:00:37. > :00:42.Welcome to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show an event supported by M&G
:00:42. > :00:48.Investments. Over the past 100 year, the ground of the Royal Hospital
:00:48. > :00:53.London have been be sieged, dug up, redesigned an restored over and over
:00:54. > :00:58.again. For a world famous horticultural hoo-ha. This floral
:00:59. > :01:03.furore is caused by the Chelsea Flower Show, the crowning Helen
:01:03. > :01:05.Glover ry and the place serious designers aspire to exhibit. But
:01:05. > :01:10.just getting to the gates isn't enough. Here it is about the
:01:10. > :01:19.winning, not the taking part, because every exhibiter wants to
:01:19. > :01:24.leave with one of these. A covet ed Chelsea gold. It is a very special
:01:24. > :01:32.centenary medal today but who struck gold in Chelsea's 100th year? Coming
:01:32. > :01:37.up on the medal winning Chelsea. The Wizards of Oz, Flemings Nursery
:01:37. > :01:42.revealed the inspiration behind their final show garden. The most
:01:42. > :01:47.important criteria is to connecting people back with the beauty of
:01:47. > :01:52.nature. Goldfinger, Carol meets the
:01:52. > :01:58.exhibitors in the Great Pavilion who always grow for gold We have had 63
:01:58. > :02:03.gold medals. 63?63. And a sport of gardening. Linford
:02:03. > :02:11.Christie takes a run round the gardens and shares his passions for
:02:11. > :02:15.plants. Aren't these beautiful? Well, you could have cut the air
:02:15. > :02:19.with sectors this morning as Chelsea's centenary results were
:02:19. > :02:27.revealed. Nicki Chapman and James Alexander Sinclair leapt out of
:02:27. > :02:31.their beds to be first to hear the exciting news. We are hear first
:02:31. > :02:34.thing, and why? It is the most important day of the week because it
:02:34. > :02:37.is medals day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
:02:37. > :02:41.There are people out there biting their nails to the quick in
:02:41. > :02:48.anticipation but they might get one of these. Or will it be one of
:02:48. > :02:55.these? Fingers cross, I will take Main Avenue. And I will do the art
:02:55. > :03:05.San. -- the arty San.
:03:05. > :03:36.
:03:36. > :03:46.I don't want to look at it. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:03:46. > :03:52.
:03:52. > :04:02.Awesome. Well done mate. We have been awarded best in category.
:04:02. > :04:03.
:04:03. > :04:13.you. That is a class six underreaction as you would expect.
:04:13. > :04:23.Silver medal. Fantastic, thank you very much indeed.
:04:23. > :04:29.
:04:29. > :04:34.-- classic. What a morning, a whopping ten out
:04:34. > :04:38.of 15 show gardens won gold. That is more gold medals in this category
:04:38. > :04:43.than ever before. Gold is of course the highest medal that can be
:04:43. > :04:47.awarded followed by Silver-Gilt, silver and bronze. All the exhibits
:04:47. > :04:53.are judged on their own merits, so in theory every one has a chance to
:04:53. > :04:58.leaf here with a gold. Chelsea maybe seven brating its
:04:58. > :05:02.centenary but rewind to 2013 and golds were a rarity, only one was
:05:02. > :05:08.awarded across the whole show back then, and it went to John Wood, for
:05:08. > :05:13.his rock garden. How things have changed. 100 years
:05:13. > :05:23.and it is a gold rush. We went to take a closer look at three gardens
:05:23. > :05:26.
:05:26. > :05:31.When I first saw this garden I was in no doubt it would get a gold
:05:31. > :05:38.medal. It sings out. The plants are beautifully put together. As you
:05:38. > :05:43.would expect from plants man Roger plait who has grown them to
:05:43. > :05:46.perfection in a difficult Chelsea year. All his gardens have a
:05:46. > :05:50.signature theme of beautiful planting but a lovely comfortable
:05:50. > :05:54.feel about then that the visitors to the show love. It is one of those
:05:54. > :05:58.gardens you want to take home and have in your own space. He has taken
:05:58. > :06:02.onboard the theme, but he has done it very well, without having to
:06:03. > :06:07.force the issue too much, so we are going 100 years back, this wall and
:06:07. > :06:11.the win we do The Ivy growing through it. It is dating back to
:06:11. > :06:16.1913, plants like the rhodendrons and the maples giving plenty of
:06:16. > :06:22.structure. I love the Myrtles. Anchoring the oak summer house to
:06:22. > :06:27.the ground, and they are reflected by the since us the. When it comes
:06:27. > :06:32.to colour, he has got rose, and tell fin yums and those wonderful
:06:32. > :06:37.glorious plants that we like to use, and this lovely flower. I know he
:06:37. > :06:42.wanted that in flower, but it hasn't come good. It hasn't affected the
:06:42. > :06:47.medal. At the front we have this rusty steel sculpture which is
:06:47. > :06:54.echoed in the plants. So, Roger has done it again, and he
:06:54. > :07:00.has made a beautiful garden, a well deserved gold.
:07:00. > :07:04.Stunning informal planting there from Roger, if you retired of
:07:04. > :07:08.gardens that are slabs and square, then this one will appeal too. I
:07:08. > :07:16.spoke to the designer who said the trouble with small gardens is very
:07:16. > :07:21.difficult to do curves in them. They have managed to succeed here, this
:07:21. > :07:25.is the east village garden. It is inspired by the Queen Elizabeth
:07:25. > :07:29.Olympic Park which is being turned over to housing. It is in the Leigh
:07:29. > :07:34.valley, famous as a growing place, before it became the Olympic Park
:07:34. > :07:41.and village. This is dominated by a wonderfully sins youly curving
:07:41. > :07:46.stream down the middle. Mar re-Louise told me the secret is to
:07:46. > :07:52.use small paving unit, which is why the path is made up of small brick
:07:52. > :07:57.s, but I love the construction, from that curving sort of fan shape at
:07:57. > :08:01.the top which is glazed and with the round seat, so the stream comes down
:08:01. > :08:06.with this black lining and these copper spouts, which disgorge their
:08:06. > :08:11.load into a series of fan shaped shelves down here, running right
:08:11. > :08:15.down past this fabulous planting of lily, stark white trumpets standing
:08:15. > :08:19.up in the middle. Contrasting with the water. Rhodendrons from ex
:08:19. > :08:23.Britain and all the water making its way down and disappear ing through a
:08:23. > :08:30.hole in the ground. This is not a garden that is going to go down the
:08:30. > :08:34.plug hole in a hurry. Back in 2011 Robert got a
:08:34. > :08:38.Silver-Gilt Medal at Chelsea, and I have to say, I doubted the judges
:08:38. > :08:42.decision there too, we were worried we wouldn't see him for a while. He
:08:42. > :08:48.is back with a bang. This is a stunning garden, gave the judges no
:08:48. > :08:51.choice, a gold medal throughout. And what he has done is create a
:08:51. > :08:55.minimalist contemporary stylish garden here, this L shaped deck
:08:55. > :08:59.wrapping round, and in the water countering acting and wrapping round
:08:59. > :09:03.the other side. What he tried to do with the planting is show what you
:09:03. > :09:08.can do with native plant, you don't have to go wild, you can manicure
:09:08. > :09:13.them and make them sit beautifully in a contemporary space. So we have
:09:13. > :09:18.the field maple hedge on that side, on that boundary and here we have
:09:18. > :09:22.the multi-stemmed trees erupting out of this border. In this central
:09:22. > :09:26.sunken space, I love these box mounds, he calls them pillow, they
:09:26. > :09:30.have been clipped into this shape. It was an accident. Back at the
:09:30. > :09:34.nursery they got frosted and they got cut hard back, and that gave the
:09:35. > :09:41.inspiration to a lot of the shape throughout the garden. So it has
:09:41. > :09:48.been picked up over here, on this boundary, these have been routed out
:09:48. > :09:52.of plywood board and we have this sculpture churl element. A pergola
:09:52. > :09:57.here, and sculpture churl element of polished concrete ball, so this
:09:57. > :10:02.year, he has come back, with a vengeance, got himself a well
:10:02. > :10:12.deserved gold medal. Great gardens. We are asking all of
:10:12. > :10:13.
:10:13. > :10:18.our presenters their memories of It goes back a long way. Rock
:10:18. > :10:24.gardens were all the rage, so for me it was the rock bank, the huge
:10:24. > :10:29.boulders and cascading waterfall, I remember that vividly, that must be
:10:29. > :10:36.late 60s, 70s. Give your aim way.I don't mind. She was carried in. I
:10:36. > :10:42.was tiny, a babe in arms, and also the marquee, that flapping of the
:10:42. > :10:47.canvas, like a big sailing ship, sail. Are there bit yous Gou to
:10:47. > :10:50.every year that are favourite spots? Yes, I try and do it all. And then
:10:51. > :10:56.it is too much and you can't take it in, but I still love to go and see
:10:56. > :11:01.the plant, I think that is just, being able to compare one Iris with
:11:01. > :11:06.another, and look at all this the tulip s and taking that colour and
:11:06. > :11:10.look at things in debail -- detail. Fantastic. You regard it as a living
:11:10. > :11:14.plant catalogue, if you want to choose your tulips, they are all
:11:14. > :11:19.there, I don't like that, I like that. From a catalogue you don't get
:11:19. > :11:23.that. You can see them in the flesh so to speak, they give you lists and
:11:23. > :11:29.you tick off the ones you want. Mine isle always so full of ticks of all
:11:29. > :11:37.the things I would like the buy. They have a nifty idea. You don't
:11:37. > :11:41.pay till autumn then you get the bill! "Did I have all those? "
:11:41. > :11:48.a garden in 2008. That was an extraordinary expense. It was a
:11:48. > :11:53.small forward none the far corner over there. -- garden in it was an
:11:53. > :11:57.eye opener, I truly appreciated what goes into making a garden. You know
:11:57. > :12:03.the logistics, the preparation, the research, the whole thing getting,
:12:03. > :12:08.keeping your team together heartache. Absolutely. But I was
:12:08. > :12:12.incredibly proud of it, I knew how much, body and soul had gone into
:12:12. > :12:22.that little garden We have some footage, we have dug it up, of Carol
:12:22. > :12:24.
:12:24. > :12:30.taking a look round Rachel's 2008 She has used roses in an innovative
:12:30. > :12:34.way. She has built terraces made of slate and inspired by paddy field,
:12:34. > :12:41.these wonderful tier, one-on-one, it is a beautiful idea to copy if you
:12:41. > :12:45.have a small garden, when you love growing roses, I think it works
:12:45. > :12:51.wonderfully. It is lovely to ea it again. Look, I brought my medal.A
:12:51. > :12:54.silver medal. It is there. Lovely to share your memories. Well Linford
:12:54. > :12:58.Christie is to stranger to winning gold but you are more likely to find
:12:58. > :13:02.him potting up in the greenhouse these days, than warming up on the
:13:02. > :13:12.track. He has been coming to Chelsea for 15 years for inspiration, he
:13:12. > :13:16.allowed us to tag along as he set I am here because I am trying to be
:13:16. > :13:21.inspired. I try to come twice a year. First day of course, I look
:13:21. > :13:28.round an see what is going on, the last day when you can buy the plant,
:13:28. > :13:33.I have a new garden, totally blank canvas, it is a lot of straight if
:13:33. > :13:40.my fence. I want, I think it is nice, there is a lot of things I
:13:40. > :13:44.would like in my garden. I love the garden It is a family garden so it
:13:44. > :13:50.is created for family that want a garden, but they have got kids, they
:13:50. > :13:53.have kids that are about 12, 13, 14, just at that moment when gardening
:13:53. > :13:57.stops being cool and you have to be 60 plus to garden. But they want
:13:57. > :14:01.their kids to understand not only about nature but they want to
:14:01. > :14:06.understand where their food comes from. So it is breaking it into
:14:06. > :14:10.three simple spaces. We have a lawn area, a beehive and fruit trees that
:14:10. > :14:16.carry back over the garden, cooking area, and then at the back you have
:14:16. > :14:19.the big old table, it is under to spend time together and put their
:14:20. > :14:23.mobile phones down and maybe talk to each other. It is about getting the
:14:23. > :14:29.kids understanding nature, if they understand nature, they will
:14:29. > :14:32.understand more about the world, and understand more about the world, and
:14:32. > :14:36.what is going on. That is true. Isn't it amazing the buzz going on
:14:36. > :14:40.here. Considering it is not top story the public as yet. There is so
:14:40. > :14:43.many people, all these are members of the RHS, these are people really
:14:44. > :14:48.interested in gardening. It is amazing.
:14:48. > :14:58.I think every garden should have a bit of sculpture in it. That is my
:14:58. > :15:03.
:15:03. > :15:07.kind of thing. Me and the kids! I'm a lawnmower man! Love it. I've cut
:15:07. > :15:14.the grass and put some stripes in it. That's me. Aren't these
:15:14. > :15:21.beautiful? If I move from here to there, the weather changes because
:15:21. > :15:29.I'm going over to Trinidad and Tobago. It's really nice. There's
:15:29. > :15:34.lots of things here that reminds me of when I was in the West Indies.
:15:34. > :15:39.You are responsible for this, I take it? Yes. I did the design and
:15:39. > :15:44.everything. It was inspired by one of our most famous artists. I tried
:15:44. > :15:52.to incorporate a little of where we came from and where we are now with
:15:52. > :16:02.the various tropical flowers that we grow. I see you have got a gold.
:16:02. > :16:15.
:16:15. > :16:19.Yes. Is that a real gold?It is! impression. What did you make of it
:16:19. > :16:24.this year? I thought it was quite good. There seems to be a lot more
:16:24. > :16:30.new things and different ideas than previous years. It refreshes itself
:16:30. > :16:34.every year. You have been coming quite a while. How keen are you?
:16:34. > :16:39.absolutely love it. It's nice to come along and get ideas and get
:16:39. > :16:43.inspiration, and see what people do. And see things that you normally
:16:43. > :16:48.think wouldn't be achievable. You get here and you realise they can be
:16:48. > :16:54.achieved. So it raises your aspirations. What got you into
:16:54. > :16:59.gardening in the first place? accident. When I was very young, my
:16:59. > :17:04.father used to grow tomatoes and sweetcorn is. My job was to pick the
:17:04. > :17:14.caterpillars of the tomato plants. Not a good job! Do you still grow
:17:14. > :17:19.
:17:19. > :17:23.veg? No.It put you off for life? did! At one point, I was told that
:17:23. > :17:28.if I looked after the garden, they would sell me the house. And I did.
:17:28. > :17:32.I looked at all the books, tried to learn the Latin names, went to the
:17:32. > :17:42.garden centre. If you know the Latin names, it makes you look like you
:17:42. > :17:43.
:17:43. > :17:48.know what you are talking about. what have you got? Allsorts.Are you
:17:48. > :17:54.as disciplined a garden as you are an athlete? I think you have to be.
:17:54. > :17:57.In athletics, you have to be patient. You have to be, and if you
:17:57. > :18:02.are patient, the race will run quite smoothly. It is the same thing. If
:18:02. > :18:06.you put a plant in the garden, you've got to water it and be
:18:06. > :18:11.patient, and you get the end result. One thing that would never crossed
:18:11. > :18:16.my mind is that you need patience in athletics. Is that where you need
:18:16. > :18:21.the training plan, not to rush things, to be patient? Jedinak yes,
:18:21. > :18:28.because if you rush a race, you will never run as fast as you would like
:18:28. > :18:34.to. With your stride pattern, you have got to wait patiently for one
:18:34. > :18:44.likes to hit the ground, for your stride to come through. You are one
:18:44. > :18:46.
:18:46. > :18:51.of the fastest man on no legs. Do you still run? No. I am about three
:18:51. > :18:57.stone heavier than I used to be. They do say that gardening is a
:18:57. > :19:05.great way of keeping fit. We welcome you from the world of athletics to
:19:05. > :19:08.the world of gardening. Cheers!At the heart of the Chelsea show stands
:19:08. > :19:17.the Great Pavilion. This canvas covered plant carnival has seen its
:19:18. > :19:26.fair share of medals over the years. In petals are an appetite for
:19:26. > :19:36.insects to be a success. This year, this gentleman wanted to bank is
:19:36. > :19:39.
:19:39. > :19:43.dub-dash his 15th RHS Gold. Is this your highest gold today? Yes, it is.
:19:43. > :19:50.You are knee deep in them. They looked absolutely stunning. What do
:19:50. > :19:57.they live? What do they live off? -- what did they eat? They are all
:19:57. > :20:03.coniferous. The largest ones are big enough to catch mice and rats, in
:20:03. > :20:08.some cases. Incredible. Which ones, over the years, have you been able
:20:08. > :20:12.to really rely on bringing to Chelsea? The best one has been the
:20:12. > :20:17.big green one at the back there. It is very reliable. It is an old
:20:17. > :20:26.plant, about 30 years old. It is a stunner. And your personal
:20:26. > :20:31.favourite? This one here. It is named after my wife. And this one
:20:31. > :20:38.here, the monkey cup, is named after my daughter. It adds a different guy
:20:38. > :20:45.mention. And are they easy to grow? They do not look easy to grow.
:20:45. > :20:51.do not look easy. One of these is an easy one, you can do well in your
:20:51. > :20:59.kitchen and garden with this one. This one will take a temperature as
:20:59. > :21:06.low as -20. They are a off than they look. -- a lot tougher than they
:21:06. > :21:11.look. Hope to see you next year. Out of 113 nurseries competing for
:21:12. > :21:18.medals here, this year, 60 21 gold. For some, it will not be there
:21:18. > :21:24.first, and almost certainly will not be their last. Carol Klein went to
:21:24. > :21:34.take a look at a closer look at plants grown not by green fingers
:21:34. > :21:44.
:21:44. > :21:52.dynasty, the family engaged in growing these beautiful flowers.
:21:53. > :21:57.When was the first year that blondes exhibited at Chelsea? The first time
:21:57. > :22:04.was in 1948. My father started Chelsea off, and we have been there
:22:04. > :22:14.ever since. Since then, we have had 63 gold medals. 63? That is
:22:14. > :22:19.
:22:20. > :22:25.tulips. Which one do you choose? If you want to start with a winner, how
:22:25. > :22:30.about something like this orange sun. It is a Darwin hybrid, and they
:22:30. > :22:36.are known for being long-lasting. I grow nearly all my tulips in big,
:22:36. > :22:39.clay pots, but that is because I have such heavy, solid soil, but
:22:39. > :22:44.tulips really don't like it. They prefer something that is free
:22:44. > :22:54.draining and always out in the sun. If you grow them in pots, they will
:22:54. > :22:58.
:22:58. > :23:04.thrive and give you the most favourite at Chelsea, and this
:23:04. > :23:08.year's Gold Medal makes it the full 20. It is particularly poignant
:23:08. > :23:14.because Peter died earlier this year, so the whole stand is a
:23:14. > :23:20.tribute to him. It is based on a medieval abbey, a wonderfully
:23:20. > :23:30.romantic setting, with his incredibly romantic Rosing foot --
:23:30. > :23:30.
:23:30. > :23:36.roses. Peter Beal is known for producing beautiful shrub roses, and
:23:36. > :23:40.I roses that go up in the air, like these climbers. There are true
:23:40. > :23:45.climbers and there are rumblings roses. Things like this rambling
:23:45. > :23:50.Rector. If you have got the room, you have got the space. If there is
:23:50. > :23:57.a host, you can just let them go, climb up into the trees and do their
:23:57. > :24:04.thing. If you have to keep them slightly within bones, remember that
:24:04. > :24:14.they flourish on old wood. They call this stumping. You take your
:24:14. > :24:14.
:24:15. > :24:19.secateurs and go right the way along and cut off the old flowers. Johnnie
:24:19. > :24:26.Walker has been growing daffodils since he was a lad in short
:24:26. > :24:32.trousers, and this is his 20th Gold Medal consecutively at Chelsea. How
:24:32. > :24:36.do you achieve something like that? Jonny knows his plans intimately. He
:24:36. > :24:40.knows them -- he grows them beautifully and displays them
:24:40. > :24:48.meticulously, whether it is something simple and straightforward
:24:48. > :24:51.like Golden Joy, or something glorious and voluptuous. Winning
:24:52. > :25:01.gold at Chelsea is all about devotion. It is about loving your
:25:02. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:15.plants and wanting to show them off medal winning Chelsea Flower Show.
:25:15. > :25:22.Coming up, designer Ann-Marie Powell takes a look at the small gardens
:25:22. > :25:25.with big ideas. I think this is a wonderful space, and I am not
:25:25. > :25:34.surprised it won a gold. We talk to the designer who has won Chelsea's
:25:35. > :25:39.most prestigious garden award. Congratulations to Peter! And a
:25:39. > :25:43.Welsh stand up of approval. Rob Brydon explains why he is passionate
:25:43. > :25:49.about Chelsea. The first year, it was something that never appealed to
:25:49. > :25:55.me. I came, and it was wonderful! There is nothing in the garden more
:25:55. > :26:00.British than a carefully clipped hope you read. As a nation, we have
:26:00. > :26:05.been boxing clever with our garden snips for years, and it is always a
:26:05. > :26:15.regular sight at Chelsea. It was top television news in the 1920s and
:26:15. > :26:16.
:26:16. > :26:21.caused quite a stir! Clipped bushes and topiary made a neat show.
:26:21. > :26:26.the excitement for topiary took off at the very first Chelsea show in
:26:26. > :26:30.1913, mostly because of the man called, and you are not going to
:26:31. > :26:35.believe this, Mr Cutbush. To celebrate 100 years of clipped art
:26:35. > :26:45.at the show, Chelsea is replicating what his stand would have looked
:26:45. > :26:46.
:26:46. > :26:54.like. Tell us about this man. amazing. He was a real slogan. He --
:26:54. > :26:59.he was a real great man. His slogan was, cut bushes! All you need are
:26:59. > :27:04.individual oak barrels, cuts down the grass, and there they are. The
:27:04. > :27:11.art bit was the actual plant itself. Is it true that you used to be a
:27:11. > :27:18.hairdresser? It is true! It is a short shift, cutting hair to cutting
:27:18. > :27:26.bushes. I John Wood and shapes on this side. What do you call that
:27:26. > :27:29.snake thing? It is a cloud proof hedge. It is contrast it with all
:27:29. > :27:35.these horizontal lines that are much more formal, just to get the
:27:35. > :27:39.contrast. When it comes to doing shapes, things like the anchor or
:27:39. > :27:46.the peacock, what sort of time are we talking about to create those?
:27:46. > :27:52.depends if you have a multi-stem or a single stem. The single stems are
:27:52. > :27:57.much longer and much classier. You have just the one. With multi-stems,
:27:57. > :28:03.you have lots, and they race up. This is a man who really has fun. Do
:28:03. > :28:07.you go out and clipped people's hedges? Absolutely, yes! That is
:28:07. > :28:12.more exciting because you go into a garden and nobody has put a stamp on
:28:12. > :28:18.that garden, so you have the opportunity to do at interesting
:28:18. > :28:26.things with it. And what does it suggest? Congratulations on this
:28:26. > :28:32.medal. It is a fascinating thing. There is so much water culture or
:28:32. > :28:37.history in the Great Pavilion. There really is nothing like it, and that
:28:37. > :28:41.is why people come back year after year. People come back all the time.
:28:41. > :28:46.Hilliers nursery is one of them. They have walked away with gold
:28:46. > :28:56.every year since 1947, and they hope the centenary show will be no
:28:56. > :29:02.
:29:02. > :29:08.149 years old, so we are half a century old than Chelsea Flower
:29:08. > :29:13.Show. Hillier was founded in 1864. It started down on Winchester high
:29:13. > :29:20.Street, at a small florist and seed shop, and it has grown into what it
:29:20. > :29:24.is today. At this stage in the game, the most important thing is
:29:24. > :29:29.getting the job done, getting that exhibit built, and actually walking
:29:29. > :29:37.away from it feeling that you did the best you possibly could, and it
:29:37. > :29:43.is a showstopper. Hillier has introduced new plants over the
:29:43. > :29:47.years, and also, we have changed the way we grow and sell. Container
:29:47. > :29:53.growing in the past 30 years has become the way that people buy
:29:53. > :29:58.plants. They want something that looks good when they buy it. They
:29:58. > :30:03.want it to make an instant impact in their garden, so maybe, rather than
:30:03. > :30:08.sending a group of men out with spades to lift and root ball a tree,
:30:08. > :30:12.and then actually lift it onto a lorry, you grow it in a pot in the
:30:12. > :30:22.first place, in the right compost, under irrigation, and then it is
:30:22. > :30:28.
:30:28. > :30:30.much easier to move by machine. You reduce your manhandling. The most
:30:30. > :30:39.important person in the exhibit is Ricky, he is responsible for the
:30:39. > :30:44.preparation of all the plant material for the show.
:30:44. > :30:49.Also the cornice, they look They are better than they were last year
:30:49. > :30:55.because of the later season. I never rely on specific plants because you
:30:55. > :30:59.never foe what they are going to go. However, at the 11th hour, they are
:30:59. > :31:02.always surprises. -- there are. And sometimes there is something that
:31:02. > :31:08.Ricky's just brought along to the show, because it happened to be
:31:08. > :31:12.looking good at the moment, and that ends up being the one which steals
:31:12. > :31:16.ends up being the one which steals that particular Chelsea Flower Show.
:31:16. > :31:20.When it comes to designing any planting scheme for a garden,
:31:20. > :31:25.everybody thinks about flowers but in fact in a garden, you know, most
:31:25. > :31:29.of the colour comes from foliage. It is the enduring factor, particularly
:31:29. > :31:32.in that middle layer of the planting picture, you have trees up there and
:31:33. > :31:37.you have got this stuff down here, which is, that is the part of the
:31:37. > :31:41.garden, the small shrubs where we spend most of our time messing
:31:41. > :31:46.round, the pit we look at in the middle is the bit that goes flat and
:31:46. > :31:53.green half way through the year. In most cases, you add more foliage
:31:53. > :31:58.interest in that layer and you will bring your planting the livful
:31:58. > :32:04.-- life. We try do something different every year, so a start
:32:04. > :32:09.with a theme and build on it. This year it is more adventurous, I am
:32:09. > :32:15.using contemporary accessory, I intend to use whacky planting
:32:15. > :32:18.combination, people like the soft pinks andly lacks and the feel --
:32:18. > :32:24.lilac, and the feel good colours but some times we do colour, which is
:32:24. > :32:27.what I like to think of as a bit risky, so we put hot orange and pink
:32:27. > :32:32.together, with red foliage and shots of blue coming through it. That is
:32:32. > :32:36.something that I really want to play with this year. Our theme is risk,
:32:36. > :32:43.and I want to take a few risks with and I want to take a few risks with
:32:43. > :32:50.colour. Hillafter -- Hillier are in the
:32:50. > :32:53.Guinness boobg of of world records as holders of the most consecutive
:32:53. > :32:59.gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show. It is important we maintain our
:32:59. > :33:02.record and somewhere along the line it would be nice to have our 68th
:33:02. > :33:07.consecutive gold. Who knows? Maybe the exhibit won't deserve it and
:33:07. > :33:10.that is the way you have to look at I want I just hope at the end of the
:33:10. > :33:16.day we believe it is a great day we believe it is a great
:33:16. > :33:22.exhibit. Congratulations on your gold, you
:33:22. > :33:26.have your 68 now, consecutive. have. A lot of people say don't you
:33:26. > :33:31.just ex pict expect it? No, you don't. It is always a bit
:33:31. > :33:33.nail-biting and no more so than this year, because it has been a
:33:33. > :33:38.challenging spring for everybody, you know, I think it is remarkable
:33:38. > :33:44.that the show looks as good as it does. Your stand looks astonishing,
:33:44. > :33:49.you brought the colour in in your furnishing and dare I say your
:33:49. > :33:54.apparel. I say you should dress to match your plans. You have! Looking
:33:54. > :34:00.at the silver birches, they just about brush the top of the Great
:34:00. > :34:04.Pavilion. They do indeed. These trees have come into leaf
:34:04. > :34:07.beautifully, because round the show, you know a lot of trees are
:34:07. > :34:11.reluctant to put on foliage this year, and we guessed the height of
:34:11. > :34:16.these, you see them on the tree line on the nursery, you think, yes, that
:34:16. > :34:19.will fit, no problem, then when they come off the lorry in here and you
:34:19. > :34:23.walk them up right and put them in position, there was a few worrying
:34:23. > :34:28.moments as to whether or not they were going to make it. We will have
:34:28. > :34:31.to take the top out and will they look dreadful? You can't do that,
:34:31. > :34:35.and I don't think the lads would have been too appreciative if I
:34:35. > :34:38.wanted to send them home. We have favourite, there are plants that
:34:38. > :34:42.come back every year, that is lovely to see, because they are old friends
:34:42. > :34:46.in a way, but you do seem to have to find a new and novel way of putting
:34:46. > :34:51.them together. Is that what the challenge is for you? It is. Chelsea
:34:51. > :34:58.happens in the third week in May, so there are the things which are
:34:58. > :35:02.performing at this time like aazaleas and maples, so you are
:35:02. > :35:07.reinventing it by finding different colour combinations and in a way
:35:07. > :35:10.that is what it is like in the garden. Choosing the sort of
:35:10. > :35:15.familiar readily available plants and putting them together in the
:35:16. > :35:19.right way for best effect. Why is Chelsea so special for you? Well,
:35:19. > :35:24.Chelsea, I don't know what it is about Chelsea. It is sort of an
:35:24. > :35:32.event during the year, which I think sort of reinvigorates your interest
:35:32. > :35:37.and passion for horticultural. Horticulture, sometimes you get
:35:37. > :35:41.jaded, thinking "Why do I do this? "You walk in and when there is no
:35:41. > :35:44.stopping it and the plant also roll in and it has to happen within a
:35:45. > :35:51.week, I suppose it is that adrenaline kick that makes it
:35:51. > :35:57.happen. Many congratulations.Thank you. It is true to say the large
:35:57. > :36:02.show gardens a tract most of the attention on medals day. The 19
:36:02. > :36:08.smaller gardens still pack a punch. An Marinos more than most the
:36:08. > :36:13.stresses of planning and designing a compact space. She has been there,
:36:13. > :36:19.got the T-shirt and clinched a gold in 2010. So we sent her out to see
:36:19. > :36:23.what she thought of the line up this year. The small gardens are so
:36:23. > :36:29.important, because they give us the ideas that are easily transferable
:36:29. > :36:39.into our own gardens at home. Chelsea has two categories of small
:36:39. > :36:40.
:36:40. > :36:45.garden, there is fresh and artisan. The design here has made use of
:36:45. > :36:51.every single inch of space. We have this tier of planting. The attention
:36:51. > :36:59.to detail is lovely. These beautiful mounds of moss and the trickle of
:36:59. > :37:04.water cascading through the space. There are some wonderful specimens
:37:04. > :37:14.in this place, the heart of garden, marking the entrance into the tea
:37:14. > :37:19.house. Isn't this garden absolutely joyful?
:37:19. > :37:23.After the long winter that we have had, a bit of colour like this is so
:37:23. > :37:28.very welcome. The message is the importance of clean water to
:37:28. > :37:32.communities in India. You might be wondering what that is?
:37:32. > :37:35.But it's a really clever rain water harvesting store, now when I was
:37:35. > :37:40.younger I spent a good six months in India, living with an Indian family,
:37:40. > :37:49.and this garden takes me straight back there. I am not surprised it
:37:49. > :37:54.won a gold. Now the fresh garden category is a
:37:54. > :38:01.relative new category at Chelsea of small gardens. It celebrates
:38:01. > :38:06.innovative, new and fresh in garden design spheres, I love this gold
:38:06. > :38:10.medal winning garden. The mindfullness garden. It is an
:38:10. > :38:15.explosion of vitality, and just here, through this tube, you have an
:38:15. > :38:20.encryption on slate, which is all about all the busyness of life round
:38:20. > :38:30.you, but within that finding a moment of silence, a treat.
:38:30. > :38:40.Something my boyfriend would not believe I just said!
:38:40. > :38:42.
:38:42. > :38:46.Now as an avid Tweeter I love this garden by Halffleet. Every time you
:38:46. > :38:51.tweet RHS Chelsea on the garden it controls the panel, allowing you a
:38:51. > :38:55.sneak into the wonderful planting behind. Now this the planting style
:38:55. > :39:01.is very exhuberant, frothy and fluffy, very very Chelsea, but when
:39:01. > :39:07.these screens open, we have the very lush Verdant tropical planting that
:39:07. > :39:10.lies beyond. Now this garden is not only my
:39:10. > :39:12.favourite garden and exhibit of the show, but it won the best fresh
:39:12. > :39:17.garden in its category, and a gold medal.
:39:17. > :39:21.The garden is called after the fire. We have all of the sticks coming up
:39:21. > :39:25.out of the ground, creating such a sense of energy, and you can almost
:39:25. > :39:29.feel the blaze that would have been burning through here. This exploring
:39:30. > :39:34.the regeneration of nature and its incredible about to do so, so
:39:34. > :39:39.beautifully. I love the texture and the contrast and the Thierriness of
:39:40. > :39:45.the whole space. This wonderful, the fresh, the creative, its innovative
:39:45. > :39:49.and it does encompass everything the fresh gardens are all about. I
:39:49. > :39:53.wonder what the judges back in 1913 would have made of the fresh garden
:39:53. > :40:00.category. Love them or hate them, this show has never shied away from
:40:00. > :40:05.controversy and big ideas. It recognises young talent. This year
:40:05. > :40:09.20-year-old Jack Dunckley is making his debut. This is his first Chelsea
:40:09. > :40:14.garden called Juxtaposition. Lovely to see you Nice to be here.You were
:40:14. > :40:18.14 and now you are here, living the dream at Chelsea Very happy.How do
:40:18. > :40:22.you feel? Brilliant. Amazing. Tell us about the garden This is
:40:22. > :40:30.Juxtaposition, it is based on two different sides. On this side, very
:40:30. > :40:37.lush, so we have steamy tropical planting, there is thing things like
:40:37. > :40:45.lilies, tropical plants. It looks bold and Jungly. On the other side?
:40:45. > :40:50.A contrast, we have a desert with love lovely yucca, off set by sand.
:40:50. > :40:56.The spiky forms and space between them. You can feel the dry arid
:40:56. > :41:05.desert. In contrast to the other.I love the screen, the way you have
:41:05. > :41:09.divided it They are perspex.They look like they have holes in them
:41:09. > :41:13.They are just printed. You have a Silver-Gilt. How chuffed do you
:41:13. > :41:18.feel? Amazing from my first time here it is a great achievement.
:41:18. > :41:23.is lovely to see you, next year, what do you think? Main Avenue?
:41:23. > :41:27.would love to be, I would love to go to Main Avenue, if you know any
:41:27. > :41:33.sponsors. I will send them your way. Well done, you have done a great
:41:33. > :41:38.job. John Van Hage was the youngest garden designer to win gold and Best
:41:38. > :41:43.In Show in 1991 with his Forgotten Pavillion garden. He was 25. So
:41:43. > :41:49.Jack, you have are more years to top that. Chelsea has nurtured new
:41:49. > :41:55.talent. It has the power to whip non-gardening types into a
:41:55. > :42:01.horticultural frenzy. Rob Brydon is no exception. Yesterday, I asked him
:42:01. > :42:04.why he loves Chelsea. : Rob, you are becoming a regular, how long have
:42:04. > :42:09.you been coming? We were trying to do the math, our fifth year.
:42:09. > :42:15.being? . Me and my career, or my wife as she is also known. We loved
:42:15. > :42:19.it. The first year, it was something that had never appealed to me. And I
:42:19. > :42:25.came and you go wow. Blew you away? Yes, so I keep this Monday free,
:42:25. > :42:31.because I want to come. So gardens like this, this lovely stream going
:42:31. > :42:36.down the middle, is this your sort of garden? This is the sort of thing
:42:36. > :42:40.we like, love a bit of water. I like the kind of wild feel, you know, of
:42:40. > :42:46.lots of flowers, not being too neatly arranged but lots of things
:42:46. > :42:52.popping up. There are lovely trees we are only doing under. What appear
:42:52. > :42:57.-- appeals to me is good line, like these curves, but within them, the
:42:57. > :43:00.trees you have to dodge round. the lines seem natural, the curve,
:43:00. > :43:05.they are mimicking nature, they are gorgeous, last year we were here,
:43:05. > :43:10.and we were looking and there was somebody did a lot with dry stone
:43:10. > :43:15.wall. We liked that. We were wanting to revamp our garden so we took a
:43:15. > :43:19.few of the ideas, and we had this wonderful designer, Ross Alan came
:43:19. > :43:24.in and he has put some, this great, it is like a piece of art, because
:43:24. > :43:29.it is a big section of dry stone wall at the bottom of the garden. It
:43:29. > :43:33.has water coming out at the bottom. And just, it sounds silly, but you
:43:33. > :43:36.can look at the dry stone wall like you would a piece of art, it is
:43:36. > :43:41.fascinating to look at. When you get the softness of the planting round
:43:41. > :43:46.it. It is fantastic. This is great to hear. A busy man, stand up all
:43:46. > :43:50.over the country, apart from film and television work, you find the
:43:51. > :43:55.garden great solace Relaxing, more and more as you get older. I am sure
:43:55. > :44:00.people will identify with it. To be able to go and sit out surrounded by
:44:00. > :44:05.nature, but also close to the fridge, is, you know, that is the
:44:05. > :44:10.ideal isn't it. Do I take it from this that these hands are quite
:44:10. > :44:16.soft? I don't know what I am doing. People ask me what is your favourite
:44:16. > :44:21.plant. We have some allium, I love those. In fact, I am going to ask
:44:21. > :44:28.him to bring more, I have spotted alliums here, beyond that and a
:44:28. > :44:34.daffodil I am lost. When people say what is Rob Brydon like, I will say
:44:34. > :44:43.he knows his onions. I got into trouble in the pavilion. A lady came
:44:43. > :44:53.up to me From the National Association of Flower arranging.
:44:53. > :44:57.said we were rude arrangement. We were rude about Nikki's version. So
:44:57. > :45:01.we love your arrangement. We love this one here, a fabulous
:45:01. > :45:11.arrangement in a sieve. Isn't that gorgeous. There is a bit of mint in
:45:11. > :45:11.
:45:11. > :45:18.there. Thank you, Judith Blackmore flower School. Over in the Great
:45:18. > :45:21.Pavilion, gold-medal winning -- gold-medal winning nurseries are
:45:21. > :45:30.competing to win the Best In Show. It is called the Diamond Jubilee
:45:30. > :45:33.Award. Toby has taken a look at why one exhibit over all the others have
:45:34. > :45:38.taken the prize. The Diamond Jubilee Award is given for the best display
:45:38. > :45:43.in the Great Pavilion. The winner is chosen by the moderators and
:45:43. > :45:53.chairman. This year, the display that scooped up the honours is quite
:45:53. > :46:02.
:46:02. > :46:09.and alliums, have created a stand of beauty, which is something the
:46:09. > :46:13.judges look for, as is plant quality. But it was the wow factor
:46:13. > :46:20.that clinched it for the Dutchman. The design of the plant is based on
:46:20. > :46:26.a film set. This is like a lighting gantry, but where there should be
:46:27. > :46:31.lamps, Amaryllis Hang. That is quite a brave move, because Amaryllis are
:46:31. > :46:35.usually plant bulbs that look up at you. It is a great way to compare
:46:35. > :46:39.all the different varieties, of which there are new ones coming out
:46:39. > :46:45.every year. The days when Amaryllis were just white or pillar box red
:46:45. > :46:55.are long gone. There are so many types. You have got bicolour forms
:46:55. > :46:57.
:46:57. > :47:01.like apple blossom. You even have doubles like white and green nymphs.
:47:01. > :47:09.Each one kept hydrated by a top up of water down the stem every night
:47:09. > :47:15.when the visitors have gone home. It is the alliums that are particularly
:47:15. > :47:20.stunning. They are displayed in square boxes, breaking away from the
:47:20. > :47:25.northern -- the normal way, which is in circular tubs. I love this layer
:47:25. > :47:32.cake effect of one flower on top of the other. That is not natural.
:47:32. > :47:37.Alliums grow in drifts. But still, the explosion of petals and the
:47:37. > :47:41.natural beauty just shines through. The effect is one of effortless
:47:41. > :47:46.perfection, but the work that goes into getting alliums species that
:47:46. > :47:50.flower at different times during the summer all out at once is just
:47:50. > :47:54.incredible. That, combined with the innovative design and the sheer
:47:54. > :48:02.plant perfection, is the reason why the Diamond Jubilee Award is so
:48:02. > :48:07.richly deserved. A lot of happy faces, and a lot of happy faces on
:48:07. > :48:12.the gardens. Ten gold medals. Such as Chris Beardshaw. Chris Beardshaw
:48:12. > :48:19.got the goals, as you would expect. He has been trying for gold for
:48:19. > :48:27.several years. Nigel has done it this year. Christopher Bradley-Hole
:48:27. > :48:32.as well. He is a legendary garden designer. Cutting edge. The British
:48:32. > :48:39.should be crowd of him. He has combined Japanese garden designed
:48:39. > :48:44.with a fantastic garden. It has grown on me big time, that garden.
:48:44. > :48:50.Another wonderful garden from Sweden there. I is the modernists of it,
:48:51. > :48:58.but also it has softness. It is his kind of palate as well. A few
:48:58. > :49:03.oranges in with the blues and greys. We also have this wasteland. People
:49:03. > :49:13.are calling at the shopping trolley garden. Lots of recycled materials.
:49:13. > :49:13.
:49:13. > :49:18.A great garden theme. There is a bath cut in half. And Adam Frost.He
:49:18. > :49:24.is a fantastic garden. He has 100 square metres of plants in there. He
:49:24. > :49:28.was really worried about it, but it has come good. The apple tree has
:49:29. > :49:35.held onto its blossom. For the last eight years, Australia has been
:49:35. > :49:37.represented in the show gardens by Flemings Nursery. Sadly, 2013 is to
:49:37. > :49:43.be their very last year, but they are determined to go out with a
:49:43. > :49:52.billabang. The owner chose Phillip Johnson to design his final garden.
:49:52. > :49:56.He looked to nature for inspiration for sustainable ideas. Last month,
:49:57. > :50:06.we caught up with them in Philip's garden, as they prepared to set off
:50:07. > :50:09.
:50:09. > :50:16.pinnacle of horticulture throughout the world. It is the Olympics, the
:50:16. > :50:20.Ashes, the Academy Awards for horticulture. We get a lot of media
:50:20. > :50:24.back here in Australia for building one garden in London. The reason we
:50:24. > :50:29.have done it is to really showcase the Australian horticultural
:50:30. > :50:33.industry back here in Australia. Over the last eight years, I have
:50:33. > :50:38.been fortunate enough to work with some of the best designers this
:50:38. > :50:48.trade has got to offer. In 2013, I have the pleasure of working with a
:50:48. > :50:49.
:50:49. > :50:53.young, up and coming landscape designer called Phillip Johnson.
:50:53. > :50:58.What is amazing about our Chelsea garden is the inspiration I had is
:50:58. > :51:02.actually my own garden here in limbo, just of Melbourne. I wake up
:51:02. > :51:12.in the morning, I have this beautiful misty valley to look down
:51:12. > :51:13.
:51:13. > :51:19.into. When I design a landscape, the most important criteria now is
:51:19. > :51:23.connecting people back with the beauty of nature. I find that when
:51:23. > :51:27.people walk around one of our incredible habitats, they respond to
:51:27. > :51:31.the issues that are affecting this world. They want to make the right
:51:31. > :51:37.decision. They want to source sustainable products. They want to
:51:37. > :51:42.be off the grid from power. We have used a whole range of sustainably
:51:42. > :51:48.sourced materials. Our stone has come locally from quarries. Our
:51:48. > :51:52.timber is sustainably sourced from throughout Australia. I am fully
:51:52. > :51:55.self-sufficient from water. What waterfalls, I am capturing. The
:51:55. > :52:03.driveway run-off, the roof water, is all stored and reused on this
:52:03. > :52:06.property. 2013 will see the end of the Flemings' involvement at the
:52:06. > :52:12.Chelsea Flower Show. This is our ninth garden and we thought we would
:52:12. > :52:22.go out with a bang. Phil Johnson has designed a garden that is
:52:22. > :52:23.
:52:23. > :52:27.absolutely, quintessentially edge of the river, so when the rains
:52:27. > :52:33.return and the river floods, these billabongs on the edge of the river
:52:33. > :52:37.are punished. They come back to life. They are full and rich in
:52:37. > :52:41.biodiversity. Then the dry season returns, and they slowly dry out.
:52:41. > :52:45.Another thing I love about this billabong is it is a natural
:52:45. > :52:49.swimming pool, so no salt or chemicals are being used in this
:52:49. > :52:55.system. That is something I am trying to inspire around the world,
:52:55. > :53:00.how we need to work against using chemicals in these environments,
:53:00. > :53:05.because it works against nature. What really excites me about the
:53:05. > :53:15.garden this year is the Australian natives. The whole palette is as you
:53:15. > :53:15.
:53:15. > :53:19.would find here, just in our natural environment. We have these most
:53:19. > :53:23.beautiful Dicksonia antarctica, or the soft tree fern. We have the
:53:23. > :53:28.rough tree fern, cyathea australis as well. Some of these tree ferns
:53:28. > :53:38.are in excess of 200 years old, so I have designed my landscape around
:53:38. > :53:38.
:53:38. > :53:45.these incredible plants. Is there a better way to end the Chelsea
:53:45. > :53:49.experience, or our involvement in it, and taking a natural bush
:53:49. > :53:57.environment garden to demonstrate, or to show the rest of the world...
:53:57. > :54:02.How beautiful this country is? amazing. I couldn't wish to a better
:54:02. > :54:05.finish to our involvement at Chelsea.
:54:05. > :54:10.Wes Fleming and the Australian team awoke to the incredible news that
:54:10. > :54:20.not only have they won gold, but they have won a special Centenary
:54:20. > :54:30.
:54:30. > :54:34.Q? Incredulous! Could you believe it? I could not believe it. After
:54:34. > :54:39.nine years, I did not think it could be possible for an Australian garden
:54:40. > :54:44.to win Best In Show. We were blown away. What is wonderful to see is
:54:44. > :54:50.that this is basically your own back garden. It is like my own home in
:54:50. > :54:55.Victoria. I can't believe you live in surroundings about this. Tell us
:54:55. > :55:02.about this studio. Our studio is extraordinary. My mother lived in
:55:02. > :55:07.London years ago. She met my father at the airport after returning. They
:55:07. > :55:11.got engaged that evening, and he gave her a flower. We worked with
:55:12. > :55:18.the geometry of that flower. have even managed to bring the sound
:55:18. > :55:24.of the frogs. I the sound of frogs. One late night in my garden, I had a
:55:24. > :55:31.candle, -- a camcorder, and I was recording the frogs to bring to
:55:31. > :55:35.Chelsea. It is just beautiful for people to hear the experience in
:55:35. > :55:42.Britain. Mad as a box of frogs! Is this really going to be your last
:55:42. > :55:47.Chelsea? Yes, it is, unfortunately. I am going to miss it, but it is
:55:47. > :55:52.time. With what we have achieved over here, raising our profile and
:55:52. > :55:57.the industry's profile... But we have to move on. We have to use what
:55:57. > :56:01.we have learned back home to improve our own environment. We are going to
:56:01. > :56:07.miss you so much. You have brought a breath of fresh air and a degree of
:56:07. > :56:12.warmth to the show, where we desperately need it. And this one is
:56:12. > :56:18.so reminiscent of Australia, the real Australia. This seems to me to
:56:18. > :56:24.be your homeland brought here. is. I heard some people in the crowd
:56:24. > :56:28.before saying, this isn't Australia. I had to pull them up. I had to say,
:56:28. > :56:34.this area is like where we live, a Western Australia and wildflower
:56:34. > :56:41.meadow. Given its modern twist, we have this snake, the billabong,
:56:41. > :56:45.which rises and falls with the rainfall. It is a natural pool. And
:56:46. > :56:49.the sustainability is very good. Absolutely. We harness the water off
:56:49. > :56:54.your rooftop to sustain the billabong. The timber is sustainable
:56:54. > :56:59.use sourced. We capture power when the sun comes out. We sourced the
:57:00. > :57:05.rocks local to the UK. We did not bring them across from Australia. We
:57:05. > :57:09.worked with your remarkable stone from throughout the UK. Wonderful to
:57:09. > :57:16.see the rock. I am going to put this back in your hands. I know you do
:57:16. > :57:20.not want to lose it. Nine years of cure Antipodean pleasure. What a
:57:20. > :57:24.fantastic end to an emotional, roller-coaster day here at Chelsea.
:57:24. > :57:29.What do you think of the winning gardens? You can have your say by
:57:29. > :57:35.voting to your favourite show garden at the RHS People's choice award. To
:57:35. > :57:42.take part, go to our website and follow the link to the RHS. We will
:57:42. > :57:48.announce the results on Saturday on BBC Two at 7pm. That is all from
:57:48. > :57:55.tonight's Chelsea. We will be back tomorrow on BBC1. Joe and I will be