Hello, and welcome to the Royal Horticultural Society's
Chelsea Flower Show 2024, an event supported by
The Newt in Somerset.
Designers and exhibitors have travelled thousands
of miles to be here, at the world's greatest flower show.
And behind us, they are racing to finish, ahead
of the gates opening tomorrow.
It is so exciting, isn't it?
Tonight, we've got an exclusive first look,
ahead of a jam-packed week of coverage.
It is wonderful to be back. Yes, and the sun has come out, whatever
winter it been? Miserable, I was worried the growers weren't going to
be able to produce enough, but they are magicians, plenty to see! The
gardens are looking fantastic this year and the judges are all out
there right now, deciding what they think. It is nerve-racking for those
designers, isn't it? The medals will be revealed on Tuesday. On
Wednesday, we open the vote for the BBC RHS People's Choice and the
result will be revealed on Friday. But all of the team are back and
across the week, they will be covering every inch of the
showground.
Across the 25 gardens, six house plant studios,
ten balconies and containers, and the glorious Great Pavilion,
there really is something for everyone.
There is but when you put it like that, I'm exhausted already!
Coming up tonight, Adam Frost's revealing the planting trends
here at Chelsea that you'll want in your garden and home.
Toby Buckland's looking at the innovative design tricks
to upgrade your balcony space to a real show stopper.
Plus, Rachel De Thame's celebrating the summer,
with the seasonal border favourites on display here at the show.
Now, RHS Chelsea is about making sure we can all access green spaces,
and that ethos is on display right here on Main Avenue.
For almost 100 years, the National Garden Scheme has
enabled people to share their own private gardens and passion
for plants with the public.
And this year, it has a large show garden designed by Chelsea
legend Tom Stuart-Smith.
This is it. It is absolutely magical. At the back here, this
wonderfully crafted hut, where I am hoping I might get perhaps a bit of
tea, a spot of cake. There you go, my dear. I have been busy. The
National Garden Scheme is not just about the gardens, is it? Wait until
you see this. I have been a busy boy. You didn't make that! I even
grew the rhubarb. This, though, the craftsmanship, it's exquisite. The
detail. I am staying here all week. I have a sink, a cooker, tables,
fitted furniture and even old tools on the wall. The atmosphere was
incredible and then I am looking out onto that view, lovely, look at
that! It really is a garden that makes you want to go and explore.
Let's go and have a look. It is a very clever simplicity that this
garden has. I walked in and to be honest, I got goose bumps. The
atmosphere is incredible. It is calm but I'm going to show you something.
That's down there, I've never seen it at the Chelsea Flower Show, it is
related to ginger. You get the lovely yellow flower and foliage, it
is a cracker. It is like a carpet surrounding the Hazel trees, I love
these trees! They make you feel comfortable but they are brought
down into the garden by the rhododendrons and they create the
rhythm which gets us to this herbaceous, which is elegant. So
elegant because it is green and white, he is such a confident
gardener, Tom Stuart-Smith. Even when you look at the materials,
brick, stone and timber and then textures, finishes, forms, just this
calmness of the pale colours. And the confidence to work with Green.
It is a lovely tribute to their National Garden Scheme, isn't it?
The beautiful gardens up and down the country? I have been lucky
enough to visit so many and we have some great designers here but some
of those designers created by the National Garden Scheme are the best
in the country, so, yes. A lot of these plants have been donated by
private gardens. Which is lovely. If they can visit and see their plant
in a Chelsea garden, that is special. I think we should hang out
here a little bit longer. Shall we don't have some tea and cake? Cake,
I put a lot effort into it!
From a Chelsea icon who has been designing
here for decades to a first timer.
Miria Harris is making her debut with the Stroke Association's
Garden for Recovery.
This garden is a very personal story because Miria had a stroke and that
life changing event meant she wanted to seize every opportunity when it
came up, especially if you are a garden designer, to do a Main Avenue
show garden. This is her first time ever here. It is a fabulous garden.
It really tells that story, as well. But critically, it is about support.
This wall represents a port, as do these trees around, that strength
around you. This is moulded by her hand, exactly fits her hand and it
is a lovely thing to lean against as well. This is made from hemp and it
is lime rendered on top. In fact, there is no cement in this garden
whatsoever. There is no plastic in it either. This is hemp again, the
paving material across here, and you get different journeys that lead you
through this garden, which means you have a choice of journeys but it all
depends on the speed of your recovery as well, which is really
important. Sustainability, biodiversity are key in this garden
is well and the planting palette is a huge range. We have hot oranges
and yellows over there, cooler blues and pinks behind me. But it is all
about pollinators, bringing bees and hover flies into this garden. And
she says that if you grow from seed, those plants are much stronger and
better for pollinators so we have things like the poppies, there is a
little variety and a bit of one keenness. I love that, it feels very
natural and centres around this natural wildlife. It works
beautifully. We are going to have a good look at this garden later in
the week.
It's not just the designers that craft incredible
spaces for us to enjoy.
That same world class design and passion for plants is seen
in the Great Pavilion, which is at the heart of the RHS
Chelsea Flower Show.
What always amazes me is the sheer size of the place.
It's big enough to park around 500 double-decker buses.
So earlier, JJ Chalmers hopped on board the Chelsea Express
to explore every corner of it.
I love this place! The size, the scale, the diversity of design and
the variety of plants. Right now is such a hive of activity. This lot
are like bumblebees, in the yellow jackets and buzzing around to the
tens of thousands of plants that make this up. They are the nation's
leading nursery growers and they are against the clock because the judges
are arriving first thing tomorrow morning.
Good morning! Good morning. How is it all going? Yes, well. You only
have two lots of flowers on your display. Obviously we have been
doing bulbs since seven o'clock but due to the nature of our display, we
have to keep it cold in order to get them to last for the whole week. Am
I qualified enough to put one of the then? Love because you are. What do
I have to do? Place the stem into the hole. You look like you are
painstakingly selecting these flowers. We go through a process
when we are cropping them to only do the best ones. Wow, this is so
immersive! You can smell it. Yes, it's great. Are you putting the
finishing touches at? We are adding another final cut flowers. And I
give you a hand, is this to go in? Some of these are on the jarring
bright side for the colour scheme. What happens to the? They will be
sent out, donated. Nothing goes to waste? Fantastic. I will leave you
to it. Thank you. This is clever. The plants are delivered on these
pallets, this guy drops them up and turns them into planters. The Great
Pavilion is so expensive, it is even broken down into separate areas.
This is all about plants, where 80% of the display must be planted and
has to come from specialist nurseries. What I love about it is
this looks like it happened by accident but it is not. They have
been working on this for ten days and now they are doing the final
touches and that last bit of titillation.
This is amazing. You must have done this before? No, it is our first
time at Chelsea. First time, how does it feel? It feels fantastic
four is that we have had their most enjoyable week. Who is we'd ommo put
it together? We are working with a learning disability charity from
Nottingham. The members are collecting material, building it on
site, it's been the most enjoyable experience. We have loved every
minute! Anyone who comes to the Great
Pavilion during the show this week is going to be impressed. But
actually, getting to see how this place gets set for the big show is
perhaps even more impressive.
Oh, everyone loves the Great Pavilion! They get less time to get
ready than these gardens but they are almost there, the finishing
touches are going on right now.
A popular more recent addition to the show has been
the introduction of the balcony and containers category.
The clever design tricks on show can rival any you'll
find on Main Avenue.
Toby's been to take a look.
The balconied container gardens is such a brilliant category because
they are so relatable. I think of them is the horticultural equivalent
of the space race, with designers trying to outdo each other with
innovative ideas and planting schemes that work in plots the size
of postage stamps.
Never mind a room with a view, this is a balcony with so much to look
at. The planting itself is packed in and joyous. A vibe of a garden that
has been created by someone that comes back from the market with
something new every single day. But the really clever part of this
garden, it's above head height, above this steel pergola. A
wonderful sense of enclosure. If you are going to the market everyday and
buying plants, you will run out of space at ground level. When that
happens, take the space from above head height. Very clever. Small, but
a big slice of the Dolce Vita.
When designing a small space, a good rule to remember is keep it simple.
Designer Thomas Clark has done exactly that. But what really ties
this garden together is the repeated use of the same materials. The wood
cladding on the walls and the timber in the pergola and these chips in
the tiles below my feet, that all comes from the same group of ash
trees. And the same can be said for this cantilevered bench. The weight
of it is held by the planter behind. That means it has no legs and
creates some very nifty storage space. We all need a bit of that!
Designer Sam Proctor has achieved the impossible and made water buts
sexy. Look at that! The water buts themselves are made of this gorgeous
glassy blue fibreglass that match the planters. Underneath each one,
there is a reservoir that is fed by a computer which stops the taps
overflowing. They are saving water, which can save money and goes a
little way to saving the planet but is also better for plants because
they prefer what comes out of the sky than what comes out of the tap
which means more unusual things will grow in this sunbaked courtyard.
These trees that grow in woodlands and thirsty numbers like lupins.
This sums up what they balconied container gardens are all about.
They are smaller but the well of creativity runs deep.
It is extraordinary what the gardens here at Chelsea achieving a very
short space of time. I was lucky enough to join two designers who
have taken on the challenge of highlighting a key RHS theme at this
year's show, the joy of gardens. We did not have weather like this! It
was more like a Glastonbury mud bath.
So, Harry, this is a Chelsea first.
A garden designed by children, for children.
No adults allowed here?
Absolutely.
The RHS set me a task to work with a school in Fulham.
And we've been designing a garden.
What do they want?
What are the kids really after?
It's a whole array.
I mean, certain elements didn't make the cut, like crocodiles.
Like, a real one?
Real crocodiles.
We can see here we have our rock pool, and it's certainly not big
enough for crocodiles, or not safe enough.
Talk me through it.
They obviously wanted some sort of den.
This den was a real constant theme for all of the children's ideas.
So that has been translated and developed into this
subterranean space.
Sliding in through the rock pool, into this sort of sunken space here,
you've got the view through these portholes, into
an aquatic landscape.
And on the other side you've got a view through into this cave,
where we are setting lots of fossils and ammonites that we found.
This is a real fun surprise to discover.
And how are you feeling about doing this garden on this scale?
It's not being judged, is it?
No.
Although we are not being judged by the RHS judging panel,
we are certainly going to have some critics, to give their input.
Children, they never hold back on honesty, do they?
You will know whether it worked or not from them.
How much harder does it make it to work in conditions like this?
Yeah, everything is just slower.
But you can't stop.
Maybe it's a bit of a longer day today to get everything done.
I love that you're still smiling, Harry.
Smile through the rain.
You've got quite a lot of work to do in this lovely weather.
We do.
I'm going to leave you to it.
Good luck.
Thank you.
I'm going to make the short hop on across Main Avenue to see one
of the show gardens, to see the designer
who is reflecting the joy of gardens in a rather different
and unexpected way.
What are you creating?
This is an extraordinary structure.
So, what we are trying to create here is an evocation
of St James' Church on Piccadilly, Wren's great masterpiece.
So we actually have quite a tall, five metre high wall,
containing a copy of one of his windows.
I know that church very well.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
It's a really lovely little oasis of calm,
very close to Piccadilly Circus, one of the busiest parts of London.
It's about recreating that sense of an immersive green
space within the city.
A little pocket park, essentially, in order to create
this little urban oasis.
And this palm tree which has just got in is not...
Not quite the conditions it enjoys most.
Needs some blue sky behind it.
So, what we wanted to do is to give a sense of the different
spaces at St James'.
So, there is a very hard, paved space in front
of the north side of the church, and you will move into a more formal
garden in front, with some water.
And then you move past this wall and into quite a different space.
So this is a new building that will be part of the garden at St James',
which is a counselling building.
What an amazing structure.
It's great, isn't it?
It's beautiful.
It just makes you want to look up.
The minute you come in, you look up.
What I love about it is all these windows you put in.
Yes, this little round window sits on the main access and you get this
wonderful view back down the garden, towards the brick arch,
which is about to go in any minute.
Is it?
Oh, that's fantastic.
It's just arrived.
There you go, it's landed.
Still don't quite know whether it's going to fit, do you?
We have taken some check measurements.
But until we actually get it up there and line it all up,
we can't be 100% sure.
But, fingers crossed.
The brick is really new looking, which St James' is not.
How can you deal with that?
What we are actually doing is bringing in a set designer
who is going to colour tint all the bricks by hand,
with a little roller, to get that authentic colour.
Because that church is a Christopher Wren church, isn't it?
That is what you are recreating.
And that is Christopher Wren over there.
The Royal Hospital.
At the end of Main Avenue, exactly.
So, we've got a good reference point, there.
That is going to be quite a painstaking task, isn't it?
Yes, 11,000 bricks.
11,000 bricks to be hand painted?
I look forward to the transformation.
I'll come back and visit you next week.
Harry, wow.
It's not raining.
I know, a glorious few days.
Getting a tan.
So, how is it going?
Pretty well.
The den has come together.
All the deadwood coming through, got more large climbers,
honeysuckle and Jenny creeper that is going to crawl over,
feel like it is being taken over by nature.
What is going on here?
Yes, so lots of activity happening today with the water in our garden.
Ben, how difficult it is proving to be?
We've got to thank Harry for a very tricky design here.
What we've got is some extremely deep water,
deeper than we would normally have done at Chelsea.
We are creating a rock pool, we want the dramatic effect.
But then we've got to very quickly come up
to a high weir and then drop it
down to this deep pool over there.
Very challenging, but we think we are up for it.
So, as we come into the central space, where we have
this boulder pavement, we are surrounded
by woodland planting.
I think with the woodland, what you can really do is just
have lush, really green and verdant textual pathing.
That tree is beautiful.
This is a Chionanthus restus.
Last few days, it has popped out.
Yeah, it's looking fantastic.
I love it, you've got some bluetits in.
That's always a good sign.
Central London, and we bring the wildlife in.
Another key feature was the climbing tree.
When I saw this in the nursery, I just had to sort of climb it
and see it was ready for that purpose of being the
children's climbing tree.
And I think it is.
It's absolutely stunning.
I'm looking forward to find out what the children
make of Harry's garden.
It is mayhem here on Main Avenue.
I'm going to go and find out how Robert Myers
is doing with his St James' Piccadilly garden.
One week later, the arch is in.
There it is, yes.
And it actually went in without too much difficulty.
It seems to fit perfectly.
Our colourist has done an amazing job, actually,
transforming the bricks from the slightly pinky colour
to the more burnt colours.
She is currently in bed at the moment with flu,
so hasn't been able to finish the top section.
So we are all praying and keeping our fingers crossed
that she is going to recover in time to do the final bit of brickwork.
Otherwise, I think we will be there ourselves with
the roller, putting it on.
But it's definitely worth doing.
Having a few last-minute tree choices, aren't you?
My eyes were a little bigger than the garden, it seems.
We've got the tree at the back, it simply wasn't going to fit.
So we had to send that one back this morning and then bring something
more appropriately sized.
It is very Chelsea, though, isn't it?
Really last minute, you think it's fine,
and something arrives and you think, oh, no, it's way too
big for the garden.
You've got an awful lot more work to do, haven't you?
Yes, there's a lot of work to do, to get our plants in, our climbers.
Are you more nervous than usual?
LAUGHTER
Is that a yes?
Maybe we are a little bit behind, but I'm not
going to admit that to our team.
Ooh, some plants have arrived.
You'd better go and sort them out.
I'll see you next week.
Hopefully transformed.
I hope so.
Good luck.
Well, here it is, the finished garden! And the counselling hurt is
looking magnificent. It's a really lovely space inside there, really
calm and tranquil. Like the garden itself, in fact. The great news is
that Robert did manage to plant it all. Here he is. Well done, you must
be breathing a huge sigh of relief? Absolutely. Our planting team put in
long hours to get this done. The concern is that we would still be
laying paving and bricks when the judges were coming round, but it all
went to plan and we finished on Friday evening, as we planned to.
That has been the big challenge, you've got a huge structure. Now you
have finished it all, it is interesting to see it from different
angles. From one side of the showground it is quite austere, and
in here it is lovely? The idea is that the church can see out of the
community, the community can see in to the church, through Wren's iconic
glass windows. The structure of getting that up, a bit of steel in
there, but it is standing well. The planting itself is beautiful, it is
quite toned down, splashes of colour. We wanted to create a sense
of an urban oasis, a pocket park. By using a lot of textural greens,
different leaf shapes and textures, you get a sense of calm, rather than
a lot of colours, jangling at you. There are spots of colours, things
are coming out all the time. What is your favourite bit? I love it all,
but I like the walk that one takes through the garden and the change of
pace at the back as you go into the woodland garden, and gently go up
into the counselling cabin. You even have a compost heap. Every garden
should have won! Will that be put in St James' are Piccadilly at the end
of this? They got one of the moment, but I think this is vastly superior.
Was there a point where you thought this was not going to be finished in
time? Not really. You have kind of got to do it and get it done. It is
whether you can do it in a way that actually creates that illusion of a
garden that has been there for many years, the maturity, you need time
for the plans to settle. The sun has helped. It is somewhat drier than
last time we spoke. It's looking wonderful. The other garden I
watched during the build was the no adults allowed garden, and guess who
is on there right now? Joe Swift, of course.
Well, Sophie, if you make it over here quick enough I might let
you have a go on the slide.
It is brilliant, I feel like a kid myself. Harry, lovely to see you.
Congratulations. It has all come together. It has, indeed. You were
worried about the water features, they seem to flowing nicely. That is
the final thing that has come in, having the stream flowing and
sitting in the shade, I think that has been a real success. The
challenge of the water was just about having such depth, going down
to 1.5 metres and having a really deep rock pool. But it isn't that
wide. The challenges of designing the structure. We have the best on
the case. If I was a kid in this garden, I would have so much to
explore, it is about connecting with kids, nature, horticulture, with
adventure and the outdoors. It's just trying to celebrate
horticulture, gardening, and I think the importance of getting children
engaged with the natural world. We had four children, co-designers from
the primary school, coming yesterday. Straightaway, they were
scrambling over the boulders, climbing into the den. It's worked
out well. It is an RHS feature garden, it is not going to be
judged. But the biggest critics will be the kid seeing it for themselves.
You have to interpret all of those different ideas and make it into a
cohesive design. It's a bit like designing by committee, but you have
created a cohesive space. Definitely the harshest critics are children,
but they are very honest. Out of the four yesterday, we got 9.5 out of
ten because the stream was not running yet. One of the others gave
us ten out of ten. Let's see how it is received tomorrow. So far, so
good. It is full of wildlife, carnivorous plants over there, it
feels like it is full of wildlife. Very alive. That is the fun thing,
coming this plot, just being a rectangle of tooth, and bringing the
plans in, it is teeming with pollinators and it really feels like
it is buzzing with life. Not just for kids, for everybody? A huge part
of their design was about incorporating wildlife friendly
features and having habitat for different elements. We have the
artistic birdbath coming through, the playful, sculptural style of the
clay wall. That was such an important thing to bring into the
garden, which feels very natural, but still has the design and human
element. Congratulations, the kids are going to love it. Thank you very
much.
All around us at Cheslea are knockout plants that evoke
a feeling of summer.
Rachel's been marvelling in the latest bright and bold
flowers, that are favourites in a British summer border.
Nothing says early summer like roses. But there are lots of other
flowers in the Great Pavilion to welcome in the new season, including
some gorgeous new introductions and some really thrilling planting
combinations to inspire.
For me, foxgloves are one of the most romantic of early summer
flowers. Year on the Britannic Nursery, they've got some really
beautiful ones. This one is very special, it is called Apple Blossom.
What is different is that it has splayed, open flowers, rather than
the long, tubular flowers. That means it is really good access for a
whole host of pollinating insects. This is going to be humming through
the summer.
These have really caught my eye, this is called Violet candle. It
came to Chelsea last year but was not in flower. This year, we have
beautiful, soft, mauve flowers. That lovely star shape. A really strong
perennial, it comes back every year and it likes quite damp soil
conditions and a spot in dappled shade would suited perfectly.
There is masses of colour on the nursery stand, not least this show
stopping hydrangea, which is new. It has incredible double flowers,
creamy white in the centre and then it is edged by the lovely raspberry
ripple dark colour. It keeps that coloration, no matter what kind of
soil you grow that in. It's easy to prune in early spring and it is good
and hardy, down to about -15. It's so beautiful.
We will be exploring lots more plants being seen for the first time
at Chelsea this year, and we are going to be revealing the winner of
Plant Of The Year.
There is some wonderful colour on this garden. A soft palate, blues
and yellows and whites, very calming. A real mix at Chelsea this
year, gardens like this and some that are even more subdued with
colour but then there are others, really popping. Some crazy colours,
orange and pink. Orange and pink, it is a look. Express yourself, Sophie.
We've got plenty more to come on tonight's exclusive first look
at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024, an event supported by
the Newt in Somerset.
Adam's revealing the planting design trends Chelsea is setting this year,
that you'll all be wanting in your own gardens.
And Monty and Carol will be sharing what's caught their eye
on their first look around the showground.
Even in the smallest of spaces, something we can all do
is grow our own fruit and veg, which I've been doing
for over 15 years now.
And over in the Great Pavilion, one duo after my own heart,
are sharing their passion for heirloom veg.
We caught up with them as they prepared to make
their debut at the show.
We are absolutely passionate about heirloom vegetables.
We honestly think they are the best veg that you can be
growing in your garden.
We're very excited that people are starting to get as excited
about them as we are.
They come in a rainbow of colours - everything you can possibly imagine,
and are so nutritious.
These are varieties that have been grown for hundreds,
sometimes even thousands of years, just because they taste fantastic.
I'm Kate.
And I'm Lucy.
And together, we're She Grows Veg.
So we launched with 156 varieties of veg and we're
adding more all the time.
We're like a couple of kids in a candy store at the moment,
just looking everywhere for these amazing, inspiring, interesting
varieties and we can't wait to share them with everyone.
And we're definitely finding that there are
things that people love.
They can't get enough of anything that's pink
and anything that's black.
And this is one of them - this is our signature chard,
which we love so much, it's actually on our logo!
So we're here in Suffolk in our trial garden,
where we trial grow every single thing that we sell.
We want people to stop growing boring red tomatoes -
let's go for those really colourful varieties that come from heirlooms.
We're so used to the veg that we see in the supermarket and think that
that's what it has to look like - that every tomato has
to be red and round, every carrot has to be orange.
So we want to show people how much more there is out
there for them to try.
This is a really exciting bean, this is called a 1500 year old cave bean.
It's a variety that we're about to launch at Chelsea.
Now this bean was originally founded at an archaeological dig site,
sealed inside clay pots inside a cave.
And they had a go, just to see if it would germinate, and it did.
Now you can't get much more of an heirloom than something
that's 1500 years old!
The lovely thing about heirlooms is they're open pollinated,
which means when you're collecting the seed, just like this,
it stays absolutely true to type.
So it will grow exactly the same vegetable from its original plant.
And the lovely thing about growing your own, of course,
is that you're saving on food miles and it's going to be really
good for your budget.
I cannot believe it's been a year since we started this thing.
When you think seven odd years ago, we were sitting together
in our garden design course, weren't we?
I was in my career in marketing.
I think you'd just got your social account going, hadn't you,
which has grown crazily since then?
It has, and I didn't really expect it to go that way but I think it
just shows that we're really onto something because that has
all been about sharing my journey of growing food and,
you know, I had my background in fashion and making jewellery
for celebrities like Kylie and Cheryl Cole and things.
I just didn't have the business background to know how to make it
happen, which is why I think we make such a great team.
I totally agree.
People do want a beautiful garden.
I think that's something that's worth getting across.
Absolutely.
But it is also really important that these
varieties taste really good, as well.
Now the next step is to go to see Hazel Gardiner.
She's had so much experience at Chelsea, so I think she's
going to really help us give the impression that we want
from the vegetables.
Hazel is a really, really talented florist and it's those skills
that we need in order to bring this exhibit to fruition.
I'm a seasonal florist, I use everything British grown.
My work is completely dictated by what's available.
I am super excited because obviously this has been on paper for such
a long time and in our minds, so to actually like feel
the produce, get them here - I'm in my happy place.
How I attack things is do the most difficult thing first.
OK, so we start big and then work down?
Exactly, let's see.
We've got a lot of props to play with as well, haven't we?
So we can have fun with that!
Yeah.
Well, let's get the frame in situ and then take it from there.
Our concept for Chelsea it is all about emulating
the beautiful fruit and veg in Renaissance Art.
So we're going to have nine different frames in our exhibit
and they'll all have curations of vegetables behind them.
At this time of year, almost none of the things
that we want to work with are ready.
So we've got stunt veg here today, so that we can have a play
and see what works.
So one of the challenges we're finding is there's certain things,
like heads of chicory or heads of lettuce and things that we'd
really like to use cut and then layer them up.
But the problem is, unless that root base is kept in water,
they're going to wilt really, really fast.
So we're trying to find a way that we can kind of give them some
sort of water source but also kind of build them vertically.
It's also about quantities.
It's really interesting, we've just mocked up one frame and,
actually, it's consumed a lot of vegetables.
So we've got to make sure that we've got the quantities for Hazel to be
able to work her magic with, as well.
So there's a lot to think about at the moment.
The thing we're worried about now is what's going
to be ready on the day.
Any veg grower well know, it's kind of an unnatural time
of year to have stuff ready.
And we're not growing the plants ourselves, we have a grower.
So there's a certain amount of this that is just
wildly out of our hands.
But we just need to stay flexible.
I'm excited, I can't wait to see this stand actually get built now.
Yeah, next stop, Chelsea.
And here it is.
What a picture!
Lucy and Kate, your first ever Chelsea display!
How has it been? It has been a roller-coaster already and we
haven't even started yet! A mix of excitement and nerves, we have our L
plates on steel so we are still figuring out. We are really pleased
with how it has come together. It looks great, with the black backdrop
here and the framing, you've really turned it into an artform really,
haven't you? We have tried. It's a we hope that more. We had an idea in
our heads and it has just come together better than we could have
imagined, we are really pleased with it, we hope everyone likes it. Some
of this stuff is so unusual. Is that a squash at the back? It is, a
pineapple squash, it's a type of courgette and it's from last year,
from my garden. We have a mixture of things that has been grown for us
and things from our trial garden. The shape of it is incredible. The
corn, I love that dark colour. It is really dramatic. We want to show
people how beautiful food can be. It does! And hydration, hydration was
an issue? We have to last a week, it's not just the judging day. We
have a lot of back up. We have some fridge space where we have spare
veg. So our stunt veg which might be dropped and in case anything is
withering and then we have spare staff we can cut out and plants to
keep us going. Misting? Watering a misting. Getting everything going as
long as it can. What are the Crown is all about? We wanted to give
people their ultimate selfie moment. We have a giant frame where people
can be part of the art and put on a veg crown and be one of the
displays. And you have one for Raymond Blanc? We do and we know you
are a fan, we didn't want you to feel left out so if you would like
to try on Raymond's crown? I am not sure we have the same head side! I
am a bit more Fol likely challenged! It is based on Cesar. I feel quite
Roman. I immediately changed my posture. Absolutely, it looks
fabulous on you. Listen, I think it is brilliant. Have a really... Enjoy
the week. A big week ahead and you will have an incredible response to
your stand and you are doing something really interesting and
fresh. Congratulations. Thank you so much!
I love it, you looked great, Joe! This is one of the sanctuary
gardens, spectacular of course. The thing about the sides of these and
all about plants gardens often resemble our own space is at home
and there is plenty of inspiration that we can take from them.
Tonight, Adam's exclusively revealing the main planting
trends at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show,
Whether it is planting design, choice and use of materials, what
goes on here at the Chelsea Flower Show does tend to filter down and
influence what we doing our own gardens. Over the coming months and
years. And I am going to see what is the eye.
First glance across the showground, the planting is soft, relaxed, even
romantic. The use of green, texture, finishes on leaves plays a really
prominent part. But the interesting bit is when you come to the colour,
because we are going from soft creamy white gardens right through
to the creams that are used in the pinks, which give you that slightly
romantic feel. But there are some wonderful contrasts going on across
the site, where we have oranges and crimsons and it is lovely because I
think it works.
It does look like there is a real diversity in plant selection and
that natural feel is taken all the way to the wild side, both with
ornamental and native plants. But on top of that, it is lovely to see
that the edibles are playing more than just a bit part.
When it comes to selection of materials, this pops up all over the
site, timber, in varying forms, some reclaimed, some new. But their bit
for me is the human interaction. There is wonderful carving. But it
doesn't stop at timber.
Look at that stonework! A traditional craft is really at the
four. But also you can see that there is a lot of designers that
have been influenced by the natural landscape. But on top of that, I
think it shows we need to slow down and pay attention because the detail
is exquisite. Look at that behind me, you might think, oh, there is a
lot of green, there is. But there is a diversity of planting in there
which is mind blowing. So that is what has caught my eye with a quick
nip around the showground, so I think we are in for a good week!
Plenty of fabulous design inspiration and amazing plants
throughout the whole showground but if you haven't got a garden at all,
the house plant studio is the place to head too. I am here for an
exclusive look.
House plants have come a long way from plonking a plant in a pot and
watering every now and then. Now, everyone is getting really creative
with them. Lovely to meet you, what a great exhibit. Cheers. Bright and
colourful, just how we like it. If you are a complete novice to indoor
plants, where would you start? I would have to start with devils IV.
It doesn't like direct light, everyone has a bit of shade in the
house and you can use vertical spaces with it, hooks on the walls
and ceilings and have a trail around the whole room if you like. It is a
versatile plants. Easy to grow and it will take over the room if you
let it? Exactly does any others? The snake plant, it is a solid start for
someone who wants to get a plant in your room and leave it. It doesn't
care about the light conditions at all. Another great one I would
recommend is a fatsia. You can grow indoors as long as it is by window.
What about the air plants, however they to look after? Pretty
straightforward, you just have to make sure you spritz them upside
down and they prefer room temperature or tepid temperature.
Just a light mist? Light and Ambien but not direct sun? Great tips I'm
going to have a little look around, lovely to meet you.
This is brilliant. This is like a little treasure trove of plants.
Such imagination. We have some classic plants grown in large pots
around the outside to get that jungle feel that inside, we have
these really detailed little planting creations. Look at this,
this little tea set, I love it. Inside the teapot is some moss and
in the cups, we have some ferns. And this one with some moss dressing and
holding the moisture in. Look at that telephone over there, it is
brilliant. And look at this, these are air plants which are planted
upside down into these shells and they look like a little octopus.
When they are backlit like that, they really shimmer, it's brilliant.
It is a plant lover's paradise, that is what it is.
There's always plenty we can take away from Chelsea.
Designers not only craft beautiful spaces to inspire us,
but they also tell extremely important and powerful stories.
This year designer Matthew Childs has partnered with the charity
the Terrence Higgins Trust to attempt to tell the story
of HIV in Britain, which spans over 40 years.
Before we reveal the garden, one man who knows what life
was like during the early days is Jonathan Blake, he was diagnosed
with the virus in October of 1982.
Lovely to see you. Terence Higgins was one of the first people to die
of an aids -related illness, and you were diagnosed just after him?
October 1982. I was given a terminal diagnosis and told I had between
three and nine months to live. I was 33 and my life was over before it
had begun. People were terrified at the time, you couldn't talk about
it? You couldn't talk about it. It was almost like a cancer used to be,
back in the 60s, when nobody talked about it. And it got weaponised.
That is what was so awful, gay men were being attacked, because of a
virus. And a virus can affect anybody. Five years after you were
diagnosed, the advert that's only people remembered, I remember where
I was when I saw it for the first time, the tombstone rolling down the
hill. It saved lives, but you hated it? I found it so difficult. It
created so much fear, and that is the root of stigma. That is really
what we have to deal with, and hopefully, you know, this garden
will help started dispelling the stigma. That is the biggest thing,
it is stigma that kills, nothing else. What is fascinating, I love
this about the gardener Matthew Charles has created, you haven't
seen it yet, but at the heart of it is the idea of the tombstone, the
rock at the heart of the garden, but he has transformed it into a
journey, a message and path to a future where it is much more
manageable. The change has been phenomenal, you know? When, in 2015,
it was announced undetectable equals un-transmittable, if you are on
effective medication, and we are incredibly lucky that we have a
National Health Service, so that I had access to whatever was
happening, and what that does in terms of your psychology, that no
longer am I a threat to anybody, it is amazing. And suddenly one can
enjoy everything that one does, because I know I am no longer a
threat. Before, the very start, I felt like a leper. It is so
different now? Extraordinarily different. It is great that it's
being talked about. Because HIV has always been one of the diseases that
has never talked about. The charity, Terence Higgins trust, it is trying
to make the UK the first country in the world to have no new HIV cases
by 2030, that is behind the message of the garden. It is right here, on
display in Chelsea this year. We are going to see it shortly. The big
question is, how do you tell the story of HIV over more than 40 years
in a garden.
well Arit Anderson caught up with designer Matthew
Childs to find out.
Matthew's Garden of Hope is an ambitious project and I'm
meeting him at Llanberis Quarry, in his homeland of Wales, which has
inspired his design for Chelsea.
I'm Matt Childs.
I've been designing gardens for 14 years now and for this year's show
garden, I've taken inspiration from my favourite landscape.
Matt, I'm presuming this is the heartland, the inspiration
of what you're doing with your garden?
I wanted to do this garden ten years ago, Arit.
It's been in the making in my head for that long and the starting
inspiration would be that government advert all about Aids.
I think it really scared a lot of people - I know
I was completely petrified.
Well, I remember that time, because I was working
at the Middlesex Hospital as a pharmacy technician and we had
the first dedicated ward for Aids patients and it was a scary time,
with the big adverts and things.
So, I wonder, what was it like for you, growing up?
So I was a child at the time, growing up in rural Wales,
seeing that very scary advert on the television and knowing
I was gay but very much associating all of that fear with it.
Now, as a grown-up, I feel it's a great time for us to be able
to talk about how much has changed.
I want to talk about the resilient journey that's taken place
in the last 40 years, but also the positive outlook.
I'm going to do that using a garden because I think it's
a great space in which to have a hard conversation.
Well, we're going to start at the front of the garden,
with that tombstone becoming a bridge.
We're going to walk through resilient planting and we're
going to end up with the planting transitioning to more woodland,
almost feeling enclosed and supported by nature.
How do you distill this landscape into a show garden at Chelsea?
It's really difficult!
But this landscape is just so inspiring.
There's a real heritage of man and also of nature
kind of coming together.
This rejuvenated quarry landscape, where plants have taken back over
the buildings and over the rock faces in a very resilient way,
give this real sense of hope and I think that is what the whole
garden is about.
I've come here to Penrhyn, the world's largest natural slate
quarry, and I'm here to mmet restoration manager Tony Heaney.
He's self-taught and an award-winning expert in growing
the local resilient plants that Matt needs for his garden.
It's his job to restore sites like this by giving nature a hand.
Tony, thank goodness for your hi viz because I was
looking for a polytunnel.
Yeah, there's not enough left, is there, pet, not a lot left?!
Not at all - so, what are you doing here?
I'm just sorting out all the ferns and the grasses going down to Matt's
for the Chelsea Flower Show.
How amazing.
I love the fact he's got his own little nursery
upon the quarry side.
But tell me, so these are the sorts of plants that
are actually found here?
Yeah, everything you see here actually grows in the quarry.
So this is just like an experimental area that I use to grow stuff on.
So what have we actually got?
Well, we've got sphagnum mosses, we've got some small ferns,
you know, the type that actually grow on brick walls.
So how do you go out and plant, do you physically go out
and plant things in?
Well, no, because as I say, this is an experimental area.
But if you want, I'll show you my seed bombs that I make that
actually produce this.
Right, where are we going?
We're going to a...cement mixer.
Cement mixer, Arit, yes!
I thought we were seed bombing!
This is not an ordinary cement mixer, Arit.
What I actually do here, I make seed balls.
You get the basic materials and then you put the basic
materials in there, this pipe blend.
OK, yeah.
And then some of the compost in there.
Then start the cement mixer up and as the cement mixer goes round,
all the different varieties of seeds that are used, like you've got
brier, you've got poppy seeds, hawthorn, blackthorn -
everything goes into there.
You actually end up with these balls.
Oh, Tony, this is genius!
When the seed balls are ready, I'll take them up to the slopes
and then just cast them on the slopes.
Oh, my gosh - can we do it?
Yeah, come on.
Yeah, so this looks like a decent spot.
Yep.
So what we actually do, just grab three or four seed balls...
Yeah.
..like this...
And then literally just throw them up the slopes.
And even if they just land whole, they'll just weather in over time.
Yeah.
This area, in a couple of years' time, will look exactly
the same as that and it's just replicating nature.
You know, it takes a bit of time, but it works.
Woohoo!
Don't use...
Can I not use the woohoos?
You can whatever you want!
Tony may not be the most conventional grower that
we've seen at Chelsea, but his passion is infectious
and I think those plants are going to be brilliant
in Matt's garden.
I've done a Chelsea show garden and I know with just a few weeks
away, the nerves are really beginning to build.
Before I leave Wales, I'm going to check in on Matt
and see how he's feeling about those looming deadlines.
Well, I've just been with the lovely Tony.
Isn't he great?
Oh, he's super and your plants are looking fantastic
but I want you to tell me, how are those nerves,
because it's only weeks away?
Do you know,
I have to say, I'm past that stage of panic now and feeling frazzled.
So I just come back here to feel centred in the space where I got
all that inspiration from, remember what we're trying
to achieve and I think just more than anything,
I could do with a drink now.
THEY LAUGH.
Matt, here we are in the finished garden.
How have the last few weeks been?
It has been the most wonderful experience ever. I've had the most
wonderful team working with me. I am just left feeling really happy and
proud to be in our finished garden. It looks absolutely amazing. So much
to see, starting with the tombstone bridge, this was a big inspiration
for you? It once symbolised a thing or fear when it came to the HIV
condition. Things have changed hugely in the country when it comes
to HIV. And this is now a bridge into the garden. It's a symbol of
hope. It works so well. I'm looking at the little Privas and thinking of
Tony and the quarry. We've done this in a garden, ornamental, resilient
planting. Ours is a story of resilience. It's also really
relevant to the gardener today, what we are looking to do in our own
gardens. There will be a lot of inspiration, and the rest of the
garden has the story of hope. A real journey through the space. If you
could take me to the rest of the garden, I want to see how it is
played out. I will take you into the middle part of the garden, where we
have a really rich, lush combination of perennials and grasses, all
different colours, giving a real hopeful, uplifting feeling. It
definitely does that. We go past a leaning boulder, held up with lots
of sticks, representing people lost to HIV, and people who have helped
along the way with their vision. We go past a trickling streams, there
is the sound of calming water. Finally, through the Welsh slate
walls, into terrace, the Woodland Terrace, where we can come together.
We are already here enjoying your garden. Jonathan, what do you think?
Nice to meet you, Jonathan. This is just exquisite. I am completely
overwhelmed by it, to be honest. So beautiful.
beautiful. I have... I have so many friends who would love to see this.
The garden is for people just like yourself, and everybody affected by
HIV. It is to give people living with HIV a voice and to make them
visible, and to talk about the positive future of HIV in the
country. It is definitely a really lovely place to sit. I think we can
all agree you have done a fantastic job, well done. It's brilliant.
That's nearly all we've got time for tonight,
but it wouldn't be Chelsea without Monty and Carol.
Carol, what are you looking forward to this week?
Absolutely everything! Starting with my favourite plants, the perennials,
which are bound through the show gardens and in some of the exquisite
displays in the marquee. The thing I'm really, really excited about is
the return of South Africa. They have come back with the most
gorgeous display. Hadn't been here for four years. It is just out of
this world. It's great to have them back, it really is. Lovely to see
you.
Monty, what's caught your eye so far?
I have had a whizz around, and I always try to look without making
judgments, take it in. I like the balcony gardens, I think they have a
real energy, coming from a small space with big ideas. One tree has
totally blown me away. It is a simple hazel. But it is on the
National Garden scheme garden, Tom Stuart Smith, it is beautiful. I was
at that garden earlier, it was absolutely magical.
We'll be here all week bringing the very best from Chelsea.
Our coverage continues tomorrow on BBC One
at 3.45pm when Nicki Chapman and Angellica Bell will be bringing
you all the excitement from press day.
I'll be back with Monty and Carol on BBC Two tomorrow at 8pm,
as the new patron of the RHS, His Majesty King Charles
visits the showground.
Bye for now!