RHS searches for young gardener of year The competition, which aims to find "the most knowledge, enthusiasm and talented gardening pupil in the UK," is now in its second year. It is open to all schools involved in the RHS's Campaign for School Gardening, an initiative dedicated to introducing young people under the age of 16 to gardening which counts 16,500 schools amongs its members. Last year, the winner was 11-year-old Lucas Hatch from St Mary's Primary School in Suffolk, who impressed judges with his gardening skills and by giving his fellow pupils talks on how to compost the leftover fruit and vegetables from their packed lunches. Sarah Cathcart, the RHS's head of education and learning, said: "This is the second year we've run the RHS Young School Gardener of the Year competition and we're incredibly excited by the prospect of uncovering even more budding young gardeners. We are looking for children with knowledge and skills, but also enthusiasm and a passion for gardening. Our winner will also need to be able to demonstrate an awareness of their local garden environment and wildlife. The RHS's competition is one of a number of competitions aimed at encouraging and rewarding young gardeners. The Ideal Young Gardeners Competition, ran by the Ideal Home Show and the Prince's Foundation for Building Community, is also currently underway. More information can be found at rhs.org.uk/schoolgardening