RHS flower show opens today with a host of award-winning gardens, following a glorious press day.
The grounds at Royal Hospital Chelsea will welcome 157,000 people through its gates over the next five days after tickets for the 2010 Chelsea Flower Show sold out in record time more than a week ago.

With the sun shining and temperatures soaring above 30 degrees, celebrities from the world of rock, film, television and gardening, turned out in their droves to admire the gardens on show at press day yesterday, followed by the all-important Royal visit.

This morning saw the handing out of awards to gardens and floral displays across the show, with The Daily Telegraph bagging Best Show Garden. The award for Best Urban Garden went to 'The Unexpected Gardener' by gardening charity Thrive, while Best Courtyard Garden went to Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks Sustainable Development Funds, Rathbones for its entry, The Two Moors Festival.

Meanwhile, B&Q was awarded a Silver Flora medal for its 'Road to Recovery' garden in partnership with Birmingham City Council and Help for Heroes and the Foreign and Colonial Investment Trust garden, developed in partnership with Homebase, was presented with a Silver Gilt award. The latter entry drew crowds throughout the day with a woman in bronze body paint and not much else dancing for visitors and later a reading from Punk poet John Cooper Clarke.

There was plenty to take in at famous gardening show, including David Domoney's entry, the 'Ace of Diamonds', which he described as the most expensive garden at Chelsea. Not surprising, as it featured more than £20m worth of jewellery and a huge amethyst geode, which cost around £1,000 to insure, as well as a number of other precious stones.

Watch out for DIY Week's full coverage of the show in the June 4 issue.