DIY and garden giant Homebase bagged a Gold medal this year for its Teenage Cancer Trust garden designed by Joe Swift, while Westland's 80ft high Magical Odyssey was awarded a Silver-Gilt Flora and names Most Creative Show Garden of 2012. Meanwhile, Chelsea veteran Hillier achieved its 67th consecutive Gold medal for its very British themed Dual and the Crown exhibit.



The famous flower show got off to a great start on Monday, with big names on show, including Bosch, Gardman, Bradstone, Scotts Miracle Gro, Town & Country, Burgon & Ball and David Austin Roses, to name but a few.

Homebase's Teenage Cancer Trust Garden on Main Avenue proved extremely popular with visitors - no doubt helped by an appearance from The Who singer Roger Daltrey. "There's been a real buzz around the garden," said Homebase PR manager Judith Ineson. "We're delighted."

The Gold-medal winning garden, saw garden designer and TV presenter Joe Swift make his Chelsea debut, having helped front the BBC's coverage of the show for a number of years. Talking to DIY Week last month, he explained how passionate he was about the project, which is tied in with Homebase's charity partner, the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Westland's 80ft show garden certainly caused a stir, especially when it came to descending from one of the levels via a metal chute. Designer Diarmuid Gavin was awarded a Silver-Gilt Flora for his creation, as well as a special honour; the prize for the Most Creative Show Garden - an accolade that has not been awarded under the new RHS president or to any show garden in the past five years.

Hillier Nurseries will take home its 67th consecutive Gold Medal for its Dual and the Crown garden on show in the Great Pavilion this year. The garden, again created by Andy McIndoe and Ricky Dorlay's team, was themed around the very British sport of fencing, of which Her Majesty the Queen is patron.

Fermoy's boss Alan Murdoch arrived at the show in style, having cycled 247 miles from Devon on a tandem bike towing a wheelbarrow full of plants in order to raise £10,000 for gardening charities Green fingers, a charity dedicated to creating gardens for children's hospices, and Gardening Leave, which offers horticultural therapy for ex-military personnel.

His arrival was toasted with a glass of champagne in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, where Furmoy's also showcased more than 40 'allotment gardens in a wheelbarrow', which had been grown by local schools.

Watch out for full coverage of the show in an upcoming issue of DIY Week.

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