Gail Foley BBC Wales Social Affairs Correspondent

It may be the depths of January, but a garden designer from south Wales is up to his elbows in soil as he begins to create Wales' only entry for the world famous Chelsea flower show.

Barry Mayled, from Penarth, is an architect by training.

Barry Mayled is entering the Chelsea Flower Show

But when he developed type two diabetes several years ago, he retrained in garden design at the University of Wales Institute (UWIC) in Cardiff.

After graduating, Mr Mayled was invited by the Royal Horticultural Society to build a specialist city garden at the show.

He said: "With diabetes you get something called neuropathy, which is lack of sensation.

"I was worried about going up ladders, I wanted something that was nearer the ground."

Design

Mr Mayled has designed a nautically-themed Compass Garden for an apartment or penthouse balcony.

"I wanted to show both occupiers and developers that living in modern marina homes doesn't mean giving up the delights of a garden," said Mr Mayled.

His design uses a Poseidon sculpture by Pauline Monkham of Cardiff's Craft in the Bay, curved and etched glass balustrades from The Igloo in Porthmadoc and a sail awning and mast from Intension.

The bosun's chair in the centre of the garden will swivel around to catch the sun, and is topped by the flag of Penarth Yacht Club, a salute to Mr Mayled's former life as a sub lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve.

There will be a sea of 40 varieties of white and blue flowers which are being grown by horticultural students at the University of Wales Institute.

Adopted

The garden has been adopted by five-times Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, who is also diabetic.

He has visited south Wales to meet Mr Mayled and see a model of the garden.

Sir Steve Redgrave is vice president of Diabetes UK

The Olympic hero is vice president of Diabetes UK and has his own charitable trust to help raise funds for children's issues.

Sir Steve said: "I am delighted to associate the Trust with Barry's Compass Garden, which is something Wales will be proud of.

"It's an excellent platform both to raise funds for the Trust, and to highlight again the fact that diabetes need not stand in the way of achievement."

The garden will cost �35,000 to complete and Mr Mayled is looking for sponsors.

BBC Wales viewers and listeners have the chance to watch the garden grow. Every month, our evening news programme, Wales Today, will be reporting on progress, culminating in the Chelsea Flower Show between 20 May and 23 May.