Billabong garden charms Chelsea

MELBOURNE designer Phillip Johnson's billabong display has been awarded the best in show trophy at the Chelsea Flower Show.

A BILLABONG built in the heart of London led to our greatest gardening triumph last night when Melbourne designer Phillip Johnson's display was awarded the best in show trophy at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The ecologically sustainable Australian garden, complete with a billabong and a gorge made of Scottish boulders, beat 14 competitors, bringing the trophy to Australia for the first time on the ninth attempt.

Rival gardens included Prince Harry's Forget Me Not, designed for his African charity Sentebale.

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The Australian team celebrated in robust style: volunteer Tim Wilkinson jumped into the billabong after hearing of the win.

The Queen paid the garden a visit on Monday evening, spending several minutes observing the lush ferns, bright kangaroo paws, bottle trees, a native wildflower meadow and the waratah studio space, designed to look like it was floating above the foliage.

VIDEO: Aussies celebrate win

Johnson said his career had been spent "battling the trends".

"Connecting humanity back to the beauty of real nature is really what this is all about," Johnson told The Australian. "It's also brilliant to see my passionate vision of sustainable garden design embraced on the international stage, and that issues surrounding integrated water management in gardening are finally taking the limelight."

VIDEO: Building an Aussie billabong

The triumph comes as the backer who has sponsored Australian gardens at the show during the past nine years ends his support. Victorian nursery owner Wes Fleming's backing of landscape designers - including Jamie Durie, Jason Hodges and Scott Wynd - has resulted in Australia winning three silver-gilt and four gold medals at the event, but he has decided this year will be his last year of financial support.

"After nine amazing years working on The Chelsea Experience we feel we have met and in some ways exceeded our objectives for the project," said Fleming, a third-generation nurseryman.

Fleming said Johnson's design was "truly magnificent".

"His vision is as grand as his achievements and we have bowled the Brits away with a garden full of principle, purpose, integrity and more."

Judges award points for design and execution and designers can lose points if they deviate from their stated brief.