Episode 1 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Hello and welcome to the Royal Horticultural Society's

It's the night before the world's most prestigious flower show

officially opens and it's chaos here!

For the past three weeks hundreds of people have been working around

the clock to transform these eleven acres in central London

into a global event that is Chelsea, an event supported by

It's still a working building site here but tonight we'll be

navigating our way around the pandemonium to give

you an exclusive first look at what's at the show this year.

The designers are up against it, they've got until 7am tomorrow

morning to completely finished their gardens. Still lots to see come

including... Dermot Gavin's British eccentric's garden. Which is all

singing, all dancing commitments, twirls. -- Diarmuid Gavin. Can we

see it later? I could, but there are some abracadabra words and I've

forgotten them. We want to see it working, Diarmuid! Next door we have

got Sam Dubai, 27, he won young design of the year in 2014 at Tatton

Park. He's created a lovely, relaxing, soothing space. Nothing

moves here. Very peaceful across the way here as well. This is the

biggest show garden at Chelsea this year, Matthew Wilson's a garden for

Yorkshire. He's even managed to bring a bit of York Minster with

him. Some structure, isn't it? Is completely flat and what we once

called the Brockbank, there used to be a bank here. Whether these

gardens are ready or not, we'll be taking a look at more of the

incredible designs on Main Avenue later.

the annual riot of colour in the Great Pavilion and previewing

some big changes taking place inside this year and someone's

parked a train in there - more on that later.

Now before we kick off tonight's preview, here's our handy

guide to where everything is on the Chelsea showground.

The show is packed into 11 acres of parkland between

the Royal Hospital to the north, famously the home of

the Chelsea Pensioners, and the Chelsea embankment

the Chelsea Pensioners, and the Chelsea Embankment

The main thoroughfares between the two are Royal Hospital Way

and Main Avenue where you'll find 17 large show gardens going

The jewel in Chelsea's crown is the Great Pavilion,

which is home to 103 exhibitors this year.

Then there's the small garden category.

The Fresh gardens are to the north of the Great Pavilion

Whilst the Artisan gardens over in Ranelagh Gardens celebrate

So there you have it? the Chelsea Flower Show in a nutshell.

And I'm here on Main Avenue on one of the show gardens with six time

How has it been, how has the whole process of bringing a show garden to

Chelsea for the first time since 2012 been? That's right, it's been

tougher than ever, I made it really hard for the landscape is this year,

there is some massive construction in here with big pieces of stone.

This time last week I thought we were never going to finish. There

has been a lack of sleep going on. I'm extremely tired and so while the

guys who built this, they've put in some really long days. The result is

fantastic. I'm so pleased with it. Talk us through the idea behind it.

You can see at the back here these big bronze plates, they really

represent a mountain range, I wanted to capture the idea of the massive

geological events that shape our planet, really. We've got the

mountains running through the spine, then the rocky gorge that flows

through. I've used all this limestone, Jurassic limestone, it's

all ancient. Boulders. Portuguese limestone. I wanted to give it this

sense of a judge drama. There are even fossils. Night over year,

fossils all of these homes bits of stone. -- ammonites here. Other than

the floral things come there are plants that have never been here

before. I wanted to go for this arid landscape, everything you see here

is Mediterranean climate, not from the Mediterranean, but from South

America, California, Western Australia. All around the actual

Mediterranean. I've brought them together to create this habitat that

doesn't exist anywhere in the world but looks like. Some of these things

I have never heard of before, I'd researched and found these things,

in the South of France and all over the place. To make your life more

difficult. Even the trees have come from South America, Pavoni, some of

them, that one for example, if we'd had bad weather would have had a

really tough time. It was a real gamble, when we brought it in from

Spain a few weeks ago we had some really cold nights, Frost even. It

started to look really sad, it really sulked and I started to get

really worried to add to the stress. It came to the show, into London,

and it perked up. Like the whole garden, it's stunning, is it

finished? It's finished. Couple of dead leaves I noticed but it's

finished. Well done. This is Charlie's second garden in a row.

He's back for more. Did a fantastic garden last year. He hasn't been

judged yet which is why I'm wearing these Chelsea standard issue blue

shoe coverings. He's bought a really wild garden this year. 20 of

structure, minimalist, Cubist design. -- plenty of structure. We

have these Cubist hornbeam hedges which create a lovely courtyard

feel. We stand from one level down to the other. Beautiful peonies in

the middle, everything feels so familiar, very English in a way, but

it isn't once you start looking in detail at the plants. He realise

there is something more Australian perhaps. This box hedging and in all

the way down and going around to the bottom level was all clicked on

site, I saw one guy doing it, so meticulously, it creates a really

strong structure. Lovely to see you again. Your planting looks familiar,

but you see plants like that amongst alliums. We've got acacia... You are

playing around, on a theme. The Melbourne climate is fantastic, you

can grow a lot of plants, the real world you would grow them on gravel,

have irrigation through the lot, you could grow them here. You don't have

harsh Frost 's. It can get hot in summer but it's not that baking heat

Sydney can get. It's nice to relax in, it really is very relaxing. I

get a lot of support from my own garden getting home from a busy

week, it relaxes me, that is the feeling I wanted to create. It is

your second time, has it been easier? Much more stressful because

you have the fear of the unknown first time round, now you know what

to expect and what you need to do to deliver. Pressure building. You got

silvergilt last year, what would Gold mean this year? We put so much

work into this garden, we get here first, leave last every day. Showing

the Brits up, is that what it is good, we does want to do well,

highly competitive. Well done, Charlie.

Chelsea is arguably the most prestigious stage in the world

for garden designers to showcase their incredible talent,

but with only a limited number of plots available each year,

and a rigorous selection process, just making it through the gates

We're here on Jo Thompson's garden which is almost finished

but the journey for Jo and the other designers to get here started before

Someone who can explain how designers make it into this

exclusive Chelsea club in the first place is RHS judge

Can anyone design a garden and come to Chelsea? They can really, all you

need first and foremost is a really good idea and a very good team

because nobody 's designs and makes one of these gardens on their own,

it's a combination of designers, landscapers, engineers, specialists,

all sorts of things. That is the first thing you need. Talking of

designers, Mr Swift, you did your last show in 2012, how conjugated

was it getting in? You have to submit a lot of drawings so the

judging selection panel knows what he will deliver. You have to do

visuals like this, plans, elevations, get into a lot of detail

later about how it's going to be constructed, the garden, it's a lot

of work you need to know what you are doing because they have to know

you are going to create a fabulous show garden. You need quite a lot of

money behind you as well. You do need some money. Some gardens are

built on what is probably a shoestring by Chelsea Tams, on

others' money tends to be no object. Money doesn't always govern the

quality of the garden. Often we packed gardens on small budgets that

have won gold medals. The average price is ?250,000, incredible how

much money you can spend. Large, mature trees cost a lot of money.

You've got transportation, lots of stone being cut, lots of extras for

plants. Everybody working on the garden overnight somewhere

potentially. The costs escalate. A big team around you. 17 show gardens

this year, you are one of the people who decided which ones would come,

how did you decide? You're looking for really good designs, good

designers, a mixture. We are making a show for the public to come and

enjoy so you don't want to walk down main Avenue and see the same thing

again and again, you are looking for a mix of styles, some classical,

some modern, a mixture of old experienced designers and young, new

faces. The most important thing is that we are here to create a show

everyone will enjoy and people will learn from. Once you've got past the

selection panel as it were that is one the hard work really starts from

the designer to build the garden. November- May, months of hard work.

After all those months of planning and preparation and pain, our

magnificent 17th finally arrived at Chelsea in early May to start the

enormous task of turning these gardens into reality.

I joined this year's intake as they started the mammoth task

of building the gardens in the pouring rain!

This is Main Avenue and it's all about mud, rain and beautiful trees.

It's hard to believe in less than two weeks this place is going to be

transformed into spectacular show gardens.

There are 17 show gardens here in total, with some of the biggest

names in garden design working very, hard to get them ready. -- very,

very hard. I've got this kind of dry climate in going on which is pretty

hard to imagine. In the rain and mud, looked at us! This is the stage

in the game where it's just a big hole in the ground and I'm wondering

what on earth I was thinking. The pressure I felt this year more than

any other year has been immense, for the last two months I've been not

liking it at all. Most exhausting thing about being here in fact isn't

the build, it isn't the plant, it is dying, it's the perpetual threat of

death. There are so many vehicles, so many huge things the sky. I'm

thinking something is going to get me, something is going to get me!

Perfect Chelsea weather, isn't it, pouring with rain? Every year you

wonder why you do it, you are in the mud and the rain. I am now stuck.

LAUGHTER The top comes off. The top goes up,

maybe there will be a Chelsea pension doing a way for something.

Or you? I won't be doing that. It's all a bit up in the air at the

moment but one of my favourite things is this really bad tree. You

come to Chelsea and seek perfection and you've got this tree that looks

like it's been through a storm in the South of France. Rennie got keen

on his chainsaw and whacked a few branches off. That is the look.

Seven days later and a lot has changed. Not least, the weather. You

have got your first show garden here. Huge amounts of work. Your

husband Rob is going to be inside where you normally are. I'm really

stupid to have started to do this, the show garden and inside,

absolutely totally bonkers. Do you know, with this planting palette,

the urgency is really celebrated as soon as it is out to rain, so we're

doing a rain dance, we're very happy. You've got rain coming

tomorrow. A few more dances and you'll be all right.

It's a smart garden, like a smart home but a smart garden. You can

water your garden whilst you are on the tube somewhere. Get your phone

out... I forgot, what can I do? I can do it from my phone.

How is this going? We've had three problems, water problems. We're

there now, nearly. It's been the hardest job I've ever done.

You're getting married a month after Chelsea. Yes. What has been the most

stressful? Chelsea. First show garden, how was it going?

It's been amazing. Horrendous. Fantastic. I mean, I've never been

so scared. It is the best flower show in the world, to have a space,

MySpace... Is just amazing. -- my space.

And here we are in the finished garden. You must be delighted. I am

thrilled to bits. My plans look like a little Jules. They are standing to

attention, smiling, they are flowering. When I came up here, they

won't open. The foxgloves were closed. They are now flowering.

Things like the flax over there. They are like little butterflies.

You have been in the great Pavilion many times before, but it is

wonderful that there are so many women this year. It is really great,

at last, that we can actually show how skilled -- our skills. There are

some beautiful gardens here. This herb garden, herbs that you have

grown and nurtured like babies, tell me a bit about some of them. In this

area, you have chamomile, thyme, all of them are edible. You could make

tea from the chamomile. You can use it in cooking. It is the bees and

the butterflies that will come. If you're sitting here, there is

something to watch. I am moving from one foot to the other on this

because it is your reflexology path. And it really does work. It is not

so good to stand still on. I should keep moving around. It is fantastic,

so I wish you every bit of luck with your first garden. Thank you.

Now tomorrow is not only the big opening day,

it's also judgement day for the designers and exhibitors.

The RHS will carry out their forensic examination

of all exhibits to decide what medals to award -

will it be gold, silver gilt, silver or bronze?

We'll be revealing those all-important results

But there's one designer on Main Avenue who can relax

tomorrow because they've created this year's RHS feature garden,

Its aim is to inspire us Brits to green up our grey spaces

and its designer has always been known to add a splash

Hello. Greening Grey Britain. This is the second year of the

initiative. What it is -- what is it about? We are paving over our

gardens and green spaces at a rate of knots. One in gardens is paved

over. And one in three doesn't have a single plant. The idea is to

inspire people to put plants in the garden and enjoy it. Health and

horticultural happiness, that is what it is about. So, make a space

for plants. Absolutely. You have lots of illustrations of how to get

fronts in your front garden. What is going on here in this container? Is

it a shared? It is supposed to represent a garage. It has been

taken over as a potting shed. It is a little bit of solace to get in

there aren't pots on plants. If you haven't got a garden, you can grow

vegetables or flowers anywhere. Look at my tomatoes. They work

beautifully with the bright orange paint. Everyone has walls or fences.

We had the RHS apprentices make these. They have been with us all

week, the youngsters, so we can teach them about how to do the show

and bring them on for the future. I have loved it. They have been

wonderful. What do you think of my completely over the top Roses? I'm

glad you said that. It is a crazy colour. I can't get close enough.

Are they scented? Completely centred and gigantic. I am delighted because

they are so tall. -- scented. It is not about private space, it is about

community is coming together. Yes, there are initiatives going on

across the country. It is about plants and people growing together

with horticulture. And you went to see a garden in south London, didn't

you? Yes. Let's see how you got on. The heart of urban London bustling

with commuters, traffic There are pockets of communal green

around here but like much of inner city Britain,

it's all a bit, well, Housing estates built 50 years ago

are struggling to keep up with what is a radically different world.

People have lost control of communal spaces. Change is coming. I am here

in Angell Town to find out how residents are doing their bit for

Greening Grey Britain and bringing the community together. Simon works

to promote green spaces in urban areas. I think the garden has been a

very good thing for the community. It has worked as a tool for

well-being. We have changed areas in the estate that might not have been

looked after previously so well, and they can look beautiful. You have

some local residents involved. I understand one of them is close to

his home. Josh. He is a youngster who lives opposite our food garden.

He is employed to look after the flower garden that we have here.

Hello, Josh. How are you doing? IQ you will be looking after this for

the next few months - what does it mean to you? I'm not going to lie.

It is a good opportunity for my career. I am also a chef, so we are

growing herbs. It is a positive thing. How does it make you feel?

While doing this, I meditate. I think about nothing. It is really

relaxed, and I feel like I have done something good. It is a really good

thing. I think the project brings life to the community. You can come

and sit down in the summer, have a cup of tea, do a bit of gardening.

This is just a fantastic idea for an area like this. It is going to be

wonderful. To see people coming out of their houses, talking to each

other, getting their hands dirty, it's an absolute pleasure. It's just

fantastic, the RHS going into inner-city areas. Plants and people

coming together. It makes such a difference. It is so simple - plants

grow, people grow, communities grow. In terms of longevity, what is the

plan? It is fully supported, and the RHS are involved in the ongoing

maintenance of the whole thing. You have some exciting news, I hear. I

have. This whole garden is being donated to the Angell Town a state

and will be looked after by the residents. It will go straight from

here to there? Absolutely. They are starting preparation at Angell Town,

so that will be going on while the show is open. Who will look after

it? There is a whole bunch of people, but there is this amazing

guy called Josh. We saw him in the film. IKEA Josh is coming tomorrow

to the Chelsea Flower Show, but he has a serious project on his hands -

he is making a bouquet of flowers for the Queen. He is. He will

remember it for the rest of his life. Absolutely. We will see that

tomorrow. The garden is looking fantastic, Anne-Marie, but it is

time we got this garden finished. What are you doing chatting to me?

Get on with it! Just behind Anne-Marie's garden is

the great Pavilion. I was lucky enough to witness first-hand the

massive challenges involved in putting it all together. But first,

they had to put the tent up. Imagine pitching this one.

The famous great Pavilion, a massive space to fill, but the exhibitors

don't have much time to do that. They have just days to get

everything in here looking perfect. Sarah Eberle,. It is all about the

plans. If I place the plans and the judges come in on Monday and they

haven't blossomed,... This one is wonderful. Lots of filling gaps.

Labelling of things. We are getting on well.

What are you doing here? I am giving these a quick clean and getting it

looking its best. Do you have any favourites? This

one, pop C. -- Popsy. Does it always seemed like

a mad rush? Yes. The weather is not helping, really. The irises look

incredible. Two weeks ago you would not have thought we could do irises

here. Suddenly, everything just grew. Perfect timing. Hope so. So

much hard work has gone into everything here at the Great Per

billion, but it all seems to be coming together. -- pavilion.

One man had a bigger challenge than most because he decided to bring in

not just a complete train carriage but also some track.

Why have you done at? It is the display I thought I would like to

see, and I have not seen it in 12 years, so I thought I would do it

myself. I wanted to create something with drama that would create a wow

factor. I worked out that the train lived at Battersea, 1.7 kilometres

away, but I had not checked that the bridge could take the load. It was

five hours down various motorways and it came in the depths of the

night. It was an emotional moment when I saw the carriage. Doesn't she

look fantastic? It has a specific purpose, doesn't it? On the other

side of here is a very much British setting. You get on there, walk

through the carriage, and you look at through these windows and it is

like being in Malaysia or something, a tropical feel. We are so pleased.

The important part of the display is that it is celebrating plant

collectors, famous people, and also plant champions, like the man who

studied ferns for 53 years. It celebrates the English part of

things. You get on the luxurious train, walk past the vintage

luggage, art deco crockery, and all of a sudden you are wrote in a

jungle. It will be great. Crucially, the public will be able to take that

journey themselves and walk through the carriage. Absolutely, that is

terrible -- terribly important. Coming up, I will be catching up

with Der McGavin to find out more about his eccentric garden design.

But first, one plants woman who knows her way around the great

Pavilion better than most. one plants woman who knows her way

around the Great Pavilion better than most is Gold medal

winner Carol Klein. With first-hand experience

of the Olympian effort needed to produce plant perfection,

she's been to pick out the exhibits she thinks has medal

winning potential. The Olympics may be taking place in

30 this year, but for the gardening world, they are right here at

Chelsea. In the pavilion, it is a race to the finish line. Winning a

gold medal is as good as it gets. But to reach that incredible

standard, people have to work for years and years. The plants, when

they appear, have to be at the very peak of perfection.

Just like some Olympic events, there are standards here which are

extremely specialised. This stand is all about bearded irises. They are

utterly beautiful. Timing is everything, otherwise that gold

medal is lost. Every one of these flowers has to have its petals

unfolded beautifully. The buds have to be wrapped tight. There must be

no old flowers anywhere but if you look at each one, it must present

itself in the best possible way, and all just as those judges come

through the door. Many of the stands here are a team effort, and I don't

just mean all the people who bind together to produce these exhibits -

the plants themselves have to work together perfectly and support each

other. It may very well be that poppies would normally flower at a

different time from foxgloves, but everything has to coincide if that

wonderful gold medal this to be won. -- gold medal is to be won.

If you're going to go for gold you have to be prepared to dive in at

the deep end, exactly what Hillyers have done with this phenomenal

display. They know everything there is about winning gold, they've won

70 consecutively at the Chelsea flower show. This year the garden

has been designed by Sarah. If she wins gold for this she will be the

first designer to win gold in every single Gardening category. -- Sarah

Eberle. Hillier has bought 10,000 plants to Chelsea and of those three

and a half thousand were selected that are here on the stand. Each one

of them is at its very, very best. Let's hope they all get their moment

of glory and win a gold medal. Now one exhibitor that's also been

inspired by the world of sport is Birmingham City Council who never

fail to wow visitors and judges alike with their elaborate

displays of bedding plants. This year is no different

but there is a twist! They've teamed up with Birmingham

artist Willard Wigan, who made his name creating

the world's smallest sculptures that literally fit within

the eye of a needle. This show stopper of an exhibit took

some planning, as we went to find out.

There's a reputation of the city of being quite a concrete industrial

city. We think we're a very horticultural city. We believe we

are one of the best local authorities for horticulture not in

the UK but worldwide, why not? We produce around two and a half

million plants per year. From our tree nurseries. We take around 5000

down to Chelsea. We've always tried to do something different at

Chelsea, every display we've done has been completely different to the

year before. We take the same plants, bedding displays, the

majority of plants are bedding displays. We have to think of a

different way of displaying those. This year's seem, we are really keen

to do something about activity, we're doing a lot of work in parks

about getting people active. We call it one small step. We've got a

wicker figure of Mo Farah and Usain Bolt. Usain Bolt we've picked his

trainers, running shoes, and got representation of those in carpet

bedding. This year we've been able to get involved with somebody, that

is adding a completely new dimension to the display. We're not just

displaying flowers but actual pieces of art. My name is Willard Wigan,

micro-sculptor, I create the smallest sculptures in the world, I

can put it in the eye of a needle. I started off as a five-year-old

building furniture for an. And houses for ants. When I started

school I realise they had a bit of a problem, I was told I was nothing.

So I so I'm now exhibiting what they say

is nothing but when they see, it will be the biggest nothing they've

ever seen. I'm winning something to the Chelsea

flower show nobody has ever seen before. We're going to have

microscopes specially made with the sculptures inside. They will see a

microscopic flower. In the eye of a needle. They will see the four

seasons. They will see a hummingbird taking nectar from a flower. There

are so many things happening in the world today, we need to see some

beauty. This is one of the mock-ups of one

of the needles. My needle. I've never had something made so big for

something so small. This is where we turn plans into reality, the three

needles of the focal point will be the main thing people will see, it's

the bit that brings the two elements together.

Your iconic hummingbird one, we've recreated it out of fibreglass, then

sprayed it with car paint. That's beautiful. We've got a light at the

back. On the day if you look even better still especially when the

light is shining through to give it that luminous type of effect. What

we're hoping for, especially in the tent, you get atmosphere, that the

hummingbird will slightly bounce. It looked like it's really moving. I

like the way everything is coming together. It's nice to have

something big to represent something very small. My mother used to say

you can say something really big or something really small. They are

doing a condiment, complement each other. It's big against small. Going

to the Chelsea flower show will be the first time for me. I think I'm

going to go for the smallest gold-medal ever made in the eye of a

needle. The exhibit looks fantastic, Darren.

You've done Birmingham proud again. That's what we aim to do, we want to

put them in on the map. Finished? Nearly, bit of turfing. Never

finished. How many plants have you got? About four and a half thousand

on display today. How many people did it take? The team that came down

was about ten coming in on various days. Ten. It's a huge effort, I can

see. I can see Usain Bolt up there, Mo Farah. My favourite bit, these

trainers. Steve spent over a week planting goes. They are his little

baby. Tributes to him. Are they a replica of a real power? Exactly the

same is one of Usain Bolt's trainers. We have the needle P's

everywhere. And the hummingbird. And sporting stuff. -- we have the

needle eyes. With Willard is adding a whole different

dimension. Have you enjoyed it? This is fantastic and I was surprised to

see how big it was and how fantastic, the presentation is

amazing. I've got the smallest ruptures in the world to

representing is deliberately something so big and amazing. --

smallest sculptures. When they look through the microscope they will be

in for a surprise, they will see they are in there, through the

binocular microscope they will see a seesaw in there with two little

girls on a seesaw in the eye of a needle. How many have you got around

the exhibit? Eight so far. When the public come they will see some thing

quite special. They can have a look and see how it relates. They can see

the big stuff and little stuff. It's a little representing big. And

saying something big with something small. It's a collaboration.

Synchronicity of Birmingham City Council, myself, the whole thing.

It's a beautiful thing, so nice to have you here, you've done a

brilliant job I have to say, good luck with it.

Many of these gardens have wonderful concepts behind them on Main Avenue

comment like the daily's mathematics garden. It tells the story of the

germination of a seed. It begins right here in this beautiful water

bowl, its wonderful for text, really mesmerising. It starts here, then

along here this curved bench full of mathematical equations, that is the

stem and it leads all the way to the back of the garden. This platform.

The flower. Based on sunflowers, great big flowers. It's a garden

that has been planted with Mediterranean plants, the sort you

would find in South African, tick Africa, the us Britton South Africa,

Australia. It's about how mathematics underpins life. Look at

these tiny little leads, somehow the plants knows each leaf has to get

bigger and bigger as it spirals out in order to maximise the amount of

light it can get. The mathematics of life. All very complicated.

Something we'll be explaining a lot more later in the week.

The small gardens here at the Chelsea Flower Show,

an event supported by M Investments, never fail to inspire

They may be small but they certainly pack a punch.

Their accessible size and planting schemes make these the place to go

They are still working on them. They'll definitely be finished,

don't worry! The Fresh Gardens form one half

of the small gardens and their designs really do split

opinion, some see them as a work of art whilst others

find them unfathomable! Toby Buckland has been to take

a first look at some of the fresh gardens set to cause a stir this

year , seven designs in the conceptual

fresh garden category this year. -- there are seven designs. Perplexed,

some are mysterious, some at first glance are just confusing, but I

love the fresh garden category, because when they work they are so

engaging. This garden by Martin Crook and Gary Breeze is certainly

that it's called the antithesis of sarcophagi. It is what was a 44

tonne block of granite. It's got grooves carved down the side but the

magic is inside. In the centre is a woodland planting of anemones, ferns

and foxgloves, looks like it's acres. It looks huge gangster

mirrors reflecting the light and making the view seem incredibly

long. The idea behind it is that one day there will be an apocalypse.

This garden, like an embryo, will crack open and reseeds the planet.

The meaning of the garden is quite steep. What it says is, mother

nature will prevail. Even if the human race does not.

This is the World Vision garden by Chelsea regular John Warland. When I

first saw it I thought, my gosh, that rats will be difficult to mow.

That is the point. Challenges of cutting grass are such a western

privilege problem. This garden is about the devastating effects of the

Ebola virus on children in Sierra Leone, had their world turned upside

down. And the ground torn away from under their feet. That is a case of

the fresh garden is that surely divide opinion. They are meant to be

thought-provoking. This year the crop is particularly magical.

None more magical than this, Ibn connections. This is an unusual

fresh garden design because it's a true garden. Yes, there are two

categories in fresh, conceptual gardens and show gardens, I designed

this with Paul Robinson and we've created an urban space you can sit

and enjoy with friends, come together and kind of relaxed in a

nice environment. It has a wonderful sense of enclosure with these

benches and raised beds, but it's the size of a few car parking

spaces. It really is quite small and the idea is these little parks will

be broken up after the show and put into areas within London. It'll be

subdivided? So people can enjoy the space, this is just the launch of

the idea, it's about bringing premium quality green spaces to

London. These small spaces face in on each other, I suppose it's to

bring different parts of the community together. The outside of

the garden is undulating and unknown, a bit uncertain and

isolated, not very attractive. Inside its like there a party going

on, bright colours, glitter in the paving, kind of these cute little

boots. Which make you feel safe and happy. Correction that

booths. Bees are drawn to colour, so are we. We used orange, organic,

natural things to paint the trees. They will hopefully act as beacons

to draw people into these urban spaces. I love the orchids. It's a

hardy garden orchid especially bread for the show. Last year, I always

have to ask, you got silver last year. What do you think you'll get

this year? I would be happy with silver and above, the charity has a

day called Silver Sunday, so anything silver and above would be

great. Good luck, you deserve it, leave.

Completing the Small Garden category are the Artisans down

It's the perfect setting for these evocative designs which champion

traditional craftsmanship - they're real life picture postcards.

Earlier Rachel de Thame went for a sneak preview

the Artisan gardens have traditionally always evoked a bygone

era, very much the emphasis is on Kraft, but this year there is a

definite change. -- emphasis on craft. The gardens have a very

symbolic meaning, so much so they are looking rather fresh. This one,

the garden bed, caught my eye immediately. You have a hospital

bed. It's about how a patient might lie in bed and then see the garden.

You are working with cut flowers on a garden, quite unusual, isn't it?

Very own usual, the garden is all about bringing the outside in and

inside out and connecting with nature. I'm trying to bring the

wonderful delphinium, lovely forget-me-not drawing everything

from the garden into the bed. Peter has designed a garden called

Together We Can, and he has worked with the profoundly deaf

percussionist Evelyn Glennie to create a garden that is 50% musical

instrument. Sounds are created by all sorts of natural material, from

the water which flows into the seesaw is and they knock on to a

block of wood when they come back up. A lot of native plants, the

ragged robin, familiar things. Then some colourful plants that are far

from native. It all makes for a very thought-provoking dubbing.

Ishihara has combined his love of plants with a love of classic cars

this year. It is a front garden and it is perfect for illustrating

exactly what you can do with that space. There are key plants from

Japanese Gardens, some bonsai and of course the Moss, which is always

impeccably placed. That is just three of the six artists and gardens

to whet your appetite. If you feel like the lines might be a bit

blurred with the fresh garden, all the attention to detail and Crossman

ship is still there, it is just provided -- and craftsmanship is

still there, it is just... Across the week here

on the BBC our team will be covering every corner of the Chelsea

showground to bring you all the sights, sounds and in-depth

analysis of this year's event. And I'm pleased to reveal that

joining us is Garden designer In 2012, he created a spectacular

seven story Garden Tower. After three years away, the show man is

back in time. It is clear he has lost none of his gusto. Dermot,

welcome. I am thinking of all the last little bits and pieces that

need done. The sun is shining. You are here. You are nice. It is nice

to be home. At first sight, this garden is not like you. It is very

traditional looking British planting, but it is not all that

meets the eye. It is an arts and crafts garden, but we are very

definite about what we wanted. They wanted to celebrate tradition, and I

wanted to bring a little bit of me into it. So you turn to... Heath

Robinson. He was famous for coming up with complicated designs for

machines that that simple things. And I took inspiration from his

madcap way of thinking and imagine the type of garden he may design.

Explain. Once I had the idea for Heath Robinson, I knew what this

garden could be. I knew how it could perform, in a way, and how it could

thrill me, and hopefully entertain people to see it. Perform is exactly

what we are talking about, because these they trees, for example...

They move. There is a box. There are lots of them. We have faced sequence

of events. They come up and down to the Choon of In An English Country

Garden. How have you got this to work? -- to the tune of. You can see

the Clippers, there. There are eight different synchronised movements

which last 20 or 30 seconds at a time, just to daylight, to

entertain, to get kids interested in garden and inspire them. What will

you say to people who say, great fun, but it is a bit of a gimmick.

Is it for serious horticulture lists? I hope so. It -- the only

plan is to make people smile. Can we go for a bit longer? This is

absolutely fantastic. From automation to technology of a

different kind. Here on the LG Smart garden many features can be

controlled by my phone. I can control the lights, the water

feature, and even the outdoor TV. Maybe this is the future of

gardening - who knows? We will be covering every corner of the Chelsea

showground to bring you all the sights, sounds and in-depth analysis

of this year's event was I am pleased to reveal that joining as is

garden makeover designer Danny Clark, otherwise known as the

Instant Garden Or. This garden will -- this garden will be full -- this

garden has varied interest. She likes Doctor Who and computer games.

I plan to create a garden to reflect all this. That is awesome. Look

behind you. That is where... That is the landing pad for the Tardis. When

you walk out from those doors, you will down the steps and you

disappear into this whole, and then you go into another dimension. It is

fantastic. -- you disappear into this hole. It is a real privilege to

be here. What are you most excited about seeing? It is the show

gardens. Normally, I am in the back row looking over someone's shoulder

to look at the gardens, but now I can see them up close and personal.

You can walk on them. Are you looking forward to getting onto the

gardens? That is what I am looking for. I cannot believe I'm here. You

are going to take ideas and show people at home how they can do that,

is that right? It is about taking some of this magic and transferring

that into people's backyards. Lots of people think it is not accessible

for them. We all have a budget, haven't we? Hopefully, I can

translate what is going on here and show people a cheaper way of doing

it. You are on every day at 3:45pm, starting tomorrow. I'll be here.

Don't be late. I'll be here if you are here.

Now for the first time ever, the grounds directly in front

of the Royal Hospital will be dominated by a spectacular

installation of 300,000 knitted poppies.

This stunning sea of red will honour lives lost in the past 100 years

The team behind the project arrived on site all the way

I went along to see the poppies arriving and lend a helping hand.

The team here are hard at work, but there is one woman I need to talk

about. Glyn Berry, who lives in Melbourne, is the woman who came up

with the whole project. Hello. Hard at work. Yes, very hard at work. --

Lynne Berry. What was the inspiration for this? I

think we started at the same time as the Tower of London poppies. Both of

our Fathers, my sister and I, worked in the -- our father served in the

war. There were contributions from around 50,000 people around the

world, from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Britain, New Zealand. All

over the place - America, Canada, everywhere. Bid you imagine it

getting quite as big? Not in a million years. The fact that the

Tower of London happened in the middle of the making of this for us,

because that is when it went viral worldwide, it really inspire people

to contribute more. That is one of the reasons it grew to the size it

was. I have stories from people all over the world talking about their

family's service and sacrifice, and how amazing this has been for them

to be able to share in some way with the whole of the world. It is a

living memorial. It is. And people are still sharing, which is just

fantastic. It is really special. I'd better let you get on. Or I should

help you get on. Stop talking, get planting!

And this is what it looks like this evening. They have almost finished

laying out all those poppies. It is really spectacular. I think it will

be a real draw this year at Chelsea. This is our base for the week was we

have a great view. Joining as is Monty Don. Lovely to see you. I am

getting used to this. You have had a quick look around. I try not to

analyse think too much when I come to Chelsea. Certain things come

through. More disparity this year, just more different things going on

in the show gardens. Certain parts leap out at you. Pines seem to be

everywhere, a lot of triangles. A couple of gardens are real respect a

killer. We will talk a lot -- really spectacular. We will talk a lot

about those. The small gardens are fantastic. The variety and

diversity, I have only really seen the first garden but I haven't been

to the Artisan. I hear they are all coming together at the last minute.

They have until 7am tomorrow, remember. How are you doing quiz --

I was speaking to people, and they said, it will be fine we should be

finished by tomorrow. When you look at the big show gardens, you are in

awe. We all are. The small ones, you admire, and you think, maybe I can

aspire to that. It is tricky to use a very small space without putting

too many ideas in and making it cluttered. I will be here tomorrow

morning at five o'clock looking at these gardens. Rather you than me!

Someone else will be here a little bit later than that - the Queen. She

has come virtually every year since the 1940s, before she was Queen. We

have footage of her in 1947. There are some one of tributes this year.

There is a floral gate that people will see when they arrive. It is a

special year, and her birthday is a special event. That is all part of

it. I love the gate, a beautiful touch will stop lots to look forward

to. And that brings us to the end of our exclusive preview. Our coverage

kicks off tomorrow at 3:45pm with a bumper show of 45 minutes on BBC One

with Nicky Chapman and James. We will bring you all the news and

excitement of the opening day's events. Sophie and I will bring you

exclusive coverage of the Queen's visit to the show, and we will catch

up with special VIPs at 7:30pm on BBC One. On BBC Two, Joe and I will

give our initial analysis of Bishop's finished gardens and

exhibits. For now, from all of us, it is goodbye for now. -- all of the

show's finished gardens.