Episode 9 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

an event supported by M M&G Investments. Over the last 100 year,

Chelsea has seen everything that the leading lights in horticulture can

conger up. We've had swinging towers and tropical flowers. Asked us to

think green, even designed with plasticine. Why? This the flower

show which demands exhibiters to push the boundaries. Today we are

finding out. Today, wall on the wild side. Chris Beardshaw looks at the

art designed to make a statement in your garden. Why use just a hedge or

a simple trer lis, when you can play with structures which in themselves

themselves become works of art. plants which keep giving. It is hard

to imagine any plant lover than this! And news quiz - which

Scandinavian comedian has a passion for gardening? Sandi Toksvig is here

looking for answers. I need to find this things which can be fragrant

and beautiful, but will withstand harsher conditions than the average

suburban garden. When you think about garden landscaping, a few

paving stones, decking maybe, some fencing - that all might spring to

mind. Those materials are so last year! Some designers want to start

to think outside the box when it comes to outdoor spaces. Over the

years, Chelsea has seen gardens created from diverse materials. In

1994 Paul Cooper's Constructivist Garden created a storm in a flower

pot, with tea bags hanging from trees. In 2 oh 009 James May caused

controversy with his garden designed with plasticine. Neither left with a

medal. It does not stop designers from pushing the boundaries here.

This year, there is the odd flash of radical thinking, with clever use of

materials in the gardens. Jamie Dunstone has taken four materials

and used them in a brave way. On the floor we have Cumbrian slate, with I

is very smooth, but it has been roughened, so it is nonslip when

wet. These blocks of yew have been used as part of the structure of the

garden. The stand-out thing is perhaps this willow by Emma Stofard.

They have been treated with linseed oil. It is the shapes and blocks

which make it powerful. The one radical element is all of this

barley. It is not conventional planting - it has been used in a

materialistic way. Very unusual. ??FORCEWHITE From barley to centre

barley - in this garden Jinny Blom has used familiar materials, but in

a very cutting edge way. This is made from birch plywood, not unique.

Look how it has been made. This elevates into something

special. The stone here, this is an Italian sandstone sismt an ancient

material -- it is an ancient material. It is incredibly difficult

to achieve this. The craftsmanship which goes into it is really

important. Jinny has tide the garden together though by using this stone

as a mulch throughout the beds. It comes from the same quarry and has a

varation in the colour, as it goes from grey to brown. It unites the

garden and works well. The East Garden Village uses a whole range of

materials throughout the garden. This structure is made from steel,

which has been painted with a copper paint and chemically aged. Real

copper would have been too expensive and not strong enough to support

this structure. The modern technology has been incredibly

useful here. It is the same with this machine-cut timber. It is

called a dig-bow and it is a sustainable, tropical hardwood and

that gives it this beautiful colour. There is also glass, which you don't

see at first. It flows around the curves of the building at the back.

The one material which ties the whole garden together is this clay

paver on the floor. It is from bell gum. It is great the way it snakes

through. Because it is a tinny unit you can get these wonderful curves

that link everything together. Now, we may not have tea bags and

plasticine this year, but all these gardens are innovative and bang

up-to-date. The Fresh Garden category demands

for designers to think outside of the box. This is Fernando Gonzalez's

Fresh Garden - Sound of Silence. He has used this stone based on a Seine

garden. Like any Japanese garden worth its soy sauce, there is a lone

bonsai making a bold statement. They have been exhibited since 1913. It

is a delicate art form, shrouded in mystery, not for the faint-hearted.

Is that a myth? I will find out from a bonsai expert. We have looked at

ten plants awarded Plant of the Decade by the RHS. One of these will

go on to win the title of plant of Plant of the Centenary. That

decision will be made by your vote. Roy has reached then seventh plant

on the list. It is 1973 and time to No-one knows where or when this

wallflower originated. It commemorates one of brin's most

celebrated gardener -- Britain's most celebrated gardeners. It was

first sthon at Chelsea in 1898 -- shown at Chelsea in 1992. It was in

many gardens before that. It is a woody plant, producing a mound of up

to two feet high of narrow, grey leaves and produces these flowers

which are violet or purple in bud, openening to a mauve colour. If the

winter is mild they can produce into December. It is hard to find a more

pleasing plant of its kind than this one.

Roy will introduce us to another Plant of the Decade later in the

programme. You can find out about all the plants and how to vote by

following the link on our website. Show gardens are used as a barometer

for the latest trends. Chris Beardshaw has been looking at garden

wall art which knows no boundaries. One of the important things to

consider in a garden is how it is divided up, not just the boundaries

but the divisions within the garden. Think of the garden as a novel - a

series of chapters. It is important to have distinction between those

chapters. Why use a hedge or trellis when you can play with structures

which in themselves become a work of art. It could be as simple as oak

beams standing vertically which give you tantalising glimpses of the

garden beyond, but equally give you a sense of enclosure. Here we have

stain stainless steal balls with water dribbling now. There is a

wonderful audible quality to this but a sense of containment. Stacked,

curved and allowing the garden to develop beyond. These are the sort

of ideas that transform the mundane into real work s of art.

This garden contains an example of how designer's lateral thinking can

express the message of the overall theme of the garden, while

decorating the boundaries, dragging them into the core of the statement.

This particular garden concerns itself with organisms which are

alien from foreign climates which are threatening our own plants in

the landscapes and gardens. It shows a motif on the wall n the concrete,

of the organisms themselves - the disease of woody plants and the

frilly edges of the pennywort. An American species. No-one expects you

to repeat this with such negative imagery. You can take the principal

of decoration on the external panels and suddenly you bring the garden to

life, combine that with a slate sculpture here. Using materials

familiar to all of us and art comes through the garden. The Brewin

Dolphin garden contains many ideas and concepts which are transferred

to deal with boundaries and edges in the garden. For instance, this

entire perking la is a sophisticated -- pergola is a sophisticated

structure. It allows the light, as it catches the notches which have

been edged in - it gives a wonderful three-dimensional feel to the

structure. Further up is a steel box system into which a recessed plywood

panel. Because it is the process of gluing wood together, when you cut

into it, you expose the fingerprint of the law layers of timber. At the

top of the garden some pebbles. These are reminisce sent to the

pebble tiles you get on a fabric net in your bathroom. Here they have

been put into a block and rendered wall, in that wonderful bull blood

red colour. It brings a statement to any contemporary garden.

I think the humble garden gnome takes some beating as a statement.

They have been barred from Chelsea over the past 99 years but have been

granted access for the centenary celebrations. They could not wait to

get in soun. Some are here for a good cause. All week, celebrities

have been painting them in order to raise money for the RHS charity

which aims to get more gardens into schools. They will be auctioned off

at the end of the week. We have a Tottenham gnome here... Sorry Joe

Swift, it is a gnome done by Joe. This might be a leopard and on the

end, apologies to Damien Hirst, my attempt at a spotted gnome. You can

follow the link to the show on the website. The winter may have

outstayed its welcome this year and caused problems for exhibiters, but

whatever the weather t show must go on. Over the years Chelsea has seen

it all weather wise. It has been baked by blazing sun and battered by

heavy rain. It was so bad in 1932, the summer ground fell to pieces.

The show ground has backbench flooded and a I can of course has

collapsed. This year, we were still getting snow at the beginning of the

month. What has been happening to our weather? Andy has been finding

out. I am here with Carol Kirkwood. When will we get a warm front?

will be freezing tomorrow as well. Our weather is driven by the jet

stream. We've had the second wettest year. It looks like we are on course

for the coldest spring in 30 years. Depending on where the jet steam is

will have an impact. If it is to the nosht-west of us, we will have a

fine summer. Last year, low pressure dominated our weather and it was

pants - frankly! Do we have to get used to this year after year?

a huge subject, it is happening. We cannot look at incidents in

isolation. It is a long-term thing we are all considering. What about

Bank Holiday Monday? A big day for guarders. Will it be good?

Scotland and Ireland we have a cold front, that is introducing rain. For

England and Wales, it should not be too bad. This year, with snow

falling in some parts of the country at the beginning oh of May, the

biggest problem for growers has been convincing growers that spring has

sprung. Rachel has been speaking to exhibiters who have been getting

expect a succession of colour from six to eight weeks in the spring,

but this year, everything is different. Normally, we would have

these flowering in the middle of April, intermediates at the

beginning of May, and the tall bearded would be into their stride

by now, but the season is late this year because of the weather. They

are up to a month late. But it has given an opportunity for the

intermediates to shine. Absolutely, we do not usually have many, because

they are getting to the end of the season and beginning to look tatty.

I love this one, it has caught my eye. A wonderful feathered pattern.

It is stunning. It is particularly beautiful, one of my favourites.

Getting daily to flower in the middle of May is hard enough. At the

beginning of the year, when plants are small, we can be in control of

heat and light, but as the plants get bigger, we run into February and

March, so we need to move them to a different location, and then we had

a long spell of the weather, we did not see much sun. We need the sun to

bring the buds into flower. We set out with 500 plants, it is not until

you arrive here and you overload the lorry, and you think, we are a bit

like. So we had to adapt, a cue more props, a bit of judicious spacing,

to help it along. Everybody this year is in the same position, or in

the same bed together. We have been talking to each other, everybody has

got a story to tell about how the weather has affected them. The fact

that we have got the high percentage of gold medals this year

demonstrates the commitment that every nursery has two come to

Chelsea. It has been cold, but they love it cold. I was going to launch

yours here, but no talking would help, she would not perform, so she

cannot be bullied! It is typical, I was so chuffed. It is typical, she

is late! Is that like you? !This is lovely. It is one of my favourites,

normally it has gone over by now, but it has done it stuff for this

show. So there is an upside.For me, yes.

The awful weather did not stop Reg Bolton from bringing his bonsai to

the show. There is no doubt that they are beautiful, but many are put

off because they look high maintenance. They are readily

available from garden centres but can be expensive, so you need to

know how to look after them properly. How long have they been

here? We have a little advertisement that says they were here from 1913.

I have heard them called Japanese tour of trees, because they are,

they look like perfection personified. People are worried

about buying them. They are not cheap, and how difficult are they to

keep looking like that? They need maintaining daily. Lots of people

bring them indoors, which is wrong. It is a normal tree, to live

outside. Keep them outside. Keep them well watered and fed. People

think that they are put in pots and left, they are not. You cannot leave

them, you have to care for them virtually daily. They need watering,

feeding. They do not stay like this, they have to be groomed and

cut and put into shape. If you start with starter material like this, you

Chinese junipers. They are an easy plan to use. It is essential that

they do not get put in a pot. have to prune? You have to prune the

route. You are restricting the growth. If you do not have a good

root system, you do not have a good top system. You can have a go. In

this area, anything that is hanging down like this is going to be no

good. There is some here. It is not going to... Shall I tried it here?

Yes. Can any cherry's can any cherry be treated like this? Yes.I am

poised, ready! What is the oldest tree that you have done? The one on

the stand that I have, the English elm, this was taken as a route

sucker in 1969, from trees that were taken down to make way for shops.

is beautiful. I now know how to look after it, they need love and care

and water, but it is worth it. Over the years, the Great Pavilion

has showcased plans of all shapes and sizes. In 1983, it was the

Palace purple that caused a stir. This plant has been awarded a Plant

of the Decade board. This week, we have been taking a closer look at

these plants, one for each decade of When this was exhibited in 1983, it

became the first of its kind to be grown as a hardy flowering foliage

perennial. It started one of the major plant fashions of the last

quarter of a century. Now, there are hundreds of them, varying in leaf

shape and colour. Making them one of the most popular of all hardy

perennials. The angular foliage is topped in summer by sprays of tiny

pale flowers, which, with its mandate habit, help to maintain the

popularity today. It is rather cloudy today, and we

are in the cloudy Bay garden, but Sandi Toksvig will be our ray of

sunshine! My arm well, you look like a ray of sunshine! We have to try!

We are surrounded by so much beauty, I have competition! You have been

quite a few times? I come every year if I can manage it. I get so

overexcited about the designs, the flowers, meeting experts, it is

great. When did you start getting into gardening? I helped my

grandfather when I was little. He grew anything and everything, from

fragrant flowers to the gorgeous things we can eat. He inspired you?

He did. I am not a Craig Gardner, because it takes up so much time,

but I often think of him. What is your garden like? It is a blank

canvas at the moment. It is a great start! We had a hill behind our

house, we live on the beach, and we made it into terraces. You can be

inspired when you visit somebody else's garden, I saw sold dolly's

garden in Spain. He thought that each bit of your garden should be

treated as if it was a separate room in your house, so the same way as

you have different rooms, you should divide your garden up. We have got

an area for playing games, and area for eating, and every for

barbecuing, and area for being quiet. Are you looking for

inspiration, plans that might work? My concern is, because we are on the

beach, there will be a limited number of plans that will work for

us. I need to find those things that can be fragrant and beautiful summer

but will withstand slightly hotter conditions than the average suburban

garden. Have you had any disasters in the past? Yes, mostly involving

losing at croquet, which is a vicious game! I do love the games!

There has got to be room for that. You are into a fighting game?

it is an ancient game, it is wonderful, you should come over

sometime! It is a vicious game, you throw sticks and have to hit over

other people's soldiers. I like the idea that the Vikings arrived and

they were a friendly people and they brought nice games for us to play.

That is a nicer approach! Enjoy the rest of the day, thank you.

You can see more of Sandi Toksvig and her garden tonight when she

joins us on BBC Two at 8pm. She will be letting us tag along as she takes

a look around the show. There is nothing more beautiful than

a walk through a wildflower meadow, so it is hardly surprising that many

of us want to include some of them in our gardens. Wildflowers are

fleeting beauty, and we often demand interest so much longer. Carol

Kirkwood is taking a walk on the wild side, with an eye for cousins

that keep giving and giving. The plants in the Great Pavilion

have been pruned and pampered to the peak of perfection. But here and

there, in quiet corners, plants that are equally beautiful but much more

on issuing. I am down with the natives, they have created a

beautiful meadow. It is packed full of wildflowers, including

forget-me-nots. On this corner, a subtle plant, and in the background,

a slightly bigger plant, and we go it as chives. It makes a great

edging is the garden, but it is not showing. Some of these are more

spectacular, and some of them are natives, nonetheless, it relies on

big, bright, beautiful flowers. In our beds and borders, we want that

sort of thing, and plant breeders have made sure that we do, they

produce plans that are bigger and flower earrings brighter than this

lovely one. It is almost as though there is a light inside it that

shines forth, and lights up any border brilliantly. It has got mixed

parentage, so it does not need the damp conditions. It also forms the

perfect background to the ecosphere is of this. This is purple rain, a

far cry from the dainty chives. It is a bulb, so took it in randomly

here and there, in a lovely, flowing quite. Unfortunately, it has scruffy

leaves, but why not follow this hint and took the bulbs into another

plant that covers the ground and We can opt for wildflowers as nature

intended. Or if we prefer, we can go for their cultivated cousins.

Bright, brilliant, flamboyant. The point is, as gardeners, we have the

choice. We have been looking at cutting edge

things today. This is a cutting edge material, a difference in Schmeichel

a mix between swine and wall, they have done it in Chelsea pensioners

colours, it is �3 50, and the money goes to their appeal. That is all we

have time for today. We will be back at 8pm on BBC Two, with more cutting

edge Chelsea. If you cannot wait until then, you can press the red