TV prize for cowpat garden

sheep’s droppings to give an authentic aroma.

But viewers had to wait a week longer than scheduled for presenters Sophie Raworth and Joe Swift to declare the result on BBC One last night after the original programme was pulled. Mark branded the decision to withdraw The Best of RHS Chelsea Flower Show in favour of extended coverage of the Cummings crisis as “shabby”.

After viewers took to Twitter to complain about the change, he said: “I should not bitch after they gave me this award but it was arrogant to leave the public hanging for a week after they voted.

“It was not as if there was a massive disaster or the country had gone to war. Everybody had heard enough about Dominic Cummings and here was a bit of light relief and it was taken away. I can understand why there was a bit of a backlash.”

Mark, who has won five consecutive Chelsea gold medals as a designer, had been due to create his 100th garden at the Royal Horticultural Society flagship event this year.

He said winning the BBC/RHS People’s Choice Garden of the Decade award made up for missing his first Chelsea show, which was cancelled because of coronavirus.

The Yorkshireman added: “Chelsea is pretty special. I am humbled when I go there. It is a terrifying place to work, daunting and pressured. It can be intimidating and unforgiving.

“But to me it is my playground. It’s what I have done for 31 years and I get a buzz that I can’t describe. Not being there has been surreal but to win Garden of the Decade means the world.”

Both the Queen and then Prime Minister Theresa May admired the garden at the 2018 show.