Diarmuid Gavin's design causes a stir at the Chelsea Flower Show

He received a Silver-Gilt medal for his display, which contains spherical lollipops in bright colours.

The prize comes despite a disagreement between him and the show's organisers over sponsorship details.

The winner of the top RHS Gold Medal and Best in Show in the show garden category was Christopher Bradley-Hole's garden, Hortus Conclusus.

The official catalogue lists Diarmuid Gavin's creation, A Colourful Suburban Eden, as being sponsored by the National Lottery.

It was eventually sponsored by Lottery organisers, Camelot, with no cash coming from the Lottery fund.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Horticultural Society said the application process will be reviewed.

Simple 'mistake'

Mark Robinson, operations director at Diarmuid Gavin Designs, said: "When we applied we were absolutely confident that we had a sponsor on board.

"The cost of the garden increased tremendously and it was apparent that we would need more sponsorship anyway.

"Camelot came on board at just the right time when the other (sponsor) was falling through," he said.

He said the catalogue was a simple "mistake".

Other prize winners at the show included a group of schoolgirls from a south west London school - they became the youngest ever designers to win a medal with their Daihatsu Green Garden.