Episode 3 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Court Palace Flower Show. This year, the show has been divided up into

three sections and tonight, we will be looking primarily at the pass

section, where you will find the Floral Marquee, the plant

nurseries, everything to do with growing plants. But also, we will be

looking at the growth of awareness. So, coming up tonight... Rachel

looks at Roses. I visit a giant canvas biosphere, filled with exotic

plants and butterflies. One designer explains why she has refused to let

disability stop her gardening. Rachel, Joe and myself have been

here at Hampton court all week, and we have been watching all of these

little mini dramas unfolding. For example, we showed you Amulree

Exotics on Monday night, and they had never won a gold medal here

before. They have got a new display, and all of a sudden, they got a gold

medal. Yes, and there are a lot of plants getting sold here as well,

the mercenaries are doing a roaring trade. That is the nice thing about

it, it is that combination. Nobody can buy that one. This one is named

after a certain tennis player, who has just won Wimbledon. And the

National Daily Collection have just launched this. The show is divided

up into three groups this year. Last night, we showed you the Neal

section. And we will also be showing you some show gardens from the i

section. But tonight, we will be focusing mainly on pass. The

centrepiece of the pass section is the Floral Marquee, where you will

find an enormous range of plants. Alys Fowler has been along to see

these new introductions. At this time of year, the Floral Marquee

becomes drenched in the colours of summer. But I am not here to soak up

the atmosphere, I am here to find the hot new introductions of the

plant world. Now, these wonderful, statuesque flowers, known as the

foxtail Lily. This year, there was a new introduction, this lovely, pale

lemon coloured flower. Although they look very exotic they are actually

easy to grow, as long as you get the ground rule is right. If you are on

heavy clay, you are going to need to add some great. Conversely, on thin

soils, you will need to add some compost to get to this fight. -- to

this height. These ones are fantastically easy plants to grow,

as long as you do not put themselves very wet, you really cannot kill

them. They are known for their striking foliage, but what should

not be missed is the lovely, delicate little flowers, which are

much loved by the bees. This year, this lovely big, substantial one has

been introduced. It wants to be grown in for sun to partial shade,

but it is a large plant, and if you have got a tiny garden, you would be

better off with their other new introduction, this pretty purple

little one. I have a huge soft spot for violins. These are perennial,

summer flowering ones. If you look after them well, they come back year

after year. They like a nice cold, hard winter, and they are easy to

look after. Every year, the nursery brings out some new varieties. But

the ones which are going to win for me I think are these. I love a

viable low with a face, and these ones have lovely, beautiful

Floral Marquee so much is that you get to hunt out the rare and the

unusual. This stand-off carnivorous plants is a great example. These

plants all grow in body conditions, where the soil is poor in nutrients.

They feed themselves by capturing insects. If you want something truly

rare and unusual, you have to come to the end of the stand, because

there is only one single plant for sale, and it is this beautiful one.

Just one plant, for somebody lucky this year is the fragility of the

ecosystem, particularly where man intervenes. Perhaps the most common

example of this is the butterfly garden, which is inside this area

here, designed by Paul Stone of the Eden Project. Within this 80' x 30'

dome is a tropical rainforest canopy, with a spectacular variety

of exotic plants, and some very exotic butterflies. There are 25

different species, and about 1500 in here in total at the moment. They

are a major pollinator, particularly, as a species, they are

interested in nectar plants, of which we have got some good ones in

here. And of course, this walkway, we need to imagine ourselves 100

more than 90% of animal and plant life is going on in the canopy.

plant is basically an aunt's hotel in the sky. Inside that there is a

labyrinth of little corridors, perfect for ants to live in. It is a

plant which is incredibly popular at Eden. This one will throw up the

biggest single flower in the world, which stinks to high heaven and

attracts every fly in the whole jungle. They come in, they pollinate

it. There are a whole lot of stories in this space, where we have got

perfect conditions for tropical plants. And the butterflies we are

seeing here are part of that pollination story? They are a

definite feature of any rainforest. Seeing the faces of people walking

around the show, with butterflies landing on them, they are having a

whale of a time. Having all these butterflies inside here is

wonderful, but I have noticed quite a few out and about, as I have been

filming this week, and other people have commented on these wonderful

butterflies in the Showgrounds. They have been escaping. And there is a

potential for this to be a problem to biodiversity, so I am going to go

and ask a senior adviser at the RHS what the indications of this might

be. How have these butterflies escaped? There is always a slightly

cage of butterflies from any exhibit, as people go in and out,

and also, we found a couple of gaps in the roof which we have had to

mend. It is such a lovely warm weather, the butterflies have been

much more adventurous than we expected. Do they pose any threat to

the plant life? No, they are not a competitive threat to plant life in

Britain. They tend not to survive that long and they tend not to

travel that far, and they will not successfully breed, because they are

tropical species. In the 40 years that we have had a butterfly house

industry in Britain, there has been no evidence of this happening, but

it probably does merit further strain to the scrutiny. At the end

of the show, these animals have to be gathered up - how are you going

to do it? I can think of no other way than people going around with

butterfly nets and gathering them up no doubt attracting them with

rotting fruit. And also we have professional butterfly people who

will be doing this. I look forward to seeing their special skills.

is not just tropical butterflies here at the show. They have been

joined by their native Cozens, thanks to this, the British

Butterfly Garden, designed and built by this lepidopterist. It is so

lovely and colourful in here. I am intrigued to know, what is the

situation with British butterfly is currently? As we know, British

butterflies are in trouble. About 76% down in the last couple of

years. But what is encouraging this year is this warm weather, which

means they can find mates to pair up and produce future generations.

Because they are cold-blooded, they need sunshine to warm them up and

get them flying around. What should we be growing? Oddly, of course, but

what other things? These ones are excellent. They are great for

pollinators. But always go for the single varieties. So, still lots of

problems for our British butterflies, but is there any good

news? At last, there is. One of the butterflies which we thought was

extent, the large tortoiseshell, has been discovered on the Isle of

Wight, and may well be forming a breeding colony. If they had a bit

further north, they will be hitting all of our shores soon. So we would

like people to try to identify the large tortoiseshell. It is very

rare, you will not see it in great numbers. But if you are out walking,

look around in the woods, in the tops of the trees, the brambles,

things like that, and we might be overlooking colonies in this country

which we did not know were there. Just to be clear, the small

tortoiseshell is a lot smaller, about two inches, and the colours

are a lot brighter, and it is far more abundant. If you think you

might have seen one all you want information on butterflies, go to

our website, and we will provide a link to butterfly conservation. It

is not just about butterflies here, because we have got this fabulous

little garden, which is for a couple who are into both art and wildlife.

It is a strong layout, but there is so much interest within it to

attract wildlife in. This is a really good use of a vertical wall

or fence, which can be quite a barren space, but here, he has just

trilled lots of wood and put sections of bamboo and cardboard in

there, to create the perfect habitat for ladybirds and solitary bees over

the winter. And then, in the spring, they will come out and eat all your

aphids. Now, water is an essential part of any wildlife garden. Here,

we have got shallow water, so the birds can come in and get a drink.

You have got things like damselflies here, I have seen a couple of

those. And remember, bees need to drink as well. When it comes to

plants, volume and variety is what we are looking for. Here, we have

got trees, shrubs and perennials. Do not be overly tidy in the way you

plant them, either. Something like this is absolutely perfect. It is a

landing pad, made up of lots of little flowers in there, so they can

sit on the pad and get their neck. This one as well, a nice, open

flower, really pretty. -- get their nectar. And grasses as well. Bees

nest down in the grassy mound at the bottom, so it is important that you

do not cut those back in autumn, but cut them back in spring, if you are

insects is reflected in another garden here at Hampton court. Last

month, we caught up with its designer at his family home in

Sussex, where he has created a haven years ago. This area was so

overgrown with Bracken, loose paving slabs, it was so bad that my dad did

not even realise there was a pond there. He stumbled in one day and

broke his leg. When that happened, we thought, that might be a fun

project, to redesign the area, but some plants in. That is where my

love of gardening kicked off, and I have not looked back since. This

garden all got redesigned over the course of several years, creating

lovely spaces, with a distinct feel to each, always with an ecological

aspects in mind. I have got a particular passion for that. Being a

gardener, you are sharing your space with nature and with the animals, so

you have to provide for them. The first thing we did was to do the

pond again, to have deeper water for the newts and the frogs, and

shallower stuff for frogspawn. You have got to have nice planting. The

iris is especially good for the emerging dragonflies and

damselflies. I was keen to add an area for animals to hibernate over

the winter, so we put a rockery behind it. That allowed us to

introduce running water as well, to to the house so we installed this

big wall to create a strong visual piece to frame the view. The great

thing is it leaves you these cracks and crevices that you can stuff and

that provides a fantastic place for animals to live in. We have also

taken some soil and rubbed it into some of these gaps. That will allow

the plants to self-seed over time and really green, that will not only

soften the impact of the hard landscaping piece but also provided

more habitat and space for animals plants which all came from a local

nursery, we are about to throw them -- they were about to throw them all

away, in awful condition. But it just shows a little bit of feed and

a little bit of care what it can turn into in a few years' time. In

amongst them were absolutely gems when it comes to eco gardening, such

as this here. It has glorious waves of white throughout the summer. As

you can see, the bees absolutely love them. I was particularly

delighted in amongst the flowers that we have examples of things

flowering all the way through the year from early spinning to the end

of autumn -- spring. Not only does that look fantastic for the border,

but it's also ideal for the wildlife of the garden. A particularly nice

native plant is the oyide daisy. It's built up of hundreds of

individual flowers, it's like a one-stop shop for the pollinators.

Sadly the populations have been declining, so when selecting plants

for the garden I have always been conscious single flowers are better

than thick heavy doubles because they allow better access for the

insects to get in and collect nectar. We insist on not spraying.

We don't use chemicals, we don't use slug pellets. I think it's important

to accept if you are going to have a wildlife garden you are going to

have a few casualties with plants but it's much more important to be

providing that space and sharing it with nature. I am here in the garden

with Caspian and the RHS wildlife expert, Katherine. You must be

pleased. I am, colour everywhere. You stuffed the gaps. It's a simple

idea, create a habitat for wildlife, pop it full of straw and bamboo and

gives a great place for them to live in The idea came about through a

strange story. I was trying to tune into the cricket on Radio 4 and I

heard Helen talking aformtively on the plants and bugs campaign.

you were promoting the campaign for the RHS. That's right. We have a

four-year research project based at the gardens to investigate where

plants originate from. We must not forget plants around us come from

all over the world. Whether that's an influence on the amount of

wildlife they attract, because there's an asum physician you want

to attract British wieltd life you must plant native. In an average

garden in the UK something in the region of 70% are not British

native, they come from North America, Australia, New Zealand.

What we really don't know is what different role these plants are

playing in our gardens. It might be, for example, that spiders don't care

where the plants come from. Yet something like hover flies, a great

pollinating insect, is very picky about it. The early findings is

plants are generally good for wildlife all round? We are in the

final year so we - an early look at data from years one to three

suggests that Wharf you plant it's going to be really good for

wildlife. We find in good numbers, from beetles up to bees and

butterflies. The important thing is get plants in the garden.

Absolutely. There's plenty in this garden. Nice to meet you both. If

you want to see tips from Caspian on how to care for pollinating plants

I will say it loud and proud, I am completely addicted to Roses

roses. I grow masses of them in my garden and I believe there's

something for every situation. I am also aware that it's not only me

that is enjoying them. Roses can be brilliant for encouraging lots of

beneficial pollinating insects into our gardens and this is a perfect

example. It's one of our native species roses and you have a simple

set of single petals and a large golden stamen. Everything an insect

could want. The bees love it, as you can see. From the original wild

roses breeding over the centuries has brought us incredible diversity.

By the 50s and 60s high dripped tees were all the rage. You can see these

glorious blooms. They couldn't be further from the original species.

Large flowers packed with petals, swirling from the centre and on this

one I am pushing in there and can't get my finger through those petals.

I am sure an insect can't get in either. They're beautiful in a

garden but what is needed is a gardens had begun to move on. We

wanted a more naturalistic romantic feel and breeders responded and gave

us roses that reaccept bemed the original species. -- resembled.

Things like Sally Holmes here. It's as if it's saying to the in in--

insects, come on in. Today fashions in gardening are

going hand in hand with an increased awareness of the importance of

encouraging bees and other beneficial insects into our gardens

and breeders are really taking that on board. For repeat flower

flowering rose try Smarty which has a classic look. Kew Gardens grows to

about five foot and flowering from mid-June to the end of the season.

And for a climber, Friendship of Strangers, will repeat flower and

make eight foot in height. This is the simple life and brand new this

year. It's got that wonderful open flower shape. Perfect for

pollinating insects. It's also just a fabulous garden rose. You can grow

it as a climber, or a shrub. Single flowered Roses roses are

absolutely enchanting and it's great to know we rose lovers can do our

Whilst many gardens are carrying messages about the environment this

year, a number have been designed to grow our awareness of a range of

very different issues. One entitled a Garden For Joy is the co-creation

for Hampton Court regular Heather and newcomer Bella Reid. Despite

being plagued by a number of health issues over the years, Bella has

refused to let her disabilities stop her from gardening. As we discovered

when we caught up with her a few weeks ago.

Of I love flowers and plants and can't stop buying them and I hate

bare earth. That is probably my garden philosophy. I worked in the

arts for 25 years. I decided that I wanted to be more creative. I went

to college to do the design course. And that's how it started. I have

been diabetes for 53 years and had a trible bypass, I developed more ash

tliet joints. I realised that I was less mobile than I used to be and I

couldn't do anything like the amount of gardening that I was doing all

the time. So I looked at my own garden from the point of view of a

designer. And made the garden more accessible to me. The first thing I

did was get rid of the lawn and put paving in. Then I made the pond

which was a great big round pond small smaller, so I didn't have to

worry about cleaning it too much. I have a lot of seats and I move from

seat to seat so I can get up, plant one plant, and then go and sit down

again. Watering is quite fun because I look like a gnome with a fishing

rod with the extension putting water all over the place. The beds are

raised so I don't have to go right down to the ground and I can sit on

my scooter or in a chair and dead head and I used my mobility scooter

to cut the low box hedge at the front. I can go around the garden,

it's a circular shape. But I have got a pathway that's a little bit

awkward to get around, it's about a nine-point turn and I might fall

into the roses. It's opened my eyes to things that people on legs take

for granted. Quite often you can come up against a paving stone which

nobody else will notice and you have to actually either get somebody else

to lift the scooter before you, or get off and struggle yourself. You

have to learn the different kinds of wheels are quite important to the

surfaces you are going on. And gravel is terrible. You can stop in

gravel without any trouble at all. I wanted to be an advocate for people

with disabilities to be able to stay in their own gardens. I went to

Hampton Court last year on my scooter and I met a designer called

Heather Appleton at her Russian garden and we were talking about

show gardens and how I would like to have an accessible garden at Hampton

Court. She agreed with me and then we found ourselves talking about

what kind of garden we could do. That's how it started really. I want

our garden at Hampton Court to say to people with mobility problems

that they don't have to give up their garden and they don't have to

stop being a gardener, that they can make adaptations, that their garden

is safe, they won't bump into anything and they can look after

their plants. Disability can be a real pain in many ways, but it

collaboration has reached fruitation with a stunning garden created for a

charity helping disabled people. Tell us about the Queen Elizabeth

Foundation and what they do. They help young people between 16-18 and

they go and stay there for three years and they learn to be

independent so they learn how to look after themselves in a flat and

how to cook and things like that. After three years when they've

graduated they can go out on their own and live their own independent

life. Some of the people there don't have wheels, they have legs and they

came up and helped with the garden. People on wheels came up and helped

to plant the plants that they had done. They've raised 100 of these

2,000 plants in their greenhouses. They've grown them. Fantastic.

back to be their garden at the end of the show. The public on wheels

can come and drive around. Yes, we have done that specifically because

I wanted them to feel a bit special. The people on legs had to stay

outside unless they're actually pushing. We have had lots of people

and they've really appreciated that they can come on to a show garden.

Heather Appleton designed it. designed it and put in everything I

wanted, all the little touches for people with disabilities. The people

have been in it this week and have recognised all those things which is

very pleasing. The strong bugle theme comes through, the -- bubbles.

What does that reflect? The bubbles are about that when you are disabled

and learning to live with it and be independent each little achievement

gives you a little bubble of achievement. The bubbles are there

and that's why the garden is a garden for joy. A little lift.Yeah,

a little lift every time you do programme, but there is still lots

to come. Rachel meets the plant woman bringing her collection to the

show. Andy Sturgeon and I have a good look at the conceptual

gardens, which always provide food for thought. This year is no

exception. And designer Ann-Marie Powell joins us on a shopping trip.

Now, it seems that some plants go in and out of fashion, and Heather is

not being grown nearly as much as it used B. One report has shown that

there is a real danger that some of the old varieties could disappear.

The Heather Society's chairman told us what their aims were. I did an

apprenticeship at a local nursery when I was about 19, interested in

how heathers really developed. There is such a range of flour and foliage

colour, in essence, we have something in every day of the year.

Even when a plant is not in flower, you have still got attractive

bronze, gold and grey foliage. The home-grown heathers are grown by

specialist growers in this country. There is a group of about 8-10,

producing hardy heathers with such a range of foliage and flowers.

Heathers were in their heyday in the 1970s, when I started collecting

them. The concept was really for heather beds, planting them in

groups of 5-7, or even larger, to get an impact with flowering. They

were used with rockeries, they were planted with conifers. After that,

they waned, and people were looking for something different. The concept

of heathers has changed over the years. It is a more modern aspect

now, with regard to the planting and utilisation of the heather. Grasses

and heathers go together so well. They have got a natural affinity

with each other, and you will find them growing in the heathland is and

on the moorlands. They will both be growing together quite happily. We

have got quite a few different heathers here. This one is a form of

heather which you will find growing in the wild, in the forest and on

the moorland. These colours have developed with a little bit of

breeding and selection to provide a greater range of habit and flowering

type. Some will flower in the winter, and some, right through from

spring into late summer, and others coming in in the autumn. This one

has got a much larger flower, with a grassy green foliage. -- glossy. It

is a much more showy plant. You can just trim the flower heads back

again, to produce even more. Rainwater is much better than tap

water for summer flowering heathers. You can always store it and then

give them a nice drink during the hot, dry summer period. They really

appreciate that. The heathers are vital in the early spring as a

source of pollen and nectar for the bees. It is nice to actually listen

to it, when you have the bees humming on the heather bed. It is

mainly bumblebees these days, because we seem to have diminishing

numbers of the honeybees. The heather Honey is normally recognised

as being one of the more expensive types of honey available in the

a pot. They will home in on a particular variety, whatever is the

collecting them and loving them, you have brought them here to Hampton

Court to get a good, strong message across, because many of them are

threatened, aren't they? Yes, there were 1000 1500 -- 1500 varieties in

the early days, but most of them have gone, and there is no getting

them back. They went out of fashion after the peak of interest in the

1970s. But now, we are just gaining to see the initial stages of a

revitalisation, and a new interest. So, you are trying to get younger

people involved in them? Yes, we are looking to the new generation to see

new ways of planting. There are lots of different ways of doing it these

days, with lots and tubs and hanging baskets. One of my pet hates is

seeing all of the gravel desert, areas in front of people 's gardens,

or driveways, where there is no planting at all, there is no

friendliness to the wildlife. It is not difficult to plant a few

heathers in these places, to give a bit of colour. They will flower for

3-4 months of the year, with different coloured foliage is as

well. Whilst David has been highlighting the plight of our

cultivated heathers, Plant Heritage charity is celebrating its 35th

birthday, and it has its own marquee at Hampton Court this year. Rachel

has been to visit it. This marquee is an absolute jewel in the show.

You can compare different forms of the same type of plant, and you can

also meet the people who are devoted to growing them, and get some really

display. I know people love these. I do. There are so many to look at.

But we are still struggling with slugs and snails, so please help!

Absolutely, it is the biggest question I am asked. If you are

growing them in the garden, the best thing to try to do is to replicate

the natural environment, which is woodland, with the constant

breakdown of leaflet. That is what the snails love. If they have got

plenty to distract them, like that, they will not go for your plants.

Also, if you grow your hostas in pots or containers, put them in

shallow dishes or trays and keep them topped up with water. Snails

cannot swim across the water, and also it takes away the guesswork of

water in your plants, there is no risk of underwater in or over

watering them. These ones have stopped me in my tracks. It is

something I do not think I have seen before, these carnations... Dusk

yes, they are called after the rows which we have got inside them here.

There is a real similarity in the shape, isn't there? Not only the

shape, also, the scent. You grow them in a pot, it can be in

different kinds of compost. After flowering, you bring them into a

cold environment. I do not think I have seen the National collection

ofmm here at the show before. this is the first time this

collection has been to the marquee. This is a gorgeous example.

Absolutely beautiful, it is it is a climate, an absolutely delightful

one. I know many are actually very tender, but the one back, with those

gorgeous, starry flowers, tell me about that. If you fancy a challenge

for the conservatory, it is fantastic. You have to pot up very

gradually, it does need a lot of heat on it, and keep it more on the

dry side in the winter. The scent is absolutely wonderful. Plant Heritage

are celebrating their 35th anniversary this year, which is

wonderful, because it means that future generations of gardeners will

be able to grow plants which might otherwise be lost to us. When you

come to the show there are many plants on offer, but also, all of

these seeds, at �1 50 a packet, another thing to celebrate! I think

I am quite happy here, I maybe sometime! And those are just a

handful of the thousands of collections held by professionals

and amateurs, designed to maintain and preserve our plant biodiversity.

The environment is reflect and in many of the conceptual gardens.

These conceptual gardens are intended to provoke thought, to

inspire ideas, as well. Amulree Exotics and I are setting out to see

what they provoke in us. -- Andy for its name. It is very evocative,

isn't it? Yes, it is based on a limestone pavement. Of course, it is

mirroring what happens in a limestone pavement. Yes,

essentially, it is these values. I like the way that you can get

download and look through. As you say, it is like looking into a

mature landscape, in miniature. It is lovely. And we know that that

limestone landscape is really rich in the wild. This garden is based

upon the way that we see. Because actually, the eye gathers images,

but the brain has to process them. Until they are processed, they do

not make sense, so it is the conjunction between the two. Out

here, we have rods and cones, mirroring the eyeball, and inside,

there is a sculpture which I take as being a combination of the eyeball

and the brain, working together. It is the two of them which produce the

image. This garden is based on the Shinto philosophy, and the idea that

the land around us is embodied with spirits, and that we should have

respect for our land and our environment. The planting represents

all living things, and the different flower colours are the ups and

downs, the vicissitudes, of life. metal track. Of course, I knew that!

What I did not know is that the graffiti on the walls is either a

line from that song, or the only words in it. Yes, it is based on the

idea that we are losing allotments to developers and that kind of

thing. As we get older, we will be forced away from plants, but we need

these plants to survive. And it is obvious, once you understand that

message. I like it, because this is really quite sinister, but this is a

serious business. It is, but it has a poetic quality. I like the

graffiti. I like that image, it is a very beautiful gas mask. I like the

way that these lines tie in with the lines of the vegetables. As you say,

it is sinister, it is awkward, we do not quite know what is going on. I

was not into heavy metal, but it is there. You are out of the comfort

zone, and three Cheers for that. Yes, absolutely. This is another

conceptual garden, and this one is based upon the re-stocking of the

country after the devastation caused by Dutch disease. A few weeks ago,

we went along to see how they were preparing for the show. Dutch elm

disease really hit hard in the 06s and 70s when we lost about a million

trees -- 06s. Part of the English land cape disappears. One of the

most distinctive of English trees and its loss threatens to alter the

shape of the countryside. It's carried by a beetle that eventually

just kills the tree. There are some positive actions going on and

there's some organisations that are taking some very positive steps.

There are a few survivors and it's from these trees we are taking

cuttings and growing new trees to see whether they will resist Dutch

elm disease. They're being sent around the country to schools and

community groups and planted. They're being monitored and mapped

so the conservation foundation have an overall data base of where these

little trees are and how they're getting on. There's just a little

glimmer of hope potentially. I am designing a conceptual guarden at

this year's Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. -- garden. There is a

tale of destruction and a little bit of hope for the future. I found some

fantastic dead wood from oak trees and they're crazy shapes, we are

burning them up and it goes with the Ashes to ashes theme. We are looking

for a sort of light flambe rather than a full cremation job. It can

catch alight. It's dead wood so it's extremely dry. There is no sap in

it. The difficulty may be getting it to Hampton Court in one piece

because it's very brittle. The other end we have the tricky problem of

actually making it stand upright and look like trees. The underplanting

for this part of the garden is very kind of dark colours and also some

of the plants, for want of a better word, they look dead and probably

wouldn't walk by them and think they had had it, quite frankly. This is a

fantastic plant, it looks dead as it is, but it's not. It's loving life.

These are my ajucca plants. This will form a nice bed for the

blackened trees. One concern here are these blue flowers coming up,

blue's not really something I am looking to have in the garden. I

might pick these flowers off. Running through this there's going

to be a river of bright, bright red roses, I have chosen Lancashire and

Hampshire. Lancashire is a cherry red. Hampshire is a real deep

Scarlett. I think the combination of those two are trying to create fire

underneath the trees and I think they'll be perfect. From that we

have got this emerging new life spiral of our elm trees, starting

from very, very small saplings and running up to some bigger plants.

The underplanting will be ferns and the shape of the spiral itself

really represents the unfurling of a frond so it kind of ties into this

emerging new life. The challenge for this garden is really to make -

obviously a great show garden, but that does have a very serious

message and we really hope we can Bruce, congratulations. A gold

medal. The judges not only understood the concept but the

execution is immaculate. The trees made it. Fantastic. They did indeed.

You were worried about them breaking. They are very, very

brittle. We did end up looking like coal miners top to pot app --

bottom, covered. They've made it well. The roses feel like a river of

fire through the plot. A bit of sunshine and they've popped out,

brilliant. Really happy with that. It's a huge plot you have taken on

and it sets the scene from destruction through to hope at the

end other. It's not all about elms, is it? Certainly not. The garden is

about the ash trees. The ash dieback which looks as though it's going to

wipe out millions of trees. I am joined with forces in the

conservation foundation, they haven't given up on the elm trees,

and I don't think we should give up on the ash trees. Time will tell.

Thank you for bringing the garden messages of awareness but here three

other gardens are tackling quite sensitive issues. Here on the

Macmillan Legacy Garden has highlighted the journey through

cancer and it's done in a clever way. With this path it takes you on

twists and turns and shows it's a convolutated journey. And these dark

pools, perhaps suggests moments of contemplation, even of darkness

around it there is also hope and optimism in the planting. It's

sparkling. The colours are quite subdued. You have a little bit of

pushle there but you also -- pushle -- purple. And of course the

foxgloefs over there. And then in amongst this planting there are

those cut-out mirrored silhouettes and they represent the nurses and

show how when you need them you can seek them out but then they can fade

into the background. I think it's a very thoughtful and very beautiful

award this year. The work of Matthew Charles and it has an important

message. It does. The inspiration behind the garden is the fundamental

principle that water is life. We have a lot of pollution that takes

place in our waterways. For example, the 60% of litter found on beaches

is plastic. We have an area in the Pacific twice the size of France,

this is plastic floating around and obviously that is of grave threat to

marine life, sea birds and even to ourselves. Fish are injesting these

plastics. The idea is we wanted to set a scene of this watery landscape

but it's a garden about solutions and we have this planting which

rolls and you have the splashes of blue It's like sea foam on the top

of the water. Those are amazing. Everybody is asking about those and

they've been loved. They haven't been fed with anything special.

Apart from the planting crashing through that you have strips of

recycled plastic and we are trying to put this material in the

spotlight at the moment because it's a potential solution, I think, to

the waste plastic that we have out there. Rather than continually

producing new plastics let's think about how we can use that weighs and

as a result it can help solve the problem. This is certainly doing the

trick. You are getting the message across and some of the most

beautiful plant planting I have seen for a long time. This garden

designed by Chris Beardshaw flags up issues connected with getting older

as well as celebrating benefits. It starts here with this flower meadow,

low-cut around the edge. Very pretty but it also suggests perhaps a sense

of living on the outside of things, maybe even isolation. As you move

through into the garden you pass between these hedges, both

mid-height and very tall. That gives you a sense perhaps of the different

generations, of the barrier between us and how we might want to break

through that. Then you move through into the heart

of the garden. The feeling is really different here. There's this

monumental sculpture of a head made out of rusted metal and around it a

multitude of different plants and to me that suggests memories, lots of

memories. Lots of experience that can benefit all generations. If this

garden encapsulatings the experience of getting older there is a lot to

look forward to. Many of the show gardens are

designed to grow our awareness of different issues, the grow zone here

at the show is very much about going out and buying plants. Containers

are always a very popular idea. But what do you put in them when you are

faced with so much choice? We set Joe and Anne Marie their own

challenge, what could they come up with after an afternoon of shopping?

And most importantly, at what cost? We are going shopping, Joe! Yes, not

clothes, remember. That's good. Two pots and two styles and we will

choose whose is best. What are you going for? Glamour.I will go for

frothy and romantic. Oh, lovely! It's not about spending as much

money as possible, it's the opposite, it's about being frugal,

value for money. I am having this pot. The people at Hampton Court

will decide. It's the best pot for This is exactly what I am looking

for. A frothy little number at the front of the pot. It will break up

the edge nicely. And it will flower all summer long. �6, got to have it.

Look at this! This is new to me. I have a feel feeling it's too tall

for the pot. The proportions are all wrong. Are you feeling all right?

Sorry! Please turn into a handsome Prince! This is gorgeous.

What is this one? It's stunning. It's a delicate purple, pink

flowers. That will look great in the middle of a pot. I love these. It's

fantastic, got this horizontal flower habit. Love it is nice and

dry. I think I have to have these and search for something to break it

up a bit. I have finished mine! Hello there! Hi. I have finally got

my glamour plants. I am delighted. They're hot and fiery. That will

flower all summer long. Love it! you think they go together those

colours, seriously? They clash. It's containers. I like yours. I like

yours. How much did you spend?�31 �29. Let's put it to the vote. Hands

up if you like Anne Marie's planter the best? Oh dear! Put your hands up

if you like my planter the best. Yes! Anne Marie, outright winner, I

am afraid. Congratulations, I think it's lovely. Don't like you much,

We have all been to a lot of flower shows and they can merge into each

other unless there's something that really stands out. For me this one

is special. That's because the whole show, not any one display or garden,

seems to have lifted up a notch. The standards are higher. It's a good

show. It really is. That's true on a big scale but also you can hone in

on tiny things. Have you been to the forestry? I skirted through there.

You must go. There are extraordinary tiny cupcakes and teapots made of

flowers, it's amazing work. For me it's the weather this year. It's

been amazing. I have been to wet Hampton Courts over the year. This

is what it's about for me, people sitting by the water enjoying the

spaces at the show, having an ice-cream, Pimms, whatever. It's a

great day out. Our day out is coming to an end, hopefully the weather

won't. But the show is still open. If you want to visit it, you can

visit until 5. 30 on Sunday. I recommend it. There are tickets