Follow In The Footsteps Of......

The coveted RHS Best In show award was given to the Daily Telegraph’s show garden – for the second year running - which its designer Andy Sturgeon based on a dry, landscaped design which came to him on holiday in Perugia, Italy.

The planting – which Andy discussed during the regular BBC TV coverage - brought together flavours of the fynbos of the southern Cape in South Africa, the maquis shrubland of the Mediterranean, the chaparral of California and Mexico and the mattoral of central Chile.

More exotic flora was also found on the gold medal-winning Trailfinders Australian garden which featured a bar in a stunning lap pool, framed by jungle-style planting and masses of bamboo.

Chocolate manufacturer Green & Black’s Rainforest Garden won a gold medal with a rainforest family home design, made, in part by Cameroonian indigenous women who want to raise awareness about the threats to their rainforests.

More rainforest plants featured on the first full-size Tourism – inspired by an idyllic Kampung village - which sought to transport visitors to the spectacular landscapes, bizarre rare flora and vibrant culture of the Malaysian archipelago. This too won a gold award.

The scenic Norwegian fjords were reflected in a garden water feature on the Kebony Naturally Norway show garden, which was sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy, among others. The plants included a dramatic, 40 year-old stunted pine tree set in natural rock.

The smell of lavender was everywhere on the L’Occitane garden, which was based on the landscape of Provence. This featured key plant species found in warm sunny climes of the south of France and the Mediterranean.

If you would like to see more of the world’s diverse and beautiful flora, ringfor expert advice on where to go to find plants that might inspire you to have a garden worthy of a future medal at Chelsea.