A group of Moray volunteers face an anxious wait to see if they have impressed judges attached to the prestigious Britain in Bloom contest.
Members of the Dufftown in Bloom collective spent an hour and a half at the weekend showing experts around the town’s horticultural highlights.
The weather remained fair for the visit, and the group declared they were “cautiously optimistic” about their chances of landing the top prize in their category.
The Moray community has been shortlisted in the large village section, and faces competition from four settlements in England and one in Northern Ireland.
The winner will be announced during a ceremony in Birmingham in October.
Dufftown in Bloom secretary, Anne Fraser, explained she and her colleagues took the two judges on a comprehensive 90-minute tour of its brightest spots.
She added: “They seemed quite impressed, they made the right noises and asked a lot of interesting questions.
“I’d say we were cautiously optimistic, we’ve had judging visits in the past and I think we have learned from them.”
The judges walked from the Memorial Hall past Mortlach Primary School, where they looked at decorative displays created by pupils.
They subsequently examined the array of hanging baskets on Balvenie Street, before taking in the plants by the war memorial statue.
As well as inspecting Dufftown’s colourful floral displays, the Royal Horticultural Society judges based their grades on the strength of the community effort that went into keeping its public areas pristine.
The visit marked the second such inspection Dufftown has undergone in the past week.
Last Monday, judges from the Beautiful Scotland organisation visited the town to carry out a similar inspection ahead of its 50th anniversary awards ceremony.
