How does your garden grow?

As part of National Gardening Week, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Sheffield University are asking the public to show and tell them what it is they enjoy most about their gardens, to better understand how people interact with them.

Here, familiar gardening faces share their photographs that show their own green spaces they love.

"The picture of a bumble bee on my borage shows the amazing symbiotic relationship we can have with nature when we work with it.

"The second photo is of my courgette seedlings. I love that time in the spring when your vegetables are just sprouting and it is so wonderful and baffling that from that tiny set of seed leaves will grow a huge plant and usually more courgettes than I can eat."

"If you are planting up a container this summer, succulents make the best window-box plants.

"Why? First they require 95% less watering and essentially no feeding, slashing the time and effort needed, not to mention the stress of what to do when you go on holiday. There's even zero deadheading. Then come winter they can be turned into free houseplants. All in all, not just far less work, but far better for the planet too."

"One of my favourite times in the garden is spring. Having planted bulbs with my daughters in autumn, the long wait is over.

"Camassias and alliums start erupting through unfurling fronds of the surrounding ferns and we rush out every morning to review the hasty progress of them all. After a long day in the studio, there is nothing better than to spend time in the garden with my family, in the evening light surrounded by an awakening garden full of energy.

"The set of plants in my garden that help me escape everyday stress more than any other are our herbs. I find it impossible to pass them without running my hands through the rosemary or picking a leaf of mint.

"This engagement and interaction with plants momentarily puts me at complete ease. The fact that they are productive encourages us to nurture them that much more and therefore spend more time in the garden each day. You get what you give."

"My garden has shallow, chalky soil and is in the shade of sycamore trees with roots that compete with everything I try to grow - quite a challenge. The upside is that I now know all about plants for dry shade and I have learnt to really appreciate the lovely colours of spring, before the tree canopies shade out the lower plants.

"I always 'stack plant' lilies, tulips and daffs in big containers, so that I have a succession of vibrant colours to complement the fresh greens in my woodland garden. A fabulous tonic after the long months of winter."

"My favourite place to be in my garden is my micro-orchard. I have 40 fruit trees including apples, plums, pears, cherries and even a cheeky almond. Down at the end of the orchard, there's the bee hives,. And in spring, while the trees are full of glorious blossom, my bees love them and so do I."

"The chiminea and seating overlooking the garden below has to be my favourite place. It is a prime lunch location and an incredible place to relax after a long day of gardening and watch the Sun set. And I can't forget to mention that you can cook toasties on a chiminea."

"For me, my favourite part of the garden depends on the time of day. I love the woodland area in the morning because of the low light coming through the branches. It's also an exciting part of the garden to watch change over the seasons."

"Which bit of the garden do I like the most? I like it all as each and every part of where I live/garden makes me feel good in different ways and at different times. So a tricky one, but I guess I'd have to say my veg plot - because productivity is always a bonus in gardening and the 'feel-good factor' you get from producing a meal that just came from the garden is massive."

National Gardening Week runs to 6 May.