0:00:03 > 0:00:06The Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show
0:00:06 > 0:00:07is the most prestigious
0:00:07 > 0:00:09flower show on the planet.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Chelsea is the best place in the world.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15It's that one time and that one place where everything coincides -
0:00:15 > 0:00:18the best plants, the best designers, the best landscapers,
0:00:18 > 0:00:19the best materials.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Everything is there just for that one very special week in May
0:00:23 > 0:00:25that is the Chelsea Flower Show.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Every year, the best designers spend hundreds of thousands of pounds
0:00:29 > 0:00:32creating gardens in the hope of gaining global recognition.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34CHEERING
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Now, for the first time, the RHS
0:00:36 > 0:00:40is offering one talented amateur designer the chance to launch
0:00:40 > 0:00:43a brand-new career by building a garden on Main Avenue.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Hundreds applied for the biggest prize in gardening,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51and six passionate designers were chosen.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Now they will have to prove they can cut it with the best of the best.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Once you get through those Chelsea gates,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00you're in with the big boys, and there isn't any space for mistakes.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02They'll be advised by Joe Swift,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05one of the country's leading designers.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06That is...is bad.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08They're going to mark you down for that.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12They'll have to master different garden styles as they design...
0:01:12 > 0:01:14I just need to get it smaller, that's the main thing.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15..construct...
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Got to be so careful in case it snaps.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18..and plant...
0:01:18 > 0:01:20They're just monsters, but they're going in!
0:01:20 > 0:01:25..to impress Chelsea Flower Show judge James Alexander-Sinclair
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and gold medal-winning designer Ann-Marie Powell.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Every time I try and think about it, my mind just starts racing.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Chelsea is only a short step away now.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Welcome to Wisley. It's the final.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55And what a fitting place to find out who's going to be our winner -
0:01:55 > 0:01:59the headquarters of the Royal Horticultural Society.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Over the last three rounds of this competition,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Rob, Paul and Sean have all proved they have the design skill,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10plant knowledge and creativity to earn a place in the final.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Sean won the first round for his stunning cottage garden.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Paul triumphed in the second for the simple elegance
0:02:20 > 0:02:21of his formal garden,
0:02:21 > 0:02:26and again in the third round for his atmospheric conceptual garden.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And Rob has impressed with his ambition and theatre,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32coming a close second on two occasions.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Now they have five days to create a show garden that will win them
0:02:37 > 0:02:41a place at Chelsea, alongside the best garden designers in the world -
0:02:41 > 0:02:43and the chance of a new career.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45There's a huge amount of pressure on.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47My future is all about garden design
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and I really want to win this competition.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Oh, I'm pleased with that.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53'I really want this.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'And I'm trying not to think too much about being at Chelsea.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'If it doesn't happen, you have to prepare yourself for that.'
0:02:59 > 0:03:00I'm a little bit nervous.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I'll feel happier once the spade's in the ground
0:03:02 > 0:03:04and I've started this final garden.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Rob.- There we go.- Ah!
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'The gardens we've done before, the kind of main aim has been
0:03:09 > 0:03:10'to get through to the next round.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'Chelsea was there, but it seemed a long way off.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:15This week, it's about going home
0:03:15 > 0:03:16or going to Chelsea.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21You've got to impress them, but I want to show them how passionate
0:03:21 > 0:03:23I am about plants, how much this means to me.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26'I've got to put everything into it and ensure there are no mistakes.'
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Get started.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31In this final round, the designers face their biggest
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and hardest challenge yet.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35To prepare them for Chelsea,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38they don't have to follow a specific garden style.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41That might sound easy, but it means
0:03:41 > 0:03:44they don't have the safety net of guidelines to help them.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48They have to decide on their own garden style and theme.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And, for the first time, they also have to include a wall.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54The game plan this week is just
0:03:54 > 0:03:57to stick to the time schedule as best I can.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00The plots are bigger, as is their budget.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02But that means more space to fill,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05more plants and more details to get right
0:04:05 > 0:04:08if they want to win the life-changing prize.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10There's a lot of concrete in this garden.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14So I want to try and get as much of it in today
0:04:14 > 0:04:16so that we can set it and even start building on it.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19More than ever before,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22they'll need the help and advice of Joe Swift.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24And it gives it integral strength.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29With the ultimate prize in gardening at stake, James Alexander-Sinclair
0:04:29 > 0:04:33and Ann-Marie Powell will judge each garden to Chelsea Flower Show
0:04:33 > 0:04:37standards for design, atmosphere, horticulture and brief.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41This is it, there can be no compromises.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Although we have seen flashes of excellence
0:04:43 > 0:04:44from all of our designers,
0:04:44 > 0:04:49be it Sean's planting, or Paul's design, or Rob's sense of ambition,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52one of them is going to Chelsea, and the whole thing has to come together
0:04:52 > 0:04:54in one perfect package -
0:04:54 > 0:04:58not forgetting the details, darling.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I've been seriously impressed by the progress of each
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and every garden designer throughout this competition.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08But now I want to see flawless gardens, great theatre,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12beautiful planting, and good, strong garden design.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I want to be rendered speechless by these gardens,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18which is actually something that doesn't happen very often.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24I said to Gill, "Let's have this wall completed by today."
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Eight hours.- But you've just said the first foundation is the most
0:05:27 > 0:05:30difficult, so now it's only going to take us a couple of hours
0:05:30 > 0:05:32to get it up to a metre, isn't it?
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Well, yes, maybe.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35THEY LAUGH
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Sean's final garden is called
0:05:39 > 0:05:42The Emperor Hadrian Meets Miss Jekyll
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and is inspired by the history of his Northumbrian homeland.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50This is Hadrian's Wall, and I was completely captivated by this
0:05:50 > 0:05:54as a child. I came here on my first school trip.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Everything about it just captivated me.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59The texture of the stones, the shape of it,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01the whole kind of structure. And I just thought,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04"Wow, if I could just replicate that, even just a small section
0:06:04 > 0:06:07"of it going across my design, how fantastic would that look?"
0:06:07 > 0:06:10He's also taken inspiration from Gertrude Jekyll,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13one of the most influential garden designers of the late 19th
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and 20th centuries.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18She is best known for her painterly approach to planting
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and her quintessential classic English gardens,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25including the garden at Lindisfarne Castle.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27This is another inspirational place.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I come here three or four times a year with my wife.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I kept thinking, "If I'm lucky enough to get to the final,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34"then this would definitely have to be on the design,"
0:06:34 > 0:06:37from a colour point of view, from a structure point of view
0:06:37 > 0:06:39and just that whole historical perspective.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Central to Sean's design is his homage to Emperor Hadrian -
0:06:45 > 0:06:50a dry-stone wall which will divide his garden into a Jekyll-inspired
0:06:50 > 0:06:52formal garden on the left-hand side
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and a wild Northumbrian landscape on the other.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59The idea of Gertrude Jekyll,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01who designed the garden at Lindisfarne Castle...
0:07:01 > 0:07:02- Is that right?- Yes.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05..meeting the Emperor Hadrian.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Complete fantasy.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Don't even try and match up the timescale.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12What I'm concerned about, James - I'm sure you are too -
0:07:12 > 0:07:14is we've got two very distinct gardens.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17You said very informal here, formal here.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19So how are we going to transition
0:07:19 > 0:07:21when we've got a wall right down the middle?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I'm going to carry the plants through
0:07:23 > 0:07:25so there's going to be a repetition of the planting.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- So the planting will carry the theme through.- OK.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- Quite an ambitions brief, again. - But I have simplified it.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32I cut a lot out.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33I cut a lot out.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Well, that is really good to hear
0:07:35 > 0:07:39cos you do tend to sometimes put a bit too much narrative into a garden
0:07:39 > 0:07:43and it is difficult to get that interpretation that doesn't
0:07:43 > 0:07:45leave us, frankly, muddled.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I mean, this IS the final, do you think it has got enough
0:07:48 > 0:07:50grunt in it to really kind of outshine everybody else
0:07:50 > 0:07:53on this site? You've got two very strong competitors.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I'm hoping that this garden will have real atmosphere.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And I hope, as you step into it, it will feel magical.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00And I'm hoping to be able to transport both of you
0:08:00 > 0:08:03to Northumberland and maybe that snapshot in time.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- Have you ever built a dry-stone wall before?- Yes, and it was a disaster.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08But I was only 15.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09I was only 15.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12And it was only single file and it didn't have any soil in it,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15so every time the wind blew, I'm not surprised it blew over.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- OK.- It's very brave of you to admit that, actually, isn't it?
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- I admire you. - SHE LAUGHS
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Paul is going all out to impress the judges by building his wall
0:08:24 > 0:08:262.5 metres high.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29But before he can build up, he has to dig down.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33What we are trying to do here is put every effort into getting
0:08:33 > 0:08:36the foundations dug for this wall
0:08:36 > 0:08:40because it will take several hours for the foundations to go off...
0:08:42 > 0:08:44..and we need to start building the wall on it.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46So we don't want a Leaning Tower of Pisa.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49..While we still have a bridge.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Paul is getting used to hard labour.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54He's running an equally ambitious build in the garden
0:08:54 > 0:08:57of his London home, that he shares with partner, John.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Having never had a garden ever, literally, this is the first time
0:09:02 > 0:09:06I've ever owned a house and had a garden. I've put my passion
0:09:06 > 0:09:11into wanting to produce something which is a little bit of Provence.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13This isn't just the work of contractors,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17this is my own hands. I'm doing this. It's...
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I can't really put into words how exciting
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and how fulfilling it is to actually do this, but it's off the scale.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26It is the biggest and most exciting thing that I've ever done
0:09:26 > 0:09:30and it gives me a huge amount of satisfaction to be able to do it
0:09:30 > 0:09:32for both myself and for John.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Clearly Chelsea is the creme de la creme of garden design globally.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39To get actually into Chelsea, just that opportunity alone,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41it would be amazing.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I might be able to give up work, hopefully, if Paul gets through.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47With two golds for his previous designs under his belt,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Paul's ambitious final garden is called Three In A Row
0:09:51 > 0:09:54and reflects his urban lifestyle.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It will have three cypress trees,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58three vertical beams
0:09:58 > 0:10:00and three windows in the wall
0:10:00 > 0:10:01that encloses a deck
0:10:01 > 0:10:02and seating area,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04creating a tranquil hideaway from
0:10:04 > 0:10:07the hustle and bustle of city life.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09An awful lot of hard landscaping
0:10:09 > 0:10:13to do in just a very small time slot.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Does that concern you? Cos it concerns me at the moment.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I just feel, you know, that with this, it is the final.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I've got to... I've pushed the boat out and I am not just pushing it,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23- I'm shoving it out.- Yeah.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26And I really feel that this needs that to take me
0:10:26 > 0:10:27across the line and into Chelsea.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29I admire that. I think that is fantastic.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30You are really pushing yourself.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33You've always been strong on your designs,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36the sort of graphic things, the two dimensional,
0:10:36 > 0:10:37the plans have always been strong.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41But what we'd like is we'd like... We'd like a bit more...
0:10:41 > 0:10:42How do you put it?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Well, joie de vivre, I think.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46What I am concerned about - and I am sure you are as well -
0:10:46 > 0:10:49is that it's almost like a clinical observation of things.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53And I'd like to see a little bit more soul, I think.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54You've got lots of hard lines.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I want you to kind of really put a bit of yourself into it.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Hopefully, the planting will do that.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01I'm going to have a fernery
0:11:01 > 0:11:05within the framed section of the garden at the end of the path.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10And then lots of grasses and flowers, lots of soft planting.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13We need to make sure that there's you in it, really you.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17It is a very well-designed garden, but, please, breathe a bit of...
0:11:17 > 0:11:18personality.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- And details.- Details, darling.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Bigger gardens mean keeping to a schedule is crucial, a fact
0:11:26 > 0:11:31that Rob is acutely aware of after building his conceptual garden.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- Is there anyone you are worried about?- Rob.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Really, particularly worried about him.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37He's been scrabbling around all day.
0:11:37 > 0:11:38I mean, he has had difficulties
0:11:38 > 0:11:42and problems that he is trying to overcome, but he is panicking.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45My plan, this week, I've looked at my schedule and I've given
0:11:45 > 0:11:47myself kind of loads more time than I thought it would take.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I've got lots of details put in this garden,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53so I want to spend that last day,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55you know, faffing around,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58putting all the stuff in that is going to make that real impact.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Rob's passion for plants even extends to his work.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05He is a plant research scientist.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07He is hoping that his knowledge of botany will give him
0:12:07 > 0:12:10a unique edge to his final garden design.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Plants for me aren't just about kind of looking pretty.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I've always had this kind of fascination with how plants
0:12:16 > 0:12:19have evolved and adapted to different environments and some of
0:12:19 > 0:12:22their compounds and chemicals that they contain and how we use them.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26They offer us a lot of different things like food, energy,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29medicines. How they can help society, basically.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I'm using the science lab as
0:12:31 > 0:12:34a bit of inspiration for the garden that I'm creating.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36So some of the kind of visual elements, the shelving,
0:12:36 > 0:12:37the bottles and things,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I'm trying to think of ways of incorporating that into the garden
0:12:40 > 0:12:42so I can kind of take some of this atmosphere
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and put it into the garden that I'm creating.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47I'm up against some really strong competition.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50There are some really good planting skills, some really good design
0:12:50 > 0:12:53skills, so I want to give an extra wow factor to my garden this week.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55So I've tried to think what
0:12:55 > 0:12:57can I bring that nobody else is going to bring,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59and I've used a plant called arabidopsis that none of the other
0:12:59 > 0:13:02designers will have. It's not the kind of plant you can
0:13:02 > 0:13:05just pick up in a garden centre or buy from a catalogue.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I've got a few little special plants to add to the garden.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I really want that to give the judges that kind of sense of wonder
0:13:11 > 0:13:15and spark of imagination that is going to get me through to Chelsea.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Rob is using off-the-shelf materials to create a garden
0:13:18 > 0:13:22that celebrates his love of plant science.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Wooden fence panels and shelving will create a science lab at one end
0:13:26 > 0:13:29while a large wooden circle will bring theatre to
0:13:29 > 0:13:33a contemplation area, mimicking the view through a microscope.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36So, it is called Look Closer, which is all about some of the ways
0:13:36 > 0:13:38that we might use plant science in the future.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41So there are some bananas and there are some ferns.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Bananas are basically clones of one another,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46so they don't reproduce sexually. So they are at risk of extinction.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49So it is thinking about how we might use other techniques to breed
0:13:49 > 0:13:50new bananas in the future.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52And we could learn a lot from ferns for that.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55So, ferns - recently discovered that they weren't supposed to thrive
0:13:55 > 0:13:57in shady areas. They were actually supposed to be, you know,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59just outside in the sunshine.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03But through a little trick of nature by a bacteria or virus that
0:14:03 > 0:14:05went in, and took a little bit of DNA from a plant called
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- a hornwort that could survive in the shade.- It's a water plant.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11So something like that might help us save the banana in the future.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14This is fantastic that we are hearing so much about your plants.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16We've actually been quite disappointed we haven't seen enough
0:14:16 > 0:14:19botany coming through over the last three weeks.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21"OK, Rob is the botanist, where is the botany?"
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- So this week, we are going to see it, are we?- Absolutely.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25I've listened to your comments and thought,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27"I haven't shown you this, this side of me."
0:14:27 > 0:14:29- And this is what I'm really passionate about.- All of that...
0:14:29 > 0:14:31and loads of theatre!
0:14:31 > 0:14:33- Please.- I'll try my best.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35We want to see you really excel, Rob, we really do.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40Yeah, I mean, this final week, final garden, and I really want them
0:14:40 > 0:14:43to see how passionate I am about this and how much I want this.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- Hi, Paul.- Hello.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47How are you building this wall?
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Um, so...
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- So basically, all out of block. - You've got a double block here.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59You've got a double block on this side
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and then a single block running along the back.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04That really worries me cos you're going up 2.5 metres
0:15:04 > 0:15:06with a single block wall.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It's not good practice. At home, this wouldn't work, this garden.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- You wouldn't be able to leave it up permanently.- Yeah.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- But because it is a temporary garden...- Yeah.- OK?
0:15:14 > 0:15:16You're going to have to put a pier all the way down there,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- so the foundation needs to be double the width.- Right.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22And make sure it is tied in on that corner really well,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24and that'll give it the strength it needs. OK?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26That's what to do. We definitely don't want this wall
0:15:26 > 0:15:28falling on the judges.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- No.- That wouldn't go down well.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- Brilliant.- All right, thanks, Joe. - Cheers, Paul.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36My timeframe is all based around the design and not adding in...
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I was thinking he was going to say, "You've got to put two layers in,"
0:15:39 > 0:15:41which A - I don't have the materials,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44B - even if... I don't have the budget to buy the materials,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and C - I don't have the time...
0:15:47 > 0:15:50to either buy them or build them.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52- So, yeah, I was worried. - HE CHUCKLES
0:16:02 > 0:16:04Keep coming, keep standing back.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07You've got two completely different walls there already.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I mean, that one is looking really good.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10And that one, frankly,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13is looking like a currant bun with far too many currants in it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- Yeah, I built that.- You build that one?- Yeah, it's terrible.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18So your contractor is better at dry-stone walling than you?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21The contractor is spot-on, but I feel guilty because this guy is...
0:16:21 > 0:16:22Why are you feeling guilty?
0:16:22 > 0:16:24I'm thinking I should be building this as well.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29- If he's a contractor and he's doing a good job...- Yeah.- You just direct.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Do you not like that stone on the end? That's beautiful.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33All the stone is beautiful, it's how you put it together.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- All right.- All right?
0:16:37 > 0:16:40So, this is it, the final, the biggie.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43First impressions, Ann-Marie, starting with Sean.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45One of the things that I'm concerned about is
0:16:45 > 0:16:47we have got these two different garden styles, and that
0:16:47 > 0:16:50wall down the middle just might split the garden into two halves.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53So that transitioning, which he has already been thinking about,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56has got to be absolutely perfect.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Otherwise, you know, he might fail.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Paul, he has got two golds in a row, this man.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02He obviously knows what he is doing.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04He has set himself a pretty heavy target there.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07The wall is sort of, you know, 2.5 metres high,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09to be built halfway around this.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11And there is decking and there is paving.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13How long has he got to do this garden?
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- Five days. Is that long enough? - Now, Rob has never won gold.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- He's come very close. Has he got what it takes to win this final? - Yes.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23He has got a really strong brief. It is very personal to him.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25He is using all of his botany skills.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Which is the thing that we've been asking him to do -
0:17:27 > 0:17:29"Show us your botany, show us yourself" -
0:17:29 > 0:17:32and we haven't had it. We have lots of theatre and not enough Rob.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34This time, he is going to go the other way.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35I wouldn't want to be in your shoes -
0:17:35 > 0:17:38you've got to choose between one of these three.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41We've got three very distinctly different gardens.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43It is going to be difficult to choose.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45You know, let's not forget that these garden designers,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48they are competing for a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Cor! These gardens should be
0:17:50 > 0:17:52absolutely phenomenal, shouldn't they?
0:17:52 > 0:17:55All three of them are in with a chance. All of them want it.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59- All they have to do now is get it right.- You make it sound so easy.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01- THEY LAUGH - It ain't.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11It's early morning of day two
0:18:11 > 0:18:13and the designers have come to buy their plants from one
0:18:13 > 0:18:17of the main nurseries that supply the Chelsea Flower Show.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Getting the right plants will be essential to fulfil their brief
0:18:22 > 0:18:24and bring their gardens to life.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27The Gertrude Jekyll garden at Lindisfarne was a real
0:18:27 > 0:18:29pop of colour within that walled area.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31And I think that the colour palette that I've chosen, I'm trying
0:18:31 > 0:18:36to replicate that, not slavishly but to try to get that feel.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38But that's quite brave for me because I usually use a very
0:18:38 > 0:18:43muted kind of colour palette, so for me, that bright orange is kind of...
0:18:43 > 0:18:44I'm thinking, "Is that going to work?"
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Yes, this lamb's ear. Saw this at Lindisfarne Castle,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49and it's a typical Gertrude Jekyll plant,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51so this is a key plant, really.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54And I brought my photograph just to remind me
0:18:54 > 0:18:56of how that looked in the border.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04- Rob.- Hello.- Rob.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- So, plant-wise...- Yep. I've got some more money to spend.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08That was kind of the plan this time.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- Give yourself options?- Yes.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12You've got to find stuff that also goes with your theme.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- I've got a list.- You've got a list? - I've got a list.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Medicinal plants and energy plants and plants for food,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21all things that have kind of been studied for one reason or another.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23And make sure they look good together. It is not like...
0:19:23 > 0:19:26You know, you're creating a garden here out of those parts,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28- so you've set yourself a difficult brief.- Yeah.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30It is a difficult brief, but I like a challenge,
0:19:30 > 0:19:31and this one I feel comfortable with.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- OK. I'll leave you to it. - Thank you.- Cheers.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Rob has always been confident around plants.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39He learned his love of gardening from his grandfather,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42who visited the Chelsea Flower Show in the '60s.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Aged 86, he is still gardening.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48I've been running around the lot with wheelbarrows, trying to lift
0:19:48 > 0:19:50these heavy things about and stuff like that.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51Maybe I got that off you.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53It does you the world of good. It keeps you fit.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- ROB LAUGHS - It definitely does.- Yeah, yeah.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58I've built three gardens so far.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I've got one more to go. So it is a big, big deal for me.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02I've got to get through.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06I am so, so proud of you for doing this.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I hope that you win it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11And I hope that I have the pleasure of coming to Chelsea to see you.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- Well, you're definitely going to be coming along if I win.- Yeah?
0:20:14 > 0:20:15That would be great, wouldn't it?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17I can't quite believe it, to be honest.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19I'd love to go there once more.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20Yeah, it'd be amazing.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- Paul.- Hello.- How's it going? - Uh, yeah, having a bit of a flap.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- A bit of a flap?- A bit of a flap.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- Is that going to help? - Well, basically, I've got to lose...
0:20:34 > 0:20:38- I have overspent. Well, not overspent, I've just...- Overspent.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39Overspent.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Just being ambitious in other departments, if you like.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46- You spent a lot on your hard landscaping, haven't you?- Yeah.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49So the plants that I have left, I've spent £2,500 on.
0:20:49 > 0:20:55Plus, I've spent £600 on some trees. So I am now feeling the pain.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58So I have got to remove 66%,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01which is around three quarters of all of my plants.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06- So...- Hang on, 66% is two thirds, so 75%...- 75%.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07I know my percentages.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10It is between the two. What I am doing now is I'm setting out...
0:21:10 > 0:21:14I need to cover nine square metres in grass planting.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17So you're going for a sort of a stipa look with all the perennials
0:21:17 > 0:21:18coming through again?
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Because out there, there's different sizes of Verbena bonariensis.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24There are the ones that you've got, bigger ones, even bigger ones,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26some that have gone over.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30And it might be worth having a zoom around and trying to get your head
0:21:30 > 0:21:32around what you are going to use as well, and buy some cheaper ones.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- Cheers.- See you.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Normally on budget and on schedule,
0:21:38 > 0:21:43this time Paul is paying the price for his overly-ambitious design.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48No such problems for Rob, who has found plants to meet his brief.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Ferns have a bit of a special place in the science world.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53I haven't used them before because I've been
0:21:53 > 0:21:56sort of looking for flowers and that kind of impact.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58And this is a weird little plant
0:21:58 > 0:22:00called Gaura lindheimeri.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02It is able to pass on information about its environment
0:22:02 > 0:22:05to its offspring. It kind of has a genetic memory.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07They are studying those. They call it epigenetic changes,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10which basically means its offspring have a better
0:22:10 > 0:22:12chance of surviving in a range of environments.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14So where some plants might not be able to survive
0:22:14 > 0:22:17if it was hotter or colder, they can do that.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Paul is having to have a radical rethink of his planting plan
0:22:23 > 0:22:26so it fits in with his budget.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I'm just thinking of my colours in the garden,
0:22:28 > 0:22:33cos I've got black beams and olive wall. And this colour...
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I prefer... Yeah, it is a lot more sophisticated looking.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39That is a bit sort of cottage garden.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43This is a bit more urban, city garden.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51So, the grass garden.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It has changed.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57The cupressus...
0:22:57 > 0:23:00You know, the tall pencil pines.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02I've ditched those.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08And with the money, I've been able to buy 90 other plants.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11So instead of the cupressus, I'm using these,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13so it gives a bit of height.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16And I'll just do them in three clumps in amongst these grasses,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18which kind of represent the three verticals.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20So it is not quite the same,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24but it does mean that I don't end up with a completely bare garden.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26HE CHUCKLES
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Their plants selected, the designers return to Wisley
0:23:30 > 0:23:32and their hard landscaping.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34With just a day and a half until planting day,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36good time management is essential.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39We've started to get the paving stuff down
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- but the wall hasn't started yet. - HE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Are you all right doing that for a sec while I go and grab some stuff
0:23:45 > 0:23:46- to build? - Of course. Yep, no worries.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49So, yeah, want to get kind of the paving first to get all
0:23:49 > 0:23:51the levels right on there. And then we'll start
0:23:51 > 0:23:54the wall construction, hopefully, tomorrow.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Get some height into the garden as well.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I need to start this wall.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I wanted to have this wall finished by today and it is just...
0:24:07 > 0:24:10You know, to get it up to this height all the way around,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12it is really not going to be possible.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- Can we start building this wall now? - Yeah.- We've really got...
0:24:15 > 0:24:18We've really fallen behind today. But, you know... Hey-ho.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Let's get it built. Right, ready with that muck?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Both Rob and Paul are feeling the pressure of their biggest
0:24:25 > 0:24:27and most ambitious design so far.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32But with his wall complete, Sean has got time to bring in some furniture.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34The bench is a little bit big.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37That could have been done with... maybe a little bit shorter.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40But I'm hoping that once the plants are in and I get it clothed,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42it will feel more part of the design.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45At the minute, it's like when you first put furniture
0:24:45 > 0:24:46in a newly-decorated room,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49it doesn't really fit until I get all of the clutter in.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52It'll be fine. It has to be.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Calm and on schedule, yoga-loving Sean lives with his wife,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Eileen, and has been dreaming of Chelsea all his life.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04He wanted to be a gardener when he was 17,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07so it has, like...it's come full circle.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11He is going to get to do what he wants, even if he doesn't win.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13But if he does, that's fantastic.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- Chelsea will be great. - It would be fantastic.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18You would be there if I was to be lucky enough to get to that point.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22- Of course I would.- And it is your 50th that week, so what a way...
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Right, I'm going to stab him now.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26What a way to celebrate your 50th!
0:25:26 > 0:25:31To have a garden in your honour at Chelsea. Not many ladies get that
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- for a 50th birthday present, do they?- I don't believe you!
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Not only does Paul have a large wall to build,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45he's also got to lay paving slabs for his path.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- I see what you mean, it is touching in here.- Yeah, yeah.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52But it is square on there.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55And each element brings its own complications.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57It looks all right to me. I should use...
0:25:57 > 0:26:01With this paving, it has 16 slabs.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05They are all a perfect rectangle
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and they need to be perfectly laid.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10There is a slight discrepancy with that edge, but I'm going to
0:26:10 > 0:26:15be able to hide that underneath the decking, which will go over the top.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19I get annoyed when it is not bang on.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21And, um...
0:26:21 > 0:26:23that is not bang on.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26So, good progress today, you think?
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I think it has been a great day for some but not so much for others.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I mean, Sean seems to be steaming ahead.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33He is building something he is really comfortable with.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35I think he is right on track.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39However, I'm not sure that the same can be said for Paul and Rob.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41I think you are right. I think that Paul
0:26:41 > 0:26:43has set himself an enormous task.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46And Paul has never laid paving before in his life.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50He is laying really sort of razor-cut, really tight paving,
0:26:50 > 0:26:51where the joints matter.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55His design is very slick and he relies very heavily on the hard
0:26:55 > 0:26:58landscaping, and that hard landscaping has got to be spot-on.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I am going to finish today with a sense of achievement.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I've laid my first ever paving.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06And if I close one eye and look up my crack,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I can see a perfectly straight line.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12And Rob has gone for a more economic range, shall we say, which is
0:27:12 > 0:27:14going to give a different finish, isn't it?
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Rob, you know, his paving is a little bit rougher.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19He can get away with a few more sort of dodgy edges.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22But he too is struggling. Everything is on the ground.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25We haven't seen anything come upwards yet.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Seeing Sean's wall go up so quickly, panic set in.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29My wall's not even started, so, yeah,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31you look at other gardens, you think, "I've got to do a lot
0:27:31 > 0:27:34"more, I've got to catch up, I've got to be as quick as them."
0:27:34 > 0:27:36So, yeah, it is a big challenge.
0:27:37 > 0:27:38There is no let-up.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Each designer is desperate to win because there's nothing
0:27:42 > 0:27:45as prestigious as designing a garden at Chelsea.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51With show gardens costing up to a quarter of £1 million,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53only a select few get to exhibit their skill here.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57To join their ranks is to enter the Premier League
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and the chance to win lucrative commissions.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03But it comes at a cost.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Whoever wins this is going to be more stressed
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and harder worked than they have ever been in their lives.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11They are going to be working seven days a week.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13They are going to be working up to 20 hours a day
0:28:13 > 0:28:14towards the end of it,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16existing off stress and anxiety.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19But if you are going to come to the playground, be prepared to play.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24The pressure at Chelsea is intense. It is a short period of time.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Something always goes wrong.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Something doesn't arrive,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29something breaks, somebody is ill.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32You know, Chelsea wouldn't be Chelsea if there wasn't a problem.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35But, you know, everything has a solution.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37It is in there, you just have got to think through it.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40To create a garden worthy of Chelsea,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44the designers must show they have strong design skills, brilliant
0:28:44 > 0:28:48plant knowledge and that they can make a garden with great atmosphere.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00Day three, and only two days left before the winner is chosen.
0:29:00 > 0:29:01- Paul.- Morning, Joe.
0:29:01 > 0:29:02How is the wall going?
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Um, well, we are quite behind on schedule.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Cos what is the finish going to be on this wall?
0:29:08 > 0:29:09The finish is going to be a render.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12You've got to build the wall, what, get two coats of render on there?
0:29:12 > 0:29:15- One.- Contractor going, "One. One."
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- So a single skin.- A single skin.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19What is happening here, in this window?
0:29:19 > 0:29:23- There are four concrete lintels... - Yep.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26..that are going upright with a 200-mil gap.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29- How are they being fixed? - They are being concreted in.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32- Into the ground?- Into the wall.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34- They're just going to sit on a bed of concrete?- Yeah.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37What, those six-foot lintels are just going to sit...?
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- Well...- They can't.- Yeah.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40"Mr Contractor.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44"Mr Contractor, how do you feel about just placing lintels vertically,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47"sitting them on a bed of cement?"
0:29:47 > 0:29:49It is an issue and it is not safe, really.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51I mean, I would've steel rod them.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53You need steel rods going into the foundation.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56You've got to fix them. You can't just concrete them on a bed.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58I mean, if you come along and kick that, it comes out,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01goes underneath, the whole thing is going to come down on top of it.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Well, there is a concrete lintel going over the top.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06I know, but that is just more weight on the top.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08And you've got no proper fixing on the bottom.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Do you know how heavy those things are? Did you carry them in place?
0:30:11 > 0:30:12- Yeah.- They are seriously heavy.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14This is going to take you forever
0:30:14 > 0:30:16and you're running out of time for it already.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20You're going to have to rethink this, big time, maybe make your three
0:30:20 > 0:30:22pillars out of timber or something, because honestly,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25they are so heavy, those, you can't just sit them on top of a wall
0:30:25 > 0:30:28- and hope they're going to stay there.- Hmm.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32- Do you think? - I'm not an engineer or a builder.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34No, but you are a designer,
0:30:34 > 0:30:39and a designer has to be able to design stuff that can be built.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40Hmm.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Even if you just create a window there, it'll give the effect.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44- Yeah.- You know?
0:30:44 > 0:30:47- At least it'll be finished. - All right.- Yeah?- OK.- OK.
0:30:47 > 0:30:48- Cheers, Paul.- See you.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Already behind schedule,
0:30:51 > 0:30:55another change to his plans is the last thing Paul needs.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57HE SIGHS
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Deep breath. Yeah, annoyed.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05I'm annoyed because it is really affecting my design.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08And for me, that was one of the key elements.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11So, yeah, I'm feeling a little bit gutted... Emotional at the moment.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12Yeah.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17I'm just going to carry on.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21Yeah.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25- Rob.- Good morning.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29So this is your sort of corner here with your fence panels coming in?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32- Yeah.- You have got your shelving stuff here?- Yeah, I've got it.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34So it is kind of ladder shelving
0:31:34 > 0:31:36that goes up the side of the wall like that.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39There is three and then a bigger one that goes next to it as well.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41My concern is that it is a little bit off-the-peggy.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44It feels like these sort of things are just a bit of flat-pack
0:31:44 > 0:31:47- and put on.- OK.- And I am wondering whether you could make
0:31:47 > 0:31:51a bigger shelving unit that is more integrated to the space,
0:31:51 > 0:31:53a sort of outdoor lab-type thing.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- And this is really where the character is coming in.- Sure. OK.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59- Yeah?- Yeah, I like it.- Good. - All right, thank you.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Rob has no more work to fit into his already-busy schedule.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06But it is this level of design detail that they'll be judged on.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Concrete lintels out, Paul is in danger of failing to complete
0:32:12 > 0:32:16his brief and now needs to rethink the design at the end of his garden.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20At the same time, he needs to start work on his wooden pergola.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22This means so much to me, this really does.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24It is not a game for a laugh, you know,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26this is where I want my future to be.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30And, you know, it's not just about the goal of getting to Chelsea
0:32:30 > 0:32:32and then, like, going back to doing what I used to do.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35This is about getting to Chelsea cos it will launch me
0:32:35 > 0:32:37into my career as a garden designer.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40With time on his hands,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Sean has begun to overcomplicate his design, a mistake
0:32:43 > 0:32:47he has made in the past in both his formal and conceptual gardens.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49You know, you see these sort of medical X-rays.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51It is a step too far, quite honestly.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I mean, I think that is something he has had in all his gardens.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56And we told him about it before.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59You said, "Just stand back, just pare something back.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02"The best ideas are the simplest ideas. You've put too much in."
0:33:02 > 0:33:04This wasn't on the plan.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07I just love the piece of wood. I'm really pleased with that there.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10I love the moss on it. I love the texture of the wood.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13I love that it gives a feel of kind of permanence to the whole plot.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18We have completed hard landscape.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21We have paths, we have walls.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23We have...THAT.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26I don't know. I wasn't expecting a stained-glass window,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29particularly in a Jekyll garden.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33My concern is that I know he is good on the detail,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35but is he going to overdo it?
0:33:35 > 0:33:38That creative process for me is about changing as I go along,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41and I know that is a risk, but I will be putting the things in and
0:33:41 > 0:33:45then maybe taking them out until I get the look that I am looking for.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Rob has come a close second in two previous rounds
0:33:52 > 0:33:55but knows it is only this round that counts.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58We've been building these gardens, and each week, it's just been like
0:33:58 > 0:34:00focusing on getting through. And this week it isn't about
0:34:00 > 0:34:02getting through to the next round, this is it.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04This is our final chance to impress them.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07So I am throwing everything I have at this, everything I have.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12All this just seems to be coming together, doesn't it?
0:34:12 > 0:34:17Yeah. I really think it is really strong for Rob not to be panicking.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19It is good. I mean, I think this is...
0:34:19 > 0:34:22The materials are materials that people will understand.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23You know, they can relate to this.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Yeah. I am still not quite reading this layout.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27I can't quite understand...
0:34:27 > 0:34:30We've got planting here and we've got chill out there.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32I can sort of see where he is going, but that is
0:34:32 > 0:34:36because I am much cleverer and a better designer than you.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40I'm...I'm not even going to dignify that with a response.
0:34:40 > 0:34:41Ha!
0:34:41 > 0:34:45With the confidence that has seen him win gold twice before,
0:34:45 > 0:34:48Paul has solved his design problem.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52He'll replace the concrete lintels with a wooden rectangular frame.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Do you know? I can almost feel
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- vicariously Paul's relief. - THEY LAUGH
0:34:58 > 0:35:00He has been working hard, hasn't he? Flat out.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02He has had a really, really busy day.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05- He is going to sleep very well tonight.- Hm!
0:35:05 > 0:35:09Today has been a real emotionally challenging day.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13I really actually felt that I'm not going to get this garden complete.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15And then I really appreciate how much I want this.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18You know, I know I keep on saying I really want this,
0:35:18 > 0:35:22but the emotions inside start boiling over
0:35:22 > 0:35:24and, you know, I'm getting goose bumps
0:35:24 > 0:35:26just talking about it, this is how much I want Chelsea.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28It means everything to me.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30I like the fact that it is slightly Japanese in feel.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32It is very crisp, isn't it?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34And contemporary. I just hope that he does put
0:35:34 > 0:35:36a little bit of soul in it.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39The soul comes when the plants arrive.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48All in all, though, a pretty good day three, I'd say, for all of them.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59- Morning, all.- Morning.- Morning.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02A day and a half left on your gardens.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04Now, you should be planting today.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Today is the day for getting those plants in. And remember...
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Don't shake your head, Paul, today is planting day.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Remember, a Chelsea garden is all about the plants.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Yeah? Don't leave them too late.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22REVERSING ALARM BEEPS
0:36:26 > 0:36:30I woke up this morning and thought, "Planting day!"
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Only Sean is on schedule.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36Rob and Paul still have to finish off their hard landscaping.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Same old story with this one, unfortunately.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43Time is just like that big and the amount of work is that big.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47I plan to not mess around.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Went out the window yesterday.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51That was messing around time.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53I know Chelsea will be the same for the winner.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55You've got to kind of rush against the clock there,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57so I guess it is all good training.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00It's just... When it is your final garden,
0:37:00 > 0:37:02you just really want it to be perfect.
0:37:02 > 0:37:03And perfection takes time.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Sean is making great progress, but overnight
0:37:09 > 0:37:12he has been thinking about what else he can add to his garden.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17- Sean.- Hello.- Hi. So you've got some little log stacks starting.
0:37:17 > 0:37:18What is going on here?
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Well, the log piles are suggestive of a woodland kind of floor.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24I have got some pine cones to kind of use as a little bit of dressing.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27One of my concerns is that you've got this lovely gate post,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30you've got, you know, this, which is a sculptural piece.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- It's a sculptural piece, that. - OK, and then you've got your logs.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35- Yes.- And then you've got your stained-glass.- Yes.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37And you've got your branch. And you've got...
0:37:39 > 0:37:40Don't overegg it.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43I've got box-loads of stuff I'm not going to put in.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46- Have you got box-loads of more stuff?- Oh, yeah. - Just leave it in the box.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Leave the boxy stuff in the box.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57Two hours in and Paul finally begins his planting.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59I am sort of planting early,
0:37:59 > 0:38:01so I'm not really where I am comfortable with.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04I am not at the planting stage where I feel I should be,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08but just kind of concerned that I'm really running out of time.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Rob has started too.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17I kind of wanted to get half the garden done by now...
0:38:17 > 0:38:18for my schedule.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20But I just keep looking at everybody else's
0:38:20 > 0:38:23and seeing how many plants they've got in
0:38:23 > 0:38:24and just panicking.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26So, um... Yeah.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28It is like speed planting at the moment.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31To win this competition,
0:38:31 > 0:38:35the designers will need to show excellent horticultural knowledge,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39something Sean is overlooking by planting lamb's ear -
0:38:39 > 0:38:41a sun-loving, silver-leafed plant -
0:38:41 > 0:38:45in the shady woodland area of his garden.
0:38:45 > 0:38:46- Hi, Sean.- Hello.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48- How is it going?- It is going well.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51I am really happy with the textures and the colours.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Not adding too many layers.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57- Spaced the plants more so they can breathe.- Good.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02- This area here, this is the wild Northumbrian moors, isn't it?- Yes.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03It looks a bit tame.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05I didn't say anything.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09I have one message for you before we leave you to get on with it.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11And that is - details, my darling.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Not only hard landscaping details but horticultural details.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17Thank you.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24At this point in the game, really, to start thinking about
0:39:24 > 0:39:27whether I've got it right horticulturally or not...
0:39:27 > 0:39:31But, yeah... But I think the planting looks really great together.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34I'm going to put some final touches in here to kind of bring it alive,
0:39:34 > 0:39:36and make it feel a bit more wild and gone over
0:39:36 > 0:39:37for the Northumbrian side.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40So, yeah, I'm happy with the planting.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45Someone who should know all about the horticulture is botanist Rob.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48It is crucial that his plant choices impress the judges
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and reflect his scientific knowledge.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52- Hello, Rob. - Hello there. How are you?
0:39:52 > 0:39:56- We are OK. It is planting day. - Yes. Not many plants.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58And we were expecting some interesting stuff from you.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00- Weren't we?- Absolutely. We love seeing them
0:40:00 > 0:40:03cos these plants are one of your garden's defining moments.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Absolutely, yeah. OK, I'll start with the almond tree.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08I've got some almonds, actually, that have fallen off of it.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10So, scientists at Birmingham University
0:40:10 > 0:40:11have been studying almonds.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14They think that people that eat almonds have a lower risk
0:40:14 > 0:40:17of heart attack. So they're looking at the compounds inside the almonds
0:40:17 > 0:40:19to see if they can find a new treatment or some way of using
0:40:19 > 0:40:21that plant quality to help people.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24- Have you got other medical plants or...?- Some, yes.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27So, this one here is liriope,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29which is used in Chinese medicine at the moment.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32A lot of things used in Chinese medicine and herbal remedies haven't
0:40:32 > 0:40:36been tested by science, so they're used through their traditional uses.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38So scientists are trying to look at the genetics of it to see if
0:40:38 > 0:40:41there are any compounds that can be used as medicine.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44I am pleased as you've also chosen them because they're beautiful.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Exactly, that was one of the reasons. I wanted plants that do look pretty,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49but the look closer is they're not just beautiful,
0:40:49 > 0:40:51they provide us with all sorts of things.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54- We're learning stuff.- We are, it's interesting. Thank you, Rob.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55Thank you.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- Hello, Paul.- Hello.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Are you enjoying planting day?
0:41:01 > 0:41:02SIGHS: Yes...
0:41:02 > 0:41:05That's the most exhausted "yes" I've ever heard.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08I am so exhausted, I've even tied a bit of tape on my trousers
0:41:08 > 0:41:10to hold them up.
0:41:10 > 0:41:11You've been working really hard.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14I think the most important thing for you now is not to hold
0:41:14 > 0:41:16back at all and just get on, get them all in the ground.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20- There's a lot.- Time is ticking away. - There is loads to get in the ground.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23OK, we'll let you get on with it. Just think - horticulture.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Yes.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35So, what a day. The gardens have really come on.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Yesterday, Sean had some plants in, it was looking like a proper garden,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41the other two were lagging miles behind.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44But, well, the way I see it is the other two have really caught up.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Yeah. I mean, Paul has worked like billyo.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50I don't think I've ever seen anybody sweat so much.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52But he hasn't panicked.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54And for an amateur garden designer, it is
0:41:54 > 0:41:57- a very accomplished piece of work. - Now, Sean...
0:41:57 > 0:41:59We all know Sean can create a fantastic garden.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01We've seen it before.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03However, there are some issues, I think.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05I'm sure James has noticed some of the details.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08There are very definitely a few horticultural errors
0:42:08 > 0:42:10that we don't want to see.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Planting constitutes a huge amount of the points available.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16And if he gets the planting wrong, then he is in trouble.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17And there are some plant
0:42:17 > 0:42:19associations that you wouldn't see anywhere at all.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22There are things that like sun next to things that like shade.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25He is basically using his artist eye to put all the things together.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28He has slightly lost the ball when it comes to horticulture.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Rob, his garden is looking really good, I think.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34It is definitely his best garden to date.
0:42:34 > 0:42:35And he is pulling out all the stops.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38And he is bringing a new element of education to the space as well.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40So it is just neck and neck at the moment, isn't it?
0:42:40 > 0:42:43I think it is looking very tight. That is always the best competition.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45It is going to go right up to the line,
0:42:45 > 0:42:46and that is where the fun is.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52- PAUL:- Good luck.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- See you at the fishing post. - ROB LAUGHS
0:42:55 > 0:42:56It is the final day.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59The designers have just three hours to perfect their gardens
0:42:59 > 0:43:02and secure their place at Chelsea.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Despite all the advice,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Sean just can't resist putting in even more dressing details.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12The guy who has the allotment next door to me
0:43:12 > 0:43:13is an absolute artisan.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16And I asked him to make me some little mushrooms
0:43:16 > 0:43:18in keeping with the Arts and Crafts feel of this garden.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Having overcome all the problems with his build,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Paul is at last on the home stretch.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27I feel absolutely exhausted.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30But, um, it is all within reach now.
0:43:30 > 0:43:37I've got another 12 plants left and I've finally got the knack.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40So, hopefully, these last 12 plants are going to go in quite easily,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42because the first 100 didn't.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46But true to form, Rob is still running around.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Yeah, time is up against us. An hour and a half left, lots to do.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Got to build a science lab. I'm sure it'll take more than half an hour
0:43:52 > 0:43:55to build a science lab! But we'll see what I can do.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03With just a few hours to go, it is all about the details.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07Any little mistakes could cost them dearly.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15So these are the little touches where I am needing to step away
0:44:15 > 0:44:16and not do too much.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19But I'll walk away because I'll just keep fiddling with it.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25One hour
0:44:25 > 0:44:27between you and Chelsea.
0:44:57 > 0:44:58OK, designers, that's it!
0:44:58 > 0:45:03Time is up. Please leave your gardens to the judges.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Rob, please leave your garden, come on.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Rob!
0:45:11 > 0:45:12Your wall looks fantastic.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- I love that.- Well done.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17- ALL LAUGH - Well done.
0:45:23 > 0:45:24It's over.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Four weeks ago, the designers started this competition.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30And now, after five days of backbreaking work,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32they can do no more.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34It all comes down to this -
0:45:34 > 0:45:37their final garden.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40I finished my garden and I am absolutely delighted with it.
0:45:40 > 0:45:41I am chuffed with it.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44And I just feel really proud that I've completed that in a week.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47Oh! I feel...relieved.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51And I feel really pleased. I think the garden looks fantastic.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54It's exactly to the T that I wanted.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56There's a couple of little discrepancies in there,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58but I'm just going to not say anything about them.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00Absolutely exhausted!
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Um...
0:46:02 > 0:46:04I just looked at it for the first time, standing back, for ages.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08We've been running around and you're looking at all the little details.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11And taking that step back and seeing it is great.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13It is the garden that was in my head. It's there.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15If they don't like it, they don't like it,
0:46:15 > 0:46:16but I've done everything I can.
0:46:19 > 0:46:24Sean created a garden inspired by Gertrude Jekyll and Hadrian's Wall.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28To represent the wild area, he has used teasel heads
0:46:28 > 0:46:32and a mixture of plants including Euphorbia robbiae,
0:46:32 > 0:46:36hellebores, carex and ferns.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39And for the Miss Jekyll-inspired side, he has used rudbeckia,
0:46:39 > 0:46:41lamb's ears,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44kniphofia and Rosa mutabilis.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48But has he overloaded his garden with too many details
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and muddled his message?
0:46:52 > 0:46:56So, James, time to judge Sean's final garden.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00It's...atmospheric, isn't it?
0:47:00 > 0:47:02You sort of walk into it...
0:47:02 > 0:47:05And the idea being that this is wild and crazy
0:47:05 > 0:47:07and then this is Hadrian's Wall.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09And then we wander into the quiet
0:47:09 > 0:47:12sophistication of a Gertrude Jekyll garden.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15Yeah, the attention to detail is just superb, isn't it?
0:47:15 > 0:47:17Have you seen those little mushrooms over there?
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Yeah, I rather wish I wasn't seeing little mushrooms over there
0:47:20 > 0:47:24because I think that it is a step too far.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Hm... I'm not sure, actually.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28I think you might be right because this is the wild area,
0:47:28 > 0:47:30outside Hadrian's Wall.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Is it a little bit too manicured, I think?
0:47:32 > 0:47:36I was expecting, you know, undergrowth, places where the
0:47:36 > 0:47:39wild Northman would hide to sort of attack the Romans on the wall.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42So I was looking for a bit of savagery on this side.
0:47:42 > 0:47:43And it all just seems a little bit neat.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47You know, I would like to see the whole area slightly undulating
0:47:47 > 0:47:51as well. So it had a little bit of a wild sense of the landscape too,
0:47:51 > 0:47:52I think.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55I just feels a little bit micromanaged.
0:47:55 > 0:47:56What about the horticulture?
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Are you pleased with the horticulture?
0:47:58 > 0:48:00There were quite a few horticulture mistakes in there.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02- Yeah. - Do you think they'll clock any?
0:48:02 > 0:48:03I think they'll clock it all, yes.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05I mean, they're tiptop at what they do.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Sean's strengths have always been his planting.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12And actually, the plants themselves are put together very beautifully,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14if with a little horticultural error here and there.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17So, this path is just beautiful, I think,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20with the little details with the moss in it and the stones.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22His construction is actually rather good, I think.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23It was very well done.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26I know that you were worried about the point just here,
0:48:26 > 0:48:29where one was going to go into the other.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Yeah, I'd like to have seen a few more bricks just shattering
0:48:32 > 0:48:33out into the pebbles there, actually.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35It's a little bit stop-start, isn't it?
0:48:35 > 0:48:38The wall has held up rather well, hasn't it?
0:48:38 > 0:48:39I think it's a fine wall.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42I would've liked it a little bit more tumbled down.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44But that's not what he wants, so that's fine.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48Stepping AWAY from the wilds and into Gertrude Jekyll's garden.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50Oh, my... Look!
0:48:50 > 0:48:52There are Gertrude Jekyll's boots.
0:48:52 > 0:48:53Ooh.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56- Yeah.- Not sure what the bullets are for there, really.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58What are the bullets all about, Sean?
0:48:58 > 0:49:00The bullets. The bullets are...
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Yeah, I wasn't going to explain that to the judges
0:49:03 > 0:49:04because it's another...
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Gertrude Jekyll would have stood at
0:49:06 > 0:49:10the wall at the Lindisfarne Castle and fired her gun up at
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Lindisfarne, because she used to do that to scatter valerian seed,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17- cos she wanted to claw the wall of the castle.- Do they know that?
0:49:17 > 0:49:19No, because...
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Well, they're going to see these bullets and just think,
0:49:21 > 0:49:24"Hang on a moment, we've got Gertrude Jekyll going on here,
0:49:24 > 0:49:27"we've got Hadrian's Wall going on and there's a load of bullets here."
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Bullet shells.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32I have to say, you just chucked them in last minute, do you think you...
0:49:32 > 0:49:35You know, you said you weren't going to get the stuff out of the boxes,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37and you got the stuff out of the boxes.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39I left two thirds of it in the box.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42It's the same thing that we've had with Sean all along,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45is he cannot leave well alone.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48However, again, we'll talk about his plants in this area.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51- Yeah.- I think that is actually rather charming.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53There's a rose that you're in love with, isn't there?
0:49:53 > 0:49:56It's absolutely my favourite rose, actually.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58It's Rose mutabilis - flowers all summer
0:49:58 > 0:50:01and it will scramble through all the borders. It's fantastic.
0:50:01 > 0:50:02And what's quite nice...
0:50:02 > 0:50:06And sort of, again, his sort of artistic painterly eye
0:50:06 > 0:50:08is to have the courage to put that pink next door to the bright,
0:50:08 > 0:50:11bright yellow of the rudbeckia, which many people would sort
0:50:11 > 0:50:13of shy away from, wouldn't they?
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Yeah. I'm going to have a little sit down and enjoy this.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18So we have wild and we have tame.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20As a design, does it work?
0:50:20 > 0:50:22I think it works rather well.
0:50:22 > 0:50:23I love this.
0:50:23 > 0:50:28I do feel like Jekyll might just sit here, next to me.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32Rob has designed a garden that celebrates his passion for botany.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35He has used plants that have a scientific story to tell -
0:50:35 > 0:50:39ferns, banana plants and liriope.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43He's met his brief, but does his garden have theatre
0:50:43 > 0:50:44and work as a design?
0:50:49 > 0:50:52So Rob wants us to look closer at his garden.
0:50:52 > 0:50:54It's a sort of botanical garden. It's probably...
0:50:54 > 0:50:56In fact, I can say this categorically.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59It's probably the best one that he's done in this competition, isn't it?
0:50:59 > 0:51:03I'm most proud of this one, but I do feel, with the other two guys having
0:51:03 > 0:51:06had golds, I feel like I've been playing catch-up, really chasing behind them
0:51:06 > 0:51:08all the time, and it's not a nice position to be in.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10You kind of want to be in the lead.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13How does the story read to you?
0:51:13 > 0:51:14I love it.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16I mean, this is Rob being a botanist.
0:51:16 > 0:51:17I mean, just look at this.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20We've got his white coat, we've got his test tube,
0:51:20 > 0:51:22we've even got his microscope.
0:51:22 > 0:51:23It just feels like Rob has just
0:51:23 > 0:51:25nipped out for a cup of tea, actually.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27Is it set dressing or is it science?
0:51:27 > 0:51:30It's science and set dressing, actually, which is
0:51:30 > 0:51:32absolutely fine in an educational space, I'd suggest.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34So, the set dressing is part of his theatre,
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- which I think he has sort of let drop a little bit.- Hm.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39- Hasn't he?- I do agree with that.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I mean, I don't know if it is because he is teaching
0:51:42 > 0:51:44something, so he is kind of concentrating on that, but
0:51:44 > 0:51:48he is not having an awful lot of fun with the actual design of his space.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52Actually, it is quite a difficult place to sort of move around
0:51:52 > 0:51:54in that if you are coming from the laboratory to get it
0:51:54 > 0:51:56over to the chill-out area...
0:51:56 > 0:51:59And then the actual proportions, which, again, is something
0:51:59 > 0:52:01that we've spoken to him about before,
0:52:01 > 0:52:04is getting the proportions of the garden right so it flows,
0:52:04 > 0:52:05and I'm not convinced that he has.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07I like this sunken area here.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10I think that is rather clever in the fact that you can move out
0:52:10 > 0:52:12into the planting and be within it as well.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14I think that is a really lovely little detail there.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17I think it's nice. And his bananas are really lovely specimens.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19- Aren't they?- Those are really good. - They are superb.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22- I'm having a great time here. - You're looking at things.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24- I'm really enjoying it.- This is...
0:52:24 > 0:52:26The willow and the bamboo together...
0:52:27 > 0:52:29..is not good horticulture.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33- James is very animated. - Yes, I don't like his pointing.
0:52:33 > 0:52:35It always worries me.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37However, I think we can forgive it
0:52:37 > 0:52:39because it is basically part of his message.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42I assume he's going to harvest this and turn it into something.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Do you know,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47I am looking at horticulture here in a whole new way.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50I mean, I really could spend an awful lot of time in here
0:52:50 > 0:52:51with my magnifying glass.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Well, that's absolutely fine.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56There will be time for that later. Come on, we've got judging to do.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03Paul designed a city garden with an emphasis on hard landscaping
0:53:03 > 0:53:07and crisp lines, using top-quality materials.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11He had to pare down his already-simple planting plan
0:53:11 > 0:53:17and used miscanthus, pennisetum, stipa and sedum.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Beset with problems during his build and with his budget,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24has Paul managed to give his garden the soul
0:53:24 > 0:53:27and personality the judges wanted to see?
0:53:27 > 0:53:30Paul's final show garden for us.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33It is sort of what we expect from him, isn't it?
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Sort of really good, tight design,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37which has been his strength all the way through.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Do you think you took on a bit too much?
0:53:40 > 0:53:42Um, now that it is finished, no.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45At the time, most definitely.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49The quality of the materials is shining through.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51I can smell the oil off this deck.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53And it feels very sizable, this deck area.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56I have to say, I sat there earlier for five minutes,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59and this is the garden I am most proud of.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02What happens if you sit? It is obviously designed to be sat in.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04You are looking across the planting there.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06I love the planting, by the way.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09I have to say, that grass that is going through there,
0:54:09 > 0:54:13the pennisetum, it is really buzzy, isn't it?
0:54:13 > 0:54:14Lively.
0:54:14 > 0:54:15However, again...
0:54:15 > 0:54:17I'm sorry to be the however man, but I'm going to be.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19The planting, even though
0:54:19 > 0:54:22we think it is lovely and it has got good flow to it, it is just quite...
0:54:22 > 0:54:24Yeah, you know... What have we got?
0:54:24 > 0:54:27We've got three sorts of grass and a sedum.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30I would've liked to have seen a little bit more variety put in.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33Maybe a bit more colour, maybe a bit more up and down,
0:54:33 > 0:54:35maybe a bit more zing to it.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37The thing about it is that it is very, very simple.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39This is not breaking ground.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42This is not hollering at us and saying, "Hey, come and look at me,
0:54:42 > 0:54:45"I'm trying to do something new and exciting for the final."
0:54:45 > 0:54:48We've seen this. We've seen this, you know, tens of times.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52That doesn't make it bad, but it doesn't make it original either.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54Lots of people are going to love this garden.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56I mean, this is just the sort of garden that people can
0:54:56 > 0:54:58imagine having themselves outside their back door.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02- Especially in towns.- It is sort of well-thought-through and slick.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04We've got judging to do.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06Each garden will now be marked
0:55:06 > 0:55:09according to Chelsea Flower Show criteria.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13It is potentially a life-changing announcement
0:55:13 > 0:55:17and decision for the person who wins. It is a win-win for me.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20I'll just be looking at my family and just feeling proud to be there,
0:55:20 > 0:55:24and that they are here in this situation, enjoying it with me.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26I've worked so hard over the last couple of years.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30And to have got to this stage now in the competition -
0:55:30 > 0:55:32this is the final, we've finished the build -
0:55:32 > 0:55:35and there is only one exit for me, and that is via Chelsea.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38The thought of getting through to Chelsea, I mean, it would be
0:55:38 > 0:55:41incredible. I can't really believe I've made it through to the final.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44Week after week, I've seen other people winning golds and thought,
0:55:44 > 0:55:46"I'm going home."
0:55:46 > 0:55:47And I haven't, I'm still here.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04Sean, Rob, Paul,
0:56:04 > 0:56:07we are so proud of you.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09You should be really pleased too
0:56:09 > 0:56:14because you have created three wonderful gardens here at Wisely.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17Now, I'd like to introduce the director general
0:56:17 > 0:56:21of the Royal Horticultural Society, who run the Chelsea Flower Show,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Sue Biggs, who will be presenting the award.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Now, as you all know,
0:56:29 > 0:56:34only one of you will be designing a garden for Chelsea 2015.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41And the designer who is going to Chelsea is...
0:56:52 > 0:56:54..Sean.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58Really?
0:56:59 > 0:57:02- Well done.- Congratulations.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Congratulations.
0:57:12 > 0:57:13Thank you.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17We chose Sean because of his artistic spirit
0:57:17 > 0:57:20and because of his masterful way with both plants and details.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24He sinks his heart and soul into each and every one of his gardens
0:57:24 > 0:57:26and, my goodness, it shows.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28Thank you.
0:57:30 > 0:57:35'I am absolutely elated and I am very proud of myself.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37'Just to feel that the judges have singled me out,'
0:57:37 > 0:57:42yeah, it is a lovely feeling and I feel very honoured.
0:57:46 > 0:57:51Oh, right now, feeling disappointed but relieved as well.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53You know, it has just been such a hard slog.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57And, you know, Sean is such a nice person and his designs
0:57:57 > 0:57:59are just exquisite, so, you know,
0:57:59 > 0:58:02it couldn't go to a better person, really.
0:58:02 > 0:58:03He totally deserves it.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05I'm feeling pretty good, actually.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08I mean, if you're going to lose to anyone, Sean was the one to beat.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10I mean, he really paints pictures with his garden.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12Everything he does, I just think,
0:58:12 > 0:58:13"I wish I knew where that came from.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15"I wish I knew how he did it."
0:58:15 > 0:58:17I don't think you can teach that kind of talent.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19I think it is just natural, raw talent that he has got,
0:58:19 > 0:58:20and good on him.
0:58:21 > 0:58:25As a child, always keen on nature and gardening.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28I never would've dreamt that I would have been at Chelsea, you know,
0:58:28 > 0:58:32in my 50s. So that, yeah... That makes it just...
0:58:32 > 0:58:35It is unbelievable that I am going to Chelsea.
0:58:35 > 0:58:38As a garden designer!
0:58:38 > 0:58:41That side of the rope, not this side of the rope.