:00:43. > :00:47.made Chelsea special. Its ability to reeffect the horticultural
:00:47. > :00:53.zeitgeist, but I would rather say mood of the moment. In the early
:00:53. > :00:59.days, that made it a show case. But as the years have gone by, Chelsea
:00:59. > :01:02.has turned its attention to our delicate environment, picking up the
:01:02. > :01:07.message about conservation and the forgotten allure of our native
:01:07. > :01:11.plants. Coming up: Return of the native. Christopher
:01:11. > :01:16.Bradley-Hole celebrates the English woodland at its best. I really
:01:16. > :01:22.wanted to use some of the key elements of the English native
:01:22. > :01:27.woodland and so we have used box and hornbeam.
:01:27. > :01:37.In Love with the Lily. We meet the nursery dedicated to the iconic
:01:37. > :01:37.
:01:37. > :01:42.flower for a century. Breaking the Habit, Judy Parfitt, alias Call the
:01:42. > :01:46.Midwife's Sister Monica Joan. was all concrete. It was a farmyard.
:01:46. > :01:51.So it is wonderful to be able to start from scratch.
:01:51. > :01:57.Welcome to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the event supported by Energy
:01:57. > :02:03.Investments and tonight we are looking back at how Chelsea has
:02:03. > :02:11.managed to reflect the spirit of each decade while keeping an eye on
:02:11. > :02:15.the natural world. The natural is brought to us courtesy of Nick
:02:16. > :02:22.Nickychapman. Nicky made that?The white flowers were there, but she
:02:22. > :02:25.put the blue ones in. Well, the pot made out of rosemary with moss.
:02:25. > :02:33.That's a lot of construction. No, she didn't make the pot. That
:02:34. > :02:43.was already there! That was already there. Did she put the ribbon on it?
:02:44. > :02:44.
:02:44. > :02:54.Somebody put their finger on the knot. She died the ribon. In the
:02:54. > :02:55.
:02:55. > :03:05.early 1900s, earnest encountered a sea of white flowers in the Sichuan
:03:05. > :03:11.
:03:11. > :03:18.province of China he went on to collect 7,000 of them. They were the
:03:18. > :03:28.regal regal gal lilium. They have been grown by Hyde and
:03:28. > :03:34.
:03:34. > :03:38.They are fantastic because there is a wide colour range. You get soft
:03:38. > :03:45.a wide colour range. You get soft pinks. You get reds, whites and
:03:45. > :03:52.yellows. The sizes, you can get medium sized flowers and really big
:03:52. > :03:57.flowers. There is a wide range in perfumes. Some people find the older
:03:57. > :04:05.ones too heady. The newer ones are lighter. More floral. And really,
:04:05. > :04:10.really nice. Once you have started growing one, you want to grow more
:04:10. > :04:20.because they are so easy to grow. They are exotic to look at and they
:04:20. > :04:26.
:04:26. > :04:31.in the 1920s. He had been a gardener and then after the First World War,
:04:31. > :04:35.he decided he wanted to go out on his own. He looked around, found
:04:35. > :04:45.some land and started a nursery. He grew a lot of vegetables and then he
:04:45. > :04:50.went on to dahlias and other things. He just got in and grew on. We
:04:50. > :04:55.started growing a bulk of lilies after my father died. There is only
:04:55. > :05:03.three of us that work on the nursery. Sarah, my older sister, my
:05:03. > :05:10.brother, Richard and then myself. My brother's lily obsession started
:05:10. > :05:16.years ago when he had a packet of seed.
:05:16. > :05:21.The first ones I got sewn got thrown away by the staff because they
:05:21. > :05:30.thought they were grass. Then I tried again! The most common mistake
:05:30. > :05:34.people make is to take an oriental lily and put it in soil. The second
:05:34. > :05:44.year, poorer. I wonder why? The third year, next to nothing and the
:05:44. > :05:46.
:05:46. > :05:51.answer is simple. It is a lime hater. Normal multipurpose compost
:05:51. > :05:56.it goes downhill. The right soil for the right lily, it is very
:05:56. > :06:02.important. The most important thing about a lily is to plant at least
:06:02. > :06:09.six inches deep. This is a good example. This is a second year bulb.
:06:09. > :06:19.The white roots or stem roots. The stem roots are feeding the stem and
:06:19. > :06:26.
:06:26. > :06:30.feed your flowers. You need good good. This is our Chelsea. The
:06:30. > :06:34.slowest ones were started at the very beginning of February and the
:06:34. > :06:38.fastest ones were planted in March. Some of the buds are a little bit
:06:38. > :06:40.smaller than we would like at this time and some of them are not
:06:40. > :06:45.showing through their leaves. So we are trying to get them to mature
:06:45. > :06:50.faster. The sun will help no end. You can't beat the sun. You can try
:06:50. > :07:00.with heating and lighting, but you can never totally get it just the
:07:00. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:08.right balance for the plants. They Last year, because we knew it was
:07:08. > :07:13.going to be the 100th year of Chelsea. Richard said for a joke, we
:07:13. > :07:19.are going to do 100 new lilies and everybody jumped on it. We thought
:07:19. > :07:23.oops, now we have got to find them. Actually we have got 100 and I think
:07:23. > :07:27.it is 48 grows growing so the best 100 will go to Chelsea. They are not
:07:27. > :07:32.all named. Some are numbered and some will never be seen because they
:07:32. > :07:42.are trial varieties, but there is 100 ones that have never been seen
:07:42. > :07:56.
:07:56. > :08:02.vision! And you will be able to take in the perfume. In here, this
:08:02. > :08:06.central feature, we have got 100 new lily stems looking beautiful.
:08:06. > :08:11.Elizabeth, thank you. 100 new varieties, they all made it here,
:08:11. > :08:17.but within the p rest of the xabt -- within the rest of the xabt, where
:08:17. > :08:21.are they? They are all around. A mixed with older ones? Yes, a
:08:21. > :08:27.mixed with older varieties as well. Which do you think will make it
:08:27. > :08:32.long-term? Some will get discarded I guess and not make it. About 75%
:08:32. > :08:39.will get thrown away. Out of the 25% that's left, which do you think are
:08:39. > :08:43.going to make it and which are your favourites? I like snowboard and as
:08:43. > :08:50.soon as it came here, the first two plants have pink flesh. We have no
:08:50. > :09:00.idea what it will do in the garden. It is brand-new. We had a beg the
:09:00. > :09:07.bulbs. We only have ten bulbs. Things rik like this one -- things
:09:07. > :09:12.like this has character. It has more than one colour in it.
:09:12. > :09:16.They are choosy. I like the way it is outward facing, you can see the
:09:16. > :09:24.flower? And what's the name of that one? It hasn't got a name yet.
:09:24. > :09:29.It hasn't got a name? No. They have got Ms so we nicknamed the motorway
:09:29. > :09:34.series, that's M 95. It is just amazing, all these lilies
:09:34. > :09:37.date back to 1914 when the first lily came on the scene. Yeah.
:09:38. > :09:41.Thanks for bringing them here. Nice to meet you.
:09:41. > :09:44.Well, since they stormed on to the Chelsea stage, there has been a
:09:44. > :09:50.wealth of award winning bulbs attracting attention in the Great
:09:50. > :09:55.Pavilion and this year is no exception. Here is Carol with great
:09:55. > :09:58.offerings. Bulbs give our garden so much from
:09:58. > :10:04.the first snowdrops that announce the beginning of spring through to
:10:04. > :10:09.all the bright, blues, purples and yellows that we have come to rely
:10:09. > :10:19.on. They go on through the summer and into the autumn. Where would our
:10:19. > :10:26.
:10:26. > :10:33.Oh, I had to bring you here so I could indulge on in the scent on
:10:33. > :10:37.your behalf and you could enjoy this stand. These are such formal flowers
:10:37. > :10:47.and to see them like this so you can appreciate each one a marvellous
:10:47. > :10:51.
:10:51. > :11:01.experience and what Chelsea is all If you asked anybody what flower
:11:01. > :11:02.
:11:02. > :11:06.epit misdz spring, announces it, it has to be the daffodil. The Narsois
:11:06. > :11:13.and they bring such joy with their yellow and white flowers.
:11:13. > :11:23.Most of them are like this one with the gorgeous trumpet, but this for
:11:23. > :11:42.
:11:42. > :11:48.me is the classic daffodil. This is You know, I never thought I would
:11:48. > :11:53.get to see the tulips. Aren't tulips splendid? Look at this range of
:11:53. > :11:56.colour. This is what they give you at that time of year when everything
:11:56. > :12:01.is rather drab or rather green. Suddenly, there is this huge
:12:01. > :12:11.explosion of colour, splashes of reds, oranges, purples, yellows, all
:12:11. > :12:19.
:12:19. > :12:22.These are Chelsea stars with their gorgeous shapes and their star
:12:22. > :12:26.bursts of flower. Everybody loves them. They are always spectacular.
:12:26. > :12:31.They announce the summer and go right the way through that season.
:12:31. > :12:36.Bulbs are such lovely portable little packages that even if you
:12:36. > :12:46.haven't got a garden, you can still get spresh colour from them --
:12:46. > :12:47.
:12:47. > :12:57.superb colour from them. How about All wonderful flowers, but what's
:12:57. > :12:59.
:12:59. > :13:06.the difference between a bulb? A corn? A tuba and a rye zone. These
:13:06. > :13:11.grow from bulbs and a bulb is a condensed shoot. The leaves are all
:13:12. > :13:21.sort of scaly and packed together in the middle and the tops of the leave
:13:22. > :13:37.
:13:37. > :13:41.The flam boyant spikes of glad owl yi -- gladioli. This is a condensed
:13:41. > :13:44.stem. If you cut it in half, you will find that it is solid. There
:13:44. > :13:51.are scale leaves growing on the outside, but the main leaves come
:13:51. > :13:54.out of the top and the roots out of the bottom. As owe opposed to a
:13:55. > :14:04.daffodil where you can see the leaves packed inside the condensed
:14:05. > :14:19.
:14:19. > :14:25.Society's allotment, it re minds me of the song called She Sits Among
:14:25. > :14:35.The cabbages and Peas. The Lord Chamberlain got hold of it and said
:14:35. > :14:37.
:14:37. > :14:43.you can't sing that. The tune was changed to See Sits Among The
:14:43. > :14:50.Cabbages and Leeks. These are two tubas. These are different kinds of
:14:50. > :14:55.tuba. The potato potato is a stemmed tuba. It has buds all over it, we
:14:55. > :15:00.call them eyes and the dahlia is a root tuba because the shoot here is
:15:00. > :15:09.just at the top and at the bottom, the swollen food storage or
:15:09. > :15:15.January's and that's what tubas, swollen tubes that store food and
:15:15. > :15:20.sometimes we take advantage of them and eat them!
:15:20. > :15:23.All these underground storage organs serve the same purpose, to get a
:15:23. > :15:28.plant through extreme or severe conditions whether it is a hard
:15:28. > :15:36.winter or a hot, dry summer, depending where they grow. But there
:15:36. > :15:42.is one storage organ that I haven't mentioned and that's this one. The
:15:42. > :15:46.swollen and extended stem because it has on it, both roots and shoots.
:15:46. > :15:50.This is ginger. Perhaps the ones we are more familiar with are those of
:15:50. > :15:56.irises. Most of them lay under the surface of the soil and love a good
:15:56. > :16:00.baking in the sun. Some of them, of course, are aquatic plants and there
:16:00. > :16:08.they stay underwater. It seems there is never a hard and fast rule with
:16:08. > :16:18.plants. It is rather like another plant. This is a British native and
:16:18. > :16:22.
:16:22. > :16:26.that gives rise to a whole new argument what is a British native?
:16:26. > :16:31.There's a deal of confusion over what constitutes a native plant.
:16:31. > :16:36.Maybe the best explanation is that it's a plant that is naturally in
:16:36. > :16:41.this country rather than brought in by man. Others think that native
:16:41. > :16:46.plants which were growing natural naturally on our island when we
:16:46. > :16:51.separated from the mainland in the Ice Age. The end of the 1990s saw
:16:51. > :16:56.designers bringing native wildflower gardens centre stage. This year, our
:16:56. > :17:00.native Flora is being celebrated again by Keegan Bradley. Christopher
:17:00. > :17:02.returns to Chelsea after an eight-year break with a garden that
:17:03. > :17:12.celebrates the English landscape. We caught up with him a couple of weeks
:17:13. > :17:21.
:17:21. > :17:26.In the last few years I've become really fascinated by the patterns
:17:26. > :17:29.you find in the landscape, almost obsessed. I think we find it
:17:29. > :17:39.reassuring because I think we recognise the human scale. We feel
:17:39. > :17:43.comforted to be in this environment. What do we see in front of us? The
:17:43. > :17:46.vestige of the ancient woodland, but a lot of it has been cut away and
:17:46. > :17:51.it's become fields. Those patterns of fields have built up over time.
:17:51. > :17:55.You can see a logic to the way the fields have been created. But then
:17:55. > :18:01.there are these very interesting other pieces where the logic has
:18:01. > :18:07.been broken and one field has joined another for one reason, so you get
:18:07. > :18:12.eccentricities in the landscape which I really enjoy. If you think
:18:12. > :18:14.of Ben Nichol son, that's what I'm trying to do at Chelsea, to create a
:18:14. > :18:24.modern, contemporary abstraction which represents the field pattern
:18:24. > :18:33.
:18:33. > :18:39.Generally in my landscape work I only plant native trees because I
:18:39. > :18:43.think there's such a wonderful variety within those trees and they
:18:43. > :18:53.are under threat. Unless we do something, our landscape is going to
:18:53. > :18:54.
:18:54. > :18:59.change quite dramatically. I thought wouldn't it be wonderful
:18:59. > :19:02.to do a garden which encapsulated the idea of the English landscape
:19:02. > :19:06.within the confines of a Chelsea plant. The experience should be as
:19:06. > :19:11.though you're flying over it in a plane, you're looking down on these
:19:11. > :19:16.wooded areas. For the wooded areas I've chosen plants which would be
:19:16. > :19:21.the understory in an English woodland and two of the plants are
:19:21. > :19:25.yew and box. I've used those to create blocks of planting to show
:19:25. > :19:29.the vestige of what would have been the woodland. Within that there are
:19:29. > :19:36.strips between them which indicate both field patterns and roads driven
:19:36. > :19:42.between the woodland. Also, we have Hazel. When you think of a managed
:19:42. > :19:47.forest you would grow Hazel and you would coppice it and use it for
:19:47. > :19:52.making objects or for fuel. Then it regrows. It has wonderful leaves and
:19:52. > :19:55.I think it has a wonderful structure. These trees are three
:19:55. > :20:01.trees which have been pruned. They emerge as a single stem and then
:20:01. > :20:06.they branch above the ground in a very sculpt churl way. They have a
:20:06. > :20:11.humble quality and very much an English quality. It's amazing to
:20:12. > :20:15.return to this place because this is a special experience. It was three
:20:15. > :20:19.months ago we were chopping oak trees for the project. Of course oak
:20:19. > :20:25.has been very much part of the way that we've constructed both
:20:25. > :20:32.buildings and ships in this country and so, I've constructed an oak cool
:20:32. > :20:36.nayed and then -- colanade and behind it a wall of oak panels which
:20:36. > :20:46.have been charred that. Brings the resins in the wood forward which
:20:46. > :20:48.
:20:48. > :20:52.acts as a form of preservation. Also we have a stream and when you fly
:20:52. > :20:56.over an nish woodland and there's a stream -- English woodland and
:20:56. > :21:00.there's a stream flowing through, it the stream tends to come and go, it
:21:00. > :21:06.disappears. The way that's being expressed is in a series of three
:21:06. > :21:16.pools which will gently overflow. I think they will bring a depth to
:21:16. > :21:24.
:21:24. > :21:33.that landscape composition. Byron wrote, " There Is a pleasure in the
:21:33. > :21:36.pathless woods." I think we all know what he means really.
:21:36. > :21:40.Christopher, are you pleased with the way the garden has turned out?
:21:40. > :21:45.Yeah, I'm thrilled with it. Yes, it's really come together
:21:45. > :21:48.beautifully. It was quite an exercise to build it. But we've
:21:48. > :21:52.achieved wonderful precision, I think and the quality of the plants
:21:52. > :22:00.and the way it's come together with the water, the feeling of the pools
:22:00. > :22:06.is so good. It's beautiful. It's a garden to be looked onto really.
:22:07. > :22:14.It's a contemplative space. Exactly. It really follows the rock and
:22:14. > :22:18.gravel garden from the 15th century, which is a garden you contemplate.
:22:18. > :22:23.You look at it from outside. It's something that reveals itself
:22:23. > :22:28.gradually over time. It's amazing how some people get it straight
:22:28. > :22:31.away. Other people stay around and work at it. They pick up the subtle
:22:31. > :22:38.details and that's... For me, it's one of those gardens that I keep
:22:38. > :22:41.coming back to and seeing different things. I love the oak collonade.
:22:41. > :22:46.Some people will wonder why you were cutting down and using green oak,
:22:46. > :22:51.was it the right thing to do? wanted to use elements of the
:22:51. > :22:55.English native woodland. We have used box, yew and hornbeam for the
:22:55. > :23:01.blocks and the Hazel for the trees. I wanted oak on the garden. To put a
:23:01. > :23:07.big oak tree, it's too big for a Chelsea plot, but how wonderful to
:23:07. > :23:11.make this from it. This has worked incredibly well. The columns line up
:23:11. > :23:16.beautifully. The contrast between the natural oak and the charred oak
:23:16. > :23:20.on the back wall and we set light to this with a blowtorch and each is
:23:20. > :23:23.charred individually. This is a wonderful contrast. This was a
:23:23. > :23:27.tradition in Japan and in medieval England as well. I love the black
:23:27. > :23:30.back drop. It's a brave thing to do but it sets off the rest of it, as
:23:30. > :23:35.you look through the garden, the planting, the wonderful back drop.
:23:35. > :23:39.This is your sixth gold, is that right? I think it is.You've lost
:23:39. > :23:45.count! I think it is, yes.Have you really enjoyed making it garden?
:23:45. > :23:49.Yes, I loved it. What's most struck me, we've had a lot of people making
:23:49. > :23:52.the garden. I've just been a very small part of it. I've been a
:23:52. > :23:56.catalyst for the idea. But I'm amazed how everybody who worked on
:23:56. > :24:01.it has got the idea, has really enjoyed. There's been a wonderful
:24:01. > :24:06.atmosphere. And people have really come together to make a combined
:24:06. > :24:11.compilation. It's a beautiful space. Congratulations. Thank you very
:24:11. > :24:14.much. She's currently delighting audiences
:24:15. > :24:18.as Sister Monica Joan in Call The Midwife. But actress Judy Parfitt
:24:18. > :24:23.can boast a string after claimed theatre and film performances
:24:23. > :24:27.spanning over 50 years. She's also an enthusiastic gardener as we
:24:27. > :24:35.discovered when we joined her in her court yard garden on the South Downs
:24:35. > :24:41.last month. My garden is an escape to me. It's
:24:41. > :24:47.so quiet and still. When the sun's out, it's just wonderful just to sit
:24:47. > :24:50.here and listen to the birds. I suppose it is a solitary thing
:24:51. > :24:57.except that you're never solitary in a garden, are you? Because things
:24:57. > :25:04.are growing and they're alive. Of course, I'm never alone with him.
:25:04. > :25:09.We've been here about 14 years. It was newly converted when we moved
:25:09. > :25:16.in, so this was all concrete. It was a farm yard. It was wonderful to be
:25:16. > :25:21.able to start from scratch. I'm a fair weather gardener. I'm very good
:25:21. > :25:26.at cutting back and things like that, but because of work, it's
:25:26. > :25:32.very, very difficult. The hours are so long, if they pick you up at 5am
:25:32. > :25:37.and you get home at 8. 30pm, it doesn't leave much time for the
:25:38. > :25:41.garden. I would plant up the pots and the hanging baskets and things
:25:41. > :25:45.and there was nobody to water them. You can't expect people to come in
:25:45. > :25:55.every single day and water them. They've got enough to do. I can't
:25:55. > :26:02.
:26:02. > :26:07.in a garden is know knowing the individual care that each plant
:26:07. > :26:12.requires, because they all require something different and that's what
:26:12. > :26:22.I find really difficult to remember, all the different things. This
:26:22. > :26:29.really is my biggest problem. This bamboo was sold to me as non-invase
:26:29. > :26:33.non-invasive. It whittled in the wind and it was wonderful. Then it
:26:33. > :26:39.got totally out of hand. The only thing to do was to try and cut it
:26:39. > :26:46.down because as you can see, the roots, it's just impossible, you
:26:46. > :26:53.can't dig it up because it's under the ground like that. It's just
:26:53. > :27:01.impossible! (She chuckles) I mean, there's nothing you can do about it,
:27:01. > :27:06.really. There was nothing here when we first came. This is all created.
:27:06. > :27:12.I wanted these raised beds, but I wanted to sort of cover it up and I
:27:12. > :27:15.didn't know what to do. Then I remembered seeing when I was in Los
:27:15. > :27:21.Angeles on Sunset Boulevard, this big house and they had these gar
:27:21. > :27:24.lands and I thought, that's what I'll do. I got some thick wire and I
:27:24. > :27:29.stuck it in the end and put semicircles all the way along and
:27:29. > :27:34.got Ivy and twist today round. I'm afraid it's not very even, some of
:27:34. > :27:41.them have dropped down. They need attending to. I quite like it. I
:27:41. > :27:45.like it because it's just a bit different. One of the reasons I want
:27:45. > :27:49.to go to Chelsea is I'm hoping to get some inspiration and ideas for
:27:49. > :27:55.something to replace this. I wanted something here that would give this
:27:55. > :28:00.area some height and I saw this in a shop in Brighton and I got it.
:28:00. > :28:03.Unfortunately, the wind has blown quite strong strongly and he looks
:28:03. > :28:07.as though he's been in several fights. He goes down with a great
:28:07. > :28:11.bang. That's what I'm hoping to see something like that and then I'll
:28:11. > :28:17.have to put him in a different area because I wouldn't want to get rid
:28:17. > :28:21.of him. Because I quite like him. I've only been to the Chelsea Flower
:28:21. > :28:26.Show once and it was the most wonderful experience. I just
:28:26. > :28:33.absolutely thought it was marvellous. It's a place where you
:28:33. > :28:43.get all the top people and you can get wonderful ideas. I want to go to
:28:43. > :28:46.
:28:46. > :28:49.learn, really, that's why I want to as I'm interested in gardens, I am
:28:49. > :28:53.at this moment more interested in knowing whether we're getting more
:28:53. > :28:58.Call The Midwife? You're a smart man, that is important. Yes, I start
:28:59. > :29:02.rehearsing the next lot on June 10th. I'm looking forward to it
:29:02. > :29:06.because it has been amazingly successful. Due think it would catch
:29:06. > :29:11.on as much as it did? No, none of us did. We were totally taken by
:29:11. > :29:15.surprise. The amazing thing is it's across the board. An enormous amount
:29:15. > :29:20.of men watch it, which is surprising. You're talking to one
:29:20. > :29:24.here, who can't watch. It has that effect on us all. It's lovely. Back
:29:24. > :29:27.to the gardening. You're standing by roses and roses seem to be a
:29:27. > :29:31.particular passion. Roses are a complete passion with me. I would
:29:31. > :29:36.like a larger garden primarily to grow more roses because I don't know
:29:36. > :29:40.how to choose them because I want them all. I'm greedy. Is it these
:29:40. > :29:46.old fashioned ones with particular strong scents? It's the old
:29:47. > :29:53.fashioned repeat roses with the strong scent. Daufd Austin
:29:53. > :29:57.specialises in keep keeping the old rose form and keeping the repeat
:29:57. > :30:03.flowering. I noticed topiary as well in the garden. Yes, I love a lot of
:30:03. > :30:09.that. I've been looking forward to going to the top year stall here to
:30:10. > :30:14.find out -- topiary stall here to find out if I'm doing it right.
:30:14. > :30:19.will get lots of hints and tip off him. I am most concerned with the
:30:19. > :30:25.giraffe with the bent nose. Yes! I wanted a sculpture in the garden. I
:30:25. > :30:30.couldn't afford the sort of thicks I -- things I really wanted. I was in
:30:30. > :30:34.a shop and there was this giraffe. She said it's stainless steel, it
:30:34. > :30:39.will be perfectly all right in the garden. I took it home and of
:30:39. > :30:47.course, it's rusted. The wind blow it's down. Every time the wind blows
:30:47. > :30:53.it down, it goes like that. He looks as though he's gone with Casias Clay
:30:53. > :30:58.a few rounds. Metal is very fashionable. We're halfway through
:30:58. > :31:02.tonight's advise the to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show supported by M&G
:31:02. > :31:08.Investments. There's plenty to come. Razing the roof, we look at the
:31:08. > :31:11.rooftop gardens past and present. Supergrass from new arrivals to
:31:11. > :31:15.perfect planting combinations. Join Joe for a Chelsea master class on
:31:15. > :31:20.grass. Don't chop them back in the Autumn.
:31:20. > :31:22.Leave them on through the winter and it will get frosted and add
:31:22. > :31:24.it will get frosted and add it will get frosted and add
:31:24. > :31:28.it will get frosted and add structure to the garden. Right
:31:28. > :31:32.plant, right play. Andy looks at native plants for different garden
:31:32. > :31:36.native plants for different garden situations. This foxglove, they're
:31:36. > :31:37.woodlanders, if you have a shady woodlanders, if you have a shady
:31:37. > :31:44.woodlanders, if you have a shady woodlanders, if you have a shady
:31:44. > :31:47.spot they're the ideal plant. Information about tonight's
:31:47. > :31:57.programme is available from our website.
:31:57. > :32:03.Before we join Andy here in the Great Pavilion, tob Toby Buckland
:32:03. > :32:07.has been looking at native plants. This garden looks quite corporate.
:32:07. > :32:12.You have got this pinstriped path and even the boundaries have what
:32:12. > :32:22.could be a logo em emblazoned across them. You scratch the surface and
:32:22. > :32:28.you will soon see this garden is wild at heart. The tree layer or the
:32:28. > :32:33.penthouse is made of native plants. This is a tree that's wonderful in
:32:33. > :32:36.any garden soil, but particularly good on chalk because you get white
:32:36. > :32:41.flowers in spring and strong autumn colour and red berries that are
:32:41. > :32:49.loved by the birds. But it is the ground floor I find interesting. It
:32:49. > :32:56.contains lots of plants that might blow into your garden at weeds, but
:32:56. > :33:01.Robin has brought out their orn thatmental qualities. -- or
:33:01. > :33:07.thattental qualities. These natives are not only good looking, they are
:33:07. > :33:17.loved by the bees. It is grasses that give this garden its designer
:33:17. > :33:19.
:33:19. > :33:24.good looks that are used en masse. I like this one. This is a cultivated
:33:24. > :33:29.cousin of our native tufted hair grass and it is as tough as old
:33:29. > :33:35.boots, but so graceful forming these lovely silver clouds through every
:33:35. > :33:43.border. What's particularly lovely is that it is combined with this and
:33:43. > :33:52.this is a cultivated form of our native hedgerow cow parsley which
:33:52. > :33:58.happens to be making an appearance at this year's Chelsea. And it is
:33:58. > :34:03.here, a design that's naturalistic. It is only a four by five meter plot
:34:03. > :34:09.this one, but divided up into different habitats. In this cosy
:34:09. > :34:14.corner where the veggies are growing, there are hedgerow
:34:14. > :34:21.favourites like foxgloves. As you move across the garden, things get
:34:21. > :34:29.wilder and wetter. The idea here is to replicate, not modify nature.
:34:29. > :34:37.There is a brook and on the banks, are plants are having like having
:34:37. > :34:41.their feet in wet soil. But as you move up the slope it gets harsher
:34:41. > :34:46.and more breezy. This is a flower that decorates the whole of the cost
:34:46. > :34:50.of the UK, but right at the top in the windiest conditions of all, is
:34:50. > :34:56.the green cushions of heather. A p plant from Dartmoor to the Highlands
:34:56. > :35:02.of Scotland, is at home on the hills.
:35:02. > :35:12.Well, today many show gardens carry a conservation message using
:35:12. > :35:12.
:35:12. > :35:16.indigenous plants to keep their popularity alive. By 1982 right
:35:16. > :35:20.through to the early 90s, John Chamber was a regular face in the
:35:20. > :35:27.marquee and show gardens with displays devoted to wild flowers.
:35:27. > :35:33.John joins me now. What got you into wild flowers then, John? I spent ten
:35:33. > :35:40.years in the packet trade and then I left. Yes, ordinary seed packets for
:35:40. > :35:45.gardeners and selling species suitable for gardens. I loved wild
:35:45. > :35:50.flowers. I created a small range which grew
:35:50. > :35:56.and grew, but initially it was to try and let people know just how
:35:56. > :36:04.suitable and attractive and how conservation important they were in
:36:04. > :36:09.gardens. So to prove this, we put on exhibits and that finalised in the
:36:09. > :36:11.four gold medals for outdoor gardens where we did a very big garden and
:36:11. > :36:14.hopefully we are getting that message across.
:36:14. > :36:21.Well, people are still using it today. There are wild flowers
:36:21. > :36:28.everywhere. It is down to you starting it off.
:36:28. > :36:32.You provided me with cow slips for my gold medal winning garden. Do you
:36:32. > :36:37.look back fondly and think it was worth the work? That little message
:36:37. > :36:40.that we had has been taken on by sew many other people in so many other
:36:40. > :36:48.different ways, but we are still selling wild flower seeds for that
:36:48. > :36:50.purpose. We are selling to everybody. We are selling to
:36:50. > :36:54.merchants and landscapers, and designers.
:36:54. > :36:58.So you have seen it grow out of recognition? Yes and today is proof
:36:58. > :37:04.of that. How many wild flowers have we seen today? We have a lot. Long
:37:04. > :37:09.may it continue. John's wild flower displays may have delighted
:37:09. > :37:13.visitors, but over in the Pavilion, there are many examples of native
:37:13. > :37:20.plants to suit any garden and Andy Sturgeon has been to find some of
:37:20. > :37:23.Our native plants are as varied and beautiful as any of their exotic
:37:23. > :37:30.cousins and no matter what growing conditions or habitat you have in
:37:30. > :37:34.your garden, you can always find the perfect wild flower to suit. The
:37:34. > :37:40.foxglove has to be one of the most familiar and striking of our
:37:40. > :37:43.natives. They are woodlanders so, so happy amongst trees so if you have a
:37:43. > :37:46.shady spot in your garden, they are the ideal choice, but the
:37:46. > :37:50.interesting thing about these foxgloves is that they have been
:37:50. > :37:55.selected from nature. They have not been bred. So these colours have
:37:55. > :37:59.resulted from the choices that the pollinating insects made and all
:37:59. > :38:07.these different colours mean there is always going to be a native
:38:07. > :38:09.is always going to be a native is always going to be a native
:38:09. > :38:14.is always going to be a native foxglove to suit your colour scheme.
:38:14. > :38:19.There is shade and then there is deep shade. The large leaved red bed
:38:19. > :38:24.nettle will put up with really difficult conditions under trees, in
:38:24. > :38:34.almost any soil. It will spread a little, but the flower is so exotic,
:38:34. > :38:43.
:38:43. > :38:46.little, but the flower is so exotic, particular one will grow in sun and
:38:46. > :38:52.don't be fooled by appearances because it is not nearly as delicate
:38:52. > :38:57.as it looks. It actually loves hot, exposed conditions on a limestone
:38:57. > :39:05.cliff with water running through it. So if you can replicate that in your
:39:05. > :39:15.garden, it is the ideal plant. Sometimes the name tells you all you
:39:15. > :39:20.
:39:20. > :39:24.need to know. This is the water avens. It is a great little plant.
:39:24. > :39:34.It is sophisticated. I love it and I used it in my garden last year at
:39:34. > :39:46.
:39:46. > :39:50.The marsh marigold. This glamorous plant has to have its feet wet at
:39:51. > :40:00.all times, buzz don't worry, if you haven't got room for a pond, it is
:40:01. > :40:08.
:40:09. > :40:14.fussy. This one has never fallen out of fashion and one of the reasons is
:40:14. > :40:19.that it will grow almost anywhere. And it also suits almost any
:40:19. > :40:24.situation. A herbaceous border, a gravel garden, it somehow looks
:40:24. > :40:27.right almost anywhere. This British native is a prolific self seeder so
:40:27. > :40:37.you will probably find that it chooses where it wants to grow for
:40:37. > :40:46.
:40:46. > :40:52.Andy Sturgeon there. Joe Swift. Now I did four candles candles yesterday
:40:52. > :41:00.made out of Hornbeam. This has been shortlisted for the garden product
:41:00. > :41:04.of the year. This is a great product. Look, it works on the push
:41:05. > :41:11.and the pull like that. It has a lovely handle.
:41:11. > :41:16.That looks really comfortable that handle. Well, it works beautiful on
:41:17. > :41:26.the carpet. Are these wheelbarrows down here. A
:41:26. > :41:32.picture of a lot of older men pushing older wheelbarrows and
:41:32. > :41:37.finishing with a wooden one. This display of up turned ones. Tell us
:41:37. > :41:42.what you think it might be, the funnier the better you can tweet us?
:41:42. > :41:44.It is art. It is installation art and it is telling the history of the
:41:44. > :41:48.wheelbarrow and the garden at Chelsea. It is making that
:41:48. > :41:53.connection. Don't you get it? is a load of wheelbarrows turned up
:41:53. > :41:59.side down. You have had good news. Tell us.
:41:59. > :42:02.2am, we are a grandfather, yes. Youngest daughter had a
:42:02. > :42:08.granddaughter. I hope she likes gardening. She will have no option
:42:08. > :42:14.in my family. A lovely bit of news. I thought I would share that with
:42:14. > :42:17.you. We are just chucking out the bottles out now.
:42:17. > :42:21.Designsers and exhibitors have taken up the call for greater
:42:21. > :42:23.sustainability in our towns and cities and come up with many
:42:23. > :42:28.ingenious ideas on how to green them.
:42:28. > :42:38.In 2008, Chelsea visitors were treated to their first green wall.
:42:38. > :42:41.Created by Robert Myers. Vertical gardens have been
:42:41. > :42:51.incorporated into designs ever since including this Nature Garden in
:42:51. > :42:58.
:42:58. > :43:05.2009. James Wong and David Cubero's garden in 2010. And this Life Garden
:43:05. > :43:12.last year. Chelsea saw its first roof garden appear in 1992 with Top
:43:12. > :43:17.Of The World Garden. That same year, saw another designer take the
:43:17. > :43:24.concept literally with a garden on a roofment another examples include
:43:24. > :43:34.this striking London roof garden with its domed light wells in 1996.
:43:34. > :43:35.
:43:35. > :43:43.And this Monaco Monaco Garden in 2011. This year, Professor Nigel
:43:43. > :43:49.Dunnett has scooped a gold medal with a rooftop garden with a range
:43:49. > :43:52.Congratulations on your medal, you must be thrilled? That's an under
:43:53. > :43:59.statement. It is such a convincing space. I
:43:59. > :44:03.really do feel like I am on a roof? It is a roof garden, but it is a
:44:03. > :44:07.different type of roof garden. What we are trying to say is that you can
:44:07. > :44:11.have meadows and woodlands and fantastic wildlife features of
:44:12. > :44:15.water, but first and foremost, it is the most beautiful place to be to
:44:15. > :44:19.come and relax and to look at. Everybody is standing around the
:44:19. > :44:22.garden as you do at Chelsea and they would be in the building.
:44:22. > :44:28.So you are experiencing it as you would in a real space? It is real
:44:28. > :44:33.and you would be looking on to it the same as everybody is now.
:44:33. > :44:38.That's an inclusive Chelsea garden. It feels very contemporary. I always
:44:38. > :44:43.imagine wildlife spaces as being rustic. I am really glad you said
:44:43. > :44:46.that because that's the thing I'm trying to achieve. To make a
:44:46. > :44:51.beautiful, contemporary garden, but it is doing so many environmental
:44:51. > :44:59.things. We have planting here which will attract, bees, pollinating
:44:59. > :45:03.insectsz. We have got water. Is the rainwater being captured from the
:45:03. > :45:07.roof? We have our garden building which has a roof on it. This is a
:45:07. > :45:17.roof garden. You need a strong building to take it. This is a green
:45:17. > :45:18.
:45:18. > :45:24.roof. You can put it on a garage or house extension. I love your wall. A
:45:24. > :45:29.low maintenance green wall? It is the type of wall that needs little
:45:29. > :45:34.watering. It is like hanging a painting. A bit of artwork.
:45:34. > :45:38.It is stunning. A lots of native planting? We are
:45:38. > :45:43.mixing natives. We have ragged robin a mixed with lots of really flowery
:45:43. > :45:46.garden plants. Beautiful, but again, attracting lots of really beneficial
:45:46. > :45:50.insects. And people could do this at home,
:45:50. > :45:54.this doesn't have to be on a roof? It would work well on the ground. A
:45:54. > :46:01.lot of ideas such as our habitat panels on the wall, the intention is
:46:01. > :46:08.that people can say, " Ah, I can do that. I can copy that." I am happy
:46:08. > :46:11.happy for people to copy everything in this garden. A wonderful guard
:46:11. > :46:18.wonderful garden at home. Can I stay here for a while? You are very
:46:18. > :46:23.welcome. Thank you, Nigel. Judy Parfitt has
:46:23. > :46:26.been spending the day with us here, a lovely lady. It's four years since
:46:26. > :46:36.she's visited the show. She's come armed with plenty of questions for
:46:36. > :46:39.
:46:39. > :46:44.the experts. Did she get any matter that the sun's not shining
:46:44. > :46:54.because there are so many exciting things to see. I can't wait to get
:46:54. > :46:56.
:46:56. > :47:01.started. James, hello, I am so fascinated by all these beautiful
:47:01. > :47:05.shapes that you have here. When I try to do something like that, it
:47:05. > :47:09.gets woody. Scorched on the end. The reason that the plant is getting
:47:09. > :47:19.scorched is that you do it on a sunny day. The sun is just drying
:47:19. > :47:33.
:47:33. > :47:39.out the edge of the leaf. Very much. Oh, roses. The scent! My passion. A
:47:39. > :47:43.David Austin rose. Hole low.Could I grow a standard rose in a pot?
:47:43. > :47:47.Big would the pot have to be? as big as possible. 18 inches square
:47:47. > :47:52.or something like that. So quite big? Yes, water is the secret and
:47:52. > :48:02.feed. Potting compost that you buy from a garden centre has enough food
:48:02. > :48:08.
:48:08. > :48:11.for about six weeks, then nothing. wanted to visit the show this year
:48:11. > :48:20.is I'm looking for a piece of sculpture for my garden and
:48:20. > :48:26.something here might just fit the bill. I'm totally in love with your
:48:26. > :48:30.horse. I want it desperately. I'm sure I can't afford it. This piece
:48:30. > :48:35.would take five days to put together. It would be another three
:48:35. > :48:39.days of preparation. I have a court yard garden and I'll tell everybody
:48:39. > :48:49.that due it and maybe you'll give it to me. I have a feeling that you
:48:49. > :48:57.
:48:57. > :49:04.won't! But it's worth a try. It's that could make it better is a nice
:49:04. > :49:11.glass of fizz. Madam. I thought you'd never ask.
:49:11. > :49:15.Madam. I thought you'd never ask. Cheers! Judy Parfitt, now I've been
:49:15. > :49:21.coming here for quite a while, but sitting next to me is a man who's
:49:21. > :49:25.been coming here a lot longer Edward Cape. When did you first come?
:49:25. > :49:30.You were making a garden here? Correct. What sort of garden?It was
:49:30. > :49:35.a rock garden, pretty well in the location where we are right now.
:49:35. > :49:42.have a picture of it. We have a picture of the one you did the
:49:42. > :49:50.following year. This was in 1952. That's correct. This is an enormous
:49:51. > :49:56.great water-worn limestone. It's from the isle of Pervic. Long did
:49:56. > :50:06.you have to make it? About two weeks. Not as long as now.No, this
:50:06. > :50:07.
:50:07. > :50:14.was between 30 and 40 ton. Of stone? How did you move it? We moved it,
:50:14. > :50:21.like a little Railtrack. You know, a little wagon. It was hoisted by
:50:21. > :50:27.lifts and then swung over. So all man handled? Yes, and using a lot of
:50:27. > :50:34.crow bars. But this is what you won. You got a Gold Medal. That is
:50:34. > :50:42.correct in 1952 as well. Did you enjoy it? It was a lot of fun.Old
:50:42. > :50:48.are you now? I'm 92. Good gracious me. It bodes well for the future of
:50:48. > :50:51.gardeners. Yes, it is activity.I love this is down Main Avenue,
:50:51. > :50:57.Keegan Bradley think about their gardens, look what used to be down
:50:57. > :51:03.there. This was another Gold Medal winning garden. How astonishing is
:51:03. > :51:09.that? It looks like an arrangery. They used to concentrate on
:51:09. > :51:12.herbaceous borders in those days. Did you last come here? '68.So your
:51:12. > :51:18.first visit since then? Yes and amazing changes. I mean, everything,
:51:18. > :51:22.yes. Some for the better? Well, I have to see more to make the final
:51:22. > :51:26.judgment. That's a very diplomatic way of putting it. It's a delight to
:51:26. > :51:30.have you with us. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you very
:51:30. > :51:33.much. Congratulations, I'll let you take your Gold Medal away again.
:51:33. > :51:37.Stay there for a second. You may think the notion of planting grasses
:51:37. > :51:43.in the boreder is a relatively modern trend, but you'd be wrong.
:51:43. > :51:49.Back in the early days of Chelsea, specialist grower James MacDonald
:51:49. > :51:53.was championing ornamental grasses. Between 1913 and 1939, his displays
:51:53. > :51:58.appeared firstly in the marquee and from 1920 onwards as show gardens.
:51:58. > :52:08.Sadly, by the late 50s and 60s the most innovative approach to grass at
:52:08. > :52:13.Chelsea was how to cut it. In 1992, Dan Pearson incorporated grass and
:52:13. > :52:19.relaxation with the verdant seas. Things changed again with the
:52:19. > :52:25.evolution guard anyone 2000. Grasses were suddenly the must-have border
:52:25. > :52:29.accessory. One man that avoided that trend until now was Roger Platts.
:52:29. > :52:33.But I've seen grasses sneaking into the garden. Are you converted now? I
:52:33. > :52:37.am. I could hardly do a section of the garden without using some
:52:37. > :52:42.grasses. Wonderful. Everybody has been admiring your planting here.
:52:42. > :52:45.Congratulations on your Gold Medal. Right from the old at the back,
:52:45. > :52:49.celebrating the centenary, to the conteam Prince Harry at the front,
:52:49. > :52:54.this is where your grasses are. You -- contemporary at the front, this
:52:54. > :52:59.is where your grasses are. This is a plants which has come into gardens,
:52:59. > :53:03.been used in recent times. More so. Absolutely. They've worked well with
:53:03. > :53:09.the meadow area, the wildflower area. I saw them as a link to take
:53:09. > :53:13.me from the con contemporary... the meadow. I find them hugely
:53:13. > :53:20.useful at home. If you have two disparate plants in the boreder that
:53:20. > :53:23.clash or don't sit comfort yaebl by one another, grass is a great glue.
:53:23. > :53:27.They seem to join the plants together comfortably. And they're
:53:27. > :53:31.very easy to grow too. And they give you such a long period of interest.
:53:31. > :53:37.Even when they're dying down in Autumn, they look good. You have fab
:53:37. > :53:41.varieties here. What's this one? This is -- this has just started to
:53:41. > :53:51.show the flower heads now. It's amazing how plants move in a week.
:53:51. > :53:53.At the back there that blue, greeny grey one. That's a real really
:53:54. > :53:57.copper bottomed grass. Self-supporting. Very tough and
:53:57. > :54:01.again a good link through to the meadow. It's going to give you some
:54:01. > :54:07.interest and in the wind, it just moves. Yes, you get movement.That's
:54:08. > :54:13.what I love. If you have no room and you want something at the front the
:54:13. > :54:17.blue fescue grass. It's a great ageing and a great foil for whatever
:54:17. > :54:22.is behind it. I think you'll be using grasses more now. I think I'm
:54:22. > :54:25.converted. I'm glad we've done a conversion job here. If you're
:54:25. > :54:29.planting ornamental grasses on your borders for the first time, what
:54:30. > :54:34.variety should you choose? Here's Joe with his own master class.
:54:34. > :54:37.I love the versatility of grasses. I use them in pretty much every garden
:54:37. > :54:41.design. There's one for every setting and every soil condition
:54:41. > :54:46.too. Think of a shape and think of a size and there'll be a grass out
:54:46. > :54:50.there you can use. This one at the back there, it adds plenty of height
:54:50. > :54:56.to the garden. It likes a well drained soil and plenty of sun. Next
:54:56. > :55:01.to, it we have one again very upright. That will stay evergreen
:55:01. > :55:04.all the way through the winter until it flops over by itself. That's the
:55:04. > :55:08.key with these grasses pt don't chop them back in the Autumn. Leave them
:55:08. > :55:12.through the winter and they'll get frosted and add structure and
:55:12. > :55:15.interest to the winter garden. Now I love the way the stand has been laid
:55:15. > :55:22.out. They're tiered down to some of the grasses to use at the front of
:55:22. > :55:28.the border down here. We have the lovely steeper one here, ponytails.
:55:28. > :55:32.It's so delicate. Often used here at Chelsea. That one's perennial. But
:55:32. > :55:36.this little baby is an Annual. You'll have to grow it from seed
:55:36. > :55:43.every year. Once you have got it, it can self-seed around the garden it
:55:43. > :55:47.self-and come back by itself. Beautiful. I'm here on the oak tree
:55:47. > :55:51.nursery where cliff has done a fantastic display of a time line of
:55:51. > :55:57.grasses when they were introduced or when they first got their AGM, is
:55:57. > :56:00.that right? That's right. The AGM is the sign from the RHS the award of
:56:00. > :56:05.garden merit. What better recommendation can you have than
:56:05. > :56:10.that? It looks beautiful. Give me your top three here. I know a cup of
:56:10. > :56:19.them pretty well that I would put in my garden. This one is a fantastic
:56:19. > :56:23.plant. Fantastic as you say. Got its AGM in 1962. That's fairly new.
:56:23. > :56:26.Lovely sunny site, free draining soil. For us in the north, it will
:56:26. > :56:36.probably disappear over winter. Down here, you'll find it stay there's
:56:36. > :56:36.
:56:36. > :56:44.all the time. Yes, it's semi-everygreen. Great in a pot or
:56:44. > :56:48.raised bed. The one in front takes some beating. It's got the AGM. Part
:56:48. > :56:54.shade rather than a sunny site. We lose that in winter, but can you
:56:54. > :56:57.keep it? It stays pretty much evergreen. It's so graceful. When
:56:57. > :57:04.you plant it in bulk and the straight green variety is gorgeous
:57:04. > :57:10.too. Very popular too.I'm trying to get hold of those at the moment.
:57:10. > :57:16.Come round here. What have you got here then? This is a really reliable
:57:16. > :57:22.plant. It will do sun, part shade, evergreen, stays all year round.
:57:22. > :57:28.Obviously it has a seed heads as well which last about a month or so.
:57:28. > :57:32.It grows as a little plant so you can split it up. Being a northerner
:57:32. > :57:38.we can keep some in the garden and in a pot. I'm loving your outfit.
:57:38. > :57:43.Lovely to meet you. And you. Lovely costume. Never catch on will
:57:43. > :57:47.it! What has caught on which is great news is in 2011 the RHS
:57:47. > :57:52.launched get your garden buzzing which was the Perfect for
:57:52. > :57:58.Pollinators to put in your guard ton help bees which are suffering. It
:57:58. > :58:08.seems to be taking off. It working a treat. Some great garden plants.
:58:08. > :58:09.
:58:09. > :58:13.Like the scabiuos and the geum. inquiries that the RHS have had
:58:13. > :58:17.about pollinators are up to 130% and wildflowers by 70%. So the campaign
:58:17. > :58:20.is working. We need to keep it working. We'll be back here on BBC
:58:20. > :58:27.Two tomorrow night at the same time when we'll trace the rise of
:58:27. > :58:30.cutting-edge Chelsea and the era when Main Avenue behind me said
:58:31. > :58:35.goodbye to the traditional stands and welcomed a new age of show
:58:35. > :58:42.gardens. Before then join Steve Chapman and Daniel Sturridge at