:00:00. > :00:10.The most famous flower show on Earth is back.
:00:11. > :00:13.It's bold, it's bright and it is packed to the rafters
:00:14. > :00:15.with the press and garden glitterati who are getting an exclusive first
:00:16. > :00:22.Yes, we are only a hydrangea away from a celeb today.
:00:23. > :00:25.This show is officially kicking off and buzzing with life.
:00:26. > :00:29.Right now, these gardens and exhibits are vying for centre stage
:00:30. > :00:34.We'll be bringing you the excitement, razzmatazz,
:00:35. > :01:06.and of course the amazing gardens that make up this show.
:01:07. > :01:10.Welcome to the 2016 RHS Chelsea Flower Show,
:01:11. > :01:14.an event supported by M Investments.
:01:15. > :01:17.After months of preparation, this is it.
:01:18. > :01:20.In a no holds barred battle for the limelight, designers
:01:21. > :01:25.and growers are seizing the attention of all around them.
:01:26. > :01:29.we have former royal reporter Jennie Bond
:01:30. > :01:35.to tell us what they love about Chelsea.
:01:36. > :01:39.of experts is Instant Gardener Danny Clarke,
:01:40. > :01:41.who will be seeking out that Chelsea magic
:01:42. > :01:49.We will also be seeing how this event is preparing
:01:50. > :01:57.But what do you make of all this plant pomp and ceremony?
:01:58. > :02:00.Throughout this programme and across the week,
:02:01. > :02:02.you can get in touch with us on Twitter to tell
:02:03. > :02:09.The gardens here are looking pristine, but just last week
:02:10. > :02:13.this show ground was a very different scene.
:02:14. > :02:15.Sophie Raworth was on the front line
:02:16. > :02:24.to witness the big build up to this event.
:02:25. > :02:33.This is Main Avenue, and it's all about mud, rain and beautiful trees.
:02:34. > :02:37.It's hard to believe that in less than two weeks' time, this place
:02:38. > :02:49.will be transformed into spectacular show gardens. There are 17 show
:02:50. > :02:57.gardens here in total, with some of the biggest names in garden design
:02:58. > :03:00.working very hard to get them ready. I have got this dry climate thing
:03:01. > :03:07.going on, which is hard to imagine in the rain. This is the stage where
:03:08. > :03:10.it is just a big hole in the ground and I am wondering what I was
:03:11. > :03:14.thinking. I have felt the pressure more this year than any other year.
:03:15. > :03:23.It has been immense. I have not been liking it! The most exhausting thing
:03:24. > :03:29.about being here is not the plants, it is the perpetual threat of death!
:03:30. > :03:34.There are so mini vehicles, so many huge things swinging through the sky
:03:35. > :03:38.-- so many vehicles. I am constantly thinking something is going to get
:03:39. > :03:43.me. This is perfect Chelsea weather, pouring with rain. Every year, you
:03:44. > :04:01.wonder why you do it, because you are in the mud and the rain. The top
:04:02. > :04:09.just goes up. For you? I will not be doing that. It is all a bit up in
:04:10. > :04:13.the air at the moment. But one of my favourite things is this tree. You
:04:14. > :04:18.come to Chelsea for perfection, and you have this tree that looks like
:04:19. > :04:20.it has been through ace dorm. We have been chain sawing a few
:04:21. > :04:40.branches off, but that is the look. Seven days later, a lot has changed,
:04:41. > :04:46.not least the weather. You have your first show garden here. Huge amounts
:04:47. > :04:52.of work. Your husband Rob will be inside, where you normally are. I am
:04:53. > :05:01.really stupid to have started to do this. Totally bonkers. With this
:05:02. > :05:05.plan pink palette, the verdant sea is celebrated as soon as it starts
:05:06. > :05:08.to rain, so we are doing a rain dance. And it is working, because
:05:09. > :05:19.you have a full day of rain coming tomorrow. We have connections with
:05:20. > :05:25.the right people. It is a smart garden. Like a smart home. So you
:05:26. > :05:30.can water your garden whilst you are on the cheap? Get your phone out.
:05:31. > :05:41.That's right. I can just turn it on from my phone. How is this going? We
:05:42. > :05:46.have had tree problems, water problems. But we are nearly there.
:05:47. > :05:52.It has been the hardest garden I have ever done. You're getting
:05:53. > :06:00.married a month after Chelsea. What has been the most stressful?
:06:01. > :06:09.Chelsea. First show garden. How has it been? It has been amazing,
:06:10. > :06:13.horrendous, fantastic. I have never been so scared. It is the best
:06:14. > :06:16.flower show in the world, and to actually have a space is just
:06:17. > :06:25.amazing. Well, everyone at the show today
:06:26. > :06:28.is on their best behaviour, And one lady who is all too familiar
:06:29. > :06:32.with the Windsor family is broadcaster and journalist Jennie
:06:33. > :06:45.Bond. Welcome to Chelsea! Does it feel
:06:46. > :06:49.like a second home, are you a devout gardener? I do enjoy gardening. I am
:06:50. > :06:55.not terribly good at it it, but I love coming to Chelsea. It is always
:06:56. > :06:59.different. Keeps us on our toes. You come away with such inspiration. You
:07:00. > :07:05.were a royal correspondent for 40 years. What do you think the show
:07:06. > :07:08.does for the Royal Family? They love coming here. It is one big in the
:07:09. > :07:12.annual calendar that they are not going to miss. They have more
:07:13. > :07:17.gardens than the rest of us, but like the rest of us, they like to
:07:18. > :07:21.pick up ideas and innovations you see here. And they genuinely seem
:07:22. > :07:29.terribly relaxed every year. It's Harry has been in past years. --
:07:30. > :07:34.Prince Harry. That was great. His grandpa came as well. He was not
:07:35. > :07:40.expecting that. They had a chat about it. You are a keen gardener.
:07:41. > :07:45.What is your garden like? It is like wrestling with nature, because it is
:07:46. > :07:49.five acres of Devon hillside, and it is a perpetual battle of how much we
:07:50. > :07:53.should leave wild and how much I should try to conquer. It is hard
:07:54. > :08:00.work. Are you out there every day, or do you like to relax and enjoy
:08:01. > :08:06.it? I sit back and relax, but I do like colour. Last year, my main
:08:07. > :08:11.flowerbed looked like a plane had passed over and dropped a cargo load
:08:12. > :08:18.of paint onto my flowerbed, it was ridiculous. I am trying to be more
:08:19. > :08:24.disciplined. I would just like some order to it. There is a loss of
:08:25. > :08:28.colour this year. And a lot of wilderness and wild flowers and
:08:29. > :08:32.grasses, which I now realise I have been willing up. I am interested to
:08:33. > :08:39.find out what your knowledge is like. I have organised a little bit
:08:40. > :08:43.of fun for my VIP guests, a quiz. We have six plants here. There are the
:08:44. > :08:49.Latin names. I am going to test your ability. Do you know Latin? I did
:08:50. > :08:54.Latin at a level but that was a long time ago. Didn't do Latin at my
:08:55. > :09:00.comprehensive. Who do we think this is? That is timeless.
:09:01. > :09:18.OK. What about this? Well done. There ends my knowledge. I thought
:09:19. > :09:25.that was a hostile. I don't know. Plenty of those on the show garden
:09:26. > :09:39.this year. Keep going. What about this beauty next to me? That one, no
:09:40. > :09:47.idea. That is obviously wrong. And something very weird. Better known
:09:48. > :09:51.as sweet potato. And the last one? Not bad, you got for my car out of
:09:52. > :09:59.six. I am impressed, I think you were listening in Latin lessons. Not
:10:00. > :10:00.really, but I am glad I have learned something. Enjoy your time at the
:10:01. > :10:07.show. That will not be hard. Well, if you need to know
:10:08. > :10:10.more about your plants, there is no better
:10:11. > :10:13.place to go than the Great Pavilion. Toby Buckland headed there in search
:10:14. > :10:19.of some VIPs of the plant world. Here at Chelsea, flowers are
:10:20. > :10:22.obviously the star of the show and the bigger and brighter and more
:10:23. > :10:28.blowsy the bloom, the higher its billing. But just because a flower
:10:29. > :10:35.looks exotic or sumptuous, doesn't necessarily follow that it is hard
:10:36. > :10:40.to grow. A classic VIP plant here at Chelsea is of course the bearded
:10:41. > :10:44.iris. They are always here in force, and they are magnificent plans and
:10:45. > :10:48.relatively easy to grow, despite their exuberance. They like alkaline
:10:49. > :10:55.soil. Never mulch and don't allow neighbouring plans to crash over the
:10:56. > :11:00.stems. And this is a hybrid that has caught my eye. It is called
:11:01. > :11:04.Badlands, and the flowers open from jet black buds to this beautiful,
:11:05. > :11:17.ruffled, Cardinal purple. The rustling makes the flowers more
:11:18. > :11:22.weather resistant. Dahlias are flowers with obvious star quality.
:11:23. > :11:24.They have a reputation for being prima donnas because the
:11:25. > :11:28.recommendation used to be that you would big them up every autumn to
:11:29. > :11:32.protect them from the frost and then grow them in the spring. But
:11:33. > :11:36.actually, you can leave them in the ground, covered by a mulch, Dickie
:11:37. > :11:41.Lily if you live in a mild area, and they will bounce back year-on-year.
:11:42. > :11:46.But the main lesson is how to grow them. These are plants that like
:11:47. > :11:50.company. They enjoyed unity. And they benefit from the support,
:11:51. > :11:54.either from neighbouring silver foliage to hide the green down
:11:55. > :11:59.below, or, as in the case of this beautiful magenta style, a steady
:12:00. > :12:02.bench to keep the blooms are bright. Dahlias have moved from the
:12:03. > :12:17.allotment plots to the garden, and are all the more glamorous for it.
:12:18. > :12:22.Another very important plant, Gladio live. Here at the Chelsea Flower
:12:23. > :12:29.Show, they look like feathers of the bird of paradise. They are sumptuous
:12:30. > :12:33.and so gorgeous. Where they come into their own is planted in your
:12:34. > :12:40.average garden. You can grow them from tiny bulbs. You plant them into
:12:41. > :12:44.the soil 15 centimetres deep, and up they come 90 days later. If you are
:12:45. > :12:48.planning a summer soiree, they are just the thing to grow, because you
:12:49. > :12:55.know when they will be in bloom. Dead easy, but show stopping. If we
:12:56. > :12:59.are talking about flowers with a reputation for being important and
:13:00. > :13:05.rare, all kids should perhaps get top billing. Recently, we visited a
:13:06. > :13:16.nursery just outside Paris, because they are putting on a special
:13:17. > :13:23.display at this year's Chelsea. They always have quite a lot of charm.
:13:24. > :13:32.The diversity and colours are fantastic. This is one of the
:13:33. > :13:36.reasons why I like orchids. If you look at an orchid, it is something
:13:37. > :13:47.that is peaceful and very nice to look at. Here, we have been growing
:13:48. > :13:52.orchids since 1886. That is an exhibition my great-grandfather did
:13:53. > :14:00.in 1897. That is an exhibition from 1937 in Paris. That is the
:14:01. > :14:13.greenhouses in 1900. And the chimney still exists. I think that for
:14:14. > :14:17.people who don't know orchid greenhouses, to come in an orchid
:14:18. > :14:24.greenhouse is a good feeling. It is a feeling of peace. This year is
:14:25. > :14:31.very particular, because it is our 130th anniversary, and we are still
:14:32. > :14:39.going. Now we are almost the oldest firm in the world. This is the pansy
:14:40. > :14:47.orchid. It is very sensitive to water. If you have water that stays
:14:48. > :14:55.on the flower, then it stains it. You will find orchids anywhere where
:14:56. > :15:04.there is green. You will find orchids in the woods, in the trees,
:15:05. > :15:11.on the ground. There are 30,000 species, which is enormous. It is
:15:12. > :15:20.the largest flower family in the world. What is interesting about
:15:21. > :15:24.orchids is that a moth orchid will last anywhere from three days to 20
:15:25. > :15:32.years. Other types of orchids will last anywhere from two years to 100
:15:33. > :15:39.years. This is one of our first hybrids, which was done in 1926. So
:15:40. > :15:50.you can count, it is about 90 years old, a few years older than me!
:15:51. > :15:57.This is four generations. My daughter will be the fifth. If I can
:15:58. > :16:05.help are for a few years I will be very happy. For our 130th
:16:06. > :16:10.anniversary I decided to do the Chelsea Flower Show, which I don't
:16:11. > :16:17.do very often. When I sought plants out to come to a show, it is like if
:16:18. > :16:21.I did a painting because I choose the plants according to what I am
:16:22. > :16:27.going to want to do. This is probably a plant that I am going to
:16:28. > :16:47.take to Chelsea. It is the spider orchid. The stand is going to be
:16:48. > :16:52.very spidery! This is the boat I will use for the Chelsea Flower
:16:53. > :16:57.Show. I think it would not float because it is full of holes, but it
:16:58. > :17:09.is a very nice boat. I will do a display with this canoe and some
:17:10. > :17:18.ivy, which will be mounted in height so I can present the orchids high
:17:19. > :17:24.and in a boat. Chelsea we have done four times, this time I hope to get
:17:25. > :17:36.my gold medal. Silver gilt is bad taste! He will be here all week and
:17:37. > :17:40.we will catch up with him on Friday. In the meantime, you cannot go to a
:17:41. > :17:46.supermarket without seeing orchids in every colour of the rainbow, but
:17:47. > :17:57.how do you keep them alive? Even the most exotic and delicate orchid can
:17:58. > :18:01.come back for you year after year. I like to think I know how to Grow
:18:02. > :18:06.orchids because I have ten on my windowsill. How many do you look
:18:07. > :18:11.after? 1.5 million. I think you know a little bit more than me. I have
:18:12. > :18:16.had a few years to practise, ten years I have grown up. How do you
:18:17. > :18:20.grow them to this incredible standard, almost Photoshop perfect.
:18:21. > :18:25.You can buy them like this that they do not often last like that. The
:18:26. > :18:31.most likely think you are doing to kill them is to over water, which is
:18:32. > :18:36.the killer. They grow in the wild, up in the trees, the air is around
:18:37. > :18:40.the roots and standing them in water, they die. You are killing
:18:41. > :18:45.them with kindness. People think they are doing them goodbye
:18:46. > :18:51.watering. You only have to water this once a week if that. Drop the
:18:52. > :18:56.plant into a bowl of water for a few minutes, drain out and put it back
:18:57. > :19:01.into the bowl. It is looking beautiful but it does not last for
:19:02. > :19:04.ever. You have healthy leaves and green stems, but the flowers are
:19:05. > :19:11.beginning to fall off, what you do? To make it flower, very easy, look
:19:12. > :19:17.at the stem, there are scales. That is the top scale. We can cut them
:19:18. > :19:22.off and take it off. Each one is an embryonic bunch of flowers? That
:19:23. > :19:26.will grow a new spike and probably that second one down as well. A
:19:27. > :19:32.plant bought in the store has the potential to do a few months here
:19:33. > :19:37.and another few months here on three spikes, a whole year of flowers. The
:19:38. > :19:44.only thing you could possibly need to do is to repot it. This one, I
:19:45. > :19:54.would repot, with a lot of roots out the top. Is that your signal? Yes.
:19:55. > :19:59.Do not worry if this drops out. Go into a slightly bigger pot and put
:20:00. > :20:06.the roots in. It is important to use specialist bark? Compost itself, no
:20:07. > :20:12.air spaces, holds the water and kills the roots. The bark is
:20:13. > :20:17.something essentially to prop it up. It is Anchorage more than anything
:20:18. > :20:23.else. That is all there is to it. I could do that. This is possibly the
:20:24. > :20:29.easiest plant I can think of to take care of in general, simpler than a
:20:30. > :20:34.geranium and more exotic. Long-lasting plants and flowers. It
:20:35. > :20:37.thrives on neglect. Treat it mean, keep it clean, is my kind of
:20:38. > :20:39.gardening! This week, we've got a new talent
:20:40. > :20:41.to add to our line-up. Danny Clarke will be known
:20:42. > :20:44.to many of you as the Instant Gardener, swooping
:20:45. > :20:46.in to transform people's gardens. Well, all week, he will be
:20:47. > :20:48.at this show, looking a bit of Chelsea sparkle
:20:49. > :20:52.to your own backyards. Today, Danny looks at the different
:20:53. > :20:54.ways you know, things that
:20:55. > :21:21.give your garden a bit of privacy, Boundaries and borders are about
:21:22. > :21:26.framing garden space. And this is very interesting, he has made a
:21:27. > :21:30.boundary out of oak. Many of us consider fences to be boring, but
:21:31. > :21:35.why not make the fence a feature of the garden like he has here? The
:21:36. > :21:41.council would take a dim view if you put up a fence this high, but I
:21:42. > :21:46.think gardening is about inclusion, so why not have a lower bit along
:21:47. > :21:47.the garden, because really it is all about getting on with the
:21:48. > :22:00.neighbours, isn't it? We are on Joe Thompson's garden. I
:22:01. > :22:05.love the way she has mixed her materials. She has yew hedging which
:22:06. > :22:20.looks fantastic. It is loosely clipped. She has this bass -- basalt
:22:21. > :22:24.wall with steel frames. She has replicated the basalt wall in the
:22:25. > :22:29.garden, which is clever, with the matching grave. It is not too fussy.
:22:30. > :22:39.You can do this at home. All you have to do is use cheaper materials.
:22:40. > :22:42.I use a ruler three. You can use scaffolding planks, pallets, a
:22:43. > :22:51.cheaper form of hedging, to make it work in your own garden. I have come
:22:52. > :22:56.across Rosie Hardy's show garden, which I think is fantastic. What I
:22:57. > :23:03.like about it is the loose form of hedging. What she cleverly did is
:23:04. > :23:13.bring the countryside behind their into her garden, by using that loose
:23:14. > :23:18.clipped hedging. This loose form of hedge planting is a great way to
:23:19. > :23:22.hide the boundary. We cannot see the fence beyond. What we can see is
:23:23. > :23:27.what is beyond that. Which is great. Bringing back into the garden will
:23:28. > :23:32.stop this is Hawthorne. It is something anyone can grow and it is
:23:33. > :23:37.as cheap as chips. One of the ways you can get a Chelsea look.
:23:38. > :23:39.Danny will be back tomorrow, looking at inspiring paths and walkways
:23:40. > :23:46.As you know, Monday at Chelsea is a right Royal affair.
:23:47. > :23:48.But all week there are exhibits here celebrating the 90th birthday
:23:49. > :24:09.I'm joined by Shane Conley, a florist by Royal Appointment.
:24:10. > :24:17.-- command. It is incredible, how long did it take to create? The
:24:18. > :24:22.actual creation was a period of weeks. The actual installation we
:24:23. > :24:25.could only work when there were no vehicles going through the gates, so
:24:26. > :24:33.it meant working through the night. Last night the same, 10:30pm until
:24:34. > :24:38.2am. 25 hours it adds up on cherry pickers making it work. How big was
:24:39. > :24:46.the team you used? Early I thought it would be nice if we had students
:24:47. > :24:52.of Florence -- Floris Street involved. We had a team of 30 for
:24:53. > :25:00.the two nights and 20 people working two days before that. Quite a lot.
:25:01. > :25:05.Tell us about the flowers you have used. Are they British? Everything
:25:06. > :25:09.is British, either growing or grown in Britain or cut from growers in
:25:10. > :25:16.Britain. That was an important message. They have all been given.
:25:17. > :25:21.The students worked for free and the growers gave the ingredients and so
:25:22. > :25:25.it is a real gift for Her Majesty. Has there been an arch like this
:25:26. > :25:38.before in the grounds? Know and there might not be one again! The
:25:39. > :25:43.RHS asked me to get the students involved. And the plants will be
:25:44. > :25:47.donated afterwards to charity. It looks divine and makes an impact and
:25:48. > :25:51.I'm sure when Her Majesty walks through, it is not too long from
:25:52. > :25:54.now, she will look up and marvel actual work. Thanks.
:25:55. > :25:57.Well, we'll be looking at many more exhibits bearing a Royal stamp
:25:58. > :26:05.on our programme on BBC One at 7:30 tonight.
:26:06. > :26:12.Walking into the Floral Pavilion, it is almost impossible not to be
:26:13. > :26:17.struck by the ornamental appeal, but plants provide us with more than
:26:18. > :26:20.simple aesthetic use and so Carol Klein this week will be looking at
:26:21. > :26:25.the surprising stories of plants that make the world go around. On a
:26:26. > :26:42.day packed with celebrities she has that bit more sparkle for you.
:26:43. > :26:52.It is Monday, it is Chelsea. Everything is at attic pristine
:26:53. > :26:56.best. There is a hint of gold in the air and the possibility of
:26:57. > :27:06.celebrations. But there is one plant that keeps the world celebrating.
:27:07. > :27:11.Can you guess where it is from? It is France. Of course the plant in
:27:12. > :27:13.question is the grapevine, and the wonderful bubbly stuff they make
:27:14. > :27:26.from it, champagne. When we think of champagne and
:27:27. > :27:31.winemaking in general, our thoughts go immediately to France, but people
:27:32. > :27:36.have been making wine all over the world for thousands of years. There
:27:37. > :27:38.are records of winemaking going back to Armenia, more than 6000 years
:27:39. > :27:51.ago. There are vines growing behind the
:27:52. > :27:58.glass of this delightful 1860s greenhouse. A full of flowers with
:27:59. > :28:03.the promise of an abundant harvest, because of course, in the case of
:28:04. > :28:06.the grapevine, it is the grapes we are interested in. Great fines were
:28:07. > :28:12.either male or female and then we stepped and bread them that all
:28:13. > :28:20.produce grapes. Wine is just alcoholic grape juice. It is easy to
:28:21. > :28:25.see where it comes from, but what about the alcohol? If you crush the
:28:26. > :28:36.grape, the juice comes into contact with the outside skin. On that skin
:28:37. > :28:41.are thousands of tiny funghi, yeast, which appears as a bloom on the
:28:42. > :28:47.surface and they change the sugar into alcohol. It is a process called
:28:48. > :28:53.fermentation. In the Champagne region in the north of France, the
:28:54. > :28:57.climate is quite cool and sometimes fermentation would stop and start
:28:58. > :29:03.again in the spring. Secondary fermentation. That resulted in a lot
:29:04. > :29:05.of waffle is full of bubbles, bursting asunder. It was the birth
:29:06. > :29:09.of champagne. One plant that caused quite a stir
:29:10. > :29:22.at the turn of the last century was the rhododendron
:29:23. > :29:23.and here at Chelsea, they're The rhododendron returned
:29:24. > :29:29.in the luggage of plant hunters and explorers that had braved
:29:30. > :29:31.the far flung corners of the world Such was its popularity that
:29:32. > :29:37.a special society was set up that is celebrating
:29:38. > :29:57.its centenary today. We met the great nephew of one of
:29:58. > :29:58.its original founders. My name is Charles Williams from this castle in
:29:59. > :30:11.the depths of Cornwall. I was trained by the head gardener
:30:12. > :30:26.here as a child, and it has always been in my blood and in the family
:30:27. > :30:30.genes. Look at that! Show me a rhododendron that is this yellow and
:30:31. > :30:37.with this big a flower. There isn't one. This is as good as it gets.
:30:38. > :30:46.Every year, people ask me the same question, what is my favourite plant
:30:47. > :30:50.in the garden? Today, it is this rhododendron. By the middle of next
:30:51. > :30:55.week, it will be something else. That is the excitement. That is what
:30:56. > :31:05.we go gardening for, and that is the beauty and surprised that can emerge
:31:06. > :31:11.from a garden like this. We have three great advantages in terms of
:31:12. > :31:15.climate. Firstly, we have acid soil, which is what rhododendrons must
:31:16. > :31:19.have. Secondly, our rainfall is about 55 inches in average, much
:31:20. > :31:27.higher than the majority of the country. Thirdly, and most
:31:28. > :31:30.importantly, we seldom get much frost. Therefore, plants grow for
:31:31. > :31:42.longer because they don't get held back by Winters. My
:31:43. > :31:46.great-grandfather, JC Williams, was the first member of the family to
:31:47. > :31:52.have a passion for rhododendrons. He was at the forefront of
:31:53. > :31:56.commissioning George Forrest to go on expeditions to China to bring
:31:57. > :32:01.back new varieties of rhododendron. George Forrest was keen to be sent
:32:02. > :32:07.to China to earn his fame and fortune, and he certainly achieved
:32:08. > :32:14.that by the time he died in China in 1932. I think people imagine the
:32:15. > :32:20.travelling to China was something of a rather jolly holiday, but
:32:21. > :32:23.actually, George Forrest had to escape wars between feudal warlords
:32:24. > :32:29.by dressing in native dress and hiding in the woods to escape
:32:30. > :32:33.detection. Can you imagine the excitement? Here is a packet of
:32:34. > :32:37.seeds. We had a letter from George Forrest which says, this is
:32:38. > :32:41.something fantastic in the world that grows up to 30 or 40 feet. You
:32:42. > :32:47.have to see it in flower. It is amazing. So you wanted to form a
:32:48. > :32:55.club of like-minded people to compare notes. The Rhododendron
:32:56. > :33:01.Society was formed in 1960 by four founding members, my great uncle, PD
:33:02. > :33:08.Williams, JC Williams, my great-grandfather, Charles Ely and
:33:09. > :33:13.John Millais. They were there to write about them, to promote them,
:33:14. > :33:21.to cross them and to give people cuttings and establish a wider base.
:33:22. > :33:26.The society today is a mixture of professionals in horticulture and
:33:27. > :33:29.rank amateurs, but that is ultimately what a passion for a
:33:30. > :33:35.particular genius of flowers is about. It is about enjoying them
:33:36. > :33:43.with people who also enjoy swapping them, growing them, hybridising them
:33:44. > :33:49.and telling your friends about them. The theme of our stand at Chelsea
:33:50. > :33:54.this year is very much in keeping with the centenary of the group.
:33:55. > :33:59.Therefore, our stand will predominantly contain rhododendrons,
:34:00. > :34:04.hopefully some of which will survive for 100 years and are still with us
:34:05. > :34:14.today, having been found in China all that time ago. This is the
:34:15. > :34:19.largest leafed rhododendron of all. We have dug around a large root
:34:20. > :34:25.ball, and we are going to gently lift it onto a wire netting
:34:26. > :34:28.platform. After we have the wire netting in place, we will put
:34:29. > :34:33.Hessian around it to keep the moisture in. Whether it will flower
:34:34. > :34:36.or not remains to be seen, but the next time you see this plant again,
:34:37. > :34:48.we will all hopefully be at Chelsea. We will be catching up with the
:34:49. > :34:52.Rhododendron Society on Wednesday. Rhododendrons are classic acid
:34:53. > :34:57.loving plants, and if you are lucky enough to have acid soil, here are
:34:58. > :35:07.some beautiful blooms that like exactly those conditions. Whenever I
:35:08. > :35:16.come to Chelsea, I always fall hook, line and sinker for that show
:35:17. > :35:21.stopper. It is the Himalayan poppy. But I can't grow it because I have
:35:22. > :35:24.the wrong type of soil. It is all about the pH level. Seven is
:35:25. > :35:30.considered neutral and anything above that would be haka line, and
:35:31. > :35:34.below is acidic. -- anything above that would be alkaline. A great way
:35:35. > :35:38.to test your soil is to buy a couple of kits from the local centre.
:35:39. > :35:45.Always do a few, because it may be different in different parts of the
:35:46. > :35:52.garden. If blue is the colour you are craving, a hydrangea could be
:35:53. > :35:57.the perfect choice. Hydrangeas are also good barometers of the level of
:35:58. > :36:01.pH in your soil. So if it is really acidic, you are going to get real
:36:02. > :36:06.blue intensity in them. Otherwise, if they are more alkaline, you will
:36:07. > :36:11.get more rosy shades which are also attractive. I love this. This is a
:36:12. > :36:18.new introduction called fireworks bloom. When they have just emerged,
:36:19. > :36:21.they are this sort of creamy green colour, and as each flower matures,
:36:22. > :36:27.it takes on more of the blue until you get this lovely, soft cornflower
:36:28. > :36:36.blue. It is a really attractive plant. Not all acid loving plants
:36:37. > :36:43.are bright and colourful. Some of them are very subtle, like this one,
:36:44. > :36:47.where all the flower parts come in threes, the petals and the leaves.
:36:48. > :36:51.They range in colour from purest white to one with a hint of yellowy
:36:52. > :37:02.green, and then down to these really dark shades. Isn't that a beautiful
:37:03. > :37:03.plant? From a beautiful plant to the
:37:04. > :37:07.beautiful game. Today at Chelsea, the press
:37:08. > :37:10.and photographers have been tripping over themselves to get
:37:11. > :37:12.an exclusive shot of the gardens and the celebrities
:37:13. > :37:14.who are out in force. a football superstar who,
:37:15. > :37:22.it may surprise you, Welcome to Chelsea, Sol Campbell.
:37:23. > :37:26.Are you a massive gardener? Is this inspiration for you? It is a massive
:37:27. > :37:32.inspiration for you. I am a local lad. I was not born in Chelsea, but
:37:33. > :37:36.I live here now. I think having a fantastic garden is something
:37:37. > :37:40.amazing and nourishing for a human being. What is it about having a
:37:41. > :37:47.wonderful garden that means so much? What is your garden like? I have too
:37:48. > :37:53.Gardens, one in Northumberland, and an urban garden. What is that one
:37:54. > :37:58.like? It is under construction. But I am looking for a balance between
:37:59. > :38:04.something for the kids to use and secondly, for us to have barbecues
:38:05. > :38:11.and entertain. It is about the same size as this. This is Jo Thompson's
:38:12. > :38:18.garden. Do you want a tranquil atmosphere like this? Yeah. London
:38:19. > :38:23.is so busy, so you need to have some kind of refuge. If you can have part
:38:24. > :38:28.of it for the kids to do whatever they want, and a bit of a tranquil
:38:29. > :38:33.bit at the back for me or my wife or friends, that is key. For me, it is
:38:34. > :38:40.the difference between having grass or fake grass, Astro, so to speak.
:38:41. > :38:45.Which do you think you will go with? I am a natural colour person. I
:38:46. > :38:51.prefer grass, but then there is a lot of maintenance. They both have
:38:52. > :38:53.great qualities. So for the urban garden, you want somewhere for the
:38:54. > :38:59.family. What about your country garden, what is that like? Well,
:39:00. > :39:06.Northumberland is a beautiful place. The landscape is fantastic. You have
:39:07. > :39:10.to be careful what you plant. I have a walled garden, which has been
:39:11. > :39:18.renovated and brought back to life. We have veg in there and a few
:39:19. > :39:23.plants outside. We had to be careful what we picked. I have also planted
:39:24. > :39:32.a few trees, Oakes by the stream. For some reason, there were no oak
:39:33. > :39:38.trees or willows, so we planted some saplings. I will not see the
:39:39. > :39:41.benefit! But your children will! Or someone in 50 years' time. That is
:39:42. > :39:48.the lovely thing about Gardens, you can invest in the future so that
:39:49. > :39:54.your family can enjoy it. What about vegetables and fruit trees? Yes,
:39:55. > :40:01.inside our greenhouse, we have got some peaches. Outside, we have some
:40:02. > :40:12.pairs and veg, cabbages in the raised beds. We have potatoes,
:40:13. > :40:16.onions, asparagus. It is nice. We have lavender around aside for that
:40:17. > :40:21.fantastic scent. I think I am going to be inviting myself round for
:40:22. > :40:28.dinner! I have to ask you, what do you make of this lawn? Beautiful,
:40:29. > :40:33.reminds me of Arsenal's playing surface. Perfection personified? Top
:40:34. > :40:40.notch. Sol, thank you so much. Enjoy your time here at the show. James
:40:41. > :40:51.has also been to investigate some very luscious lawns.
:40:52. > :40:59.The one indisputable contribution the Brits have given gardening is
:41:00. > :41:05.the lawn. It is a stylised vision of our past or past. And used to
:41:06. > :41:12.perfection here. You have got these beautifully crisp sections of box
:41:13. > :41:17.here that are perfectly cut, almost reflecting hard landscaping, but in
:41:18. > :41:22.a soft way. And then your final lair is beautiful, pristine lawn. There
:41:23. > :41:25.is no other material that would work in this same space to give you this
:41:26. > :41:35.study of the calming effect of green. But there is so much more to
:41:36. > :41:41.lawns than lush green carpet. I have had to sneak under the rope here to
:41:42. > :41:46.show you this level of detail. We have a really quirky lawn here. This
:41:47. > :41:51.isn't generic green backdrop, it is actually packed with all sorts of
:41:52. > :41:54.tasty treats. There are at least four edible herbs I have seen
:41:55. > :42:00.studied through this lawn, everything from cucumber flavoured
:42:01. > :42:03.salad Burnett threw to lemon flavoured sorrel. The best thing is
:42:04. > :42:10.that you do not have to mow it. It is loose, rustic and free looking.
:42:11. > :42:11.It shows that lawns are not just about being perfectly manicured. You
:42:12. > :42:27.can have your lawn and eat it. I know talking about plastic plants
:42:28. > :42:31.might make me a bit of a horticultural pariah, but it is
:42:32. > :42:35.worth mentioning that artificial grass has come on leaps and bounds
:42:36. > :42:40.in the last few decades. It has started to look relatively natural
:42:41. > :42:45.and even feel it. There are multiple layers of lots of different colours
:42:46. > :42:51.at different lengths, even a thick thatch. If you have a tiny postage
:42:52. > :42:55.stamp garden that is in deep shade, maybe a couple of dogs and some
:42:56. > :42:58.football mad kids, there is no way you will ever have the perfect lawn,
:42:59. > :43:04.so you might as well consider something like this. Lawns can be
:43:05. > :43:06.pristine cricket, they can be scented and edible. Lawns can be
:43:07. > :43:11.anything you want them to be. Lovely to see that some lawns have
:43:12. > :43:16.returned to Chelsea. Tomorrow, Kate Adie's here to tell
:43:17. > :43:18.us why she talks to plants. is all about the medals
:43:19. > :43:22.on Main Avenue, and the designers here will be waiting with bated
:43:23. > :43:25.breath to see if they scoop gold. We'll be right there
:43:26. > :43:28.with the RHS as they reveal all. And we'll be first to get
:43:29. > :43:30.the reactions of those There is plenty more to come on this
:43:31. > :43:35.opening day of Chelsea. Later on BBC One at 7:30, Sophie,
:43:36. > :43:39.Joe and the team will be covering all of the celebrity gossip
:43:40. > :43:42.and dazzling designs We'll be back
:43:43. > :43:48.at the same time tomorrow.