:00:11. > :00:16.This week, the Royal Hospital grounds had been littered with
:00:16. > :00:20.references to our great works of art. Wordsworth, the Brontes,
:00:20. > :00:26.Thomas Hardy and many more have captured the imagination of
:00:26. > :00:31.designers and nurserymen alike. So stay with us for an afternoon of
:00:31. > :00:35.gardening muses coming up. A Poetry of Planting. The tiny gardens
:00:35. > :00:41.paying horticultural homage to some of the greatest writers.
:00:41. > :00:47.From tumble down cottage and dry Stonewalls, to florally rich
:00:47. > :00:52.meadows and the wonderful sound of babbling Brooks. Name of the Rose.
:00:52. > :00:55.James Alexander-Sinclair looks at the new flowers with artistic
:00:55. > :01:01.associations. In fact, if you are feeling kind, I wouldn't mind you
:01:01. > :01:11.naming one after me. Rural Retreats. The customised garden houses with
:01:11. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:16.their own stories to tell. Hello and welcome to the RHS Chelsea
:01:16. > :01:21.Flower Show, supported by M&G Investments. It's been an amazing
:01:21. > :01:24.week, but it's not ever yet. It's been the most fantastic week for us
:01:24. > :01:29.hasn't it? Breathtaking. The weather's helped so much,
:01:29. > :01:32.everything's relaxed. Stunning. Wednesday, you talked about the
:01:32. > :01:35.Chelsea chop. Christine Damen's been in touch... Complain something
:01:35. > :01:40.No, she wants to know how to perform it and can you do it on
:01:40. > :01:44.sedum plants? A bit like the tango. Yes, sounds like a dance move.
:01:44. > :01:49.first thing is what is the Chelsea chop? It's essentially when you
:01:49. > :01:55.take a plant like this, this is the white morning widow geranium and
:01:55. > :01:59.when you cut the plant down, so if I grab my secateurs out, you can
:01:59. > :02:05.I grab my secateurs out, you can perform the ritual. You want to be
:02:05. > :02:09.cutting between my thumbs. Then you have left a crown of foliage and
:02:09. > :02:13.have taken off all of the flowers. Now, what you are trying to do is
:02:13. > :02:17.to encourage the second flush of growth. So give this plant a cuple
:02:17. > :02:21.of months, the crown will build up, the foliage will increase, it will
:02:21. > :02:25.flower late summer again and you can get a second flush of flowers.
:02:25. > :02:29.What about sedums? That's slightly different you see because when we
:02:29. > :02:34.put new mants into a garden, you don't want them to flower
:02:34. > :02:39.straightaway. Producing flowers like this takes maybe 40, 50, 60%
:02:39. > :02:43.of the total energy reserves soit's producing flowers and seeds, rather
:02:43. > :02:47.than concentrating on roots. With a sedum, at this time of the year you
:02:47. > :02:52.are trying to cut it town, stop it from flowering, that will encourage
:02:52. > :02:56.it to bulk up and a bit of patience, it will flower much better thex
:02:56. > :03:02.year. -- next year. It's a long- term game plan. Always done at this
:03:02. > :03:06.time of the year? And only on herbaceous perennials. We now know
:03:06. > :03:12.what the Chelsea chop is. Literature has inflaunsed garden
:03:12. > :03:22.designers this year. I've been to take a look. -- influenced garden
:03:22. > :03:29.
:03:29. > :03:33.references to literature, poems and the like. For me, there's none more
:03:33. > :03:41.clear than this from Thomas Hardy's novel Far from the Madding Crowd.
:03:41. > :03:47.As the we signer, tell us about this? The whole idea came from the
:03:47. > :03:52.fact we met our sponsors in Dorset. They live near to Thomas Hardy's
:03:52. > :03:57.cottage. We got inspiration from the Dorset countryside and also
:03:57. > :04:01.from Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd. We have the shepherd's hut
:04:01. > :04:06.and shepherd's crook as well and runner beans and different things
:04:06. > :04:09.like shepherd's purse, sheep's sorrel, just to keep the theme
:04:09. > :04:13.going. There is many different types of scenery and landscape from
:04:13. > :04:17.Dorset from the open heath land with the gorse, Heather and pines
:04:17. > :04:21.into the kind of valleys, if you like, where there's more meadow-
:04:21. > :04:24.type planting. A huge amount of streams and shallow rivers with
:04:24. > :04:29.watercress. We've tried to bring a little bit from each corner of
:04:29. > :04:33.Dorset into this small space. an advantage or hindrance to take
:04:33. > :04:38.such a strong narrative and bring to it Chelsea? It can be a
:04:38. > :04:42.hindrance sometimes because there's so much to draw on and it would be
:04:42. > :04:47.difficult to condense everything down. Having read the novel and
:04:47. > :04:51.seen the film as well and through driving through Dorset, we kind of
:04:51. > :05:01.linked the most common elements together and we feel we have
:05:01. > :05:02.
:05:02. > :05:06.brought those into the garden. called the Soft Machine. The Soft
:05:07. > :05:10.Machine is in fact a human being absorbing all of the inputs and
:05:10. > :05:15.processes around it. In a way, the garden performs in
:05:15. > :05:25.exactly the same way. Absorbing grey water from the house,
:05:25. > :05:31.
:05:31. > :05:36.recycling, regurgitating, reusing - all part of an organic home.
:05:36. > :05:40.Already Inspiration for the Naturally Dry garden comes, not
:05:40. > :05:45.from one literary source, but from the Cumbrian landscape that would
:05:46. > :05:51.have inspired the life and works of William Wordsworth. From tumble
:05:51. > :05:56.down cottage and dry Stonewalls, to florally rich meadows and the
:05:56. > :06:01.wonderful sound of babbling brooks. With such a rich palate to choose
:06:01. > :06:05.from and the fact that those literary sources evoke such strong
:06:05. > :06:12.emotions, it's no surprise that designers regularly return to the
:06:13. > :06:21.theme. And it's not is just in the small gardens where you can find
:06:21. > :06:28.links to a range of cultural icons. A trip to the Great Pavillion shows
:06:28. > :06:36.a host of familiar names, as James Alexander-Sinclair has been
:06:36. > :06:42.discovering. Have you ever wondered where plans get their names? If you
:06:42. > :06:47.are clever enough to breed a cultivar of your own, you can name
:06:48. > :06:52.it after whatever you want. Your aunt, the place where you live, a
:06:52. > :07:02.celebrity, or absolutely anything. In fact, if you are feeling kind, I
:07:02. > :07:07.
:07:07. > :07:17.wouldn't mind if you named one the Lark Ascending, named after the
:07:17. > :07:22.
:07:22. > :07:26.It also needs to be a good plant. And this rose, very lightly
:07:26. > :07:35.fragranced, is almost ridiculously disease resistent as a perfect rose
:07:35. > :07:42.for a beginner and it works beautifully in a mixed border. If
:07:42. > :07:45.books are more your thing, you could also try this, Tess of the
:07:45. > :07:50.D'Urbervilles. There is nothing tragic about this rose though, it
:07:50. > :07:59.works equally well as a shrub and climber, flowers all summer and has
:07:59. > :08:05.a rich, see ductive fragrance. -- see ductive fragrance.
:08:05. > :08:10.From roses to tulips fanned art is more your bag, you can name a tulip
:08:10. > :08:12.after a painter, like this Vincent van Gogh. It's a small head with a
:08:12. > :08:17.fringed top that would look wonderful in a pot. It doesn't
:08:17. > :08:24.necessarily have to be named after something literary. You can name it
:08:24. > :08:34.after a place. There is one here called City of Vancouver. Sensual
:08:34. > :08:36.
:08:36. > :08:40.the most evocative things is scent. You don't get better than the pinks.
:08:40. > :08:48.This entire stand is inspired by one theme, that of memories and the
:08:48. > :08:52.idea of mar sell Pruce Remembrance of Things Past. I can remember the
:08:52. > :08:56.first time I smelt in peppery smell which was in my grandmother's
:08:56. > :09:05.garden. Pink is the one thing everybody remembers. It may not be
:09:05. > :09:09.so popular in garden design, but it's loved by gardeners everywhere.
:09:09. > :09:14.Carol Klein will be with us later to explain the Latin meaning of
:09:14. > :09:17.some of our favourite plants. This year here at Chelsea, the RHS have
:09:17. > :09:27.invited the world of interior design to unleash their imagination
:09:27. > :09:29.
:09:29. > :09:34.in a series of themed Rural Retreats. Stylists from different
:09:34. > :09:44.backgrounds have taken the challenge to customise a standard
:09:44. > :09:46.
:09:46. > :09:51.garden summerhouse to show visitors. I'm here with interior designer
:09:51. > :09:55.Vicky Conran. Your retreat is the Book Binders Retreat. When you
:09:55. > :09:59.think about sheds at the bottom of the garden, they don't look like
:09:59. > :10:03.this? They are usually full of Rusty tools and broken pots. This
:10:03. > :10:08.is gorgeous. Is this a hobby of yours? It is. The materials and
:10:08. > :10:12.tools are really lovely and I've always loved it. I just think it's
:10:12. > :10:17.a very nice thing to do. It's very satisfying and it doesn't require a
:10:17. > :10:21.huge amount of creativity. What inspired you to design this retreat
:10:21. > :10:29.like this? Well, retreat is something that
:10:29. > :10:35.Well, retreat is something that we've all loved since childhood. I
:10:35. > :10:38.thought it would be nice to have a workshop that you could just leave
:10:38. > :10:46.work-in-progress, go home, make the lunch, come back and you could
:10:46. > :10:52.carry on where you left off without much trouble. It lends itself to a
:10:52. > :10:57.garden this? Green is a very calming colour and it brings the
:10:57. > :11:01.outside in. It also tends to make the walls disappear too, you know.
:11:01. > :11:05.So true. It twos back into the garden. It's beautiful. Far nicer
:11:05. > :11:12.than my house, I could happily live here. Thank you very much indeed.
:11:12. > :11:22.Thank you. And Vicky's Book Binders Retreat is
:11:22. > :11:37.
:11:37. > :11:41.one of five here. Rachel's been inspired by wanting to bring the
:11:41. > :11:45.garden into the building and I think he succeeds brilliantly. This
:11:45. > :11:49.is a really nice idea you could do in your own summerhouse, attach the
:11:49. > :11:54.simple fabric panels to the inside of the roof. It creates a cosy
:11:54. > :11:58.intimate, almost tented space. It's certainly a really bold design and
:11:58. > :12:02.you've got this almost a cacophony of different colours and shapes. In
:12:02. > :12:08.nature, if you let plants self-seed, they do exactly the same thing, you
:12:08. > :12:18.get all these different colours working together. Sometimes, more
:12:18. > :12:23.
:12:23. > :12:27.approach to using textiles in her retreat because this time it's all
:12:27. > :12:30.about ribbons and trimmings and everywhere you lack, there are just
:12:30. > :12:35.little treasures. I think you could recreate this sort of feel very
:12:35. > :12:38.much at home if you keep your eyes peeled at car-boot sales and flee
:12:38. > :12:42.markets, because it's just about collecting together things that you
:12:42. > :12:47.love and then displaying them beautifully.
:12:47. > :12:56.It definitely has a really special atmosphere. It's magical, it's
:12:56. > :13:01.unashamedly feminine and actually, I feel very at hem in here.
:13:01. > :13:05.Attention to detail. The bench is even covered in fabric. Very nifty.
:13:05. > :13:08.I've certainly learned that a summerhouse need not be a very dull
:13:08. > :13:14.place hidden at the end of the garden. It can be a private
:13:14. > :13:22.paradise that you fill with things that represent you and you really
:13:22. > :13:27.enjoy. Certainly extremely restful here so off you go...
:13:27. > :13:31.We are halfway through our coverage of this afternoon's RHS Chelsea
:13:31. > :13:36.flower Show and there's still plenty more to come:
:13:36. > :13:41.Tips in Translation. Carol Klein takes the mystery out of our Latin
:13:41. > :13:45.plant names. When I was at school, I failed Latin three times. But
:13:45. > :13:51.since I've developed this huge interest in plants and know so much
:13:51. > :13:54.more about their Latin and Greek names. And a florist canvas. We
:13:54. > :13:58.visit the floral display inspired by Monet.
:13:58. > :14:04.When you are looking for plants to create your own horticultural haven,
:14:04. > :14:12.it can help to understand a little about their characteristics. Often
:14:12. > :14:18.that information can be found in their Latin names. Minius Cooperas,
:14:18. > :14:22.for example. Here is the gied about what the Romans did for us.
:14:22. > :14:29.-- guide. A lot of people think that using
:14:29. > :14:34.Latin and Greek names for plants is some sort of snobbury. But in
:14:34. > :14:38.actual fact, whatever you speak, whether it's Chinese or German, it
:14:38. > :14:43.means that there's a common language that people can share to
:14:43. > :14:53.identify plants and know that they are all talking about exactly the
:14:53. > :15:14.
:15:15. > :15:24.Cirsium. Rivulare tells you about where it grows, it loves growing by
:15:25. > :15:38.
:15:38. > :15:48.the plant in the background? That is Silene fibriata. Fimbriata means
:15:48. > :16:02.
:16:02. > :16:08.fringe - each of these has a fringed edge.
:16:08. > :16:17.Purpurea relates to the colour. Lease long flowers are like
:16:17. > :16:21.fingertips. Well, my fingers fit in there. For sure they fit my fingers
:16:21. > :16:29.as well. Hence its English name - fox glove.
:16:29. > :16:38.What a delicious plant - each one has different characteristics. Lots
:16:38. > :16:44.are forms of palmatum. It means, in Latin, like an outstretched hand.
:16:44. > :16:54.That is what these leaves look like. In some cases they are not just
:16:54. > :16:55.
:16:55. > :17:03.palmatum, but they are dissectum, because these leafs are deeply cut.
:17:03. > :17:08.Acer is the Latin word for "sharp." It is what Roman soldiers used to
:17:08. > :17:13.make their spears from. When I was at school, I failed
:17:13. > :17:17.Latin, three times. Each time I took it, I got five marks less.
:17:18. > :17:20.Since I have developed this huge interest in plants and know so much
:17:20. > :17:30.more about their Latin and Greek names, I find not only does it
:17:30. > :17:37.
:17:37. > :17:41.enrich my knowledge, but it really thought Latin was a dead language,
:17:41. > :17:44.think again. This year the President of the Royal
:17:44. > :17:49.Horticultural Society, Elizabeth Banks, has launched a personal
:17:49. > :17:54.award for the exhibit which has impressed her most. Elizabeth joins
:17:54. > :17:58.me now. Tell us more about the President's Award. How did it come
:17:58. > :18:03.about? It has been around for several years, but it's been for
:18:03. > :18:07.the Best In Show in the floral tent. This year, we decided to open it up
:18:07. > :18:13.to any exhibit on the showground. So, really difficult to choose this
:18:13. > :18:19.year? I am glad it is Friday. It took me so long to decide which was
:18:19. > :18:29.the best exhibit, or which was the exhibit I loved the most. Fantastic.
:18:29. > :18:34.
:18:34. > :18:40.Well, put us out of our misery. It's the Forbidden Garden.
:18:40. > :18:50.Congratulations, you have won the President's Award for 2012. How to
:18:50. > :18:53.you feel? Thank you very much.
:18:54. > :18:56.She's very grateful and wants to share the award with all the
:18:56. > :19:04.foreign soldiers who cannot be with us today.
:19:04. > :19:11.Thank you very much. Don't worry. Be happy. Why did you choose this
:19:11. > :19:15.garden? It's an emotive garden. It is most brilliantly executed. It's
:19:15. > :19:25.so brilliantly executed that you hardly notice it as you walk around,
:19:25. > :19:25.
:19:25. > :19:33.but the detail is exquisite. And the sustainability of the plants to
:19:33. > :19:37.grow over whatever we do, is just very much and congratulations.
:19:37. > :19:41.Thank you very much indeed. Now this afternoon we have been looking
:19:41. > :19:49.at the Chelsea exhibits, inspired by the world of art and literature.
:19:49. > :19:52.It is the painter, Claude Monet, who the National Association of
:19:52. > :19:59.Flower Arrangers' Society has chosen. Last week we joined
:19:59. > :20:05.Jonathan Moseley, as they created their display, based on the
:20:05. > :20:10.painter's famous garden at Giverny. The team have been people selected
:20:10. > :20:15.from the Yorkshire area. Some are just purely hobbyists who have
:20:15. > :20:19.worked with flowers for many years. NAFAS is the National Association
:20:19. > :20:26.of Flower Arrangers' Society. It is a bit of a garbled name. It is a
:20:26. > :20:32.little bit long-winded. Basically we are flower arrangers.
:20:32. > :20:37.One of the most inspirational places I have ever been privileged
:20:37. > :20:42.to visit is Monet's garden at Giverny, in France. It is like
:20:42. > :20:48.walking on to a Monet canvass. It inspires me for my choice of plant
:20:48. > :20:53.material that I will use here at Chelsea. Lots of purples, lots of
:20:53. > :21:03.lilacs, all those wonderful colours which emerge and come together. It
:21:03. > :21:04.
:21:04. > :21:07.is almost like a water lily canvass. Colour is so important to us as
:21:07. > :21:12.flower arrangers, just like it is important to Monet. You could see
:21:12. > :21:16.that as you walked around the garden. You could tell you are in
:21:16. > :21:24.an artist's garden. It was not just anybody's garden. The interaction
:21:24. > :21:29.between the light and the water is really quite mesmerising.
:21:29. > :21:38.Not only was he an artist putting his pictures together, he was a
:21:38. > :21:42.designer -- a garden designer too. Now, we are finally down here at
:21:42. > :21:46.Chelsea, it is great to see what is probably nearly two years of
:21:46. > :21:55.planning coming to reality and manifest itself. The design is
:21:55. > :21:58.going to be featuring a large 16- foot per cent peck -- per cent pex
:21:58. > :22:04.frame. We have to place that together, fix it together. That's
:22:04. > :22:14.going to be packed with long runs of flowers. It will take absolutely
:22:14. > :22:14.
:22:14. > :22:19.thousands of blooms to achieve this. The trains and trays are to
:22:19. > :22:23.recreate that waterry fields. I have crossed the boundarys a little.
:22:23. > :22:27.When we reach that point of finishing, then we can all stand
:22:27. > :22:34.back and look at it, and then I hope I can walk away from it and
:22:34. > :22:39.think, "Yeah, I have got Monet encapsulated in flowers here." I
:22:39. > :22:46.can always remember, as a boy, back at university, you know, in those
:22:46. > :22:52.days it was the done thing to have lots of postcards on the walls and
:22:52. > :22:58.the impressionist painters were big. I can remember revising and looking
:22:58. > :23:03.at water lillies for hours on end. I never thought, years later, I
:23:03. > :23:13.would be creating a garden based on it here at Chelsea.
:23:13. > :23:14.
:23:14. > :23:24.And Jonathan is with me now, to show us how to capture the Giverny
:23:24. > :23:25.
:23:25. > :23:32.in flowers, or should that be give Here it is a simple basket. We can
:23:32. > :23:38.give a basket a face-lift, a new trendy look. I was inspired by the
:23:38. > :23:43.classical bridge, so I have covered the handle of the basket.
:23:43. > :23:49.I have wired that on. I have covered the wires with sections of
:23:49. > :23:55.the snake weed there. So clipped that -- snake read there. So
:23:55. > :24:00.clipped that into place there. I have bent and looped these leaves.
:24:00. > :24:05.It is like a frame? That is like a frame to put the flowers into. With
:24:05. > :24:11.this leaf, all I have done is cut a point on here and forced the leaf
:24:11. > :24:14.through there and just packed that in. All that has gone into wet foam.
:24:14. > :24:18.When you are selecting flowers, when you have cut them or bought
:24:18. > :24:22.them, what should you do? Let them stand or go straight into the
:24:22. > :24:32.display? The best thing to keep flowers living is to give them a
:24:32. > :24:35.good long drink in cold-, clean water, over-- cold, clean water
:24:35. > :24:41.overnight. Once they go into floral foam they will take up moisture. We
:24:41. > :24:50.want to get the stems full of moisture first. When cutting stems
:24:50. > :24:54.I cut on a good sharp 45-degree angle. I am using a knife. If you
:24:54. > :24:59.are less experienced that cut can be achieved with the good old
:24:59. > :25:05.scissors. Keep your tools clean. That is a practical tip to use.
:25:05. > :25:10.Aren't they just dreamy? I love the colour pallet you are using.
:25:10. > :25:17.Monet's colours were subtle. But when you put them together they
:25:17. > :25:21.create an impact. We think of the colours as gentle. He had strong
:25:21. > :25:25.colours in certain areas. He was working with light, light just
:25:25. > :25:29.hitting certain flowers, particularly when painting the lake
:25:29. > :25:33.at Giverny and using the water lillies there as the inspiration
:25:33. > :25:37.and highlighting those colours. is beautiful already. It is lovely
:25:37. > :25:41.you can take a picture or sculpture and try and recreate it at home. I
:25:41. > :25:47.would not have thought of doing that. We can bring flowers into art
:25:47. > :25:55.and link it together. Anything can inspire us. Walking through an art
:25:55. > :26:02.gallery is inspirational. Monet is my favourite artist. This flower is
:26:02. > :26:08.a shy little one, but has a waterry feel to it, I think. And the final
:26:08. > :26:12.touch? These fabulous flowers, which give it texture. Beautiful!
:26:12. > :26:17.You can take that home with you. You can and enjoy it for a long
:26:17. > :26:21.time. Thank you very much indeed. Sadly we are near the end of our
:26:21. > :26:25.lunch time coverage for another year. It has been a week which has
:26:25. > :26:35.delighted in more than one ways. For those of you, like me, who want
:26:35. > :26:35.
:26:35. > :27:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 61 seconds
:27:36. > :27:42.to make the moment last, here are a It's been so amazing. Some of us
:27:42. > :27:44.got emotional. I am try now. I know the RHS are keen for things here to
:27:44. > :27:48.be recycled. The Christchurch Church of England Primary School in
:27:48. > :27:52.Wandsworth, they were given the growing beds from the Energy Garden
:27:52. > :27:57.last year. They've had their first growing season this spring and are
:27:57. > :28:02.doing very well. What is happening to your garden? The garden is going
:28:03. > :28:07.back to the garden for the adult learners to reinstate and develop a
:28:07. > :28:11.new part of the garden. It will bolster their learning experience.
:28:11. > :28:16.It makes a difference. Take a little away with you. Fantastic!
:28:17. > :28:21.Now our coverage of this year's Chelsea Flower Show is not over
:28:21. > :28:24.just yet. You can join Alan this evening on BBC Two, when he
:28:24. > :28:27.celebrates the nurseryman responsible for the very first
:28:27. > :28:32.flower show here in the Royal Hospital grounds. There are two
:28:33. > :28:38.chances to catch up with the highlights, with review programmes
:28:38. > :28:45.on BBC One and BBC Two. And Arne Maynard is on the red button now,