:00:00. > :00:08.It's not every day that you walk through a field
:00:09. > :00:21....Or share the ground with over 17 members of the Royal Family...
:00:22. > :00:29....or finding yourself surrounded by hundreds of the world's top
:00:30. > :00:31.garden designers and plant experts is pretty special too.
:00:32. > :00:33.Here at the the Royal Hospital Gardens there's very
:00:34. > :01:01.Welcome to the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show.
:01:02. > :01:04.And so today marks the opening day of the most famous
:01:05. > :01:11.All week our team from the world of horticulture and garden design
:01:12. > :01:14.will be bringing you the very best of this event supported
:01:15. > :01:24.Being a Monday the show ground was also packed
:01:25. > :01:28.Ladies and gentlemen of the press fought for pole position to capture
:01:29. > :01:30.the scenes as some big names descended upon the show.
:01:31. > :01:34.Coming up on tonight's show we take a trip down memory
:01:35. > :01:36.lane with Chelsea champ, designer Cleve West as he revisits
:01:37. > :01:48.And of course Her Majesty the Queen came today
:01:49. > :01:52.Also we find out how designer Hugo Bugg is bringing some middle
:01:53. > :02:01.this morning very early, I spent some time as the Sun
:02:02. > :02:04.getting a very privileged view of these gardens
:02:05. > :02:19.It's a fine, clear morning, rising over London. I've got Chelsea not
:02:20. > :02:23.quite to myself, I'm sharing it with a few photographers, but the chance
:02:24. > :02:29.to look at all of the show gardens and the weeks of work has come to an
:02:30. > :02:31.end, they are ready. Not yet judged or seen by the world but poised and
:02:32. > :02:47.perfect. What you're looking for at Chelsea
:02:48. > :02:51.is the special, things that immediately hit you. This is the
:02:52. > :02:59.Telegraph Garden designed by Andy Sturgeon. Andy has made a garden
:03:00. > :03:07.with geological power, using vast slabs of triangular stones and yet
:03:08. > :03:11.combine debt with very subtle, gentle almost planting, although its
:03:12. > :03:18.arid. Using a palette that is low-key but never drab makes a
:03:19. > :03:29.culmination that is in chanting. I think this is a really special
:03:30. > :03:32.garden. -- entrancing. This garden, called the antithesis of sarcophagi,
:03:33. > :03:39.which is a man full, by Martin cooked and Gary Breeze looks like an
:03:40. > :03:45.enormous block of granite surrounded by rather drab gravel. -- Martin
:03:46. > :03:48.Cook. It seems like not a lot is going on but then you notice there
:03:49. > :03:55.are tiny and full holes on the side of the block and if you peer through
:03:56. > :04:02.the holes what is revealed is a beautiful garden. -- tiny little
:04:03. > :04:06.holes. The combination of the stone and the garden hidden inside it
:04:07. > :04:25.creates one of the most uplifting things I've ever seen at Chelsea. I
:04:26. > :04:28.think the M garden designed by Cleve West is inspired, I love the
:04:29. > :04:34.way it becomes a modern garden with open space and that takes real
:04:35. > :04:38.skill. Knowing when to stop, knowing when not to fill a space with
:04:39. > :04:46.something is a sign of a master at his peak. Just for a short time at
:04:47. > :04:52.the beginning of this long day I've been able to share these gardens
:04:53. > :05:04.with a kind of innocence. And solely to perfection. -- unsullied. That
:05:05. > :05:10.has been a treat. Obviously those experiences of getting in ahead of
:05:11. > :05:15.the crowd is great, fantastic. What you can't help noticing as well as
:05:16. > :05:20.individual gardens is certain themes and patterns and plants get
:05:21. > :05:24.repeated. They identified a vintage somehow. When you combine them
:05:25. > :05:30.together, the designs and colours, that's how you remember Chelsea in
:05:31. > :05:36.years to come. In terms of colour, what strikes you? Lots of oranges.
:05:37. > :05:42.And Andy has the exotic foxglove, I've forgotten the name. Working
:05:43. > :05:46.against the bronze. They used to be rusty steel but now it is bronze
:05:47. > :05:54.with oranges and purple foliage in front. With a lot of natural
:05:55. > :05:58.planting like we see in the Cleve West garden and quite a few others,
:05:59. > :06:05.I think there is also more colour and more diverse colour. More
:06:06. > :06:09.flowers. They were worried because we had such a cold spring and in the
:06:10. > :06:14.last few years everything has burst into flour and those plants have
:06:15. > :06:20.become available. Lots of people are using pink amid the oranges and
:06:21. > :06:25.blues and purples. It is tricky. Some people have gone for every
:06:26. > :06:28.colour under the sun and its gardens with restricted palettes that really
:06:29. > :06:40.work. There is also a division between very geometric gardens like
:06:41. > :06:50.Hugo Bugg and Andy Sturgeon. And then the other gardens like James
:06:51. > :06:55.Basson. The flow of the space. There is a slight division there.
:06:56. > :06:59.Manipulating space, the division again is pure gardens versus
:07:00. > :07:03.landscape becoming a garden or being drawn from a garden. Naturalistic
:07:04. > :07:05.planting we have talked about is a feature of a number of gardens this
:07:06. > :07:12.year. They have taken their cue
:07:13. > :07:14.from the natural world of flora as Rachel De Thame
:07:15. > :07:21.has been to find out. Although there are gardens here that
:07:22. > :07:22.are definitely manicure, there's also a real sense that nature knows
:07:23. > :07:37.best. I'm standing in your garden and you
:07:38. > :07:44.do feel as though you are surrounded by nature and you have been
:07:45. > :07:49.transported. It has been transported here on many lorries. One of the
:07:50. > :07:53.things at Chelsea is that you expect all of the plants to be perfect and
:07:54. > :08:04.you come here and you have these old man's which are far from perfect,
:08:05. > :08:09.they have been hacked about. -- almonds. It's a risky thing to do to
:08:10. > :08:13.stick a bad tree in the front of a Chelsea garden but it works in the
:08:14. > :08:20.landscape. The more you look the more you see. There are white snail
:08:21. > :08:25.shells up there. It is a little white snail which creeps up the
:08:26. > :08:28.grass to keep cool and you almost think they are flowers in the
:08:29. > :08:35.landscape. I'm so seduced by that natural feel that coming to Chelsea
:08:36. > :08:46.is such a great opportunity to express my passion for the natural
:08:47. > :08:52.look. Sam Opens achieves a spectacularly naturalistic feel with
:08:53. > :09:00.a garden which uses a wonderful mix of plans which are held together
:09:01. > :09:06.with this graph -- grass. You get these highlights of colour which are
:09:07. > :09:09.not native, it has these in the orange and this from South Africa.
:09:10. > :09:22.You don't have to leave British shores to achieve that sort of
:09:23. > :09:26.wonderful naturalness. Catherine, your garden has the most magical
:09:27. > :09:29.atmosphere and I think it is this really naturalistic planting. I just
:09:30. > :09:35.wanted to do something with our British native species. To try to
:09:36. > :09:39.encourage people to perhaps use them in their own garden and appreciate
:09:40. > :09:43.them more. How easy do you think it would be for somebody to recreate
:09:44. > :09:49.this kind of effect in their own garden? I think it would be fairly
:09:50. > :09:56.easy. A lot of the species are plants that are readily available,
:09:57. > :10:00.and this is the native British silver birch which is under planted
:10:01. > :10:06.by native species. It is something to do with the way that you have the
:10:07. > :10:12.whole thing from the canopy, right through, you have the hedging as
:10:13. > :10:17.well. You have wonderful layering of plants which gives it a natural
:10:18. > :10:20.quality. What made you decide to choose this sort of rather natural
:10:21. > :10:30.feel rather than something that was perhaps more manicure and formal? We
:10:31. > :10:36.have a contemporary glasshouse structure, and I wanted to have a
:10:37. > :10:40.contrast with the planting. And you can definitely use planting to do
:10:41. > :10:45.that. It works beautifully. Thank you.
:10:46. > :10:49.Incorporating elements of nature in terms of landscape and planting
:10:50. > :10:54.are central to the garden designed by Cleve West.
:10:55. > :11:00.Some of you will be familiar with Cleve who has notched up five
:11:01. > :11:06.Chelsea golds over the years which include two Best Show Gardens.
:11:07. > :11:14.He may be a familiar face on Main Avenue but this year he has
:11:15. > :11:23.gone back into his past on Exmoor for inspiration.
:11:24. > :11:29.But when I was 14 years old my whole family moved here.
:11:30. > :11:31.Porlock in Exmoor, to run this hotel.
:11:32. > :11:43.I think my fondest memory is the fact we came down here exactly the
:11:44. > :11:55.same time as Fawlty Towers was popular on TV. Basically my dad was
:11:56. > :11:59.Basil Fawlty. It was hilarious. It was quite a culture shock coming to
:12:00. > :12:03.a quiet little village, but on the other side we have lovely
:12:04. > :12:09.countryside to roam in and escape into. I used to hightail into the
:12:10. > :12:26.hills and to the sea and it was perfect. We are in the Woods just up
:12:27. > :12:32.the hill and the atmosphere was powerful and it stayed with me for
:12:33. > :12:36.some time. I used to do athletics and I ran in the hills and I
:12:37. > :12:39.competed at a high level against the likes of Billy Thomson and Linford
:12:40. > :12:44.Christie and obviously I let them win! It has come as quite a shock
:12:45. > :12:56.that I have become a gardener and garden design. I'm trying to evoke a
:12:57. > :13:01.memory. That's the most difficult thing at Chelsea. I've decided I'm
:13:02. > :13:06.going to have oak trees and oak trees are key to the garden. And I
:13:07. > :13:11.will use things like blueberries in the garden, just as a token, but I
:13:12. > :13:20.don't want to try to recreate this, you just can't do it in a 22 metre
:13:21. > :13:25.space. The amazing thing about Exmoor is the diversity. You have
:13:26. > :13:35.rock scapes here and sea views and more land. Valleys and fields, it is
:13:36. > :13:39.so diverse, it's incredible. Stone will play a large part in the
:13:40. > :13:44.garden. Not in a natural way, like you see here, it will be more
:13:45. > :13:53.contrived, so they will form walls and benches and we will have a
:13:54. > :13:56.mixture of rough-hewn stone and sawn stone so there will be a
:13:57. > :14:01.contemporary edge to the whole thing. It's interesting on the way
:14:02. > :14:09.up here, we were passing all sorts of woodland plants like wild garlic
:14:10. > :14:13.and Angelica and those things you associate with woodland. I don't
:14:14. > :14:16.think I was conscious of that in my teenage years. I certainly wasn't
:14:17. > :14:20.learning the names and I wasn't interested in gardening at that
:14:21. > :14:25.time, but seeing it now you read it in a more informed way. It's just a
:14:26. > :14:33.new experience for me, coming up here and being able to read the
:14:34. > :14:38.landscape more clearly. When I was about 18 we moved back to London as
:14:39. > :14:44.a family. I went to a college to do art and physical education, I was
:14:45. > :14:48.fortunate to work in David Hockney's studio for a week and my antilabour
:14:49. > :14:52.round the corner and I spend my lunch times with her and she had a
:14:53. > :14:57.big garden in Chiswick and I got hooked into gardening. The penny
:14:58. > :15:03.dropped at that moment. When my aunt died she left me a small legacy and
:15:04. > :15:07.I was able to support myself to go to the Hampton Court Flower Show and
:15:08. > :15:10.that is what got me on the first rung of the ladder and I'm eternally
:15:11. > :15:12.grateful. It's curious how things work out. This wasn't planned by any
:15:13. > :15:25.stretch of the imagination. I want to try to make a very
:15:26. > :15:32.contemporary space. That acknowledges the memory of living
:15:33. > :15:37.here. We have all the ingredients, the oak trees, stone and water and
:15:38. > :15:42.woodland planting. The trick will be to try to mix them up and make it a
:15:43. > :15:47.modern and contemporary garden, evoking Exmoor without looking like
:15:48. > :15:54.it. It is a bit of an experiment, I am a bit nervous about it. But it is
:15:55. > :16:06.a challenge. And I always enjoy a challenge at Chelsea. I think this
:16:07. > :16:12.is the best piece of work I have ever seen you do. I have been
:16:13. > :16:17.following and admiring you for a long time. Does it feel like a
:16:18. > :16:21.special piece of work to you? I'm sure it's the Best Show Garden I
:16:22. > :16:30.have done at Chelsea. It is personal. It is based on my memories
:16:31. > :16:34.of living near Exmoor and all those memories are confused in this garden
:16:35. > :16:38.in some way, it carries a level of emotion which I think makes a good
:16:39. > :16:45.garden. There are certain things about it which are quite risky. This
:16:46. > :16:50.space for example is very open. A lot of people would have filled it
:16:51. > :16:56.with something. I did have a drawing of a table chairs but quickly took
:16:57. > :17:01.it out because it looked wrong. And these lovely blocks of stone, this
:17:02. > :17:06.stone looks different, white did you choose it compared to natural? It is
:17:07. > :17:13.the same, this rusty looking stone is coloured blue when you cut it in
:17:14. > :17:19.half. Maybe that is why it works. I was nervous about using it. But held
:17:20. > :17:26.my nerve and it looks great, much better than anticipated. And the
:17:27. > :17:32.fence, I love that. Did you always know that is what you wanted? I knew
:17:33. > :17:38.it but it was just finding that weathered timber, that was the
:17:39. > :17:42.difficulty. The planting is not native, you have all kinds of things
:17:43. > :17:47.going on, even though this is based on place. I did not want to recreate
:17:48. > :17:53.Exmoor, I wanted to make a garden that was based on memories but not
:17:54. > :17:56.every creation. I could not better it, I wanted to do something that
:17:57. > :18:02.was just a personal reflection of celebration of the memory. So it is
:18:03. > :18:08.a garden that is personal but clearly other people cannot know
:18:09. > :18:13.that. It is a very self-indulgent garden, I'm sorry for that! But I
:18:14. > :18:15.think it makes a better garden forehead rather than trying to
:18:16. > :18:23.adhere to some of theme that you have got to stick to. It comes from
:18:24. > :18:28.the heart. Well that comes through and if everyone enjoys it as much as
:18:29. > :18:32.I already have, and I look forward to the rest of the week, I think it
:18:33. > :18:34.will give a lot of people a lot of pleasure. Thank you very much.
:18:35. > :18:41.In the build up to this event the press reported
:18:42. > :18:44.that she is the first black female designer at the Chelsea Flower Show,
:18:45. > :18:47.which has raised questions as to how diverse the world
:18:48. > :18:50.I'm joined now by Juliet Sargeant, designer of the Modern Slavery
:18:51. > :18:53.Garden here at the show, and Sue Biggs, Director
:18:54. > :19:06.I cannot believe the first female black designer, that is shocking and
:19:07. > :19:11.also great news. It had not occurred to me, I was just excited to be
:19:12. > :19:16.doing Chelsea. Hopefully it is not once-in-a-lifetime! But a lifetime
:19:17. > :19:23.dream. And then a journalist mentioned this and everyone is
:19:24. > :19:26.talking. So someone had looked into the history of the designers and you
:19:27. > :19:31.are the first like designer. Now the subject has been blown up quite a
:19:32. > :19:37.lot by the press. And as soon, how do you feel about this as far as the
:19:38. > :19:41.RHS is concerned that you mark just a year at ago we sat and talked
:19:42. > :19:46.about how we would like more woman designers. Now there are more women
:19:47. > :19:50.designers and I think it will just take time, Juliet will be a
:19:51. > :19:56.brilliant role model and I hope that we can get more and more. We tried
:19:57. > :20:01.with campaigns to get youngsters of all backgrounds beginning to garden.
:20:02. > :20:04.They will come through and when they watched the television tonight and
:20:05. > :20:13.they see Juliet, they will be inspired. Do you think that there is
:20:14. > :20:17.a barrier between gardening, it is cross gender and appeals to all
:20:18. > :20:23.ages, it is diverse in nature. That is what is so wonderful. But
:20:24. > :20:31.professionally, to attract diversity into gardening and garden design,
:20:32. > :20:33.you think that there is a problem. I think with garden design in
:20:34. > :20:40.particular, it is expensive to train. Private colleges are quite
:20:41. > :20:44.expensive and even if you do not go to one of those you have got to find
:20:45. > :20:48.the funds to do the training and as a garden designer then it is unusual
:20:49. > :20:53.to be able to earn a decent living straightaway. So just putting this
:20:54. > :20:59.out there is a possibility, perhaps there is some economic barrier.
:21:00. > :21:03.There are no barriers to gardening in itself, just the professional
:21:04. > :21:08.side. You're doing stuff, you did a project recently in Brixton, in
:21:09. > :21:15.inner-city areas. On the programme last night it had that amazing
:21:16. > :21:19.coming together in Angell Town to build the basics of the garden. And
:21:20. > :21:25.this garden in Chelsea were going to relocate that together with them.
:21:26. > :21:29.They will all be kids who will have seen how wonderful it is to get your
:21:30. > :21:32.hands in the soil and snow for the first time in their lives what it is
:21:33. > :21:38.like to garden. I'm sure that some of them, and unfortunately Josh is
:21:39. > :21:42.sick today so we will not see him go but I know he's excited about the
:21:43. > :21:46.possibility of horticulture as a career. If we can achieve that they
:21:47. > :21:51.will come through the line of being garden designers, landscape
:21:52. > :21:55.architects, it is coming. It will take time. Great to have you here
:21:56. > :21:59.are Juliet, and very positive news all round.
:22:00. > :22:01.Now with Her Majesty's visit dominating the conversation
:22:02. > :22:03.at Chelsea today, Carol's been in the Great Pavilion picking out
:22:04. > :22:18.plants at the peak of perfection that really are fit for a queen.
:22:19. > :22:25.Everyone is dressed to the nines trying to stand out from the crowd.
:22:26. > :22:31.And I'm not talking about the people, I'm talking about the
:22:32. > :22:33.plants. I want to find those subjects who truly are worthy of
:22:34. > :22:49.regal attention. On parade today, two ladies in
:22:50. > :23:01.waiting from the truly noble family. The family name trips off the
:23:02. > :23:06.tongue. The first is agapanthus. Renowned for growing these beautiful
:23:07. > :23:12.plants. Flowers beloved by the Queen Mother. One of them even called
:23:13. > :23:18.Queen Mum. We have become familiar with them in our gardens but they
:23:19. > :23:27.still retain this exalted status, a very special plant and no wonder.
:23:28. > :23:35.Waiting in the wings are these debutants wearing their best party
:23:36. > :23:42.frocks. Narine, iridescent petals sparkling. They hold their heads
:23:43. > :23:45.high. This is their first time here. You're just not expecting to see
:23:46. > :23:50.them because essentially there are autumn flowering. But somehow
:23:51. > :24:02.Hoyland plans have managed to conjure them into bloom for their
:24:03. > :24:08.first royal performance. And talk about regiments. Pomp and
:24:09. > :24:18.circumstance. Just take a look at these vegetables. This truly is
:24:19. > :24:24.Trooping the Colour. And is this a pyramid, a pillar or a pinnacle of
:24:25. > :24:35.purple pod peas, it certainly puts the Busby bearskin in the shade.
:24:36. > :24:42.Long before you see the brilliant colours of these dutiful hyacinths,
:24:43. > :24:49.you can detect the fragrance wafting around the Great Pavilion. They are
:24:50. > :24:55.the princesses of purple. For me this is the ultimate Royal Gala
:24:56. > :25:00.performance. The like of which we have never seen before. Composed of
:25:01. > :25:05.the Crown Jewels of the floral world. And it makes me feel like a
:25:06. > :25:24.queen. Well I'm joined by radio royalty, DJ
:25:25. > :25:29.and TV presenter Jo Wiley. Lovely to have you here. I love coming here.
:25:30. > :25:36.You're always here, I see you every year. The number of people who ask
:25:37. > :25:42.me if I actually garden. It is like being in an Alice in Wonderland
:25:43. > :25:50.garden. Just having a bit of fun with the Chelsea visitors. I love
:25:51. > :25:55.gardening. People keep asking if I do any gardening. Yes, that is why I
:25:56. > :26:01.come here. What kind of gardening do you do? We have got a big field and
:26:02. > :26:05.the Borders. I have got four children so we have a lot of play
:26:06. > :26:10.areas, a tree house and also a vegetable garden. Different borders
:26:11. > :26:19.all over the place. Would you call that are designed garden, or is it a
:26:20. > :26:23.bit random. It is very random. Areas that are designed but it is just me
:26:24. > :26:27.feeling my way through. I come here for inspiration, many friends are
:26:28. > :26:31.into gardening so I pick their brains. But I'm happiest with the
:26:32. > :26:39.whole day ahead of me to get into the garden and just getting weeding,
:26:40. > :26:47.kicking and chanting. Do you find it distressing? If I wake up in a black
:26:48. > :26:53.mood is as great therapy to go out in the garden. When you're at war
:26:54. > :26:59.with the weeds, and you feel you're winning, that is great. Oh no, not
:27:00. > :27:07.my favourite job! What ages are your children? Seven, 17, 15 and 20 four.
:27:08. > :27:13.My seven-year-old is really good, every year we plant strawberries and
:27:14. > :27:17.raspberries and we have a lot going on in the vegetable garden. She is
:27:18. > :27:23.really good. You produce a lot for the kitchen. I do not cook I'm happy
:27:24. > :27:30.to grow the staff and my 24-year-old daughter at does the cooking. You
:27:31. > :27:32.have got every angle covered. And we have table tennis and a trampoline
:27:33. > :27:39.so the others just play on the trampoline. Sounds like a versatile
:27:40. > :27:42.space, outdoor living to the max. We are outdoors all the time. So how
:27:43. > :27:50.does Chelsea compared to someone like Glastonbury as an event,
:27:51. > :27:54.because you cover a lot of events. I do, this is the Glastonbury of
:27:55. > :28:00.gardening. All kinds of craziness going on! And that sense of
:28:01. > :28:06.occasion, we will just showing off their wares. Whether it is banned on
:28:07. > :28:10.the stage at Glastonbury, you have people here showing their wares and
:28:11. > :28:16.being very creative. I'm not sure it is as cool as you make it sound. I
:28:17. > :28:21.think gardening is underrated, physically it is the hardest thing
:28:22. > :28:27.you can ever do. At the end of the day your bones are aching. Like
:28:28. > :28:34.being on the stage. But you get to hang out with all the rock stars.
:28:35. > :28:44.Cleve West is pretty rock 'n' roll! And I just saw Lily Allen, she is a
:28:45. > :28:49.big gardener. This is the celeb day on the Monday. What are you looking
:28:50. > :28:54.forward to seeing? I just want ideas, I take photographs with my
:28:55. > :28:59.phone and will take it home and see if I can make it work. Have you done
:29:00. > :29:03.things at home that you have seen at Chelsea, and thought you could make
:29:04. > :29:09.it work? I try to make all the Borders like Chelsea Borders. I'm
:29:10. > :29:16.not sure I will have revolving bay trees in the garden any time soon!
:29:17. > :29:21.That is rock 'n' roll for you. That is why I come. I know you will have
:29:22. > :29:26.a good look around. I will go and investigate. Lovely to see you.
:29:27. > :29:28.We've got plenty more coming up on tonight's Chelsea Flower Show,
:29:29. > :29:30.an event supported by M Investments.
:29:31. > :29:33.We'll be bringing you the Royal visit in full, meanwhile a number
:29:34. > :29:35.of exhibits here at the show have gone to great lengths
:29:36. > :29:38.to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.
:29:39. > :29:41.Toby Buckland has been to visit those with a nod
:29:42. > :29:58.The highlight of any mandir Chelsea of course is the visit by Her
:29:59. > :30:01.Majesty The Queen. To celebrate her recent significant birthday
:30:02. > :30:08.exhibitors at the Great Pavilion have laid on so much more than cake
:30:09. > :30:13.and balloons. The atmosphere is buzzing.
:30:14. > :30:19.Commemorative arrangements, even the exhibitors have scrubbed up. But one
:30:20. > :30:29.man has more in common with Her Majesty than most. Sir David, you
:30:30. > :30:34.have got quite a lot in common with the Queen. You recently had your
:30:35. > :30:39.90th birthday. Absolutely, I am a bit older, only about a month. You
:30:40. > :30:46.have worked with roses pretty much all your life. I started as I left
:30:47. > :30:53.school, about 18. And you work everyday, just like the Queen. That
:30:54. > :30:57.is true. You have named quite a few roses for members of the family.
:30:58. > :31:13.What to think she will make this display. I hope that she will like
:31:14. > :31:16.it. It is fit for a queen! So many exhibits make a nod to Her Majesty
:31:17. > :31:22.with planting schemes and the plants contained within them. This is a
:31:23. > :31:27.vintage allotment. Tell me about this scheme.
:31:28. > :31:37.We tried to create an allotment from 1926, the Queen'sbirth year. It was
:31:38. > :31:42.grown for food, they needed potatoes and spinach and things like that to
:31:43. > :31:47.get them some food. It is quite serendipitous in what they ate? They
:31:48. > :31:50.have lovely turnips and of course we just eat the fruit but in those days
:31:51. > :32:01.they used the tops and cooked them like cabbage. Waste not want not?
:32:02. > :32:09.Absolutely. They used to eat the stems, braised, roasted, something
:32:10. > :32:12.like that. Royal references aren't just in the plant names and borders
:32:13. > :32:25.but even on the walls. I love this display. Carpet bedding at its best.
:32:26. > :32:29.This is how sleek, they stopped up roots in Turkistan, so they say. And
:32:30. > :32:36.this plant is a native succulents. You see it growing on the moors and
:32:37. > :32:44.craggy hilltops. Both are extremely drought tolerant. Perfect for
:32:45. > :32:48.something like this. That's it, the great Pavilion is set for the royal
:32:49. > :32:56.arrival. By the looks of it, in a celebratory mood. Covent Garden in
:32:57. > :33:01.central London dates back to medieval times.
:33:02. > :33:04.And was home to the famous produce market supplying flowers,
:33:05. > :33:07.fruit and veg to the UK. The original site of the flower
:33:08. > :33:09.market in Covent Garden was a fashionable piazza
:33:10. > :33:13.where Londoners would come to buy their fruit and vegetables.
:33:14. > :33:16.This square that was also home to a variety of entertainment
:33:17. > :33:21.But as time passed London got busier and busier and the demands
:33:22. > :33:35.on the crowded streets surrounding the market grew.
:33:36. > :33:39.Home to over 200 businesses and supplying three quarters
:33:40. > :33:41.of London's florists, the new site is a busy
:33:42. > :33:43.and thriving enterprise, selling a huge array of produce
:33:44. > :33:45.from daffodils to pansies, chrysanthemums to orchids.
:33:46. > :33:47.For decades this market has been supplying cut flowers,
:33:48. > :33:52.foliage and plants to Chelsea, and this year they're putting
:33:53. > :33:57.on their own exhibit for the first time.
:33:58. > :33:59.While the capital was still snoozing, Adam Frost stepped
:34:00. > :34:07.out to discover more about this very busy market.
:34:08. > :34:13.Whilst London sleeps the whole world of horticulture stirs down by the
:34:14. > :34:34.Thames. Wow. Unbelievable. I feel a bit like
:34:35. > :34:42.Charlie Walker into Charlie and the chocolate factory. -- walking into.
:34:43. > :34:46.I can't believe it's four o'clock in the morning and all this is going
:34:47. > :34:52.on. This is the new Covent Garden flower market and it is like Mecca
:34:53. > :34:56.for London florists, 75% of London florists come here. You can see why,
:34:57. > :35:00.it's not only massive but has everything you can imagine. Gypsy
:35:01. > :35:06.Ophelia from Ecuador, hydrangeas from Colombia. Sweet peas from
:35:07. > :35:18.England. They literally come from all over the world. You must live in
:35:19. > :35:24.a slightly different universe to the rest of the us. Monday morning is
:35:25. > :35:29.half past 12 in the morning, Tuesday Wednesday, and on Saturday it's
:35:30. > :35:32.three o'clock. We have a lie in! Where do all of these bits and
:35:33. > :35:41.pieces come from? These come from South America. They are grasses from
:35:42. > :35:47.Canada. They are from Peru. When would this be cut? Last Tuesday. And
:35:48. > :35:53.it would have been sent over the weekend for today. About a week
:35:54. > :35:59.really. Just under a week. Why do you do this job? The main reason is
:36:00. > :36:03.that I love pretty things, flowers are pretty and we also get a lot of
:36:04. > :36:09.pretty women in here! Best things about the job. If you're single it's
:36:10. > :36:16.the best place to come. But I'm not here just to look at the flowers, I
:36:17. > :36:21.have come to meet Ming Veevers Carter. She creates floral designs
:36:22. > :36:25.for weddings, parties, events, the whole shebang. Not only in the UK
:36:26. > :36:31.but across the world. Do you come here a lot? Four times a week if I
:36:32. > :36:37.can. Every day is different. The colours and the smell and the people
:36:38. > :36:42.and history. It's an amazing place. Here you are doing something at the
:36:43. > :36:48.Chelsea Flower Show. We have been asked by new Covent Garden market to
:36:49. > :36:52.do a display for them. The key behind every great florist is the
:36:53. > :36:56.market and these guys support every single florist and it is the first
:36:57. > :37:00.time they have ever displayed and the first time we have ever done
:37:01. > :37:07.anything. This is the plan? This is the plan. This side shows the flower
:37:08. > :37:13.market in itself, the buckets as you can see on the stands. Of course.
:37:14. > :37:17.There is a whole wall of buckets and it shows the strength and support
:37:18. > :37:24.that the market gives the florists. The buckets in here come into a core
:37:25. > :37:30.and then burst out in colour on the other side. This is green and white
:37:31. > :37:35.and simple and on the other side,... It's the Queen's head! Because the
:37:36. > :37:39.Queen opened the flower market in 1975 and it's her 90th birthday so
:37:40. > :37:45.it will be in really strong colours, we are going for fashionable colours
:37:46. > :37:48.right now, yellows and oranges. And purples and blues. That looks as
:37:49. > :37:53.though it layers back all the way through to the other side. Yes, so
:37:54. > :37:56.from this site you can't actually see any of the buckets but when you
:37:57. > :38:01.come from the other side you can't see the green either, so you have to
:38:02. > :38:03.go all around. To get the full experience. I am going to see it, I
:38:04. > :38:32.can't wait. Naman Ojha. It really does look
:38:33. > :38:38.fantastic. You showed me the pictures, but this is blowing me
:38:39. > :38:43.away. It's not just how it looks but it smells fantastic. It smells
:38:44. > :38:48.amazing. It is beautiful. How did you find it? It was fantastic. As we
:38:49. > :38:53.said before, the whole of the Chelsea Flower Show is like one big
:38:54. > :38:59.family. Everyone has been helpful, the team we have is amazing. It's
:39:00. > :39:03.been a real pleasure. No sleep but a real pleasure. How many days have
:39:04. > :39:10.you done? We have been here since Monday. I don't even know what day
:39:11. > :39:13.it is today! Seven days! You get a bit punch-drunk, don't you? Give me
:39:14. > :39:29.an idea of the flowers you have used. Purple gladioli, red roses,
:39:30. > :39:38.peonies, carnations are making a comeback. And sweet peas obviously
:39:39. > :39:45.for the smell. Orchids, to show the international market. And tonnes of
:39:46. > :39:50.freesia. It's just like my Thai! That is where I got the inspiration.
:39:51. > :39:55.Bless you. Any difficult things in the build? Building the structure,
:39:56. > :40:00.that was the most complicated thing because we had to really plan out a
:40:01. > :40:04.lot before we put the flowers in. It's all about the mechanics behind
:40:05. > :40:08.the scenes. Making sure the flowers last and making sure that we could
:40:09. > :40:14.see the colours from a distance. So you get those layers. Any of the
:40:15. > :40:18.plants being replaced in the week? We will replace about a third, not
:40:19. > :40:21.every day but we will come in every morning and evening and check
:40:22. > :40:27.everything and water it and spray it and gave it a lot of love and care
:40:28. > :40:33.and have a chat. Then we will put it to bed. It is fantastic, the colours
:40:34. > :40:38.and sent, I'm sure you will enjoy the week. I bet the Queen really
:40:39. > :40:43.loved it. I hope so. We did it in her honour and we want to wish her a
:40:44. > :40:45.happy birthday. That's lovely. It wasn't just royalty here at the show
:40:46. > :40:47.today. Monday is press day and the show
:40:48. > :40:51.ground was deluged with special guests all celebrating
:40:52. > :40:57.the world of gardening. about gardening is radio DJ and TV
:40:58. > :41:04.presenter Jo Whiley. Earlier today she took a tour
:41:05. > :41:17.of the ground to find out One of the reasons I love coming to
:41:18. > :41:20.Chelsea is because I'm a keen gardener, people might not expect
:41:21. > :41:25.that but I'm like Mike pie and so are many people who come here, you
:41:26. > :41:29.see things you like and I'm the person always taking photos and I
:41:30. > :41:33.hot foot it back home and tried to buy the plans straightaway and it's
:41:34. > :41:36.a wonderful process, and you spend the rest of the year seeing if those
:41:37. > :41:46.plants actually look as good as they do at Chelsea. The chances are they
:41:47. > :41:52.don't. What I love about this garden is the colouring. I love the copper,
:41:53. > :41:55.the tones of the planting. The deep violet and black tones, that
:41:56. > :41:59.contrast beautifully with soft greens and also there is a distance
:42:00. > :42:01.to the garden, the way you can go on a journey. I can see it happening
:42:02. > :42:16.for a very long time. You would not expect a garden to be
:42:17. > :42:20.inside this massive slab of rock, that is the kind of thing I would
:42:21. > :42:24.happily have in my garden, right down at the end for the kids to
:42:25. > :42:27.climb on, they would have a trampoline at the bottom so they
:42:28. > :42:32.could bounce off without hurting themselves and then inside there
:42:33. > :42:35.would be this amazing garden. This is what I always say about
:42:36. > :42:45.gardening, it is rock 'n' roll and good for the soul, it is all of
:42:46. > :42:48.those things. This garden is great because it's an escape from
:42:49. > :42:53.everything else that's going on out there and that is what gardening is
:42:54. > :42:56.for me. It is kind of therapy. If I'm really stressed I will retreat
:42:57. > :42:59.to my garden and I will start weeding and digging and at the end I
:43:00. > :43:05.will feel better. This garden is very much like that, beautiful
:43:06. > :43:09.running water and it smells gorgeous and it has herbs all over the place
:43:10. > :43:14.and it is therapeutic and that is what gardening is funny, it's my
:43:15. > :43:18.therapy, I guess. One thing gardening teaches you is patience,
:43:19. > :43:23.and it's the whole relationship you have with the garden, Prince Charles
:43:24. > :43:26.spoke about talking to his plans and everyone ridiculed him but now I
:43:27. > :43:32.have been gardening so long that I understand. When the plants are
:43:33. > :43:37.looking me in the eye I end up talking to them, what are you doing
:43:38. > :43:42.here?! It makes me sound mad but maybe other gardeners can relate to
:43:43. > :43:45.what I'm talking about here. It may come as is a prize but I can't
:43:46. > :43:50.listen to music when I'm gardening and I don't want to listen to music,
:43:51. > :43:53.I want to hear the water feature, the birdsong around me. And the
:43:54. > :43:58.humming of the bees as I'm working away. That for me is the alternate
:43:59. > :44:06.soundtrack, just the sound of my garden. -- the ultimate soundtrack.
:44:07. > :44:09.2016 sees the return of some of the younger designers to main
:44:10. > :44:12.avenue and in Friday's programme we'll be looking at their influence
:44:13. > :44:17.One of those young designers is back and going for gold.
:44:18. > :44:42.We caught up with him on a plant pilgrimage to the Middle East.
:44:43. > :44:54.I have been visiting Jordan now for a few years and it is a magical
:44:55. > :45:03.place. Beyond the city the countryside is
:45:04. > :45:07.truly breathtaking stop there is a Mediterranean pine forest in the
:45:08. > :45:12.north-west of Jordan. The limestone/ contained some of the last examples
:45:13. > :45:17.of pine and oak habitat in the Middle East. Due to the underlying
:45:18. > :45:26.limestone any water that falls swiftly drains away. Seeing these
:45:27. > :45:31.incredible fans growing in such a harsh landscape inspired my garden
:45:32. > :45:35.at Chelsea this year. I was fascinated to see how little
:45:36. > :45:41.rainfall this beautiful flora required and I wanted my garden to
:45:42. > :45:46.convey the message that water, so vital for the environment. Look at
:45:47. > :45:51.these red and enemies behind me, I hope mine in the UK can be just
:45:52. > :45:56.right for the show. Out in Jordan there followed by buttercups and
:45:57. > :46:02.poppies and I will grow them in the UK and hopefully one of them will be
:46:03. > :46:06.just right for the show. I walk further into the landscape
:46:07. > :46:11.and another hidden gem is revealed growing in the wild.
:46:12. > :46:16.I just found this lovely looping, the smell is incredible, these are
:46:17. > :46:22.going crazy. I have got to have them for Chelsea but do not know if that
:46:23. > :46:30.is possible. Back to the UK and the nursery and ask them very nicely.
:46:31. > :46:39.This hostile landscape is home to the Bedouin people.
:46:40. > :46:43.I'm intrigued by the traditional cloth that their craft and managed
:46:44. > :46:51.to persuade them to supply me with some of this unique fabric.
:46:52. > :46:56.This is a small village and I'm going to see the fabric being woven
:46:57. > :47:01.for this Chelsea garden. This is my first chance to see the wool
:47:02. > :47:13.close-up in its raw state. Before it is spun and woven. Is that three
:47:14. > :47:20.pieces woven together or one piece? It is ready for weaving. It goes
:47:21. > :47:33.through different phases. They select the right sheep, they wash it
:47:34. > :47:40.and then make it ready for spinning. So this is made from goats and they
:47:41. > :47:45.spin the hair to make the wool and weave it to make these panels. It is
:47:46. > :47:51.a really coarse fabric but really immaculately done. These are around
:47:52. > :47:57.because they're older but they start off black. They just replace
:47:58. > :48:02.sections every year was up some of these are new and some are 20 years
:48:03. > :48:08.old. How long would it take to weave this fabric? I have the fabric I
:48:09. > :48:17.need will not take too long to make. It takes one year to make one metre
:48:18. > :48:24.by 15 metres and we asked for 30 metres by three metres. So quite a
:48:25. > :48:30.few years of work! By my reckoning it would take two and half years to
:48:31. > :48:35.create the fabric I need but luckily, there are numerous ladies
:48:36. > :48:40.in the village all weaving for Chelsea, so we should be OK. With
:48:41. > :48:45.the deal done, we only have the small task of shipping the fabric to
:48:46. > :48:54.Devon and hand waxing it to improve durability for the UK climate.
:48:55. > :48:57.It is the first time I have been in your garden and it is stunning,
:48:58. > :49:02.really very beautiful. You have got though poppies in flower not be in
:49:03. > :49:09.enemies. Not the enemies. We had such a warm December, there were
:49:10. > :49:12.flown in and that was it. You had something to take over and the
:49:13. > :49:18.poppies look great and also you have the Lupin. That is magical, they
:49:19. > :49:21.were planted ages ago. We managed to do it and that is great. The
:49:22. > :49:31.geometry of the garden is quite baffling. What shape are these stone
:49:32. > :49:37.structures? This is associated with water and it is the only equilateral
:49:38. > :49:41.triangle in the whole garden. There is another one hidden inside the
:49:42. > :49:48.water, that is quite a sacred shape associated with water. And that
:49:49. > :49:56.ripple is beautiful, and the reflective quality. Your fabric came
:49:57. > :50:03.good! You talked about it taking years to make. The amount of square
:50:04. > :50:09.metres you wanted. It was a lot. The Bedouin ladieswear weaving it, then
:50:10. > :50:14.we brought it to the UK and had a great team and waxing it. Because we
:50:15. > :50:18.wanted it to be more durable if it rains and also the garden being
:50:19. > :50:25.relocated, we wanted to think about that. And the geometric forms on the
:50:26. > :50:30.boundary, tell us about that. I always wanted a three-dimensional
:50:31. > :50:33.garden. And the same forms and geometry found deep within water
:50:34. > :50:40.particles that I put into the fabric. They have all got a link
:50:41. > :50:46.back to water. And you grow a lot of the plants from seed. Around 80% are
:50:47. > :50:51.native to Jordan. So it has been really challenging, quite a couple
:50:52. > :50:55.of years with this experimental process. I have been working with
:50:56. > :51:01.the nursery manager in Jordan to test what might flower and bringing
:51:02. > :51:06.that knowledge back to the UK and working with the nursery team here.
:51:07. > :51:10.Are you happy? Really pleased, it has been a big challenge for the
:51:11. > :51:15.whole team and I am delighted with how it turned out. I think for any
:51:16. > :51:17.designer be important thing is to be happy with the garden. Thank you
:51:18. > :51:19.very much. Today has been a big day for VIP
:51:20. > :51:22.visitors and none more She arrived here just a few hours
:51:23. > :51:29.ago to take it all in. Sophie Raworth was there
:51:30. > :51:46.to witness her experience Her Majesty The Queen arriving here
:51:47. > :51:51.at the Chelsea Flower Show. This is her 51st visit. She has been coming
:51:52. > :51:57.since before she was Queen, first captured on film in 1947. And she's
:51:58. > :51:59.about to pass through the arch on the Chelsea embankment, the first
:52:00. > :52:02.time in the history of the flower show it has been bedecked with
:52:03. > :52:11.flowers. It has been done in honour of her 90th birthday.
:52:12. > :52:16.The Queen is about to be presented with a bouquet made by a
:52:17. > :52:22.six-year-old girl, herself a keen gardener who grows roses and flowers
:52:23. > :52:28.in her grandmother 's garden. The Queen is now talking to David
:52:29. > :52:35.Austen, the famous Rose grower. He's also years old. And like the Queen
:52:36. > :52:42.he is still working. What did she say about your beautiful roses? She
:52:43. > :52:52.seemed to like them. How did it feel for you to have her here? It is a
:52:53. > :52:58.great honour. Jo Thompson showing that you can
:52:59. > :53:02.Duchess of Cambridge around her garden along with Prince Harry.
:53:03. > :53:08.Prince Harry is of course something of a veteran of Chelsea, he was here
:53:09. > :53:13.last year with his own show garden for his charity. The Duke and
:53:14. > :53:16.Duchess have visited the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time,
:53:17. > :53:21.plenty for them to see including a flower named after their daughter
:53:22. > :53:25.incest Charlotte. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their first
:53:26. > :53:30.time at Chelsea and they are in your garden admiring your lawn! It is
:53:31. > :53:37.priceless, a wonderful moment I will remember for ever.
:53:38. > :53:43.I'm sure this will be a memorable part of the Queen 's visit to the
:53:44. > :53:46.Chelsea Flower Show today, she's about to see this field of poppies,
:53:47. > :53:50.more than 300,000 poppies that have been knitted by people all over the
:53:51. > :53:57.world to honour those who died in conflicts over the past century.
:53:58. > :54:03.Look at you both! I have got tears in my eyes. It has been amazing. She
:54:04. > :54:08.was a bit surprised about what it was and how it came about and 50,000
:54:09. > :54:10.people involved in putting it together. It is an amazing feeling,
:54:11. > :54:15.she appreciated our work. It's been a very regal day
:54:16. > :54:31.here and the gardens and exhibits This display has been made for us,
:54:32. > :54:36.roses, lily of the valley. It is quite incredible. All the roses
:54:37. > :54:45.making this caution. You could have six of these on your sofa at home!
:54:46. > :54:53.Nigel sleeps on something like this! It is in the spirit of the day.
:54:54. > :54:55.Judging has now taken place and tomorrow Chelsea
:54:56. > :55:04.There will be tears of joy and I suspect some tears of sorrow as
:55:05. > :55:05.well. Across the week we'll be reporting
:55:06. > :55:08.on what medals the gardens and exhibits here were awarded
:55:09. > :55:10.and tomorrow we can bring you the results
:55:11. > :55:13.of the Best Show Garden. That award will be given to one
:55:14. > :55:22.of the gold medal winners here. Today, we've been asking the team
:55:23. > :55:37.to lay their bets on who will The one they think the judges will
:55:38. > :55:44.pick. Explain how they make that decision. There is a points system,
:55:45. > :55:49.as simple as that. You have got I think quite a few gold medals out
:55:50. > :55:56.there and one of those on the points system, will win Best Show Garden.
:55:57. > :56:01.We have got to make some predictions and my problem is I think there are
:56:02. > :56:07.two outstanding gardens. Cleve West and Andy Sturgeon. I think head and
:56:08. > :56:12.shoulders they are above the other gardens and a standout. I think the
:56:13. > :56:15.judging process, whether it comes out in the wash that one is slightly
:56:16. > :56:18.better than the other, I do not know how they will do that. Surely
:56:19. > :56:24.somewhere down the line someone has got to make an order butchery
:56:25. > :56:37.decision, I just like it more. -- an arbitrary decision. I think it could
:56:38. > :56:42.be done on points at the same time, it could go down to a tie. I think
:56:43. > :56:48.it will be Cleve West. I'm prepared to say I think Cleve West will win
:56:49. > :56:58.Best Show Garden. I'm going to write it down. You may be correct. I'm not
:56:59. > :56:59.telling you. I'm not a coward! We might both be right, we could both
:57:00. > :57:01.be wrong. Tomorrow we have all the medal
:57:02. > :57:04.results and Kate Adie reveals her secret
:57:05. > :57:06.passion for plants. Our coverage starts again tomorrow
:57:07. > :57:09.at 3.45 on BBC1 when Nicki Chapman and James Wong will have
:57:10. > :57:20.all the medal results. The biggest and bloodiest
:57:21. > :58:03.naval battle...