What it lacks in size it makes up for in individuality. For Mr Bone best describes his little showpiece plot as having a "tropical feel".

He said his home in Walker Street, North End, is like a Coronation Street house, with a tiny front garden and no back garden at all, just a yard.

But that hasn't stopped him making the best of what he's got, and making it better than all the rest.

For he was the Lynn winner in the recently-judged West Norfolk Council/Thaxter's/Lynn News-sponsored best-kept front garden competition.

He said: "I heard about the competition and turned my front garden around in about a week and a half for it. I decided to do something different. I haven't followed the traditional approach and have given it a tropical feel."

He said there are no tender plants and not even much in the way of flowers, just lots of interesting foliage.

Despite the initial hard work the garden is relatively low maintenance. He said he made sure he used plants which would be best suited to the local soil conditions and the situation instead of making the soil and situation fit the plant.

"The emphasis is on foliage, and I think that's what caught the judges' eyes. It's just something a bit different."

Mr Bone is now turning his attention to a recently-acquired allotment where he intends growing his own vegetables.

Hunstanton winner was June Hammond, of Astley Crescent, whose front garden is a mixture of shrubs and perennials as she doesn't like gardens filled with annuals.

Echoing Mr Bone's comments, she said: "I like a more subtle planting, with plants that obviously suit our alkaline soil.

"I have tried to plant, or add to the plants we inherited, with shrubs and perennials and bulbs that give year-round interest. The lavender bushes have got very large now and were lovely about the time of judging.

"In the autumn I plan to remove the oldest lavender and replant the bed with some new lavender, roses and a mixture of spring and summer bulbs.

Last autumn I removed some ancient hebes under the front window, which is more or less the width of the bungalow. I took out all the brick rubble and completely renewed the bed with compost and soil. I then planted it with lavender, bearded iris, campanula, penstemon, anemone, fuchsia, sedum and an assortment of spring and summer bulbs. It has looked very good this year."

The competition was organised under the Anglia In Bloom umbrella, and aimed to prepare the areas for judging as part of the Anglia In Bloom competition.

The two winners received garden plaques and £75 each to spend at Thaxter's Garden Centre in Dersingham. The two runners-up each received £50 and both third-placed gardeners received £25 from Thaxter's. They all also received garden plaques.

It is planned to repeat the competition again next year. To be eligible your front garden must be in an area which has been entered for the Anglia In Bloom competition. To do that you must organise a group or get your parish council involved and enter your area in the Anglia In Bloom competition.