IT IS another medal added to the long list of achievements at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Hillier received a 72nd consecutive gold medal, pictured, for its exhibit making the firm the most successful exhibitor in the history of the show.

‘Hillier in spring time’ was a celebration of spring-flowering trees and plants

A beaming George Hillier enthused: “Chelsea is the lifeblood running through Hillier. It plays such a vital role in the business so we are absolutely delighted to have won gold for the 72nd time in a row!

“It is absolutely a team effort and I want to extend a huge thanks to every single person involved, from our designers Sarah and Caitlin to everyone that works so hard throughout the whole year to make it all possible.

“Our mission is to inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future and, by adding to our legacy, this year’s garden has certainly helped us achieve that.”

The result underlined Hillier’s lead designer Sarah Eberle’s status as Chelsea’s most decorated designer with 14 gold medals

For the third year running Sarah has scored scored a double gold. She also designed a show garden for Viking Cruises, who operate out of Southampton, which won gold.

The Mediterranean-themed exhibit contained lofty palms and a fruiting orange tree combined with a mosaic-covered wall inspired by Spanish architect Gaudi.

Sparsholt College continued its Chelsea medal run with a silver.

Mighty Greens, designed and built by a team of eight horticulture students, showcases a range of edible plants used in salad mixtures.

Lecturer Chris Bird said: “We had an important story to tell with our Mighty Greens garden and we hope to inspire visitors to explore at home how they can introduce more edible plants to their gardens.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Steve’s Leaves, featuring their herbs and salads throughout the garden and the University of Southampton’s ground-breaking research work on the cancer-fighting properties of watercress which added an exciting dimension to the garden”.

Sparsholt College also partnered up with Luke Matthews, award-winning executive head chef from the Chewton Glen for this year’s show.

For the exclusive press day, Luke distributed watercress soup to celebrities including chef Ainsley Harriott, comedian Bill Bailey and TV presenter Monty Don.

Visitors to the Mighty Greens will also be able to play their part in the ground-breaking work of the University of Southampton which has developed new varieties of watercress one of which the public will have the opportunity to officially name at the show.