A WIRRAL garden designer has won silver gilt at the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual show at Tatton Park.

It’s the first time Pip Probert from Bromborough, has created a low carbon, recycled garden, which utilises solar panels, glass chippings and recycled polystyrene decking.

Pip said: “Our sponsor Envirolink Northwest had various suppliers they wanted us to use. Working with them, we mutually decided what worked best with the design.”

But it wasn’t the unique materials that proved tricky in the garden's creation as Pip explains.

“We’re absolutely made up with the award as we had many problems, mostly due to the weather and our water pump, which packed up just as the judges were coming around."

“I had it in my mind we weren’t going to get a medal, but luckily we managed to buy an emergency pump in time, so we are more than happy with the silver gilt.”

Pip is already looking to build on the success of this, her eighth award from the RHS, at next year’s event at Tatton Park.

“In the meantime, we’ll be busy with the shop we’ve just opened in Bromborough, but we’ll be back at Tatton next year with a bigger garden for which I have a few designs in mind, I just need to decide my favourite one.”