Winners reveal secret garden tips: Third time’s a charm for couple

The winner of The Chronicle’s 2022 Garden Competition have been announced. Check out their award-winning garden here.

For Bob Ford, his love for flowers, greenery and quality lawns blossomed after years spent helping out as a child in his mother’s garden.

With the assistance of his wife Val, the couple have received the The Chronicle Garden Competition’s Grand Champion award for the third time in 2022.

After taking out the big win in 2015, 2016 and now 2022, the couple said they believed winning the comp all came down to hard work and picking the right selection.

“It’s just a matter of selecting the right shrubs and colours,” Mr Ford said.

“And even though lawns aren’t included in the judging criteria, a good lawn enhances the flowers.”

Bob and Val Ford in their City Grand Champion garden of The Chronicle Garden Competition, Carnival of Flowers 2022, Wednesday, September 14, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The couple have worked tirelessly on their garden since they first built them in 1966, when it was nothing but “red, dead dirt.”

It has undergone tremendous changes since these humble beginnings and the couple have been entering the iconic garden competition since 1991.

“We may have won three times but it’s taken us 32 years to get those three wins,” Mrs Ford said.

“Although we’ve won a prize every year except one of those 32 years.”

Bob and Val Ford in their City Grand Champion garden of The Chronicle Garden Competition, Carnival of Flowers 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

In fact, for 18 years in a row, the couple won a prize for the Front Garden category.

But the heartfelt reason behind Mr Ford’s love for gardening goes much deeper, with the grand champ recalling times spent helping his mum in her own garden.

“I was the oldest child in the family and my parents were running a business, so I helped out with the garden, mowing and veggie growing,” he said.

“My mum lived for gardening, but sadly she never saw me win Grand Champion because she passed away in 2008.”

Bob and Val Ford in their City Grand Champion garden of The Chronicle Garden Competition, Carnival of Flowers 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

This year, the Rangeville garden features a variety of bright blooms including orange, yellow and red Chinese lantern flowers, as well as pink Prunus Persica and white Cherry Blossom trees.

But one of the couple’s favourites are the Rhododendron flowers, which fade from red to white and are also known as ‘President Roosevelt’.

Passionate about maintaining the region’s legacy for being the Garden City, Mr Ford said he believed the competition was the biggest drawcard for the Darling Downs and he was proud of its 73-year-old history.

Mr Ford plans to enter the competition again next year, but when it comes to releasing the secret of a perfect lawn, he remains a little more coy.

“I might release it when I retire.”