Episode 10 RHS Chelsea Flower Show


Episode 10

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Hello and welcome to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show!

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It's Thursday, the first day the show is open

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to the general public, and it's fair to say the showground

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is packed with garden enthusiasts as far as the eye can see.

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They've come here to enjoy the ground-breaking design

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on display, not to mention the very latest floral fads and fashions.

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As well as being packed its jolly hot. It's boiling today, it is

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caught sheer one. You're wearing your hat. I haven't got any hair

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like you, Monty, health and safety, this is, as well as being rather

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dapper. It's hot but so much better than the cold, wet Chelsea 's we've

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had. The plants are slightly suffering. A lot of them are having

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to water throughout the day as well as in the morning. I would much

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rather summoned rain. It may be day four,

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but we still have so much more to come from this year's event,

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supported by M+G Investments. Tonight's show is all

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about the small gardens, as we bring you in-depth analysis

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of the ever-popular Artisan and Fresh gardens,

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revealing who's won what. We treat you to an exclusive tour

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of Mary Berry's much-loved garden at home before catching up

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with her on the showground. Multi award-winning designer

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Adam Frost shows us how shape, sculpture and structure can

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bring our own gardens to life. I'll be catching up with journalist

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Kirsty Wark as I uncover her unbridled passion

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for all things floral. Plus, don't forget there's not long

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left to vote for your favourite large show garden for the BBC RHS

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People's Choice Award. More to come on that

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later in the show. But first, we want to let

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you in on something rather special. Over the week we've noticed

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how the Artisan gardens on Ranelagh Avenue are touched

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with a certain ethereal glow around dusk once the gates are closed

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and the crowds have disappeared. I went along to give you a glimpse

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of the magical spectacle The Fresh Gardens tend to shine

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in the middle of the day, perfectly suited to the busy

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atmosphere of the show in full flow. But as the light is falling at dusk,

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I'm here able to roam around free. I've come here to Ranelagh Avenue

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because this is where the Artisan gardens are. They are small, but

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packed with ideas and inspiration and often just plain beauty. There

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are essentially two types of gardens that you find here. One tends to be

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very naturalistic and uses found objects and found landscapes. The

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other is much more creative in the sense that it's made from new, it

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looks like nothing you find the countryside. This is one of the

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latter, it immediately summons up the sun and vitality and colour. Of

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Spain. Walker's Wharf belongs to the first

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category. It uses materials of an old wharf on the River Trent. You

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can see it has quite literally got those materials but when you get

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closer you realise it's actually an amalgam of them. The planting

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doesn't fall into the trap of trying to do too much. The palate is very

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simple and muted. And it's dominated by these pruned pines that exactly

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get the texture, colour and feel of the industrial landscape in which

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they are set. Despite being the designer Fiona

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Cadwallader's first ever show garden, the poetry lovers' garden is

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incredibly confident and strong. It does nothing particularly original,

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the planting, the stonework, the way it set out, remind me of lots of

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show gardens I've seen. But what it does it does so well, and the idea

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is it's a place to and find inspiration, retreat. I've had to

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read a poem or, perhaps, even right one. -- either to read a poem. As

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the light falls around me, though the city still bustles beyond the

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park, Chelsea slips into night, and I'm just going to have a few moments

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to enjoy it to myself. That's about right, Monty

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sleeping on the job again! It's his age, it's been a long week!

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Those gardens are especially tranquil down there. So we'll let

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him off. In fact, it's hard to believe any

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of the small gardens are nestled in the busy heart of this city,

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but I can assure you they haven't Earlier this week Nicki Chapman

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witnessed the moment when the Small Garden medals

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were handed out, and it was Oh my God! Thank you so much! I

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don't believe this, this is amazing! Thank you very much. You are

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shaking. I am shaking, I need a copy. Congratulations. Thank you

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very much, I'm really happy with that. Congratulations. APPLAUSE

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Triple double! Fantastic. Congratulations.

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The small gardens may be compact compared to their big

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brothers on Main Avenue, but they are by no

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means less spectacular. Split into two categories,

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The Artisan gardens, true to their name, take arts

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and crafts as their inspiration, while the Fresh gardens tend to put

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an abstract perspective on what a garden is or can be.

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This year there are 14 small gardens in total,

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They are good, aren't they? They are all good. I think they've had more

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attention because there were fewer big gardens so there is more time

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and more scope to have a really good look at them. And it's very

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rewarding when you do. The Artisan especially this year is so strong.

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They are tricky because it's about craftsmanship and detailing. Because

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they are in a small space you've got to keep the interest within the

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garden, keep the eye moving. But they are so much smaller. In fact

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the Artisans are built aboveground, you can't dig into the ground. It's

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almost like an installation piece and they've only got 11 days on site

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to build them. The standard is amazingly high and I'm delighted

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with the feel-good gardens. They were a fairly late edition but

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everybody loves them, rightly so. They're fund, accessible and very

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well done. Some great designers there. The fresh gardens I like this

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year. I think they're more accessible than some years,

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sometimes they get so conceptual and people think, what on earth is going

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on? And they need an explanation. This year there are some people

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could actually be create and take ideas from in their own gardens.

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They're all good. Juliet Sargeant took a closer look at one of the

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fresh gardens, which was awarded a silvergilt medal. She knows from her

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own personal experience the effort needed to win any medal at Chelsea.

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This is the breast cancer now garden. Through the microscope. It

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is a garden with a really strong team. And as we walk through the

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garden we can read the details the designer, Ruth Wilmot, has

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incorporated in order to tell us this really important story.

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This garden is all about the transformation from disease to

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health. In the front of the garden, these rugged rocks represent

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cancerous cells. Then further down the garden as you take a journey,

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you come to smooth stones, which represents the healthy cells. In the

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centre of the garden is a black rectangular pool, which represents

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the microscope slide scientists use to study the cells. These circles

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represent the microscopes scientists use everyday to research into the

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cures and treatments for cancer. The idea of magnification follows

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through into the planting itself. Here we have really fine cut leaves

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and small flower heads but as you look down the garden to the

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magnified end, the flowers are chunky and leaves are big. A good

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example would be this little ranunculus here, mirrored by the

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large, bold peonies at that end. The question on everybody's lips is, why

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didn't it get gold? Of course, I don't know for certain, but I have a

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theory. Ruth Wilmot loves to design conceptual gardens, most gardens are

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either purely conceptual or very garden like. We can set herself a

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challenge in designing something that falls between stools. In doing

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so, she has just missed out on that elusive top prize. To me, this

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garden is thoughtful, beautiful and atmospheric. I think the fact it is

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incredibly popular with the visitors speaks for itself.

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The road to designing and building a Chelsea garden is long

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and at times incredibly stressful, fraught with complications

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However, there's one first-time Chelsea designer who's been

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For five years Ian Price suffered crippling depression.

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Today he's got a show garden at Chelsea.

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To find out more we went to join him on his home turf

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This is Belfast on my home city. This is the heart and centre of our

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country. I was born in the 70s man now 39 plus one. Yeah, just

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recently. People used to say, you're from Belfast. All of those problems.

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I didn't really see that. It was my home.

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Any garden that you design is going to be influenced from where you came

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from and the experiences you've had in life. In this instance it's the

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glorious Greens. This is the Glens of Antrim. We've got the heathland

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areas, scrub, vegetation, sheep grazed areas. Then it sweeps down

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into the more lush are stronger Greens. That's what I'm trying to

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use in this garden, green as a colour, using it instead of a

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backdrop instead of the main focus and colour of the garden. This

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garden isn't just influenced by the landscape that I live in, it's

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mostly inspired by something that has plagued me all my life. North

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Antrim coast is one of those special places. I need to come here to help

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empty my head. Allow me to think about nothing. I have had depression

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for the majority of my 20s upwards. Depression is one of those things

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you just kind of wake up in the morning and go... I don't feel

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great, I must be mentally ill. It sneaks up on you. It's like it swims

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up behind you and you are in the surf and it comes and drags you by

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the legs and pulls you under. At my lowest point, I just took the

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pills, drove up into the forest, founder waterfall and sat there. And

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just waited for them to take effect. At the lowest point I needed to make

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sense of things. I was able to use garden design to tell my story about

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depression. And turn my negative experience into a positive one. Some

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of the best things are made in sheds, and this garden has been made

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in a shared. It is always fascinating to see your design

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jumping off the page and turning into 3-D reality.

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This is Mind Trap, the manifestation of what I felt like at my worst, and

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what I can feel like at my best, all rolled into one. The great shape is

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where I imagine myself when I designed this, in the middle of

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this, surrounded by these large, heavy walls. But with glimpses

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through to hope beyond. There are very few flowers in the space. It is

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mostly based on textures, mostly on green, with the delicate hint

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towards flowers. They are not important, it is the feeling that

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the plants give. People have asked me, can you do this? Can you handle

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the pressure that Chelsea brings? Maybe I was just foolish enough not

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to consider that at the time! I know I can, because I have so many good

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people around me that want to make it happen. Whilst a medal will be

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unreal, a lifetime ambition, the main thing is if one person comes up

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to me and says, thank you for sharing your story. That is what it

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is about for me. You said just one person would make

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you happy, but all of the judges have thank you, by giving you a

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gold-medal. It is surreal, unbelievable, I am still in a blur.

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It will hit me just after everything has happened, but it is the reaction

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of the public as well, unbelievable. I will confess, as somebody who

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shares your problems with depression, I look at gardens with

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great trepidation, because there is a problem of simplifying it. You

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have not done that. I am impressed by that. Tell me again how that has

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come through. It is not easy. It is not easy, but I found it a cathartic

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struggle. 15 years of research to create this garden for Chelsea 2017,

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and two days of sketching. Six months of pain and anguish and

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trepidation. It is so worth it. The point about the green, limits of

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hope. It strikes a chord with lots of people, rather than a riot of

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colour. People forget that green is a colour. That is with the woodland

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planting, in contrast to the grey blanket. A lot of people, you have

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talked to the Duchess of Cambridge about it, that must have been

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interesting. What you will be doing is saying to people who are also

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suffering and feeling lonely and ashamed and lost that you can make

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something from it. I had to do this to justify what I went through. I

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needed to make my negative into a positive, and I now know why I went

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through it, because the reaction from the public, I have had people

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in tears, I have shared the tears with them, that is more than I could

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ever have hoped for. The plants, some of them are dark, you have put

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them in a difficult setting, but that can be integrated into a normal

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garden. Whatever normal is! That is why I have used plants in context,

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it is not what you see, it is how you see things are. You have enabled

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a lot of people to see both gardens differently, themselves differently,

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and to know they are not alone. Of the two gold-winning gardens

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in the Fresh Garden category the RHS had to choose one standout design

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as their Best Fresh Garden, and we were there to capture

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the moment when the winner I have got something wonderful to

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present you with. For the best Fresh Garden, congratulations. Thank you.

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It is amazing. Sweet, lovely. Huge congratulations, when I first

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saw it, I knew you would do well. It has been a mega build. It is huge,

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even by my standards, it is borderline insanity. You have pretty

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much build a house. Yes, three stories and 15 or 16 guys for 14

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hours a day, it is down to them, really. The design is fantastic, the

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combination of hard landscaping and plants, it is the future of

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gardening, small spaces, but you can still cram plants in and make them

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relevant and get closer to them, where ever you are. We have a huge

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history in London of big parks and gardens, but we are now building

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apartment blocks, so the smaller spaces that link them are really

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important. Will this be community gardener? It could be, because the

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spaces are not big and the plans are not challenging. A diverse range.

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Shady downstairs, hot and sunny appeal. Trying to cater for the

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environment, absolutely. I love the green of all, they are often the

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flat, but do have real volume. It feels like it is growing out

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horizontally. I have got my eye on that one. It is lovely, there is one

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in a basement not far from here, it shows it can be done. Wonderful,

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beautifully designed. Whether big or small, like this one,

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there are so many inspiring ideas you can take out of a show garden

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and apply to your own home. Seven-times gold-medal winner

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Adam Frost is here to seek out the best when it comes to garden

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design here at Chelsea. Tonight he's focusing on structure,

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shape and sculpture. When I am creating a garden, I want

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to take you on a journey, lead you through a space. Shtick in a garden

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and focal points play a massive part to help me do that. When I am

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creating a design, the first layout, understanding the space and how I

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can put it together, the only plants are the trees. They start to fill

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the space in the sky. After that, the next layer of structure is the

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shrubs, so things like this not only work as a piece of sculpture, but

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repeated through the space they create rhythm. You do not have to

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spend that much money, you are looking to add three or four shrubs

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that will give you the rhythm and structure and the interest

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throughout the year. Once you have done that, you start to understand

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the other areas, you can build the rest of your planting up in layers.

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This is where sculpture and structure come together. If you look

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along there, we looked like we have one wall, and a focal point. It

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starts to draw me into the garden, takes me along a path. As I go

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along, what is lovely is you get pulled up to the wall, you realise

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there is another space and you get drawn into another part of the

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garden, and then you come out into this beautiful space.

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And after or pergola can add some interest and height and structure to

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any garden, but what I love about this, it is simple timber, but with

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copper detail, which is picked up in the sculpture that sits in planted.

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You imagine this at the end of your garden, it would be a real

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destination point. This is a cracking detail to the

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edge of the terrace, it is so obvious to draw straight lines or

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Kirsty Terris, but with this fractured line, it more or less

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extends into the planting, and it lets the planting comeback in. This

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structural frame, they are like see-through walls. They would in two

:24:56.:25:00.

or three ways, they add height through the planting, which is

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fantastic, but also they add rhythm, the repeated pattern all the way

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through, it pulls you through this space. You might not want a big

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frame sticking up, but you could use an obelisk, repeated through your

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planting, it gives movement through. Creating a garden is a journey, it

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is how you get drawn through. Structure and sculpture play a

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massive part in taking you through a space.

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Still to come at this event, supported by M+G Investments.

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We discover who's won the highly-prized Best

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I chat to journalist Kirsty Wark about the welcome solace her garden

:25:45.:25:47.

But first, we invite you to sit back and relax as we bring

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you an exclusive tour of Mary Berry's home garden.

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I think of the garden as a sanctuary. We have been here 27

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years, it seems an age. When we came here, we inherited a lovely garden,

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but we have done all sorts of things to read. We did not have a plan, but

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I hope we have made a lot of improvements.

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The pond was here, it is a natural pond, but we enlarged it. We have

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developed the meadow and put path through it. We have put in the Rose

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walk. We have put in a tennis court, because we all are a bit sporty. In

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that area was a magnolia and a holly tree, and they were fully grown, and

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we transplanted them and let them soak in the water for a full night,

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and they are here to tell the tale today.

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I was brought up during the war, and times were tough, we were

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self-sufficient, we had goats, chickens, so it was important to

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have a vegetable garden, and I have learned to grow what you eat and

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what you enjoy. Herbs are very important in my cooking, so we have

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a herb garden. All the folks here are edible. We have day, lemon balm,

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for puddings and things, we have thyme, Rosemary, and, of course,

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Sage. Write down here, I have Good King Henry. You want to have it when

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it is very young. It has a slightly bitter taste, you can cook it like

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spinach. This is real French tarragon, it has a broad leaf, full

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of flavour. Never to be mixed up with Russian tarragon, which is

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rubbish, it grows like a weed and tastes like grass, so into the

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ground it goes. There should be a good route under there. What I do is

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to put water in the bottom. It seems to work for my planting, so I make a

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nice puddle of water like that, because it is fairly dry. When I

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come to cooking, I do not take a full sprig, I take it from the

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middle, and then it will shoot out at the sides, so I will put it in

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the ground and planted level with the ground.

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I love going round other people's Gardens, I am very inquisitive,

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there is so much to learn. I went around Sutton Place, beautiful

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hedges, and came back very inspired and thought, how does that fit in

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with my garden? I looked at the old tennis court and said to my husband,

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I would like to do a bit of hedging, and he said, have a go, and by the

:29:34.:29:39.

evening I had drawn it all out and he said, that sounds good, go on, do

:29:40.:29:45.

it. Is this hedge was growing, I decided I wanted to have a go at

:29:46.:29:52.

making that, so to get hold of a hanging basket, as it was growing

:29:53.:29:58.

up, I put it on top like that, and this is about ten years old now, but

:29:59.:30:03.

I put it on top and let it grow through the hedge, I cut it round,

:30:04.:30:09.

and as it grew up, I kept it into an oval, and I began to slip

:30:10.:30:14.

underneath, and we ended up with a lovely ball like that, so I did not

:30:15.:30:18.

need any expensive equipment. This is my notebook and I've had it

:30:19.:30:36.

many years. I just... Things that I want to look for. When I come to

:30:37.:30:42.

Chelsea. This year I'm looking for smock primulas, I love primulas.

:30:43.:30:47.

I've not had success with roses growing over how archers so I'll be

:30:48.:30:50.

looking for some repeat flowering roses with a nice scent. So there's

:30:51.:30:57.

no one more excited than me, I'm off to Chelsea with my notebook, money

:30:58.:30:59.

in my back pocket. I'll be there. Mary, I'm lucky to have seen your

:31:00.:31:27.

garden first-hand, what a gorgeous garden it is. I see you've got your

:31:28.:31:34.

notebook. This is a recce trip? This is a recce trip, I'm looking for a

:31:35.:31:37.

climbing rose. Everybody loves arose, what is your personal take?

:31:38.:31:41.

Roses are such good value because they flower over a long period of

:31:42.:31:47.

time and, of course, the scent. The variety is incredible. Climbers,

:31:48.:31:53.

shrub roses, ground covering, there was always a place to squeeze in

:31:54.:31:57.

another. There is, you don't need a huge garden, they grow very well in

:31:58.:32:01.

pots, in a larger pot than you would normally see. These roses are grown

:32:02.:32:06.

in Hertfordshire, non-imported. Shall we checksum out?

:32:07.:32:17.

This is one of your favourites, isn't it, DeChambeau's beauty. I

:32:18.:32:24.

love it, look at the foliage, shiny bright green. -- chandos beauty.

:32:25.:32:36.

Smell that is that not divine? It's beauty! If you're growing a pot, you

:32:37.:32:40.

can put it in really good side and manage it as long as it is in a

:32:41.:32:45.

fairly sunny position and well watered, it's the perfect rose to

:32:46.:32:46.

have. Is the climbing rose what you are

:32:47.:32:57.

specifically looking for? It is, because we've got an arch, the rose

:32:58.:33:03.

is dead. I made mistakes in the past by having one that goes too high. I

:33:04.:33:08.

now know my art is eight feet and I have to find a rose that fits and

:33:09.:33:13.

will grow to that. Exactly the right approach because these growers grow

:33:14.:33:16.

them at certain heights, something like a Rambler will want to flower

:33:17.:33:21.

at the top, 40 feet up, you can't necessarily see the flowers. We've

:33:22.:33:24.

got Graham Thomas going up the front of the house and in March I take it

:33:25.:33:29.

right down on the ground. And prune it at the bottom, so you get flowers

:33:30.:33:33.

at the bottom, not up in the sky. Controlling where they are. At any

:33:34.:33:39.

of these caught your eye? I rather like this one, this Cumberland, it's

:33:40.:33:43.

got lots of lovely green foliage. It's a multiheaded, which I like.

:33:44.:33:50.

All of these bugs coming year, even behind you've got another set of

:33:51.:33:54.

buds, it's going to flower for ages. Also, when it's getting past its

:33:55.:33:58.

best it isn't all faded, it holds its colour. Is this the one, Mary?

:33:59.:34:02.

That's it, Cumberland. Mary is not the only one filling up

:34:03.:34:13.

her notebook, everyone you look at Chelsea there are people writing

:34:14.:34:16.

down the names of plants, taking photographs of plants.

:34:17.:34:24.

And for the Artisan gardens it's not just the plants that inspire,

:34:25.:34:27.

These are particularly important as the gardens tend to draw

:34:28.:34:32.

from history or heritage, as Nick Bailey is finding out over

:34:33.:34:35.

What I absolutely love about this garden is it the brilliant fusion

:34:36.:34:56.

between ancient and modern. It really embraces the idea that

:34:57.:34:59.

apothecaries of the past were looking for that great Alexia, being

:35:00.:35:03.

able to extract the power of plants. It is represented by this apothecary

:35:04.:35:07.

bench at the back. The garden takes you all the way through to modernity

:35:08.:35:13.

and the fact scientists and chemists are still looking for those magical

:35:14.:35:16.

powers and Alexia is we can draw out of plants. The planting in the

:35:17.:35:21.

garden is absolutely beautiful, quite a modern matrix. A real sort

:35:22.:35:26.

of fusion of different plants. There is a colour theme that pulls it all

:35:27.:35:29.

together but it's packed with useful medicinal plants. What I know right

:35:30.:35:35.

at the front here is used in traditional Chinese medicine, has

:35:36.:35:39.

been for over 1000 years. Smoke is produced from it. It's often used

:35:40.:35:47.

for chest conditions and the like. Growing just in front of it is

:35:48.:35:52.

something you might think of as a lawn weed, a British native that

:35:53.:35:56.

grows all over the UK, particularly in damp soil. It has medicinal

:35:57.:36:05.

applications. Eucalypt that comes from it is used to remove dirt from

:36:06.:36:10.

the eye in hospital. It can be used as a bulking agent, as laxative, so

:36:11.:36:14.

really useful plants. Traditional use and much more modern use. Over

:36:15.:36:21.

at the back digitalis, which has a long history of medicinal use.

:36:22.:36:26.

Healers were giving it to people with heart ailments. And today, the

:36:27.:36:31.

extract from it is still given to people. The planting has this fuzzy

:36:32.:36:38.

matrix, meadow quality to it which brings the whole garden together. I

:36:39.:36:43.

think it is very much deserved of the gold it's got. This really is

:36:44.:36:44.

picture perfect. No stranger to creating an Artisan

:36:45.:36:48.

picture-perfect postcard She currently holds gold

:36:49.:36:50.

medals in more categories This year she's taken

:36:51.:36:57.

on the challenge of creating two gardens, one inside

:36:58.:37:00.

the Great Pavilion for Hilliers nursery, and an Artisan garden

:37:01.:37:02.

here on Ranelagh Avenue. This isn't the first time you've

:37:03.:37:15.

done two. It's the third consecutive year. This is the year I wanted to

:37:16.:37:21.

get the treble double, so I had two gold medals in each of the previous

:37:22.:37:24.

two years. I achieved it, so a massive year for me. You've covered

:37:25.:37:30.

some serious mileage, between the two, any idea what you've done this

:37:31.:37:35.

year? I checked last night, done six and a quarter consecutive marathons.

:37:36.:37:40.

That's why you're looking so trim and fit. I have a track on my wrist,

:37:41.:37:47.

it sets off each day and tells me how many paces and how many

:37:48.:37:52.

marathons I've walked. You are the fittest person on-site. We've

:37:53.:37:55.

created this wonderful garden. You're such a versatile designer,

:37:56.:37:59.

just run us through the garden and how you had to apply your design

:38:00.:38:04.

skills. My sponsor asked me to choose a Mediterranean city of my

:38:05.:38:07.

choice, it had to be Barcelona. I love Barcelona, it's such a leader

:38:08.:38:14.

in the creative world. And has been historically. Antonio Goudie, the

:38:15.:38:18.

architect in Barcelona, is a hero of mine. -- Gaudi. This mosaic behind

:38:19.:38:30.

me is fantastic. You've done this sort of thing before. Do you get

:38:31.:38:34.

technicians in? I like Artisan Gardens to work with different

:38:35.:38:38.

Artisans and craftsmen. Last year I had two, this year I have two, want

:38:39.:38:44.

the mosaic, once the chair. I love working with craftspeople, because

:38:45.:38:47.

you get the best out of them. I don't fully understand the material.

:38:48.:38:51.

I know what I want to achieve. I know they'll take that perfection.

:38:52.:38:58.

You've got some wonderful specimens. Some of them are hardy, some of them

:38:59.:39:03.

we see in London, and down in warmer climates. There are also arid

:39:04.:39:07.

plants. This one is cold hardy as long as you keep it dry. And we have

:39:08.:39:12.

ones that are more robust and survive through the UK. It's all

:39:13.:39:16.

about drainage, they get wet through the winter, they are going to

:39:17.:39:19.

struggle. If you wrap them up through the winter, give them good

:39:20.:39:24.

drainage, they might get through. Absolutely. Lovely to see you. Maybe

:39:25.:39:29.

go for a little job later. You can join me.

:39:30.:39:30.

Sarah has used a variety of tender plants which would love to live

:39:31.:39:34.

in Parc de Guell in Barcelona, but of course this isn't Barcelona.

:39:35.:39:36.

In good ol' Blighty a plant has to be pretty resilient

:39:37.:39:39.

And a group who are keen to discover what is and isn't tough

:39:40.:39:46.

enough for the UK climate is the aptly-named

:39:47.:39:47.

I love hardy plants because there are so many different colours,

:39:48.:40:06.

varieties, heights. Anything you can imagine, you will find, really,

:40:07.:40:08.

within the spectrum of hardy plants. A hardy plant is defined as one that

:40:09.:40:23.

will survive to -15 degrees. In the winter you cut them back and in

:40:24.:40:27.

spring they come up and they're so fresh, they look like you've just

:40:28.:40:28.

planted them. My name's John McGee, I'm leading

:40:29.:40:38.

the team for Chelsea 2017 on behalf of Worcestershire hardy plant

:40:39.:40:41.

society. Daesh my name is Linda Marsh, now a garden designer, but I

:40:42.:40:45.

used to be an airline pilot, one of the first women in aviation flying

:40:46.:40:51.

for an airline. Perhaps being in the air, away from the Earth, you have

:40:52.:40:57.

that real connection when you come back and land. I know many pilots

:40:58.:41:02.

who actually have smallholdings, so there is definitely some connection.

:41:03.:41:06.

The society was formed in 1957 by four eminent Gardens to educate and

:41:07.:41:15.

inform an increase knowledge of her basis -- herbaceous perennials. We

:41:16.:41:18.

have over 7000 members today. There is a great community spirit in

:41:19.:41:31.

the group. We meet up once a month. Second Saturday every month. This

:41:32.:41:35.

gardening is quite addictive, though I've belong to the Worcestershire

:41:36.:41:39.

grip, I belong to three other gardening societies. There is no

:41:40.:41:43.

cure for the addiction unfortunately. Daesh we have a guest

:41:44.:41:47.

speaker followed by Britt freshman 's and a chat so we can catch up

:41:48.:41:51.

with what's doing well. Lots of outings through the plant society,

:41:52.:41:57.

autumn weekends, some days. Excellent. Meeting different people

:41:58.:42:02.

and talking plants is brilliant. We have a wide range of people in the

:42:03.:42:08.

group. We have held, probably in her early 80s, with the vast plant

:42:09.:42:12.

knowledge. Then we have just, who is 25 years of age. It's great to see

:42:13.:42:21.

that they work off each other. What's your favourite, Hilda? I love

:42:22.:42:30.

salvias. I love the smell. It really lifts you, the smell. Exhibit this

:42:31.:42:37.

year is important to us as a society, it's our 60th year. We have

:42:38.:42:42.

a wonderful group of people getting together to help do the stand for

:42:43.:42:45.

Chelsea. Some members are growing plants, there are members who have

:42:46.:42:49.

been coming up to tend the plants every week. We decided to have 60

:42:50.:42:55.

different types of plants to represent each year of the existence

:42:56.:43:03.

of the hardy plant society. The design for Chelsea was really to try

:43:04.:43:09.

and show people that we are a modern society moving forward. So we

:43:10.:43:14.

decided to use QR codes on all the plant labels so people could take

:43:15.:43:17.

their smartphone and a zap onto it and go immediately to the website

:43:18.:43:22.

and find out all they wanted to know about the plant. We also designed a

:43:23.:43:26.

rotating stand, so that not only do you see the relationship between the

:43:27.:43:30.

front plants and back plants, but you see how they relate to the other

:43:31.:43:37.

plants. John, of course will take all responsibility for the stand and

:43:38.:43:41.

its rotation. It's the first time within the pavilion they've used a

:43:42.:43:45.

rotating plants display, three metres in diameter. We've had to be

:43:46.:43:50.

aware that the motor will not overheat, because if that happens,

:43:51.:43:55.

the table will not turn. And we will not have a display.

:43:56.:44:11.

Look at that, amazing. Sale it's a hidden surprise when you look

:44:12.:44:16.

underneath the leaf, because it's a wood lander. That's super, really

:44:17.:44:24.

lovely job. Over the years the hardy plant society has won Medi medals.

:44:25.:44:29.

However this year if we win anything beyond Silver we'll be delighted.

:44:30.:44:35.

For us to be there is an experience of a lifetime. Chelsea's such a

:44:36.:44:38.

special show, I'm thrilled to be part of the team. I just hope we do

:44:39.:44:42.

very well. And hoping people will be really interested in joining the

:44:43.:44:47.

hardy plant society and enjoy seeing our stand. I mean it's all very

:44:48.:44:49.

exciting, isn't it? It works! We are pleased, we got a

:44:50.:45:05.

Silver medallists, we did not expect anything above a silver. The stand

:45:06.:45:10.

is stunning. You have some engineering in here. It is very

:45:11.:45:16.

simple, a gearbox and a wheel with 12 casters. Has it brought more

:45:17.:45:21.

exhibitors in? Are they drawn in by the movement? I think so. As the

:45:22.:45:28.

wheel goes round, it shakes slightly, so the grasses show up. It

:45:29.:45:36.

adds drama to the whole thing. It is great to see the society has got a

:45:37.:45:41.

big spread of age. Some societies are struggling. Yes, it is a shame,

:45:42.:45:49.

as it is the specialist societies, and we are herbaceous perennials,

:45:50.:45:53.

and we have nine specialist societies. Others could come in with

:45:54.:46:02.

us. We are not going cost is, but what about,? They are real doers.

:46:03.:46:13.

They are. We have the spotty dotty and the iris in a couple of weeks.

:46:14.:46:21.

The grasses will be here. And you see this a lot in the show gardens.

:46:22.:46:26.

It is a good filler. The bees love it. When we were putting together

:46:27.:46:32.

the stand, the bees were coming in, then they flew off when we turned

:46:33.:46:37.

the table. There are none at the moment. They can take extremities,

:46:38.:46:44.

down 2-15, but with the heat, they can cope as well, so maybe we will

:46:45.:46:52.

use more of them. And there is a broad range for all conditions. We

:46:53.:47:00.

will have to leave it there, but you got your hostas in!

:47:01.:47:09.

I'm joined now by award-winning journalist/broadcaster Kirsty Wark.

:47:10.:47:14.

I know this is your first Chelsea. Yes, but it will not be my last. It

:47:15.:47:23.

is extraordinary in its scope. I love that there are so many people

:47:24.:47:28.

who are clearly such passionate gardeners, they spend time coming

:47:29.:47:32.

here, picking up tips, writing things down, I have been writing

:47:33.:47:36.

things down. It is a very British thing. Do you have a garden of your

:47:37.:47:44.

own? My garden is a small walled garden in Glasgow. It is at the back

:47:45.:47:48.

of the house. The front is pleasure gardens. The back garden has these

:47:49.:47:55.

wonderful old hoops, because the washing was hung out, it was not a

:47:56.:48:01.

garden to be satin by the owners. But the legacy has been a beautiful

:48:02.:48:08.

laurel tree, which we have built on. We have to drain it, because it was

:48:09.:48:11.

damp, and we put down Caithness flags and margins stones from beside

:48:12.:48:19.

the Clyde, which is where the wharf 's work that people left to emigrate

:48:20.:48:23.

from Glasgow. Those footsteps are still treading in the garden.

:48:24.:48:28.

Members of my family emigrated to what was then Rhodesia and also to

:48:29.:48:32.

Australia. It is wonderful to have some in the garden, you know people

:48:33.:48:40.

stepped on them going to new lives. Gardens are like onion skins, you

:48:41.:48:46.

are just one more layer. People talk about the house when you sell it,

:48:47.:48:50.

but you want to pass on, these flowers will come out in June... It

:48:51.:48:55.

is nice to have a surprise, but I want people to know what is in your

:48:56.:49:00.

garden. Did you have anything to do with gardening when you were growing

:49:01.:49:04.

up? I was in gardens or the time, if the weather was good, fertile

:49:05.:49:11.

territory. My family were early fruit growers in the 1800 and

:49:12.:49:20.

before, and in 1850 my great-grandfather was -- went to a

:49:21.:49:23.

fruit broker in Glasgow, and he said, but everything under glass. So

:49:24.:49:29.

he put acres under glass. I grew up in tomato houses, and I remember my

:49:30.:49:37.

great uncle 's had his coat on and they would take a poke, a paper

:49:38.:49:42.

poke, and in it would be salt-and-pepper, and they would open

:49:43.:49:46.

the tomato and put salt-and-pepper on it and you would eat the tomato

:49:47.:49:50.

is a fresh. We would have tomato so much all the time. We used to have

:49:51.:49:56.

tomato some watches. White bread, tomatoes, and the juice soaked in.

:49:57.:50:03.

My hands are like my grandfather's. Jamjar Hans! What are you looking

:50:04.:50:12.

for? You have resisted Chelsea for all of these years, what are you

:50:13.:50:16.

looking for? I have a lot of white in the garden, and I have a lovely

:50:17.:50:21.

Philadelphus, which has taken off, but I am looking for more colour. I

:50:22.:50:26.

loved dog rose. I want to introduce more colour. This one is beautiful.

:50:27.:50:33.

I am going to try and find one of those. There are tens of thousands

:50:34.:50:39.

of the best plants that have ever been grown here. I will go on a

:50:40.:50:45.

hunt. This is another dog rose? This is rambling Rector. It is beautiful.

:50:46.:50:51.

You have a connection to this garden. I have been involved with

:50:52.:51:02.

Maggie's for over 20 years. It is so much part of the whole firmament of

:51:03.:51:08.

how we live and thrive with cancer. It is wonderful to be in this

:51:09.:51:13.

garden, it has so many of the hallmarks, tranquillity, privacy,

:51:14.:51:18.

water, and I think of gardens as healing places anyway. You are

:51:19.:51:24.

involved in elections and all of the affairs of Government and life and

:51:25.:51:28.

state, you have talked about the chant quality of your garden, do you

:51:29.:51:31.

think gardens are important as places to retreat to? Particularly

:51:32.:51:36.

in times of crisis, I know in times of bereavement I have always gone to

:51:37.:51:42.

the garden. For people who cannot have a garden, the importance of

:51:43.:51:46.

wide-open spaces in towns and cities that are nurtured and cared for. I

:51:47.:51:53.

hate to think of cuts to gardening, because they bring apprentices on,

:51:54.:51:57.

people find employment, people volunteer in gardens, I walk past a

:51:58.:52:02.

lot and and think, this is fantastic, people can come to their

:52:03.:52:06.

allotment and see them thrive. We will ask you to look around, enjoy

:52:07.:52:12.

your first Chelsea and choose a cute things that are really special. What

:52:13.:52:13.

a treat. Now out, of the six gold

:52:14.:52:22.

medal-winning Artisan garden designs here at the Chelsea Flower Show,

:52:23.:52:24.

only one could be chosen as the best We were there to capture the moment

:52:25.:52:27.

the RHS handed out the award. I am delighted to announce that you

:52:28.:52:37.

have received the best Artisan Garden in the show today, so many

:52:38.:52:41.

congratulations, the first recipient of that beautiful box. Many

:52:42.:52:46.

congratulations, everyone. Our best Artisan Garden. Beautiful.

:52:47.:52:56.

Congratulations. It is the big one again. Smashed it again! Two years

:52:57.:53:07.

ago you got gold and Best In Show, but before that you got a Q Silvers,

:53:08.:53:11.

so you have nailed it now, you know what it takes. I got there in the

:53:12.:53:16.

end, really pleased with it. You are not here every year. I am a biannual

:53:17.:53:24.

designer. It is a fabulous garden, everybody is talking about it, the

:53:25.:53:28.

industrial landscape. Have you sourced all of the bits and pieces?

:53:29.:53:33.

I was fortunate enough to get the crane, because my grandfather had

:53:34.:53:37.

bought it for two or 50 years ago, and when I went to look at it it was

:53:38.:53:42.

immersed in nature, branches had grown through it, it planted the

:53:43.:53:47.

seed of the garden, it germinated over 18 months, we used the crane

:53:48.:53:52.

throughout. This was onside in the nursery? And old swamp area, we

:53:53.:53:58.

would go there as kids. I salvaged it in the winter months, chopping

:53:59.:54:03.

bits out. It was a bit of a mission. Is it the whole thing, the concept

:54:04.:54:09.

of the industrial landscape? It is not where nature has taken over,

:54:10.:54:13.

somebody has God and this. The brief was that people were living in

:54:14.:54:19.

warehouse accommodation and they had commissioned a designer to build a

:54:20.:54:23.

garden for relaxation, so it does not have weeds, it is quite plush.

:54:24.:54:29.

You are celebrating the heritage. A lot of these warehouse blogs that

:54:30.:54:33.

are being converted often get rid of the landscape outside. 100%. It

:54:34.:54:39.

would be great to incorporate this. Yes, try to create an atmosphere,

:54:40.:54:45.

curiosity, the industrial heritage. It fits in with the Artisan

:54:46.:54:49.

category. You are celebrating conifers, not many people here are.

:54:50.:54:53.

You put them together so beautifully. Our heritage and the

:54:54.:55:00.

nursery is is growing pines and conifers, but I pick the textual

:55:01.:55:04.

bonds to relate to the material colour. Some are windswept, so they

:55:05.:55:11.

give the garden a bit more which in depth and height. You borrowed the

:55:12.:55:18.

landscape beyond, you have not put a boundary, it look like it goes on.

:55:19.:55:23.

The location was perfect for the garden, because there are no

:55:24.:55:26.

boundaries, it is like a section of a larger garden. Lovely, great to

:55:27.:55:29.

see you, and congratulations again. Before we come to the end of today's

:55:30.:55:34.

show we just want to remind you that time is running out to vote

:55:35.:55:38.

for your favourite large show garden in this year's BBC RHS

:55:39.:55:43.

People's Choice Award. Details of all the gardens and how

:55:44.:55:47.

to cast your vote are on our Voting closes tonight at 9:30pm

:55:48.:55:50.

and the winner will be revealed tomorrow evening

:55:51.:55:58.

on BBC One at 7:30pm. Ruth asks, usually there is a plan

:55:59.:56:09.

that keeps popping up at the Chelsea Flower Show, what is this year's?

:56:10.:56:16.

How about shaggy box? Four years you see box plants clipped and trained

:56:17.:56:23.

and repeated, but this year, two or three gardens have got quite a lot

:56:24.:56:27.

of shaggy uncut box, it is new, and good.

:56:28.:56:34.

It looks great. We are on trend! How many lipids have you seen?

:56:35.:56:38.

Lot. They look great, they have gone so

:56:39.:56:42.

out of fashion, but they are back again.

:56:43.:56:46.

Is that because there is a nursery growing lots of them and everybody

:56:47.:56:50.

has gone there, or is it just coincidence?

:56:51.:56:55.

That can sometimes be the reason, but this year the sources are

:56:56.:56:58.

different, the designers are asking for them from different sources, so

:56:59.:57:02.

there is something in the zeitgeist. And we are there! We have had a lot

:57:03.:57:09.

of tweets asking what the tall white planned is behind us.

:57:10.:57:17.

A fabulous plant, I grow it. Just touches with pink. It can grow up to

:57:18.:57:23.

six feet tall, really dramatic, and it has strong square stems. It is a

:57:24.:57:32.

perennial. A really good planned. I like this hashtag!

:57:33.:57:35.

Well, that's it from Chelsea tonight, but we'll be back tomorrow

:57:36.:57:39.

on BBC Two looking at what we can draw from this year's show

:57:40.:57:42.

And we have a very special treat in store as Ellie Harrison

:57:43.:57:46.

is going to share her thoughts on wildlife gardening.

:57:47.:57:53.

Plus, we look at some of the fabulous fauna joining

:57:54.:57:55.

Nicki and James are back at 3:45pm on BBC One,

:57:56.:58:07.

so until, then it's goodbye from all the team at Chelsea.

:58:08.:58:11.

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