:00:00. > :00:08.A heady scent of flowers, a sea of beautiful gardens
:00:09. > :00:16.It can only mean one thing - The greatest flower show
:00:17. > :00:23.It's a star-studded occasion with the gardening glitterati
:00:24. > :00:26.and press in full attendance for the first look at the
:00:27. > :00:30.We'll be bringing you exclusive coverage of all the glitz
:00:31. > :00:33.and glamour as we explore the stunning gardens and the floral
:00:34. > :00:38.festival taking place inside the Great Pavilion.
:00:39. > :00:42.So sit back and relax, as we've got your VIP pass
:00:43. > :01:17.Welcome to the 2017 RHS Chelsea Flower Show,
:01:18. > :01:20.an event supported by M Investments.
:01:21. > :01:24.The party is in full swing on Main Avenue as the gardens
:01:25. > :01:27.and exhibits celebrate the show's opening day.
:01:28. > :01:30.The gardens are looking magnificent in the sunshine, and today
:01:31. > :01:38.we will take you for a look at some of these incredible creations.
:01:39. > :01:41.Coming up, we'll be meeting some of the green-fingered celebrities
:01:42. > :01:44.who make this annual pilgrimage to discover the very latest trends
:01:45. > :01:50.Carol Klein takes us on a plant safari around the Great Pavilion,
:01:51. > :01:55.which is brimming with floral perfection.
:01:56. > :01:58.And Frances Tophill joins Chelsea Pensioner Barbra Whilds
:01:59. > :02:01.on a tour of the showground as they hunt
:02:02. > :02:16.I did he want to get in touch with us you can tweak us at hashtag BBC
:02:17. > :02:19.Chelsea. But before we get started,
:02:20. > :03:31.a taste of excitement Chelsea has a carnival atmosphere.
:03:32. > :03:35.Right now famous faces and VIPs are flooding into the showground. They
:03:36. > :03:40.make a beeline for Main Avenue which is where the large gardens are and
:03:41. > :03:46.where some of the best designers show off their skills. I am standing
:03:47. > :03:50.in the Welcome to Yorkshire garden. They are trying to cut and paste an
:03:51. > :03:55.ecosystem from hundreds of miles away, lift it up and drop it into
:03:56. > :04:00.urban London and hope you suspend your disbelief. They are doing it in
:04:01. > :04:04.clever ways. Hidden in this undergrowth believe it or not is
:04:05. > :04:09.speaker which is piping out the sounds of the Yorkshire coast line.
:04:10. > :04:14.Things like seagulls and rippling waves. They are not just audible but
:04:15. > :04:22.visual as well. This water feature is rippling waves to mimic the
:04:23. > :04:28.coastline. They are doing it by a nautical buoy which is bobbing up
:04:29. > :04:33.and down. There is this incredible intention to detail which Chelsea is
:04:34. > :04:37.all about. We will be following this garden's journey to Chelsea and
:04:38. > :04:38.interviewing its designer Tracy Foster on tonight's BBC Two
:04:39. > :04:41.programme. We have an exciting new element
:04:42. > :04:44.to the showground this year. To mark their 50th Birthday,
:04:45. > :04:46.BBC Radio 2 has teamed up with the RHS to create
:04:47. > :04:49.a new category of gardens. There are five of them,
:04:50. > :04:55.each designed to celebrate the five senses - taste,
:04:56. > :04:59.touch, smell, sight and sound. And many of the familiar faces
:05:00. > :05:18.from Radio 2 are here I was lucky to join in the hubbub
:05:19. > :05:23.when I caught up with Jeremy Vine earlier.
:05:24. > :05:28.You have all created these fantastic gardens celebrating the senses and
:05:29. > :05:33.this is all about touch? Yes, there are five senses and five gardens. We
:05:34. > :05:39.think ours is the guest. We are trying not to say too loudly! You
:05:40. > :05:45.can plunge your hand here into these pines. It is a cloud pruned pine.
:05:46. > :05:52.The designer has done what I asked. You can fall into the river here and
:05:53. > :05:59.here, this is the Bali sensation. You imagine URA filed running
:06:00. > :06:04.through Bali. This is the any bit which is hard to plunge or hand
:06:05. > :06:09.into. Did you get involved with the planting and the selection of the
:06:10. > :06:15.flowers? Inode Jo Wiley was here all week in the pouring rain getting
:06:16. > :06:24.down and dirty. What did you plant? Let me just show you. This plant
:06:25. > :06:29.here I planted. I spoke to the designer, a very talented man and he
:06:30. > :06:42.said to me, ask Jeremy what is it called. It is called Canon's den.
:06:43. > :06:48.Nearly! Canon's went. Was this the only one you did? I get tripped up
:06:49. > :06:52.all the time on the names. We can appreciate the beauty. It will be so
:06:53. > :06:58.popular not just today but for the rest of the week. Matt has done a
:06:59. > :07:02.great job. You can use your touch sense here. That tree has bark
:07:03. > :07:09.peeling off it rather like crepe paper. You can really feel it is
:07:10. > :07:13.like a great experience. It certainly has the feel-good factor.
:07:14. > :07:19.Enjoy your garden and the rest of the show. Jeremy, thank you.
:07:20. > :07:28.It looks like Nicki had loads of fun chatting with Jeremy Vine here
:07:29. > :07:37.earlier. James, how long has it been? It is probably 18 years. This
:07:38. > :07:42.is so brave and different, tell me about it. The idea is it is a
:07:43. > :07:47.Soundgarden. How do you get sound into Gardens? You can either play
:07:48. > :07:51.live music which will frighten the horses or you can have whispering
:07:52. > :07:56.grasses. The other thing about Chelsea is it is to do new and
:07:57. > :08:01.exciting things. The idea is we are standing in a woodland glade with
:08:02. > :08:06.soft planting around it but you look closer and it is not quite what you
:08:07. > :08:13.expected. I love that. There is so much more to this garden than meets
:08:14. > :08:20.the eye. You think you get it and then you suddenly notice it. In here
:08:21. > :08:25.are speakers. That is where the sound comes from. If you play
:08:26. > :08:28.certain frequencies of sound through water it makes different patterns.
:08:29. > :08:35.It has all been programmed by some very clever, very young sound
:08:36. > :08:39.artists. Some of these are like ice crystals rippling across the surface
:08:40. > :08:45.and others are very loud. It is like taking the base out. Now it is doing
:08:46. > :08:49.something different. It is doing weird things! It looks like Jack
:08:50. > :08:54.Frost is painting live over the surface and then it looks like fish
:08:55. > :08:58.jumping up and down. It is really dramatic. To be able to turn sound
:08:59. > :09:03.into a visual form is something I have not seen before. It is fun.
:09:04. > :09:08.Essentially what we are doing is creating a show, a visual spectacle
:09:09. > :09:10.so you have to create sound you can see. We have a strip of gravel which
:09:11. > :09:26.people can put their foot and there is a vibration
:09:27. > :09:28.which travels up your leg. If you go to a concert and you stand slightly
:09:29. > :09:31.too close to a speaker sound, you feel the music. Here, you are
:09:32. > :09:34.feeling it and seeing it but you can't hear it. You can roughly hear
:09:35. > :09:40.it. It is quite low. You can feel it and then you see it. On top of that,
:09:41. > :09:43.the planting is spectacular. I have an amazing planting team who were
:09:44. > :09:48.helping me. As you know with Chelsea, it is not just one person.
:09:49. > :09:53.I had very talented sound artists who helped me with the speakers and
:09:54. > :09:58.a team who helped me put this whole vision together. My brief was to
:09:59. > :10:02.create a slightly sinister slightly spectral woodland and I think that
:10:03. > :10:04.is what we have. It is spectacular. If there is one garden to see at
:10:05. > :10:11.Chelsea this year, it is this one. The Chelsea Flower Show attracts
:10:12. > :10:13.designers and growers from all over the world,
:10:14. > :10:15.and the show's international influences can be seen
:10:16. > :10:17.throughout the gardens. This is the Hagakure,
:10:18. > :10:19.the hidden leaves garden. Hagakure means leaves and tree
:10:20. > :10:21.shade, and expresses The white in the design symbolises
:10:22. > :10:28.purity and sacredness in Japan. And this plant, Cornus kousa,
:10:29. > :10:33.is covered in these white flowers which is symbolic
:10:34. > :10:55.of monks' clothing. I am sitting on a mattress, which is
:10:56. > :11:00.a traditional flooring bedding made of Rush and straw.
:11:01. > :11:04.The designer wanted to emulate the nature and environment
:11:05. > :11:06.in which he grew up using plants like Iris japonica and
:11:07. > :11:19.It is peaceful and beautiful. Chelsea has a truly international
:11:20. > :11:28.flavour. And thanks to a long line
:11:29. > :11:31.of intrepid plant hunters, every garden is filled with flowers
:11:32. > :11:34.and fauna from around the world. Throughout the week, our very
:11:35. > :11:37.own plant hunter Carol Klein will be touring the Great Pavilion looking
:11:38. > :11:52.into the origin of some Africa is such a huge continent,
:11:53. > :11:54.varied and exciting. It has given us some of our most scintillating and
:11:55. > :12:07.vibrant plants. What could be more British than a
:12:08. > :12:13.good old geranium? My grandad grew them and I bet yours did as well! In
:12:14. > :12:18.actual fact, they are not geraniums at all, they are pelargoniums, and
:12:19. > :12:24.they take their name from the Greek word for a stalk because their seed
:12:25. > :12:29.head resembles a stalk's bill. Although there have been cultivated
:12:30. > :12:35.here for more than 400 years, they are definitely not British. They are
:12:36. > :12:42.almost all from South Africa. They love the conditions they find there,
:12:43. > :12:47.hot, dry and sunny. In the wild there are more than 200 species of
:12:48. > :12:53.Patagonian 's. They're a more than 16,000 cultivars. They really land
:12:54. > :12:58.themselves to hybridisation, but the thing that the great majority have
:12:59. > :13:09.in common are the sizzling colours of their homeland. In my youth, you
:13:10. > :13:15.seldom saw an ad the Pampas, but in the last 20 years or so, their
:13:16. > :13:22.fortunes have really changed -- Agapanthus. Some people grow them in
:13:23. > :13:26.their gardens, some people have them in and out of the greenhouse and
:13:27. > :13:30.just have them outside for a glorious summer display. In almost
:13:31. > :13:36.all cases, they are blue, with flowers as blue as an African sky
:13:37. > :13:46.and it is that blue that seduces us all to growing them in our British
:13:47. > :13:51.gardens. There are lots of African plants that seem really exotic, but
:13:52. > :14:00.there are few amongst their number that we take for granted. Plants
:14:01. > :14:05.like red-hot poker is, or as I preferred to call them, Torch
:14:06. > :14:13.lilies. But in actual fact, we should be celebrating them. Some are
:14:14. > :14:18.small and dainty, some are huge, fiery torches. Isn't it about time
:14:19. > :14:25.we brought them out from the wings and into the limelight. From
:14:26. > :14:29.pelargoniums to Agapanthus and so many other plants, we gardeners
:14:30. > :14:39.should really say a huge thank you to Africa.
:14:40. > :14:44.The international flavour continues in the Great Pavilion.
:14:45. > :14:45.Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden have
:14:46. > :14:51.This is their 42nd year at the show, and over the past 42 years they've
:14:52. > :14:56.been awarded a staggering 34 gold medals.
:14:57. > :14:58.This year's exhibit showcases South Africa's rich
:14:59. > :15:13.James, standing here, this display is quite remarkable, isn't it? It is
:15:14. > :15:18.just a spectacular. It transports you to the other side of the world,
:15:19. > :15:22.but there are individual ingredients you can experiment even someone like
:15:23. > :15:29.the UK. For example, these at the front, the pink lilac and white
:15:30. > :15:34.flowers, you conceive those in hanging baskets, they are super easy
:15:35. > :15:41.to grow, namesia. And what about these? Tricky in the UK, most
:15:42. > :15:45.standard advice says that you have to grow them in a greenhouse and
:15:46. > :15:51.bring them indoors during cold weather, but I have a friend who is
:15:52. > :15:57.growing this at altitude in North Wales, and the secret is to keep the
:15:58. > :16:09.roots dry in winter. And this is a beauty. This is spectacular, and
:16:10. > :16:18.what I love about South African plants, day look beautiful. Restios
:16:19. > :16:25.are another. A reader viewer has written into ask about watering
:16:26. > :16:29.cacti. Always let them dry out, and maybe when they are thoroughly dry,
:16:30. > :16:34.water them again, I water mine once a month. Thank you very much, James.
:16:35. > :16:36.For all of the international exhibitors and visitors,
:16:37. > :16:38.the Chelsea Flower Show still remains a quintessentially
:16:39. > :16:41.And what could be more British than the sight
:16:42. > :16:43.of the Chelsea Pensioners wearing their iconic scarlet
:16:44. > :16:53.Margery and Arthur, thank you for joining us today. It is an exciting
:16:54. > :16:57.day, and we have borrowed your grounds for the week. In actual
:16:58. > :17:04.fact, it is a lot longer than that. What other highlights for you? The
:17:05. > :17:07.flower show has been here, it is like having friends and family
:17:08. > :17:14.coming back to us. Do look forward to it single year? Every year, it is
:17:15. > :17:18.such an event, and it is known throughout the world and it is great
:17:19. > :17:23.to be a part of. The highlight of the year, absolutely. You are going
:17:24. > :17:28.to enjoy it with the rest of us the whole week, and you? Definitely. And
:17:29. > :17:30.we are going to have sunshine! Thank you.
:17:31. > :17:33.These retired service men and women live in the Royal Hospital building,
:17:34. > :17:35.and it's in the grounds of the hospital that
:17:36. > :17:38.Yesterday, Gardeners' World presenter Frances Tophill
:17:39. > :17:41.went to meet one of the veterans on their allotment here on site
:17:42. > :17:53.to see how this year's show could inspire them.
:17:54. > :18:02.Barbara, hello. What an incredible space this series. So many
:18:03. > :18:05.allotments, right in the centre of London and right by the Chelsea
:18:06. > :18:15.Flower Show. It is amazing and wonderful. This is mine. I have
:18:16. > :18:19.autumn fruiting raspberries on the way, some are fruiting raspberries,
:18:20. > :18:24.blackberries, goose breeze, and some pink currents. I have never grown
:18:25. > :18:28.one of those, and you have loads of fruit is already falling on the
:18:29. > :18:31.vines. You have everything I could imagine being fitted into such a
:18:32. > :18:36.small space, but there are few things like strawberries are not
:18:37. > :18:41.here. Is there a reason for that? I haven't really got the ground space.
:18:42. > :18:45.And things like tomatoes. Let's see if we can find some varieties next
:18:46. > :18:46.door that would fit in amongst all of this. Yes. That would be
:18:47. > :18:58.brilliant. What you make of this one, Barbara?
:18:59. > :19:02.It is wonderful. All of the different colours and the different
:19:03. > :19:15.leaves, wonderful. Every allotment here would hope for a plot like
:19:16. > :19:22.this. Definitely. If you were in two minds about growing strawberries, I
:19:23. > :19:24.bet this changes your mind. The smell coming from these is
:19:25. > :19:31.fantastic, isn't it? This one is called Fenella, and it is good for a
:19:32. > :19:37.wet summer, it doesn't watch like some of the others. But this one,
:19:38. > :19:42.Cupid, is a more compact version, you could grow that in a container
:19:43. > :19:47.and maybe hang it from the vines. We have managed to add strawberries to
:19:48. > :19:48.your allotment. Let's see if we can find something else to really finish
:19:49. > :19:56.it off. Can I persuade you to try a tomato?
:19:57. > :20:16.This one is called Cherry baby. It's sweet. That is a really good
:20:17. > :20:24.tomato! Definitely worth growing, I would say. But it is quite big, and
:20:25. > :20:29.I know that space is an issue. So this one, patio plum, isn't it
:20:30. > :20:34.unusual? It grows in a pot like that, and it will keep on cropping
:20:35. > :20:39.until December if you want it to, so really prolific. So hopefully you
:20:40. > :20:42.have had some inspiration to make your allotment even more productive
:20:43. > :20:46.and grow even more different things. I certainly have, and thank you very
:20:47. > :20:48.much for showing me. Lovely to meet you, and I hope you enjoy the rest
:20:49. > :20:58.of the show. There is such an extraordinary
:20:59. > :21:00.wealth of information here, not only in terms of how plants look but also
:21:01. > :21:03.how they taste. This area of London has a long
:21:04. > :21:09.horticultural history. The nearby Chelsea Physic Garden
:21:10. > :21:10.was founded in 1673 to train apothecaries in the identification
:21:11. > :21:14.and use of medicinal plants. Former head gardener
:21:15. > :21:16.of the Physic Garden and Chelsea designer Nick Bailey is exploring
:21:17. > :21:19.a fresh garden that celebrates those ancient medicinal plants
:21:20. > :21:38.with a contemporary twist. Chelsea Flower Show is famous for
:21:39. > :21:46.ornamental plants, but this year I'm excited to discover a garden that
:21:47. > :21:53.focuses on plant loop was medicinal qualities. Catherine, this is a
:21:54. > :22:00.beautiful garden. But it is about more than just the aesthetics,
:22:01. > :22:05.right? Yes, it is about a journey of discovery of Ben Branson, the
:22:06. > :22:10.founder. He discovered this book, the art of distillation, published
:22:11. > :22:16.in 1651. He bought himself a copper still and started experimenting with
:22:17. > :22:22.plants in his garden, and he developed the world's first
:22:23. > :22:25.nonalcoholic spirit. And the garden has a distinctive modern element in
:22:26. > :22:28.the materials and structure, and very much a traditional element on
:22:29. > :22:36.the other side. What is the driver behind that? This whole journey was
:22:37. > :22:42.from 1651 through modern times, and we have an abstract interpretation
:22:43. > :22:49.of 17th-century apothecary here, and on the other side, the copper work
:22:50. > :22:57.is kept all shiny and new, and we have lab equipment and modern-day
:22:58. > :23:04.distillation. And these slice throughs of plant specimens. This is
:23:05. > :23:10.through oak, and then we have pine and also Flax. Looking across the
:23:11. > :23:13.garden, it is not just the structures and the ornamentation,
:23:14. > :23:21.but also the planting. What has driven that? Copper is important to
:23:22. > :23:26.alchemists, and if you look at the garden in plan view, we have a cross
:23:27. > :23:29.and three lines that represent the chemical symbol for copper, and
:23:30. > :23:34.moving forward, it has been essential to the process of
:23:35. > :23:37.distillation. Why is copper significant in distillation, what
:23:38. > :23:45.qualities does it have? It has a fantastic conductivity, so it heats
:23:46. > :23:49.very quickly, and it is therefore very useful in the process of
:23:50. > :23:53.distillation. Catherine, just looking at the palate you have got
:23:54. > :24:00.here, this is a really interesting mix. We have the plant here that has
:24:01. > :24:05.been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over a thousand years.
:24:06. > :24:10.It is used for ailments of the liver and kidney. And the garden has a
:24:11. > :24:16.range of more modern medicinal plants. Yes, we have plantain. And
:24:17. > :24:19.this is something you would find growing in your lawn, it is a
:24:20. > :24:22.British native. It is, and it is nice to have it here, sometimes
:24:23. > :24:27.people recognise it from their childhood, but this has been found
:24:28. > :24:33.useful to remove dirt from the RA, but also potential use in treatment
:24:34. > :24:39.for cancer. Catherine, thank you, that has been a fantastic insight
:24:40. > :24:41.into this fusion of ancient and modern traditional plants and modern
:24:42. > :24:43.plants used in medicine. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
:24:44. > :24:54.Goodbye. This digitalis typifies the garden.
:24:55. > :24:58.It was used historically by healers to deal with heart elements, and it
:24:59. > :25:01.has made its way all the way through to modern medicine where it is used
:25:02. > :25:05.in the same way, and it is a great reminder to us that plants are not
:25:06. > :25:07.just about aesthetics and food, they also deliver some of our most
:25:08. > :25:18.important medicines. You don't have to be a horticultural
:25:19. > :25:24.expert for gardens to really move you. What I love about Chelsea is
:25:25. > :25:29.that every year it serves as an inspiration for a whole new
:25:30. > :25:38.generation of gardeners. One of those gardeners here today is Trevor
:25:39. > :25:43.Nelson. So you are new to gardening? I am absolutely new to gardening,
:25:44. > :25:49.but I have had gardens, but I haven't used them. I took it for
:25:50. > :25:52.granted I had a garden, got a garden around, did it, never went out
:25:53. > :25:56.there. For someone like me who can't imagine not being interested in
:25:57. > :25:58.plants, I think it's fascinating that you can suddenly develop this
:25:59. > :26:04.passion so quickly. How does that happen? I have fallen in love with
:26:05. > :26:08.looking at gardens. It really hit me last year watching the coverage that
:26:09. > :26:12.I have to come here and come to the Chelsea Flower Show, I can't believe
:26:13. > :26:16.I'm saying that, and now I am here I am loving it. There is a big synergy
:26:17. > :26:21.between music and gardening, one of my favourite landscape architects
:26:22. > :26:24.said something like, architecture and landscape architecture is just
:26:25. > :26:28.frozen music. You're supposed to have all the same principles, the
:26:29. > :26:33.same rhythm and tempo and texture, just frozen into a three-dimensional
:26:34. > :26:36.space. We are at the Artisan gardens here. From up music point of view,
:26:37. > :26:51.what you think? So, this is your favourite. Yes, it
:26:52. > :26:59.is. What musical genre does this conjure up for you? Because it has a
:27:00. > :27:06.contemporary twist, I would say cool R You have got the water feature,
:27:07. > :27:12.the canopy, you are secluded. Because it is so well-stocked, you
:27:13. > :27:17.feel you are in a bigger there are so many plants. It is kind of
:27:18. > :27:24.contemporary, but it is also nostalgic and the types of materials
:27:25. > :27:36.and plants here. A mash up garden! I am learning how to be cool today!
:27:37. > :27:43.What you think about this one? Definitely more traditional, looks a
:27:44. > :27:46.bit wilder. Attached to a cottage in the country. You were talking about
:27:47. > :27:59.musically? Folk. So what kind of music do you think
:28:00. > :28:08.about this one? Jazz, but not jazz as you know it. 80s jazz. Very sexy,
:28:09. > :28:13.very polished, very perfect. I think you have hit the nail on the head.
:28:14. > :28:16.They have a forensic level of detail, there is not a single piece
:28:17. > :28:21.of dust, and it is something you only get to see a Chelsea. It needs
:28:22. > :28:22.to be framed and you pick it up and walk away and hang it on your wall.
:28:23. > :28:34.It is great. Is there anything you have taken
:28:35. > :28:38.away from this year's Chelsea? Ideas, ideas and more ideas. You
:28:39. > :28:42.walk around and think, I want that and I want that. I have enjoyed it,
:28:43. > :28:55.I want to come back next year. Mark, we have been enjoying you an
:28:56. > :28:59.Gardeners' World, and we are enjoying you here at Chelsea again.
:29:00. > :29:04.Are you looking forward to the showground on the exhibits? There is
:29:05. > :29:07.just so much to see, so much inspiration and colour and texture,
:29:08. > :29:13.so many things to take home. Your face is a light already! There is so
:29:14. > :29:18.much to see, but is there one thing you are looking out for this year? I
:29:19. > :29:24.am, looking at Meadow type planting. I have an orchard at home, and it is
:29:25. > :29:28.about 20 metres by ten metres, not too big at all, and last year we let
:29:29. > :29:32.the grass go along and it looked wonderful, but we felt we needed to
:29:33. > :29:36.add some colour, so it is interesting to see this year quite a
:29:37. > :29:39.lot of Meadow planting going on, and it is interesting to see which
:29:40. > :29:44.colours have been used in the grasses as well, so we have some
:29:45. > :29:48.nice muted colours which are brilliant for calming, relaxing
:29:49. > :29:51.moods, and then also some that are really quite bright and
:29:52. > :29:55.effervescent, and that just lifts our mood and we have that behind us
:29:56. > :29:59.as well. Yes, you look at this display and you just smile, don't
:30:00. > :30:04.you? You really do. How important is that when you are thinking of
:30:05. > :30:09.planning a garden or window box? What can we look out for, those soft
:30:10. > :30:13.rules to think, every time I look at that, will make a difference? The
:30:14. > :30:18.main thing is to keep it simple and just mix up the textures. Sometimes
:30:19. > :30:23.it is easy to go to a garden centre or nursery and work out some
:30:24. > :30:31.grasses, and then just some annuals. Put in some cornflowers, wonderful
:30:32. > :30:36.bright blue. It lifts your mood, and it also calms, as well. Blue is a
:30:37. > :30:40.wonderful colours are doing that. Then you can intersperse white and
:30:41. > :30:45.yellow and red, and before you know it, you have a lovely mix of colours
:30:46. > :30:49.going on. So every time you look at, whether it is on your windowsill or
:30:50. > :30:53.balcony or wherever it might be, it will just lift your mood
:30:54. > :30:58.straightaway. Health benefits, so important. They really are
:30:59. > :31:01.important. I know first-hand how important it really is to have an
:31:02. > :31:06.outdoor space or even just some greenery and some flowers, and
:31:07. > :31:11.again, whether that is just on a small balcony or even in your
:31:12. > :31:14.garden. Use it and enjoy it! We will be catching up with you tomorrow
:31:15. > :31:22.night on BBC Two, so we look forward to that.
:31:23. > :31:29.Too many people press day is all about the celebrities. But for me
:31:30. > :31:34.the real celebrities are the large show Gardens and the designers who
:31:35. > :31:39.create them. To get an opportunity to get in each of the divine is a
:31:40. > :31:52.bit better we will find out what makes them tick.
:31:53. > :32:03.I Andrew Wilson. And I am Gavin Williams. The three words which
:32:04. > :32:08.describe me are calm, collected and amusing. I'm volatile, exciting and
:32:09. > :32:13.angry most of the time! No, not really!
:32:14. > :32:20.I chose to work in garden design because it brought together fine
:32:21. > :32:25.art, graphic design and a passionate love of the landscape and I wanted
:32:26. > :32:30.to design beautiful things to share with people. We produce simple,
:32:31. > :32:35.elegant spacious designs. We also like to push the boundaries slightly
:32:36. > :32:39.and produce thought-provoking work as well. My top tip for garden
:32:40. > :32:43.design is always to keep things simple. I think that is the essence
:32:44. > :32:50.of good design, it is the distillation to produce something
:32:51. > :32:55.simple. Congratulations on an incredible garden. It is called
:32:56. > :33:00.Breaking Cammack Road ground. How has it been for you? It has been
:33:01. > :33:05.surprisingly good. We were concerned about the integration of all the
:33:06. > :33:08.elements. It was about integrating these structures with really
:33:09. > :33:14.involved planting but we have managed to pull it off brilliantly.
:33:15. > :33:19.I love gardens which contrast loose planting with chunky architecture.
:33:20. > :33:29.How has the planting worked for you? The planting is about drift, like
:33:30. > :33:33.the drifting thoughts of daydreaming. There are big blocks of
:33:34. > :33:37.Salvia which we were hoping would pull out the colour stops on the
:33:38. > :33:45.show and little sparks which sparked through the meadow. I do not
:33:46. > :33:52.recognise those. There is a fantastic plants and its sparks off
:33:53. > :33:57.in all sorts of different directions and then the head just floats, it
:33:58. > :34:01.appears to just float in the planting. I have been reading about
:34:02. > :34:08.your gardening, you have mentioned sign-ups a few times. It looks like
:34:09. > :34:14.that. There are lots of little explosions through the garden. The
:34:15. > :34:20.paving pattern is new ROM -based and then there are sparks. We wanted
:34:21. > :34:24.these little flashes of energy. Have there been any dramas in the garden?
:34:25. > :34:28.Surprisingly we have not had one. We have been waiting for it but it
:34:29. > :34:33.never came which is why I am looking so relaxed on press day. You are
:34:34. > :34:41.looking relaxed and the garden look incredible. I can see a Chelsea gold
:34:42. > :34:46.on the rise in. That would be nice. Come back tomorrow! -- I can see a
:34:47. > :34:49.Chelsea gold on the horizon. Tomorrow we will be getting under
:34:50. > :34:52.the skin of two more of the large Now, it wouldn't be any
:34:53. > :34:55.kind of a flower show It's a bumper year for the florists
:34:56. > :34:59.as the British Florist Association are celebrating their 100th
:35:00. > :35:02.anniversary, and across the week we'll be looking at some
:35:03. > :35:03.fantastic displays. But now I'm joined by
:35:04. > :35:06.Royal Florist Simon Lycett to help us all bring a bit of Chelsea
:35:07. > :35:17.sparkle into our homes. Yes, it is always such a joy to see
:35:18. > :35:21.you, Simon. What do have in store for me today? Because we are
:35:22. > :35:26.creating the Royal bunch later on I thought it would be fun for you and
:35:27. > :35:31.I to create a bunch which everyone at home could copy and replicate. I
:35:32. > :35:36.see we are starting off with hydrangea. Ahead of hydrangea and
:35:37. > :35:42.then you can use some strips of foliage. You can thread your stems
:35:43. > :35:48.down through and bring it in and then that helps you work out at what
:35:49. > :35:54.level. They will help you support the flowers. Little more
:35:55. > :36:01.eco-friendly than using chicken wire. Or the foam. A lot of people
:36:02. > :36:08.have hydrangea bush is in their garden. They have a beautiful smell.
:36:09. > :36:17.This is the most beautiful fragrant rose. So we're not twisting, we are
:36:18. > :36:22.using this as a structure. Do you get nervous when you do a bouquet
:36:23. > :36:29.for Her Majesty is that who is doing it this year? Caitlin who is from
:36:30. > :36:36.Swansea. She is 11. Will it be a long these lines? It will be smaller
:36:37. > :36:42.for the modestly sized Royal hands. To think she will be nervous? I
:36:43. > :36:47.think Caitlin is excited. To be at Chelsea is horticultural heaven for
:36:48. > :36:52.a child who is interested in gardening. I have a question for
:36:53. > :37:00.you. Deeney 's pier has been in touch. She wants to know what are
:37:01. > :37:09.the latest trends in floristry. Is there a plant or flower that you are
:37:10. > :37:25.seeing -- Denise Kear. I think there are. Some last four weeks in
:37:26. > :37:27.decorations. The other trend is creating mixed colours and
:37:28. > :37:32.arrangements in quite an informal style so it does not look too
:37:33. > :37:38.arranged. I have broken one and I am trying to do it very softly. We will
:37:39. > :37:45.use that later. I will make that into a little buttonhole for
:37:46. > :37:52.someone. I need a little bit longer to perfect the magic. Yours is
:37:53. > :37:57.looking stunning. Do we just find it at the end? It is paper covered wire
:37:58. > :38:06.so it secures the stems without bruising them and then we trimmed
:38:07. > :38:16.that off and trim the stems to fit in a Leave vase. Then do we have it
:38:17. > :38:21.in the house? It can bring you more enjoyment.
:38:22. > :38:23.We'll be bringing you exclusive coverage of Her Majesty The Queen's
:38:24. > :38:26.annual visit to the show on BBC Two at eight o'clock this evening.
:38:27. > :38:28.While the exhibitors and designers are waiting
:38:29. > :38:31.for the royal seal of approval, let's hear what some of today's VIP
:38:32. > :38:45.What's not to love about Chelsea? It is seeing all these gorgeous colours
:38:46. > :38:48.and flowers. Oh, my gosh, it is exciting, so creative. People think
:38:49. > :38:55.you have got to know about flowers to come here, no, you have got to
:38:56. > :38:59.come here and worship. I come here for ideas, to see all the new things
:39:00. > :39:05.and you have a great opportunity to talk to all the growers. I had not
:39:06. > :39:24.been for a long time that I am loving it.
:39:25. > :39:28.I love the varieties here and maybe I love the stands because I am a bit
:39:29. > :39:31.of a shopper. It is fantastic, one of the great events of the year,
:39:32. > :39:34.along with Scott, Henley and Wimbledon. It is a lovely thing to
:39:35. > :39:36.do. It is a beautiful oasis in the heart of London. I cannot imagine
:39:37. > :39:37.there is a more creative space on the planet than Chelsea.
:39:38. > :39:41.The show gardens seem to have been a big hit with this year's VIPs.
:39:42. > :39:43.Now I'm joined by two of Chelsea Flower Show's own
:39:44. > :39:45.young stars, gold medal designers the Rich brothers.
:39:46. > :39:51.Guys, it has been an incredible few years for you. You have been
:39:52. > :39:56.catapulted. It feels like last year it was your Artisan garden? That was
:39:57. > :40:02.2013 when we were first aired. Doing the little Artisan garden. It was
:40:03. > :40:08.the pivotal point of our career being here amongst the hustle and
:40:09. > :40:14.bustle. Huge names, it was crazy. You were still at uni then? So you
:40:15. > :40:19.did that and you did three in a row, you did Main Avenue the next year
:40:20. > :40:23.and people work for 20 years before they get onto Main Avenue. That is
:40:24. > :40:28.incredible. It was our 10-year plan to get to Chelsea and with some good
:40:29. > :40:33.luck and timing we somehow managed to do three in three years. We are
:40:34. > :40:38.very pleased. It was a great result for us. Where has that taken US
:40:39. > :40:39.young people getting into the industry, an industry which is not
:40:40. > :40:56.necessarily known for its youth appeal? We have been
:40:57. > :40:58.lucky to work with some fashion brands. That was cool. That was
:40:59. > :41:01.maybe a different angle and they thought maybe that could be a nice
:41:02. > :41:04.combination of industries in a way. The same direction in a way as most
:41:05. > :41:08.people with designs. A bit of TV as well which has been fun. You have
:41:09. > :41:14.just got a TV show out and I have just seen a book as well! When are
:41:15. > :41:21.you coming back? We would love to be back. It is just finding the right
:41:22. > :41:25.time and stuff like that. What has Chelsea done for you? It is unusual
:41:26. > :41:31.to start at Chelsea, has it helped you in your career? I think being
:41:32. > :41:36.young, coming in to Chelsea, as a designer, I think lines look at you
:41:37. > :41:40.and think what have you done before, what can you show us? Chelsea came
:41:41. > :41:44.up with the backbone, it was something we could lean on going
:41:45. > :41:49.into these projects and gave us confidence as well that we knew we
:41:50. > :41:54.could do it, and it has been absolutely incredible for us. It is
:41:55. > :41:59.incredible how much you learn when you are catapulted into it. It is a
:42:00. > :42:04.baptism of fire, they are not real Gardens in some ways, they're all
:42:05. > :42:08.the challenges of designing it, the floral display and almost like a
:42:09. > :42:12.stage set you are setting up at the same time? It is definitely a
:42:13. > :42:20.different world. You have the same principles but you have to think
:42:21. > :42:22.about who is viewing it and hitting your brief as well. You are letting
:42:23. > :42:25.it grow and developing it but the stress of making sure something is
:42:26. > :42:28.in flower or that you have captured that atmosphere, that is the
:42:29. > :42:32.stressful bit. I cannot wait to see you back here again guys. Lovely to
:42:33. > :42:37.see you again. Unfortunately that's
:42:38. > :42:38.all we have time for today, but what a fantastic start
:42:39. > :42:50.to the week. It is better killer. The first thing
:42:51. > :42:59.people see if this wall of colour. It is great watching them -- it is
:43:00. > :43:04.spectacular. Thank you, James. My damaged Rose has gone to good use!
:43:05. > :43:08.Hopefully, my floral designs will get better with time.
:43:09. > :43:10.It certainly has been a triumphant first few hours,
:43:11. > :43:12.and there's further coverage of the inaugural day here at Chelsea
:43:13. > :43:16.But if you're watching in Wales, we'll be on BBC Two.
:43:17. > :43:19.Yes, Sophie Raworth and Joe Swift will be taking a look
:43:20. > :43:21.at all the day's events, including a preview
:43:22. > :43:26.And I'll be chatting to the comedy genius Peter Kay.
:43:27. > :43:31.If you have a question for Monty and Joe about the show,
:43:32. > :43:34.get in touch via #askmontyandjoe as they'll be answering your
:43:35. > :43:46.We will see you at the same time tomorrow. Bye-bye! Told macro
:43:47. > :43:48.bye-bye!