A BUDDING young horticulturist has cultivated success in the gardening world by scooping a top national honour.

Lucas Hatch, a year six pupil at St Mary’s Primary School in Woodbridge, has been named Young Gardener of the Year by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

An avid gardener at home and key member of his school’s gardening club, 11-year-old Lucas was selected from children nationwide as the UK’s top school gardener in his age group, also winning the overall prize of RHS Young Gardener for all age groups.

The gardening club has been running for more than seven years and involves pupils from foundation to year six, who meet every week and grow produce and flowers for the school and local community. St Mary’s was one of more than 15,000 schools to join the RHS Campaign for School Gardening.

James Leese, headteacher, said: “It’s an outstanding achievement for a very dedicated young chap at such a young age to win overall best prize.”

Lucas will be leaving this summer for Farlingaye High School but plans to continue gardening and hopes to follow a career in horticulture.

Parents Jonathan and Julia said they were “immensely proud” of his achievement, adding: “Lucas has always had a keen interest in gardening from a very early age, and likes nothing more than being outside. He enjoys planting and propagating, has never missed an episode of Gardeners’ World and takes regular trips to Notcutts in Woodbridge to buy new seeds, or equipment, or just to look around.”