Champion herb grower Jekka McVicar incurred the wrath of Chelsea Flower Show organisers when she placed a small garden gnome into her display.

Jekka, who runs her organic herb farm in Alveston, near Thornbury, included the little mascot among her medicinal and culinary herbs, despite gnomes being banned at the prestigious event.

She was making a stand for the fun side of gardening as she prepared her final floral exhibit at Chelsea, which is run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

But as judging time approached, Jekka said it had all become too much for the gnome, called Borage, and he had fallen asleep among the foliage, where he had been hidden from view.

Jekka, called the Queen of Herbs by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, also admitted it wasn't the first time that her little companion had ventured from Alveston to Chelsea – he just hadn't been spotted before.

She said: "It's just to show that gardening is fun and gardeners do have a sense of humour.

"I've had him for years and he normally lives in my office, although I don't actually know where he came from. He just appeared one day.

"He has been to Chelsea before but just hasn't shown his face. He's also been to Hampton Court Palace Flower Show."

Borage and his fellow gnomes are frowned upon by the Chelsea elite, despite their popularity in Britain's gardens.

Jekka is a member of the RHS ruling council but said she didn't want gardening to be taken too seriously.

She has won an astonishing 61 RHS gold medals – 13 of them at Chelsea – and although she will no longer display in the Grand Floral Pavilion after this year, could return to produce her first show garden.

Her display this year is twice the size of her past exhibits, with double the number of plants on show.

Called Power of the Plants, many are native to the UK and include some which might be considered weeds, such as the stinging nettle and dandelion.

She said nettle leaves were a nutritional supplement, rich in minerals and vitamins, with the roots and leaves used to treat urinary and kidney complaints.

Dandelion is useful in the treatment of stomach, liver, gall bladder and rheumatic complaints.