Judge James Heron, Partner at Strutt & Parker Ascot, said: “The day spent visiting the shortlist of entries was hot and sultry and at each house we were offered delightful refreshments and absolute hospitality whilst being shown around some outstanding gardens. Well done to all.”

The four categories – and the winners – were:

Courtyard and Small Gardens

Or how to make the most of a small but treasured spot. Entries were invited from anyone who transformed roof terraces, balcony gardens, window boxes, hanging baskets, courtyards and small gardens into something magical.

The winner: Rosie and John Peters, Farnham Common. After downsizing to a townhouse, the couple wanted to bring as much as they could from their old garden – and did so with style. New additions include a pelican water feature handmade by John.

Cottage and Family Gardens

The judges were looking for anything from perfectly manicured front lawns to amazing play spaces for young family members. Basically, anyone who’d championed the traditional Great British Summer Garden.

The winner: Janet Nixon, Windsor. Having a garden that isn’t overlooked in the heart of Windsor is rare – but Janet is one such lucky homeowner. This gave her the freedom to do as she pleased with her garden, including adding a pond and beautiful outdoor eating area which seats 12 people.

Sustainable and Environmental Gardens

This was all about making your garden as green as possible - whether through organic planting, rainwater harvesting or other innovative measures to make your plot more sustainable, not just for us, but for the local wildlife.

The winner: Sue and David Wilder, Earley. This was a project 30 years in the making. From vegetables to sustainable hedgerows for wild life and insects to enjoy, this plot was truly sustainable.

Wildcard Wonders

This category covered pretty much everything else. They could be huge estate-size gardens to transformed sheds – it just had to have the ‘wow factor’.

The winner: Maz and David Azouzz, Gerrards. Taking inspiration from Zen Japanese style gardens, this project of 10 houses a central garden with a floating platform in the middle of a koi pond. A second water feature trickles down to another part of the garden with seating and BBQ area.

Top 5 tips to your own Glorious Garden

We list our top tips for creating your own glorious garden at any time of the year…

1) Visit other gardens

Gardening can be seen as a somewhat insular pastime, but like any creative endeavour you get the best results when you take in inspiration from a variety of sources. RHS has a number of great gardens across the country – or simply take a walk around your neighbourhood to see what other people are doing with theirs.

2) Choose something you like

Many gardeners go for plants and flowers that are suitable for the area, or traditionally are used in British gardens. But your first thought when choosing a new plant is ‘do I like it?’ If you don’t like what you’re planting your heart won’t be in it and you won’t give it the love it deserves. Go for your favourites, even if this means going against conventional wisdom.

3) Embrace nature

Even if your garden is just a rectangular patch, once you get going you’ll start to notice that each section has its own life. There will be areas that drain well, parts that get lots of sun and dark corners that are rarely used. This means you’ve got to work with what nature provides you, not against it. There’s no use planting sun-loving plants in the shade – they’ll just wither away.

4) Feed it

One thing new gardeners often assume is that once a plant’s in the ground, all it needs is water. This might be true for the first year, but as the roots grow they leech the nutrients from the soil. And these nutrients are finite – after a while you’ll need to add more otherwise your plants will starve.

5) Remember the seasons

Gardening isn’t just for spring and summer - it’s for all year round. While the rush of colour in May is to be welcomed, you should also plan your garden so that there’s something happening all year round. This means adding in a few evergreens, late flowering plants and some protection for plants that don’t enjoy the frost.