:00:30. > :00:31.Hello and welcome back to the Royal Horticultural Society's
:00:32. > :00:40.Chelsea Flower Show, an event supported by M Investments.
:00:41. > :00:47.It is a slightly soggy end to what has been a really lovely week.
:00:48. > :00:50.By the time you watch this programme, the show gardens
:00:51. > :00:53.and famous Great Pavilion out there will have started to be dismantled
:00:54. > :00:57.for another year and the ground will have begun to be restored to
:00:58. > :01:02.After over 12 hours of glorious coverage,
:01:03. > :01:06.we wanted to share with you some of our team's favourite moments of the
:01:07. > :01:10.week, and it all begins with Carol getting a taste for the exotic.
:01:11. > :01:22.So, sit back and enjoy the horticultural high of the year.
:01:23. > :01:29.You can almost feel the temperature rising. How about that for a splash
:01:30. > :01:36.of colour! These come in this enormous range of oranges, pinks and
:01:37. > :01:39.even a few black ones. Dark, dangerous and very, very mysterious.
:01:40. > :01:43.But the other thing we have got apart from the colour is this
:01:44. > :01:50.fabulous structure. It is almost surrealist, this spade that wraps
:01:51. > :01:57.around the inside workings of the flower. It blew as insects in. You
:01:58. > :02:00.might assume that because of their tropical, exuberant parents that
:02:01. > :02:06.these are difficult to grow. But not a bit of it. You can put them into
:02:07. > :02:11.your pots, plant them out in the summer, anywhere where you want that
:02:12. > :02:16.colour, but when the frosts threaten, bring them in doors. A
:02:17. > :02:22.cool Conservatory, a greenhouse, your porch. Anywhere will do. And
:02:23. > :02:27.for all the water from them. They want to be bone dry all winter. Then
:02:28. > :02:31.from the string, water them again and they will burst into growth,
:02:32. > :02:32.promising you another summer of exuberant colour and beautiful
:02:33. > :02:53.structure. Structure isn't always about being
:02:54. > :02:58.sculptured. Sometimes it is quite the opposite. In the case of these,
:02:59. > :03:04.it is about being willowy and wafting around. And yet this
:03:05. > :03:10.beautiful construction would look brilliant in anybody's garden. These
:03:11. > :03:14.are from South Africa. They are not grass, they are a whole separate
:03:15. > :03:20.group of their own. And it is a vast group. Some of them are tall and
:03:21. > :03:27.wonderful, some of them have tiny little inflorescence is right up the
:03:28. > :03:31.stems which twinkle in the light. -- inflorescences. They are not as
:03:32. > :03:37.hardy as most of the ornamental grasses we grow in our gardens but
:03:38. > :03:42.they will take temperatures down to minus eight degrees. What they
:03:43. > :03:47.really love is neutral to acid soil and adequate moisture. A great idea
:03:48. > :03:52.if you feel you must have one of these gorgeous plants is to grow one
:03:53. > :03:57.in an enormous pot, and then sync it into the ground, and then, with the
:03:58. > :04:00.help of a friend, when it starts to get really cold, Bridget indoors
:04:01. > :04:02.under cover, but somewhere where it is bright and light. -- bring it in
:04:03. > :04:19.doors. These are an incredibly aristocratic
:04:20. > :04:25.group of plants. But hailing as they do from Himalayan woodland, the one
:04:26. > :04:32.thing they do test is a soggy bottom! -- the one thing they hate.
:04:33. > :04:41.So give them a bit of shade, really excellent drainage and wood soil.
:04:42. > :04:48.You can't go wrong. In terms of a flower which perfectly epitomises
:04:49. > :04:54.poise and grace, what could do it better than this? She is like a
:04:55. > :05:01.flower that has been to finishing school! Or an absolute diva! Cued!
:05:02. > :05:06.But I think it is she who steals the show.
:05:07. > :05:08.With thousands of plants, flowers and trees vying for
:05:09. > :05:15.attention, we asked the question which was loved most of all.
:05:16. > :05:22.With so many bold and brilliant plants on display, sometimes it is
:05:23. > :05:30.easy to miss the smaller, the little gems. But this just shone out to me.
:05:31. > :05:38.The white petals around the flowers sparkle in the shade. It is smaller
:05:39. > :05:46.but perfectly formed. A must have for me is this. This is better known
:05:47. > :05:51.as the Canary Island foxglove. Just look at the tone of that flower. The
:05:52. > :05:58.combination of purple stem, doc, green glossy leaves and it scatters
:05:59. > :06:08.seeds with the most amazing enthusiasm. -- dark. These excite me
:06:09. > :06:18.on every trip and this is my Plant of the Year for 2014.
:06:19. > :06:26.My plant is this. Such delicate little flowers and it gives autumn
:06:27. > :06:34.colour. I have always wanted one but can't because I don't garden in
:06:35. > :06:40.acidic soil. I think these are sadly underrated but this is certainly one
:06:41. > :06:49.of the best. It is called Totally Tangerine, for obvious reasons, and
:06:50. > :06:52.it is soft and elegant and pretty. It is the way it combines with so
:06:53. > :06:57.many other flowers and foliage that makes it my Plant of the Year.
:06:58. > :07:00.Looking at all those beautiful specimens, it's hard to believe
:07:01. > :07:04.that plants have a darker side that they rely on for survival.
:07:05. > :07:20.Libby introduce you to a pack of super predators. -- let me introduce
:07:21. > :07:27.you. These are almost salivating in anticipation. All of this sticky, do
:07:28. > :07:32.you like substance is a to attract insects in as their prey. The nectar
:07:33. > :07:39.is actually drugged with a narcotic and the insect drinks it, gets woozy
:07:40. > :07:43.and falls down into a really acidic mix of digestive juices, and it is
:07:44. > :07:47.completely absorbed by the plant. They grow in areas which are really
:07:48. > :07:50.low in minerals like nitrogen, so they have had to resort to hunting
:07:51. > :08:01.for their prey. So here I am on the forest floor,
:08:02. > :08:05.entering a whole new world of danger, and who would have thought a
:08:06. > :08:09.rhododendron which is so pretty could be poisonous? What they do is
:08:10. > :08:13.pack their leaves filled with toxins that act like weedkiller, and when
:08:14. > :08:17.they popped down to the soil and rocks, they deposit these in a big
:08:18. > :08:23.circle around the plant, suppressing the growth of anything which is not
:08:24. > :08:27.a rhododendron. Effectively, it is a territorial dispute with chemical
:08:28. > :08:29.warfare. You might expect that sort of behaviour from snake to insects,
:08:30. > :08:47.but suburban shrubbery?! of this South African Casey of these
:08:48. > :08:52.delicious, barbed wire like thorns. But it also has a secondary chemical
:08:53. > :08:56.method of defending itself. When the plants are under attack by a
:08:57. > :09:00.herbivore, they emit volatile chemicals which can be detected by
:09:01. > :09:04.other trees and suddenly their leaves become bitter. It is like an
:09:05. > :09:16.early warning smoke signal to let them know an attack is under way.
:09:17. > :09:22.So, trees are not just capable of messaging each other and
:09:23. > :09:25.communicating. They can actually share resources through an
:09:26. > :09:28.underground network which works just like telephone lines or the World
:09:29. > :09:40.Wide Web. I kid you not! And it is made of living fundi. -- fungus. In
:09:41. > :09:44.the world, some trees are not only capable of detecting their closest
:09:45. > :09:47.genetic relatives, they can even move should go along this
:09:48. > :09:55.underground network to feed them. They are literally rearing their
:09:56. > :09:59.young. So when you are next planting at your garden, remember, it might
:10:00. > :10:03.look tranquil on the surface but it is really just like high school.
:10:04. > :10:19.There is so much hidden politics going on in the flower border!
:10:20. > :10:32.There is no shortage of sculpture here at Chelsea this year. In fact,
:10:33. > :10:35.I've never known so much. With new materials, tools and manufacturing
:10:36. > :10:37.techniques, it is as if the limits of what artists can achieve have
:10:38. > :10:53.been removed. Some of the original sculptures
:10:54. > :10:58.here, you need a big car to get them home! But having a sculpture in your
:10:59. > :11:09.garden needs rules and they are always the same.
:11:10. > :11:15.Framing is key, and whether you use overhanging trees or hedges, or oak
:11:16. > :11:20.panels like this, it can show off your sculpture to the best. That is
:11:21. > :11:25.whether it is a bird bath or a marble representation of a sound
:11:26. > :11:29.wave when you say light. And if you are clever with your framing, you
:11:30. > :11:40.can completely change the way a sculpture looks.
:11:41. > :11:46.The sculpture you choose is down to personal taste. The backdrop needs
:11:47. > :11:50.careful consideration. You want something neutral like grass or
:11:51. > :11:57.foliage, or, even better, a complement to recolour which helps
:11:58. > :12:10.your piece of art shine out. -- complimentary colour.
:12:11. > :12:17.And that is true whether you are using stone or you have Willow
:12:18. > :12:29.wigwams for your sweet peas, or you are using sparkling silver birch.
:12:30. > :12:37.Access is essential because, after all, touching is half the fun. Of
:12:38. > :12:42.course, it is essential if you grow your own statues that you keep them
:12:43. > :12:46.tightly clipped. And that is what you realise when you see the gardens
:12:47. > :12:52.here at Chelsea. Every element of them, the planting, paving, stone in
:12:53. > :12:53.the walls, it is all treated like a piece of sculpture, framed with a
:12:54. > :13:11.beautiful backdrop. And that is why the gardens here
:13:12. > :13:15.look this good. That is fantastic, though, isn't it?
:13:16. > :13:22.But did you know every year some Chelsea gardens get a second life?
:13:23. > :13:27.Anyone who has followed the Chelsea Flower Show over the years will
:13:28. > :13:28.instantly recognise these stunning gardens created by Leeds City
:13:29. > :13:46.Council. What makes these gardens so special
:13:47. > :13:54.is they live here at this part in Leeds. So that hundreds of visitors
:13:55. > :14:03.can enjoy them, as Chelsea visitors have in the past.
:14:04. > :14:09.I am here to meet Dean Lockwood, an estate offers a fully City Council,
:14:10. > :14:13.and a pivotal force in all of Leeds' gardens at Chelsea. Why was
:14:14. > :14:17.the decision made to bring the gardens back home? It was one of the
:14:18. > :14:21.justifications of going, to be honest. The vast majority of people
:14:22. > :14:27.in Leeds are not going to go down to London to see the gardens there. But
:14:28. > :14:32.it is so nice to see them together? It is and it is a story here now.
:14:33. > :14:38.This is our 2008 entry, the largest room in the house. And it was the
:14:39. > :14:43.first of the four we have recreated here. And how difficult was it? You
:14:44. > :14:52.don't just dig it up and throw it down into the back of a lorry? You
:14:53. > :14:56.create pallets and bring it back. It is probably just as difficult to
:14:57. > :15:05.take it down and keep it in order as it is to put it back up. So it is a
:15:06. > :15:12.jigsaw puzzle? It is. How does this one work? If you look at it as a
:15:13. > :15:16.whole, it is like a bowl, so it captures the rainwater and contains
:15:17. > :15:24.it to this area. Fairly straightforward garden plants?
:15:25. > :15:32.Irises, lots of architectural shapes as well. There is nothing you would
:15:33. > :15:45.struggle here to buy in most garden centres. This was the garden back
:15:46. > :15:55.court leads its first gold. How did that feel? Incredible. It is hard to
:15:56. > :15:57.describe. The sense of pride? It is amazing. We don't think it has got
:15:58. > :16:05.to you but then when something like that happens, it is unbelievable,
:16:06. > :16:10.the emotion just comes out. I remember a meadow over there and it
:16:11. > :16:17.is not a meadow. Why do you change it? Because we have too. They are
:16:18. > :16:28.now real Gardens. It has that wow factor like the Loch Gardens we had.
:16:29. > :16:34.In 2011, another gold for the stunning water wheel garden. What is
:16:35. > :16:38.nice about this, general garden plants and then a Sunni area, a
:16:39. > :16:46.shady area and look at that, it's lovely? It really sets the scene.
:16:47. > :16:50.When people come along and see the plans we have got here, and if we
:16:51. > :16:56.can grow them here, it is certain they can grow them as well. Do you
:16:57. > :17:00.feel there is a great sense of pride in bringing a garden back from
:17:01. > :17:05.Chelsea? I wish we had the money to have been able to do it in
:17:06. > :17:09.successive years. We have people who are going to move from the area but
:17:10. > :17:15.they decided not to because they love this park so much. We love this
:17:16. > :17:22.area and it is well supported by many people from around the area. I
:17:23. > :17:29.think it is incredible the skills, passion and the knowledge with the
:17:30. > :17:33.Parc's department taking the garden to Chelsea, should live on. These
:17:34. > :17:43.gardens will inspire people for ever and I think that is absolutely
:17:44. > :17:47.splendid. Chelsea never fails to inspire and
:17:48. > :17:50.this week we have discovered familiar faces with a passion for
:17:51. > :17:57.gardening. Sophie was delighted to meet actor, Benedict Cumberbatch.
:17:58. > :18:03.Lovely to see you here. Gardening was something you are introduced to
:18:04. > :18:07.by your mother? Yes, I think a lot of children are. I spend a lot of my
:18:08. > :18:14.time decimating their efforts. I only have a roof terrace myself and
:18:15. > :18:19.I had to get help with it because I am barely there for more than three
:18:20. > :18:23.weeks at a time. But it is an outlet for a bit of headspace and just be
:18:24. > :18:30.able to focus and get away from the pace of the city. Even my little
:18:31. > :18:33.patch has been influenced with what my mum did with the balcony, before
:18:34. > :18:40.she had her cottage garden after that. I am picking up tips, but I
:18:41. > :18:43.cannot profess to any great knowledge or being physically very
:18:44. > :18:52.involved. What do you love in your garden? I have a wisteria, which I
:18:53. > :18:57.love. It is a beautiful thing, it is an archetypal site in London. It
:18:58. > :19:03.always gives me a thrill. Apart from that, just something I have kept
:19:04. > :19:11.with I have managed to keep alive through thick and thin. It has had
:19:12. > :19:15.builder's dirt all over it when the place was being renovated. It is
:19:16. > :19:21.still alive. The one double think about Chelsea is it does show you,
:19:22. > :19:26.even if you have a small space, a balcony, I have a very small London
:19:27. > :19:33.garden but it shows you the huge potential with a small area? You can
:19:34. > :19:40.be very imaginative. We are in this most extraordinary garden, he is
:19:41. > :19:46.29! Extraordinary. The amount of imagination in this space. The
:19:47. > :19:53.acreage is modest but it is beautiful what you can do. Creating
:19:54. > :19:55.a garden border is all about choosing the right plans. According
:19:56. > :20:00.to Rachel de Thame it is like comparing a meal. All you need is
:20:01. > :20:06.the right floral ingredients. -- preparing a meal.
:20:07. > :20:11.I am an unashamed chocoholic but I am convinced I can capture the
:20:12. > :20:25.richness and sweetness in a planting combination. My starting point is
:20:26. > :20:30.this shrub. There are different forms and their art ornamental
:20:31. > :20:37.types. They have this wonderful, dark foliage. It is very lacy and
:20:38. > :20:42.finally dissected. This one is slightly larger with your teeth
:20:43. > :20:51.sprays of flowers. They are almost like white chocolate sprinkles. It
:20:52. > :20:56.is such an easy-going plans. It can get thuggish, so no special
:20:57. > :20:58.treatment needed. If you want to encourage new foliage, it needs
:20:59. > :21:02.cutting down in the autumn and you will have this fantastic backdrop
:21:03. > :21:27.for a whole range of plants. My next ingredient is also very
:21:28. > :21:31.easy-going in the garden and very prolific in the garden. It is my
:21:32. > :21:40.favourite of this time of year. Not only for its foliage is but the
:21:41. > :21:45.flowers are so delicate and pretty. This is William Guinness. You have
:21:46. > :21:53.the dark chocolate and the white on the
:21:54. > :22:01.For variety, I think what is needed is a strong, vertical accent and I
:22:02. > :22:06.don't think these can get more vertical. They are wonderful.
:22:07. > :22:13.Intensity and richness of colour which I think fits the chocolate
:22:14. > :22:17.theme. Standing here, the smell is almost overpowering, and it is
:22:18. > :22:29.almost unexpected with these flowers. It is truly scrumptious.
:22:30. > :22:35.This corner of the positively Stoke-on-Trent 's garden is like a
:22:36. > :22:40.chocolate selection box. We have the lacy foliage and then the vertical
:22:41. > :22:47.accent towards the front and lots of these dark, chocolatey colours. Then
:22:48. > :22:54.we have roses, Iris and those lovely fruit fondant colours of the
:22:55. > :23:04.currents, cherry and raspberry. I feel like a kid in a sweet shop. --
:23:05. > :23:09.blackcurrant. Not all of the plans are Chelsea are to everyone's taste.
:23:10. > :23:18.Don Illingworth has an obsession with the sci-fi specimens known as
:23:19. > :23:22.bromeliads. We went to find out why. Nobody really knows them and to look
:23:23. > :23:30.at them, they probably frighten people with their vibrant colours.
:23:31. > :23:38.Is this going on after 9pm? Some people can pass comments in a
:23:39. > :23:43.naughty but nice way. As well as being passionate over the
:23:44. > :23:50.bromeliads, I am passionate about a man called Rod Stewart. He had a
:23:51. > :23:57.record out in 1971 called, Every Picture Tells A Story and I saw Rod
:23:58. > :24:02.Stewart at the Chelsea Flower Show and I have developed this bromeliads
:24:03. > :24:11.on the hope that one day I will meet Rod Stewart. Bromeliads are one of
:24:12. > :24:15.the largest plant families. They all come from the Americas. So from the
:24:16. > :24:20.southern states of north America, right to southern America, Brazil
:24:21. > :24:26.and Argentina, they grow on every level. The plans I like to display
:24:27. > :24:35.are more jungle, but then you have some that are close to this and
:24:36. > :24:40.succulent and live in desert. I got interested in bromeliads when I was
:24:41. > :24:49.working at Liverpool Britannic 's and helping to build the collection.
:24:50. > :24:54.In 2008 at Chelsea, I purchased ?200 worth of bromeliads and that is how
:24:55. > :25:01.I started my collection. I have three national collections within
:25:02. > :25:05.the family. The idea, what we are trying to do is show people the
:25:06. > :25:09.diversity of not just all of the different colours, but also sizes
:25:10. > :25:16.and shapes of them. A question I am often asked is how we can get these
:25:17. > :25:20.things to flower again? At a recent presentation I was asked the
:25:21. > :25:26.question. If you get a plan to about this size, get an apple and put it
:25:27. > :25:30.on the side of the pot. Cover the plans and the apple with a paper
:25:31. > :25:39.bag. Leave it and seal it for about 12 to 14 days. The apple will rot
:25:40. > :25:59.and produce ethylene gas. It will induce the flower. If you use pear,
:26:00. > :26:04.you will get to flowers. I was asked if what happens if you use a ban on?
:26:05. > :26:12.I said you will get a bunch. Did you meet Rod Stewart? No, he never
:26:13. > :26:17.turned up, so why should I bother. I go to see him in concert, so he
:26:18. > :26:23.should come to see me while I am here. You have got a gold medal?
:26:24. > :26:30.Yes, three in a row for the company. I love the fact that you first saw
:26:31. > :26:42.bromeliads here at Chelsea and now grow them. It was 1998. They are
:26:43. > :26:45.frightened of them, most people. Because they are so vibrant, they
:26:46. > :26:49.think they cannot look after it. They are one of the easiest to look
:26:50. > :26:58.after, otherwise I would not be doing it. Sometimes they look
:26:59. > :27:03.plastic. They do. I think I can put a few plastic ones in and the judges
:27:04. > :27:06.will not notice. But the judges did notice the
:27:07. > :27:12.incredibly creative dresses designed by the florists competing to be
:27:13. > :27:19.crowned both Young Florist of the Year and Florist of the Year. Winner
:27:20. > :27:40.of the RHS Young Florist of the Year, 2014... Daisy Ellen Berg
:27:41. > :27:43.Orlean. Here she is, RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year, 2014. Lisa
:27:44. > :28:23.Fowler. Sadly, it is time to say goodbye to
:28:24. > :28:27.the Chelsea Flower Show 2014. Thanks to the florist, growers, designers
:28:28. > :28:36.and the team or a wonderful year. We will be back, same time, same
:28:37. > :28:44.place in 2015. But if you cannot wait that long, I will be back at
:28:45. > :28:58.Hampton Court Palace on the 7th of July.
:28:59. > :29:01.Make the most of your bank holiday, wherever you are.
:29:02. > :29:06.Use the BBC Weather app to stay one step ahead of the weather.