:00:10. > :00:15.Over the last month the grounds of the Royal Hospital here in London
:00:15. > :00:18.have been turned upside down by the global gardening elite.
:00:18. > :00:20.Diggers and riggers with spades and blades have spent hours building
:00:20. > :00:22.elaborate towers and planting exquisite flowers to transform the
:00:22. > :00:32.Chelsea pensioners' back garden into the most celebrated
:00:32. > :00:37.
:00:37. > :00:41.horticultural catwalk on the planet. There are only a few hours to go
:00:41. > :00:44.before an eager world gets a first glimpse of this year's floral feast.
:00:44. > :00:46.But stay with us for the next hour because we've got an exclusive
:00:46. > :00:49.preview of Chelsea 2012 just for you.
:00:49. > :00:51.Get fresh - we'll be revealing the new garden category that's set to
:00:51. > :00:59.cause controversy. Joe in for gold - Mr Swift unveils
:00:59. > :01:03.his very first Chelsea show garden. What do you think honestly?
:01:03. > :01:06.Honestly? I've got to be honest, really. I think it's absolutely
:01:07. > :01:09.brilliant. I am ever so proud of you.
:01:09. > :01:18.And south-west exotics - we meet Chelsea first timers Trewidden
:01:19. > :01:21.Nursery to find out why Cornwall is the new South Africa.
:01:21. > :01:27.Welcome to the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show
:01:27. > :01:30.supported by M&G Investments. For just six precious petal-filled days
:01:30. > :01:33.central London is besieged by over 150,000 people, all of them
:01:33. > :01:43.desperate to see the ambitious exhibits designed by the leading
:01:43. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:47.lights in horticulture. But I guarantee you won't have to leave
:01:47. > :01:51.your armchair for a front-row seat. Over the next seven days we'll be
:01:51. > :01:54.bringing you 11 hours of coverage. I'll be here every night with all
:01:54. > :01:56.your favourite faces keeping you right up to date. Rachel De Thame,
:01:56. > :01:59.Christine Walkden, Nicki Chapman, Andy Sturgeon, Alys Fowler, Tom
:01:59. > :02:05.Hart Dyke and Chris Beardshaw, to name but a few, will be bringing
:02:05. > :02:08.you their unique insight into Chelsea 2012.
:02:08. > :02:15.And we couldn't keep floral fanatics Carol Klein and James Wong
:02:15. > :02:18.away either! Carol, what do you think of it so far? I think it's
:02:18. > :02:21.wonderful! I think considering the sort of problems that people must
:02:21. > :02:26.have experienced - I mean, the terrible weather - lots of rain
:02:26. > :02:29.during the build-up, not to mention the cold - you know, right through
:02:29. > :02:33.the spring, and plants have been held back so much. They have been,
:02:33. > :02:37.you know, raring to get going, but somehow everybody seems to have
:02:37. > :02:40.pulled it off. Because people think oh, I'm going to go there. It's all
:02:40. > :02:45.going to be green. There will be no flowers. They'll have to make do
:02:46. > :02:50.and mend. Not a bit it. There is lots of green, but it's just a
:02:50. > :02:55.beautiful background for a lot of lovely, luscious colour. Now, James,
:02:55. > :02:57.you're normally making gardens. You're off this year. You're going
:02:57. > :03:01.around lightheaded I should think, no responsibility at all, but you
:03:01. > :03:05.know how they all feel at this moment. Exactly. Just walking in
:03:05. > :03:07.here I am feeling anxious because I know exactly what's going through
:03:07. > :03:11.their heads. People think of Chelsea as being really beautiful
:03:11. > :03:14.and glamorous. What they don't think about is all the pressure
:03:14. > :03:19.that is on each one of the designers to pull all of that off.
:03:19. > :03:22.It's hundreds of thousands of pounds, years worth of work, and
:03:22. > :03:26.it's all on their shoulders. it's hundreds of thousands of
:03:26. > :03:30.pounds, it's had to cost your sponsors hundreds of thousands of
:03:31. > :03:34.pounds - only a gold will do. Exactly. Only gold will do. You
:03:34. > :03:40.have to pull it off and make a miracle.
:03:40. > :03:49.This year there are 16 large show gardens along Main Avenue. The big
:03:49. > :03:54.ones are 15 metres x 10 metres and huge at 22 metres x 10 metres. We
:03:54. > :04:01.three have been going around and having a sneaky peek.
:04:01. > :04:05.Where better to start than with Mr Best in Show 2011 in Cleve West's
:04:05. > :04:08.lovely garden? You can always rely on Cleve for something really
:04:08. > :04:13.thoughtful, really innovative, something that makes you think and
:04:13. > :04:18.gets you going, but this year he's reverted to a much more formal
:04:18. > :04:23.theme. He's got these wonderful stone paths, lots of straight lines,
:04:23. > :04:28.this great formal topiarys that almost populate the garden. They're
:04:29. > :04:32.like people, but within that, there's Cleve West's signature.
:04:32. > :04:39.These wonderful plantings rich in plants - it really is a plant
:04:39. > :04:44.person's paradise. It's been a truly difficult year
:04:44. > :04:48.for all garden designers - all exhibitors, in fact. And lots of
:04:48. > :04:53.plants just haven't done what they're expected to do, but Cleve's
:04:54. > :05:03.really made the most of that fact. He appreciates the stems and the
:05:04. > :05:10.
:05:10. > :05:15.background to these scintillating spots of colour, vivid poppies and
:05:15. > :05:20.the glowing heads of the euphorbia. I think it's inspiring and all
:05:20. > :05:30.about anticipation too, and surely that is what gardening is all about.
:05:30. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:36.Last year he built a pink sky garden. So impressive was it, it
:05:36. > :05:41.even managed to win the People's Award. This year it's an 80-foot
:05:41. > :05:45.pyramid. It's a garden designed of course by Diarmuid Gavin. What a
:05:45. > :05:49.pyramid it is - seven floors. You can see it from Chelsea embankment.
:05:49. > :05:55.It catchs the eyes of everybody that goes past - some installation
:05:55. > :05:59.it is. To prepare it - he isn't finished yet - he has been using a
:05:59. > :06:03.lift. I am on the fourth floor, which has a wonderful display of
:06:03. > :06:07.fruit and vegetables and a beautiful pastel-painted greenhouse.
:06:07. > :06:13.You'll find other features on other floors. There is a shower in here
:06:13. > :06:17.somewhere, lots of pieces of scupture, a preponderance of
:06:17. > :06:21.climbing plants climbing up the scaffolding. There are lots of
:06:21. > :06:24.hints, tips and wrinkles because this is a practical garden as well
:06:24. > :06:28.as one that looks as though it's a bit of a gimmick. What it's trying
:06:28. > :06:31.to do is encourage people to garden in the city, to make the use of the
:06:32. > :06:36.most contracted little spaces, to grow something to brighten their
:06:36. > :06:39.lives. It is, says Diarmuid, a retreat. It's a magical garden, and
:06:39. > :06:43.when you have made your way up here to many of these various seven
:06:43. > :06:49.floors and looked at what's here, you can make your way down rather
:06:49. > :06:51.more speedily because there is a large, galvanised steel sheet
:06:51. > :06:54.rather like a fairground helterskelter. That'll get you
:06:54. > :06:59.interest top to bottom rather more quickly even than the lift is
:06:59. > :07:04.getting you up. Now, somewhere in here, he tells me, there is also a
:07:04. > :07:07.gentleman's club - a bit sexist, I thought, but he's threatened to
:07:07. > :07:12.meet me there on Wednesday when we'll have a chat about this
:07:12. > :07:16.installation. I just hope he's got the brandy and cigars ready!
:07:16. > :07:20.This year Chelsea welcomed Sarah Price to Main Avenue. It's her
:07:20. > :07:26.first ever large show garden, and she's designed it on her own. What
:07:26. > :07:29.I think is brilliant about it is a real clear juxtaposition between
:07:29. > :07:33.very elegant, modernist, almost quite monumental hard landscaping
:07:33. > :07:37.which is really contrasted with a very lush, naturalistic sort of
:07:37. > :07:40.planting. There is a really fun, playful interaction between the two.
:07:40. > :07:50.You end up with this gravel chipping path that is absolutely
:07:50. > :07:51.
:07:51. > :07:54.straight and geometrical but with a break that's made a break for the
:07:54. > :07:58.borders. There is a steppingstone path,
:07:58. > :08:02.almost a child-like approach to it. There is a particularly clever bit
:08:02. > :08:05.of transition going on here in between the woodland planting
:08:05. > :08:11.behind me and this water feature with its hard landscaping. The
:08:11. > :08:15.water actually bleeds between the enormous boulders and is softened
:08:15. > :08:18.by this boggy planting, very swish, very beautiful. With all the
:08:18. > :08:22.appalling growing weather we have had this year, you would never know
:08:22. > :08:26.to it look at this garden. The designer and his team have managed
:08:26. > :08:31.to pull off almost the impossible and create a garden that's fresh,
:08:31. > :08:37.bright and glossy, easily one of my favourite gardens this year. This
:08:37. > :08:47.is what Chelsea is all about. Now, you might be wondering where
:08:47. > :08:48.
:08:48. > :08:51.my usual Chelsea sidekick Joe Swift is. Well, for years I've been
:08:51. > :08:54.challenging him - nagging him - to take the plunge and use his design
:08:55. > :08:58.skills to create a Chelsea show garden, and every year he's come up
:08:58. > :09:03.with an excuse. But this year he's only gone and done it! He's swapped
:09:03. > :09:06.the sofa for a sketchpad and finally dived in head first. He
:09:06. > :09:15.searched for inspiration, and it turns out he didn't have to wander
:09:15. > :09:19.far from his front door to find it. I have always gone to Chelsea and
:09:19. > :09:23.always thought I really want to do a garden here, but by the time I
:09:23. > :09:27.got around to thinking yeah, I want to do one, it's always too late.
:09:27. > :09:32.But this year I thought, no, I'm going to do one. Alan has been
:09:32. > :09:36.winding me up about it for many a year, as have others, so I sat down
:09:36. > :09:41.and designed myself a dream garden and just got the process rolling.
:09:41. > :09:45.The garden is big. It's pretty bold and contemporary. It's got some
:09:45. > :09:51.main elements it just couldn't live without, so I've got these four
:09:51. > :09:55.enormous wooden frames. They've got a slight curve, and then there is
:09:55. > :09:59.an aperture in each one, and through the first one you see this
:10:00. > :10:02.large boulder down - coming down one side which has been
:10:02. > :10:07.horizontally sliced. With the natural forms of the timber and the
:10:07. > :10:10.stone, we're looking to balance it out really with some planting, and
:10:10. > :10:16.the first thing I'm doing structurally is getting some big
:10:16. > :10:19.Treece into there. The idea is that the frames and the trees just keep
:10:19. > :10:24.drawing your eye through the garden from the front right to the back,
:10:24. > :10:28.so it gives it an element of depth. It's sort of subliminal in a way
:10:28. > :10:32.where the inspiration has come from because I have designed this garden
:10:32. > :10:35.that I think will be a good-looking Chelsea show garden that I am
:10:35. > :10:38.pleased with, but a lot of the elements in it are so subliminal
:10:38. > :10:42.that I see them all around me all the time.
:10:42. > :10:47.# London calling # Through the far-away towns
:10:47. > :10:52.# War is declared # This is one of the trees going in
:10:52. > :11:01.my Chelsea garden, and believe it or not, this is my street. I live
:11:01. > :11:05.just here, and I saw these wonderful trees. They're amazing. I
:11:05. > :11:10.thought, I have the same tree outside my front door. It's amazing.
:11:10. > :11:15.What's wonderful about them is you have this beautiful peeling bark.
:11:15. > :11:21.What I am going to have to do is before Chelsea opens, go around
:11:21. > :11:31.with my gloves and flake it away a little bit to reveal this orangey
:11:31. > :11:33.
:11:34. > :11:39.bark. It's almost like I am monitering them from my window.
:11:40. > :11:44.The really weird thing was not only the corner is on my street - this
:11:44. > :11:53.tree as well - this is the Amber Beauty. It's got this wonderful
:11:53. > :11:59.tact I'll -- tactile trunk. Again, it's peeling, but this has more of
:11:59. > :12:04.a golden tone. You have these three trees I have at Chelsea within
:12:04. > :12:07.about a hundred yards from my house. We're at Mabley Green. Basically,
:12:07. > :12:12.it's grass, lots of football pitches. My son comes and plays
:12:12. > :12:15.football here. But there is this huge boulder in the middle of it.
:12:15. > :12:19.It's absolutely enormous. There is something magnetic about natural
:12:19. > :12:22.forms in the city because we see so much steel, concrete and Tarmac and
:12:22. > :12:30.that sort of thing that when you see something like this, you just
:12:30. > :12:33.want to get up close and actually experience it. This is heavily
:12:33. > :12:39.influenced -- this has heavily influenced my garden design, I
:12:39. > :12:43.think. It's staggering. This is my local canal, and these
:12:43. > :12:48.big bridges in effect frame a view all the way through, which my
:12:48. > :12:51.timber frames are going to do in my garden, so they sort of keep the
:12:51. > :12:54.eye level down, and also they play with light and dark, which I think
:12:54. > :12:58.is quite interesting. So the lighter side through the other side
:12:58. > :13:02.is where you can place a rock or some planting to really highlight
:13:02. > :13:06.it, and I mean, these are pretty harsh. It's a harsh environment,
:13:06. > :13:09.but in the Chelsea garden, I'm going to have lots of planting to
:13:09. > :13:14.soften it. As you can see, there is a tree there breaking that harsh
:13:14. > :13:18.line at the back. That's what I am trying to create. These bridges are
:13:18. > :13:23.definitely a big unfluence, I would say.
:13:23. > :13:28.-- influence, I would say. I hope Alan genuinely likes it. I hope he
:13:28. > :13:34.just thinks it's a worthy Chelsea show garden. That's what I am
:13:34. > :13:38.hoping. And I'm hoping he's not too rude about it.
:13:38. > :13:40.Me? Rude? What do you think? What do you think, honestly? It's all
:13:40. > :13:47.right, if you like that sort of thing!
:13:47. > :13:51.LAUGHTER Do you know how much work goes
:13:51. > :13:58.into... Yes, I jolly well do. You know, I can't believe - I will look
:13:58. > :14:03.at these gardens in a whole new light. 21 days since May 1 building
:14:03. > :14:07.this garden, but it has been amazing. That line "tired and
:14:07. > :14:11.emotional" - you have become more tired and emotional than anything
:14:11. > :14:17.else in the world apart from getting married. It feels like my
:14:17. > :14:21.baby, having designed it a year ago, the process, then being here with
:14:21. > :14:26.every stone and plant and tweaking it all around. Are you happy with
:14:26. > :14:30.it? Oh, I am delighted with the whole thing. Well, my tree is
:14:30. > :14:33.coming into leaf slower. The cold nights here have slowed it down a
:14:33. > :14:38.little bit, but I am delighted with this garden. I want this garden. My
:14:38. > :14:41.biggest worry is I was going to turn around at if end of this whole
:14:41. > :14:45.process and think I don't actually like it very much, but I love it. I
:14:45. > :14:51.am really pleased. The teamwork behind it - I've just got to go
:14:51. > :14:57.into it - the landscapers - Anna Porter helped me do the planting -
:14:57. > :15:02.she has an eye for detail. It's turning into an Oscar speech. We're
:15:02. > :15:06.not quite there yet. No. Are you going to get a gold? You tell me. I
:15:06. > :15:09.don't know. I can't see it objectively anymore. I love the
:15:10. > :15:13.garden. But that people like it is much more important than anything.
:15:13. > :15:17.It would be lovely to have a gold. Of course it would! What I love
:15:17. > :15:24.about it is there is a lot of purple and pink and soft colours
:15:24. > :15:29.like that. This is fiery. We've got wonderful irises down there and
:15:29. > :15:33.this deep purpley brown. This flower has never been at Chelsea
:15:33. > :15:37.before, but it is exactly the warm tones I was looking for. I have
:15:37. > :15:43.seen a lot of purple and pinks at Chelsea before, but I wanted to
:15:43. > :15:47.warm the garden up because even on a rainy, grey - it does happen -
:15:47. > :15:52.day, it feels warm. And the arches... These are lovely
:15:52. > :15:55.strucktures. They're designed to draw the eye but also divide the
:15:55. > :16:01.garden up. You're pleased. It's just down to the judges. I am
:16:01. > :16:04.pleased. What do you think, honestly? Honestly? I've got to be
:16:04. > :16:08.honest, really. I think it's brilliant. I am ever so proud of
:16:08. > :16:12.you. Joe might be busy for the next week,
:16:12. > :16:22.but Nicki Chapman is going to be even busier bringing you an extra
:16:22. > :16:25.
:16:25. > :16:29.Beardshaw and Toby Buckland. We'll have all the latest news, views and
:16:29. > :16:35.insider tips and we'll be meeting a whole host of celebrities. There's
:16:35. > :16:39.Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Stephanie Cole, Mary Berry,
:16:39. > :16:44.to name drop just a future they'll be telling us of their passion for
:16:44. > :16:49.gardening and Chelsea. And on Tuesday we'll be up at dawn to
:16:50. > :16:55.bring awe rundown, who will be leaving the show with a prestigious
:16:55. > :17:02.medal? And we'll be speaking to the gardener who wins the coveted Best
:17:02. > :17:06.in Show award 2012. You can see even more of Toby by pressing your
:17:07. > :17:12.Red Button. On the Red Button we like to think we go a bit deeper.
:17:12. > :17:15.We look at the how and the why. We get the word-of-mouth from the
:17:15. > :17:20.designers themselves and look at the Great Pavilion and the plants
:17:21. > :17:24.in more detail. There is so much to see. Any particular themes we
:17:25. > :17:29.should be looking out for? Every year the themes change. We look at
:17:29. > :17:34.the plants and the design aspects that join the Great Pavilion to
:17:34. > :17:38.those in the garden. Plants and gardens that display a high level
:17:38. > :17:44.of artistry. Designs that break the rules, and plants that break the
:17:44. > :17:48.rules as well. Is it true you're here when we've all gone home?
:17:49. > :17:52.We've got an exclusive. We'll be looking at the gardens after dark,
:17:52. > :17:57.and plants that come to life and bring a garden that little
:17:57. > :18:01.something special after dark. all love the use our gardens in the
:18:01. > :18:04.evenings after the sun has set. I bet hate a totally different
:18:04. > :18:10.atmosphere here. You look at the gardens here and you think they are
:18:10. > :18:16.a bit of a masquerade, but they are not one- dimensional show gardens.
:18:16. > :18:22.Many of them are lit and have plants that are night-scented or
:18:22. > :18:26.have an ethereal glow when the sun goes down. You can press your Red
:18:26. > :18:30.Button after tomorrow's lunchtime show. It is not just the gardens
:18:30. > :18:34.that capture the imagination here at Chelsea. Right at the heart of
:18:34. > :18:38.the showground stands the Great Pavilion. It is a horticultural big
:18:38. > :18:42.top bursting with the finest specimens of plants and flowers
:18:42. > :18:49.from all over the planet. Competition to win best exhibit
:18:49. > :18:54.here is just as fear as out in the gardens. Attracting the judge's eye
:18:54. > :18:59.needs a mix of attention to detail and attention seeking. Are viing to
:18:59. > :19:04.be this year's most extraordinary and extravagant exhibit. One of the
:19:04. > :19:07.biggest show stoppers comes all the way from Thailand. Welcome to the
:19:07. > :19:13.dramatic but delicate world of Nong Nooch, a public garden on the
:19:13. > :19:18.eastern seaboard of Thailand. This is their third year of exhibiting
:19:18. > :19:24.at Chelsea. So far they've always left with a gold. If you ask me,
:19:24. > :19:28.but what I know, they are likely to have another this year. 40,000
:19:29. > :19:33.orchids brought together to form an exhibit which would encourage you
:19:33. > :19:39.to travel to Thailand at the drop of a palm hat. There are water
:19:39. > :19:42.buffalos here made of palm fronds to exemplify the reliance Thailand
:19:42. > :19:47.placed on the water buffalo in terms of labour all those years ago.
:19:47. > :19:51.They are still used today. And there's a royal barge a nice
:19:51. > :19:57.resonance with our river pageants in a few weeks time. This one is
:19:57. > :20:02.gilded to within an inch of its life. And then the royal chariot.
:20:02. > :20:06.Playing here in a sea of orchids happy Thai children. The sne
:20:06. > :20:13.centrepiece of the exhirt is a traditional Thai house with its
:20:13. > :20:18.little minarets on the top. All of it submerged in a sea of 08,000
:20:18. > :20:23.orchid flowers. This is a supremely exotic exhibit. What they want here
:20:23. > :20:29.is for us to realise how beautiful Thailand is and to look at it in
:20:29. > :20:33.the flesh. For those of us who can't get there can come here and
:20:33. > :20:36.marvel not just at the glory and colour but the skill of cultivation.
:20:36. > :20:41.Chelsea is above all about gardening, about growing. And all
:20:42. > :20:47.over the world people are doing that and bringing their skills
:20:47. > :20:55.right here to SW3. This is one of the best.
:20:55. > :21:00.You can always rely on this clematis stand to produce a
:21:00. > :21:07.spectacle. Not only is the kiss play incredibly innovative,
:21:07. > :21:12.beautifully designed, but it is packed to the gunnels with the most
:21:12. > :21:19.magnificent plants -- packed to the gunwales with the most magnificent
:21:19. > :21:23.plants. This year there are three now introductions.
:21:23. > :21:27.Hell ina, Zara and the Countess of Wessex. All three of the plants
:21:27. > :21:31.have the same quality. The flowers face upwards so you can really
:21:31. > :21:35.enjoy the magnificence of them. And they were all easy to grow. And
:21:35. > :21:40.they are prolific. They start early and they will go on blooming right
:21:40. > :21:45.the way through into the autumn. They are incredibly easy to look
:21:45. > :21:49.after too. People are always pondering about just how you prune
:21:49. > :21:53.your clematis, but in this case, and that goes for most of the
:21:53. > :22:01.plants here, they just take the shears and they cut them down to
:22:01. > :22:05.the ground. So whether it's large- flowered hybrids or these
:22:05. > :22:10.marvellous plants the treatment is the same. Quite honestly you are
:22:10. > :22:14.spoilt for choice. You almost want to build a wall just so you can
:22:14. > :22:17.grow them. If you don't have a wall, how about these new plants in
:22:17. > :22:22.containers right the way through the garden?
:22:22. > :22:27.As well as exotic locations and British nurseries, local
:22:27. > :22:31.authorities are also represented here. You may remember a few years
:22:31. > :22:36.ago Leeds City Council had a water wheel exhibit outside, and another
:22:36. > :22:42.with canals. This year it is the turn of Birmingham City Council in
:22:42. > :22:48.the pavilion with on this corner a Mini, covered in carpet bedding.
:22:48. > :22:55.Sedums on the roof and on the won't. I bought a Mini in 1974. My first
:22:55. > :22:58.car, brand-new it was. Cost me �740 and a very large bank loan. Happy
:22:58. > :23:03.memories. I think that's what Birmingham City are doing here,
:23:04. > :23:08.bringing together all of the facets of the city. This Mini was made in
:23:08. > :23:13.long bridge. On the other side of the exhibit is a canal. There's a
:23:13. > :23:19.great canal network in Birmingham. Here is Birmingham Town Hall with
:23:19. > :23:24.an enormous portico. And a lot of metalwork. There is the jewellery
:23:24. > :23:28.quarter understand is where Matthew Bolton came from with his wonderful
:23:28. > :23:33.pieces, crafted around blue John. This is wonderful to see a local
:23:33. > :23:38.authority proud in what it can achieve and showing off the
:23:38. > :23:45.delights of a British city. Nurserymen and women come from far
:23:45. > :23:50.and wide to show their specimens of horticultural perfection. This year
:23:50. > :23:55.Claire Batten and Jeff Rowe have travelled from Trewidden. They were
:23:55. > :23:58.armed with a selection of exotics that originate from across the
:23:58. > :24:06.globe but thrive in the Cornish climate. As Chelsea first-timers
:24:06. > :24:11.they are hoping to cause a stir. For us this is the perfect location
:24:11. > :24:15.for growing our type of plants. It's got the light levels, the
:24:15. > :24:21.climate is good and it's perfect for the South African plants that
:24:21. > :24:26.we grow. We was just doing a few car boots, me and Clare. Clare got
:24:26. > :24:32.a job at the nursery before we took it on, doing propagating. And then
:24:32. > :24:42.we had the opportunity to take the nursery on ourselves. This year
:24:42. > :24:48.we're doing every RHS show. A bit of leap from 18 months of not doing
:24:48. > :24:56.any to doing them all now. This is the propagation house. We are old
:24:56. > :25:01.school. We produce 5 % -- we grow 95% of our plants here. It is what
:25:01. > :25:04.we did horticulture for. We didn't do it to see what was in the next
:25:04. > :25:08.catalogue. We wanted to do everything from the beginning. Some
:25:08. > :25:15.of these plants are seven or eight years old, so it is a passion to
:25:15. > :25:19.get them to Chelsea really. The passion for these plants came from
:25:19. > :25:24.when I was working on Tresco as a student. We did our work experience
:25:24. > :25:30.on the Abbey Gardens on the Isles of Scilly. One of the things we got
:25:30. > :25:37.to do was plant the protea bank. Once you've seen these flowering
:25:37. > :25:43.nothing else compares to them. It was just such an honour to be able
:25:43. > :25:46.to plant that. It's always going to be there to go back and look at.
:25:46. > :25:51.Here in the South West we've got similar conditions to the Cape,
:25:51. > :25:56.where we've got decomposing granite mass. The cliff is brilliant,
:25:56. > :26:01.because it has good drainage. We are similar but slightly different.
:26:01. > :26:07.We are slightly colder and wetter, so it does make it a little more
:26:07. > :26:10.difficult than out in South Africa. The soil is key to trying to get a
:26:11. > :26:15.gold medal at Chelsea when you are growing the likes of a protestia.
:26:15. > :26:21.We've trialled different mixes over the years and found there is no
:26:21. > :26:27.replacement for putting Pete in the substraight. This is my own secret
:26:27. > :26:32.recipe and we've found this is best for us. As you can see, we use a
:26:32. > :26:37.fine peat, it is a clean, airy and open mix. Proteas do like a lot of
:26:37. > :26:41.air in the roots. They don't like root disturbance. They don't like
:26:41. > :26:47.feed in the mix, because the phosphates burn the feeder roots.
:26:47. > :26:53.If you look on there you can just see what looks like mould but they
:26:53. > :26:58.are the fine feeder roots. We take the next size pot up. Get it nice
:26:58. > :27:02.and even. Never use your thumbs, as you will compress the compost far
:27:02. > :27:07.too much. You want to leave a lip so that when you give it a good
:27:07. > :27:14.soak the water doesn't run off the top. All being well that will make
:27:14. > :27:20.a gold medal-winning plant in a few years' time.
:27:20. > :27:25.Most of the plants in this tunnel are the show plants and the best of
:27:25. > :27:29.which are going to be going to Chelsea. I'm deadheading here. With
:27:29. > :27:34.these daisies the more you dead- head the more they flower. We are
:27:34. > :27:40.taking all of the flowering ones out now. Most of the time we work
:27:40. > :27:48.quite well together don't stpwhe Generally. We have our odd blip.
:27:48. > :27:54.You tend to get a bit tired and emotional. I will be over the Moon
:27:54. > :28:04.with a gold but we'll be happy with whatever medal we get really. If
:28:04. > :28:23.
:28:23. > :28:27.from that film that you are married, but you are not? No, he is my
:28:27. > :28:30.brother-in-law. So it's in the family. Have we had the odd blip?
:28:30. > :28:40.One little blip earlier on. I couldn't quite reach and do
:28:40. > :28:45.something and I had to walk away. Down in Cornwall, the furthest
:28:45. > :28:50.south-west garden and nursery exhibiting here at Chelsea, how
:28:50. > :28:54.tough has it been for you? It's been cold this year. Had that
:28:55. > :28:58.lovely early sun and it stopped. Not enough light for us down there.
:28:58. > :29:03.You were talking about using peat. That's controversial. Presumably
:29:03. > :29:07.you've found that if you didn't use peat for your Proteas, and there is
:29:07. > :29:14.an example here, you wouldn't be able to produce that? We've
:29:14. > :29:22.experimented with lots of different substitutes, coir and peat-free but
:29:22. > :29:27.there is nothing to beat the peat. Good luck. One plant blows we away.
:29:27. > :29:32.Tell us what it is Clare. It is from South Africa. It is on the
:29:32. > :29:36.endangered list. It is very rare? Yes. We grow pretty seed and now we
:29:36. > :29:41.can produce our own seeds. How old is that plant? Between six and
:29:41. > :29:45.seven years old. It was worth coming, certainly worth any
:29:45. > :29:51.plantsman to watch and drifpblt good luck. We'll catch up with you
:29:51. > :29:59.on Tuesday. We wish you all -- watch and dribble. Good luck. We'll
:29:59. > :30:03.catch up with you on Tuesday. More to come. Queen of green Beth Chatto
:30:03. > :30:09.offers inspiration to Nicholas Dexter. It came into my head, I
:30:09. > :30:13.didn't want a heather garden and not a rose garden. I would like a
:30:13. > :30:19.dried up the riverbed. Andy sturgeon explains his show garden
:30:19. > :30:25.to us in new English. I sit for months waiting for a you
:30:25. > :30:35.Rica moment to come and then it does! And making a mint. We meet
:30:35. > :30:36.
:30:36. > :30:40.the folk who produce Chelsea's gold guardens with their generous
:30:40. > :30:45.budgets and big-name designers get the most attention here at Chelsea,
:30:45. > :30:54.but make no mistake the small gardens still hold their own. James
:30:54. > :30:57.has been taking a closer look. There are 17 small gardens this
:30:57. > :31:05.year, and the challenge for the designers is to create clever
:31:05. > :31:11.solutions for small, restricted outdoor spaces. There are two key
:31:11. > :31:15.categories, the first, artisan - using sustainable materials in an
:31:15. > :31:19.artistic way. This is the plant explorer's garden designed and
:31:19. > :31:23.built by the students of the Scottish Agricultural College.
:31:23. > :31:27.Their theme for the garden is that of a young plant explorer who
:31:27. > :31:32.spends most of his time travelling, collecting and researching plants
:31:33. > :31:37.around the world. The design incorporates an outdoor office for
:31:37. > :31:41.planning and cataloguing adventures and a greenhouse for growing and
:31:41. > :31:44.propagating plants. One of the more unusual features of the garden are
:31:44. > :31:48.these resin blocks which are effectively parts of the planting
:31:48. > :31:55.around the garden that have been frozen in time to create something
:31:55. > :32:01.like a herbarian specimen they would use. Interesting, it's a bit
:32:01. > :32:08.like a cross-over between the planting and the artwork.
:32:08. > :32:12.The overall style is naturalistic and includes the fantastic wallemia
:32:12. > :32:18.pien, thought instinct until rediscovered in one chasm in the
:32:18. > :32:22.'90s. Being a real exotic plant geek, I
:32:22. > :32:25.am really spoilt for choice in this garden, but this has got to be
:32:26. > :32:31.without a doubt my absolute favourite. There isn't a single bed
:32:31. > :32:36.of plant for giving a subof- tropical feel to your garden than
:32:36. > :32:39.the Japanese banana. Although the college has been here
:32:39. > :32:43.before, it's the first time at Chelsea for these students, and
:32:43. > :32:49.they certainly get top marks from me. Of course, we'll be look at the
:32:49. > :32:53.other artisan gardens over the course of the week.
:32:53. > :32:57.The remaining small gardens have been recategorised. Last year they
:32:58. > :33:02.were called urban gardens. This year it's all change as commelsy
:33:02. > :33:06.borders on controversy. Alex, you're the RHS show manager here.
:33:06. > :33:09.Tell us more about this exciting category. We decided to rip up the
:33:09. > :33:12.rule books, Nicki, and we have literally changed this entire area
:33:12. > :33:15.of the show ground. We needed something fresh and different. This
:33:15. > :33:22.was very tired, and this is what we have done. Certainly, standing here
:33:22. > :33:25.I never thought I was going to see blue string at Chelsea. Isn't it
:33:25. > :33:29.stunning? I think it's going to relate to a younger audience. We're
:33:29. > :33:33.going to get young people involved in gardening through these types of
:33:33. > :33:43.materials. We have the blue string through Alan's design and these
:33:43. > :33:46.steel towers by Joe Chapman, then behind us we have this QR code.
:33:46. > :33:49.How fantastic. When you come up with a new category, do you have
:33:49. > :33:53.any idea what is going to be submitted? Because here it seems to
:33:53. > :33:56.be so cutting edge. I have seen things in these gardens I am
:33:57. > :34:00.standing around looking at I have never seen before. I think it's
:34:00. > :34:02.really radical. I think it's going to shock our visitors at what we
:34:02. > :34:05.have actually achieved. So I am thrilled with how we have
:34:05. > :34:09.progressed with it. Chelsea always wants to be fresh and new, don't
:34:09. > :34:12.you? I think that's what you have achieved. I hope the public love it.
:34:12. > :34:16.I am sure they will. I have to ask you about the weather. We're
:34:16. > :34:21.British. We're obsessed, aren't we We are. Parts of the country,
:34:21. > :34:25.including the south-east, still have hosepipe ban. Sure. It must
:34:25. > :34:30.have been the worst drought ever here. It. Has been horrific, but in
:34:30. > :34:33.that true Chelsea spirit, everyone has gotten on with it, no moaning,
:34:34. > :34:37.heads down and created the most spectacular gardens we have seen in
:34:38. > :34:41.years. We actually have a borehole here in Chelsea, so since the last
:34:41. > :34:43.drought we put that in place because, of course, we can't manage
:34:43. > :34:48.without having that supply. What has it been like for the builders
:34:48. > :34:51.and the designers. They have come in. It has been extremely dry.
:34:51. > :34:56.Everyone has been suffering, then suddenly, it's like the heavens
:34:56. > :35:00.opened and a monsoon. It's the cold as well. It's two things combined -
:35:00. > :35:04.the cold has really shocked plants, and what they really needed was
:35:04. > :35:07.this lovely heat to bring them out. That's what designers have been
:35:07. > :35:10.struggling with and having to change plants at the last minute.
:35:10. > :35:14.am sure in the Great Pavilion they have their work cut out for them.
:35:14. > :35:17.How have they coped? Really well. A couple of people have had to reduce
:35:17. > :35:20.their stands, but they're still putting on the most fantastic
:35:20. > :35:24.displace. We have only had one cancellation, and that's been
:35:24. > :35:27.instantly replaced by somebody on our waiting list, so we're thrilled
:35:27. > :35:32.to bits. Thank you very much. We absolutely love this new category -
:35:32. > :35:35.fresh gardens - that's where it's The Fresh Garden category is
:35:35. > :35:42.definitely going to put the cat among the pigeons. This is one of
:35:42. > :35:46.them. It's simply called Green With - by Tony Smith. It uses artificial
:35:47. > :35:51.grass and silk orchids set in plastic cylinders to signify them
:35:51. > :35:56.being objects of desire and slightly out of reach. We have
:35:56. > :36:04.tulips in here for tulip-a-mania in here - that 17th century craze and
:36:04. > :36:11.down at the bottom, the Victorian fern craze. Clergymen went
:36:11. > :36:14.everywhere for a fern. They're all behind bars. That's what you get
:36:14. > :36:22.when you're Green With Envy. Despite the downpours we have been
:36:22. > :36:31.having of late, H20 remains ever precious and continuing to think
:36:31. > :36:36.preciously about water is vital. We caught up with Mr Dexter as he
:36:36. > :36:46.toured Beth Chatto's garden for inspiration. It's a garden that's
:36:46. > :36:56.
:36:56. > :36:59.only ever been watered by rainfall Chatto's books, I have been a long-
:36:59. > :37:02.time admirer. She's such an inspiration for the garden anyway,
:37:03. > :37:06.so I wanted to come here specifically to look at what sorts
:37:06. > :37:11.of plants are growing here, and knowing that these plants don't get
:37:11. > :37:14.any water - look at them. They're thriving, looking fantastic. It's
:37:14. > :37:18.exactly what you want to achieve at Chelsea.
:37:18. > :37:23.When the plants were planted, they were planted into a well-cultivated
:37:23. > :37:28.soil, and once they become established, they're happy. I mean,
:37:28. > :37:32.they grow natively in the wild in these situations, so they look
:37:32. > :37:39.after themselves, and it doesn't require any artificial work to keep
:37:39. > :37:43.them at their best. Beth Chatto's ethos is just everything live. It's
:37:43. > :37:46.all about using the right plants and creating a sense of oecology
:37:46. > :37:52.and what plants go well together. That's exactly what you've got here
:37:52. > :37:55.and just the way in which the forms and textures combine - it just all
:37:55. > :37:59.works. What was your inspiration for your garden here? To start with
:37:59. > :38:04.it was - I knew that I had to grow drought-loving plants because our
:38:04. > :38:10.average rainfall is the lowest in the country, about 20 inches. Last
:38:10. > :38:13.year it was 15. We still have five- and-a-half inches short, but part
:38:13. > :38:20.of the inspiration is I was in Australia with Christopher Lloyd,
:38:20. > :38:24.and we stood look down on a dried- up riverbed, sinewously with lots
:38:24. > :38:28.of exposed rock, grarvel, stone and things, and I don't know. Suddenly
:38:28. > :38:34.it came into my head, no, I don't want a heather garden, certainly
:38:34. > :38:39.not a rose garden. I want a dried- up riverbed. Of course, it's not as
:38:39. > :38:43.dried up looking as it might be because I chose plants that survive
:38:43. > :38:53.without irrigation. Gardening is like painting. Every artist is
:38:53. > :38:56.
:38:56. > :38:58.different. It would be boring if we garden is the way that there is no
:38:58. > :39:06.actual boundaries. The gravel just permeates the whole planted area.
:39:06. > :39:10.We have lovely low-growing lepetus here. We have here stackus creating
:39:10. > :39:15.a continuous ground cover through which agapanthus are growing and
:39:15. > :39:19.creating a contrast. It's a bit like a fireworks display, so some
:39:19. > :39:23.plants are getting ready to flower, others are performing supporting
:39:23. > :39:28.roles. There is nothing showy about it. It's more about the fact that
:39:28. > :39:33.the plants belong in gravel. They're low growing and knit
:39:33. > :39:37.together well to form nice plant communities.
:39:37. > :39:39.I really like this part of the garden because it combines
:39:39. > :39:44.different textures together, and it's a really soft and natural look.
:39:44. > :39:49.It's the sort of thing I want to do in the garden at Chelsea. I just
:39:49. > :39:54.love the way the grass is blowing around in the wind and not really
:39:54. > :39:59.competing for attention at all. It's just intermingling with the
:39:59. > :40:09.low of growing silvery shrubs. It's not relying on flower colour, but
:40:09. > :40:13.
:40:13. > :40:18.more textures and the way they're in the Fresh Garden category. It's
:40:18. > :40:27.a nine metre by six metre garden. Hopefully people can look at this
:40:27. > :40:33.space and know it's doable in their own gardens. We're using Salvias,
:40:33. > :40:42.nakivias - plants you'll be familiar with but plants that are
:40:42. > :40:45.grow in drought conditions. It's Chelsea. You can explore new
:40:45. > :40:49.landscaping techniques or hard landscaping techniques. It's
:40:49. > :40:53.exciting to be part of. You got to meet the great lady
:40:53. > :40:57.herself. Yeah, it was amazing. I sign up totally to what she
:40:57. > :41:01.believes in, that sort of natural planting. She was so warm and
:41:01. > :41:06.friendly. It was just - sitting in her garden, just having a chat
:41:06. > :41:11.about gardens - two gardeners just having a chat about natural
:41:11. > :41:15.planting. I totally sign up to her way of thinking. That signing up is
:41:15. > :41:19.evident in the garden you have made. It's also about water conservation
:41:19. > :41:22.as well as growing plants that can cope with less of it. You have this
:41:22. > :41:28.astonishing water bottle on the wall. What's that all about? We're
:41:28. > :41:32.working for the Southern Counties water companies. One of the key
:41:32. > :41:38.messages they want to promote is using less water in the garden. One
:41:38. > :41:41.way of doing that is to collect water. You can channel it into
:41:41. > :41:45.storage ponds to irrigate the garden. We should be doing more of
:41:45. > :41:51.that. Rainwater from the roofs is the biggest waste we have because
:41:51. > :41:55.it always runs away. You always have a full watering can? Always.
:41:56. > :42:00.Any excess goes into the pond behind us. You have this rail going
:42:00. > :42:05.on down here. There are dramatic shapes in this garden as well as
:42:05. > :42:09.the soft grasses and planting. a hard sell to go for angular
:42:09. > :42:13.shapes but the reason it's angular is I was struggling to come up with
:42:13. > :42:18.an idea of how to represent Druitt. Show gardens are quite forward
:42:18. > :42:22.thinking. I started to draw jagged lines to represent dry, parched
:42:22. > :42:27.earth. It just turned into irrigation channels and the idea of
:42:27. > :42:33.them cutting through paving and things like that. You're moving
:42:33. > :42:36.water around - moving the water to where you need it? Yes. I think the
:42:36. > :42:42.idea of capturing rainwater is great, but the ability to transport
:42:42. > :42:45.it to different parts of the garden is what is missing. It was an old
:42:46. > :42:51.idea in the Islamic and Persian gardens. They have always done it
:42:51. > :42:55.on grid lay-outs. We have done it with a contemporary twist I suppose.
:42:55. > :43:02.Let's hope the water boards take your hint - nudge, nudge. One of
:43:02. > :43:12.the highly it's of last year's show was the emotive action from
:43:12. > :43:13.
:43:13. > :43:20.designer GI Hwuang when she found out she'd won an award for
:43:20. > :43:29.Trewidden Nursery, Korean for toilet.
:43:29. > :43:34.This year she's hoping to supersize her success with Quiet Time,
:43:34. > :43:38.Demilitarised Zone Forbidden Garden. James is taking a look. Inspired by
:43:38. > :43:42.the border between north and South Korea, you might imagine a garden
:43:42. > :43:45.with a brief like this would be quite stark and oppressive, but
:43:45. > :43:54.what the designers have done with this is quite beautiful, probably
:43:54. > :43:59.one of the most original gardens I have seen at Chelsea in years.
:43:59. > :44:02.This garden is so evocative in its detail. There are discarded bullet
:44:02. > :44:12.cases, uniform buttons and even the barbed wire is mirrored by trailing
:44:12. > :44:23.
:44:23. > :44:27.and there to add interest and depth. What this garden does so incredibly
:44:27. > :44:30.well is its almost forensic level of detail with the planting. If you
:44:30. > :44:33.look down here, it is so naturalistic, you feel like you
:44:33. > :44:37.have been cut and pasted and dropped into the Korean countryside.
:44:37. > :44:41.What I love about it is things like that flowering cherry there - any
:44:41. > :44:46.other garden on Main Avenue, if they were to have that cherry, it
:44:46. > :44:56.would be blousey, full of flowers. Here, it's natural and fits
:44:56. > :44:59.
:44:59. > :45:09.create a genuine sense of atmosphere. This garden has it in
:45:09. > :45:09.
:45:09. > :45:15.budget loads. Equally tranquil and poignant. A gold medal has eluded
:45:15. > :45:20.Tom Hoblyn since 2008 but he's here to try again. Making a garden based
:45:20. > :45:30.on an Italian renaissance theme. Lots of formality and beautiful
:45:30. > :45:44.
:45:44. > :45:50.expect from box and yew topiary has been replaced by myrtle and it is
:45:50. > :45:57.sparked here and there, nature begins to take over. With plants
:45:57. > :46:05.like rose marry nefolias, with silver spires and intrusion you to
:46:05. > :46:10.these glorious plants with spires of blue flower.
:46:10. > :46:15.-- introducing you. And here at the back of the garden behind these
:46:15. > :46:25.towering plants the plants really have escaped. There are tumbling
:46:25. > :46:27.
:46:27. > :46:33.thymes and silvery artemesi actions. I really hope that -- artemisias. I
:46:33. > :46:36.hope that Tom has cracked it this time. The RHS judges will be making
:46:36. > :46:43.their rounds tomorrow night and the results be delivered at the crack
:46:43. > :46:48.of dawn on Tuesday morning. All the designers, no matter what they say,
:46:49. > :46:55.Joe Swift, are after one of these - a card bearing a gold medal. But if
:46:55. > :47:04.you are an exhibitor who wins a gold for the first time you get
:47:04. > :47:10.something heavier, a weighty medal meticulously minted in Surrey.
:47:10. > :47:17.We have a contract, which we've had since 2003, to strike the RHS gold
:47:17. > :47:26.medals. The whole process from design to the finished product
:47:26. > :47:31.takes about four weeks, and it is very labour intensive. Once we have
:47:31. > :47:37.had the design approved, we have a plaster made and then convert this
:47:37. > :47:43.plaster into a resin. Once the rez enhas been produced, we can then
:47:43. > :47:49.put that on to the dye cutting machine.
:47:49. > :47:52.At the moment this year we are making a lot of coins for
:47:52. > :47:59.particular anniversarys, like the Diamond Jubilee, and the
:47:59. > :48:03.anniversary of the Titanic. This needle is feeling what's on the
:48:03. > :48:09.resin. It is going through the machine and cutting it with a
:48:09. > :48:15.diamond cutter. How long has this been cutting for? Night takes
:48:15. > :48:25.roughly a week. So the RHS medal will take two to three days,
:48:25. > :48:30.because it is a lot smaller. That will then be our master die. This
:48:30. > :48:35.is the main process now, where we are actually going to strike the
:48:35. > :48:39.RHS medal. David is inspecting the blank. To me this is one of the
:48:39. > :48:46.most important processes, to make sure a blank has no mark whatsoever
:48:46. > :48:51.on. He's cleaning it, making sure there is not even a little dust
:48:51. > :48:56.mark particle on it. You have the two dies, the top and bottom, which
:48:56. > :49:04.is going to squeeze the blank and put the impression on it. The blank
:49:04. > :49:08.is struck once, twice. And here we have a finished medal. With Royal
:49:08. > :49:15.Horticultural Society on one side and the wreath, which can be
:49:15. > :49:20.engraved in the centre, on the other. We appreciate all the time
:49:20. > :49:30.and effort that is put into winning an RHS gold medal, so I hope the
:49:30. > :49:31.
:49:31. > :49:35.end user who is worthy of this product appreciates us.
:49:35. > :49:41.And here it is. This finely crafted golden disk is what Chelsea is all
:49:41. > :49:45.about. The sweat, the tears, the sleepless nights. This is what
:49:45. > :49:50.every single exhibitor at Chelsea dreams of, including Patricia Fox.
:49:50. > :49:56.She's a Chelsea first-timer and this is her garden. Rooftop
:49:56. > :50:02.workplace for tomorrow. I have to tell you I quite like this rooftop
:50:02. > :50:07.workplace today. A chic modern area in which you can hold meetings,
:50:07. > :50:12.have PowerPoint presentations - I can't stand them myself but I
:50:12. > :50:18.wouldn't mind them if that screen back there was part of my
:50:18. > :50:25.PowerPoint presentation. Outside is an incredibly modern rooftop. It is
:50:25. > :50:32.using space that wouldn't otherwise be utilised. A sleek deck edged in
:50:32. > :50:37.aluminium work and smart box planting, grasses are planted. Grey
:50:37. > :50:41.and Silverleaf foliage plants. Thyme over there, all of which can
:50:41. > :50:45.cope with exposure to full sunlight, quite a bit of breeze, and the
:50:45. > :50:49.atmosphere here, there is even a green well. You can tell I'm
:50:49. > :50:54.enthusiastic about. This I like this. Whether or not it will get
:50:54. > :50:58.one of these, who knows? It can be make or break for first-timers,
:50:58. > :51:02.with a line-up of gardens designed by the business, competition to
:51:02. > :51:06.capture the imagination of the world and the eyes of the judges is
:51:06. > :51:13.tough. Does it get easier with experience. Carol, Nicki and James
:51:13. > :51:21.have been catching up with some Chelsea veteran to see how their
:51:21. > :51:27.pre-opening nerves are coping. Chris, do you ever get stressed?
:51:27. > :51:31.have a receden hairline and grey hairs! The point is getting
:51:31. > :51:35.stressed and worrying about it doesn't make the job easier, it
:51:35. > :51:39.makes it worse. You have to believe in the plants. They almost tell you
:51:39. > :51:44.where they want to be in the garden. They bounce off one another. Tell
:51:44. > :51:48.us more about this garden. This is the Furzey garden and it is to
:51:48. > :51:53.celebrate the Minster Training Project in the heart of the New
:51:53. > :51:57.Forest, which is 30 years old. It deals specifically with adults with
:51:57. > :52:01.learning disabilities. This whole initiative is celebrating how they,
:52:01. > :52:06.if they are given the right tuition, the right funding and support, can
:52:06. > :52:11.integrate into a skilled team and produce these results. It is the
:52:11. > :52:16.first time these sorts of people have created a garden in Chelsea.
:52:16. > :52:21.They've never created a garden but we thought if we are to do it, do
:52:21. > :52:25.it on the grandest scale. involved did the students become?
:52:25. > :52:29.The vast majority of the material has been lift from the garden or
:52:29. > :52:36.propagated by the opportunities at Furzey. We've had students every
:52:36. > :52:39.day on the build. They've been hands on. The master Thatcher Simon
:52:39. > :52:43.has a student. It is full involvement. That's what has really
:52:43. > :52:49.been fun, because it has brought a smile to everyone's face. It means
:52:49. > :52:53.something to them just as much as it does to us. Our master thatcher
:52:53. > :52:59.builds these on a single piece of work. It starts there and we
:52:59. > :53:04.started with a twisted cherry and allowed it to evolve. These are
:53:04. > :53:09.lookout platforms, retreats. get on well with your neighbours?
:53:09. > :53:16.Yes, we do. There has never been a formal boundary between us. We play
:53:16. > :53:21.chess with our shrubs and trees and created a flowing structure.
:53:21. > :53:27.are you going to do on medals day? I don't think the judges will like
:53:27. > :53:32.it. These are rhododendrons and they are big and blousey. Let's see
:53:32. > :53:37.if you get a prize. Thank you. Andy, you have been coming so long
:53:37. > :53:42.you are called a veteran. You will be wearing a red coat before you
:53:42. > :53:47.know where you are. How due come one these new ideas every time?
:53:47. > :53:52.sit for months waiting for a you Rica moment and then it comes. I
:53:52. > :53:56.had an idea to base the garden on the principles of the arts and
:53:56. > :54:01.crafts movement. Although I design modern gardens I'm employing quite
:54:02. > :54:05.traditional techniques. It seemed a natural thing to do. It is a lovely
:54:05. > :54:12.progress. Gardening is a traditional thing anyway isn't it,
:54:12. > :54:18.based in the earth. It It works wonderfully. It really does. This
:54:18. > :54:23.lovely coppery colour picked up everywhere by your planting.
:54:23. > :54:29.trees have a coppery tinge in the legal. And the grass. The shapes
:54:29. > :54:33.and circles, I have Angelica and cow parsley and other humbles.
:54:33. > :54:39.Subtle things. And don't they just work beautifully? You've really
:54:39. > :54:43.pulled it off. Thank you very much. Jason, you are new to Chelsea but
:54:43. > :54:48.you are working with a really experienced Flemings team, with an
:54:48. > :54:53.amazing pedigree. Are you feeling the pressure? I felt the pressure
:54:53. > :54:56.before I got here. I've used their experience. That's calmed me down,
:54:56. > :54:59.but it has been emotional and satisfying. I picked an amazing
:54:59. > :55:05.team of people. It is like being a footie coach. Pick Apple the right
:55:05. > :55:09.guys and work together. That's just as rewarding to see that happen as
:55:09. > :55:12.building this beautiful garden. can see the spirit of Australia
:55:12. > :55:18.here. Is there anything specifically here? Talk me through
:55:18. > :55:23.it. The back wall is like the Sydney harbour bridge, made of
:55:23. > :55:28.sandstone. The floors represent Melbourne. Everyone has a tin shed
:55:29. > :55:33.in their back yard. That's my old roof. The feel is my Australia -
:55:33. > :55:39.Melbourne and Sydneyened and the plants are subtropical, which is
:55:39. > :55:47.Queensland. And you have an outdoor fireplace. I didn't like school
:55:47. > :55:54.much and dad taught me a lot sight around a Barbie. I like the
:55:54. > :55:58.subtropical stuff. A top two? are a few Australian natives and
:55:58. > :56:02.others from New Zealand and Europe. We are multicultural but when we
:56:02. > :56:08.are together we are all Australian. It is brilliant. Congratulations.
:56:08. > :56:12.Thanks mate. There is still plenty of gardens to
:56:12. > :56:16.be unveiled, large and small, and the Great Pavilion is hiding more
:56:16. > :56:19.than a few surprises too. The race is on for all the exhibitors to
:56:19. > :56:25.finish before the gates open to the press and Her Majesty the Queen
:56:25. > :56:29.tomorrow. What a show. Any trends you've spotted? There are often
:56:29. > :56:32.similarities. Yes, startling similarities really between the
:56:32. > :56:40.gardens. Lots of this contrast between the formal and the informal.
:56:40. > :56:45.Lots of pleached hedging and beautiful straight steps and paths.
:56:45. > :56:49.In contrast this lovely flowing planting. It's a treat. But it is
:56:49. > :56:52.right the way through. We could talk about it for hours. If you
:56:52. > :56:57.can't get to the show but are in the capital this week, all over
:56:57. > :57:01.London the Chelsea Fringe are stages gardening-related events.
:57:01. > :57:06.We'll bring you news of some of them during the week. If you want
:57:06. > :57:10.to check them out now go, to our website - bbc.co.uk/chelsea. It's a
:57:11. > :57:18.all that we have time for tonight. We've reserved awe front row seat
:57:18. > :57:23.starting on BBC 13 at 12.30pm tomorrow when Nicki Chapman and