:00:32. > :00:35.Hello and welcome to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show!
:00:36. > :00:38.It's Thursday, the first day the show is open
:00:39. > :00:40.to the general public, and it's fair to say the showground
:00:41. > :00:47.is packed with garden enthusiasts as far as the eye can see.
:00:48. > :00:49.They've come here to enjoy the ground-breaking design
:00:50. > :01:01.on display, not to mention the very latest floral fads and fashions.
:01:02. > :01:08.As well as being packed its jolly hot. It's boiling today, it is
:01:09. > :01:12.caught sheer one. You're wearing your hat. I haven't got any hair
:01:13. > :01:16.like you, Monty, health and safety, this is, as well as being rather
:01:17. > :01:20.dapper. It's hot but so much better than the cold, wet Chelsea 's we've
:01:21. > :01:24.had. The plants are slightly suffering. A lot of them are having
:01:25. > :01:27.to water throughout the day as well as in the morning. I would much
:01:28. > :01:30.rather summoned rain. It may be day four,
:01:31. > :01:33.but we still have so much more to come from this year's event,
:01:34. > :01:36.supported by M+G Investments. Tonight's show is all
:01:37. > :01:38.about the small gardens, as we bring you in-depth analysis
:01:39. > :01:40.of the ever-popular Artisan and Fresh gardens,
:01:41. > :01:46.revealing who's won what. We treat you to an exclusive tour
:01:47. > :01:50.of Mary Berry's much-loved garden at home before catching up
:01:51. > :01:54.with her on the showground. Multi award-winning designer
:01:55. > :01:57.Adam Frost shows us how shape, sculpture and structure can
:01:58. > :01:59.bring our own gardens to life. I'll be catching up with journalist
:02:00. > :02:04.Kirsty Wark as I uncover her unbridled passion
:02:05. > :02:06.for all things floral. Plus, don't forget there's not long
:02:07. > :02:09.left to vote for your favourite large show garden for the BBC RHS
:02:10. > :02:11.People's Choice Award. More to come on that
:02:12. > :02:14.later in the show. But first, we want to let
:02:15. > :02:18.you in on something rather special. Over the week we've noticed
:02:19. > :02:22.how the Artisan gardens on Ranelagh Avenue are touched
:02:23. > :02:26.with a certain ethereal glow around dusk once the gates are closed
:02:27. > :02:29.and the crowds have disappeared. I went along to give you a glimpse
:02:30. > :02:32.of the magical spectacle The Fresh Gardens tend to shine
:02:33. > :02:42.in the middle of the day, perfectly suited to the busy
:02:43. > :02:54.atmosphere of the show in full flow. But as the light is falling at dusk,
:02:55. > :03:01.I'm here able to roam around free. I've come here to Ranelagh Avenue
:03:02. > :03:05.because this is where the Artisan gardens are. They are small, but
:03:06. > :03:15.packed with ideas and inspiration and often just plain beauty. There
:03:16. > :03:20.are essentially two types of gardens that you find here. One tends to be
:03:21. > :03:25.very naturalistic and uses found objects and found landscapes. The
:03:26. > :03:30.other is much more creative in the sense that it's made from new, it
:03:31. > :03:39.looks like nothing you find the countryside. This is one of the
:03:40. > :03:40.latter, it immediately summons up the sun and vitality and colour. Of
:03:41. > :04:00.Spain. Walker's Wharf belongs to the first
:04:01. > :04:05.category. It uses materials of an old wharf on the River Trent. You
:04:06. > :04:08.can see it has quite literally got those materials but when you get
:04:09. > :04:14.closer you realise it's actually an amalgam of them. The planting
:04:15. > :04:19.doesn't fall into the trap of trying to do too much. The palate is very
:04:20. > :04:28.simple and muted. And it's dominated by these pruned pines that exactly
:04:29. > :04:29.get the texture, colour and feel of the industrial landscape in which
:04:30. > :04:47.they are set. Despite being the designer Fiona
:04:48. > :04:55.Cadwallader's first ever show garden, the poetry lovers' garden is
:04:56. > :04:58.incredibly confident and strong. It does nothing particularly original,
:04:59. > :05:04.the planting, the stonework, the way it set out, remind me of lots of
:05:05. > :05:09.show gardens I've seen. But what it does it does so well, and the idea
:05:10. > :05:15.is it's a place to and find inspiration, retreat. I've had to
:05:16. > :05:21.read a poem or, perhaps, even right one. -- either to read a poem. As
:05:22. > :05:29.the light falls around me, though the city still bustles beyond the
:05:30. > :05:30.park, Chelsea slips into night, and I'm just going to have a few moments
:05:31. > :05:39.to enjoy it to myself. That's about right, Monty
:05:40. > :05:46.sleeping on the job again! It's his age, it's been a long week!
:05:47. > :05:47.Those gardens are especially tranquil down there. So we'll let
:05:48. > :05:49.him off. In fact, it's hard to believe any
:05:50. > :05:52.of the small gardens are nestled in the busy heart of this city,
:05:53. > :05:56.but I can assure you they haven't Earlier this week Nicki Chapman
:05:57. > :05:59.witnessed the moment when the Small Garden medals
:06:00. > :06:01.were handed out, and it was Oh my God! Thank you so much! I
:06:02. > :06:27.don't believe this, this is amazing! Thank you very much. You are
:06:28. > :06:30.shaking. I am shaking, I need a copy. Congratulations. Thank you
:06:31. > :06:41.very much, I'm really happy with that. Congratulations. APPLAUSE
:06:42. > :07:02.Triple double! Fantastic. Congratulations.
:07:03. > :07:12.The small gardens may be compact compared to their big
:07:13. > :07:14.brothers on Main Avenue, but they are by no
:07:15. > :07:16.means less spectacular. Split into two categories,
:07:17. > :07:20.The Artisan gardens, true to their name, take arts
:07:21. > :07:23.and crafts as their inspiration, while the Fresh gardens tend to put
:07:24. > :07:27.an abstract perspective on what a garden is or can be.
:07:28. > :07:29.This year there are 14 small gardens in total,
:07:30. > :07:41.They are good, aren't they? They are all good. I think they've had more
:07:42. > :07:44.attention because there were fewer big gardens so there is more time
:07:45. > :07:48.and more scope to have a really good look at them. And it's very
:07:49. > :07:55.rewarding when you do. The Artisan especially this year is so strong.
:07:56. > :07:58.They are tricky because it's about craftsmanship and detailing. Because
:07:59. > :08:02.they are in a small space you've got to keep the interest within the
:08:03. > :08:06.garden, keep the eye moving. But they are so much smaller. In fact
:08:07. > :08:09.the Artisans are built aboveground, you can't dig into the ground. It's
:08:10. > :08:14.almost like an installation piece and they've only got 11 days on site
:08:15. > :08:18.to build them. The standard is amazingly high and I'm delighted
:08:19. > :08:21.with the feel-good gardens. They were a fairly late edition but
:08:22. > :08:26.everybody loves them, rightly so. They're fund, accessible and very
:08:27. > :08:30.well done. Some great designers there. The fresh gardens I like this
:08:31. > :08:33.year. I think they're more accessible than some years,
:08:34. > :08:38.sometimes they get so conceptual and people think, what on earth is going
:08:39. > :08:42.on? And they need an explanation. This year there are some people
:08:43. > :08:48.could actually be create and take ideas from in their own gardens.
:08:49. > :08:52.They're all good. Juliet Sargeant took a closer look at one of the
:08:53. > :08:56.fresh gardens, which was awarded a silvergilt medal. She knows from her
:08:57. > :09:11.own personal experience the effort needed to win any medal at Chelsea.
:09:12. > :09:18.This is the breast cancer now garden. Through the microscope. It
:09:19. > :09:23.is a garden with a really strong team. And as we walk through the
:09:24. > :09:26.garden we can read the details the designer, Ruth Wilmot, has
:09:27. > :09:34.incorporated in order to tell us this really important story.
:09:35. > :09:41.This garden is all about the transformation from disease to
:09:42. > :09:45.health. In the front of the garden, these rugged rocks represent
:09:46. > :09:49.cancerous cells. Then further down the garden as you take a journey,
:09:50. > :09:55.you come to smooth stones, which represents the healthy cells. In the
:09:56. > :09:58.centre of the garden is a black rectangular pool, which represents
:09:59. > :10:07.the microscope slide scientists use to study the cells. These circles
:10:08. > :10:17.represent the microscopes scientists use everyday to research into the
:10:18. > :10:21.cures and treatments for cancer. The idea of magnification follows
:10:22. > :10:25.through into the planting itself. Here we have really fine cut leaves
:10:26. > :10:29.and small flower heads but as you look down the garden to the
:10:30. > :10:33.magnified end, the flowers are chunky and leaves are big. A good
:10:34. > :10:44.example would be this little ranunculus here, mirrored by the
:10:45. > :10:49.large, bold peonies at that end. The question on everybody's lips is, why
:10:50. > :10:56.didn't it get gold? Of course, I don't know for certain, but I have a
:10:57. > :11:02.theory. Ruth Wilmot loves to design conceptual gardens, most gardens are
:11:03. > :11:06.either purely conceptual or very garden like. We can set herself a
:11:07. > :11:12.challenge in designing something that falls between stools. In doing
:11:13. > :11:18.so, she has just missed out on that elusive top prize. To me, this
:11:19. > :11:24.garden is thoughtful, beautiful and atmospheric. I think the fact it is
:11:25. > :11:29.incredibly popular with the visitors speaks for itself.
:11:30. > :11:32.The road to designing and building a Chelsea garden is long
:11:33. > :11:34.and at times incredibly stressful, fraught with complications
:11:35. > :11:40.However, there's one first-time Chelsea designer who's been
:11:41. > :11:53.For five years Ian Price suffered crippling depression.
:11:54. > :11:55.Today he's got a show garden at Chelsea.
:11:56. > :11:58.To find out more we went to join him on his home turf
:11:59. > :12:20.This is Belfast on my home city. This is the heart and centre of our
:12:21. > :12:26.country. I was born in the 70s man now 39 plus one. Yeah, just
:12:27. > :12:32.recently. People used to say, you're from Belfast. All of those problems.
:12:33. > :12:38.I didn't really see that. It was my home.
:12:39. > :12:45.Any garden that you design is going to be influenced from where you came
:12:46. > :12:53.from and the experiences you've had in life. In this instance it's the
:12:54. > :13:00.glorious Greens. This is the Glens of Antrim. We've got the heathland
:13:01. > :13:04.areas, scrub, vegetation, sheep grazed areas. Then it sweeps down
:13:05. > :13:11.into the more lush are stronger Greens. That's what I'm trying to
:13:12. > :13:15.use in this garden, green as a colour, using it instead of a
:13:16. > :13:20.backdrop instead of the main focus and colour of the garden. This
:13:21. > :13:26.garden isn't just influenced by the landscape that I live in, it's
:13:27. > :13:39.mostly inspired by something that has plagued me all my life. North
:13:40. > :13:47.Antrim coast is one of those special places. I need to come here to help
:13:48. > :13:57.empty my head. Allow me to think about nothing. I have had depression
:13:58. > :14:00.for the majority of my 20s upwards. Depression is one of those things
:14:01. > :14:04.you just kind of wake up in the morning and go... I don't feel
:14:05. > :14:10.great, I must be mentally ill. It sneaks up on you. It's like it swims
:14:11. > :14:12.up behind you and you are in the surf and it comes and drags you by
:14:13. > :14:27.the legs and pulls you under. At my lowest point, I just took the
:14:28. > :14:33.pills, drove up into the forest, founder waterfall and sat there. And
:14:34. > :14:54.just waited for them to take effect. At the lowest point I needed to make
:14:55. > :15:00.sense of things. I was able to use garden design to tell my story about
:15:01. > :15:10.depression. And turn my negative experience into a positive one. Some
:15:11. > :15:15.of the best things are made in sheds, and this garden has been made
:15:16. > :15:19.in a shared. It is always fascinating to see your design
:15:20. > :15:30.jumping off the page and turning into 3-D reality.
:15:31. > :15:37.This is Mind Trap, the manifestation of what I felt like at my worst, and
:15:38. > :15:44.what I can feel like at my best, all rolled into one. The great shape is
:15:45. > :15:48.where I imagine myself when I designed this, in the middle of
:15:49. > :15:56.this, surrounded by these large, heavy walls. But with glimpses
:15:57. > :16:00.through to hope beyond. There are very few flowers in the space. It is
:16:01. > :16:09.mostly based on textures, mostly on green, with the delicate hint
:16:10. > :16:16.towards flowers. They are not important, it is the feeling that
:16:17. > :16:25.the plants give. People have asked me, can you do this? Can you handle
:16:26. > :16:29.the pressure that Chelsea brings? Maybe I was just foolish enough not
:16:30. > :16:34.to consider that at the time! I know I can, because I have so many good
:16:35. > :16:41.people around me that want to make it happen. Whilst a medal will be
:16:42. > :16:46.unreal, a lifetime ambition, the main thing is if one person comes up
:16:47. > :16:49.to me and says, thank you for sharing your story. That is what it
:16:50. > :17:04.is about for me. You said just one person would make
:17:05. > :17:08.you happy, but all of the judges have thank you, by giving you a
:17:09. > :17:14.gold-medal. It is surreal, unbelievable, I am still in a blur.
:17:15. > :17:18.It will hit me just after everything has happened, but it is the reaction
:17:19. > :17:24.of the public as well, unbelievable. I will confess, as somebody who
:17:25. > :17:29.shares your problems with depression, I look at gardens with
:17:30. > :17:33.great trepidation, because there is a problem of simplifying it. You
:17:34. > :17:42.have not done that. I am impressed by that. Tell me again how that has
:17:43. > :17:48.come through. It is not easy. It is not easy, but I found it a cathartic
:17:49. > :17:54.struggle. 15 years of research to create this garden for Chelsea 2017,
:17:55. > :17:58.and two days of sketching. Six months of pain and anguish and
:17:59. > :18:05.trepidation. It is so worth it. The point about the green, limits of
:18:06. > :18:10.hope. It strikes a chord with lots of people, rather than a riot of
:18:11. > :18:17.colour. People forget that green is a colour. That is with the woodland
:18:18. > :18:25.planting, in contrast to the grey blanket. A lot of people, you have
:18:26. > :18:31.talked to the Duchess of Cambridge about it, that must have been
:18:32. > :18:35.interesting. What you will be doing is saying to people who are also
:18:36. > :18:42.suffering and feeling lonely and ashamed and lost that you can make
:18:43. > :18:50.something from it. I had to do this to justify what I went through. I
:18:51. > :18:53.needed to make my negative into a positive, and I now know why I went
:18:54. > :18:57.through it, because the reaction from the public, I have had people
:18:58. > :19:02.in tears, I have shared the tears with them, that is more than I could
:19:03. > :19:06.ever have hoped for. The plants, some of them are dark, you have put
:19:07. > :19:14.them in a difficult setting, but that can be integrated into a normal
:19:15. > :19:19.garden. Whatever normal is! That is why I have used plants in context,
:19:20. > :19:25.it is not what you see, it is how you see things are. You have enabled
:19:26. > :19:26.a lot of people to see both gardens differently, themselves differently,
:19:27. > :19:35.and to know they are not alone. Of the two gold-winning gardens
:19:36. > :19:37.in the Fresh Garden category the RHS had to choose one standout design
:19:38. > :19:41.as their Best Fresh Garden, and we were there to capture
:19:42. > :19:55.the moment when the winner I have got something wonderful to
:19:56. > :20:15.present you with. For the best Fresh Garden, congratulations. Thank you.
:20:16. > :20:19.It is amazing. Sweet, lovely. Huge congratulations, when I first
:20:20. > :20:25.saw it, I knew you would do well. It has been a mega build. It is huge,
:20:26. > :20:32.even by my standards, it is borderline insanity. You have pretty
:20:33. > :20:36.much build a house. Yes, three stories and 15 or 16 guys for 14
:20:37. > :20:44.hours a day, it is down to them, really. The design is fantastic, the
:20:45. > :20:50.combination of hard landscaping and plants, it is the future of
:20:51. > :20:55.gardening, small spaces, but you can still cram plants in and make them
:20:56. > :21:01.relevant and get closer to them, where ever you are. We have a huge
:21:02. > :21:04.history in London of big parks and gardens, but we are now building
:21:05. > :21:09.apartment blocks, so the smaller spaces that link them are really
:21:10. > :21:15.important. Will this be community gardener? It could be, because the
:21:16. > :21:21.spaces are not big and the plans are not challenging. A diverse range.
:21:22. > :21:27.Shady downstairs, hot and sunny appeal. Trying to cater for the
:21:28. > :21:32.environment, absolutely. I love the green of all, they are often the
:21:33. > :21:37.flat, but do have real volume. It feels like it is growing out
:21:38. > :21:43.horizontally. I have got my eye on that one. It is lovely, there is one
:21:44. > :21:45.in a basement not far from here, it shows it can be done. Wonderful,
:21:46. > :21:50.beautifully designed. Whether big or small, like this one,
:21:51. > :21:54.there are so many inspiring ideas you can take out of a show garden
:21:55. > :21:57.and apply to your own home. Seven-times gold-medal winner
:21:58. > :21:58.Adam Frost is here to seek out the best when it comes to garden
:21:59. > :22:01.design here at Chelsea. Tonight he's focusing on structure,
:22:02. > :22:21.shape and sculpture. When I am creating a garden, I want
:22:22. > :22:26.to take you on a journey, lead you through a space. Shtick in a garden
:22:27. > :22:34.and focal points play a massive part to help me do that. When I am
:22:35. > :22:37.creating a design, the first layout, understanding the space and how I
:22:38. > :22:47.can put it together, the only plants are the trees. They start to fill
:22:48. > :22:52.the space in the sky. After that, the next layer of structure is the
:22:53. > :22:56.shrubs, so things like this not only work as a piece of sculpture, but
:22:57. > :23:01.repeated through the space they create rhythm. You do not have to
:23:02. > :23:05.spend that much money, you are looking to add three or four shrubs
:23:06. > :23:08.that will give you the rhythm and structure and the interest
:23:09. > :23:12.throughout the year. Once you have done that, you start to understand
:23:13. > :23:20.the other areas, you can build the rest of your planting up in layers.
:23:21. > :23:24.This is where sculpture and structure come together. If you look
:23:25. > :23:30.along there, we looked like we have one wall, and a focal point. It
:23:31. > :23:36.starts to draw me into the garden, takes me along a path. As I go
:23:37. > :23:40.along, what is lovely is you get pulled up to the wall, you realise
:23:41. > :23:44.there is another space and you get drawn into another part of the
:23:45. > :23:53.garden, and then you come out into this beautiful space.
:23:54. > :24:00.And after or pergola can add some interest and height and structure to
:24:01. > :24:06.any garden, but what I love about this, it is simple timber, but with
:24:07. > :24:16.copper detail, which is picked up in the sculpture that sits in planted.
:24:17. > :24:17.You imagine this at the end of your garden, it would be a real
:24:18. > :24:37.destination point. This is a cracking detail to the
:24:38. > :24:40.edge of the terrace, it is so obvious to draw straight lines or
:24:41. > :24:46.Kirsty Terris, but with this fractured line, it more or less
:24:47. > :24:55.extends into the planting, and it lets the planting comeback in. This
:24:56. > :25:00.structural frame, they are like see-through walls. They would in two
:25:01. > :25:05.or three ways, they add height through the planting, which is
:25:06. > :25:08.fantastic, but also they add rhythm, the repeated pattern all the way
:25:09. > :25:13.through, it pulls you through this space. You might not want a big
:25:14. > :25:16.frame sticking up, but you could use an obelisk, repeated through your
:25:17. > :25:31.planting, it gives movement through. Creating a garden is a journey, it
:25:32. > :25:35.is how you get drawn through. Structure and sculpture play a
:25:36. > :25:39.massive part in taking you through a space.
:25:40. > :25:42.Still to come at this event, supported by M+G Investments.
:25:43. > :25:44.We discover who's won the highly-prized Best
:25:45. > :25:47.I chat to journalist Kirsty Wark about the welcome solace her garden
:25:48. > :25:53.But first, we invite you to sit back and relax as we bring
:25:54. > :26:06.you an exclusive tour of Mary Berry's home garden.
:26:07. > :26:17.I think of the garden as a sanctuary. We have been here 27
:26:18. > :26:21.years, it seems an age. When we came here, we inherited a lovely garden,
:26:22. > :26:25.but we have done all sorts of things to read. We did not have a plan, but
:26:26. > :26:35.I hope we have made a lot of improvements.
:26:36. > :26:43.The pond was here, it is a natural pond, but we enlarged it. We have
:26:44. > :26:51.developed the meadow and put path through it. We have put in the Rose
:26:52. > :26:59.walk. We have put in a tennis court, because we all are a bit sporty. In
:27:00. > :27:05.that area was a magnolia and a holly tree, and they were fully grown, and
:27:06. > :27:09.we transplanted them and let them soak in the water for a full night,
:27:10. > :27:17.and they are here to tell the tale today.
:27:18. > :27:25.I was brought up during the war, and times were tough, we were
:27:26. > :27:29.self-sufficient, we had goats, chickens, so it was important to
:27:30. > :27:34.have a vegetable garden, and I have learned to grow what you eat and
:27:35. > :27:42.what you enjoy. Herbs are very important in my cooking, so we have
:27:43. > :27:54.a herb garden. All the folks here are edible. We have day, lemon balm,
:27:55. > :28:00.for puddings and things, we have thyme, Rosemary, and, of course,
:28:01. > :28:06.Sage. Write down here, I have Good King Henry. You want to have it when
:28:07. > :28:14.it is very young. It has a slightly bitter taste, you can cook it like
:28:15. > :28:22.spinach. This is real French tarragon, it has a broad leaf, full
:28:23. > :28:27.of flavour. Never to be mixed up with Russian tarragon, which is
:28:28. > :28:32.rubbish, it grows like a weed and tastes like grass, so into the
:28:33. > :28:40.ground it goes. There should be a good route under there. What I do is
:28:41. > :28:45.to put water in the bottom. It seems to work for my planting, so I make a
:28:46. > :28:51.nice puddle of water like that, because it is fairly dry. When I
:28:52. > :28:56.come to cooking, I do not take a full sprig, I take it from the
:28:57. > :28:59.middle, and then it will shoot out at the sides, so I will put it in
:29:00. > :29:10.the ground and planted level with the ground.
:29:11. > :29:17.I love going round other people's Gardens, I am very inquisitive,
:29:18. > :29:23.there is so much to learn. I went around Sutton Place, beautiful
:29:24. > :29:28.hedges, and came back very inspired and thought, how does that fit in
:29:29. > :29:33.with my garden? I looked at the old tennis court and said to my husband,
:29:34. > :29:39.I would like to do a bit of hedging, and he said, have a go, and by the
:29:40. > :29:45.evening I had drawn it all out and he said, that sounds good, go on, do
:29:46. > :29:52.it. Is this hedge was growing, I decided I wanted to have a go at
:29:53. > :29:58.making that, so to get hold of a hanging basket, as it was growing
:29:59. > :30:03.up, I put it on top like that, and this is about ten years old now, but
:30:04. > :30:09.I put it on top and let it grow through the hedge, I cut it round,
:30:10. > :30:14.and as it grew up, I kept it into an oval, and I began to slip
:30:15. > :30:18.underneath, and we ended up with a lovely ball like that, so I did not
:30:19. > :30:36.need any expensive equipment. This is my notebook and I've had it
:30:37. > :30:42.many years. I just... Things that I want to look for. When I come to
:30:43. > :30:47.Chelsea. This year I'm looking for smock primulas, I love primulas.
:30:48. > :30:50.I've not had success with roses growing over how archers so I'll be
:30:51. > :30:57.looking for some repeat flowering roses with a nice scent. So there's
:30:58. > :30:59.no one more excited than me, I'm off to Chelsea with my notebook, money
:31:00. > :31:27.in my back pocket. I'll be there. Mary, I'm lucky to have seen your
:31:28. > :31:34.garden first-hand, what a gorgeous garden it is. I see you've got your
:31:35. > :31:37.notebook. This is a recce trip? This is a recce trip, I'm looking for a
:31:38. > :31:41.climbing rose. Everybody loves arose, what is your personal take?
:31:42. > :31:47.Roses are such good value because they flower over a long period of
:31:48. > :31:53.time and, of course, the scent. The variety is incredible. Climbers,
:31:54. > :31:57.shrub roses, ground covering, there was always a place to squeeze in
:31:58. > :32:01.another. There is, you don't need a huge garden, they grow very well in
:32:02. > :32:06.pots, in a larger pot than you would normally see. These roses are grown
:32:07. > :32:17.in Hertfordshire, non-imported. Shall we checksum out?
:32:18. > :32:24.This is one of your favourites, isn't it, DeChambeau's beauty. I
:32:25. > :32:36.love it, look at the foliage, shiny bright green. -- chandos beauty.
:32:37. > :32:40.Smell that is that not divine? It's beauty! If you're growing a pot, you
:32:41. > :32:45.can put it in really good side and manage it as long as it is in a
:32:46. > :32:46.fairly sunny position and well watered, it's the perfect rose to
:32:47. > :32:57.have. Is the climbing rose what you are
:32:58. > :33:03.specifically looking for? It is, because we've got an arch, the rose
:33:04. > :33:08.is dead. I made mistakes in the past by having one that goes too high. I
:33:09. > :33:13.now know my art is eight feet and I have to find a rose that fits and
:33:14. > :33:16.will grow to that. Exactly the right approach because these growers grow
:33:17. > :33:21.them at certain heights, something like a Rambler will want to flower
:33:22. > :33:24.at the top, 40 feet up, you can't necessarily see the flowers. We've
:33:25. > :33:29.got Graham Thomas going up the front of the house and in March I take it
:33:30. > :33:33.right down on the ground. And prune it at the bottom, so you get flowers
:33:34. > :33:39.at the bottom, not up in the sky. Controlling where they are. At any
:33:40. > :33:43.of these caught your eye? I rather like this one, this Cumberland, it's
:33:44. > :33:50.got lots of lovely green foliage. It's a multiheaded, which I like.
:33:51. > :33:54.All of these bugs coming year, even behind you've got another set of
:33:55. > :33:58.buds, it's going to flower for ages. Also, when it's getting past its
:33:59. > :34:02.best it isn't all faded, it holds its colour. Is this the one, Mary?
:34:03. > :34:13.That's it, Cumberland. Mary is not the only one filling up
:34:14. > :34:16.her notebook, everyone you look at Chelsea there are people writing
:34:17. > :34:24.down the names of plants, taking photographs of plants.
:34:25. > :34:27.And for the Artisan gardens it's not just the plants that inspire,
:34:28. > :34:32.These are particularly important as the gardens tend to draw
:34:33. > :34:35.from history or heritage, as Nick Bailey is finding out over
:34:36. > :34:56.What I absolutely love about this garden is it the brilliant fusion
:34:57. > :34:59.between ancient and modern. It really embraces the idea that
:35:00. > :35:03.apothecaries of the past were looking for that great Alexia, being
:35:04. > :35:07.able to extract the power of plants. It is represented by this apothecary
:35:08. > :35:13.bench at the back. The garden takes you all the way through to modernity
:35:14. > :35:16.and the fact scientists and chemists are still looking for those magical
:35:17. > :35:21.powers and Alexia is we can draw out of plants. The planting in the
:35:22. > :35:26.garden is absolutely beautiful, quite a modern matrix. A real sort
:35:27. > :35:29.of fusion of different plants. There is a colour theme that pulls it all
:35:30. > :35:35.together but it's packed with useful medicinal plants. What I know right
:35:36. > :35:39.at the front here is used in traditional Chinese medicine, has
:35:40. > :35:47.been for over 1000 years. Smoke is produced from it. It's often used
:35:48. > :35:52.for chest conditions and the like. Growing just in front of it is
:35:53. > :35:56.something you might think of as a lawn weed, a British native that
:35:57. > :36:05.grows all over the UK, particularly in damp soil. It has medicinal
:36:06. > :36:10.applications. Eucalypt that comes from it is used to remove dirt from
:36:11. > :36:14.the eye in hospital. It can be used as a bulking agent, as laxative, so
:36:15. > :36:21.really useful plants. Traditional use and much more modern use. Over
:36:22. > :36:26.at the back digitalis, which has a long history of medicinal use.
:36:27. > :36:31.Healers were giving it to people with heart ailments. And today, the
:36:32. > :36:38.extract from it is still given to people. The planting has this fuzzy
:36:39. > :36:43.matrix, meadow quality to it which brings the whole garden together. I
:36:44. > :36:44.think it is very much deserved of the gold it's got. This really is
:36:45. > :36:48.picture perfect. No stranger to creating an Artisan
:36:49. > :36:50.picture-perfect postcard She currently holds gold
:36:51. > :36:57.medals in more categories This year she's taken
:36:58. > :37:00.on the challenge of creating two gardens, one inside
:37:01. > :37:02.the Great Pavilion for Hilliers nursery, and an Artisan garden
:37:03. > :37:15.here on Ranelagh Avenue. This isn't the first time you've
:37:16. > :37:21.done two. It's the third consecutive year. This is the year I wanted to
:37:22. > :37:24.get the treble double, so I had two gold medals in each of the previous
:37:25. > :37:30.two years. I achieved it, so a massive year for me. You've covered
:37:31. > :37:35.some serious mileage, between the two, any idea what you've done this
:37:36. > :37:40.year? I checked last night, done six and a quarter consecutive marathons.
:37:41. > :37:47.That's why you're looking so trim and fit. I have a track on my wrist,
:37:48. > :37:52.it sets off each day and tells me how many paces and how many
:37:53. > :37:55.marathons I've walked. You are the fittest person on-site. We've
:37:56. > :37:59.created this wonderful garden. You're such a versatile designer,
:38:00. > :38:04.just run us through the garden and how you had to apply your design
:38:05. > :38:07.skills. My sponsor asked me to choose a Mediterranean city of my
:38:08. > :38:14.choice, it had to be Barcelona. I love Barcelona, it's such a leader
:38:15. > :38:18.in the creative world. And has been historically. Antonio Goudie, the
:38:19. > :38:30.architect in Barcelona, is a hero of mine. -- Gaudi. This mosaic behind
:38:31. > :38:34.me is fantastic. You've done this sort of thing before. Do you get
:38:35. > :38:38.technicians in? I like Artisan Gardens to work with different
:38:39. > :38:44.Artisans and craftsmen. Last year I had two, this year I have two, want
:38:45. > :38:47.the mosaic, once the chair. I love working with craftspeople, because
:38:48. > :38:51.you get the best out of them. I don't fully understand the material.
:38:52. > :38:58.I know what I want to achieve. I know they'll take that perfection.
:38:59. > :39:03.You've got some wonderful specimens. Some of them are hardy, some of them
:39:04. > :39:07.we see in London, and down in warmer climates. There are also arid
:39:08. > :39:12.plants. This one is cold hardy as long as you keep it dry. And we have
:39:13. > :39:16.ones that are more robust and survive through the UK. It's all
:39:17. > :39:19.about drainage, they get wet through the winter, they are going to
:39:20. > :39:24.struggle. If you wrap them up through the winter, give them good
:39:25. > :39:29.drainage, they might get through. Absolutely. Lovely to see you. Maybe
:39:30. > :39:30.go for a little job later. You can join me.
:39:31. > :39:34.Sarah has used a variety of tender plants which would love to live
:39:35. > :39:36.in Parc de Guell in Barcelona, but of course this isn't Barcelona.
:39:37. > :39:39.In good ol' Blighty a plant has to be pretty resilient
:39:40. > :39:46.And a group who are keen to discover what is and isn't tough
:39:47. > :39:47.enough for the UK climate is the aptly-named
:39:48. > :40:06.I love hardy plants because there are so many different colours,
:40:07. > :40:08.varieties, heights. Anything you can imagine, you will find, really,
:40:09. > :40:23.within the spectrum of hardy plants. A hardy plant is defined as one that
:40:24. > :40:27.will survive to -15 degrees. In the winter you cut them back and in
:40:28. > :40:28.spring they come up and they're so fresh, they look like you've just
:40:29. > :40:38.planted them. My name's John McGee, I'm leading
:40:39. > :40:41.the team for Chelsea 2017 on behalf of Worcestershire hardy plant
:40:42. > :40:45.society. Daesh my name is Linda Marsh, now a garden designer, but I
:40:46. > :40:51.used to be an airline pilot, one of the first women in aviation flying
:40:52. > :40:57.for an airline. Perhaps being in the air, away from the Earth, you have
:40:58. > :41:02.that real connection when you come back and land. I know many pilots
:41:03. > :41:06.who actually have smallholdings, so there is definitely some connection.
:41:07. > :41:15.The society was formed in 1957 by four eminent Gardens to educate and
:41:16. > :41:18.inform an increase knowledge of her basis -- herbaceous perennials. We
:41:19. > :41:31.have over 7000 members today. There is a great community spirit in
:41:32. > :41:35.the group. We meet up once a month. Second Saturday every month. This
:41:36. > :41:39.gardening is quite addictive, though I've belong to the Worcestershire
:41:40. > :41:43.grip, I belong to three other gardening societies. There is no
:41:44. > :41:47.cure for the addiction unfortunately. Daesh we have a guest
:41:48. > :41:51.speaker followed by Britt freshman 's and a chat so we can catch up
:41:52. > :41:57.with what's doing well. Lots of outings through the plant society,
:41:58. > :42:02.autumn weekends, some days. Excellent. Meeting different people
:42:03. > :42:08.and talking plants is brilliant. We have a wide range of people in the
:42:09. > :42:12.group. We have held, probably in her early 80s, with the vast plant
:42:13. > :42:21.knowledge. Then we have just, who is 25 years of age. It's great to see
:42:22. > :42:30.that they work off each other. What's your favourite, Hilda? I love
:42:31. > :42:37.salvias. I love the smell. It really lifts you, the smell. Exhibit this
:42:38. > :42:42.year is important to us as a society, it's our 60th year. We have
:42:43. > :42:45.a wonderful group of people getting together to help do the stand for
:42:46. > :42:49.Chelsea. Some members are growing plants, there are members who have
:42:50. > :42:55.been coming up to tend the plants every week. We decided to have 60
:42:56. > :43:03.different types of plants to represent each year of the existence
:43:04. > :43:09.of the hardy plant society. The design for Chelsea was really to try
:43:10. > :43:14.and show people that we are a modern society moving forward. So we
:43:15. > :43:17.decided to use QR codes on all the plant labels so people could take
:43:18. > :43:22.their smartphone and a zap onto it and go immediately to the website
:43:23. > :43:26.and find out all they wanted to know about the plant. We also designed a
:43:27. > :43:30.rotating stand, so that not only do you see the relationship between the
:43:31. > :43:37.front plants and back plants, but you see how they relate to the other
:43:38. > :43:41.plants. John, of course will take all responsibility for the stand and
:43:42. > :43:45.its rotation. It's the first time within the pavilion they've used a
:43:46. > :43:50.rotating plants display, three metres in diameter. We've had to be
:43:51. > :43:55.aware that the motor will not overheat, because if that happens,
:43:56. > :44:11.the table will not turn. And we will not have a display.
:44:12. > :44:16.Look at that, amazing. Sale it's a hidden surprise when you look
:44:17. > :44:24.underneath the leaf, because it's a wood lander. That's super, really
:44:25. > :44:29.lovely job. Over the years the hardy plant society has won Medi medals.
:44:30. > :44:35.However this year if we win anything beyond Silver we'll be delighted.
:44:36. > :44:38.For us to be there is an experience of a lifetime. Chelsea's such a
:44:39. > :44:42.special show, I'm thrilled to be part of the team. I just hope we do
:44:43. > :44:47.very well. And hoping people will be really interested in joining the
:44:48. > :44:49.hardy plant society and enjoy seeing our stand. I mean it's all very
:44:50. > :45:05.exciting, isn't it? It works! We are pleased, we got a
:45:06. > :45:10.Silver medallists, we did not expect anything above a silver. The stand
:45:11. > :45:16.is stunning. You have some engineering in here. It is very
:45:17. > :45:21.simple, a gearbox and a wheel with 12 casters. Has it brought more
:45:22. > :45:28.exhibitors in? Are they drawn in by the movement? I think so. As the
:45:29. > :45:36.wheel goes round, it shakes slightly, so the grasses show up. It
:45:37. > :45:41.adds drama to the whole thing. It is great to see the society has got a
:45:42. > :45:49.big spread of age. Some societies are struggling. Yes, it is a shame,
:45:50. > :45:53.as it is the specialist societies, and we are herbaceous perennials,
:45:54. > :46:02.and we have nine specialist societies. Others could come in with
:46:03. > :46:13.us. We are not going cost is, but what about,? They are real doers.
:46:14. > :46:21.They are. We have the spotty dotty and the iris in a couple of weeks.
:46:22. > :46:26.The grasses will be here. And you see this a lot in the show gardens.
:46:27. > :46:32.It is a good filler. The bees love it. When we were putting together
:46:33. > :46:37.the stand, the bees were coming in, then they flew off when we turned
:46:38. > :46:44.the table. There are none at the moment. They can take extremities,
:46:45. > :46:52.down 2-15, but with the heat, they can cope as well, so maybe we will
:46:53. > :47:00.use more of them. And there is a broad range for all conditions. We
:47:01. > :47:09.will have to leave it there, but you got your hostas in!
:47:10. > :47:14.I'm joined now by award-winning journalist/broadcaster Kirsty Wark.
:47:15. > :47:23.I know this is your first Chelsea. Yes, but it will not be my last. It
:47:24. > :47:28.is extraordinary in its scope. I love that there are so many people
:47:29. > :47:32.who are clearly such passionate gardeners, they spend time coming
:47:33. > :47:36.here, picking up tips, writing things down, I have been writing
:47:37. > :47:44.things down. It is a very British thing. Do you have a garden of your
:47:45. > :47:48.own? My garden is a small walled garden in Glasgow. It is at the back
:47:49. > :47:55.of the house. The front is pleasure gardens. The back garden has these
:47:56. > :48:01.wonderful old hoops, because the washing was hung out, it was not a
:48:02. > :48:08.garden to be satin by the owners. But the legacy has been a beautiful
:48:09. > :48:11.laurel tree, which we have built on. We have to drain it, because it was
:48:12. > :48:19.damp, and we put down Caithness flags and margins stones from beside
:48:20. > :48:23.the Clyde, which is where the wharf 's work that people left to emigrate
:48:24. > :48:28.from Glasgow. Those footsteps are still treading in the garden.
:48:29. > :48:32.Members of my family emigrated to what was then Rhodesia and also to
:48:33. > :48:40.Australia. It is wonderful to have some in the garden, you know people
:48:41. > :48:46.stepped on them going to new lives. Gardens are like onion skins, you
:48:47. > :48:50.are just one more layer. People talk about the house when you sell it,
:48:51. > :48:55.but you want to pass on, these flowers will come out in June... It
:48:56. > :49:00.is nice to have a surprise, but I want people to know what is in your
:49:01. > :49:04.garden. Did you have anything to do with gardening when you were growing
:49:05. > :49:11.up? I was in gardens or the time, if the weather was good, fertile
:49:12. > :49:20.territory. My family were early fruit growers in the 1800 and
:49:21. > :49:23.before, and in 1850 my great-grandfather was -- went to a
:49:24. > :49:29.fruit broker in Glasgow, and he said, but everything under glass. So
:49:30. > :49:37.he put acres under glass. I grew up in tomato houses, and I remember my
:49:38. > :49:42.great uncle 's had his coat on and they would take a poke, a paper
:49:43. > :49:46.poke, and in it would be salt-and-pepper, and they would open
:49:47. > :49:50.the tomato and put salt-and-pepper on it and you would eat the tomato
:49:51. > :49:56.is a fresh. We would have tomato so much all the time. We used to have
:49:57. > :50:03.tomato some watches. White bread, tomatoes, and the juice soaked in.
:50:04. > :50:12.My hands are like my grandfather's. Jamjar Hans! What are you looking
:50:13. > :50:16.for? You have resisted Chelsea for all of these years, what are you
:50:17. > :50:21.looking for? I have a lot of white in the garden, and I have a lovely
:50:22. > :50:26.Philadelphus, which has taken off, but I am looking for more colour. I
:50:27. > :50:33.loved dog rose. I want to introduce more colour. This one is beautiful.
:50:34. > :50:39.I am going to try and find one of those. There are tens of thousands
:50:40. > :50:45.of the best plants that have ever been grown here. I will go on a
:50:46. > :50:51.hunt. This is another dog rose? This is rambling Rector. It is beautiful.
:50:52. > :51:02.You have a connection to this garden. I have been involved with
:51:03. > :51:08.Maggie's for over 20 years. It is so much part of the whole firmament of
:51:09. > :51:13.how we live and thrive with cancer. It is wonderful to be in this
:51:14. > :51:18.garden, it has so many of the hallmarks, tranquillity, privacy,
:51:19. > :51:24.water, and I think of gardens as healing places anyway. You are
:51:25. > :51:28.involved in elections and all of the affairs of Government and life and
:51:29. > :51:31.state, you have talked about the chant quality of your garden, do you
:51:32. > :51:36.think gardens are important as places to retreat to? Particularly
:51:37. > :51:42.in times of crisis, I know in times of bereavement I have always gone to
:51:43. > :51:46.the garden. For people who cannot have a garden, the importance of
:51:47. > :51:53.wide-open spaces in towns and cities that are nurtured and cared for. I
:51:54. > :51:57.hate to think of cuts to gardening, because they bring apprentices on,
:51:58. > :52:02.people find employment, people volunteer in gardens, I walk past a
:52:03. > :52:06.lot and and think, this is fantastic, people can come to their
:52:07. > :52:12.allotment and see them thrive. We will ask you to look around, enjoy
:52:13. > :52:13.your first Chelsea and choose a cute things that are really special. What
:52:14. > :52:22.a treat. Now out, of the six gold
:52:23. > :52:24.medal-winning Artisan garden designs here at the Chelsea Flower Show,
:52:25. > :52:27.only one could be chosen as the best We were there to capture the moment
:52:28. > :52:37.the RHS handed out the award. I am delighted to announce that you
:52:38. > :52:41.have received the best Artisan Garden in the show today, so many
:52:42. > :52:46.congratulations, the first recipient of that beautiful box. Many
:52:47. > :52:56.congratulations, everyone. Our best Artisan Garden. Beautiful.
:52:57. > :53:07.Congratulations. It is the big one again. Smashed it again! Two years
:53:08. > :53:11.ago you got gold and Best In Show, but before that you got a Q Silvers,
:53:12. > :53:16.so you have nailed it now, you know what it takes. I got there in the
:53:17. > :53:24.end, really pleased with it. You are not here every year. I am a biannual
:53:25. > :53:28.designer. It is a fabulous garden, everybody is talking about it, the
:53:29. > :53:33.industrial landscape. Have you sourced all of the bits and pieces?
:53:34. > :53:37.I was fortunate enough to get the crane, because my grandfather had
:53:38. > :53:42.bought it for two or 50 years ago, and when I went to look at it it was
:53:43. > :53:47.immersed in nature, branches had grown through it, it planted the
:53:48. > :53:52.seed of the garden, it germinated over 18 months, we used the crane
:53:53. > :53:58.throughout. This was onside in the nursery? And old swamp area, we
:53:59. > :54:03.would go there as kids. I salvaged it in the winter months, chopping
:54:04. > :54:09.bits out. It was a bit of a mission. Is it the whole thing, the concept
:54:10. > :54:13.of the industrial landscape? It is not where nature has taken over,
:54:14. > :54:19.somebody has God and this. The brief was that people were living in
:54:20. > :54:23.warehouse accommodation and they had commissioned a designer to build a
:54:24. > :54:29.garden for relaxation, so it does not have weeds, it is quite plush.
:54:30. > :54:33.You are celebrating the heritage. A lot of these warehouse blogs that
:54:34. > :54:39.are being converted often get rid of the landscape outside. 100%. It
:54:40. > :54:45.would be great to incorporate this. Yes, try to create an atmosphere,
:54:46. > :54:49.curiosity, the industrial heritage. It fits in with the Artisan
:54:50. > :54:53.category. You are celebrating conifers, not many people here are.
:54:54. > :55:00.You put them together so beautifully. Our heritage and the
:55:01. > :55:04.nursery is is growing pines and conifers, but I pick the textual
:55:05. > :55:11.bonds to relate to the material colour. Some are windswept, so they
:55:12. > :55:18.give the garden a bit more which in depth and height. You borrowed the
:55:19. > :55:23.landscape beyond, you have not put a boundary, it look like it goes on.
:55:24. > :55:26.The location was perfect for the garden, because there are no
:55:27. > :55:29.boundaries, it is like a section of a larger garden. Lovely, great to
:55:30. > :55:34.see you, and congratulations again. Before we come to the end of today's
:55:35. > :55:38.show we just want to remind you that time is running out to vote
:55:39. > :55:43.for your favourite large show garden in this year's BBC RHS
:55:44. > :55:47.People's Choice Award. Details of all the gardens and how
:55:48. > :55:50.to cast your vote are on our Voting closes tonight at 9:30pm
:55:51. > :55:58.and the winner will be revealed tomorrow evening
:55:59. > :56:09.on BBC One at 7:30pm. Ruth asks, usually there is a plan
:56:10. > :56:16.that keeps popping up at the Chelsea Flower Show, what is this year's?
:56:17. > :56:23.How about shaggy box? Four years you see box plants clipped and trained
:56:24. > :56:27.and repeated, but this year, two or three gardens have got quite a lot
:56:28. > :56:34.of shaggy uncut box, it is new, and good.
:56:35. > :56:38.It looks great. We are on trend! How many lipids have you seen?
:56:39. > :56:42.Lot. They look great, they have gone so
:56:43. > :56:46.out of fashion, but they are back again.
:56:47. > :56:50.Is that because there is a nursery growing lots of them and everybody
:56:51. > :56:55.has gone there, or is it just coincidence?
:56:56. > :56:58.That can sometimes be the reason, but this year the sources are
:56:59. > :57:02.different, the designers are asking for them from different sources, so
:57:03. > :57:09.there is something in the zeitgeist. And we are there! We have had a lot
:57:10. > :57:17.of tweets asking what the tall white planned is behind us.
:57:18. > :57:23.A fabulous plant, I grow it. Just touches with pink. It can grow up to
:57:24. > :57:32.six feet tall, really dramatic, and it has strong square stems. It is a
:57:33. > :57:35.perennial. A really good planned. I like this hashtag!
:57:36. > :57:39.Well, that's it from Chelsea tonight, but we'll be back tomorrow
:57:40. > :57:42.on BBC Two looking at what we can draw from this year's show
:57:43. > :57:46.And we have a very special treat in store as Ellie Harrison
:57:47. > :57:53.is going to share her thoughts on wildlife gardening.
:57:54. > :57:55.Plus, we look at some of the fabulous fauna joining
:57:56. > :58:07.Nicki and James are back at 3:45pm on BBC One,
:58:08. > :58:11.so until, then it's goodbye from all the team at Chelsea.