A CHAGFORD arboretum and tree nursery was recently presented with a prestigious award at one of the world's largest annual gardening shows.

Stone Lane Gardens, which specialises in a national collection of wild-origin birch and alder trees, was awarded a 'Bronze Lindley' at the Royal Horticultural Society's Hampton Court Palace Flower Show earlier this month.

But not only was the manager of Stone Lane Gardens Paul Bartlett overwhelmed by the announcement of the award, he was also introduced to the society's special guest, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The Duchess opened the plant heritage marquee, in which Stone Lane Gardens were exhibiting their national collection of birch trees.

The Duchess was introduced to all the collection holders and chatted for several minutes to Mr Bartlett.

He said: 'Her Royal Highness was very friendly and genuinely interested in the birch trees. I was a bit nervous, but she soon put me at ease.'

The Prince of Wales is the patron of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG) — the organisation running the marquee.

The NCCPG is a charity which conserves, records and promotes the diversity of plants found in gardens.

On winning the bronze medal, Mr Bartlett said: 'I was quite surprised as this was the first time we went there and we weren't expecting anything, but it was nice as we did put a lot of effort into the show.'

Stone Lane Gardens is a five-acre arboretum in a landscaped water and woodland setting.

The garden is open to visitors all year round, and from now until September there is a 'Mythic Gardens' exhibition of more than 100 sculptures.