Episode 4 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Good evening, it has been a day of excitement and anticipation. We have

had royalty and VIP guests. And they have provided a lot of colour. So,

too, have the plants in the gardens and we are surrounded by beautiful

plants and superb gardens. Across the week on the BBC, we will bring

the very best of the event, supported by M in the, showcasing

the efforts of designers from all over the world. Coming up. Carol

Klein immerses herself in the heady fragrance of a Chelsea favourite.

She looks at the latest raises. Benedict Cumberbatch investigates

the world of gardening as he takes his mother on an adventure through

the showground. And Monday at Chelsea is full royalty. Designers

and exhibitors stand to as the Royal family embark on their tour.

What sort of feedback are you getting from the street? It has been

hot. Some people have had to plant again, because the plants are

building. You leave them for a few hours without watering and they will

wilt in front of your eyes. If it remains hot, it will be a problem. I

think we have rain coming. And the style of plants, a lot of

naturalistic planting. Nothing too graphic, apart from del Buono, but

the rest is soft. A lot of people have referred to the fact that how

similar the planting is across completely different gardens, and

yet they cannot talk to each other. There is always purple. It is that

time of year. They do not talk to each other. It is probably to do

with... What we need from gardens is comfort, relaxing, we do not want

energy, necessarily. What I have found from the older generation of

designers, they have gone for graphics, they have got more

structure. And there are formal gardens, as well. That has almost

separated them into age groups, which sounds strange. That is

interesting. There are a number of new and young designers. There will

be a definite edge to the show and see in new talent seize the

opportunity to design large gardens at Chelsea is thrilling. Earlier, I

went down main avenue to meet David and Harry Rich. At 23, David is the

youngest ever designer of a large show gardens.

You must be the youngest designers at Chelsea. But, your garden will

stand scrutiny. What is the theme? It is based on the night sky. We

come from the Brecon Beacons. One of five places in the world to see

stars at night, it is very clear. That was the main inspiration for

the garden. Trying to capture the night sky. There is a lot of black

in the garden. And the black backdrop creates a starry atmosphere

with the brass discs. It is ambitious to make a garden, which is

about lights, based upon a night sky. The theme is strong and there

are elements that show that in the garden, but we wanted to create a

usable garden. We did not want to dominate with the theme and it would

not be useful in the day. How did you select the plants? We wanted

them to echo the feeling of the Milky Way. We tried to work out how

we could do that because it is vast. We have a lot of soft planting.

Things such as ragged robin. Everything with a starry effect, a

floating effect to, movement. We wanted to create a naturalistic

space. And what does the ponds represent? The empty space of a

black hole. The trees overhanging. And the stones? Do they add an

effect, do they have a meaning? May have meaning. We wanted to make them

like meteors that had crashed into the garden. And to add gravity to

the space. We wanted to use large boulders and trees to lend building

into the garden, so it was not too isolated. This is your first big

garden at Chelsea, was it a big step up? Definitely. It was more than we

thought, maybe. We have taken on the challenge and we are pleased with

how it turned out. People are talking about youth coming into

Chelsea. Have you been welcomed with open arms, do you feel like the

junior members? We probably feel like the junior members, but

everybody has been good to us and helpful. If we had questions, needed

to borrow a hammer. It has been a great experience. It is lovely to be

part of the show. Are you both gardeners, or, you designers? We

sway on the side of designers more. We helped to build the garden. We do

design, also builds, but not necessarily garden. Perhaps that

will come. Yes we will mature into gardening. I am slowly getting there

because I am three years older. Another new designer at Chelsea is

Hugo Bugg. His garden explores water conservation, which is an issue for

all of us and it is the gardener's responsibility to deal with the

water that lands on the plot, and try to put it back into the water

table. He has taken that theme. He created a fantastic contemporaries

stylised, geometric garden. I really like it. I like the way angles Scott

through the plot. Not one of them is rectangular to the boundary. We have

this river of iris running along. It is confident planting, using a

single plant. And the water I am surrounded by runs through the

plot. It transports you away, as every garden should. I like the

surface because it represents parched earth. It is concrete. It

has been granted but under the water it has been left pretty much

untouched. Under the bridge, it is used in a different form with

separate pieces of stone. The same material used differently shows

innovation. And a strong geometric form that draws the eye into the

centre of the garden. He had a tricky job of trying to hide the

floral marquee. So he has used alders. They can cope with dry and

wet and they are native. And you step onto the rusty, steel bridge.

Weathered by water over the years and you can hear the waterfall that

runs underneath where you stand. From here, you get a different

perspective with rivers and plants running through. The Euphorbias and

a plant I have seen at Chelsea a few times. The upright heads the purple

flowers looking good against irises and the sea of grasses. He has done

a fantastic job. I have followed Hugo Bugg's career over the years

and it makes me feel proud that he has come to Chelsea and Don himself

proud. Well done. It is good to see a garden seating

solutions for an important issue, even when the rain is beating down,

it does not feel like it is one in the UK. I have two previous Chelsea

gold medallists with me. Perhaps you could give advice on how the viewers

will make their choice. You know what it is like. What do you look

will make their choice. You know for? You have to fall in love

first time. You are captivated. first time. You are captivated.

cannot take your eyes off it. You have two allow for the fact that

with time, you will tire, especially if there is a veneer of planting. As

you move around the garden and interrogate further, you see a

complexity with the planting. Which you see with Hugo Bugg of initially,

it is dramatic. The more deeply you look, the more the combinations

reveal themselves. You have to live with the

reveal themselves. You have to live it like that and you cannot go too

far wrong. That is tricky with a show garden which must have the wow

factor. People should look for innovation. Something we have not

seen before. Cleve West, his innovation. Something we have not

is exquisite. It seems he looked at every plant and looked

is exquisite. It seems he looked at will put you there, and choosing

another plant that complements it. It is the same with Patrick's

garden. When you see it, it is a series of plants that have a

comfortable dialogue between one another. Holistically, they produce

a beautiful effect. Finally, do you think a garden can be successful if

part of it is not as good as the rest? No, it must work cohesively,

it must be a properly considered design. It has to be perfect? No

pressure! We are showing you the gardens you can vote for on the red

button. Go to the website for details on voting. The show is also

the place where it is in the two is choose to introduce new plants. This

year, a range of exciting roses. Carol Klein has been to see them.

The roses the Queen of flowers. It is official that she is Britain's

favourite flower. And, every year at Chelsea, Rose growers launch their

brand-new roses. There are things that have never been seen before.

This is exquisite. It is a debutante. Simple peach. Gloriously

placed petals. Gold in the centre. It is perfect for pollinating

insects. They can zoom in, land on the flat pad, feast, fly off, and it

is pollinated. And the stamens remain for weeks.

is pollinated. And the stamens hips. It means the birds can also

take their fill. Every year, Peter Beale's roses have something new to

show us. And this time there is one named after Laurence Llewelyn Bowen.

Frilly cuff. It is a modern shrub rose. It is good in a container.

When the first flowers have finished, it has back buds. They

keep going. It has a citrus centre, the fragrance, which is unusual.

I think this rose is knockout. It might be a Dubya -- debutante, but

it is decadent. It is aptly named. I would love it in my garden. This is

delicious. This is Lady of the Lake, a newcomer on David Austin's stand.

She has got beautiful, exquisite perfume, and this lacks,

old-fashioned sort of habit. Ramblers are over in a couple of

weeks, but this one goes on a flowering continuously. Ramblers are

usually quite wild, but not this one, it can be contained. It grows

to about ten feet. It could not be classified as a climbing rose

because its flowers are too small, but this is just the sort of rows

you want to be in a month. Simple pitch, frilly cuffs and lady of the

lake all display something unique and really special. I want them all.

I know you have only been here a day, and there is a whole week to

go. You are stuck here all week. That is great. What are you really

looking forward to seeing this week? Where we are. They have excelled

themselves. They come out with something fresh. I love this, but I

love the bit on the other side as well. The white garden is stunning,

it is like Narnia. It is perfect. You feel you are in a dream and

there is a touch of blue from the ceanothus and it takes you to the

other side. I will stick my neck out on that one, it is not a risk. Is

there anything else? There are some surprising things. There is a

wonderful display of daffodils but they are bulbs and it is all formed

to make a mobile. I wonder what it was. But there is a glorious

Amaryllis hanging down and your eyes are taken with that and you look at

them. But the best one is garlic. It is not even in flower. It is sinuous

and glorious. It is so sculptural. You have seen quite a lot already. I

like the iris. I love the iris as well, I am a big fan. Everybody is

using them and it must have been difficult to get them right this

year. Last year it was the opposite, everybody was out with a

hairdryer. I don't need a hairdryer, I know you do. You are not getting

out of here. Cleve West is a returning designer and he is back

with a garden heavenly influenced by the earthly paradise gardens created

by the Persians. It provides a retreat from the stresses of modern

life. But the inspiration does not come from the Middle East, but the

hills of rural Wales. Paradise for me is a garden where

you can feel safe. It is a place where time stands still for a little

while at least. This garden is my personal take on the Paradise

Garden, the very first gardens that were ever made. I am getting out of

my comfort zone. I don't do formal gardens as a rule, but I have got

interested in celebrating the intelligence of mankind and

mathematics and the divine order. It is a celebration of the cosmos in a

way. This garden is north of Abergavenny and it belongs to Jeremy

Swift and his way of gardening is inspirational to me. What I love

about this garden is it is set deep in the Black Mountains and you have

got this Persian garden which is completely at odds with its

surroundings, but in a way to Persian gardens were completely at

odds with their environment. Persian gardens were completely at

desert landscape, very dry and arid and hot and harnessing water,

planting trees, having shade. It was a cool, green space to come into

planting trees, having shade. It was surroundings. That is very powerful.

This surroundings. That is very powerful.

to me over the years and for the Chelsea garden there will be some

parallels because it is an enclosed space at Chelsea and if you look at

this Persian garden there is an enclosed space and there are lots of

different layers and it holds your interest. The Persian influence

extended east as far as India and West as far as southern Spain and

North Africa. What happened in southern Spain is a tremendously

good example of an Islamic garden. It gives us a wonderful impression

of the management of water in an enclosed space. It is on a scale

which is quite remarkable. One of my favourite features of this garden is

this giant turtle which Jeremy has made in the woodland. It is

fantastic, I love it. In Chelsea I have got some tortoise gargoyles, a

very personal touch from my point of view. My first gardening experience

was planting potatoes and view. My first gardening experience

something hard and it turned out to be

its owner and it ended happily. I have always

its owner and it ended happily. I symbolic of my slow journey into the

world of garden design. It fitted in nicely. He was the first

professional garden person to come and see this garden. He came and

liked what he saw and has been a great friend ever since and has been

often and he has helped us enormously. The garden at Chelsea,

with all the distractions of the press, the traffic, flowers and

people, I am hoping that little of enclosure will stop you for a second

to look at that and really enjoy the space. You feel the atmosphere, look

at the plant, listen to the water and take the whole thing in and be

transported in time for just a brief moment.

Your aim was to create an incredibly tranquil space in the middle of

Chelsea, have you achieved it? I think we have. For me, anyway, when

you walk into this space you feel relaxed. It is beautiful, I can tell

you are pleased with yourself. It draws you into the centre and the

sunken garden. The tranquillity creates more privacy and gives you

somewhere to sit and away to look at the plants differently. Going down

does two things. It raises the plant level so you feel more enclosed and

it makes the space feel bigger. I was panicking this was not going to

be big enough. Which bit? This area. It feels differently when you are

designing it and I am relieved. And with the change of light it comes

across during the day. Tell me about the planting. This is next to the

Euphorbia. It is singing out. I have not seen it at Chelsea for a while,

but for some reason it was really spot on this year and it is really

vibrant. But the planting in front is very different. I wanted to

create a nod to the desert environment, which is the reason why

paradise gardens were created in the first place, and try to make that

transition to the more cooler aspect of the garden. It is a challenge,

but I think it works. It works beautifully. You have got a bit of

yellow and a bit of white which breaks up the cooler colours of the

purple and the blue. We had lots of fun with the poppies, clashing pink

and orange together. You have got your tortoise scheme sculpture with

the water and I hear you did a bit of carving all by yourself. I was

marooned on an island in Gloucester, carving away on some bath limestone.

It is the tree of life and I carved the roots as a metaphor for the fact

that the roots of our gardens lie in those ancient paradise gardens. Have

the judges been around? Yes, it is all over now. Best of luck. It is

lovely to see how other gardens have had such an influence on gardens at

the show. Could your own garden be just as inspiring? If you think it

could be, send us a picture. We will be taking a look at them later in

the week. Monday at Chelsea is known for the

celebrities who come to enjoy the gardens and who are looking for

inspiration. New to this year's coverage of Chelsea is an invitation

we are issuing two special guests and their mothers to have a look. I

would like to welcome Benedict Cumberbatch and his mother Wanda

Ventham. Do you come often? No, I have been only three times before

and the last trip was three years ago and it was very crowded. Here I

am again and I love it. It is only when it is very crowded that you

can't get up close to the places you want to see. But today it has been

wonderful. Are you a keen gardener? Yes, but only an amateur gardener. I

started off with a balcony and then we were lucky to get a cottage 25

years ago. I have to hand it to my husband, he does all the donkey work

and I sit back and say what colours I would like? Does Benedict help?

No, he does not. No, I give them all the credit. When he was little I got

him on the balcony to deadhead petunias. Do you need that sense of

being away to engage with it? At all. What is remarkable about any

kind of outdoor space in London is the immediate sense of calm and

contemplation it gives you. It is vital in what I do and the pace of

life at the moment. I am not far from Hampstead Heath which is a

wonderful, wild, ancient woodland and it is one of the many beautiful

London lungs, as they are called, a great park that we have. It is so

far removed from London there are times when you hardly see a plane or

anybody else within ten minutes. But even in a small space to be able to

be outside... Yellow mac you spent your early life in Kensington

Gardens. Yes, which was a very beautiful wild garden. That was my

abiding memory, being told will you just get out of that. You could not

understand you were not allowed to pick the flowers. Between you, you

have got a roof garden, Hampstead Heath and a cottage garden. You had

a look around earlier. It is brilliant bringing my mother here

because gardening has been part of my life. My mum had a balcony until

I was 12, but that was flooded with geraniums and it is nice to share

such a British occasion as well. The pale, salmon pink is beautiful. It

is stunning. I have always thought of Gladio like as being very... Very

camp. But that is wonderfully subtle. Salmon pate. It is stunning.

Too big for our garden. Yes, way too big. Does this bring back memories?

Yes, even the driftwood. big. Does this bring back memories?

me of Granny's garden. She collected beautiful things from the beach and

mixed it with bamboo. Something formalised with something organic.

Could you not have a tiny one in a tub? Know because it is so

overexposed on the roof terrace. The little ones are beautiful, but what

is great is when they are uniform. I could not do something as flashy and

wild as this. I need something more organised. I thought it would be

romantic blowing in the breeze. I need a bigger roof terrace. Look at

these. They are beautiful. I can only grow little ones because we are

in a frost spot. We have to keep taking care of them. And Lulu pins.

These are amazing. -- lupins. I love those. I did not

These are amazing. -- lupins. I love called Persian slippers. Old man's

fingers is the ruder term for them. I choose blue and white because I

like white at night. As the light goes... It is like a highlight.

This wonderful topiary. So simple. My blue. It is so lovely and simple.

A shaded seat the two. It is quite cold. It is lovely. What did you

think? It is wonderful. Thank you very much for bringing me along. I

would never very much for bringing me along. I

you. And one day you will have a garden like this. One day!

This year Chelsea is garden like this. One day!

in remembering those who lost their lives in the First World War.

in remembering those who lost their 100 years since the outbreak. The

devastating affect spread into the world of horticulture. The head of

show development is with me to talk about this. How was Chelsea

affected? Chelsea to begin with was not affected. In 1914, the show had

happened when war broke out. In 1915, there were fewer exhibitors,

but it was in 1916, with conscription, we saw the biggest

change, with the lack of the floral marquee. The younger men were not

available to pull up the campus. As little as that. In the Times

newspaper there was a comment they had gone to the Navy and the RHS

could not put up the pavilion will stop the show is stopped. It was

also in reaction to the public outcry, that we were still holding

what was seen as a frivolous horticultural show. Did the RHS take

any part in the war effort? In 1915, the first fundraising happened. They

had an eight and half year old little boy, a viscount, as the

fundraiser, with his Shetland pony. Those events allowed the RHS to buy

seeds and saplings and mature trees that were sent to France and

Belgium, which had been devastated, the countryside and gardens,

completely devastated. The Red Cross took those in 1990 when the war

ended. The shows started again in 1920. There was no committee, they

had lost so many young men, there was not the expertise. It was a

great tragedy. It meant the shows committee was formed in 1921, which

is the team of today. 100 years later, 2014, there are exhibits in

the Great Pavilion that place remembrance at the centre of the

display. Andy Sturgeon found out more.

There are references to the effect of war had in gardening in 1914

Britain in exhibits throughout the Great Pavilion.

The gardeners have gone on, and environmental charity garden is a

garden on two sides, the Edwardian kitchen garden with vegetables, and

on this side, mother nature has taken over. It has become wild. The

cabbages and onions are going to seed. I can see there is a weed,

which is creeping into my own garden. I have been away for a few

weeks. It does not take long to take hold, the birds bring it in. There

are nettles, also, which is not so bad, because it is a sign of fertile

soil. Dandelions, borage, wonderful plants. It is rather beautiful. The

wildlife love it and I actually prefer it.

Birmingham City council's exhibit marks 100 years since the start of

the First World War. They joined forces with the Royal British Legion

and varied exhibit tells the story of the First World War.

This is incredible. Everywhere I look, something is going on. Can you

talk us through the elements. Everything tries to relate to

something earning did during the war. The whistles, a Birmingham

-based company, providing whistles for officers to blow for the troops

going over the top. We have a hospital train for the injured

troops, bringing them back from the front line to Birmingham will stop

the bicycle, a re-creation of a folding bike created the soldiers,

who when they got stuck, folded it up and put it on their back, to

continue their work. And the centrepiece, wonderful poppies. They

are the focal point of the display. It is emotive and thought-provoking.

Thank you very much. Tomorrow night we will look at one

of the show gardens that commemorates the First World War and

visiting the Somme that inspired the design.

This evening, the young talent in the showcase garden category has

been noted. In the past few years, the highly esteemed Japanese

designer Ishihara has excelled. Toby Butler and visited two Gardens to

find out more. -- Toby Buckland. Ishihara's Gardens are

extraordinary. I think about them as Faberge eggs, perfect from every

angle. The back is also planted. This is based on a concept we do not

have in the English language, the idea of paradise on earth. It is the

idea of creating paradise and channelling it into plants, rocks,

pebbles, to create tranquillity. There are elements you would expect

- acers, and this. It is shaped like the table top. The signature is the

lack could pebbles and the Moss. It is not just these gardens that are

popular. He has become part of the fabric of Chelsea. He is lovely.

When he won the gold medal and got top honours for the partisan garden,

you could hear the cheering across the showground. -- Artisans garden.

Every year, he arrives from Japan with an entourage of gardeners. One

of them has risen up to create a garden design at Chelsea all of his

own. It is Japanese. It celebrates porcelain, a traditional pottery in

Japan. It is used as edging around the garden. And in the tiles,

depicting changing seasons. Symbolism runs through the garden

stop there are five steps leading up to the teahouse, three of these

beautifully painted balls, representing continuity. You do not

often see herbaceous plants in Japanese gardens, but they come and

go, with the changing seasons, with the balls shining

Your garden is wonderful. You must be proud. What is it like working up

the road from the old master? It is like Star Wars. Just joking. We help

each other. The detail of the garden is wonderful. I am sure you will

please the crowds at Chelsea for many years to come. Thank you, I

hope so. Gardeners can become obsessed with

the weather, but you would be forgiven this year for packing up

your gardening tools and taking up snorkelling as this winter was the

wettest since records began. For some nurseries, the weather has been

a godsend. Somerset grower Jane Lindsay is hoping her national

collection of climbers might bring her a first Chelsea gold.

For a lot of people in Somerset on the levels it has been terrific

leave wet and we have seen huge amounts of rain. But for us with

plants under cover, the light levels have been good and we have saved

money on heating, it has been warm, so, at the moment, quite happy. We

hold the national collection of passion flowers. We are lucky to

have the national collection of jasmine and we also have others. It

has been interesting because some plants, they would flower later, but

some have flowered earlier and will be over for Chelsea, which is the

excitement of doing shows, you do not know until the day which plants

you are taking. And some of the public will be seeing climbers they

have not A favourite we normally take our

wisteria, but because of the good light levels and the warm start to

the year, they flowered exceptionally early. This wisteria

is a deeper blue at its best. If I shake it, you can see how far

advanced it is. This is Clematis, which, this time

last year, was coming into bud and was perfect for Chelsea. It

performed well. This year, the flowers and the seed heads have been

and gone. It will not be out for another year.

This jasmine is probably the largest flower of all of the hardy jasmine.

Bright yellow flowers. Last year, it went to Chelsea. Already, the

flowers are coming out. I really do not think that will be going to the

show, which is a great shame. But with the amount of climbers we

have, it is an opportunity to send things people have not seen before

at Chelsea. Even though this is sad, the future is bright because

other climbers will be going. For the first time at Chelsea we hope to

show passion flowers. This is a good all-round performer. At the moment,

because we are still getting cooler nights, the flowers are not at their

best. Hopefully, in the next three weeks, they will burst into bloom

and this flower will be a deep purple and for the week of Chelsea

it will be at its best. Another example of plants being further

forward is this jasmine. Normally, it would be low, but because of the

warmth, it shot away. We have to decide whether to prune the shoots

back, to get more flower buds, or whether to go with what we have.

Whatever decision we make, we hope it will be a mass of flowers. This

is actually a perennial and is probably six weeks ahead of what it

should be. The buds are coming on at an alarming rate. Hopefully in a few

weeks this will be a mass of flour. Every time we do a flower show we go

for a gold medal, but Chelsea is always the one that has eluded us

and this year as confident as I am with the warm weather, you never

know until that morning when you go and see what the medal card is. But

fingers crossed this is the winning year. I was really worried you were

not going to have any plans at all. We were worried. Everything flowered

early. It has been faster as been fantastic. The plans have been nice

and warm. What are your new plants? We have got one that is in six weeks

early and it is the first time it has been here. It is a perennial

climber and is very good in semi-shade. It has got beautiful

trumpets on it. This passion flower has caught my eye. She is beautiful.

She is hardy and quite happy in semi-shade. She is quite vigorous.

And a bit more subtle. Now you have been growing this arch for many

years. This is the first time it has been out. We planted it three years

ago. It is an incredibly popular plant. You have got one with a

yellow flower. It is hardier than the white one. It is a true climber.

I think it is sweet scented. Is it after sun or in semi-shade? They do

well in semi-shade or in sand, as long as the roots are happy. Have

you got a gold in Chelsea? No, we have not, it is the one that has

eluded us. How are you feeling this year? We have put every bit of

effort in, so it is fingers crossed when the medal card come out. This

could be her year. And we are all waiting in anticipation of who will

be receiving a gold medal tomorrow. But Monday is the day when her

Majesty the Queen makes her annual trip to the show and Carol went to

see what the atmosphere in the great Pavilion was like.

Of course the atmosphere is absolutely electric. Everybody is

anticipating the royal visit absolutely electric. Everybody is

they have been polishing the stands and finishing things off and

they have been polishing the stands looks beautiful. Thank you, Carol.

And so do you. I always try to dress to match the plants. It is exciting

when you have got the opportunity to show her Majesty and members of the

royal party around and show them what you have done. I like to find

time for a crafty glass of champagne. Very best of luck. I will

pour you one. Are you ready for what might be the great event? Yes,

looking forward to it. Have you been practising your curtsy? Our

headmaster used to make as barrel and curtsy a lot. Good preparation

for this great moment. I hope she comes. I have met her a couple of

times and it is thrilling. I would love to see her. I made her Google

wants. Do you want to practice your bow? That will do. -- I made her

giggle once. I curtsy to your stand. Thank you, Carol. Welcoming her

Majesty the Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Philip are some

important members of the RHS Council, including the president,

who will be escorting her Majesty around the show. And first, guess

who? It is Alan Titchmarsh. I think they are quite well acquainted, so I

expect they have got quite a few things to catch up on. Alan, what

did her Majesty like about your garden? She said it was great fun.

She was talking about the importance of scaling the garden. She is a very

knowledgeable gardener and is not often given credit for it. I see her

every now and again and she said, he is always doing something

different, so that was all right. Her Majesty had quite a lot to say

to you. She was talking about the English countryside and rock water

and what it was all about, really cool. I think she thought it was

cool. And now her Majesty has moved inside into the great Pavilion to

see some of the floral exhibits. inside into the great Pavilion to

Jean Hillier, you have gifted the Queen one of your wonderful books. I

thought the Queen would be interested in a page showing a

photograph of her mother. It is a wonderful story. Thank you. So this

is the last garden the Queen is going to visit today, Cleeve West's

garden, and it has been a wonderful day to day and it feels like it is

going to be a fantastic week. I suppose the great uncontrollable has

done you proud, the weather is good. It is absolutely glorious, we

could not ask for more. When you arrive at kick off so to speak, what

is your biggest concern? The weather is the worry, not so much at the

show, but before the show. Whether the nurseryman in the pavilion or

the designers in the gardens, whether it is a cold spring or a hot

spring, the protection of the plans is tantamount to everyone. That is

the biggest concern. Are the plans all right? The plants are the stars

of the show and we need to make sure all right? The plants are the stars

they are well looked after. How do you feel about the

they are well looked after. How do what everybody initially comes to

see. Are they what everybody initially comes to

know we say this a lot, but I think they are stunning. The weather has

been in our favour. Last year was a challenge, this year has been great.

What is great about this year is the variety of the gardens. You have got

some younger designers. Does that involve compromises? Has that been a

problem for the RHS? Not at all. We have been very keen to encourage

more young people into horticulture, whether it is designers, breeders or

botanical scientists. To have these young designers in their 20s, the

vast majority have been through some of our other shows. They have gone

through Cardiff, Hampton Court, Hatton Park. They are experienced.

They might only be in their 20s. Those of us who are a little older,

in your 20s, I know Bill Gates started his empire in his 20s, but

they are supremely talented. They have not flown in from a planet and

come down. They have been to normal selection panels and have got here

on their talent and merit. Do you think they have had to compromise

their innovation in order to go for gold? Have they had to temper

themselves? I do not think there is any sign of that. It could have been

an issue. But if you look at the different gardens, we have got a

very talented lady in the fresh gardens and a group of young men in

the Maynard new gardens and they have all done such different things.

There is nothing about them that is formulaic or they have played safe.

You can sense the exuberance in their gardens. They have gone for a

very unusual things. It is a great way to start the new century. It is

the first year of the next century and that is why we were so lucky to

have lots of young talent. I hope we are starting that trend of younger

people wanting to come into horticulture. The RHS judges have

made their decisions and first thing tomorrow designers and exhibitors

will know the medals that have been awarded. We thought we would share

some of our own personal predictions with you.

It is a difficult choice, but my favourite has to be Cleeve West's

vision of paradise. The design is sublime and the planting is out of

this world. It is very close, but I have to go for the Daily Telegraph

garden. It is the perfect show garden. Everything is impeccable.

The design flows, a lovely use of colour. I have a soft spot for two.

One is no man's land and the other is the garden for Help For Heroes. I

think they are beautifully done and they have a passion and a story

which touches the heart. If I had to stick my neck out, because I like

plants so much, I would say Best in show, would have to go to Cleeve

West. It is a really tough call, but the garden I think will win best in

show is Tomasso del Buono's Daily Telegraph garden. I love the

Euphorbia, the green and the fennel and the lawn is spectacular, it is

supreme. We have got a lot of different views and opinions here,

but what do you think? All week we will be asking you to pick the

garden that you think stands head and shoulders above the rest. On

Thursday between midday and midnight you will be able to vote. Then you

can preview the first five gardens by pressing the button. Gold medals,

Cleeve West, Tomasso del Buono. And I think one of the youngsters might

get a gold medal and I think it could be Hugo because I think he

might have edged it. The youngsters tend to try and cram too much in the

garden, they are too excited and they have not been refined enough.

Put your head on the block. The judges have done a points system and

it is not so subjective. I don't know. I am not going to say.

Luciana. You made me do it. Join us tomorrow on BBC Two tomorrow night

when we will be bringing you a full report of the day's medals. You can

join Nicky Chapman and Andy Sturgeon tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock

for a first look at the winning exhibits.