Episode 3 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The day we have all been waiting for has arrived as the world's most

prestigious flower show finally opens. It is the star-studded event

here in Central London as celebrities and VIPs rub shoulders

with royalty, to witness the creme de la creme in garden design and

planned perfection. It is glamorous, it is beautiful, it can only be the

Chelsea Flower Show. Hello and welcome to the 2017

Chelsea Flower Show, an event supported by M Investments. All

eyes are on the stunning gardens and pristine plants as celebrity guests,

press and the Royal Family attend a private tour of the show. But you

have the best seats in the house as we explore this floral extravaganza.

Coming up tonight we will be revealing all of the show gardens,

some of which are already hitting the headlines. Comedian Peter Kay is

with Nicki Chapman discussing why the Chelsea Flower Show is the

perfect place to spoil his mum. Culinary goddess Mary Berry and DJ

Chris Evans reveal their garden dedicated to taste and we go behind

the scenes to discover the weird and wonderful ways that the exhibitors

in the Great Pavilion create their exquisite displays. The celebrations

are in swing and as the press pour into The Showgrounds -- Joe Burns,

they are pulling out all the stops to impress the crowds.

Each of the eight large show gardens has been finished to the Chelsea

standard and with the judging already completed, it is going to be

a tense wait for the results tomorrow morning but who are the

designers that make up Chelsea's top team this year? Let us head down

Main Avenue and we will introduce you.

First we have the Linklaters garden for woman-macro. -- my geese. What

is unique about this garden is the fact it is enveloped why this huge

hedge, it is very much a secret garden and I hope that the public

love that and enjoy it. Next up, the largest of the show gardens this

year, the Silk Road garden. I am Laurie Chetwode and I am packed

columns and we are delighted to be here for the fourth time. The team

of people who have worked on this garden have been fantastic and that

makes it all worthwhile. Making our way up Main Avenue the next garden

celebrates 500 years of Covent Garden. My name is Lee and I am

extremely proud to be on Main Avenue and I cannot wait to see the

reaction of the public. And Chris Beardshaw returns with the

Morgan Stanley Garden. It is time for a pit stop, Chris, you have

brought as a wonderful garden this year, it is absolutely singing out

in the sunshine, full of colour and flour. What is the thought process

behind it, why have you brought this garden? I was given a brief of

exploring education and it has long puzzled me that there must be a link

between music and gardens because the vocabulary that we use is

common. We talk about the patent is, the rhythms, the choreography, the

tapestries, all musical and theatrical terms and I wanted to see

how was that overlap going to work? Can we combine those elements? Have

you listened to a lot of music? The woodland behind is inspired by back,

this inspired by Mozart... I knew that. There is a complex mix of

colour, straightaway from your normal planting style, it is quite

riotous? That is well observed because Mozart is about pomp and

ceremony, it is about primadonna is performing and clamouring for

attention which is why the planting palette is so excitable, with the

green just to give it that polite sense of cohesion. Those Lupin 's

are gorgeous. I am so glad that you brought it here. You're always

challenging yourself and this is just wonderful. Thank you. We are

halfway along Main Avenue and we have drawn level with the mighty

Great Pavilion. This year it is home to more than 100 exhibitors and

early this morning James Wong went behind-the-scenes to discover the

extraordinary lengths that the exhibitors take to ensure their

displays are perfect today. There is no other way to say this, but

explained the tea strainer? Trying to get all the little bits out,

because the surface of the water should be so reflective, anything,

dust, bits of grass, it looks wrong if it is not scooped out. You doing

this until the judges come yes. Celebrity tea strainer! We will be

seen a lot of that this week. I have lived in Latin America and I love

the feeling that you have managed to transport us to a bit of it. Cable

ties and plastic parts, though? Yes cable tie it on and we will wrap

models around it to make it look more natural. That is what we have

done. It all becomes one of the same object. That is ingenious and

suddenly you have a piece of Ecuador behind you. I know Chelsea is all

about the peak of perfection, but what on earth can we learn? We need

to have it in a perfect shape and there is an advantage to taking some

of the leaves off, we take them of Michael just at the tip and then we

get another set of leaves covering them quickly, small, keeps the tree

in proportion. When it comes to gardening Kit, old antique fellows,

what is that about? I do not know where they have come from, but they

keep all my blood in my body, but I tried to stack them up and there is

no way I am doing this against my fingers, so bellows here I come.

Tweezers, if it all goes horribly wrong! All that preening and

prepping is now done and the great villain is now packed with people

and press surprised by it. Let us continue our journey and meet the

remaining Show Garden designers. Let's go. Further on, along our

journey is breaking ground. I am Andrew Wilson and I am Gavin

McWilliam and we are the designers of Breaking Ground. Our hopes is for

gold in Best in show because we think we have produced something

magical. Nearing the top of Main Avenue we have the Royal Bank of

Canada garden. My name is Charlotte Harris and for me Chelsea is the

greatest flower show on earth. It is an enormous privilege to be here.

And this is Welcome To Yorkshire. I am Tracy Foster and I hope that when

people come and see the garden that they will really love this slice of

the Yorkshire coastline and it will inspire people to come and make a

visit and see it for themselves. Right at the top of Main Avenue, we

have the M and G garden. And our journey ends at the top of Main

Avenue with this garden and you have brought the drama to the garden with

a garden inspired by a Maltese quarry. We wanted to create

something that was a real show stopper. This garden is for

everyone, a lot of people wonder what is going on there, but I think,

the idea is it is a garden which has been made with the material on site,

perhaps the plants on site, it is very sustainable, it is inspired by

the Maltese flora and systems, which are historic but also have this

contemporary feeling. You're so well known here for doing your wonderful

south of France gardens, so why did you choose a Maltese quarry? I am

obsessed with them. I constantly visit quarries. I wanted to smash

the prestige that we always do Provencal. We are fanatic about

Mediterranean plants and landscapes. It certainly involves some

challenging gardening because you have been right up there, some

extreme gardening. Everyone wanted to go unplugged by one, it was so

exciting and working with the Maltese quarrymen, they were really

inventive and genius. It has been a long time in the making and you are

here and congratulations and have a great week. That is all eight of

this year's large show gardens, each of the designers is a master of the

craft but for some of them, this is their first venture onto a worldwide

stage of Chelsea. Lee's debut an Main Avenue celebrates 500 years of

Covent Garden. You are an Main Avenue for the first time. How does

that feel? It feels very grown-up. You are grown-up. It has been my

dream for 13 years, to cover Main Avenue garden. You have realised

that dream, is this your dream garden you have created for us, it

is based on all the principles I love in terms of scale and balance

and proportion. I love symmetry. The whole thing is me, softened with

flowers, just to give it that romantic historic feel. You have

taken 500 years of Covent Garden and distilled it into a very accessible

approachable space and I think a lot of people would love to have a

garden like this behind their house. When I designed it, I wanted

something that looked like a domestic garden. I know that we have

a lot of structure and we have got the apple trees and to some extent

those elements would not be in a domestic garden, but I wanted to

show that this layout could be adapted and people could take those

things away with them. A dominant feature by these arches which are in

this colour? Yes they are. Did they look quite harsh initially? We just

had their hedging, no leaves, and I thought what I Don? I was really

scared about the colour and to the plan started to go win, but it

looked isolated and when it was we put those copper Pettini had

planters and, it brought the collar down to ground level and I relaxed.

It ties it in nicely and brings it through to the rest of the garden.

You have worked with Dermot Gavin with her few gardens at Chelsea, did

he teach you any tricks? It was about 13 years ago. He really

inspired me and showed me what could be achieved and when I first came to

Chelsea, I was in awe of the magnitude of what you can do and I

saw horticulture in a completely different way and he really was a

key person in terms of movie my career forward. It must have been a

great experience. Hopefully we will see you here for many years to hope

so. There is a nervous wait ahead for all the designers who will not

find out their medal results until tomorrow morning. Then we will see

which of the gardens have made the grade and been awarded a coveted

gold medal, but not all the gardens are being judged. This year's show

is also the home to five garden is celebrating the 50th anniversary of

Radio 2 and they are designed around each of the five senses. I'm here

with Chris Evans and Mary Berry who are going to tell me all about it.

This is the taste garden and Mary, you're famous for your culinary

skills and you're also a keen gardener. I love gardening. When

you're exhausted from cooking, go out into the French air and pick

some herbs and do some gardening, it makes you feel good.

Writeback I love seeing all the vegetables, which are not common at

this time of year. Lots of kale and lettuce. They are like miniature

works of art. It looks like a Peter Rabbit special. Are you a keen

gardener Chris? Massively so, if not more so than Mary Berry the lead

back! But no, I have done it before, I do have a tractor, my wife loves

gardening. I know all the blogs I've said this to you but it's true. It's

the conversation, you need somebody to listen, when you have made a

garden you need somebody to look at it and I am a good look. Are you

ploughing the fields for your vegetables? We do all the usual

stuff, sweet peas, beetroot is good fun. Vegetables are quite easy to

grow, they do a lot of work themselves and the kids love them,

they love anything in the garden that they can eat or anything that

is smaller than it should be or is massive. That's the key to getting

them engaged or involved but I know why you came here, because of your

market gardening past, your heritage. Are you talking about my

pineapples? Don't you come from a family of market gardeners? I come

from a family of gardeners, but the group I and apples, and we don't

have any here. But this is a garden you can take this home. You can

relate to them, people can look and see celeriac, I have seen that in

the shops, perhaps I should try and grow it but that is hard because it

is harvested so late but there is so much to see, tomatoes, everything. I

think it will inspire people to have a go at home and children. Wonderful

children. You have had quite a crowd, even broadcast here this

morning? I did not realise how good the gardens were going to be and

Mary was very much involved in the architecture of this garden, but

they are quite impressive R? They are impressive, drying in the

crowds, the sort of gardens you can take home and do yourself. You can

smell it. It smells are stunning. I had a good taste of many of the

things and that dear little mulberry tree, something brand-new. I am

going to grow it. That could be disappearing by the end of the week.

Underneath my arm. The five feel-good gardens are new additions

to the shore and from the reaction I have seen we are sure to see them as

a big hit. We will explore them in depth later in the week. The smaller

gardens here have a certain sparkle all of their own as Arit Anderson

and Joe have been finding out. As an RHS Gold winning conceptual

design yourself what do you think of the Bermuda Triangle by jack Dunn

clay? It is bawled, using these strong triangular shapes. These

great Palmer to use this sort of eruption of the volcano. The eyes

being drawn to the middle, I think it really works. I agree, he has

used lots of plants from that area. If I am honest I would like to have

seen them peeking out more, more of that eruption, a bit more colour

coming through. I think one of the things unfortunately the viewers

will not see is that it is like, whipped up during the night so you

would see a lovely volcanic lava field. You get shadows and it gets

backlight and I think he's done a great job, bold is good. Let's go

into the Bermuda Triangle, after you. Thank you. This is a bit

frightening. It feels great. I like it in here. The Bermuda Triangle

really works. I am going to use that to get home tonight. The Artisan

gardens are a different ball game, all about craft and artistry, what

do you think of this? The attention to detail is outstanding. The

beautiful water feature in the background, you want to get drawn

into it. All of the planting, the details, the way it's been spaced

out, so much in here, absolutely outstanding. I love the use of

colour, the different textures. This cooling spot with the trees, almost

borrowing the land behind, Ishihara has been here for so long, he has

such a passion for Chelsea. He creates these things which people

get lost them. This vertical backdrop is like a moving picture.

It is outstanding, the fact he comes every year and can make you look at

the different details, that is what people can take away, that in our

garden there is so much to look at. Tiny little space and this is what

he can do. This has to be my favourite. This, for me, is one of

the best. It is great. Glitz and glamour as far as the eye can see,

earlier we caught up with some of the VIP's who have been taking it

all in. How do they keep everything alive? I

go to buy a plant at a garden centre and I can hear it going no!

Completely overwhelmed by it really. I have obviously seen it on TV over

the years but it is stunning. This is incredible. Living plants all put

together under a marquee. What I love is that I have got a rose in

front of me -- named after me, what could be better? I feel very spoilt.

It is beautiful, and beautiful weather for a great day. I love the

variety that is here and I love the stands because I'm a bit of a

shopper. Certainly a lot of famous faces here today, among them

comedian Peter K. Earlier Nicki Chapman caught up with him. Welcome

to Chelsea, first experience? It's like Glastonbury without music. Is

it better than Glastonbury? I have never been. What do you think? It is

beautiful. I work with you ten years ago on a TV programme, and Nicola

helped me out as a judges and now we meet again at Chelsea Flower Show.

What a place to meet because you and your mum love flowers. My mum loves

flowers so this is her birthday treat. There she is over there. It's

been beautiful. It's a wonderful place. Are you inspired as you walk

around, did you have a garden as a little boy? We had a hedge. Now I

have got a window box. Mum has got a nice garden in a bungalow. You did a

tour called mum wants a bungalow. Yes and the next one is called mum

wants a villa! We are moving up. I have loved these gardens. I think

those trees were already here but I like, I have not seen those hanging

down, lovely. There is some lovely things. It's a gorgeous spot, so

much to explore but he thought I would drive you around like car

share. I would you have done but it is American, can you drive American?

I am in control. But there is a vicious rumour car she is not coming

back. It is not. You're meant to be together. Tell her that! But yeah,

it's been lovely, but I think you should get out while the going is

good. Is it the pressure to keep doing it again. You need good

stories and there is only so much you can do in a car as you conceive.

What would you call this? A floral fancy. Hopefully you will see things

you will take back and you will take up gardening. What are you up to?

Well, funny you should ask, I am doing a show at Blackpool opera

house on the 4th of June for a lovely lady who is very thoroughly

and needs treatment, she is called Polly Haydock so if kind people

would like to come and join me feel free. Give her our best, a lot of

the gardens here will be used for charities. Yes, there is a lovely

mental illness garden. Some stunning flowers at the main pavilion. There

was one of them, hundreds 66, 106, that was my favourite, I have a

picture of it. Talking of flowers and gorgeous arrangements the

florist to Her Majesty the Queen has done this especially for your mum to

celebrate her birthday. This is for you! For your birthday! Yeah! We are

so delighted you have joined us. Your first experience and I hope you

come back. I will. Looks like she is sorted for a lift home tonight.

Every garden designer here on Main avenue wants to walk away with one

of these, a shiny gold medal. I am here with Chelsea superstar Adam

Frost. Thank you, I don't think you have ever been so nice. You have got

seven, I have got one. To get one of these you have to come up with

perfection, the whole process of judging, the points system, nowhere

to hide, it's got to be top-notch. It has, right from when you send in

your submission to the RHS, you have to get through two or three mac

committees just to get here. Last year we did it, we worked out it

took 100 working days out of the year to come here and nail it. The

planning starts way in advance, shopping for plants and materials,

putting structures together, this is the culmination of all that planning

but things can go wrong. Things can go right. I have had some moments,

you think you have got everything right and in place then you come

here, the stripped piece of earth with 19 days to go and you go

through every single emotion. You are in love with it, out of love

with it, wishing you had never come, on top of the world. You do the lot

in a short period. You know about the judging process and the points

system, you get feedback so you know what categories to hit, and there

are a lot. It works out at about ten. But what you learn to do is

write your brief so it is understandable, keep it simple and

then at the end you can more or less set with a sheet and say you could

drop me a point because of this or that, I am OK with this and that, so

you can work out where roughly you are. The more you do you start to

understand the process. You are looking for a gold medal but anyone

who has won one could win best in show which is the icing on the cake.

It is, that just used to be 12 votes but now it is the top score which I

think is better because at least you know now if you nearly top score

your walking away... It is not subjective, it's on a points system.

You and I, we have not built gardens this year, the work starts now for

us to let everyone know how amazing these gardens are and enjoy the

week. Lovely to see you and I am glad you cannot get your eighth this

year. Bless you! Hi it's been a great first day, the

sunshine. The guest still enjoying the show, but Joe will be joining

Monty Don in a few moments on BBC Two.

We will delve deeper into the show gardens and Monty will catch up with

the lovely Joanna lovely. And there will be exclusive footage of the

Queen 's visit. But for both of us, goodbye for now.