Top award four years running

The Graduate Gardeners team celebrated a fourth successive Best in Show award with its restful Place to Reflect show garden.

Graduate Gardeners celebrated their fourth successive Best Show Garden award with A Place to Reflect - one of eight inspirational show gardens.

Bob Sweet, head of RHS Shows Development, said: "All the judges were unanimous in believing that this garden would get a Gold at Chelsea."

The garden features a living wall of ferns next to a stainless steel wall of water to provide the calming sounds of running water to a garden designed to help busy young couple's unwind.

Four Betula pendula 'Swiss Glory' create dappled shade above mixed planting of box balls and a tapestry of woodland planting, including ferns, heucheras and euphorbias.

A Place to Reflect was the only Gold in a year in which designers were battling the elements. "When I came here last week most of the build-up area was under water," said Bob Sweet. "The designers and construction people has done an an absolutely superb job."

Silver-gilt winner Imogen Cox tackled the largest plot, producing her garden, Hasten Slowly - an intriguing walk through designed as part of a larger garden and based on the geology of the surrounding Malvern Hills.

Sustainable school gardens

Fourteen schools from across Worcestershire and the West Midlands battled the elements to design and build sustainable gardens with seeds donated by Dobies and Suttons Seeds.

Head judge Bob Sweet said: "The standard is the highest I've ever seen." He also hinted that future competitions may be split by age categories.

Burlish Park Primary School from Stourport-on-Severn won the Best School Garden award, heading a list of 11 High Commended gardens.

Malvern Spring Gardening Show continues until Sunday 13 May, and includes a botanic art display, the new Allotment Theatre, Landscaping Live, garden displays and some of the best gardening gadgets on the market.