Galaxy-themed Shropshire garden wins gold at Royal Horticultural Flower Show
Shropshire gardeners were among the stars today after they scooped a gold medal at this year's Royal Horticultural Flower Show at Tatton Park.
Designs with Nature, from Church Stretton, won the award for its galaxy-themed garden at the floral extravaganza in Cheshire. They were also rewarded with a surprise visit by Chancellor George Osborne.
The team's design is based on the work of Shropshire Star photographer Peter Shah, who attaches his cameras to telescopes he designed himself to capture the stars from his garden shed.
They were awarded a gold medal at the show yesterday – the highest award at the competition.
Mike Russell, director of Designs with Nature, said: "We were really very pleased when it was announced that it was given a gold medal. We were really chuffed.
"Everybody loves it, so it really is a job well done.
"It was a hard project, particularly during the heatwave as we had a lot of shade-loving plants, so we had to spend a lot of time keeping them shaded but it's come together beautifully."
The design has even had a visit from one of the country's top politicians.
Mr Osborne took a look around the garden yesterday, which Mr Russell said was a "surprise".
The garden is designed to be a "Star-Gazer's Retreat" and features a circular star gate and luminous planting designed to reflect the moon.
Designs with Nature is a design and build service, which works with local craftsmen and artists to transform domestic and public spaces.
