Episode 1 RHS Show Tatton Park

We've revelled in the prestige of Chelsea and basked

in the grandeur of Hampton Court, but we have one final floral

We've headed to Tatton Park in Cheshire for the Great

Hello and welcome to the Royal Horticultural Society's Flower Show,

Tatton Park, an event supported by Bruntwood properties

It's setting within a 1000 acre deer park couldn't be more glorious.

Now in its 18th year, Tatton really has established itself

as the premier garden event in the North of England.

It has gone from strength to strength. I came to the first show

and came to most of them since. I did not know what to expect of what

became apparent immediately was a sense of identity and place. It was

unlike any other show and that is really important. It's fun, it's

relaxed, you see the garden spaces to enjoy and bring a picnic and

enjoy the fabulous weather. Since Tuesday, the sun hasn't stopped

shining. Although Hampton Court was a few weeks ago, there is a

different palette, different plants, fabulous fruit and veg. Masses,

horticulture and, to look at. It feels like it is kicking off the

holiday season. We've lots for you to enjoy coming

up on tonight's programme. Rachel de Thame and Toby Buckland

will be taking a look at the much loved Back to Back garden category

and revealing some of these Danny Clarke will be

joining me to review this Seven humble sheds transformed

into the ultimate escapes And our own plant perfectionist

Carol Klein will be choosing her stand out hardy plants

in the floral marquee. But as always the show gardens

here at Tatton attract a lot of attention and this year

there are six diverse Earlier, Rachel and I went to take a

look at some of them. This is natural visions by Jackie

Knight, Stone used in lots of different ways but what I like about

it, it is cohesive. It is the same stone from the same quarry

throughout. Slate Terrace here, Slate dry stonewalling. What this

garden makes you what to do is get off the patio and get onto the rocks

again mountain goat. It creates a nice movement through it. It really

connects you to the stone itself. Water is a key element in a garden

but the sound is absolutely critical to get it right.

Here, Jackie has got it spot on, it sounds like a babbling brook, it is

totally just right and it brings a lovely cooling presents on a hot day

like this. These plants associate with water,

lush and green, they like their roots permanently wet. They can be

grown as marginals on the edge of a pond even in those water baskets.

Plants like this, huge architectural leaves. This one will try and take

over the world eventually. And then there is the lovely Iris over there

and one of my favourites, the stately arum lily. It combines

really nicely with these large rocks within this planting. This bit works

beautifully. This is the through the looking

glass designed by Pip Probert, a large and very intriguingly designed

space, these large metal frames dominate the garden, some of them

are filled with glass and you can see straight through them but they

block some of the sound. Others framed the view beautifully.

There is wonderful use of hard landscaping, I love these large

pebbles which are then reflected in smaller gravels along the winding

path. The whole thing is softened beautifully by the planting in a

very romantic palette of pinks and mauve colours, Verbena, that lovely

Echinacea over there. It is then heightened with white. I love this

sparkle of the Agapanthus. It is also strong on foliage interest,

love the tree ferns. And these beautiful umbrella trees.

This is the rainbow garden by Alan Nugent. When you first see this

garden, you think, wow, that is full of impact. You think this is not the

sort of thing I would do in my garden but that is the whole point.

This is not meant to be a private garden, this is actually a community

space. It is about education as well.

Richard of your day battle in vain, I am not just mumbling to myself, it

is a way of remembering the colours of the rainbow, which is exactly

what this garden is based on. Reid, Crook is Mia.

Fantastic red Dahlia next to the zanys, that is in the hot spicy

colour, Orange. Yellows... You get the idea. But I think my favourite

bit and the bit that works best as far as planting is this Verbena.

This is a designer's dream, everyone loves it. It is nice and upright,

sturdy stems, doesn't need staking out all. Throughout the whole

summer, right into the autumn sometimes, you get these fabulous

purple flowers. Bees and butterflies adore it.

At the back of the garden, we have this vast terrace. It feels a bit

municipal. Even for what this garden is trying to achieve. I would have

liked to have seen it a bit smaller and more in scale with regard

itself. But when you find out this garden is going to go to a school,

after the show, and this area is going to be in outdoor learning

place, it is interactive. Like garden classroom. It all makes

sense. -- like a garden. As folk up in the north-west is all too

aware... The climate

in this part of the world But that's no barrier to producing

competition standard exhibits. Up here, when the growing gets

tough, the tough get growing. Carol Klein has been to find out

just what makes a plant hardy and pick her hero plants that have

made it into the floral marquee. Ask gardeners are always going on

about hardy plants. But what do we mean by a hardy plant? A hardy plant

is one that will withstand really low winter temperatures. But on top

of that, there are other factors that impinge. Some plants, if they

are really well-drained, will withstand very, very low

temperatures. But put them in boggy, heavy soil and they will collapse

just like that at the first sign of frost.

Age is also a factor. A young plant can withstand far less cold men and

older, established specimen that has got its roots truly and firmly into

the soil surrounding it -- far less than in older.

He Lemi's have to be amongst the hardiest of all hardy plants. No

wonder, they have come from the banished prairies of North America

they put up with extreme cold and hot temperatures during the summer.

This has endeared them not only to growers here but hybrid growers in

Germany where they have a similar sort of climate. You can depend on

them what the weather. Their flowers are very distinctive with these of

velvet doorknob middles, like a tutu of petals that sticks out of the

side. These are members of the daisy family, the middle is made up of

lots and lots of tiny little flowers. To prolong their flowering,

when the first flowers are finished, take a sharp pair of scissors and

cut back the stem to where the next bug is emerging, that way you can

have flowers right the way through to the end of September or sometimes

October -- next bud. You don't have to be ordinary to be

hardy. Here is a great example, these at first sight, don't even

look related. But they are both members of the Rose family. You have

got tiny bubbles will stop this one is called Tanna, but when it comes

to lilac squirrel comic stands out so wonderfully with these flowers

like a feather boa. It would be great to be used on its own.

Margery Fish is the Tuwai end of hardy plants. If in doubt, plant a

germanium. They really are amongst the most hardy of all plants. What's

more, they are germanium buzz for every kind of situation. Whether it

is shade or false -- there are geraniums. This one is fairly new on

the scene and loves to feel the sun, Rozanne. Such an easy plants to

grow, ideal if you are just beginning to garden. -- such an easy

plant. You can't help but admire

the dedication of all the exhibitors Some of these small,

independent growers face huge We paid a visit to one such

nurserywoman in Dumfriesshire, and discovered that whilst her

location may be remote, she's closer to realising her

dream of securing a gold I'm Helen Knowles, I live at Upper

Millstead in beautiful Dumfries Galloway with my mother and

wonderful husband Michael, they both help me out in the nursery where I

grow hardy perennials that will thrive in this part of the world.

We share the farm with a flock of Pedigree Shetland sheep. We've got

three alpacas who are hopefully going to have their first baby

alpaca round about the time of the Tatton Flower Show. It adds to the

pressure. We've also got hens. Six springer spaniel 's, a Labrador and

two cats, Thomas and Timmy. And we have bees. They do a lot of

pollinating in the garden for me and supply some fantastic honey. They

take priority. All of our water comes from a spring on the Hill.

That is the biggest concern, especially with a dry summer like

this one, that water is in short supply. Animals and the plants come

first and we are very much at the bottom of the pecking order, here.

We are about 600 feet above sea level and the main issues regarding

this particular part of the world, the incredibly high rainfall. On

average over the last few years you are looking about 5-6 feet of rain,

huge amount of water. Added to that, we have boulder clay and that water

doesn't drain away particular quickly. In the winter months, the

plants can sit in cold, waterlogged soil because we get quite

low-temperature 's, minus 10--15d. That is not unusual. They have to be

extremely hardy. We tend to find that plants from that belt of

temperate woodlands across the northern hemisphere and in

particular the Himalayan regions thrive here because they can cope

with the tough conditions that we experience.

These plants seem to love the conditions that we have in the

garden. We will not be taking these Tatton because they will be over,

the flowers are only starting now. These should be just about right for

the show, they are starting to show colour. Gordon Himalayan cowslip.

Fragrant flowers. I am also hoping that some of these should be in

flower. This one is fire, which has really rich red flower spikes on it.

Absolutely stunning when it is in full bloom. Beautiful, beautiful

deep red flowers, so deep. They are almost black. These plants are just

perfect at the moment, they are full of bugs. Another few weeks they will

be spectacular -- full of buds. They should be just a mass of flowers,

come Tatton. There is a certain element of luck

and we are at the mercy of the elements. Quite often, I have to

move plants from one place to another into some of the poly

tunnels to get them a bit warm and bring them into flower. But then we

get a warm spell of weather and they come onto quickly so we need to put

them somewhere cooler. I need to put them in the shade tunnel where it is

lower in temperature, it is exhausting but it is hard work and

it is means I can put together a display of plants at their peak.

This is the biggest of the tunnels, and it's probably where I spend most

of my time getting plants growing, propagating them and growing them

on, getting them ready for shows. We have been doing the RHS shows for

three years now, and I've had eight medals so far, everyone has been a

silver gilt, so we are consistent, but it would be fantastic to get the

elusive RHS Gold medal. Fingers crossed for Tatton.

Here we are, exhibits looking fantastic. How has it been getting

here and put the exhibits together? Everything has come on perfect. The

space looks fantastic. I'm very pleased with it and the visitors

love it. These are extreme plants that can cope with drought and

plenty of water, lots of cold weather, clay soil. These are real

doers. That lovely Primula is looking good, coming into flour.

It's perfect. Different shades as well. The actual species is much

taller and has a pure yellow flower. But thanks to the honeybees we are

getting some gorgeous colours. The big question, what medal did you

get? Another silver gilt. It tend now. Probably a record. -- it's ten

now. I have set myself the challenge of the RHS Gold medal. I have no

doubt you will get it. Lovely to meet you, Helen.

The return to Tatton last year of the Back to Back garden

category was such a triumph that they're making a welcome appearance

Say back to back gardens to anyone born in the North West and they will

know what you mean. They separate the terraced streets of the old

industrial North. These gardens are just six metres

by four metres in size. They may have been built over 150

years ago but just up the road in Liverpool these backyards

still exist in their thousands. Earlier, we went to explore some

of the Back to Back gardens and found them bursting with ideas

to transform the smallest It always strikes me just how

diverse the back to backs are. All the same proportion. It's down to

the inspiration. I normally start writing a list of names around day

four or five of the show a year ahead. That will go away for a few

months. It will be looked at, then something will stick, and this year

it was Spears, spheres and glaciers. We have all the perennial grasses.

-- Grassi ears. You're quite known for this coastal kind of planting.

I'm quite known for floaty planting, I don't really give a block

planting. I like naturalistic. There isn't sheets of colour, it's

different bedding. It's more than the sum of its parts. I would much

rather people picked out colours and danced across the whole garden so it

links one side to the other. Another innovation is the changing levels.

You have done it before. I have, I like to bring the garden up to a

higher plane. It's unique for me. It gives the judge is a different

perspective, and the public looking in get a different perspective so

hopefully I stand out from the competition. It's a beautiful

garden. You have created something very special. Thank you.

The Adlington Hall garden was inspired by a poem found inscribed

on one of the buildings in the grounds of Adlington hall, repeated

here in this classical niche. The garden is also a homage to

18th-century English landscape gardening, very natural, and shady

plants like ivy and ferns and this wonderful moss carpet either side of

the path. It's predominantly a very verdant garden but there are

pinpoints of colour. I also like the way that a lot of the flowers are

still in bud, so you get the sense of something to look forward to. For

a very small garden, it's certainly got a very big and must --

atmosphere. The green retreat immediately caught my eye, it has

such quality and the planting is so fit for purpose. A mosaic of

different foliage types, all suited to that shade. A golden grass from

Japan, simple but so effective. From a stepping stone path, the

garden opens out to a circular deck. Circle is always a good trick for

making any space seem larger. This garden really has a Tardis like

effect. In part it's the colour, gold in the border, cinnamon to

offset, the steelwork and the wattle fencing. Wattle of will Owen creates

a busy boundary, and that recedes when you look at it. -- of Will

uniquely here at Tatton it addresses the main problem that small space

gardening always has, the shade cast by neighbouring boundaries. This

design could easily be cut and pasted into any back to back, not

just in the north-west, but anywhere in the country.

This is brilliant fun, isn't it? I'm intrigued by your garden, Michael.

Every time I walk past, the water is a different level. The garden is

called Hi Tied, and trying to replicate the six Hours cycle in one

hour. It's about people adapting to nature. I suspect it's probably not

as simple a design as it looks. I referred to be billed as an iceberg.

A lot of hidden technology including a tank under the surface that feeds

the water so we have this lovely ebb and flow. That's samphire on the

water, we had permission to take it from Northern Ireland. We had to get

permission to highlight the conservation of these plans in

County Antrim. Tell me about the colours. Predominantly orange and

blue. We decided to use the apricots Queen, together with the purple

cloud, the African lilies. It's really lovely. I could sit here with

my feet in this cooling water all day. So could I!

This is where I make a beeline to when I come to town. A summer fruit

and vegetable village, which I absolutely love. The atmosphere is

charming, slightly eccentric, very British, but the competition is

rabid. People have been working all year for these precious prizes. They

don't give medals in the tent, prizes, first, second and third. The

criteria will change from group to group. With the cucumber, uniformity

matters. A pair of identical cucumbers. The categories have to be

understood and aimed for. From the minute the seed is sown, this here

today is the goal. This is my favourite exhibit in the

marquee, Prosser believe my favourite at the Tatton show. --

possibly my favourite. These are created most entirely for show, the

immaculate straightness of runner beans. The regimented cucumbers like

twins or reflections in a mirror. Shallots shown in sand, always, I

don't know why. They are the work of the grower. Ageing, how did you get

on? It's not been a good growing year at all, but I have found fruit.

-- Adrian. You have first prize across the you! Does it matter that

you win, how competitive are you? It's all about winning, as Nigel

Mansell once said. Oh yes. Winning first and eating second? Definitely.

Thank you very much and congratulations.

This year here at Tatton there's one couple that truly exemplifies

the focussed dedication required to grow, and show, competition

We went to visit this self-sufficient couple

from suburban Leicestershire, and discovered that they really

I'm Graham Wagg staff. We have been married for 49 years this October.

We have been seriously gardening with vegetables about 43 years. We

are passionate about it, really. We are passionate because we like to

know what we are eating. It's good to be able to go down to the garden,

pick what you want, and bring it into the kitchen. It couldn't be any

faster, unless you ran up the path. It's all about healthy eating,

keeping yourself fit. It's better than sitting and watching episode

after episode of television. It's better than watching Jeremy Kyle, we

like to be out here. You can't say that! We grow more or less

everything. Carrots. Leaks. Turnips. Radish, potatoes. Some strawberries.

And I've got to pick them again. It's all right, when I pick them I

come out in a rash! Although it's not a huge plot... It's very

productive. People are quite amazed when they come to see. It's all

about planning. Success and also in. The milkmen used to call us Tom and

Barbara from The Good Life. Quite accessible about the garden, but not

to the extreme. He likes everything to be just so. He's a bit untidy, he

leaves things lying around, dirty pots and things. But as but as far

as the fruit and veg goes, he's meticulous with growing. In front of

us we have a selection of the stuff that we are hoping to take to

Tatton. Little turnips. These are just bigger than a golf ball and we

need them like a tennis ball size. Spring onions. Another three weeks

on them and they should be right. Fennel over here. Looking nice and

healthy. We are hopeful. The weather controls a lot of what you are

growing, but if it wasn't up to it, we wouldn't exhibit that particular

part of the exhibit, for the simple reason that it's a prestigious show,

you have a name to keep up, if you like, so we tend to make sure we

take good quality stuff. These are hopefully our carrots for Tatton

Park. The variety is called sweet candle, stunt rooted variety. Grown

under fleece so no sign of carrot fly. There's nothing worse than when

you are about to eat your carrots and there are two little flies

looking at you. Not nice. We have a bit of a dilemma with the rhubarb

for Tatton. This variety is a heavy stick but hasn't quite got the

colour. We have another variety appear, which is a new one, called

Hol Steiner read. It's only a young plant, has only been there about 18

months. I'm nervous with the dilemma of whether to take this all go for

the heavier stick. At the moment, this one is winning, a beautiful

colour. We will see how we go. We are looking for what to Tatton.

We got seven firsts last year. Reid cards and you can't go any higher

than a red card. We are aiming to beat that, if possible. Most things

look good but we won't be terribly upset, just try again next year. We

can still beat them. Of course you can. Gooners breeze, plums. You

forgot the peaches. -- gooseberrys. Jane and Graham, did you bring

peaches to the show? Not this year, they are having a year off. How have

you done for prizes? You had a target you were trying to beat, how

have you done? Seven firsts last year. This year we brought 21

exhibits. We have 11 firsts, seven seconds and three third places. That

is a good year, isn't it? I am standing right in front of a plate

of the most perfect turnips and a first prize. What is it about those

that earned them that price? The quality. -- first prize.

It is called Snowball, the variety is snowball. It is as near as you

can get to a snowball. Uniformity of the three. Fresh and green. I heard

that he accidentally grew a giant turnip, what happened? It wasn't

this Mariah T. It was a different righty. -- this variety. We tried to

propagate but it went wrong. It was 18 LB. That is a big turnip. I am so

impressed with what you have achieved. And the way you do it is

brilliant. Once you start growing vegetables, it is obsessive. You get

hooked. You can eat your mistakes. Exactly. That is brilliant, very

well done. Thank you. Families visiting Tatton this year

are in for a real treat when they see this show garden,

the Big Friendly Garden. Inspired by the children's book

The BFG by Roald Dahl, it's just one of many tributes

to mark what would have been The giant catches good dreams to

blow into the bedrooms of sleeping children.

Here in the garden we have a cave. In each of these jars if they

captured dream. What interests me is the garden. No flowers at all.

Plants like firms, tree ferns and this wonderful cicade dinosaur

fodder, even a BFG might have munched on it if you got hungry. It

links in with Tatton Park itself. That Victorian feel with the

stumpery and firms going to -- growing together with moss between

them. The judges really liked a garden like this, it was given a

silvergilt medal and the crowds were loving this fun addition to the

show. Still to come tonight,

Monty meets the new kids on the horticultural block vying

to become the next big thing in the world of garden design,

and we'll be taking a look at garden sheds, but as you've

never seen them before! Whilst the BFG garden is firmly

based on a fictional setting, one of this year's Back to Back

designs could also have been inspired by another literary

classic, The Lord of the Rings. We went to Biddulph Grange Garden

in Staffordshire to discover the inspiration behind

The English Stumpery Garden which on first appearances

wouldn't look out of place It's very alien looking you just

come through the tunnel and you are hit by these spikes coming at you,

it can be I am Paul Whalton. This was greeted by James Bacon in

the 1840s and it is a theme garden would unusual areas. -- it was

created. This is one of them, this is the stumpery. Jury in the

Victorian period, visitors coming here must have thought he had gone

mass -- during the Victorian period. It is the oldest stumpery in

Britain. -- he had gone mad. Massive oak stumps placed on top of one

another creating this valley. We would like to let the mosque and

fungi, the stumps. We let the firms naturally spread. We like it to look

quite natural. It is quite daunting as you walk through. You don't see

it until it is right on you, very well hidden and cleverly designed.

It is one of my favourite areas. A lot of the older stumps of rotted

away. About 15 years ago. We start of the main restoration of it. It is

quite a big area. Still some restoration work to do. This bottom

part of the stumpery is the final part that needs restoring, we want

to complete this later on in the year but we have the stumps on site,

we thought it would be fabulous to use them in the RHS Tatton show

garden. It was designed by Mary Moxham, one of our garden volunteers

and it is nice to share the stumpery with all of the visitors at Tatton.

In trying to recreate the stumpery into a Back to Back garden, we have

limited space. We can't do exactly the same job as visible here. At the

most important feature of the stumpery is that it is a

walk-through and by having an open path in the Back to Back we are

encouraging someone to walk through and take the journey to the other

side. The stumpery is a shaded area of the garden, the soil can be quite

dry and it can be moisture retentive at times. We have to have plants

that can meet those needs. We have this lovely dwarf still be

which will hopefully still be in colour by the time of the show. --

dwarf still be. The also have these lovely bushie

firms, several firms we are going to use, different shapes, different

habits, different colours. Most of these have a dainty flower in lilac

and white. It is important to remember the stumps are the crowd

pleaser, the feature of the garden in themselves.

We felt it made sense to start the build-up here on site. Some of the

stumps are really heavy and we want to make sure they are lined up quite

well along the path edge creating and planting pockets we need. And it

will be a lot easier when we get them on site. We are currently doing

that, they are putting everything in place. Everything is going to plan

at the moment. Something we haven't talked about today is our surprise

feature in the garden, it is top secret. It is very special, very

unusual, quirky, Victorian. It will go just here in the corner. You will

have to wait for the garden to be completed before you can find out

what it is. Mary is not at the show today but

Leslie, you were part of the build all the way through. What was that

surprise that she was hinting at? It was the upside-down tree. I thought

it might be. It is extraordinary. Why? In our original plans from the

1850s from when the garden was produced, there were upside-down

trees. Obviously, dead tree. But it is acting as a wonderful host for

the climber. It is supporting a climber and showing part of a plant

that maybe Victorian people wouldn't generally have understood or scene.

I love the way the plant is nestling in comedy firms look at home and you

have some flower as well. Yes, we want a simpler hour in here. It is

not all about the ferns will stop addictively white because it stands

out well but the Japanese are encroaching from all over, they are

in the stumpery naturally anyway, we would use those. The little white

geraniums at the front, they so bright. They sparkle. They are

really lovely. I find it astonishing you have achieved this in a space of

a Back to Back garden and it has made me think you could make your

whole garden like this. You could if you really wanted to. A couple of

stumps, half a dozen ferns and if the snowdrops and you have your own

miniature stumpery. You have convinced me and a silver medal for

your first garden here, brilliant. Thank you.

Over in the Floral Marquee, there are over 70 specialist

nurseries displaying the very best of their chosen plant groups.

Toby Buckland has put his investigative hat on,

to find out more about the plants and people

You know, it's been such a difficult year for growers and I should know

because I am one. Summer has taken an age to ignite. But now it's got

going, there are upside is because something always good comes of a

difficult season. This year is the fact that early summer blooms like

Lupins are still putting on a good show right next to late-season

flowers like these. That remains in the rural marquee, the displays are

I sucking it might -- Floral Marquee. They are brilliant. Every

flower has been chosen because it is beneficial for the bees because it

either provide nectar or pollen. Lavender rubs shoulders with flat

landing pad plates of acutely. As well as being beautiful, like

many of the stands in the Floral Marquee at Tatton it also has a

sense of wholesomeness. This is another example of what I am

talking about, a display that is towering with colour and not one

with just personality, but a display that is personal to the nursery

woman who has created it. Stella, you created a display that

has a lot of heart to my eye. I think it happens, Toby. It certainly

has got a lot of personal treasures, personal family treasures. There are

lots of artefacts that I had brought from my own gardens at home and my

own nursery. My grandfather was the one that inspired me to get into

horticulture. As I look back now. I wanted to celebrate that. The first

time I am here at RHS Tatton I want to celebrate that sort of family

coming together. I am sure your grandfather, if he could have seen

this, would have been so proud of you. Thank you, I wish he was alive

to see it. But there is more than a celebration of tradition here, the

RHS is doing something new. It has given one grower more space to tell

the whole story. And bring the master grower to the fore.

Is tell their wonderful story, this pictorial board of photographs in

the background. -- it tells a wonderful. It paints a picture of

where you grow and the plants you know. The idea is where we come

from, it is all very well doing a display of herbs and everybody sees

the display but actually, this illustrates how we operate and what

we are, who we are. And how we go about our business. One thing I

noticed about the photos, your potting bench looks very clean to

me, like you gave it a good brush down for this snap. I always have a

policy of work clean. LAUGHTER Detail of the tent at Tatton this

year? One of care, colour and extraordinary attention to detail --

the story of the tent. It's not just the garden designs

and plant exhibits that attract over 80,000 visitors to RHS Tatton Park,

an event supported by One of the highlights for many

are the Garden Hideaways, or as we call them "sheds

on steroids". Over 21 million Brits own a shed,

but most of us are guilty So it's time for a

rethink and designers have come to Tatton

to transform the simple shed Earlier, Danny Clarke and I took

a closer look at this year's seven This is a conceptual shed, this

represents what's going on in the minds. It is all to do with mental

health within the military. You get the impression, by looking at this,

it's all jumbled up. I appreciate what some of these guys must be

going through. To contrast that, outside, you've got the Cardenas of

this love -- lovely planting, it works very well. This one is so much

more than just a shed. It tells a story of the Bridgewater Canal in

Salford and how it was a catalyst for the industrial revolution. Now

the areas all the bad well-being and leisure. We have got a swing.

And there is a shared as well, complete with Woodburn and a place

to store tools. I love it! -- there is a shed as well. This is the

library, I feel really at home here, a nice and cosy feel. You never get

bored in a place like this. Always something to take your attention.

Absolutely wonderful. I'm calling this the wedding shed.

It's all about planning for the big day, including what flowers you are

going to have. It's promoting British flowers, which is fantastic.

Inside you have mood boards and ideas for colour themes, round two

seed sowing and cutting gardens on the other side, to the big day

itself. This is my kind of shed. It has a small bed in it! I think these

lights are really funky and cool. The only thing with this one is,

it's of a a bit of a mission to get out of it. I love the copper

cladding, it works really well. It picks up the gorgeous planting here,

and the colours tie in beautifully. This is a coward themed party shed,

of course! What else?!. The kids will love it but I'm not sure I

would like this in my garden. Enough, I'm not going to milk this,

moo-ving on. I love this, it's conceptual, installation artwork,

perfectly executed with all the tools on the outside and the garden

on the inside. The first thing that hits you is the scent. There's even

a bird's nesting there. A tree growing out of the top. Love it. We

will choose our favourite shed and reveal our results at the end of the

programme. Tatton is renowned as a hotbed

for burgeoning horticultural talent and this year sees the launch

of a completion that's set The RHS Young Planting Designer

and Young Landscape Contractor Competition challenges six

of the brightest new faces from the worlds of landscaping

and planting to work together Monty met up with the Director

General of the RHS, Sue Biggs, to learn more about this

innovative competition. Can you explain this new

competition? It's a very exciting new competition where we have

brought together three landscapers, three plants designers, and they

have been given a brief. Each garden has to have a common feature, like

water features, pathways. They each have a different theme, one coastal,

one countryside and one urban. I would love to see for myself. This

is the seaside take on the brief by Lydia Mackay and Ewan Sewell. I

really like the way it has space. It's not crammed with plans or hard

landscaping in an attempt to try to get in as much as possible. The

whole thing has room to breathe. The planting is allowed to stand and

express itself with complete assurance that it can do the job.

The agapanthus framed as it is like this, you don't need to add to that.

I like the use of colours like greys and blues, the oranges picking out

the orange of the planting. The plans picked to cope with the salt

and sea spray and the sun. It captures a place and essence

extremely well. It works extremely well.

This is the town version of the brief with a construction by Matthew

Beesley and planting by Katie Maude. The basic premise of almost all town

Gardens is that they have to cope with shade. The planting is based

around shade for much of the day at different aspects. In a town garden

you need a sense of retreat from all the hustle and bustle of urban life.

The other thing is, you need privacy. A green hedge blocking the

neighbours works well. I really like the way the water gently runs down.

If it was too noisy it would be busy. We want a retreat with peace

and calm. There's probably a bit too much chocolatey colour for my taste.

I like that touches on the stems of the hydrangea, but that is

subjective. I love the seeded roof and the sense of maximising the

opportunity to get peace and retreat from a busy life.

This is the countryside version of the brief with the planting done by

Lizzi Mills with construction by Sam Hunt. It takes, by and large, a very

conventional idea and view of a country garden. But there are bits

and pieces as you look that challenge that and make you think

again. For example, the water feature, and they all have to have a

water feature, it could be a roof or wall. However, as a show garden,

it's not telling me anything new. This is like The Cotswolds country

garden, and my feeling is most people would love a garden like

this. But I love the way the living wall is tackled, I think that's

really good, looking great. The hard landscaping is beautifully done,

Little touches like the sacking of the cushions, it's great. Overall,

the garden doesn't challenge much, but it pleases at great deal.

I think it's time to know who won. I'm delighted to announce the winner

of the young landscape award is Ewan Sewell.

This is for the winner of the young planting designer of the year award

for 2016... And that goes to Katie Maude.

Two of you have won. It's worth pointing out that everyone a few,

all six of you have won a gold medal. Congratulations to all of

you. From young designers to a show

garden designed for young people. I'm here on the Ace Kids,

Spectrum of Genius garden, one of this year's evolution gardens

created with the needs of children I'm here with the designer,

Shea O'Neill. And her son Owen joins us as well.

Beautiful garden, what's your inspiration for the design? It's

based on a painting by Mondrian. He was reputed to have autism. We have

lovely things like lemon, your sugar substitute, and they make gorgeous

cups of tea to calm a child's stomach with anxiety. And we have

the rarest apple tree in the world. What about some of the design

features? I've learned so much from my children about how to adapt to

sensory art. Owen is sensitive to light so we have areas of light and

shade. What helps with a meltdown in autistic children is helping them to

control their environment. We have a lovely cocoon behind you helping

children to sway and rock. Do you have a favourite part, Owen? I like

the structure at the back, the way it lets light through, and the

message it has about neuro typical and neuro diverse people with

autism. It's beautifully made. It really is, you can thank my mother

up for that, she made it. She's pretty clever! Thank you for showing

me around and congratulations on your silver medal. Thank you, I just

loved it. Every year growers and societies

come to Tatton to champion plant groups that are embedded

in British gardening folklore. Carol has been to visit some floral

fanatics in the Plant Ssocieties Carol has been to visit some floral

fanatics in the Plant Societies and Heritage Marquee to find out why

they're such devotees of some very At Tatton, it's not just plants, but

plant societies that are here in rich abundance. How, plant societies

thrive particularly up north? Perhaps it has something to do with

the fact that in northern industrial city 's gardens were small or

nonexistent, so big spill over onto allotments. It's in places like that

where a whole community spirit of sharing plants and information,

sharing the enthusiasm and passion, dispelling the myth that it's grim

up North. This delectable stand was put

together by the national sweet pea society. They are all amateurs and

they have come to Tatton to dry to draw other people in to tell the

history of the planned they adore. The essence of summer, and this

stand shows how passionate people can become about them.

Lots of societies celebrate just one planned. These are the societies

that perhaps attract the true obsessions. The British national

Carnation Society is no exception. People have to absolutely adore

these lads to grow them to such perfection. There are all sorts of

ways people get obsessed, fall for these flowers in the first place.

Brian over there has a story typical of the people who belong to these

societies. He used to be a devotee of chrysanthemums. One night his

friend walked into the pub wearing a Carnation in his buttonhole. He

dumped the chrysanthemums and took up with the carnations, love at

first sight, typical of the kind of enthusiasm and total obsession

people devote to these plants. Earlier, we cast our discerning eyes

over this year's garden hideaways and I can now announce

which is our favourite this year. I would just like to say that they

were all fantastic, great effort, run wonderful sheds. And Carolyn is

our favourite with the outside in shed. We thought it was so

imaginative. And when you look inside, it's a gem. This feels very

special. We thought it had something really special about it. A really

brilliant idea, putting the tools on the outside and the garden on the

inside, and the attention to detail. Congratulations and enjoy our

special prize. A round of applause, please! APPLAUSE

They were great fun. I love sheds. We have four or five at Longmeadow.

They are a focal point, a place to go to. And if you need inspiration

just come here. That brings us to the end

of tonight's programme but we'll be back tomorrow on BBC2 at 7pm

with more highlights We'll be meeting the next generation

of garden design stars who are battling it out to become

the RHS Young Designer