THE three finalists in the search for Barnsley’s best garden had a very special visitor this week.

The Mayor of Barnsley, Coun John Clarke and his wife Doreen, visited the top trio of Steffanie Prest, Gareth Creech and Jack Cooke.

The gardeners had come out on top in our website vote after the Chronicle had visited nine gardens across Barnsley.

Steffanie’s garden, a tribute to her late daughter, Angel, is a wonder in Wortley.

The secret woodland garden has been crafted with Angel entirely in mind with Steffanie keen to build a garden the ten-year-old would have loved.

Gareth’s got jungle fever despite living incredibly close to the town centre.

He is largely self-taught and has defied previously held beliefs about what can grow in our climate and has bananas and many other plants from the tropics growing alongside his ultra-cool tiki hut.

Jack, the youngest gardener in our whole competition at 26, has sculpted his own from a blank canvas Kingstone.

He has made a perennial paradise which gives him a soothing break from his challenging job as a mental health nurse.

Coun Clarke was pleased to visit three very varied gardens and was impressed by all their efforts to create gardens in their own unique way.

Each gardener took the mayor and his wife on a tour of their gardens and explained where their passion for plants originated.

A judging panel will now decide the ultimate winner.

Congratulations to all our entrants and a massive thank you to everyone who voted.