Episode 15 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Hello and welcome back to the Royal Horticultural Society's

Chelsea Flower Show, an event supported by M Investments.

It is a slightly soggy end to what has been a really lovely week.

By the time you watch this programme, the show gardens

and famous Great Pavilion out there will have started to be dismantled

for another year and the ground will have begun to be restored to

After over 12 hours of glorious coverage,

we wanted to share with you some of our team's favourite moments of the

week, and it all begins with Carol getting a taste for the exotic.

So, sit back and enjoy the horticultural high of the year.

You can almost feel the temperature rising. How about that for a splash

of colour! These come in this enormous range of oranges, pinks and

even a few black ones. Dark, dangerous and very, very mysterious.

But the other thing we have got apart from the colour is this

fabulous structure. It is almost surrealist, this spade that wraps

around the inside workings of the flower. It blew as insects in. You

might assume that because of their tropical, exuberant parents that

these are difficult to grow. But not a bit of it. You can put them into

your pots, plant them out in the summer, anywhere where you want that

colour, but when the frosts threaten, bring them in doors. A

cool Conservatory, a greenhouse, your porch. Anywhere will do. And

for all the water from them. They want to be bone dry all winter. Then

from the string, water them again and they will burst into growth,

promising you another summer of exuberant colour and beautiful

structure. Structure isn't always about being

sculptured. Sometimes it is quite the opposite. In the case of these,

it is about being willowy and wafting around. And yet this

beautiful construction would look brilliant in anybody's garden. These

are from South Africa. They are not grass, they are a whole separate

group of their own. And it is a vast group. Some of them are tall and

wonderful, some of them have tiny little inflorescence is right up the

stems which twinkle in the light. -- inflorescences. They are not as

hardy as most of the ornamental grasses we grow in our gardens but

they will take temperatures down to minus eight degrees. What they

really love is neutral to acid soil and adequate moisture. A great idea

if you feel you must have one of these gorgeous plants is to grow one

in an enormous pot, and then sync it into the ground, and then, with the

help of a friend, when it starts to get really cold, Bridget indoors

under cover, but somewhere where it is bright and light. -- bring it in

doors. These are an incredibly aristocratic

group of plants. But hailing as they do from Himalayan woodland, the one

thing they do test is a soggy bottom! -- the one thing they hate.

So give them a bit of shade, really excellent drainage and wood soil.

You can't go wrong. In terms of a flower which perfectly epitomises

poise and grace, what could do it better than this? She is like a

flower that has been to finishing school! Or an absolute diva! Cued!

But I think it is she who steals the show.

With thousands of plants, flowers and trees vying for

attention, we asked the question which was loved most of all.

With so many bold and brilliant plants on display, sometimes it is

easy to miss the smaller, the little gems. But this just shone out to me.

The white petals around the flowers sparkle in the shade. It is smaller

but perfectly formed. A must have for me is this. This is better known

as the Canary Island foxglove. Just look at the tone of that flower. The

combination of purple stem, doc, green glossy leaves and it scatters

seeds with the most amazing enthusiasm. -- dark. These excite me

on every trip and this is my Plant of the Year for 2014.

My plant is this. Such delicate little flowers and it gives autumn

colour. I have always wanted one but can't because I don't garden in

acidic soil. I think these are sadly underrated but this is certainly one

of the best. It is called Totally Tangerine, for obvious reasons, and

it is soft and elegant and pretty. It is the way it combines with so

many other flowers and foliage that makes it my Plant of the Year.

Looking at all those beautiful specimens, it's hard to believe

that plants have a darker side that they rely on for survival.

Libby introduce you to a pack of super predators. -- let me introduce

you. These are almost salivating in anticipation. All of this sticky, do

you like substance is a to attract insects in as their prey. The nectar

is actually drugged with a narcotic and the insect drinks it, gets woozy

and falls down into a really acidic mix of digestive juices, and it is

completely absorbed by the plant. They grow in areas which are really

low in minerals like nitrogen, so they have had to resort to hunting

for their prey. So here I am on the forest floor,

entering a whole new world of danger, and who would have thought a

rhododendron which is so pretty could be poisonous? What they do is

pack their leaves filled with toxins that act like weedkiller, and when

they popped down to the soil and rocks, they deposit these in a big

circle around the plant, suppressing the growth of anything which is not

a rhododendron. Effectively, it is a territorial dispute with chemical

warfare. You might expect that sort of behaviour from snake to insects,

but suburban shrubbery?! of this South African Casey of these

delicious, barbed wire like thorns. But it also has a secondary chemical

method of defending itself. When the plants are under attack by a

herbivore, they emit volatile chemicals which can be detected by

other trees and suddenly their leaves become bitter. It is like an

early warning smoke signal to let them know an attack is under way.

So, trees are not just capable of messaging each other and

communicating. They can actually share resources through an

underground network which works just like telephone lines or the World

Wide Web. I kid you not! And it is made of living fundi. -- fungus. In

the world, some trees are not only capable of detecting their closest

genetic relatives, they can even move should go along this

underground network to feed them. They are literally rearing their

young. So when you are next planting at your garden, remember, it might

look tranquil on the surface but it is really just like high school.

There is so much hidden politics going on in the flower border!

There is no shortage of sculpture here at Chelsea this year. In fact,

I've never known so much. With new materials, tools and manufacturing

techniques, it is as if the limits of what artists can achieve have

been removed. Some of the original sculptures

here, you need a big car to get them home! But having a sculpture in your

garden needs rules and they are always the same.

Framing is key, and whether you use overhanging trees or hedges, or oak

panels like this, it can show off your sculpture to the best. That is

whether it is a bird bath or a marble representation of a sound

wave when you say light. And if you are clever with your framing, you

can completely change the way a sculpture looks.

The sculpture you choose is down to personal taste. The backdrop needs

careful consideration. You want something neutral like grass or

foliage, or, even better, a complement to recolour which helps

your piece of art shine out. -- complimentary colour.

And that is true whether you are using stone or you have Willow

wigwams for your sweet peas, or you are using sparkling silver birch.

Access is essential because, after all, touching is half the fun. Of

course, it is essential if you grow your own statues that you keep them

tightly clipped. And that is what you realise when you see the gardens

here at Chelsea. Every element of them, the planting, paving, stone in

the walls, it is all treated like a piece of sculpture, framed with a

beautiful backdrop. And that is why the gardens here

look this good. That is fantastic, though, isn't it?

But did you know every year some Chelsea gardens get a second life?

Anyone who has followed the Chelsea Flower Show over the years will

instantly recognise these stunning gardens created by Leeds City

Council. What makes these gardens so special

is they live here at this part in Leeds. So that hundreds of visitors

can enjoy them, as Chelsea visitors have in the past.

I am here to meet Dean Lockwood, an estate offers a fully City Council,

and a pivotal force in all of Leeds' gardens at Chelsea. Why was

the decision made to bring the gardens back home? It was one of the

justifications of going, to be honest. The vast majority of people

in Leeds are not going to go down to London to see the gardens there. But

it is so nice to see them together? It is and it is a story here now.

This is our 2008 entry, the largest room in the house. And it was the

first of the four we have recreated here. And how difficult was it? You

don't just dig it up and throw it down into the back of a lorry? You

create pallets and bring it back. It is probably just as difficult to

take it down and keep it in order as it is to put it back up. So it is a

jigsaw puzzle? It is. How does this one work? If you look at it as a

whole, it is like a bowl, so it captures the rainwater and contains

it to this area. Fairly straightforward garden plants?

Irises, lots of architectural shapes as well. There is nothing you would

struggle here to buy in most garden centres. This was the garden back

court leads its first gold. How did that feel? Incredible. It is hard to

describe. The sense of pride? It is amazing. We don't think it has got

to you but then when something like that happens, it is unbelievable,

the emotion just comes out. I remember a meadow over there and it

is not a meadow. Why do you change it? Because we have too. They are

now real Gardens. It has that wow factor like the Loch Gardens we had.

In 2011, another gold for the stunning water wheel garden. What is

nice about this, general garden plants and then a Sunni area, a

shady area and look at that, it's lovely? It really sets the scene.

When people come along and see the plans we have got here, and if we

can grow them here, it is certain they can grow them as well. Do you

feel there is a great sense of pride in bringing a garden back from

Chelsea? I wish we had the money to have been able to do it in

successive years. We have people who are going to move from the area but

they decided not to because they love this park so much. We love this

area and it is well supported by many people from around the area. I

think it is incredible the skills, passion and the knowledge with the

Parc's department taking the garden to Chelsea, should live on. These

gardens will inspire people for ever and I think that is absolutely

splendid. Chelsea never fails to inspire and

this week we have discovered familiar faces with a passion for

gardening. Sophie was delighted to meet actor, Benedict Cumberbatch.

Lovely to see you here. Gardening was something you are introduced to

by your mother? Yes, I think a lot of children are. I spend a lot of my

time decimating their efforts. I only have a roof terrace myself and

I had to get help with it because I am barely there for more than three

weeks at a time. But it is an outlet for a bit of headspace and just be

able to focus and get away from the pace of the city. Even my little

patch has been influenced with what my mum did with the balcony, before

she had her cottage garden after that. I am picking up tips, but I

cannot profess to any great knowledge or being physically very

involved. What do you love in your garden? I have a wisteria, which I

love. It is a beautiful thing, it is an archetypal site in London. It

always gives me a thrill. Apart from that, just something I have kept

with I have managed to keep alive through thick and thin. It has had

builder's dirt all over it when the place was being renovated. It is

still alive. The one double think about Chelsea is it does show you,

even if you have a small space, a balcony, I have a very small London

garden but it shows you the huge potential with a small area? You can

be very imaginative. We are in this most extraordinary garden, he is

29! Extraordinary. The amount of imagination in this space. The

acreage is modest but it is beautiful what you can do. Creating

a garden border is all about choosing the right plans. According

to Rachel de Thame it is like comparing a meal. All you need is

the right floral ingredients. -- preparing a meal.

I am an unashamed chocoholic but I am convinced I can capture the

richness and sweetness in a planting combination. My starting point is

this shrub. There are different forms and their art ornamental

types. They have this wonderful, dark foliage. It is very lacy and

finally dissected. This one is slightly larger with your teeth

sprays of flowers. They are almost like white chocolate sprinkles. It

is such an easy-going plans. It can get thuggish, so no special

treatment needed. If you want to encourage new foliage, it needs

cutting down in the autumn and you will have this fantastic backdrop

for a whole range of plants. My next ingredient is also very

easy-going in the garden and very prolific in the garden. It is my

favourite of this time of year. Not only for its foliage is but the

flowers are so delicate and pretty. This is William Guinness. You have

the dark chocolate and the white on the

For variety, I think what is needed is a strong, vertical accent and I

don't think these can get more vertical. They are wonderful.

Intensity and richness of colour which I think fits the chocolate

theme. Standing here, the smell is almost overpowering, and it is

almost unexpected with these flowers. It is truly scrumptious.

This corner of the positively Stoke-on-Trent 's garden is like a

chocolate selection box. We have the lacy foliage and then the vertical

accent towards the front and lots of these dark, chocolatey colours. Then

we have roses, Iris and those lovely fruit fondant colours of the

currents, cherry and raspberry. I feel like a kid in a sweet shop. --

blackcurrant. Not all of the plans are Chelsea are to everyone's taste.

Don Illingworth has an obsession with the sci-fi specimens known as

bromeliads. We went to find out why. Nobody really knows them and to look

at them, they probably frighten people with their vibrant colours.

Is this going on after 9pm? Some people can pass comments in a

naughty but nice way. As well as being passionate over the

bromeliads, I am passionate about a man called Rod Stewart. He had a

record out in 1971 called, Every Picture Tells A Story and I saw Rod

Stewart at the Chelsea Flower Show and I have developed this bromeliads

on the hope that one day I will meet Rod Stewart. Bromeliads are one of

the largest plant families. They all come from the Americas. So from the

southern states of north America, right to southern America, Brazil

and Argentina, they grow on every level. The plans I like to display

are more jungle, but then you have some that are close to this and

succulent and live in desert. I got interested in bromeliads when I was

working at Liverpool Britannic 's and helping to build the collection.

In 2008 at Chelsea, I purchased ?200 worth of bromeliads and that is how

I started my collection. I have three national collections within

the family. The idea, what we are trying to do is show people the

diversity of not just all of the different colours, but also sizes

and shapes of them. A question I am often asked is how we can get these

things to flower again? At a recent presentation I was asked the

question. If you get a plan to about this size, get an apple and put it

on the side of the pot. Cover the plans and the apple with a paper

bag. Leave it and seal it for about 12 to 14 days. The apple will rot

and produce ethylene gas. It will induce the flower. If you use pear,

you will get to flowers. I was asked if what happens if you use a ban on?

I said you will get a bunch. Did you meet Rod Stewart? No, he never

turned up, so why should I bother. I go to see him in concert, so he

should come to see me while I am here. You have got a gold medal?

Yes, three in a row for the company. I love the fact that you first saw

bromeliads here at Chelsea and now grow them. It was 1998. They are

frightened of them, most people. Because they are so vibrant, they

think they cannot look after it. They are one of the easiest to look

after, otherwise I would not be doing it. Sometimes they look

plastic. They do. I think I can put a few plastic ones in and the judges

will not notice. But the judges did notice the

incredibly creative dresses designed by the florists competing to be

crowned both Young Florist of the Year and Florist of the Year. Winner

of the RHS Young Florist of the Year, 2014... Daisy Ellen Berg

Orlean. Here she is, RHS Chelsea Florist of the Year, 2014. Lisa

Fowler. Sadly, it is time to say goodbye to

the Chelsea Flower Show 2014. Thanks to the florist, growers, designers

and the team or a wonderful year. We will be back, same time, same

place in 2015. But if you cannot wait that long, I will be back at

Hampton Court Palace on the 7th of July.

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