WITH spring in full swing and the lighter evenings here to stay, I wanted to encourage your readers to get back in their gardens over the months ahead in order to make the most of their outdoor spaces.

I have been gardening for over 50 years and love nothing more than spending a few hours pottering around in the garden or allotment, making the most of these wonderful spring evenings.

With the great outdoors very much in mind, I have recently collaborated with National Trust Wales who have just launched a new national competition called #NTWalesGardenProud, which aims to get people across the Vale of Glamorgan to showcase and share their outdoor spaces via social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

So whether you have a small but perfectly formed balcony space, sprawling mature gardens, stylish urban courtyard, or a flourishing allotment, National Trust Wales want to see how the people of Wales use their outdoor spaces.

To win an exclusive half day consultation with a National Trust Wales gardener, as well as a whole host of other money can’t buy National Trust Wales prizes all your readers need to do is simply submit photos of their outdoor spaces by posting to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #NTWalesGardenProud. Alternatively email entries to gardenproud@workingword.co.uk.

Across the Vale of Glamorgan, National Trust gardeners at Dyffryn Gardens have been working hard to get the gardens ready for spring, so why not pop along one day to see the beautiful grounds bloom in to life and get some inspiration for your next gardening project.

Terry Walton

BBC Radio Wales gardening expert