The Royal Horticultural Society has launched a competition to allow gardeners to showcase their pride and joy plots despite the cancellation of this year's Chelsea Flower Show.

The competition 'My Chelsea Garden' is asking amateur gardeners to enter photos in different categories including back garden, front garden and kids' corner garden.

There is also an indoor garden category with window sill displays and balcony creations.

The RHS, which is running the contest with the BBC's The One Show, wants entrants to post photos of plants and beautiful gardens on social media to provide some much-needed cheer during the lockdown.

As well as submitting photos organisers are urging green-fingered Brits to describe of how their garden hobby has aided their physical and mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The 'virtual' competition comes after the viral pandemic forced the RHS's annual Chelsea Flower Show - a calendar favourite for The Queen - to be cancelled for the first time since the Second World War.

The judging panel includes Daily Mail Weekend magazine gardening expert Monty Don, The One Show presenter Alex Jones, the director-general of the Flower Show Sue Biggs and the RHS head of shows James Alexander Sinclair.

One winner from each category will receive four tickets for RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 and a special RHS Award commending their garden.

The competition closes at midnight on May 18th.

To encourage those who reckon they have a winning plot, Sue Biggs. director-general of RHS has released photos of her own garden in Surrey, which has exotic plants, fig trees and wisteria, ballerina tulips and scabious.

There's also a coral-bark maple, a Himalayan birch known as Grayswood Ghost, Tibetan cherry and a weeping cherry blossom tree.

She said: "The lawn has shrunk in size each year and the plants have exploded. I'm a bit of a plantaholic – maybe understandable when you consider I work at the RHS garden at Wisley.

"Plants, gardening and the natural world has never been so important to us. At the RHS we are acutely aware of the benefits that gardening and nurturing plants can have on our mental health and well-being."

HOW TO ENTER 'MY CHELSEA GARDEN'

- From 7pm on Friday May 1st, the competition is open.

- They'll be asked to submit one current picture of their garden in one of the four categories.

- Entries need include up to 250 words on how the garden they have submitted is helping them.

- Pictures must be of people's own indoor or outdoor gardens and must be taken between Friday 1st May and Monday 18th May 2020.

- Only over 18's can submit an entry, if under 18 they will need to ask a parent or guardian to enter on their behalf.

- The competition will close at midnight on Monday 18th May 2020

How to enter My Chelsea Garden