A LANDLADY dubbed a village's floral queen for her prizewinning displays is stepping down after a decade at the top.

On no fewer than nine occasions in the past 12 years, 70-year-old June Hawes has won the Yorkshire in Bloom award for the best pub and restaurant gardens.

Drivers passing through Sawley, near Ripon, often stop to admire Mrs Hawes' displays.

She has received plaudits from locals and visitors, and in her final entry, judges told her the prize was "very, very well deserved".

In her latest triumph, Mrs Hawes beat 30 rivals.

Many of them are now hoping they will have a chance next year after she decided to retire.

Mrs Hawes, who runs the Sawley Arms, near Fountains Abbey, believed it was the right time to stop entering, while she was at the top.

She said: "I shall still do the garden, it is just that I will not be entering the contest any more.

"I love the garden so much but, having a big birthday recently, I decided it was time to stop entering the contest."

Her gardens have more than 200 plant pots, and she even has an eyecatching version of Bill and Ben, the flowerpot men.

They rest on a bench and are made from plant pots.

The pair were so popular at a village scareccrow contest that they are now in permanent residence, and children often pose with them for pictures.

Mrs Hawes said her secret was plenty of hard work, which involved early morning and late-night work fitted around her demanding duties at the pub.

The majority of her plants are grown from seeds.