FLOWER enthusiasts from Wiltshire are celebrating wins in an annual show held in Cardiff at the weekend.

Westdale Nurseries in Bradford on Avon walked away with a gold medal in the floral marquee category at the Royal Horticultural Society's Spring Flower Show. Manager Patricia Clarke, who runs the family firm with her husband Charles, said: "It was a surprise. It was the first time we had entered this show so we were really pleased."

Westdale was started by Mr Clarke's father, also called Charles, in 1947, and specialises in growing and showing the South American flowers bougainvillea. Taking the silver floral medal in the same category was The Botanic Nursery in Atworth, near Melksham.

Owner Terry Baker, who has run the nursery with his wife Mary for over 20 years, said: "It is a tricky season this year because it is difficult to get anything into flower. "But a lot of what we grow is very drought tolerant. We have always grown plants that tolerate these sort of conditions."

The nursery is known for the foxgloves it shows at the Chelsea Flower Show each year but also for the practical plants and flowers it grows. The nursery concentrates on the plants that are suited to the soil in the local area rather than imported, difficult to grow, varieties.

Mr Baker said: "We are very much an old-fashioned nursery. We are here to give help and advice and are very unlike the big DIY or chain stores." The Spring Flower Show is in its second year and will be held again in April next year.