Couple who created Britain's best garden are celebrating 40 years tending the "four seasons" oasis

A couple who created Britain's best garden are celebrating 40 years tending to their "four seasons" oasis as stunning images show their latest springtime spectacular.

Tony and Marie Newton have spent four decades crafting one of the nation's most celebrated back gardens - despite living in the heartlands of the Black Country.

The retired pair have welcomed 15,700 people from over 41 countries who flock to their home in Walsall, West Mids., to see the vibrant plot bursting with colour.

After being unable to open to the public during Covid, the green-fingered pair will now be hosting visitors for the first time in three years this autumn.

In the meantime, the "four seasons garden" - named due to its all year round appeal - has amassed an online following of over 17 million people on social media.

It boasts more than 3,000 plants and flowers, including 450 azaleas, 120 Japanese maples and 15 blue star junipers crammed into a quarter of an acre.

Marie, 74, and Tony, 72, began working on the garden when they moved into the property in 1982 and continued with their hobby after both retiring in 2009.

The couple have won several awards, including being crowned the winner of Alan Titchmarsh's Britain's Best Garden and Gardeners of the Year.

They have also raised more than £52,500 for charity by opening up their garden to visitors from across the globe.

Gran-of-four Marie, a former transport planner and nurse, said: "We've been looking after it the same as always and managed to maintain its standard during the lockdowns.

"But it has been three years since we've been able to open it up to the public and we look forward to being able to do so again now for its 40th anniversary.

"It's a special milestone and it has been a labour of love for us. I'm very proud, it's become something of an obsession for both of us

"We have our four grandchildren come around and they play in it exactly like our own children used to all those years ago.

"But then we have people coming from all over the world to see it. We had a person from New York who flew over especially just to see our garden.

"One tourist from Iceland based his whole trip to the UK around it and our garden is part of a horticultural syllabus in China.

"But to us, it's just our little garden. It's our hobby and and we love looking after it. It's our little bit of green space just a stone's throw from a town centre.