But the 63-year-old is living proof that you shouldn't give up hope if you haven't got a garden, and you can still create a small oasis in a back yard.

Mrs Greenhaff and husband Richard, 71, were nominated by friends to enter the Gazette's Glorious Gardens competition for the transformation of their back yard in St Vincent Street, South Shields.

The couple, who used to have a garden before they moved to the ground-floor flat six years ago, did all of the painting and decorating themselves.

Mrs Greenhaff, a former saleswoman, said: "When I was thinking of ideas for a theme, the idea of a Mediterranean village popped into my head.

"I've always seen it as another room to a house, and we spend as much time out there as we can. Every time the weather is nice, we're out there eating lunch and dinner with friends."

The couple painted the walls cream when they started the revamp, and Mrs Greenhaff, an amateur artist, painted different pictures around the yard.

One of the stand-out aspects is the water feature.

"It's good to have a bit of fun with the yard – why not? It just makes it stand out that little bit more," she said.