A plant nursery won a coveted award at its first major horticultural event.

The Big Plants Nursery in Ashington, north of Worthing, was awarded a silver medal from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for an elaborate bamboo plant display.

The RHS had invited the nursery, which specialises in exotic plants, to attend the prestigious Wisley flower show.

Delighted with the award, nursery marketing officer Paul Thomas said: "We had about 20 different species of bamboo, which had not been done before. The medal is a big achievement for us.

"All the nurseries invited were among the best in the country. Bamboo is difficult to display because it is all very similar and has no flowers.

"All the colour was created by leaf colour and texture."

The nursery is now set to exhibit at Hampton Court, London, next year.