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First time lucky Ann Robinson and Angela Potter will be showing their garden at Chelsea

TALENTED garden designers Ann Robinson and Angela Potter proved they were the cream of the crop after winning a chance to show off their design at this year's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show. Perhaps most remarkable is that this was the first time they had applied.

"Every now and then I still have to pinch myself," says Ann, who co-founded her company, English Eden, with long-standing friend Angela two years ago. "It's more work than I could ever have anticipated, but it's hugely exciting. It's something of a pinnacle to get this, especially because Chelsea is the jewel in the RHS crown."

Sponsored by the River & Rowing Museum in Henley-On-Thames, Ann and Angela's garden, named Ratty's Refuge, ties together a current nationwide campaign to save the water vole, one of the UK's most endangered mammals, and the 100th anniversary of Kenneth Grahame's classic book, The Wind in the Willows, in which Ratty, a water vole, is the star.

After the Chelsea Flower Show, the garden will be recreated at the River & Rowing Museum, which houses the UK's only The Wind In The Willows exhibition and a gallery dedicated to river ecology.

Ratty's Refuge has been designed specifically with the small, urban garden in mind. "While researching the project we discovered there's a trend for gardens getting smaller and smaller," explains Ann, who lives in Northwood, Middlesex. "If that trend continues, then the size of the Chelsea Flower Show's small garden, which measures only five square metres, might just be the size of gardens to come.

"We also thought about how gardeners could play their part in protecting the water vole, as well as increasing other environmentally-friendly aspects such as water permeability."

The garden combines lush greenery with decking made from recycled wood flour and plastic film material. Native plants, such as the yellow flag iris, water elder and reed canary grass have been used in abundance to help attract all types of British wildlife, as well as provide a green haven for water voles.

"We still can’t believe we’re going to be at Chelsea. I’m absolutely amazed." Ann Robinson

There's even a small pond and earth bank into which the visiting mammals can burrow and nest. At the centre of the garden is a glass-mounted picture of a water vole, taken by award-winning wildlife photographer Andrew Parkinson.

Plan of Ratty's Refuge

Today the water vole is Britain's fastest declining mammal, and just ten years ago its population crashed to less than one million. This was caused by increasing numbers of wild American mink, one of the vole's main predators, and poor watercourse management. The vole has now been given extra protection under the recent Wildlife and Countryside Act, but Ann believes there is still a battle to change people's perception of this endangered creature.

Ann explains: "For a long time, people have actually referred to them as rats and associated them with vermin, but this of course is not true.

"They don't live off rubbish and are actually herbivores. Aside from the fact they are also quite sweet looking, they are very much a part of British wildlife and need protecting."

Now Ann and Angela, graduates from Capel Manor College in Enfield, are "more than looking forward" to seeing Ratty's Refuge at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Ann adds: "The judging will be absolutely nerve-wracking, but I can't wait to see the garden in the flesh. We pretty much came in as novices, but these last few months of planning and preparation have given us so much knowledge about putting on a show garden.

"We still can't believe we're going to be at Chelsea. I'm absolutely amazed."

The Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital, Chelsea, SW3 runs from Tuesday, May 20 to Saturday, May 24. Details: www.rhs.org.uk

10:08am Thursday 15th May 2008

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Chelsea Flower Show

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