:00:18. > :00:24.It is the first show at the weekend slots cannot wait to get in. Where
:00:25. > :00:32.have you come from? Australia. What have you come to see? The gardens.
:00:33. > :00:43.Have a very nice day. I promise you, no rain. There has literally been a
:00:44. > :00:50.stampede to get through. Had he been here before? It is my third time. Is
:00:51. > :00:58.this your first time? My second. I've been here once 15 years ago. It
:00:59. > :01:29.is another day of floral celebration.
:01:30. > :01:33.Hello and welcome back to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show an event
:01:34. > :01:35.supported by M investments. We?re amidst crowds enjoying
:01:36. > :01:42.the show gardens. On Tuesday the RHS judges decided
:01:43. > :01:45.that The Laurent Perrier garden designed by Luciano Giubbilieu
:01:46. > :01:47.was their Best in Show but did you agree with that decision?
:01:48. > :01:51.Would you have chosen differently? Well now you can
:01:52. > :01:54.because we're giving you the chance to decide which large garden you
:01:55. > :01:56.think should win the title of the BBC RHS People?s Choice Award.
:01:57. > :02:10.Here is the voting information. Today's voting day. From the day to
:02:11. > :02:13.midnight tonight, you will be able to vote for your favourite large
:02:14. > :02:25.show garden. All you need to do is call this number:
:02:26. > :02:35.Alternatively, vote online. You can also find our terms and conditions
:02:36. > :02:38.on the website. Get ready, because here is a reminder of all 16
:02:39. > :06:51.fantastic gardens, back-to-back. So get voting. So, apologies to any
:06:52. > :06:55.of you who may already have been looking at nominees earlier today.
:06:56. > :06:59.All the information was all mine but we had a technical issue earlier
:07:00. > :07:03.today. And the full list of nominees was not displayed for a short time.
:07:04. > :07:08.That is now fixed so you can see all the gardens online now. The lines
:07:09. > :07:13.close at midnight, so make sure you vote before then. Monty and Joe will
:07:14. > :07:20.be announcing the winner tomorrow night on BBC Two at eight o'clock.
:07:21. > :07:25.Now all week we?ve been meeting some very familiar faces and asking them
:07:26. > :07:29.to bring their mums to Chelsea for a look around the show.
:07:30. > :07:32.We?ve found that it?s often our mums who spark our interest in gardening.
:07:33. > :07:33.Today we're joined by Countryfile's leading lady Ellie Harrison.
:07:34. > :07:40.Thank you for coming down. It is a delight here. But what sparks your
:07:41. > :07:46.passion for the countryside, plants, flowers and wildlife? I started off
:07:47. > :07:49.in a very rural spot. We lived at the end of each track in a valley
:07:50. > :07:57.with wildlife all around us. And then we moved. We moved to a house
:07:58. > :08:00.with an acre of sprawling Arden. It was so big we could not see the
:08:01. > :08:05.edges. And just when romping through it and enjoy nature that way. We
:08:06. > :08:09.will meet your mother and a little while but did she inspire you when
:08:10. > :08:16.it came to gardening? She is really green fingered. I am not the best, I
:08:17. > :08:21.am more about wild planting and nature, rather than gardening. I am
:08:22. > :08:26.not particularly green fingered. I learned from her as a goal but she
:08:27. > :08:30.hasn't great natural knowledge. -- she has great natural knowledge.
:08:31. > :08:36.What are your memories of your garden when you were little? Weaver
:08:37. > :08:41.on the side of the steep valley so there was no ball games or anything.
:08:42. > :08:45.We get lots of handstands. I know that sounds ridiculous! We would
:08:46. > :08:52.make perfume from grinding up petals. We would test of the goose
:08:53. > :08:58.breeze, and just muck about. The garden had wild edges, and we would
:08:59. > :09:05.romp into these minds. It was pretty wild. And as your mum get involved
:09:06. > :09:11.with your garden or leave you to it? She gets massively involved. But I
:09:12. > :09:16.have a much bigger space. Again, it is on the side of the valley. And my
:09:17. > :09:20.aim is to restore the grassland, to bring back wild flowers. So I'm
:09:21. > :09:25.getting cows in to start the process. I'm not that into the
:09:26. > :09:30.farming side of it, but they are great for grazing. You looking
:09:31. > :09:36.forward to looking around Chelsea with your mother? Inspired?
:09:37. > :09:41.Absolutely. She always has a project on ago and I could do with loads of
:09:42. > :09:46.help. It a lovely day. What is she going to be looking forward to when
:09:47. > :09:53.she tours the gardens? We have the Artisan gardens, the pavilion... She
:09:54. > :09:55.is going to be looking forward to seeing the plants, particularly
:09:56. > :10:01.things relating to the First World War. She has some rays beds, that is
:10:02. > :10:05.her current project. Me, I will be looking at the wild flowers. We will
:10:06. > :10:17.be looking forward to meeting your mother later in the programme.
:10:18. > :10:19.leading lady Ellie Harrison. This is a great place
:10:20. > :10:22.for inspiration. But the common question every year
:10:23. > :10:28.is, how do I take home a little bit of Chelsea magic?
:10:29. > :10:33.Well it?s all about zooming into the detail and one of the best places to
:10:34. > :10:35.do that is in a garden on a scale that most people can relate to.
:10:36. > :10:43.The small garden category. In small gardens, where space is
:10:44. > :10:46.limited, you have to make the most of every square inch. And that means
:10:47. > :10:51.using the boundaries. This is a clever trick, huge blocks of
:10:52. > :10:56.textured granite, which lifts the boundary treatment into a work of
:10:57. > :11:00.art, it piece of sculpture. And here is a good way to bring more planting
:11:01. > :11:06.into a small garden. These walls become very fashionable, and the way
:11:07. > :11:10.they work is that water pours down. Each of these plants is on a shelf
:11:11. > :11:16.underwater flows down with the nutrients, and then out at the
:11:17. > :11:18.bottom. You need to think carefully about flooring in a small space
:11:19. > :11:23.because it normally makes up a big chunk of the design. The typical
:11:24. > :11:29.thing is to use paving stones, which are all the same size, but you can
:11:30. > :11:39.mix it up. You can use thin strips and broader pieces. It is
:11:40. > :11:45.complicated but it is worth it. Paving can feel quite hard and
:11:46. > :11:49.brutal and a softer, more forgiving material is a self binding gravel
:11:50. > :11:54.like this. It is warm and friendly, made up of small stones and dust.
:11:55. > :11:59.And you compact it and wallet and it makes a hard surface. The result was
:12:00. > :12:04.a few loose stones on the top but it does not get kicked around like
:12:05. > :12:07.gravel. This edging is the sort of finishing touch that really lifts a
:12:08. > :12:12.garden. You could make it out of timber, or any other sort of
:12:13. > :12:16.material, but the idea of separating plants from the path like this is
:12:17. > :12:26.really good. And it lifts them up and displays them really well.
:12:27. > :12:31.This is a neat idea to accessorise your garden. You can buy this moss
:12:32. > :12:36.from a florist and it is pinned into his friends. And then you spray with
:12:37. > :12:41.water to keep it alive. It is like a work of art. Water can really had an
:12:42. > :12:45.extra time mentioned to a small garden. And lots of you have been
:12:46. > :12:55.asking us how to do it. So later on, we will be donning our Doctor
:12:56. > :12:58.Buckland hats and dispensing wisdom. But it is not just small gardens
:12:59. > :13:00.that are full of inspiration. There is something to suit everybody in
:13:01. > :13:08.the great pavilion and this week, The small garden category.
:13:09. > :13:11.Christine Walkden's has been like a child in
:13:12. > :13:20.a sweet shop roaming the nurseries, seeking out her top ten plants.
:13:21. > :13:27.dark green foliage, metallic flowers, silver flowers. Mixed
:13:28. > :13:34.borders, cut flowers and even in containers. I want to see what they
:13:35. > :13:40.have got here, and I think it is something very special. Neptune is
:13:41. > :13:44.gold. What is this about? It is a totally new combination. Instead of
:13:45. > :13:49.the blue and green that you would expect, yellow foliage which does
:13:50. > :13:53.not earn in the sun. And eventually, you will get this them turning
:13:54. > :14:00.electric blue, right the way up to here. The head will go blue, and the
:14:01. > :14:04.foreigners will stay gold. What a fantastic combination! That is one
:14:05. > :14:17.hell of a good garden plant. An excellent new plant. Most people
:14:18. > :14:22.know that I've not like formality flowers, but the sumptuous,
:14:23. > :14:26.voluptuous elegance of the David Austin Roses means that this plant
:14:27. > :14:39.has to be included in my ten every year. Michael, why another pink
:14:40. > :14:44.rose? This is the only via Rose Austin, beautiful in the bud and
:14:45. > :14:50.even more beautiful when fully open. It flowers repeatedly. Believes set
:14:51. > :14:58.off the flowers beautifully and it is very healthy. No blackspots or
:14:59. > :15:06.mildew. And a wonderful with. All roses should have a wonderful
:15:07. > :15:09.fragrance. -- a wonderful older. This week, Toby has been doing a
:15:10. > :15:13.sterling job solving in your garden design problems. Thousands of you
:15:14. > :15:22.have been getting in touch for advice. He has got his work cut out.
:15:23. > :15:27.It is my mission to help you solve your design dilemmas by looking for
:15:28. > :15:31.solutions in the Chelsea gardens. And I have had many e-mails relating
:15:32. > :15:36.to water features. Of course, what is an essential element of the main
:15:37. > :15:39.show gardens. Chris has been in touch he lives in Cardiff and he has
:15:40. > :15:46.made a good start on his water feature. Three years have passed and
:15:47. > :15:50.he is still at the first base camp. You do not want to do too much
:15:51. > :15:55.digging, Chris, so I suggest you buy prefabricated liners, solid, and set
:15:56. > :16:00.them in and out of the bank, connecting them with rails. It will
:16:01. > :16:04.look fantastic. It does not have to be expensive. Israel is bespoke, but
:16:05. > :16:14.you can save by going to a scrap yard and getting short lengths.
:16:15. > :16:19.Another tip, don't skimp on the pump. A small pump, if it dribbles,
:16:20. > :16:24.it will never look any good. Our next question from Sarah and
:16:25. > :16:30.Stewart. They want to know where to put their plants. The best place to
:16:31. > :16:35.put it is away from deciduous trees but in semi-shade. That way the
:16:36. > :16:40.least don't fall into the water in autumn. And then the water getting
:16:41. > :16:47.too hot in the summer as well. And this is very important from David.
:16:48. > :16:53.How do you hide your lino? The best thing to use is angular stones.
:16:54. > :16:58.Angular stones locked together and you can build them right up behind
:16:59. > :17:02.your marginal planting so you get a nice, naturalistic, soft edge. The
:17:03. > :17:06.other thing is, you can place them in the base to create stepping
:17:07. > :17:14.stones to help you maintain your pond. But lastly, it allows any
:17:15. > :17:19.wildlife that falls in to clamber out safe and sound. I've come to the
:17:20. > :17:23.Great Pavilion to answer a question from Stuart in Bristol, who wants to
:17:24. > :17:29.know whether he needs electricity for his modest water feature in his
:17:30. > :17:32.courtyard. The answer is no. You don't need much space because their
:17:33. > :17:38.dwarf water plants which will fit into a tiny container quite happily.
:17:39. > :17:43.This is a beautiful white water lily and if you combine that with water
:17:44. > :17:48.violets, you don't need to squirt the hosepipe into get bubble and air
:17:49. > :17:52.and life back into the roots. My favourite for a container has the
:17:53. > :18:03.best Latin name of all the water plants. It flowers from May right
:18:04. > :18:07.through to November. What a name! You can always rely on Toby to come
:18:08. > :18:10.up with the answers. We've been meeting some very familiar faces
:18:11. > :18:17.this week and asking them to bring along their mothers. Lovely ladies,
:18:18. > :18:21.who, over the years, have been offering parental horticultural
:18:22. > :18:25.guidance to their offspring. We met a pair who have taken a look around
:18:26. > :18:34.and we tagged along to find out what they thought.
:18:35. > :18:42.This is glorious, isn't it? My sort of colouring! Just amazing! So this
:18:43. > :18:47.is the First World War garden. Yes. Look at the old-fashioned plants.
:18:48. > :18:54.I've seen at the back this little habitat wall. For all of the
:18:55. > :18:58.creatures. Right up your street! It is a very, very poignant and
:18:59. > :19:07.beautiful garden and one I would very much like. What are your first
:19:08. > :19:12.impressions? Wonderful! I adore Chelsea and this year we have the
:19:13. > :19:18.weather and the gardens and I love the whole thing. There are lots of
:19:19. > :19:23.wild flowers that appeal to me. Lots of flowers I can't name but you can.
:19:24. > :19:27.Was there a lot of this in the garden growing up? I remember
:19:28. > :19:33.massively wild patches. Did you deliberately leave those? No! They
:19:34. > :19:38.got left because I didn't have the time and I was very much into the
:19:39. > :19:42.formal planting, but as time has gone on, I am into the world life
:19:43. > :19:51.with my bug Hotel is. Actually, this is good. We have trees, water and
:19:52. > :19:56.then feeding, which will come from all of the flowering plants. I've
:19:57. > :20:10.seen bees on here already. I wouldn't say no to a garden like
:20:11. > :20:16.this. Would you not? No. Another great war-inspired garden,
:20:17. > :20:19.like what we saw at the beginning, and this is when all of the
:20:20. > :20:25.gardeners would have been sent to war so they all went to seed a bit,
:20:26. > :20:31.the gardens. This is extremely beautiful. Very useful. It's built
:20:32. > :20:35.up so I can think about this with my garden. And it's planted so they
:20:36. > :20:42.keep the disease of the way, so it is planted in a specific way. Gosh!
:20:43. > :20:51.Get you! It also reminds me of a garden we had grown up because you
:20:52. > :20:55.were very keen to teach us all. You have actually grown something, it
:20:56. > :21:03.looks good and tastes good. I was always very proud of that.
:21:04. > :21:11.Do you know, there is so much to see out there, it is almost impossible
:21:12. > :21:18.to see everything. Tomorrow we will be meeting TV historian Dan Snow and
:21:19. > :21:22.his mum. Rachel has been prowling the Great Pavilion on the lookout
:21:23. > :21:25.for floral recipes. The idea is just like planning a meal and it is all
:21:26. > :21:29.about choosing the writing gradients. Today she has a chocolate
:21:30. > :21:42.theme for you. -- the right ingredients.
:21:43. > :21:48.I am an unashamed chocoholic but I am convinced I can capture that
:21:49. > :22:05.richness and sweetness in a planting combination. There are different
:22:06. > :22:11.forms of this everywhere and they have this wonderful dark foliage,
:22:12. > :22:15.really chocolatey. Here it is wonderful and Lacey. This one is
:22:16. > :22:21.slightly larger and then you have these very pretty sprays of flowers.
:22:22. > :22:25.Sometimes they are quite white, like white chocolate sprinkles. That is
:22:26. > :22:31.such an easy-going plant. It just wants to grow. In fact, it can get
:22:32. > :22:35.quite thuggish, so no special treatment needed. If you want to
:22:36. > :22:39.keep it in check and encourage lots of nice, new foliage, cut it back in
:22:40. > :22:40.the autumn and then you will have this fantastic backdrop for a whole
:22:41. > :23:03.range of plants. My next ingredient is also very easy
:23:04. > :23:07.going in the garden. In fact, very prolific. It is a perennial
:23:08. > :23:12.aquilegia, which are my favourites at this time of year. Not only for
:23:13. > :23:17.this beautiful foliage but the flowers are so delicate and pretty
:23:18. > :23:21.as well. And lots of them are in very dark, chocolatey colours. You
:23:22. > :23:32.have the dark and the white on the same flower. Delicious!
:23:33. > :23:35.For variety, I think what is needed is a really strong vertical accent
:23:36. > :23:42.and they don't get much more vertical than Lupin is. And these
:23:43. > :23:48.are just wonderful. This one, Masterpiece, with that rich, intense
:23:49. > :23:55.colour which perfectly matches our chocolate theme. I'm standing here,
:23:56. > :24:07.the core is almost overpowering, and it is something unexpected with
:24:08. > :24:11.Lupin. -- the smell. This corner of the positively Stoke-on-Trent garden
:24:12. > :24:16.is like a chocolate selection box. We have these in the middle with the
:24:17. > :24:21.lacy foliage. And then the vertical accent of the Lupin towards the
:24:22. > :24:26.front and lots of these dark, inky aquilegia. This dark, chocolatey
:24:27. > :24:32.colour. Then we have peonies, roses, irises, all those colours of
:24:33. > :24:39.black fondant, cherry and Rothbury. I feel like a kid in a sweet shop!
:24:40. > :24:44.-- Rasberry. I've got a funny feeling that will
:24:45. > :24:48.be very popular for a recipe this season. As well as all the delicious
:24:49. > :24:52.plants on show here in the Great Pavilion, there is a huge section
:24:53. > :24:58.dedicated solely to the art of forestry. Last week on the
:24:59. > :25:04.countdown, we met Sarah, a relative newcomer to forestry, who is here
:25:05. > :25:10.for the third time competing for the award. We joined her on her road to
:25:11. > :25:14.Chelsea. I just love being surrounded by fresh flowers and the
:25:15. > :25:18.colour just hits you immediately. I am like a child in a sweet shop
:25:19. > :25:23.because there is so much choice and I just love putting flowers
:25:24. > :25:27.together. This is my favourite bit. When you've got all your flowers
:25:28. > :25:31.laid out ready and you can start putting it all together. I'm making
:25:32. > :25:34.a gorgeous bouquet for somebody that you know they are just going to be
:25:35. > :25:41.so thrilled to have and it will brighten up their day. Slow -- so
:25:42. > :25:46.florists have the best job in the world because they can bring cheer
:25:47. > :25:50.to people who need it. The seeds for my passion started when I was really
:25:51. > :25:53.tiny. My mum had a beautiful garden and I remember her being in the
:25:54. > :25:57.garden all the time. I had always played with flowers because I used
:25:58. > :26:01.to watch her do flowers all the time and every opportunity, I would try
:26:02. > :26:07.to do something with flowers. I was opening a tearoom and I knew a
:26:08. > :26:10.little tiny room in the middle of nowhere needed something else and I
:26:11. > :26:15.had a light bulb moment, and thought, I know, I will be a
:26:16. > :26:19.florist! So I ran the local agricultural College and said, I'm
:26:20. > :26:26.going to be a florist in six weeks time. Can you help? And it was
:26:27. > :26:33.altered from there. This one is natural bouquet. And it all started
:26:34. > :26:38.from there. This is really bringing this alive. I'm a real
:26:39. > :26:41.perfectionist. Everything has to be just so. And I don't know what that
:26:42. > :26:49.means but I know when I've done it and I'm happy with it. I graduated
:26:50. > :26:58.in 2011 and the same year, the same may, I had only got through to the
:26:59. > :27:01.RHS Chelsea finals. -- May. It was extraordinary because we were
:27:02. > :27:05.watching the Chelsea programmes on the Monday night with Alan
:27:06. > :27:10.Titchmarsh saying, here we are at Chelsea, gardeners strive for years
:27:11. > :27:13.to get here. And I nearly fell sick because I thought, that is going to
:27:14. > :27:19.be me in three days time. And it dawned on me what a big deal at
:27:20. > :27:24.once. And then I got a silver medal. It was just amazing, incredible.
:27:25. > :27:29.This year, we have to make a fantasy floral dress to be worn at a crystal
:27:30. > :27:34.themed ball. I would love gold but if I don't get a medal at all, then
:27:35. > :27:38.who cares? I've got to Chelsea three times and I've only been a florist
:27:39. > :27:46.for five years. So how amazing is that!
:27:47. > :27:53.So, Sarah, put us out of our misery. How did you do? I got a gold! We are
:27:54. > :27:58.also delighted for you. I'm going to cry again! You're allowed to cry
:27:59. > :28:02.because you said you were sick with nerves. I hate results but I never
:28:03. > :28:07.thought I'd get gold. I was hoped to get gold one day but I'm here! It
:28:08. > :28:12.means everything. I've done it for my mum, really. She passed away a
:28:13. > :28:15.few years ago and she always wanted to come to Chelsea and now I'm
:28:16. > :28:21.standing in her garden and I've won a gold medal. Lisa Fowler did the
:28:22. > :28:26.most beautiful dress. Pink and white with wings and the detail was
:28:27. > :28:30.incredible. I saw last night when they were staging it and I thought
:28:31. > :28:36.it was amazing. Your creation was amazing, magnificent. So what's next
:28:37. > :28:41.for you? A big glass of pins and then I'm going to enjoy Chelsea and
:28:42. > :28:51.sleep like a log tonight! -- a glass of pins food. We wish you all the
:28:52. > :28:56.best and we know how much it means. Congratulations. Thank you very
:28:57. > :29:01.much. I don't know anyone who doesn't like receiving a floral
:29:02. > :29:04.arrangement. I know I do. But do you know the darker side of plants? To
:29:05. > :29:16.look at them, you would never know the tactics they use.
:29:17. > :29:26.Let me introduce you to a pack of super predators. This little guy has
:29:27. > :29:31.broken free so I can show you. He is almost salivating in anticipation!
:29:32. > :29:39.This sticky substance is a nectar that they used to your M6 in as
:29:40. > :29:49.their prey. -- they used to attract insects in. The insect gets woozy
:29:50. > :29:54.and falls down into and acidic mix of digestive juices. They grow in
:29:55. > :29:57.areas which are really low in minerals like nitrogen, so they have
:29:58. > :30:07.had to resort to hunting for their prey.
:30:08. > :30:17.These guys are straight out of a science fiction film. Proper CGI!
:30:18. > :30:22.And some varieties have invisible markings, invisible to us and
:30:23. > :30:33.insects, and under UV light, it guides the insect to their doom.
:30:34. > :30:40.So, here I am on the forest floor, entering a whole new world of
:30:41. > :30:44.danger. And who would have thought a rhododendron that is so pretty could
:30:45. > :30:48.be poisonous? What they do is they pack their leaves filled with toxins
:30:49. > :30:52.that act just like weedkiller, and when they pop down to the soil and
:30:53. > :30:57.rocks, they deposit these in a big circle around the plant, suppressing
:30:58. > :31:01.the growth of anything that isn't a rhododendron. Effectively, it is a
:31:02. > :31:06.territorial dispute with chemical warfare. You might expect that kind
:31:07. > :31:20.of behaviour from snakes or insects but from suburban shrubbery?!
:31:21. > :31:27.of this South African acacia are these vicious thorns. But it also
:31:28. > :31:34.has a secondary chemical method of defending itself. When the plans are
:31:35. > :31:37.under attack, they give off a volatile chemicals that can be
:31:38. > :31:42.detected by other trees. Suddenly there are leaves become better. It
:31:43. > :31:43.is like a smoke signal to let them know and attack is underway. --,
:31:44. > :31:56.bitter. Trees are not just capable of
:31:57. > :32:00.messaging each other and communicating. They can actually
:32:01. > :32:04.share resources through an underground network that works like
:32:05. > :32:13.telephone lines or the web. And it is made of living fundi. -- fundi.
:32:14. > :32:19.In the wild, some trees are not only capable of detecting their closest
:32:20. > :32:24.genetic relatives, but they can even shunt sugar along through an
:32:25. > :32:30.underground network to feed them. They are literally rearing their
:32:31. > :32:34.young. So when you are next planting a
:32:35. > :32:38.garden, remember it may look tranquil on the surface but it is
:32:39. > :32:46.really just like high school. There is so much hidden politics going on.
:32:47. > :32:52.I do not think how will look plans in the same way ever again. This
:32:53. > :32:55.year, there are a few gardens that have a split personality with
:32:56. > :33:01.planting that could not be more opposite. These designs offer
:33:02. > :33:03.inspiration to look for plans that suit a whole range of different
:33:04. > :33:13.aspects. This is from Moors to the Sea
:33:14. > :33:17.designed by Alan Titchmarsh. It coast.
:33:18. > :33:27.At the top of the garden, they have used to burn ins, adapted well to
:33:28. > :33:29.this environment. In the winter, they lose their leaves. So the wind
:33:30. > :33:37.can hit them without losing their leaves. Down here, at the opposite
:33:38. > :33:42.end of the scale, a native fern, hunkered down in the damp soil
:33:43. > :33:46.behind a wall. But as you move through to the coast, the
:33:47. > :33:49.environment is totally different. And the plants have to deal with the
:33:50. > :33:57.salt laden wind, and the way that they do that is in a number of
:33:58. > :34:03.special adaptations. A thick leaf, the same thing with these rosettes,
:34:04. > :34:08.hunkered down, hidden from the window. And finally, this shiny,
:34:09. > :34:16.green hedging plant. It stops all that water from evaporating and
:34:17. > :34:20.transpiring. If you have light shade in your
:34:21. > :34:24.garden, it really opens up the possibilities for planting. It was
:34:25. > :34:30.the garden is not bombarded with so many elements. For example, this
:34:31. > :34:37.plant grows in a reasonably dry soil if it is in the shade, so it helps
:34:38. > :34:46.in the long-term. It is the perfect spot for firms. In an acidic soil,
:34:47. > :34:49.these will spread everywhere and blanket out of the weeds. But in the
:34:50. > :34:53.full sun, the possibilities are endless. There is so much to choose
:34:54. > :35:02.from. One of my favourite plants here, a wonderful little plans. And
:35:03. > :35:13.then finally the front, are merely a maritime. And then in this garden,
:35:14. > :35:16.from wet to woodland. If I had the choice, I would have damp soil in my
:35:17. > :35:26.garden because you can grow one of my favourite Lance, which contrasts
:35:27. > :35:31.with almost anything else. And the swathes of plans that will bulk up
:35:32. > :35:38.fast in a damp soil. And this plant is one of the stars. Those wine
:35:39. > :35:42.coloured spikes are so dramatic. At the back of the garden, we move into
:35:43. > :35:50.the woodland area. Innovative shade, you can grow the Angelica. And this
:35:51. > :35:53.can come up with you do not expect it because it's self seeds. And
:35:54. > :36:00.finally, any white flour will clean out from the shadows and ring your
:36:01. > :36:04.garden to life. -- flour. I'm with the man who knows all about
:36:05. > :36:12.planting for all conditions. Not just in the garden. He has to look
:36:13. > :36:15.after the whole city. Chris Jones is the nurseries manager at Birmingham
:36:16. > :36:22.City Council. Nice to meet you. This is an incredibly deserve it. Marking
:36:23. > :36:27.the Centenary of World War I. -- incredible exhibit. Tell me about
:36:28. > :36:32.the detail. The poppies have been made into a waterfall. We have
:36:33. > :36:38.whistles, which they would use to go over the trenches. There is a
:36:39. > :36:51.replica of the steam train that used to go to the front. And then we have
:36:52. > :36:58.replicated the trenches. And that has proved very popular. One thing
:36:59. > :37:11.that catches my eye, it is the delicacy of the planting. I started
:37:12. > :37:17.planting these earlier last year. Ten weeks before we come down, we
:37:18. > :37:22.recreate the winter period for them, to make them colour up. And all the
:37:23. > :37:29.other stuff is feeding through the months, to try to time it so that it
:37:30. > :37:34.all comes out at the same time. And you look after all the parks and
:37:35. > :37:44.gardens in Birmingham? I am responsible for all the mercenaries.
:37:45. > :37:47.How much hard work is that? We do two and a half million plans a year.
:37:48. > :37:53.There is a lot of work and planning involved. And as a balancing act,
:37:54. > :38:03.Chelsea must take up a lot of time? Yes. We try to promote the city, and
:38:04. > :38:06.the team works on it all year. All the hard work has paid off because
:38:07. > :38:10.you have been awarded the president award, a special award given by the
:38:11. > :38:15.President. It can go to any exhibit, any garden in the hall of
:38:16. > :38:20.the grounds, and you have won it. Congratulations. We are over the
:38:21. > :38:25.moon because we feel that that is recognition of the hard work that
:38:26. > :38:31.the team puts in to recreate it. And think the quality speaks for itself.
:38:32. > :38:34.Congratulations. The range of bedding on this exhibit is a
:38:35. > :38:38.veritable feast of inspiration if you are looking to make an instant
:38:39. > :38:43.impact. If you want plants that keep coming back year on year, Carol has
:38:44. > :38:48.some advice. The Chelsea Flower Show comes back
:38:49. > :38:53.every year, and so do your herbaceous perennials. If you look
:38:54. > :38:59.after them. But there is one way of extending the season and it is all
:39:00. > :39:02.to do with Chelsea. It is called the Chelsea Chop. All the plans that
:39:03. > :39:06.have been brought here at the peak of perfection, all in flour. So it
:39:07. > :39:10.is quite difficult to find something that we could demonstrate on. But
:39:11. > :39:15.this is something that you could do at home right now. The idea with
:39:16. > :39:23.late flowering perennials is to reduce the length. Towards the end
:39:24. > :39:30.of May, or you do is get in there with a sharp pair of secateurs and
:39:31. > :39:35.go down to a leaf node, about eight inches above the plant, and chop.
:39:36. > :39:40.Once you have chopped it, instead of throwing this on the compost bin, it
:39:41. > :39:43.is a really good idea, providing that the end of these stems are
:39:44. > :39:49.actually solid, and not hollow, to take some cuttings. You can be very
:39:50. > :39:54.thrifty and produce several plants from this. But each one of these is
:39:55. > :39:59.going to make a good cutting. And all you do is make sure you have cut
:40:00. > :40:10.under a leaf node, and strip the leaves. Take off any of those
:40:11. > :40:14.flowers, and then cut around a pot -- Place the cuttings around a pot.
:40:15. > :40:18.One good watering and they will have rooted at the time that the plant
:40:19. > :40:24.recovers. Another way of making sure that you
:40:25. > :40:32.do not have straggly plants, another Chelsea Chop Mobot a different one.
:40:33. > :40:37.Things like this geranium Brookside, which has gone over the top. It is a
:40:38. > :40:45.beautiful plant but you do not want your flowers lying on the floor. So
:40:46. > :40:52.you take a big implement. And you go right down to the base. What a
:40:53. > :40:55.brute! It looks very fierce and severe, this kind of treatment,
:40:56. > :41:00.their promise you that within a few weeks, this plant will have
:41:01. > :41:03.recovered. There will be a mound of green foliage and with a bit of
:41:04. > :41:19.luck, you will get a second flower later in the summer. The Chelsea
:41:20. > :41:25.Chop is ideal treatment. This plant, in your garden it will not be
:41:26. > :41:32.flowering yet, because most flowers of this type flower towards the end
:41:33. > :41:36.of June, July and August. But at Chelsea time, either take your
:41:37. > :41:42.secateurs and reduce the whole thing to about nine inches or so from the
:41:43. > :41:46.ground, or you can be really canny and just go in and take individual
:41:47. > :41:52.stems out throughout the whole clump. That means that the ones you
:41:53. > :41:57.have let alone will flower first and the others, they will come on. It
:41:58. > :42:03.means that you get along to flowering. So a longer display. --
:42:04. > :42:11.Pro12 and flowering. And you could try the same treatment with this
:42:12. > :42:19.plant, and they could looks so beautiful in combination. But on the
:42:20. > :42:23.stem, as with the Killie, there are little shoots which will eventually
:42:24. > :42:28.flower. Or you are doing when you chop this town is getting rid of
:42:29. > :42:34.that bit of flower but preparing to have masses more later on in the
:42:35. > :42:40.season. Anything that guarantees extra flowering for a long time has
:42:41. > :42:46.to be a great idea. So here is to the Chelsea Chop.
:42:47. > :42:53.You have been sending us pictures of your gardens this week. We have a
:42:54. > :42:57.few here. I love this one. It is from Adrian Hancock. It is a front
:42:58. > :43:01.garden, but it is beautiful. It is quite formal, but it is impressive
:43:02. > :43:05.what you can do in such a small space.
:43:06. > :43:09.And Graham has sent us this garden. It is a Japanese competition going
:43:10. > :43:12.on. This one is beautiful. We have had thousands of people sending us
:43:13. > :43:17.photographs. That is all we have time for today. Don't forget, the
:43:18. > :43:20.lines are now open for you to start voting for your favourite large
:43:21. > :43:26.garden in the BBC People's choice award. Everything you need to know
:43:27. > :43:30.about taking part is on our website, or you can press the red button
:43:31. > :43:34.straight after the show. The lines close in midnight to night, so make
:43:35. > :43:39.sure you vote for your favourite garden before them. The winner will
:43:40. > :43:43.be announced by Monty and Joel tomorrow night at eight o'clock on
:43:44. > :43:50.BBC Two. We will be back tomorrow on BBC One at 3pm with Dan Snow and his
:43:51. > :43:56.mother. We will see you then. Buy. -- bye-bye.