Vote for Dartington Estate’s beautiful Grade II Listed gardens in the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Partner Garden of the Year competition, locals are urged.

People will have a chance to name their top ‘Feel Good Garden’ from more than 200 that are part of the scheme.

Trustee and chairwoman of Dartington Gardens Advisory Committee, Sylvie Pierce, said: “We are incredibly proud to be an RHS Partner Garden and hope that those who visit us and enjoy the gardens will vote for us.”

Some of the garden highlights include an ancient yew tree which is at least 1,500 years old, a 150 year old Lucombe oak, a row of sweet chestnuts believed to be more than 400 years old, a huge swamp cypress tree affectionately known as ‘Swampy’, an incredible magnolia collection and the Henry Moore ‘Reclining Figure’ sculpture which was designed specifically for Dartington.

It is also the only example of landscape architect, Beatrix Farrand’s work in the UK, as she was brought over by Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst from America to redesign the courtyard in the 1930s.

There are currently 207 gardens in the RHS Partner Gardens scheme which RHS Members can visit free of charge at selected times of the year.

They comprise some of the most famous gardens in the world as well as privately-owned hidden gems, and beyond the UK can be found in eight countries across the globe, including Barbados, Japan and South Africa.

Votes can be cast via the RHS website at www.rhs.org.uk/pgoty until September 30 2022.

All voters will be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of tickets to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in 2023 with a luxury two-night stay close to the showground.

The gardens with the most votes in each of the six regions will then be ranked according to the number of votes they have received relative to their total visitor numbers for the previous year to determine the overall winner.

The winner will be revealed in December and will receive a special plaque to display at their property as well as a professional photoshoot appearing in ‘The Garden’ magazine.