THEY’RE simply the best.

A Hampshire garden centre has scooped a top award to recognise that they have put in the ground work.

Hillier Garden Centres were named Multiple Garden Retailer of the Year in the Garden Retail Awards – known as the Oscars of the gardening world.

It comes after the firm spent the last 12 to 18 months completely refitting nine of its 12 garden centres in the south.

The makeover saw them relaying plant areas, building new timber canopies and installing new benching displays.

They have also introduced a new ‘Plants for Purpose’ section in a bid to help budding gardeners choose the right plants for their own back yards, while it’s new ‘Hillier Shrub Collection’ area showcases the pick of the crop from their wholesale plant nursery near Ampfield.

Inside the shops has also been transformed, with new wood-effect flooring, new display shelves and signs, while the cafes have also been refurbished.

The award was presented to Hillier Garden Centre director Chris Frances at a prestigious ceremony in London’s Grand Connaught Rooms.

Mr Francis, who joined the firm in 2014, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be the UK’s multiple garden retailer of the year.

“Hillier is all about offering great plants, great products and an engaging shopping experience for our customers.

“Our team at Hillier Garden Centres has worked incredibly hard to achieve our vision of vibrant gardening department stores, and it is brilliant to have their success recognised by the industry.”