Chelsea success for Hampshire gardeners

5:25am Wednesday 21st May 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

HAMPSHIRE gardeners are celebrating after scooping a host of medals at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Ampfield's Hillier Nurseries and West End-based Hampshire Carnivorous Plants both bagged gold medals for their spectacular floral exhibitions.

Isle of Wight Lavender was awarded a silver flora award, and Sparsholt College near Winchester won a silver medal for its educational exhibition An Introduction to Allelopathy.

It was 63 in a row for Hillier's, which has taken a gold medal home from every Chelsea Flower Show since the Second World War.

Its Sail for Gold exhibition was inspired by the British Olympic sailing team and sponsored by Southampton investment firm Skandia.

Garden designer and Hillier deputy managing director Andy McIndoe said he wanted to recreate the spirit of sea and success by including ship sails.

Other garden features included grasses, water, stone, glass and timber.

He said: "We are thrilled to win gold this year. At Hillier we never ever take gold for granted, even though this is our 63rd.

"This year's result is particularly important for us, as the garden was inspired by the Sail for Gold mantra of Skandia Team GBR, the British sailing team. I hope that their association with the Hillier gold will give them that extra boost later this summer."

Double Olympic gold medal-winning sailor Ben Ainslie, from Lymington, added: "We were honoured to have inspired their garden this year.

"What a legacy of success - let's hope some of it rubs off on the British sailors."

Hampshire Carnivorous Plants celebrated its tenth gold medal.

Spokeswoman Rita Sopley said: "We are absolutely over the moon to have won our tenth gold.

"For such a small outfit it's a real achievement."