THREE garden designers from the county picked up top awards at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show.

Stephen Hendry, 53, owner of Newington Nurseries, near Stadhampton, won the President’s Most Creative Award and a gold award for his Undersea Reef Garden, created in partnership with the Cayman Islands.

Mr Hendry, of Newington, said: “The judges said I took design into a new dimension for Chelsea. I feel on top of the world.

“I feel like I’ve had so much Champagne but I haven’t had a drink yet. I always thought the President’s Award was out of my reach.”

Angus Thompson, 39, of Oxford-based Angus Thompson Design, won a gold award in the urban garden category.

Mr Thomspon, who worked with friend Jane Brockbank on the design, said: “I used to live in Devon and there was a nature reserve called Slapton Ley which I used to go to.

“The idea came from there, because you see all the plants pushing their way up. The garden shows you can have a wildlife garden and high-quality urban design.”

Meanwhile, designers from the UK Climate Impacts Programme, based at Oxford University, picked up a Silver Lindley award for their garden.