TWO growers were crowned Britain’s best female gardeners yesterday as they each won a record 11th gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Jekka McVicar and Rosie Hardy broke a record set almost 20 years ago by Beth Chatto, a revered figure in the world of gardening.

Mrs Chatto, 83, was appointed OBE in 2002 for services to horticulture. She won ten consecutive Royal Horticultural Society gold medals at Chelsea from 1977.

Mrs McVicar, who owns Jekka’s Herb Farm in Alveston, a Gloucestershire village near Bristol, was awarded the coveted gold medal yesterday for her display of herbs.

She said: “It’s very exciting. I’m chuffed to bits, I really am. It’s such an honour to have overtaken the record of someone of Beth Chatto’s standing.”

Rosie Hardy, of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants in Whitchurch, Hampshire, said: “It is hard work. The light levels in the run-up to Chelsea were very worrying. I wasn’t sure the plants would be ready in time.

“Beth Chatto was the only real lady exhibitor in her day and she won ten gold medals. Even now there aren’t that many lady exhibitors.”

Bob Sweet, the show organiser, said it was a tremendous achievement for the two to break the record: “Beth Chatto is legendary and is renowned for her gardening style. I’m delighted to hear that the medal record of both Hardy’s and Jekka’s Herb Farm has now surpassed Beth’s record.

“Both Rosie and Jekka are truly dedicated professional growers who offer a superb range of plants within their specialities.”

They were not the only women to take Chelsea by storm this year. A team of mostly female gardening enthusiasts from Barbados won a double gold.

The Barbados Horticultural Society won gold for its display of flowers in the Great Pavilion while its sister organisation, the Barbados Flower Arranging Society, not only won the top medal but walked off with the Best in Show award for flower arrangements.

Jennifer Weetch, who was part of both teams, said the success had been celebrated Barbados style — with plenty of rum punch.

“I wanted to calm myself with a coffee when I found out,” she said. “But I was told this had to be celebrated with a real drink.”

The floral arrangement, which she completed with Wayne Ramsey in an overnight session, featured the bright garden colours of their homeland including tulip gingers and anthuriums. Twisted metal bands from old rum barrels were used in the arrangement which was, appropriately for gold medal winners, entitled Subtle Alchemy.

Audrey Thomas, who led the Barbados floral display team, added: “It was a group effort and we celebrated with gallons of rum punch.”

The President’s Award for the best floral display went to Bournemouth Borough Council for an exhibit which featured a sand-sculpture, surfing, flying fish made from succulents, an outsized deckchair and a World Cup football grown from feverfew and Alternanthera.

Its designer was Chris Evans, the council’s nursery manager, who has tried to change the face of municipal planting in Bournemouth. After serving as a radio operator on HMS Active during the Falklands conflict and trying his hand at computing, Mr Evans left the Royal Navy and turned to gardening as a career. This was his first year at Chelsea.

He said: “I was absolutely amazed at the gold medal and President’s Award. It’s such an honour. I’m gobsmacked — there’s no other word for it.”

The Best in Show award-winning garden was created by Tom Stuart-Smith and sponsored by The Daily Telegraph

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