It was umbrella weather at the Hampton Court Flower Show, but the rain didn't spoil the sunny array of plants or dampen the creative spirit of the show gardens. Take a virtual tour with Elspeth Pridham

Carpeted with 30,000 miniature oak trees this garden was designed to illustrate Quilted Velvet toilet tissue's commitment to planting three trees for every one it uses. Every element of the garden was composed of natural materials that will be recycled after the show

Designer: Tony Smith

Sponsor: Quilted Velvet

Inspired by a sketch of an apiary in a Victorian journal Nicola Hills and Jonathan Denby designed this garden to draw attention to the plight of the bee and to encourage people to stock their gardens with bee-friendly plants

Designers: Nicola Hills and Jonathan Denby

Sponsor: South Lakes Hotels

Aimed at those with a love of plants and a sense of fun this garden featured a central paved area, seats and a four-poster bed, making it suitable for private relaxation and stylish socialising. Stonemarket's Avant Garde Etched Swirl paving was used to create the impression of a carpet (www.stonemarket.co.uk)

Designer: Niki Palmer

Sponsor: Stonemarket

Illustrating the meeting point between nature and nurture this informal garden, with mixed planting of both natural and cultivated plants, featured a decked area treated with Sadolin woodstain (www.sadolin.co.uk), plus a natural sedum roof

Designer: Philippa Pearson

Sponsors: Sadolin

Combat Stress (www.combatstress.org.uk) works with ex-servicemen and women suffering from psychological injuries. This garden with its hen-house, colourful planting and raised vegetable beds told a story of nurture and hope within a calm environment

Designers: Nigel Boardman and Stephen Gelly

Sponsors: Combat Stress

Capturing the essence of Thailand, this garden, entered through a bamboo and orchid arch, was a sensory delight with vivid flowers, lush foliage, tinkling bells and the scents of jasmine and frangipani

Designers: James Clarke, Nic Goldby

Sponsors: Tourism Authority of Thailand (www.tourismthailand.co.uk)

Great for children, the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust (www.arc-trust.org) created a pond, wood pile and dry stone wall to illustrate how we can all attract endangered and beneficial frogs, toads and newts into the garden

Designers: Nichola Selley, Kei Little

Sponsors: Kingcome Aquacare, Keates Quarries

In sharp contrast to the other very British gardens, 16-year-old Jack Dunckley created a tranquil oasis on the edge of a desert. He used exotic plants, sourced from around the world, to shade a thatched hut supplied by Breeze House (www.breezehouse.co.uk)

Designer: Jack Dunckley

Sponsors: Bradstone

Remembering coastal shepherding of the early 1900s this garden featured a mobile lambing hut and garden planted with flowers and vegetables typical of this period. The shepherd's garden was surrounded by the grasses and wildflowers found on the Essex shoreline

Designer and sponsor: Southend on Sea Borough Council

A fine example of the traditional allotment complete with vegetable plot, greenhouse, cutting garden, chickens and a scarecrow. This popular exhibit illustrated how our interest in self-sufficiency continues to grow

Designers: Jon Wheatley, Mary Payne, Terry Porter

See more about self-sufficiency in our smallholding special