Mr and Mrs Pow, of Lothian Drive, took the top prize in the competition, announced at Melville’s 2026 Annual General Meeting, after their charming garden caught the eye of a Melville housing officer while out visiting tenants.

Despite having been Melville tenants for over 30 years, it was the first time the couple had entered the contest, making their success all the more special. Their garden was spotted by the eagle-eyed officer, who encouraged them to put it forward for judging.

“Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Pow on their well-deserved win,” said Melville chief executive John McMorrow. “It’s lovely to see the time and care tenants put into their gardens, helping to make their own homes and the wider neighbourhoods more attractive places to live.

“After a disappointing number of entries last year, we were particularly pleased to see a much better response to this year’s contest, including a number of first time entrants. There are clearly plenty of green-fingered tenants out there, and we hope this year’s competition will encourage even more people to take part in 2027.”

The annual contest celebrates tenants who go the extra mile to create welcoming outdoor spaces, recognising the hard work, creativity and pride that goes into making a garden flourish.

For their winning entry, the Pows received gardening vouchers to the value of £100. Runners-up Ms Diane Wright of Woodburn Place and Mr and Mrs Pake of McLean Place, Gorebridge, each received a £50 voucher.

Now in its 12th year, the ‘Baxter Keiller Award’ is named in honour of a keen Mayfield gardener and Melville tenant who sadly passed away in 2014. Melville set up a gardening competition to recognise the work done in 2007 by Baxter, along with his neighbour Christine McGrouther, transforming a patch of Mayfield wasteland into a fantastic community garden.