:00:10. > :00:15.The day we have all been waiting for has arrived as the world's most
:00:16. > :00:19.prestigious flower show finally opens. It is the star-studded event
:00:20. > :00:23.here in Central London as celebrities and VIPs rub shoulders
:00:24. > :00:27.with royalty, to witness the creme de la creme in garden design and
:00:28. > :00:29.planned perfection. It is glamorous, it is beautiful, it can only be the
:00:30. > :01:03.Chelsea Flower Show. Hello and welcome to the 2017
:01:04. > :01:07.Chelsea Flower Show, an event supported by M Investments. All
:01:08. > :01:12.eyes are on the stunning gardens and pristine plants as celebrity guests,
:01:13. > :01:17.press and the Royal Family attend a private tour of the show. But you
:01:18. > :01:21.have the best seats in the house as we explore this floral extravaganza.
:01:22. > :01:25.Coming up tonight we will be revealing all of the show gardens,
:01:26. > :01:29.some of which are already hitting the headlines. Comedian Peter Kay is
:01:30. > :01:35.with Nicki Chapman discussing why the Chelsea Flower Show is the
:01:36. > :01:39.perfect place to spoil his mum. Culinary goddess Mary Berry and DJ
:01:40. > :01:43.Chris Evans reveal their garden dedicated to taste and we go behind
:01:44. > :01:46.the scenes to discover the weird and wonderful ways that the exhibitors
:01:47. > :01:52.in the Great Pavilion create their exquisite displays. The celebrations
:01:53. > :01:55.are in swing and as the press pour into The Showgrounds -- Joe Burns,
:01:56. > :02:12.they are pulling out all the stops to impress the crowds.
:02:13. > :03:04.Each of the eight large show gardens has been finished to the Chelsea
:03:05. > :03:07.standard and with the judging already completed, it is going to be
:03:08. > :03:11.a tense wait for the results tomorrow morning but who are the
:03:12. > :03:16.designers that make up Chelsea's top team this year? Let us head down
:03:17. > :03:23.Main Avenue and we will introduce you.
:03:24. > :03:33.First we have the Linklaters garden for woman-macro. -- my geese. What
:03:34. > :03:38.is unique about this garden is the fact it is enveloped why this huge
:03:39. > :03:46.hedge, it is very much a secret garden and I hope that the public
:03:47. > :03:55.love that and enjoy it. Next up, the largest of the show gardens this
:03:56. > :03:58.year, the Silk Road garden. I am Laurie Chetwode and I am packed
:03:59. > :04:03.columns and we are delighted to be here for the fourth time. The team
:04:04. > :04:09.of people who have worked on this garden have been fantastic and that
:04:10. > :04:12.makes it all worthwhile. Making our way up Main Avenue the next garden
:04:13. > :04:25.celebrates 500 years of Covent Garden. My name is Lee and I am
:04:26. > :04:26.extremely proud to be on Main Avenue and I cannot wait to see the
:04:27. > :04:45.reaction of the public. And Chris Beardshaw returns with the
:04:46. > :04:49.Morgan Stanley Garden. It is time for a pit stop, Chris, you have
:04:50. > :04:53.brought as a wonderful garden this year, it is absolutely singing out
:04:54. > :04:57.in the sunshine, full of colour and flour. What is the thought process
:04:58. > :05:02.behind it, why have you brought this garden? I was given a brief of
:05:03. > :05:05.exploring education and it has long puzzled me that there must be a link
:05:06. > :05:09.between music and gardens because the vocabulary that we use is
:05:10. > :05:26.common. We talk about the patent is, the rhythms, the choreography, the
:05:27. > :05:30.tapestries, all musical and theatrical terms and I wanted to see
:05:31. > :05:32.how was that overlap going to work? Can we combine those elements? Have
:05:33. > :05:35.you listened to a lot of music? The woodland behind is inspired by back,
:05:36. > :05:40.this inspired by Mozart... I knew that. There is a complex mix of
:05:41. > :05:45.colour, straightaway from your normal planting style, it is quite
:05:46. > :05:50.riotous? That is well observed because Mozart is about pomp and
:05:51. > :05:54.ceremony, it is about primadonna is performing and clamouring for
:05:55. > :05:57.attention which is why the planting palette is so excitable, with the
:05:58. > :06:04.green just to give it that polite sense of cohesion. Those Lupin 's
:06:05. > :06:08.are gorgeous. I am so glad that you brought it here. You're always
:06:09. > :06:16.challenging yourself and this is just wonderful. Thank you. We are
:06:17. > :06:19.halfway along Main Avenue and we have drawn level with the mighty
:06:20. > :06:24.Great Pavilion. This year it is home to more than 100 exhibitors and
:06:25. > :06:27.early this morning James Wong went behind-the-scenes to discover the
:06:28. > :06:37.extraordinary lengths that the exhibitors take to ensure their
:06:38. > :06:42.displays are perfect today. There is no other way to say this, but
:06:43. > :06:48.explained the tea strainer? Trying to get all the little bits out,
:06:49. > :06:51.because the surface of the water should be so reflective, anything,
:06:52. > :06:58.dust, bits of grass, it looks wrong if it is not scooped out. You doing
:06:59. > :07:07.this until the judges come yes. Celebrity tea strainer! We will be
:07:08. > :07:11.seen a lot of that this week. I have lived in Latin America and I love
:07:12. > :07:18.the feeling that you have managed to transport us to a bit of it. Cable
:07:19. > :07:21.ties and plastic parts, though? Yes cable tie it on and we will wrap
:07:22. > :07:27.models around it to make it look more natural. That is what we have
:07:28. > :07:30.done. It all becomes one of the same object. That is ingenious and
:07:31. > :07:38.suddenly you have a piece of Ecuador behind you. I know Chelsea is all
:07:39. > :07:46.about the peak of perfection, but what on earth can we learn? We need
:07:47. > :07:50.to have it in a perfect shape and there is an advantage to taking some
:07:51. > :07:56.of the leaves off, we take them of Michael just at the tip and then we
:07:57. > :08:06.get another set of leaves covering them quickly, small, keeps the tree
:08:07. > :08:13.in proportion. When it comes to gardening Kit, old antique fellows,
:08:14. > :08:21.what is that about? I do not know where they have come from, but they
:08:22. > :08:24.keep all my blood in my body, but I tried to stack them up and there is
:08:25. > :08:30.no way I am doing this against my fingers, so bellows here I come.
:08:31. > :08:36.Tweezers, if it all goes horribly wrong! All that preening and
:08:37. > :08:44.prepping is now done and the great villain is now packed with people
:08:45. > :08:47.and press surprised by it. Let us continue our journey and meet the
:08:48. > :08:57.remaining Show Garden designers. Let's go. Further on, along our
:08:58. > :09:03.journey is breaking ground. I am Andrew Wilson and I am Gavin
:09:04. > :09:07.McWilliam and we are the designers of Breaking Ground. Our hopes is for
:09:08. > :09:15.gold in Best in show because we think we have produced something
:09:16. > :09:23.magical. Nearing the top of Main Avenue we have the Royal Bank of
:09:24. > :09:30.Canada garden. My name is Charlotte Harris and for me Chelsea is the
:09:31. > :09:47.greatest flower show on earth. It is an enormous privilege to be here.
:09:48. > :09:51.And this is Welcome To Yorkshire. I am Tracy Foster and I hope that when
:09:52. > :09:55.people come and see the garden that they will really love this slice of
:09:56. > :10:03.the Yorkshire coastline and it will inspire people to come and make a
:10:04. > :10:12.visit and see it for themselves. Right at the top of Main Avenue, we
:10:13. > :10:18.have the M and G garden. And our journey ends at the top of Main
:10:19. > :10:23.Avenue with this garden and you have brought the drama to the garden with
:10:24. > :10:26.a garden inspired by a Maltese quarry. We wanted to create
:10:27. > :10:30.something that was a real show stopper. This garden is for
:10:31. > :10:36.everyone, a lot of people wonder what is going on there, but I think,
:10:37. > :10:41.the idea is it is a garden which has been made with the material on site,
:10:42. > :10:47.perhaps the plants on site, it is very sustainable, it is inspired by
:10:48. > :10:51.the Maltese flora and systems, which are historic but also have this
:10:52. > :10:57.contemporary feeling. You're so well known here for doing your wonderful
:10:58. > :11:03.south of France gardens, so why did you choose a Maltese quarry? I am
:11:04. > :11:10.obsessed with them. I constantly visit quarries. I wanted to smash
:11:11. > :11:17.the prestige that we always do Provencal. We are fanatic about
:11:18. > :11:19.Mediterranean plants and landscapes. It certainly involves some
:11:20. > :11:24.challenging gardening because you have been right up there, some
:11:25. > :11:29.extreme gardening. Everyone wanted to go unplugged by one, it was so
:11:30. > :11:33.exciting and working with the Maltese quarrymen, they were really
:11:34. > :11:37.inventive and genius. It has been a long time in the making and you are
:11:38. > :11:42.here and congratulations and have a great week. That is all eight of
:11:43. > :11:47.this year's large show gardens, each of the designers is a master of the
:11:48. > :11:53.craft but for some of them, this is their first venture onto a worldwide
:11:54. > :12:06.stage of Chelsea. Lee's debut an Main Avenue celebrates 500 years of
:12:07. > :12:10.Covent Garden. You are an Main Avenue for the first time. How does
:12:11. > :12:13.that feel? It feels very grown-up. You are grown-up. It has been my
:12:14. > :12:15.dream for 13 years, to cover Main Avenue garden. You have realised
:12:16. > :12:18.that dream, is this your dream garden you have created for us, it
:12:19. > :12:24.is based on all the principles I love in terms of scale and balance
:12:25. > :12:29.and proportion. I love symmetry. The whole thing is me, softened with
:12:30. > :12:33.flowers, just to give it that romantic historic feel. You have
:12:34. > :12:37.taken 500 years of Covent Garden and distilled it into a very accessible
:12:38. > :12:41.approachable space and I think a lot of people would love to have a
:12:42. > :12:44.garden like this behind their house. When I designed it, I wanted
:12:45. > :12:47.something that looked like a domestic garden. I know that we have
:12:48. > :12:51.a lot of structure and we have got the apple trees and to some extent
:12:52. > :12:54.those elements would not be in a domestic garden, but I wanted to
:12:55. > :12:59.show that this layout could be adapted and people could take those
:13:00. > :13:05.things away with them. A dominant feature by these arches which are in
:13:06. > :13:11.this colour? Yes they are. Did they look quite harsh initially? We just
:13:12. > :13:15.had their hedging, no leaves, and I thought what I Don? I was really
:13:16. > :13:20.scared about the colour and to the plan started to go win, but it
:13:21. > :13:23.looked isolated and when it was we put those copper Pettini had
:13:24. > :13:29.planters and, it brought the collar down to ground level and I relaxed.
:13:30. > :13:34.It ties it in nicely and brings it through to the rest of the garden.
:13:35. > :13:39.You have worked with Dermot Gavin with her few gardens at Chelsea, did
:13:40. > :13:42.he teach you any tricks? It was about 13 years ago. He really
:13:43. > :13:46.inspired me and showed me what could be achieved and when I first came to
:13:47. > :13:50.Chelsea, I was in awe of the magnitude of what you can do and I
:13:51. > :13:54.saw horticulture in a completely different way and he really was a
:13:55. > :13:58.key person in terms of movie my career forward. It must have been a
:13:59. > :14:05.great experience. Hopefully we will see you here for many years to hope
:14:06. > :14:09.so. There is a nervous wait ahead for all the designers who will not
:14:10. > :14:13.find out their medal results until tomorrow morning. Then we will see
:14:14. > :14:17.which of the gardens have made the grade and been awarded a coveted
:14:18. > :14:23.gold medal, but not all the gardens are being judged. This year's show
:14:24. > :14:26.is also the home to five garden is celebrating the 50th anniversary of
:14:27. > :14:30.Radio 2 and they are designed around each of the five senses. I'm here
:14:31. > :14:38.with Chris Evans and Mary Berry who are going to tell me all about it.
:14:39. > :14:41.This is the taste garden and Mary, you're famous for your culinary
:14:42. > :14:44.skills and you're also a keen gardener. I love gardening. When
:14:45. > :14:48.you're exhausted from cooking, go out into the French air and pick
:14:49. > :15:02.some herbs and do some gardening, it makes you feel good.
:15:03. > :15:10.Writeback I love seeing all the vegetables, which are not common at
:15:11. > :15:17.this time of year. Lots of kale and lettuce. They are like miniature
:15:18. > :15:24.works of art. It looks like a Peter Rabbit special. Are you a keen
:15:25. > :15:33.gardener Chris? Massively so, if not more so than Mary Berry the lead
:15:34. > :15:40.back! But no, I have done it before, I do have a tractor, my wife loves
:15:41. > :15:44.gardening. I know all the blogs I've said this to you but it's true. It's
:15:45. > :15:48.the conversation, you need somebody to listen, when you have made a
:15:49. > :15:53.garden you need somebody to look at it and I am a good look. Are you
:15:54. > :15:58.ploughing the fields for your vegetables? We do all the usual
:15:59. > :16:01.stuff, sweet peas, beetroot is good fun. Vegetables are quite easy to
:16:02. > :16:09.grow, they do a lot of work themselves and the kids love them,
:16:10. > :16:12.they love anything in the garden that they can eat or anything that
:16:13. > :16:15.is smaller than it should be or is massive. That's the key to getting
:16:16. > :16:19.them engaged or involved but I know why you came here, because of your
:16:20. > :16:27.market gardening past, your heritage. Are you talking about my
:16:28. > :16:32.pineapples? Don't you come from a family of market gardeners? I come
:16:33. > :16:37.from a family of gardeners, but the group I and apples, and we don't
:16:38. > :16:45.have any here. But this is a garden you can take this home. You can
:16:46. > :16:48.relate to them, people can look and see celeriac, I have seen that in
:16:49. > :16:54.the shops, perhaps I should try and grow it but that is hard because it
:16:55. > :16:58.is harvested so late but there is so much to see, tomatoes, everything. I
:16:59. > :17:04.think it will inspire people to have a go at home and children. Wonderful
:17:05. > :17:09.children. You have had quite a crowd, even broadcast here this
:17:10. > :17:15.morning? I did not realise how good the gardens were going to be and
:17:16. > :17:19.Mary was very much involved in the architecture of this garden, but
:17:20. > :17:25.they are quite impressive R? They are impressive, drying in the
:17:26. > :17:37.crowds, the sort of gardens you can take home and do yourself. You can
:17:38. > :17:41.smell it. It smells are stunning. I had a good taste of many of the
:17:42. > :17:48.things and that dear little mulberry tree, something brand-new. I am
:17:49. > :17:55.going to grow it. That could be disappearing by the end of the week.
:17:56. > :17:59.Underneath my arm. The five feel-good gardens are new additions
:18:00. > :18:03.to the shore and from the reaction I have seen we are sure to see them as
:18:04. > :18:08.a big hit. We will explore them in depth later in the week. The smaller
:18:09. > :18:14.gardens here have a certain sparkle all of their own as Arit Anderson
:18:15. > :18:25.and Joe have been finding out. As an RHS Gold winning conceptual
:18:26. > :18:31.design yourself what do you think of the Bermuda Triangle by jack Dunn
:18:32. > :18:40.clay? It is bawled, using these strong triangular shapes. These
:18:41. > :18:48.great Palmer to use this sort of eruption of the volcano. The eyes
:18:49. > :18:57.being drawn to the middle, I think it really works. I agree, he has
:18:58. > :19:02.used lots of plants from that area. If I am honest I would like to have
:19:03. > :19:09.seen them peeking out more, more of that eruption, a bit more colour
:19:10. > :19:12.coming through. I think one of the things unfortunately the viewers
:19:13. > :19:17.will not see is that it is like, whipped up during the night so you
:19:18. > :19:25.would see a lovely volcanic lava field. You get shadows and it gets
:19:26. > :19:33.backlight and I think he's done a great job, bold is good. Let's go
:19:34. > :19:43.into the Bermuda Triangle, after you. Thank you. This is a bit
:19:44. > :19:52.frightening. It feels great. I like it in here. The Bermuda Triangle
:19:53. > :19:57.really works. I am going to use that to get home tonight. The Artisan
:19:58. > :20:04.gardens are a different ball game, all about craft and artistry, what
:20:05. > :20:08.do you think of this? The attention to detail is outstanding. The
:20:09. > :20:13.beautiful water feature in the background, you want to get drawn
:20:14. > :20:19.into it. All of the planting, the details, the way it's been spaced
:20:20. > :20:25.out, so much in here, absolutely outstanding. I love the use of
:20:26. > :20:32.colour, the different textures. This cooling spot with the trees, almost
:20:33. > :20:37.borrowing the land behind, Ishihara has been here for so long, he has
:20:38. > :20:41.such a passion for Chelsea. He creates these things which people
:20:42. > :20:47.get lost them. This vertical backdrop is like a moving picture.
:20:48. > :20:53.It is outstanding, the fact he comes every year and can make you look at
:20:54. > :20:58.the different details, that is what people can take away, that in our
:20:59. > :21:01.garden there is so much to look at. Tiny little space and this is what
:21:02. > :21:11.he can do. This has to be my favourite. This, for me, is one of
:21:12. > :21:17.the best. It is great. Glitz and glamour as far as the eye can see,
:21:18. > :21:18.earlier we caught up with some of the VIP's who have been taking it
:21:19. > :21:34.all in. How do they keep everything alive? I
:21:35. > :21:43.go to buy a plant at a garden centre and I can hear it going no!
:21:44. > :21:51.Completely overwhelmed by it really. I have obviously seen it on TV over
:21:52. > :22:00.the years but it is stunning. This is incredible. Living plants all put
:22:01. > :22:07.together under a marquee. What I love is that I have got a rose in
:22:08. > :22:13.front of me -- named after me, what could be better? I feel very spoilt.
:22:14. > :22:22.It is beautiful, and beautiful weather for a great day. I love the
:22:23. > :22:29.variety that is here and I love the stands because I'm a bit of a
:22:30. > :22:32.shopper. Certainly a lot of famous faces here today, among them
:22:33. > :22:42.comedian Peter K. Earlier Nicki Chapman caught up with him. Welcome
:22:43. > :22:48.to Chelsea, first experience? It's like Glastonbury without music. Is
:22:49. > :22:59.it better than Glastonbury? I have never been. What do you think? It is
:23:00. > :23:05.beautiful. I work with you ten years ago on a TV programme, and Nicola
:23:06. > :23:10.helped me out as a judges and now we meet again at Chelsea Flower Show.
:23:11. > :23:16.What a place to meet because you and your mum love flowers. My mum loves
:23:17. > :23:23.flowers so this is her birthday treat. There she is over there. It's
:23:24. > :23:30.been beautiful. It's a wonderful place. Are you inspired as you walk
:23:31. > :23:35.around, did you have a garden as a little boy? We had a hedge. Now I
:23:36. > :23:41.have got a window box. Mum has got a nice garden in a bungalow. You did a
:23:42. > :23:46.tour called mum wants a bungalow. Yes and the next one is called mum
:23:47. > :23:53.wants a villa! We are moving up. I have loved these gardens. I think
:23:54. > :23:57.those trees were already here but I like, I have not seen those hanging
:23:58. > :24:03.down, lovely. There is some lovely things. It's a gorgeous spot, so
:24:04. > :24:10.much to explore but he thought I would drive you around like car
:24:11. > :24:16.share. I would you have done but it is American, can you drive American?
:24:17. > :24:22.I am in control. But there is a vicious rumour car she is not coming
:24:23. > :24:31.back. It is not. You're meant to be together. Tell her that! But yeah,
:24:32. > :24:35.it's been lovely, but I think you should get out while the going is
:24:36. > :24:40.good. Is it the pressure to keep doing it again. You need good
:24:41. > :24:48.stories and there is only so much you can do in a car as you conceive.
:24:49. > :24:51.What would you call this? A floral fancy. Hopefully you will see things
:24:52. > :24:59.you will take back and you will take up gardening. What are you up to?
:25:00. > :25:03.Well, funny you should ask, I am doing a show at Blackpool opera
:25:04. > :25:07.house on the 4th of June for a lovely lady who is very thoroughly
:25:08. > :25:11.and needs treatment, she is called Polly Haydock so if kind people
:25:12. > :25:16.would like to come and join me feel free. Give her our best, a lot of
:25:17. > :25:24.the gardens here will be used for charities. Yes, there is a lovely
:25:25. > :25:31.mental illness garden. Some stunning flowers at the main pavilion. There
:25:32. > :25:39.was one of them, hundreds 66, 106, that was my favourite, I have a
:25:40. > :25:42.picture of it. Talking of flowers and gorgeous arrangements the
:25:43. > :25:47.florist to Her Majesty the Queen has done this especially for your mum to
:25:48. > :25:55.celebrate her birthday. This is for you! For your birthday! Yeah! We are
:25:56. > :26:04.so delighted you have joined us. Your first experience and I hope you
:26:05. > :26:08.come back. I will. Looks like she is sorted for a lift home tonight.
:26:09. > :26:15.Every garden designer here on Main avenue wants to walk away with one
:26:16. > :26:20.of these, a shiny gold medal. I am here with Chelsea superstar Adam
:26:21. > :26:26.Frost. Thank you, I don't think you have ever been so nice. You have got
:26:27. > :26:31.seven, I have got one. To get one of these you have to come up with
:26:32. > :26:36.perfection, the whole process of judging, the points system, nowhere
:26:37. > :26:41.to hide, it's got to be top-notch. It has, right from when you send in
:26:42. > :26:45.your submission to the RHS, you have to get through two or three mac
:26:46. > :26:50.committees just to get here. Last year we did it, we worked out it
:26:51. > :26:56.took 100 working days out of the year to come here and nail it. The
:26:57. > :27:00.planning starts way in advance, shopping for plants and materials,
:27:01. > :27:05.putting structures together, this is the culmination of all that planning
:27:06. > :27:10.but things can go wrong. Things can go right. I have had some moments,
:27:11. > :27:14.you think you have got everything right and in place then you come
:27:15. > :27:19.here, the stripped piece of earth with 19 days to go and you go
:27:20. > :27:23.through every single emotion. You are in love with it, out of love
:27:24. > :27:29.with it, wishing you had never come, on top of the world. You do the lot
:27:30. > :27:33.in a short period. You know about the judging process and the points
:27:34. > :27:39.system, you get feedback so you know what categories to hit, and there
:27:40. > :27:42.are a lot. It works out at about ten. But what you learn to do is
:27:43. > :27:47.write your brief so it is understandable, keep it simple and
:27:48. > :27:53.then at the end you can more or less set with a sheet and say you could
:27:54. > :27:58.drop me a point because of this or that, I am OK with this and that, so
:27:59. > :28:03.you can work out where roughly you are. The more you do you start to
:28:04. > :28:07.understand the process. You are looking for a gold medal but anyone
:28:08. > :28:13.who has won one could win best in show which is the icing on the cake.
:28:14. > :28:18.It is, that just used to be 12 votes but now it is the top score which I
:28:19. > :28:24.think is better because at least you know now if you nearly top score
:28:25. > :28:29.your walking away... It is not subjective, it's on a points system.
:28:30. > :28:33.You and I, we have not built gardens this year, the work starts now for
:28:34. > :28:37.us to let everyone know how amazing these gardens are and enjoy the
:28:38. > :28:38.week. Lovely to see you and I am glad you cannot get your eighth this
:28:39. > :28:56.year. Bless you! Hi it's been a great first day, the
:28:57. > :29:00.sunshine. The guest still enjoying the show, but Joe will be joining
:29:01. > :29:05.Monty Don in a few moments on BBC Two.
:29:06. > :29:12.We will delve deeper into the show gardens and Monty will catch up with
:29:13. > :29:17.the lovely Joanna lovely. And there will be exclusive footage of the
:29:18. > :29:19.Queen 's visit. But for both of us, goodbye for now.