:00:06. > :00:08.For one week of the year, a small pocket of busy Central London
:00:08. > :00:14.ferments a scent so strong you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd
:00:14. > :00:17.wandered into paradise. Right now the Royal Hospital Grounds are
:00:17. > :00:22.bursting with the finest plants, flowers, shrubs and trees on the
:00:22. > :00:25.planet. And for the folk that brought them here, today is the
:00:25. > :00:28.most important day of the year, if not their career. Because behind
:00:28. > :00:32.the blooms and the buzz lies an ultimate prize that every single
:00:32. > :00:40.exhibitor in this showground craves... A Chelsea gold. It's
:00:40. > :00:43.medals day, and we know who's woken up to the sweet smell of success.
:00:43. > :00:53.Growing for gold - we'll be revealing who's wowed the judges in
:00:53. > :00:56.
:00:56. > :00:58.the show gardens and Great Pavilion. Why are you weeping? I don't know.
:00:58. > :01:08.Chelsea upstaged - actress Stephanie Cole shares her love of
:01:08. > :01:09.
:01:09. > :01:16.gardening. And we meet the design duo causing
:01:16. > :01:23.a few ripples. We are aiming for emotional engagement.
:01:23. > :01:28.Welcome to the RHS Chelsea flower show supported by M&G investments.
:01:28. > :01:37.The sunshine has come out and everyone is happy. There is a real
:01:37. > :01:42.carnival atmosphere. A have never sat at Chelsea before with a
:01:42. > :01:51.fairground helter-skelter behind me. Their skirts are riding up rather
:01:51. > :01:57.high. How you had a go yet? I am walking down. He got a special
:01:57. > :02:01.award for it, the silver-gilt medal. Most creative garden in the show.
:02:01. > :02:11.don't think anybody would dispute that. When the pensioners lined up
:02:11. > :02:15.
:02:15. > :02:18.for it, it was quite aside. It's been a rollercoaster of a day
:02:18. > :02:21.because emotions run high when medals are at stake. Nicki Chapman
:02:21. > :02:26.rose with the sun to share the joy and pain across the showground as
:02:26. > :02:31.the RHS results were hand delivered. We are just waiting for the car RHS
:02:31. > :02:38.ladies to arrive because this is what it is all about a day - the
:02:38. > :02:48.much coveted gold medal. Congratulations.
:02:48. > :02:50.
:02:50. > :03:00.Well done. Has it been a really hard Chelsi? Everybody knows it has.
:03:00. > :03:01.
:03:01. > :03:11.It's been a nightmare. Thanks. medal. This means a lot, doesn't
:03:11. > :03:14.
:03:14. > :03:24.How did you do? Fantastic, we won gold. A congratulations. You got
:03:24. > :03:25.
:03:25. > :03:35.cold. Alan will be delighted. can stop winding me up about it now.
:03:35. > :03:42.Congratulations - gold medal. done. I love this job. I get all
:03:42. > :03:51.the kisses. How do you feel? Elated. We are just heading for the artisan
:03:51. > :04:01.gardens now. Howard do you feel? If gutted. Are you? A to be honest,
:04:01. > :04:09.
:04:09. > :04:12.What an amazing morning's work, tremendous.
:04:12. > :04:21.It's been a bumper year for golds in the Great Pavilion, with 58
:04:21. > :04:24.exhibits impressing the judges. And the same goes for the show gardens
:04:24. > :04:31.where nine out of the 16 won gold this year. Earlier, Carol and I
:04:31. > :04:39.went to take a look at two that couldn't be more different. Jihae
:04:39. > :04:44.Hwangs was over the moon when she discovered she had won a medal for
:04:44. > :04:50.the demilitarised zone, celebrating the anniversary of the Korean War.
:04:50. > :04:55.Some symbolic gardens I can take or leave, but this one really works.
:04:55. > :05:01.It is the area of no man's land between two frontiers. It is a
:05:01. > :05:05.savage area, but one which is silent. There are also lots of
:05:05. > :05:11.buttons sprinkled through the path and the stream, there is Barb Wire,
:05:11. > :05:17.but throughout it all, nature is conquering where man can't. The
:05:17. > :05:21.stream runs through, linking the areas. Barbed-wire it is there, but
:05:21. > :05:29.so are climbing plants, which scramble over them. As you look
:05:29. > :05:34.down, you can seashells in the past that have been abandoned. It shows
:05:34. > :05:38.that although man might be involved in conflict, nature doesn't
:05:38. > :05:41.understand and it grows on regardless. If you looked for a
:05:41. > :05:46.common theme in the gold medal gardens in Chelsea, it would be
:05:46. > :05:51.attention to detail, and this garden has it in abundance from the
:05:51. > :05:59.rusted wire netting to the plans pushing up through the detritus of
:05:59. > :06:09.war. It is incredibly moving. This is Adam Frost's rural news
:06:09. > :06:15.garden, inspired by the poet John Clare's country walks. It is a
:06:15. > :06:25.gold-medal exhibit and it is hardly surprising. There is a wonderful
:06:25. > :06:30.
:06:30. > :06:38.This effect has been achieved by the gravelly path, but it is in the
:06:38. > :06:43.planting... The garden really gets its character. Plants like this - a
:06:43. > :06:49.double version of our meadow buttercup. Here it is living in
:06:49. > :06:56.close harmony, mingling with geranium, aquilegias, and one of my
:06:56. > :07:02.favourite grassy plants. The whole thing is planted naturally, and
:07:02. > :07:08.there are colonies of plants mingling together everywhere. The
:07:08. > :07:11.geranium over here, which is a native, it is really pulling in the
:07:11. > :07:17.bumble bees because the real purpose of this garden is to supply
:07:17. > :07:22.food and shelter for wildlife. It really does that. There is close
:07:22. > :07:25.observation of nature here, even though a lot of the plants that are
:07:25. > :07:32.used are cultivated plants, and everywhere there are these native
:07:32. > :07:42.trees. Things like hazels and beech trees, and wild cherry. Once you
:07:42. > :07:45.
:07:45. > :07:47.want to -- what you want to do is enjoy their shade.
:07:47. > :07:50.The pressure to produce the next big design in horticulture is
:07:50. > :07:54.paramount here at Chelsea. Design team John Warland and Sim Flemons
:07:54. > :07:56.may be strangers to Main Avenue but they've made a bit of a name for
:07:56. > :07:59.themselves at Hampton Court with their thought provoking and brave
:07:59. > :08:03.conceptual gardens. After pocketing four golds, they've now set their
:08:03. > :08:06.sights on pushing the boundaries here. We joined them earlier in the
:08:06. > :08:16.month in Cornwall, a land of labyrinths and lush tree ferns to
:08:16. > :08:20.
:08:20. > :08:25.talk about their very first Chelsea show garden. Labyrinth is extremely
:08:25. > :08:30.special, they have been with us for thousands of years. Everyone thinks
:08:30. > :08:37.a labyrinth and a maze is the same thing but they are very different.
:08:37. > :08:46.The Maze has many choices, but in a labyrinth there is only one way it
:08:46. > :08:49.in and one way out. You mind is opening to being part of the ripple.
:08:49. > :08:59.It is a place to be safe and to be alone with your thoughts, a place
:08:59. > :09:03.
:09:03. > :09:08.of balance. Myself and Sim went to study garden design many years ago.
:09:08. > :09:12.It is in the show gardens where we collaborate and create more thought
:09:12. > :09:17.provoking, inspiring, challenging and possibly controversial spaces.
:09:17. > :09:23.In general it is probably more myself that comes up with a stream
:09:23. > :09:30.of crazy ideas, and Sim has good taste, rings it in, puts in the
:09:30. > :09:35.fine details and get his hands dirtier than me. John is the one
:09:35. > :09:43.with the ideas. My strength is in the plants, how they relate to the
:09:43. > :09:50.garden and relate to each other. The main principle of the design is
:09:50. > :09:57.the ripple Poole, and how the ripple effect can cause perpetual
:09:57. > :10:01.motion, and that is the start of the garden. The garden is designed
:10:01. > :10:07.as a personal space, really designed for almost one person to
:10:07. > :10:12.enjoy their time. If you are going to walk the labyrinth path, it
:10:12. > :10:19.would be alone, it is a place to contemplate and reflect, and
:10:19. > :10:27.consider your own actions. Hopefully to create a sense of calm
:10:27. > :10:33.where you can really open your mind. We have been lucky enough to come
:10:33. > :10:37.to Cornwall to see these beautiful tree ferns, probably some of the
:10:37. > :10:42.oldest in the country. When we have been walking through the tree ferns,
:10:42. > :10:50.just to stop and look up, it is emotionally resonant and peaceful
:10:50. > :10:53.to enjoy the light. It is a sense of nurture and end closure, and
:10:53. > :10:59.that is the essence that we would like to translate the Chelsea
:10:59. > :11:03.Garden. Where possible with our planting, we aim for the most
:11:03. > :11:07.naturalistic style as well. Something you might see here in the
:11:07. > :11:11.Lost Gardens, but we are trying to capture that essence and style, and
:11:11. > :11:19.it is to create a calming atmosphere within the space.
:11:19. > :11:22.main plant is the tree fern, which we have used to give the sense of
:11:22. > :11:28.an closure and protection. though we enjoy the filter of light,
:11:28. > :11:35.it is the trunks slightly quirky and off-centre, and that is what we
:11:35. > :11:39.are looking for. Imperfect nature. It is our first Chelsea and the
:11:39. > :11:44.pressure is quite high. We have been told the garden is quite small,
:11:44. > :11:51.we have got to do a lot of landscaping and to his exquisite
:11:51. > :11:56.which puts a lot of pressure on. The medal is not everything. It is
:11:56. > :12:00.always lovely to get a gold medal. We put everything into our gardens,
:12:00. > :12:05.but at the end of the day it is actually rising the design that
:12:05. > :12:09.gives us pleasure. We are not trying to design what I call a
:12:09. > :12:14.vanilla garden, we are hoping to create something of beauty but it
:12:14. > :12:18.is about the ripple effect as a whole, and whether the garden goes
:12:18. > :12:27.on to create a ripple effect amongst the viewer. An emotional
:12:27. > :12:31.engagement, that is what we are hoping for. Here at the centre of
:12:31. > :12:36.the labyrinth, a pulsating water. Are you happy with how it came
:12:36. > :12:41.together? Pleased with the result, the medal could have been better
:12:41. > :12:50.but this garden is all about the message. Silver is... Everyone
:12:50. > :12:54.wants gold. It is frustrating. had won four golds at Hampton Court
:12:54. > :13:00.so maybe it our expectations were high but it has been a great
:13:00. > :13:04.learning curve. Tell me about its transportation here it - does it
:13:04. > :13:09.always come as a surprise when it comes together? As a prize, but
:13:09. > :13:14.mainly a relief to see the dream come true. It is just a massive
:13:14. > :13:18.relief. The ethos from your point of view - what you want people to
:13:18. > :13:24.feel when they come inside here? Starting with the labyrinth garden,
:13:24. > :13:30.you only walk one way. So it leaves you to the middle? Yes, then you
:13:30. > :13:38.can contemplate and watched the ripple effect. What do people think
:13:38. > :13:41.to it? They love it. It is a time to think, to contemplate, to
:13:41. > :13:47.contemplate an act of kindness. talk about the triumph of winning
:13:47. > :13:51.gold, but we have to talk about people who do not win gold. Will
:13:51. > :13:56.you come back? Come will definitely come back but we won't compromise
:13:56. > :14:01.the way we do it. We like to innovate and provoke thought, and
:14:01. > :14:05.debate, and not everyone loves it but we will be back with gusto next
:14:05. > :14:07.year. Using the power of flowers to highlight charitable causes through
:14:07. > :14:11.horticulture is an innovative way of delivering thought provoking
:14:11. > :14:13.messages, and at Chelsea you have the world as an audience. This year,
:14:13. > :14:16.to celebrate their 90th birthday, the charity Furzey Gardens has been
:14:16. > :14:21.working with Chris Beardshaw to create a garden that celebrates the
:14:21. > :14:31.achievements of its learning and disability garden team. Rachel went
:14:31. > :14:38.
:14:38. > :14:46.to find out if he and the students Chris, you said that you thought
:14:46. > :14:51.this garden wouldn't do well, it wouldn't be liked, because it had
:14:52. > :14:57.rhododendrons and azaleas and they are out of fashion and it who won a
:14:57. > :15:07.gold medal. Everybody loved it. know. I should have had more faith.
:15:07. > :15:08.
:15:08. > :15:14.When was the last time you saw rode ded Rons -- rhododendrons and
:15:14. > :15:20.azaleas. It is not just about the big and blousey ones. This one has
:15:20. > :15:29.a wonderful fragrance. And more subtle ones. There is one for every
:15:29. > :15:32.spot if you have the right soil. Let's hope they are looked on more
:15:32. > :15:38.favourably. How have the students responded to the success you've had
:15:38. > :15:42.with the garden? The project started last year. We walked around
:15:42. > :15:46.the garden, we selected the plant material. Tried to give them an
:15:47. > :15:51.idea of the pressures of growing and even just delivering into the
:15:51. > :15:56.Chelsea showground. The whole thing is a logistics nightmare. They
:15:56. > :16:02.propagated plants for us, tended plants. They helped us plant and
:16:02. > :16:07.collect pots and thatch the roof. To then be able to turn around this
:16:07. > :16:11.morning and say, we've got a gold medal, breathtaking. Priceless.
:16:11. > :16:15.Wonderful. I've heard there are some hidden gems on this garden.
:16:15. > :16:18.Where are they? What's hidden? There are a few things. The
:16:19. > :16:23.students have been involved in creating the stained glass leaves
:16:23. > :16:26.hanging from the roof, but I suspect you are talking about the
:16:26. > :16:32.fairies from Furzey. They are secreted around the garden at
:16:32. > :16:37.Furzey, so we brought a few of them with us. They hitched a ride. If
:16:37. > :16:42.you look at that tree stump, there's a fairy door. The children
:16:42. > :16:47.run through the woods and leave a gift outside the fairy doors.
:16:47. > :16:51.never thought I would hear the day when I heard you say you believed
:16:51. > :16:54.in fairies. I'm a believer! have to hand it to the designers
:16:54. > :16:57.who exhibit here for putting themselves through the stress of
:16:57. > :17:00.building a Chelsea garden. It's hard going for those who do it year
:17:00. > :17:03.after year, never mind a first timer. One man knows this only too
:17:03. > :17:05.well. He's usually standing with me commenting on everyone else's
:17:05. > :17:15.gardens. This year, after years of deliberating, he's finally designed
:17:15. > :17:21.
:17:21. > :17:27.his own. Joe, tell them what you've got. I've got a gold Alan. Excuse
:17:27. > :17:33.me... I know! My first Chelsea, and I've done it. You can't rib me
:17:33. > :17:39.about it any more. You have got to stop now, because we are equal.
:17:39. > :17:43.There is only one way down from here - down. So, are you happy with
:17:43. > :17:49.it, that's the thing. Did it turn out the way you wanted to?
:17:49. > :17:55.course I'm happy. I'm so happy, I couldn't have dreamed for a better
:17:55. > :17:59.turnout. The plants were great. The build was really good. Can I do my
:18:00. > :18:04.Oscar-winning speech? No, the people will switch off. I know you
:18:04. > :18:10.are grateful. It couldn't have looked better. I Amex at that
:18:10. > :18:15.timeic about my garden. The judges often want to know who the garden
:18:15. > :18:19.is for. I want people to project themselves into this garden. That
:18:19. > :18:25.was one of the feed-back from the judges, I didn't put on my brief it
:18:25. > :18:28.was for a young couple, a married couple or whatever. I wanted people
:18:28. > :18:32.who come to the show to imagine themselves in this space and
:18:32. > :18:40.hopefully think they might want it. If there is bravery about this
:18:40. > :18:45.garden it is these arches, which are quite dominant. And bright.
:18:45. > :18:50.Brave. Were you determined to push the boundaries? You've got to be
:18:50. > :18:55.bold. That's what the Chelsea gardens are about. It is no good
:18:55. > :18:58.coming and doing what every we've seen before. I like bold, masculine
:18:58. > :19:02.designs. It always looks so harsh with the boulders and the trees,
:19:02. > :19:08.but as soon as you put the plants in you have a strong framework to
:19:08. > :19:13.soften it up and get movement into it. And in this case you've got a
:19:13. > :19:21.gold medal-winning garden. Well done. I taught him all I know. When
:19:21. > :19:24.you show a garden at Chelsea, you When you show a garden at Chelsea,
:19:24. > :19:27.you have to be prepared for it to be viewed by the world's media and
:19:27. > :19:31.to listen to anyone and everyone having an opinion on a design
:19:31. > :19:34.you've sweated over for months. But it can be just as daunting showing
:19:34. > :19:36.someone your own back garden for the first time. After all, it's a
:19:36. > :19:40.personal space. Last week we persuaded actress Stephanie Cole to
:19:40. > :19:50.let us take a look over her garden fence and what we found was a
:19:50. > :19:59.
:19:59. > :20:03.garden very much like her - utterly I live in a malt house. The main
:20:03. > :20:07.bit of which is 17th century and the other bit is 18th century.
:20:07. > :20:13.About a third of the garden is wild, then probably just under a third is
:20:13. > :20:23.vegetable and fruit. The rest is lawn and flower beds. I have a
:20:23. > :20:23.
:20:23. > :20:27.swimming pool. Through this arch we come into my wild bit of my garden.
:20:27. > :20:30.When it's sunny it's wonderful lying here in the dappled shade.
:20:30. > :20:35.The birds come into the trees and they don't know you're there and
:20:35. > :20:41.you can watch them very quietly as they go about their business. I
:20:41. > :20:49.feel as if I'm part of their world when I'm quietly here lying on my
:20:49. > :20:55.hammock or just sitting. Passing my log pile, specifically for bugs and
:20:55. > :20:59.insects of all sorts, this is the hawthorn, which grows cheek by jowl
:20:59. > :21:05.with the white beam. They are both wonderful British plants. Look how
:21:05. > :21:10.beautiful that is. All the blue of the forget-me-nots. They are so
:21:10. > :21:14.vigorous. You pull them up and there they are next year looking
:21:14. > :21:24.Albright and glorious just at a time when you need it. For me it is
:21:24. > :21:26.
:21:26. > :21:36.a joy and delight. This is the sort of fruit and veg section. You can
:21:36. > :21:38.
:21:38. > :21:42.see two pears and a lovely Victoria plum, apples, fig free, rhubarb.
:21:42. > :21:47.I've just seen how well my gooseberries are doing, and
:21:47. > :21:51.raspberries. And down there strawberries. My mother was a great
:21:51. > :21:56.gardener, which tends to occasionally put you off, but I did
:21:56. > :22:06.love helping with picking the fruit. So I just feel I have an affinity
:22:06. > :22:06.
:22:06. > :22:10.with fruit trees. This is my magic apple tree. It's very, very old.
:22:10. > :22:16.It's two apple trees. Obviously the rootstock has grown from one of
:22:16. > :22:20.them. This side is a very old sheep's head apple. You know what a
:22:20. > :22:27.green pepper looks like. That's what they look like but slightly
:22:27. > :22:32.paler green. The other side has tiny deep red, very sweet apples. I
:22:32. > :22:37.have no idea what sort they are but I love them. In the spring hate a
:22:37. > :22:43.wonderful hat of clematis.S that dies back the apple blossom comes.
:22:43. > :22:49.I adore it. It's my pride and joy. What am I hoping to see at Chelsea
:22:49. > :22:56.this year? Well, all of the obvious things, but I do have my problem
:22:56. > :23:02.areas. Here we have one of the big problems in my garden. There was
:23:02. > :23:07.this huge willow. This gradually over the winter rotted. The nettles,
:23:07. > :23:12.the sweet nettles and cowslips and things love it, but nothing else. I
:23:12. > :23:20.don't know what to do here. I'm very keen to get ideas about that.
:23:21. > :23:25.Both plant ideas and structural ideas. We now come to the next
:23:25. > :23:31.slightly smaller problem area. For the first few years I had frogs and
:23:31. > :23:36.all sorts of things, but now I don't quite know what I've done
:23:36. > :23:41.wrong. It is a bit niminy isn't it, a bit niminy piminy. Again Chelsea
:23:41. > :23:45.will give me great ideas I think. And I'm determined to keep all my
:23:45. > :23:50.nettles and dandy lions, because they're so beautiful when they come
:23:50. > :23:53.out. I love leaving things to come up where they grow naturally. If
:23:53. > :24:03.they like growing there, that's great by me, because they are all
:24:03. > :24:04.
:24:04. > :24:08.Stephanie, this garden is very clearly very important to you, an
:24:08. > :24:11.important part of your life. It is actually. I really love it. I
:24:11. > :24:15.particularly love the wild part, because when I was a child, I was
:24:15. > :24:19.brought up in the country, and I remember learning at a very young
:24:19. > :24:23.age the name of wild flowers, like herb Robert and things like that,
:24:23. > :24:29.and that wonderful smell. God, I love that smell. Some people hate
:24:29. > :24:34.it. I know they do, but the scents of Devon covered lanes, I love it.
:24:34. > :24:38.I've got piles of log where is all The Beatles and things can go. It
:24:38. > :24:44.is really important to me and I love it. Is it important in your
:24:44. > :24:50.work that you have that to go back to? Actors are always away a lot.
:24:50. > :24:55.know, and that's one of the problems. When I get back I do go
:24:55. > :25:00.into panic mode, as the task seems to enormous. Die have someone to
:25:00. > :25:05.help me, thank God, or it would be a wilderness. Sometimes I have to
:25:05. > :25:10.admit to you and the viewers that I do suspect myself of not having
:25:10. > :25:14.green fingers but black thumbs. I will put things in lovingly and
:25:14. > :25:18.with great care. They might flourish for a while and then
:25:18. > :25:24.suddenly... But I don't despair. If they are not dead I will try and
:25:24. > :25:31.coax them back into life. I'm not a good gardener. But you love it,
:25:31. > :25:34.that's the important thing. I do love it. A gardener said to me
:25:34. > :25:42.yesterday, he said, "I've realised the difference between an expensive
:25:42. > :25:51.plant and a weed." I said, "What's that?" And he said if you pull up
:25:51. > :25:58.back whereas a weed will. I've seen you in Coronation Street. Are you
:25:58. > :26:03.having a ball? I've been very lucky in my 50-odd years but Corrie is
:26:03. > :26:07.the icing on the cake. Everybody is, I love them. I love them to bits.
:26:08. > :26:14.And my character is so beautifully written for. I have a ball. It is a
:26:14. > :26:19.bit, I was going to say something I don't think I can say, but very
:26:19. > :26:24.fast working. KBS I think we call it. That's the one. It is faction,
:26:24. > :26:28.but that's OK, because something strange happens, and you will
:26:28. > :26:36.understand this, as you love acting. When you have a long rehearsal time,
:26:36. > :26:39.that's what we all want but with Corrie it is very fast. What
:26:39. > :26:44.happens, particularly if you have had a lot of experience, it happens
:26:44. > :26:49.in the back part of your brain, so you come out with it like that and
:26:50. > :26:53.actually it's better. Chris per. Extraordinary. We let you loose on
:26:54. > :26:59.this showground here with all the goodies. We will find out later
:26:59. > :27:02.exactly what you got out of it. For now, Stephanie Cole, thank you.
:27:02. > :27:05.Bless you. Whilst many gasp at the grand
:27:05. > :27:08.garden designs outside, the die- hard plantsmen and women head
:27:08. > :27:10.straight for the Great Pavilion to gush over the floral glories. It's
:27:10. > :27:14.the size of two football pitches and full of premiership plantsmen
:27:14. > :27:19.and women who, like everyone else on Medals Day, are eager to impress
:27:19. > :27:21.the judges. Some of them have been exhibiting here for decades and can
:27:21. > :27:31.boast a gold every year, because theyve become the masters at
:27:31. > :27:42.
:27:42. > :27:47.Blackmore and Langdon have been exhibiting at Chelsea since the
:27:47. > :27:51.show first began in 1913. That makes next year their centenary.
:27:51. > :27:55.This year has been especially difficult, with cold temperatures
:27:55. > :27:59.and lowlight levels, but nonetheless their plants are as
:27:59. > :28:09.good as ever. In fact they've all been given a sort of freshness just
:28:09. > :28:10.
:28:10. > :28:15.by the lateness of the season. Avon Bulbs have been coming here
:28:15. > :28:19.for 33 years and during that time they've won more than 25 gold
:28:19. > :28:25.medals. One of the best things about their stand is this
:28:25. > :28:31.incredible combinations that they make. I really love this one. These
:28:31. > :28:36.big blue spikes of camassia, in contrast with that orange tulip.
:28:36. > :28:46.Not only does it have this immensely graceful shape but it
:28:46. > :29:04.
:29:04. > :29:10.also has perfume. Sometimes it is all about shade.
:29:11. > :29:16.These intimate beautiful woodland areas, crammed full with delicious
:29:16. > :29:21.plants. These are woodland edges recreate it, thick with some of the
:29:21. > :29:22.most special plants you could ever wish to meet. One of them in
:29:22. > :29:27.wish to meet. One of them in wish to meet. One of them in
:29:27. > :29:32.particular - this orchid. In the winter it doesn't like to paddle,
:29:32. > :29:42.so well-drained soil, but in the summer it means loads of water.
:29:42. > :29:52.
:29:52. > :29:59.Difficult conditions to recreate What a wonderful job they have made
:29:59. > :30:09.of this. It is a special place where you display your most
:30:09. > :30:13.
:30:13. > :30:21.important possessions. In pride of place is this gorgeous PNA. --
:30:21. > :30:27.peony. This is one of the most inspiring stands I have ever seen.
:30:27. > :30:33.The Great Pavilion, it is all about reputation and achieving floral
:30:33. > :30:37.perfection. That is something that Christine Skelmersdale off
:30:37. > :30:41.Broadleigh Gardens knows all about. She has been exhibiting here for 39
:30:41. > :30:51.years and she has had a lot to do with the development of this world
:30:51. > :30:58.
:30:58. > :31:02.class floral marquee. But this year is to be her last. We caught up
:31:02. > :31:11.with her as she prepared for her floral finale to reflect on a life
:31:11. > :31:18.of beautiful bulb growing. 1972 was a momentous year, a year of huge
:31:18. > :31:28.change. We got married in 1972 and came here to live. We start of the
:31:28. > :31:33.
:31:33. > :31:39.nursery knowing absolutely nothing about bulbs. We ploughed the field
:31:39. > :31:49.and planted daffodils are out here, so for years we had daffodils
:31:49. > :31:49.
:31:49. > :31:53.rotating outside the front of the house. In May that year I was taken
:31:53. > :31:58.to my first Chelsea Flower Show. Things were very different then.
:31:58. > :32:02.You had to wear a hat and gloves, you're photographed, and little to
:32:02. > :32:08.do I realise that next year I would be doing my first Chelsea Flower
:32:08. > :32:14.Show. When we started, it was very easy. You grew the plants in pots
:32:14. > :32:20.and brought and displayed them in their containers, or you did cut
:32:20. > :32:24.flowers. Now it is so much more difficult. You have props, you have
:32:24. > :32:30.got to try and make it look like a garden, you have got to cover the
:32:30. > :32:38.pots and hide them. You are judged not so much on the plans as
:32:38. > :32:44.artistic designs. One of the big decisions was to dispose of the old
:32:44. > :32:48.Marquee. It creaked and groaned like a sailing ship. It was full of
:32:48. > :32:54.tent poles holding it up so you never quite knew where that would
:32:54. > :33:00.turn up in your stand. There was limited height, but it was also hot
:33:00. > :33:06.and dark. We had to make a decision, and so we went with this wonderful
:33:06. > :33:11.new marquee, which we now call the pavilion. I am sitting on a small
:33:11. > :33:20.piece of the old one now. I have some lovely cushions made from the
:33:20. > :33:26.canvas of the old Marquee so it is still with me. Although we don't
:33:26. > :33:30.normally have themes, we felt that this year, being my 40th Chelsea,
:33:30. > :33:36.and my ruby wedding, we should have a coloured theme. On one side of
:33:36. > :33:43.the stand we have gone for Ruby, so we are not going for gold, we are
:33:43. > :33:48.going for Ruby this year. We have supporting plants, and coming
:33:48. > :33:54.through we will have a whole host of purple alliums and a mass of
:33:54. > :33:58.different coloured Ruby juleps thought every shape, think through
:33:58. > :34:08.to read, and pink cut daffodils, and we have been very fortunate
:34:08. > :34:15.
:34:15. > :34:22.this year to have a wonderful new enemy. -- anenome. I have no idea
:34:22. > :34:28.how I will feel when I finish this, my last Chelsea. I will miss the
:34:28. > :34:33.wonderful smell, the adrenalin rush, the panic of trying to finish and
:34:33. > :34:39.get it all done on time. I suspect when we walk out the door at the
:34:39. > :34:44.end I will feel sad and tearful. It is the end of an era, but there are
:34:44. > :34:54.so many other things I want to do and this will free up my time to do
:34:54. > :34:56.
:34:56. > :35:01.other exciting things. Are you happy with your 40th
:35:01. > :35:06.Chelsea display? Yes, I really think I will go out on a big one. I
:35:06. > :35:11.was worried that I have been planning it three years, but I
:35:12. > :35:20.think we have achieved it. No anti- climax here, everyone is enthralled
:35:20. > :35:23.with it. It is as good quality as I have ever seen you produce. It is
:35:23. > :35:28.certainly very colourful. The tulips, finally, I didn't think
:35:28. > :35:32.they would make it but they have come to perfection on the day.
:35:32. > :35:40.Aren't you going to feel a bit strange not coming to Chelsea any
:35:40. > :35:50.more? Yes, I will miss you and my fellow exhibitors. I will miss
:35:50. > :35:50.
:35:50. > :35:59.meeting the customers. I won't miss the three am panic, wondering what
:35:59. > :36:04.the weather will be like. I have turned the lights on, I have turned
:36:04. > :36:11.the lights off, I have watered them - I won't miss that. What will you
:36:11. > :36:17.be doing in the future? preparing pops for Chelsea, I will
:36:17. > :36:27.have time to grow miniature daffodils. I want to grow my other
:36:27. > :36:35.
:36:35. > :36:40.passion, these peonies. I want to raise a lot more of these from seed.
:36:40. > :36:46.Your nursery in Devon is not as warm as you might think, is it?
:36:46. > :36:51.the temperature is five degrees below what it might be here. And do
:36:51. > :36:56.won a gold. How confident were you when you came? I never believed we
:36:56. > :37:00.would be standing here with the gold medal, just unbelievable.
:37:00. > :37:05.super collection of primulas and aquilegias. Have the remarks being
:37:05. > :37:09.good? The have been positive, everyone has loved it. We have been
:37:10. > :37:16.so pleased to get this amount of colour and the exceptional weather
:37:16. > :37:19.we have had. My congratulations, you deserve your gold. Thank you.
:37:19. > :37:25.There's still plenty to come from the RHS Chelsea flower show
:37:26. > :37:31.supported by M&G investments. Coming up: Best man's speech - we
:37:31. > :37:34.talk to the designer whose scooped the highest prize in horticulture.
:37:34. > :37:40.Waiting for Chelsea - Stephanie Cole asks the best minds in
:37:40. > :37:46.gardening for some inspirational advice. This is where I need to be.
:37:46. > :37:56.The pond, a great problem area in my garden, and I will be asking
:37:56. > :37:58.
:37:58. > :38:01.lender to guide me. -- asking Linda. And Jubilee
:38:01. > :38:03.jubilation - we talk to the nursery that's scooped the Diamond Jubillee
:38:03. > :38:06.Award in the Great Pavilion. For those looking for inspiration
:38:06. > :38:09.in their modest patch, there's the small garden category. They may be
:38:09. > :38:12.Main Avenue show gardens in miniature, but they're big on
:38:12. > :38:15.inspiration and ideas. This year there are 17 of them competing for
:38:15. > :38:18.medals and they're split into two categories - fresh and artisan.
:38:18. > :38:25.Earlier, Toby Buckland went to take a look at who had caught the judges
:38:25. > :38:29.eye and why. If you go to the woods at the back
:38:29. > :38:34.of the Showground today, you are in for a very pleasant surprise. That
:38:34. > :38:40.is because this is the home of the artisan gardens, a relatively new
:38:41. > :38:50.category here, and one that is based on sustainability and natural
:38:50. > :38:57.materials. There are eight gardens this year, and two got gold. One of
:38:57. > :39:01.the winners is the Bronte Yorkshire garden and I can see why. The hard
:39:01. > :39:05.landscaping is good and the naturalistic planting is lovely and
:39:05. > :39:11.soft but it is not those things that give this garden the X Factor.
:39:11. > :39:16.It is the fact it captures the spirit of the Yorkshire moors.
:39:16. > :39:23.Sometimes soft, sometimes dangerous. The Gothic wall paints a picture of
:39:23. > :39:33.the gloom in the Bronte books and the window gives the whole patch
:39:33. > :39:34.
:39:34. > :39:41.and uncomfortable feel. The second was Ishihara's garden, who were
:39:41. > :39:51.also won Best In Category. The best at his own garden. Thanks very
:39:51. > :40:03.
:40:03. > :40:06.TRANSLATION: Last year the tsunami and the earthquake destroyed
:40:06. > :40:16.everything and he was very pleased to get the chance to recreate this
:40:16. > :40:18.
:40:18. > :40:23.beautiful scenery. Andrew, you were the chairman of the assessors who
:40:23. > :40:27.judged this garden. Why do think it is the best in the category? At the
:40:27. > :40:32.reason it stands head and shoulders above the other gardens is that it
:40:32. > :40:36.has this amazing flow around the garden. Your eyes are drawn to the
:40:36. > :40:41.different elements of it and the devil is in the detail. We have
:40:41. > :40:51.these incredible details, like the Stones and the Morse so you get the
:40:51. > :41:00.
:41:00. > :41:03.feeling this garden has always -- stones and moss. The remaining nine
:41:03. > :41:06.gardens were competing in a brand new category this year called Fresh,
:41:06. > :41:09.and it's a little controversial as the RHS ripped up the rule book and
:41:09. > :41:12.told the designers anything goes. The controversy doesn't end there,
:41:12. > :41:15.because only one won gold and Best In Category, and it went to Tony
:41:15. > :41:22.Smith with his "Green With" garden. What makes this garden better than
:41:23. > :41:27.the others? It is all about envy and desire. It really draws you win,
:41:28. > :41:36.it is an amazing garden that brings you win it as an individual, even
:41:36. > :41:40.if there are 100 people standing round the I'd -- outside. Did the
:41:40. > :41:44.other gardens not deliver for the judges? We have a lot of new
:41:44. > :41:46.exhibitors so it is only ever going to get better.
:41:47. > :41:50.Earlier we chatted to the wonderful Stephanie Cole about her passion
:41:50. > :41:53.for gardening. She's a huge fan of Chelsea and wanted to use her trip
:41:53. > :41:56.to get some advice for solving some dilemmas in her own garden. We
:41:56. > :42:06.followed her round as she took picked the horticultural brains of
:42:06. > :42:08.
:42:08. > :42:14.the floral folk here, who really do know what they're talking about.
:42:14. > :42:22.That is what I love about Chelsea, this wonderful smile and I could
:42:22. > :42:32.see exactly why the glory of all those roses. Look, aren't they
:42:32. > :42:34.
:42:34. > :42:39.beautiful. The deep red and the White, beautiful. Now, that is just
:42:39. > :42:49.what I am looking for. They look as if they have just arrived together
:42:49. > :42:50.
:42:50. > :42:58.by pure chance. This is a rather difficult place in my garden. Now,
:42:58. > :43:05.this is where I need to be. The pond, a difficult area in my garden,
:43:05. > :43:15.and I will be asking Linda to guide me. So unlike the zebra grass, nice
:43:15. > :43:15.
:43:15. > :43:25.and bright, and to complement that, this has an arrangement that gives
:43:25. > :43:38.
:43:38. > :43:44.you the lovely strong shape. And the miniature Equus C -- Equisetum.
:43:44. > :43:49.This is my kind of garden, lovely and organic. I can actually sit
:43:49. > :43:54.down. Seriously, this is a wonderful garden. I grew this in my
:43:54. > :43:59.garden for a few years and it disappeared, I don't know why. It
:43:59. > :44:04.is very breathtaking, moving actually. I just think this is the
:44:04. > :44:10.most beautiful garden, and it's so deserves its prize. It really does.
:44:10. > :44:15.I love the man who created it and I'm going to meet him. Joe,
:44:15. > :44:22.congratulations. Thanks. It is fabulous. When have you got time to
:44:22. > :44:28.do my garden? Now - I am pretty pushed for time. I would love to do.
:44:28. > :44:35.I have had the most wonderful day. The sun is shining, I have seen
:44:35. > :44:39.some glorious gardens, it has been Celebrities flock here every year
:44:39. > :44:43.like bees to nectar. Who'd have thought gardening could create such
:44:43. > :44:47.glamour? It all adds to the magic of Chelsea, because this is the
:44:47. > :44:55.show that has the power to create household names, and today a new
:44:55. > :44:59.one has been added. A star is born. Sarah, welcome. With your Daily
:44:59. > :45:04.Telegraph Garden. Tell me about the history of this. What have you done
:45:04. > :45:10.before in terms of show gardens and what have you won in terms of
:45:10. > :45:14.medals? My first show garden was at Hampton Court Palace and I wonder a
:45:14. > :45:22.gold, which I was completely shocked and amazed at. When was
:45:22. > :45:26.that? In 2006. Gosh! I came to Chelsea in 2007-08 with smaller
:45:26. > :45:32.gardens and won silver. So now this is a big garden on Main Avenue and
:45:32. > :45:38.a big prize. Did you expect it? I've had a really amazing team
:45:38. > :45:43.behind me, Crocus. And also the Telegraph let you design what you
:45:43. > :45:47.wanted to. Designers always say this. If they give you a brief it
:45:47. > :45:51.is con Tricketted but if they let you have your head it's wonderful.
:45:51. > :45:56.So from your point of view freedom was wonderful? Absolutely. They
:45:56. > :46:04.could sense I was toning myself down for Chelsea and they said, "Go
:46:04. > :46:10.with it." You need that support, that encouragement. Do you like it?
:46:10. > :46:14.I do. I like, I feel like I'm starting to get to know it. It
:46:14. > :46:19.sounds ridiculous when you visualise nit your head, but the
:46:19. > :46:23.light is changing, we've had sun, and the plants are opening. And by
:46:23. > :46:26.the end of the week it's a garden. Many congratulations. Thank you.
:46:26. > :46:36.You can find out more about the thinking behind Sarah's design over
:46:36. > :46:39.
:46:40. > :46:42.on the Red Button, but don't press it yet. Wait until after the show.
:46:42. > :46:46.Now, Medals Day can be joyous or heartbreaking for designers. It
:46:46. > :46:49.takes months, even years of work to get here, never mind the added
:46:49. > :46:52.pressure of winning a medal, so you'd be forgiven for taking a
:46:52. > :47:00.break. Arne Maynard's break has lasted 12 years. Carol went to find
:47:00. > :47:03.out what it was like for him to be back. You've won two golds.
:47:03. > :47:07.Absolutely brilliant. Thank you very much. Very well deserved. I
:47:07. > :47:13.have to say straight away that what I love about the garden is the
:47:13. > :47:16.planting. It is so accomplished and it is so clever. Yet it looks
:47:16. > :47:19.completely natural. What I wanted to do with the planting, I wanted
:47:19. > :47:24.it to feel like a garden that everyone could take away a little
:47:24. > :47:28.bit from it. I wanted a garden that was created by plants and planted
:47:28. > :47:32.material, so we had the copper beech trees which formed the axis
:47:32. > :47:37.in the garden. They have become a beautiful backdrop with all the
:47:37. > :47:42.planting, with the roses and the perennials and the delphiniums. And
:47:43. > :47:48.we've got the opium poppies and cornflowers to. Me that's a real
:47:48. > :47:51.garden, a garden where things do migrate around. Exactly, because
:47:51. > :47:57.some of it looks almost accidental. That's the intention. But very
:47:57. > :48:03.difficult to get. The colouring is so subtle but it works so
:48:03. > :48:08.brilliantly. I love all the pinks and whites. And big accents of dark
:48:08. > :48:13.colours. The roses really provide that accent. What I'm particularly
:48:13. > :48:19.pleased about is the way I've trained them, on these hazel domes.
:48:19. > :48:28.That's what die in my garden and clients' gardens. We've had used a
:48:28. > :48:36.number of varieties. That sharp pink compliments the dusky look.
:48:36. > :48:41.is very sculptural and signature Arne Maynard, are we going to see
:48:41. > :48:47.another one next year? Maybe not next year. Between now and ten
:48:47. > :48:51.years. I hope so. There are so many facets in Arne
:48:51. > :48:53.Maynard's garden, you can lose yourself. Good for him.
:48:53. > :48:56.Over in the Great Pavilion, the gold medal-winning nurseries are
:48:56. > :48:59.competing to win their equivalent of Best in Show. And this year the
:48:59. > :49:06.presentation has become all the more regal. Rachel went to
:49:06. > :49:11.investigate. Here in the Great Pavilion from now on exhibits are
:49:11. > :49:16.not only competing for gold but to be crowned with the equivalent of
:49:16. > :49:20.Best in Show. This is the Diamond Jubilee Award and it's renamed to
:49:20. > :49:23.coincide with the Jubilee. The winner is literally royally
:49:23. > :49:28.anointed, as the prist idgeous prize is presented by the Queen
:49:28. > :49:34.herself. But how do you you begin to choose who should win? The
:49:34. > :49:39.person with all the answers RHS judge Jekka McVicar. What's it that
:49:39. > :49:45.the judges are looking for? This beautiful display by HW Hyde has
:49:45. > :49:51.got everything right. It is the most wonderful specimens, and a
:49:51. > :49:57.huge variety. Attention to detail with the labels and all the edging.
:49:57. > :50:02.And that is what makes it just superb. I must say, Richard, it
:50:02. > :50:06.does look absolutely immaculate to me. What does this mean to you as a
:50:06. > :50:12.nursery? We have a vision of what it should look like. It worked out
:50:12. > :50:17.exactly how it worked in our heads, so for nursery, for us, the
:50:17. > :50:22.exhibitor, this is the pinnacle. Have you won Best in Show before,
:50:22. > :50:25.or anything similar at Chelsea? at Chelsea. It is really exciting.
:50:25. > :50:31.I know your sister picked up the award from the Queen herself. Got
:50:31. > :50:35.that feel like? Amazing, she said. Many congratulations. It's the most
:50:35. > :50:38.beautiful display. I can't fault it. Clearly the judges couldn't either.
:50:38. > :50:45.Congratulations. Thank you very much.
:50:45. > :50:51.A bit of a thrill there meeting the Queen. If she was here right now I
:50:51. > :51:01.think Her Majesty could approve of this corgi? You do approve?
:51:01. > :51:01.
:51:01. > :51:05.haven't made up my mind. Anne Brook made it to meet the Queen. It is
:51:05. > :51:12.made of chrysanthemums with black ris for its eyes. Have you seen
:51:12. > :51:21.what the nose is made of? Pussy willow. I expect it to roll over at
:51:21. > :51:29.any moment. And tiblg its tummy. It has -- and tickle its tummy. It has
:51:29. > :51:39.a bowl of blueberries and a bone. Peter Dowell's L'Occitane garden
:51:39. > :51:44.
:51:44. > :51:50.and Andy Sturgeon's garden for M&G Investments. This weather is
:51:50. > :51:55.exactly what's needed to bring out all those scents and perfumes. It
:51:55. > :52:05.is a lot cheaper than a Mediterranean holiday. And you have
:52:05. > :52:07.
:52:08. > :52:14.no for passport control. Andy has won a few at Chelsea, it is still a
:52:14. > :52:19.pressure. I think there's a certain amount of relief, but also surely
:52:19. > :52:23.this exhilaration, he looked happy to me today, and no wonder. To
:52:23. > :52:31.maintain that kind of standard year after year and always do something
:52:31. > :52:37.new. I love that bronzey sculpture, thatlb Serpentine slithering
:52:37. > :52:42.through the water. I love the stone. To be brave and push the boat out
:52:42. > :52:47.financially, to have these big pieces. Smooth stone is wonderful
:52:47. > :52:55.in a garden, it gives peace and certainty. It is lovely. When you
:52:55. > :52:58.want to be cool, it is lovely to have a lie down. The RHS may be
:52:58. > :53:02.judge and jury medal-wise but it is a subjective matter and you may
:53:02. > :53:06.have your own opinion of who was robbed and who deserved gold. You
:53:06. > :53:10.can vote for your favourite show garden in the RHS People's Choice
:53:10. > :53:14.Award. We'll be looking at all the show gardens across the week to.
:53:14. > :53:20.Take part, go to our website - bbc.co.uk/chelsea.
:53:20. > :53:28.Follow the link to the RHS peel's award. We'll announce the result on
:53:28. > :53:32.Saturday on BBC Two at 7.15 pm. Every year the RHS judges choose
:53:32. > :53:36.one medal-winning show garden to award the Best in Show award. This
:53:36. > :53:41.is the highest prize and receiving it can take careers to the next
:53:41. > :53:47.level. Earlier the President of the RHS, Elizabeth Banks, presented the
:53:47. > :53:51.trophy to this year's winner. have got the greatest pleasure to
:53:51. > :53:55.give you, to the Brewin Dolphin garden, the Best in Show award.
:53:55. > :53:59.Thank you very much. It is just wonderful and so many
:53:59. > :54:07.congratulations to you and actually all the team.
:54:07. > :54:13.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Hooray! This is fabulous. Absolutely fabulous.
:54:13. > :54:17.It is a little light the Cup Final. This is more useful. You can put
:54:17. > :54:23.port in there. Two years running Best in Show. Is that a record?
:54:23. > :54:27.don't know many others two years Best in Show. I really done. It is
:54:27. > :54:32.quite something. I hate that question, how you do feel? But I
:54:32. > :54:38.have to ask you. It's genuinely overwhelming. I was going to put a
:54:38. > :54:42.bet on someone else yesterday. us through what you were trying to
:54:42. > :54:46.do here. Brewin Dolphin, 250 th year of one of the founding members
:54:46. > :54:50.of the London Stock Exchange. gave me an open brief but we
:54:51. > :54:58.decided on something that was traditional with a contemporary
:54:59. > :55:05.twist, so we can reference history but bring it up to the present day.
:55:05. > :55:10.This wellhead became our focal point. It is used in a contemporary
:55:10. > :55:17.context. You have used topiary. Each year there'll be a Zeitgeist,
:55:17. > :55:22.a mood of the moment, and it will pop up in several gardens. We get
:55:22. > :55:26.desperate thinking what hasn't been done for several years. Where did
:55:26. > :55:34.they come from? A nursery in Belgium. They've got so many
:55:34. > :55:39.presence. The garden is reflecting that 250 years. 250 year agos ago
:55:39. > :55:44.topiary was being ripped out by people like "Capability" Brown.
:55:44. > :55:51.can celebrate it now with a nice glass of port. Cleve West, best
:55:51. > :55:55.garden in show. APPLAUSE It's been a momentous day here in
:55:55. > :56:00.the Royal Hospital ground. We've had a fair share of laughter and
:56:00. > :56:10.tears. The sun has come out. Nothing can bring out a smile quite
:56:10. > :56:10.
:56:10. > :57:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 53 seconds
:57:03. > :57:07.SONG: You Can Get It If You Really One of the great things the sun has
:57:07. > :57:11.done is bring out all the flowers that have been held back so far.
:57:11. > :57:16.And what's more in the show gardens the judges haven't penalised people
:57:16. > :57:20.for the fact that that knowledge this season, for the fact that
:57:20. > :57:25.things were backward. It is a really good sign. It's a
:57:25. > :57:29.recognition of the fact that gardening is all about cycle and
:57:29. > :57:34.change. It is not saying alright we'll let you off this year,
:57:34. > :57:38.because they are. It is being realistic that the sun is bringing
:57:38. > :57:41.them all out. Opening the flowers and making them brighter. That's
:57:41. > :57:44.all for tonight's Chelsea. Nicki Chapman and Toby Buckland will be
:57:44. > :57:48.back tomorrow at 12.30pm on BBC One. I'll be joined by Chris Beardshaw
:57:48. > :57:51.tomorrow night on BBC One and BBC Two for a bumper 90 minutes of
:57:51. > :57:54.Chelsea coverage. If you simply can't wait, you can press the red
:57:54. > :57:56.button straight after the show to find out more about Sarah Price's
:57:57. > :57:59.design inspiration. And join Tom Hart Dyke, who's looking at the