Episode 2 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Hello. The 2014 RHS Chelsea Flower Show enters its second Centenary,

packed full of new designers and new ideas. We have some of your firm

favourites. Also in residence, we are here every day at 3pm, and we

will bring you the latest stories on the show, and events supported by NI

grams investments. The atmosphere is buzzing and we are ready to kick off

in grand style. This is a VIP day when the press get an exclusive view

of the gardens while they come to their own conclusions about the

different designs. We are giving you an insight into this well loved

event. We will focus on the show stoppers and the horticultural stars

that have made it this far. Coming up: In a new feature, Rachel will

show us how to Hang a plants using ingredients that Chelsea had to

offer. We will explore the fresh gardens to find out how gardening

can reach and improve young lives will slug mothers feature in a big

way at Chelsea. We will talk to Anna Maxwell Martin and her mother as

they embark on a tour of the flower show. It is all about having a

beautiful garden for you? Yes, but one that does not take too much

effort. There is no going back for these designers. Wishing touches

were made to their work late last night and early this morning. That

deadline has crept up on them and at 7am, is well laid down, hard hats

were cast aside, and the teams left their gardens. -- hard were laid

down. What does it feel like Monday morning when you step away from the

garden? There is trepidation and a sense of relief as well because when

you have done that last bit of sweeping and taken away the last

dead leaf, your job is done and you can unwind slowly. When we arrived

early this morning, I was walking through the gardens and I soared

judges assessing them, and there were no designers, they were gone.

They were not assessing, they were judging. They assess yesterday. The

judges today, they decide whether they are correct. What will they be

doing now? Having a drink maybe! They will be emotionally drained.

They have to be on their guard the royal party arriving in a moment.

One individual amongst them will be Chelsea first timer Matthew Childs.

If you were watching last week, you may have seen his story. He has

finally made it and on the journey here, he spread his wings in the

pursuit of the perfect element for his garden. It is 6:30am, freezing

cold, and we are off to Germany to find a river birch for the garden at

Chelsea this year. We have arrived at Eindhoven, flown in, and we are

going to a tree nursery. We were unable to find these trees in the

UK, we looked all over the UK, in lots of different nurseries. We

looked in other countries around Europe as well. I have high

standards of what I am looking for, and how to achieve the best possible

specimen that I can. It so happens that maybe they are here in this

particular field in Germany. That is perfect, that is really perfect. And

that one. That is absolutely fantastic. We have found the trees.

They are great, brilliant. Yes, brilliant! High-5! That is

brilliant. That is great, really good. Chelsea is fast approaching

and we have got lots of landscaping elements still to finalise. The

arches in the garden, and one other key elements is the feature boulder

that I won. We are in a farmer 's field. We have something perfect for

your walls feature. That is fantastic, and it has all that moss

and lichen which is what I am looking for. It is perfect for a

spot at the bottom of the garden. It is a slightly different size to the

one I had in my head but that is the ring with natural materials, you

have to be flexible and I think it will work with my design. We are

going to the model maker who is making the arch for the garden. They

make lots of props for the theatre and film industry. Hello, Alan. Good

to see you. And you. I see my arch has not shrunk since I saw it last

week. It is monumental. So, this is the copper cladding that is going on

the structure. I am really impressed by how you managed to fold it over

the structure and keep the shape. I like the crispness of it. I am on my

way to a nursery in Hampshire. They have looked after my plants since

October last year. I want to get hold of my plants and have a play

with them. Today I have come to meet Robin at nursery. He has brought

together lots and lots of plants from all over the place so we have

the best to choose from. We four weeks ahead impaired to where we

were last year. We were working as fast as we could last year. This

year, the plants came out of the tunnel is weeks ago so we were

trying to slow them down. I have an element of euphoria now. I have been

eyeing my plants up. I will have these at the front of the garden. At

the moment, it is all about thinking about plants in how they will mix

naturally throughout the garden, rather than isolation. Having

top-quality plant is the real difference between medals, I

suppose! -- plants. After all that hard work, how was the garden

looking now? Well, it has really come together, Matthew. You must be

delighted? I am really pleased stop it is so great to see the visual you

had in your head become a real garden. These copper arches have

changed dramatically, haven't they? They started off as bright copper

and we have done lots of magic to them to give them a weathered look.

They really feel like they have been here for ages. They really do. What

about this, that here for ages. They really do. What

successful. We have taken the word, and shot blasted it, and that has

brought out the grain to make it look like it is fabric. Standing

here, you can really smell it. Yes, you can. What about the planting, it

is very surreal, green and white. What is the thinking behind that? I

is very surreal, green and white. wanted a mood of tranquillity, and

is very surreal, green and white. the tones of green and white, they

really do that. They give you a calming feel. Yes, it is very

restful here. It is also the structure, it is very big and bold.

I like structure, it is very big and bold.

lots of planting to balance the strong structure. We have strong

specimen trees to bring the scale of the arches into place. You have made

lots of vignette as well. There is always something going on here. I am

hoping that as you walk through this always something going on here. I am

part, it zigzags, it is a bit like a gallery, so you can see different

changes in the mood and the planting, and little sculptural

elements to tease you. At the front, you have much more dramatic and the

boat colours, like the blues and the claret as well. -- blue colours. It

was the spring that inspired me. There is some anticipation that

there will eventually be a film on this, and that led to bees Regency

colours at the front. It certainly works extremely well and you must be

pleased with what you created. I am happy and privilege. Thank you.

Now, the gardens here have been scrutinised by the R HS judges.

Every detail of the overall design will have been pored over, and

tomorrow we will bring you news of the final decisions. We want to know

what use think. We will provide a closer look of the gardens so you

can judge for yourselves. You will be able to vote your favourite

garden later in the week in the People's voice award. There are 16

in total and here is a taste of the first five. First up, is the Tal

afar -- Telegraph Garden. It has a hint of modernism. It has a strong

structure and has a strong composition of shapes, layered with

plants, and it has some grace in the whole composition. Our second garden

is the M Angie garden, designed by Cleve West. -- M It is a refuge.

It was built in the desert thousands of years ago as a refuge from the

hostile desert environment, and has not changed since then. Our gardens

are sanctuaries where we can go and think about life and enjoy wildlife

and nature. Next up, the Homebase Garden. The designer has worked

meticulously to create a series of experiences through sound, colours

and textures. He wants to celebrate the life we have travelled. It is

about rocks, water, somewhere where the family can spend time together,

but somewhere where they can create new memories together. If you strip

it back, the reality is that all we have is our memories. The next

garden is the Massachusetts to-macro garden, inspired by the North

American coastline. We are trying to convey the natural beauty of the

wild coastline of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. What we are trying to

do within the garden is allow people to experience the natural landscapes

we saw here. It is the natural sea shore of Cape Cod, and we are trying

to make it as true as what you would see if you were visiting there. The

last garden today is the Cloudy Bay flat -- Garden. There was a dialogue

between the vertical bold elements of Oak and the soft, sumptuous

planting. We are trying to relate the various sensations one gets from

drinking wine into a visual feast in the garden. The idea of looking at

Rothbury red and black currants, and deep purple, will deliver a

sensation which, hopefully, people will link into. -- Rothbury red.

You both won gold here at Chelsea, what are the government is looking

for in comparison to the judges? There is a big difference between

the two. The judges look at the criteria set out by the designer,

according to the brief. That is what the designer is judged against. It

becomes mechanical and objective. As viewers, we look at a garden and we

consider, if I threw back the curtains every morning, and saw

this, would I fall in love with it every time I saw it, would it become

a vision of paradise? Do I want this garden? Yes, exactly. How should we

judge, and Marie? Should we look at the gardening, the composition, the

structure? We should look at every single element in that space and

encourage innovative design. Chelsea should be leading the world.

Everything should be perfect. When we are voting as a viewer, should we

be pushing boundaries? You go with something that you are comfortable

with. Do not step outside of the boundaries of comfort. It is a very

personal journey. Gardens are personal. Of course. Chris is

qualified to say that. How many gardens have you had here?

medal? If so, send us one picture to my Chelsea at the BBC. Can you beat

this? Keep sending in photographs. Every year exhibitors in the great

Pavilion produce exceptional plants. Rachel de Thame and Christine

Walkeden are seeking out the best. Rachel will look at displays to

reveal surprising combinations as she devises planting recipes. This

year, Christine will be busy working her way through the pavilion to

unveil her top ten plants, among the new plant is being launched the

first time at the show. It's Christine with the first of her

favourites. The Chelsea Flower Show, this is

like being a child in a sweet shop, for the gardener. For me, the jewel

in the crown of the Alpines. Some of them grow above the tree line, but

the majority grow beneath that and flowed down into the meadows and

streams. Exquisitely beautiful. Over 100 species on this stand alone.

There is an Alpine for every situation. When they are as

beautiful as this, my goodness, have you got a choice.

I am with David Rankin. You have grown alpines for a long time, but

what makes them special? We like walking in the mountains. We still

can. what makes them special? We like

walking in the mountains. We What we are trying to express is the

pleasure of the mountain scenery. We hope the public will be inspired to

grow to the mountains -- go to the mountains and grow the plants

themselves. They are mountain plants. They grow in rocky places.

They get plenty of sunlight but it rains often say they like

well-drained conditions in the garden will stop others we just put

in the ground and they grow. Why are you introducing a new saxifrage?

This has up writes stems, which is straight and it fits in a different

position. It is a lovely plant. I think it will be successful. Thank

you. I hope so. One of the great joys of Chelsea is

the Lavender stands, grown for the beautiful subtle flowers and the

rich fragrant foliage. Simon, this is a small selection of the number

of lavenders you grow. We have around 40 varieties in the stand and

400 in the collection. What makes it so special? I developed a wonderful

passion for them. They are versatile, you can have them as

specimen plants, as hedges, you can distil them to make oil. They are an

all-round great plant. What new plants do you have? We have heavenly

angel. The great thing about these is they are short, late flowering

and this is the first time they have been available on the market. They

retain a cracking scent of the late flowering Lavenders but in the

shorter form. Two glorious groups of plants, but there will be more

during the week. Christine, what do you think of the

show? As normal it is ooh! Nowhere else in

the world do you get so many experienced growers together. I

think it is absolute magic. A lot of growers come back each year, can

they make it better? The same plant and interior -- material, but

different space, positions, you can use the same plant every year and

the exhibitor knows how to make it sparkle, even if it is the same.

What has stood out for you? The stand with the subtlety blending the

foliage, darks, flowing through to the lighter and the optimism of the

stand. And Beatrix Potter. The herbs. I am back to being a kid,

when I was tiny, wandering into the allotment. Some blooms will last for

12 months of the year. Let's have something that is sustainable, that

goes through, that gives the Gardner value for a long period. And as the

colour turn you on as much as the leaves? Subtlety of colour, that is

glorious. Let's have a good bottom and colour that takes the interest

all the way through. We will see more of you during the week.

It is not just horticulturists that come to Chelsea, people from all

walks of life come here and Monday is about the VIP guests. This week

we will bring you familiar faces, whose mothers have inspired them to

take an interest. One person trying to emulate her mother's skills in

the garden is Anna Maxwell Martin. I think you picked the best day. We

have the best weather. It is beautiful. Was your mother

instrumental in inspiring you? It is not so much gardening, I grew up in

the countryside and the garden felt like an extension of the home. When

you are younger, it is about the grass, and playing out. At that time

they were devoted to growing things such as rhubarb, and tomatoes, which

we were forced to eat, and now I hate! As my parents got older, they

focused on making a beautiful garden for themselves. They were inspired

by a trip to Japan and they have a Japanese garden. The front garden is

very English will stop my mother is devoted to the garden. It is a

lovely extension to the home. She has a scientific background, does

that influence her? I do not know. It is more that... She lives on her

own now, and you get so much enjoyment from a beautiful garden.

She now likes a lot of colour in the garden. My husband likes just green.

I am always saying, can we have some more colour? You live in London.

What is your garden like? It is very small. I have young children, I

would like a huge garden so they can run out. We make the most of it. We

grow herbs. My husband does more of the cooking so it is a passion for

him. But they look beautiful and I love them in their own right, herbs.

We have magnolia, which suffers, because of snails. We have Jasmine

and things that smell really nice. As an actress, are you not at home

as often? I have a personal Gardner. My husband. A personal slave. You

can come back and enjoy it and Potter when you have time. Now the

children are older, we have weekends in the garden and do work. The

children wander around, usefully picking heads of the flowers! Do not

touch the roses! Get them involved at a young age. You have been around

with your mother. We can see how you got on.

This is lovely. I do not know what they are. Do not touch. Those are

irises. I like the idea of a wild area. And then the more formal area.

My memory of growing up is playing in the garden. It was functional,

the children, and we grew things to eat. And then gardens in our lives

have changed will stop as we have got older it has become more about

having a beautiful garden for you. One does not take up too much time

and effort. In they smell lovely. This is garlic. You have these in

your garden. That is really strong. Put it on like a perfect! Anna's

garden is small, in London, and because they have children they have

a patio, grass and a border. We have Jasmine, magnolia and bamboo. But

you have a really beautiful, big Arden. I have two, one is grass, and

the other is Japanese-style. And plastic squirrels. I have not got

plastic screws. You used to have them. -- squirrels. That is because

you put them there. I love these buttercups. I like this, the

cantilever, and above there, it is herbs. I like the reflections from

the water feature. It makes you think about your own home and space

and how you would reflect that if you lived in the countryside in the

way you live. You would want to marry timber and stone and water,

and reflections and this effortless move into the garden will stop it is

inspirational how your home could be, not just your garden. And look,

they have a bug hotel. That is the only thing I would change. You would

keep everything else. We will have more mothers throughout

the week and tomorrow Nicki Chapman will meet Julian Clary and his

mother. Chelsea is all about cutting edge style and friend ideas on a

grand scale. On close inspection, the devil is in the detail. Rachel,

the devil is in the detail. there are plants and flowers everywhere.

It is almost impossible to pick something. You come in and you

think, I love this, I love this, it is almost too much. I have created

planting recipes. It is not to eat, it is looking at choice plants,

which worked together in terms of colour, texture and shape. We will

see them on the show gardens so we can get the idea on how they work

together. You do not need hundreds of things, you can have a select

palette. Some use just three, all, four. I will look forward to that.

This week, Rachel has devised plant recipes to share with viewers.

Something to try out at home. recipes to share with viewers.

first of these is nouvelle cuisine. Nouvelle cuisine is all about

selecting Nouvelle cuisine is all about

ingredients and combining them to make a dish that pleases the

senses, make a dish that pleases the

texture and shape are equally important.

It's like impoverished hillsides in full sun. Those are the conditions

you can grow it in in your garden. Equally, at home in those hot dry

conditions, is this. In the wild, it comes from the Mediterranean and

grows in the olive groves, and you get a magnificent magenta colouring.

It is strong and powerful, and this one, you can cut it for a vase. So,

we have the key ingredients and we need something to tie it together.

This has an acid green flower. It has a long flowering season, from

May to the summer, and in the autumn, it also has good colour. So,

fantastic at earning its keep in the garden, and I think it is brilliant

to combine other plants together with. Here we are on the daily

Telegraph Garden, and all those gardens are placed together in

perfection. There is no leaf out of place. We have strong pinpricks of

colour, so it is a pretty green garden and they really sing. We have

religious individual ingredients coming together to make it wish

which, if we were in a restaurant, would the gourmet restaurant. --

would be a gourmet restaurant. Tomorrow, Rachel brings us a

Mediterranean garden as she goes in search of plants more suitable for

those hot spots. Last night, we had a look at a celebrity florist and he

has found time in his busy diary to join us today. How are you? Very

well. I enjoyed this time of year because we get a masterclass in

floral design and arranging. Today, it is different because there is a

new pupil here. Margaret Robertson, thank you for joining us. You are a

Chelsea veteran. How many years? Quite a number. You produce some of

Chelsea's best vegetables. They should taste as good as they look.

How do you feel about the design? Out of my comfort zone! Flowers and

vegetables together, out of my comfort zone. Simon, we are in your

professional hands. We have a basket, a dull basket, and an

assortment of vegetables. Asparagus, carrots. Can you use vegetables as a

great... It is a great way to cover a container but it is a great hole

Marge to Margaret. I had a sneak peek yesterday. The pyramids she was

creating, I know she will be a great arranger. Margaret, you must have a

creative eye. The trouble is, doing something like this, each vegetable

is in its own space. They are mixed up together, all different. We are

breaking the rules. Absolutely. We Love rule breaking! He is a

maverick! We can do this at home, can we? Yes, we can. I have gone

around the fruit, the wire has gone into the basket, you can see it

there. I have poked the stem into the outside and press it down. They

are secure, they are going nowhere. Clusters of vegetables. Some

carrots, I may take into them later. Any of them worked really well and

they are easy to get hold of. If you are not growing them yourself, which

you will be because you are going to buy Margaret's, you can always get

them from your local garden centres or farmer's market. Margaret, you

are very quick. You're looking rather confident. Thank you! Don't

let me stop you. Let's see how you get on in a few minutes time.

Chelsea is about excellence in planting but provides a platform

where conceptual thinking pushes the boundary of garden design. This is

evident in the fresh gardens at Chelsea. This category offers

designers a chance to express themselves in the medium of

conceptual design. We have taken a look at two of the exhibitors at the

show this year. Some of the gardens in this category tackles and

challenging issues, and this is one of them. This is the new reach out

garden, designed by John Everest. It centres on a troubled teenager

reaching out for help. The troubles are represented by this Stonewall.

The only thing she leaves behind in this wall is her shadow. We have a

tranquil river which reaches throughout the whole place. In a

path of various obstacles we have these gigantic stones. She is moving

through her life, supported by this beautiful landscape. John only uses

two plants in the garden. We have lemon thyme and rosemary. They

support the girl, throughout her journey. They are healing and

restorative, delivering promise and hope for around the place. John has

taken a challenging brief and made it into something very special. Now,

this is the first site-specific piece that has been at Chelsea. It

may just look like a crate, piece that has been at Chelsea. It

and have a look at this. This called the Promise, and harks back to the

Ethiopian famine of 30 years ago where much needed medical supplies

and aid was dropped into the area. Barren spaces in Ethiopia are now

becoming productive areas where people are growing food, and that is

referenced in this garden. We have lettuce, tomatoes, chilies, coffee,

so the planting will support the people who need it. Now, the garden

is not infinite in its plant varieties but these mirrors reflect

the spaces within it. We have slowly spinning suspended planters which

add movement to the space. Look sideways and down, and the landscape

is infinite. It is amazing, and frankly, I love it! Margaret

is infinite. It is amazing, and Simon, you really are gaining to

create something here. Yes, we have our foliage going in and we have

created our basket which we have clad in vegetables using bundles of

wire to attach the artichokes, the asparagus, the beans,

wire to attach the artichokes, the can see the Moss as well. Moss is

great to fill in the gaps and it is a nice filler. You used parsley as

well. Yes. How you doing, Margaret? It looks impressive. Would you try

this at home? I think so, maybe at a local church. I could do something

at harvest time. This is going to be the creme de la creme stop perhaps

we can do it on a smaller bases at home. You could wrap it around a

tumbler. A rubber band, home. You could wrap it around a

perhaps. You have got hydrangeas here. They are a great filler. They

are so big and ingenuous that they really fill in spaces. A good time

of year two source them? A divine time. As you walk around gardens,

they are starting to pop open and end up as this magnificent flower. I

have a dilemma. I want to see them in my garden but do I need to cut

them up at the millibars? Buy them from a good English grower and enjoy

them in your garden. -- do I need to from a good English grower and enjoy

cut them and put them in a vase? Margaret, you are motoring on! The

roses give a different texture. The way you are cutting them is at an

angle. If you have time, you need to split the stem. Because they are

woody, they can take up water. We have flower foam at the base and

chicken wire at the top. Margaret, look at that, had you think you have

done? Oh, rubbish! I think you are the perfect people for someone who

has not done it well before. Simon? Margaret is a natural! Margaret, are

you inspired? Yes! We will find out why Margaret is a class act

tomorrow, just like a flower arranging stop -- her flower

arranging. Your planting brilliant as ever! I cannot believe how quiet

the gardens and Avenue is now stop everybody has left. Everybody has

been kicked out because the Royal Family are coming stop they were

politely asked to leave. How you feeling, Cleve? I see the hat is

still in place. You're not going to wear that for the Royal Family? I'm

going to go and get changed. Are you going to be suited and booted? I

have a suit lined up. You have the Majesty the Queen, have you met?

Yes, she has been in my garden a few times. She has never been in my

garden! Who decides which gardens they go in and what is the adequate?

I know some people write to the Palace but I know they often come

round. All the different parties split up and take a different tour

of the show. If she does not come in my garden, I will get at complex.

What will you say if she comes it? I may ask to plant a pansy. Really?!

Will you be nervous? No, she is good to talk to. She is going to love it,

all the best. We have more for you this evening where Sophie Ray Werth

will be joined by Joe Swift at 7:30pm on BBC One. We will be back

here tomorrow at 3pm, see you then, goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

A new era blooms at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show,

with a fresh crop of exciting young designers.