yards.
“I’m out in rain or shine,” he laughs.
“I think from April to the end of September, every day I have off I am in the garden because there’s always something to do.
“There wasn’t a plant in the garden when I moved in – it was just grass.”
It’s been some turnaround.
Just while we chat birds are whizzing above us and butterflies and bats are frequent visitors.
For Jack, a mental health nurse at Kendray Hospital, it’s also an oasis.
He added: “Gardening has always been something I did at home with my parents. When I got my own place it took off from there.
“The biggest thing for me when you work full-time is that you appreciate having a nice garden and somewhere to wind down.
“It’s like a sanctuary for me. I like flowers that are perennial to fill a border out but I also like growing plants from tubers like dahlias and canna lilies which take a bit of looking after like being stored over winter.
“Seeing them come back after winter, from nothing, is something I really enjoy.
“Perennials are easy to dig up at the end of the year and divide and it creates more plants for you. I would like to say it’s just a maintenance job but I change the look every year and I like moving things.
“That’s the thing with gardening too – it’s an ongoing project.”
Jack’s garden is cleverly softened around the edges with ivy and his many pots and planters are filled with plants of different shapes, sizes and textures.
He has a ready supply of strawberries growing in a planter and he is fortunate enough to have a low slug population meaning his hostas are at their very best.
He also has a tidy front garden but an interesting overspill on a walkway behind his house.
Not content with working on his own garden, Jack’s gone over the fence to tidy up there and has planted more wildflower seeds after tackling overgrown brambles.
EMMA SEDGWICK
IT is a love for wildlife which has inspired Emma Sedgwick to craft the sprawling garden she has.
There is no doubt that every species which calls her Shafton garden home will have reciprocal feelings.
And there are plenty.
Foxes, bats, newts, birds of prey, grass snakes, owls, scores of smaller birds, pollinators, squirrels, hedgehogs and too many creepy crawlies to name are all present.
Emma encourages everything in her all-inclusive garden: weeds are cherished, nettles are left alone and slugs aren’t persecuted. They’re all key components to her micro eco-system.
But there is a real skill to attracting these species and Emma, a haematology nurse specialist and mum to an 11-year-old boy, has created habitats everywhere including a wildlife pond, log and rock piles and compost heaps.
She tailor-makes the garden for their needs.
Emma said: “We’ve got a great environment for wildlife. To get your bigger predators like sparrowhawks you’ve got to start at the bottom with little logpiles for insects that bring the little birds in.
"I have never really been a gardener but my love of nature and wanting to get animals in which has made the garden what it is.”
There is no doubt the garden is hers and has been worked on tirelessly for the 15 years she’s been there. But Emma’s kind enough to allow the youngster a football net to perfect his shooting in... so long as he minds the plants. It’s a fair compromise.
The garden’s primary purpose may be as a habitat and haven for wildlife but it does this whilst still being a family garden with many places to sit and relax in. The colours and views are beautiful with a huge willow tree the centrepiece.
Emma has a very big space to work with but it’s cleverly split into more manageable sections where flowers, fruit and vegetables are grown. She’s studied the garden to know where and when to plant everything so it can excel.
She added: “I do tend to use all the veg. The family love the apple pies that I make and I take them into work too.”
An orchard and meadow are in their infancy at the back of the garden and it’s certain Emma has put them in the right place because she has got everything else right so far.
BARRIE AND ELSIE CLARKE
BARRIE Clarke’s retirement has been largely dedicated to manicuring his masterpiece of a garden in Hemingfield.
It has been worth all the effort for the former NCB blacksmith, plater and welder, now 83.
His wife Elsie, 75, knows best.
She smiles: “He’s like a bear with a sore head if he can’t go out into the garden.”
Barrie nods along in agreement.
“In winter I do nothing because of the arthritis,” he says.
“I like springtime because I start my seeds and raise all my plants - I enjoy it then the most.
“When we first came it was just fruit trees and conifers.
“I like flowers just to make it look nice.
‘There is only really us that see it other than a few friends, it’s just for us two and the family.
“I like petunias a lot; it’s the way they flow down and cascade.”
When I arrive he’s got his shears in hand and is on with a job he has spotted. Most people would marvel at the perfection on show but you get the impression Barrie will always have something or other to prune or perfect.
He has transformed the space around the back of their home of 45 years.
Where once was a fish pond is a now an elevated lawn which offers even better views around the many sections of the garden.
All the paving and brickwork has been laid and designed by Barrie himself and is, perhaps surprisingly, ultra modern.
He also cleverly lets creeping plants fill in some gaps.
All his borders and lawns are meticulously cut and laid out showing a much defter hand than Barrie must have had in his working days.
He has even had a crack at topiary and has an impressive teddy bear and duck underway.
Acers and trimmed bushes add yet more texture and shape to ensure you don’t quite know where to focus your eye first, then a jacaranda tree needs to be identified to me.
Roses also play a huge role in one border and are at their blooming best.
Barrie said: “I have done everything in the garden.
“I always try and do something different and change the design every year.
“I don’t think I get inspiration from anywhere. It just seems to come to me.”
STEFFANIE PREST
SOME people may garden on instinct, to a methodical plan or to suit the needs of themselves or even wildlife.
Steffanie Prest, 42, gardens on emotion.
She explains why: “My daughter, Angel, passed away on the night we moved into this property.
“She had a condition called Marfan syndrome, which we didn’t know she’d got.
“She had been perfectly fit and healthy until then so it was a complete shock.
“Instead of flowers for the funeral I asked for plants - Angel was big into nature, birds, bees and insects and rewilding.
“That is how it started.
“Three years ago we took on the woodland garden at the back which was completely overgrown.
“It’s hard work and takes a hell of a lot of time but everything is a tribute to Angel and often when I am up there a little robin will appear and I think: ‘she’s happy with what I’ve done’.”
From the little I’ve learned about Angel, who died aged ten five years ago, the two gardens she has crafted alongside her husband Rob would have been perfect.
The tidy flowery front garden has a newly-designed love heart shape of her flowers in her favourite colour of purple.
Rose bushes are in full bloom and there are multiple seating areas to enjoy the views created.
Salvage, sustainability and reclamation - all-important in the modern age - also play a part.
Steffanie, who owns a cleaning business, has used an old trampoline to create a beautiful archway in the woodland garden and a bicycle has been stripped down and sits elegantly.
The nature garden is now home to a band of ducks, there is a wildlife pond, vegetable beds and all manner of wildflowers.
It would have been an ideal place for Angel to do one of her favourite things: reading among wildlife.
What Steffanie has done is admirable and she feels it has helped he healing process.
Steffanie added: “As a mum, when you lose your only child, you need that nurturing and something to put your energy into.
“I can watch the plants grow like I would watch a child grow.
“I always try and see the positives: yes, I lost Angel at a young age, but I had ten amazing years with her and some women don’t get that opportunity at all.
“The garden keeps me busy and keeps my mind focused.
“The garden is a place, even on bad days, where you can re-evaluate life and it grounds you.
“That’s my therapy.”
MALCOLM RICHARDSON
MALCOLM Richardson wanted his garden to have the ‘wow’ factor.
And there can’t be many people who walk into his expansive creation without uttering that very word.
The garden comes in at a whopping two-thirds of an acre.
It means Malcolm has a lot to maintain but what is perhaps even more impressive than the scale of the garden is the transformation it has undergone in the 12 years he and his wife Sian have been there.
Both retired teachers, their switch from schools to spades has been an impressive one.
Malcolm seems to be the driving force with Sian offering a large amount of creative input.
Malcolm, 72, said: “It was just a field and it’s our ideas that have turned it into what it is today.
“It is built on an open cast mine so what’s underneath there you’d need a pickaxe to get through - it needed 250 tonnes of topsoil.
“Things have developed over the years and things have moved around; each year the beds change.
“Most mornings for two or three hours, I always find something to do in it.
“It is a full-time job but if I didn’t enjoy doing it I wouldn’t be out there.
“I don’t sit and enjoy it very often because I always find something to do.”
It would be easy in a garden this large to focus solely on the plants but everything actually gets a fair shake.
The borders on the lawn, spaced out across the garden, are almost golf bunker-like in shape.
This is perhaps a nod to the couple’s other passion, but instead of sand are filled heartily with a range of shrubs, trees and flowers in a range of colours, shapes and textures.
There is a wavy walkway down the right hand side which leads to a summer house and orchard. Pergolas interrupt the walk charmingly along the way.
As with most prolific gardeners, there has been an overspill and Malcolm has made use of the drop-off of his garden to the fields behind.
Steps lead down the steep path but a range of flowers are now installed at different levels to provide for the pollinators. It’s just one extra and unexpected blooming bonus.
Roses, astrantias and purple astras are among his favourites due to their longevity.
Malcolm added: “I like flowers that are here all summer - because of the size of the garden I wanted colour in there most of the time.”
PETER TOMES
WHAT Peter Tomes has done to transform a steep banking into a lush kaleidoscope of colours should be an example to anyone who thinks a challenging gradient can’t be conquered.
Peter, 70, has created a multi-storey garden which is loved by himself, his family and wildlife alike.
A lone tree has been left for visiting woodpeckers to chip away at - that’s the highest point of the garden but not the highlight with practically everything playing a contributing role. It is definitely more orchestra than soloist.
There is a definite Mediterranean feel to walking up the stairs which is enhanced further on a hot day and the perfumes and colours have the transportive quality.
Now retired after working on petrol tankers, Peter is dedicating himself to two loves.
Providing for wildlife is deeply important to him but it is also hard to miss several pieces of architectural salvage or antiques dotted around the garden.
On paper it sounds a quirky mixture but the salvaged stone, artwork and cast iron pieces enhance the planting.
Everything looks like it belongs and it’s clear Peter has slowly been honing his garden to how he likes it - without rush and with much consideration.
I have to do two laps of the upper reaches of the garden to try and ensure I spot everything and on my second visit I see planting and stonework I hadn’t the first time.
Peter has just about filled every nook and cranny with a plant but yet it does not seem overcrowded.
He said: “When I was working away it was a case of coming home and maintaining but as my kids got older I started planting and collecting.
“We had to cut out the banking and build walls. If the space was flat it might be a little bit boring for me.
“Because it’s on levels, you get different views. You have to tour around a little bit to see everything.”
On the ground level of the garden there’s planting and a wildlife pond and many reclaimed benches and chairs which allow you to look at the garden from every angle.
The family home for approaching half a century was rocked 18 months ago when Peter’s wife Lynne died from cancer.
Losing his partner of five decades is clearly still raw to Peter but it is also evident that gardening helps with the mourning.
“Sometimes I get a little bit upset,” he said.
“But I go out into the garden every day I can. There is always a job to be done.”
ELAINE LEDGER
IT is not every day that Elaine Ledger gets to go into her garden and get to work.
That is not down to the predictably bad weather, nor is it a case of simply not fancying it.
It is because she is a full-time carer to husband Kevin who is suffering with Alzheimer’s, dementia and other medical conditions.
The 69-year-old former cleaner cares for Kevin, 75, around the clock so only has brief windows in which she can become green-fingered. She absolutely relishes them.
Mother Nature has hardly offered her an easy spot in which to work, though... and then there is her own arthritis.
Given the hand she has been dealt, it makes this bright and steep garden even more special.
The honeycomb-like walling at the back of the garden was in before they moved to this home in 2014. Without the clever planting inside it, it would have a brutalist, cold feel. Now it is a feeding zone for pollinators and adds a patchwork quilt of colour to catch the eye right from the backdoor.
The steepness of the garden seems to work in her favour as an acer and bottlebrush tree, both of which favour good drainage, flank either side of the walk up to a charming seating area.
So what does Elaine get out of gardening?
The answer is two-fold.
She said: “It is good for my mental health. Kevin sometimes has a nap and I can have a bit of a potter - it’s my sanctuary.
“You should always be able to go out into your garden and relax.
“All the plants have not come at a lot of cost. I take cuttings and swap with friends and family.
“I have arthritis but I think gardening keeps you going. It keeps you supple.
“My mum was still gardening up until 86. It makes you ache at the end of the day - but you’ve got to keep going.”
Kevin’s working life saw him work as a coalminer but latterly as a gardener for Wakefield Council.
So that is the other thing Elaine gets out of gardening. It is a legacy to continue.
Before falling ill Kevin would have been the chief gardener but Elaine carries the baton, or more accurately, the trowel.
It is clear to me that Kevin is well in favour of Elaine gardening when she can and on nice days he will sit outside and enjoy it with her. And that is clearly a great comfort to them both.
GARETH CREECH
AS soon as you step into Gareth Creech’s garden you are transported into a different world.It suddenly becomes hard to believe that you are just minutes away from the centre of Barnsley.
Council worker Gareth, 40, admits he is not a keen flyer and that has certainly played a part in him bringing a taste of the tropics to his own home.The jungle has been years in the making but only three years in situ as Gareth is incredibly living at his third house on the same street and has transported the plants now on two occasions.
This is definitely where roots have been firmly put down and his garden is a who’s who of exotic plants with a wonderful array of names.They include trachycarpus fortunei (windmill palm), gunnera manicata (giant rhubarb), dicksonia antarctica (Australian tree fern), cordyline australis (cabbage tree), fatsia japonica (paper plant), musa basjoo (hardy banana), tetrapanax (T-Rex) and washingtonia robusta (Mexican fan palm).There are also more familiar plants like ferns, bamboos and hostas.The colour green is on show in every shade imaginable and this adds to the depth and lushness.Gareth admits he is still honing his skills but is demonstrating the possibilities that go with thinking differently.He also has a winter care plan for some of his prized possessions.“I build a tipee over my banana using garden canes and fleece - this has worked wonders,” he said.“I also wrap the trunk of the tree fern in fleece and cover the crown.“Although the majority of the plants look like they belong in the Bahamas, they are totally fine with our long, cold, wet, miserable winters.“When it snows you will find me knocking the snow off the palms so it doesn’t bend and break the fronds.”Gardens in the 21st century are evolving faster than ever before and Gareth taps into an online community for tips on how to preserve and persevere with an unusual theme.The tiki bar is a great vantage point to look upon the creation and ropes and the sound of running water add yet more authenticity to the look.He added: “I’m no Monty Don, I have plenty of books, watch gardening shows and take advice from other people’s Instagram pages, and although I’ve had some great successes I’ve also made some silly mistakes, but you learn from that and for me it’s all part of the fun.”
TERRY WILSON
I THINK everybody knows a bloke like Terry Wilson.Even at 82 he likes taking on a challenge.He’s got the tools, the know-how and won’t shy away from a job that needs doing.A cross between a Swiss army knife and Action Man, he has built and maintained himself a garden that now needs a few hours of attention a week.Terry worked a number of jobs in his career but all with a manual focus, latterly fitting playground equipment.The garden is an incredibly neat space with perfect lawns and blooming beds.Tall, protected trees to the top of his plot have always posed him a problem but he has learned to live with them.
He said: “The wife looks after the house and I spend hours in the garden. “I’m fighting with the trees all the time because I get no sun except for a few hours in the morning.“I change the beds every year with plants and do one or two baskets, too.“I like it to look different.“You have got to keep at it - if I sat down all day then it’d be hard work.“It’s definitely kept me going. I’ve had problems, I’ve had an heart attack, a stroke and prostate cancer but I’ve never been laid up.“My wife always says if I hadn’t been doing garden then I wouldn’t be here now. It gives me something to do and I’m not frightened to tackle any job.”Over the course of 42 years at his Monk Bretton home he has removed trees, pruned them, swept up their leaves and shaped a garden on two levels to just how he likes it.Hedges are also maintained methodically.Large trees do block sunlight which has impacted his vegetable growing.But Terry switched focus and now has beautiful beds, one hosting ruby red geraniums and one very neat rockery complete with a small pond.There is a huge dash of electric blue from a hydrangea as well as soft fruit growing in various locations.What the trees may take in sunlight, they give back in leaf fall.For some it’s an inconvenience but for Terry it’s an opportunity.He now stores all the leaves in a composting area which eventually breaks down and is used as compost across his garden.It shows you can make a compromise with nature.
