RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 episode 4
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00You
00:30Hello and welcome back to the RHS Chelsea flower show an event supported by the newt in Somerset now
00:37It's Tuesday and that means it's medals day when the garden designers and exhibitors
00:43Here finally find out in all that hard work and trust me. It is hard work has paid off
00:50Yes, many of them have been celebrating their success here at Chelsea today with a glorious gold rush across the showground
00:58From the large show gardens on Main Avenue to the hallowed ground of the Great Pavilion
01:04And we'll be revealing those all-important medal results very soon
01:08I can tell you I have never felt so relieved that my garden is not being judged
01:16Because the serious point is it's the such an intense experience
01:21It doesn't matter whether it's a bronze medal garden or a gold medal model
01:24It's just the same so to have a judge and then ranked in front of the world is quite a thing
01:30Yes, it's very exposing isn't yeah putting out there your talent your vision your skills as a horticulturalist as a
01:38Plantsman and yes, I mean it's bad enough doing in front of your peer group
01:42But I do think that the judges have tried to be fair and transparent as far as possible
01:48Yes, but never not everybody is always satisfied. That's for sure
01:53No, I'm sure anyway, although the medals dominate it's not just about medals today
01:58We've got lots of horticultural eyes for you
02:01Adam Frost is here with some expert design tips to help you recreate that naturalistic look
02:07Which is once again one of the big planting trends at Chelsea this year
02:11Francis Tophill will be here with her pick of the pavilion a display that highlights an
02:16Incredible range of ferns from around the world and has won the President's Choice Award here today
02:22I will be talking to the American singer-songwriter Gregory Porter
02:27about his love of gardening and this his first visit to Chelsea and
02:32We'll be revealing the winner of one of the most prestigious awards in the gardening world the RHS
02:38Chelsea Garden of the Year, but let's now go to the main event because if you've been waiting to find out
02:46Who is taking home a piece of that treasured Chelsea gold?
02:50Here are all the medal headlines from Main Avenue
02:55There have been some really exceptional gardens this year with four gold medals on Main Avenue
03:02Now the first is the Glasshouse Garden by Joe Thompson. It is a hugely ambitious garden
03:09with really distinctive rose-filled planting
03:14And it has clearly paid off
03:17We've won a gold medal and that is a brilliant reward for all the hard work that the most fantastic team
03:24Have put in to create this garden
03:26Another gold medal winner is the Avanade Intelligent Garden designed by Tom Massey and Jay Ann showcasing
03:34Cutting-edge technology to monitor the needs of the trees and the judges obviously felt this garden ticked all the boxes
03:42I'm very happy that we've got our second gold. How many times have you been? This is my third gold
03:51Nigel Dunnett has earned a reputation for a very distinctive
03:55Naturalistic style of garden design and the hospital field arts garden is no exception complete with very innovative planted sand dunes
04:04We've been awarded silver gilt, which is a great medal means that the judges have picked up on one or two little things
04:10So i'll have to check the feedback and find out how we could do better next time the King's Trust Garden
04:16Seeding success designed by Joe Perkins is another gold winner and this medal makes it his Chelsea Patrick
04:23With its distinctive colored glass panels. This beautifully planted garden has won the judges seal of approval
04:33I'm over the moon to have won a gold medal. It's a great reflection on the team and we're so happy today
04:38It's a great result
04:39The hospice uk garden of compassion has been awarded a silver gilt
04:43Now this was inspired by the mediterranean travels of the designer tom hoblin
04:48This is tom's tenth and he says final chelsea
04:52And he's well known for his attention to detail and this year he grew over 1 000 plants from seed for this garden
05:00Another gold medal winner is charno niwa japanese tea garden designed by kazuyuki
05:07Ishihara, he already has 12 gold medals in other categories
05:10But this is his first appearance on main avenue
05:14His garden is inspired by the landscapes of japan and features
05:18Ishihara's signature look using maples and mosses
05:22and an extraordinary attention to detail
05:26One of the things that I have learned this year
05:30Is that attention to detail?
05:32It's everything absolutely everything and I think one of the features of of the gardens that have have won gold
05:39Is that they've all been actually of a very high standard I know judging tends to be objective but
05:44Subjectively, they're very good and would do in any well in any year. I and
05:50You know, that's cross border. I have to say I love what they've done here during the build when I was working on our garden
05:57I came and saw this and it was just concrete blocks and it was
06:01Interesting but but has been transformed
06:04Well, you know, it just shows that the planting makes the garden in the end and this is a perfect example of that
06:11What beautiful actually I would disagree with you. You disagree. I would disagree with you on that. Yes
06:15It's not the planting that makes the garden
06:18It's the obviously the planting is essential. You can't do without it
06:22It's the relationship between the planting and the hard landscaping. Yes, that makes the garden
06:28And that's what we've got here we've got these these walks and spaces which are generous and big and strong these blocks
06:34But they're beautiful planting and really good trees. And of course the building at the end which has a story
06:41and personally increasingly
06:43I like
06:45Not necessarily knowing the story
06:47I like the fact that it's just lovely
06:50So for you were there surprises in the medals this year because I thought on the whole
06:55Yes, absolutely not where it should be as you know over the years
07:00Uh, i've got it catastrophically wrong at times and they've all been very strong in the opinion
07:06the medals
07:07Yes in every case reflected what I thought they would get
07:11And that's not because I was accurate. It's just the gardens this year did to select themselves. I think there's a lot of things here
07:17that just really
07:19Yeah, I mean here you see it's like like this planting
07:22The the amount of planting not too many not too little the relationships of the hard landscaping the finish
07:29all the details, but also
07:31The use of space use expression ticks the boxes. That's what happens with judging literally literally
07:37They tick boxes, but when you look at it, you react as well immersion. That's the point so good
07:43It's very telling as well that this garden won the best construction award because it's so complex, isn't it?
07:48I mean, you've got these great hunks of concrete. I didn't slabs of stone and the gravel. It just falls together beautifully. So successful
07:56One of the other large show gardens to have won gold here today is the glass house garden designed by joe thompson
08:04Aret and adam have been taking a closer look to see what impressed the judges
08:11Adam this garden
08:14Is just wonderful i've been waiting all week to get on it not to dance
08:19I know the music's going but to be in it. I'm, so happy. I feel really really
08:25Comfortable the way I would describe this garden. All right. I've had a tough week
08:29I'm grabbing a few extra hours on a sunday afternoon on a sofa
08:34And i'm tuggled right up. It feels so comfortable. It feels luxurious. It feels romantic
08:41But actually at the same time the layout is so simple
08:45That it feels real as well. Yeah, exactly
08:47And I think you know when judges are coming on to these gardens
08:50There are the nine criteria that we're aware of we don't know always about the brief
08:55But you know, they're looking for good spatial design and I think that's why it feels so comfortable
09:00The scale of it all the proportions of the paths planting beds. I mean again island beds
09:06When was the last time you was doing a 1970 something exactly but but that's been modernized, isn't it?
09:11I think even if you look at you know, judging on construction
09:15The pavilion sits at the back that is a gem in itself. The garden feels timeless
09:20So and then you look at the planting and the layers
09:23You're comfortable. Yeah, it's very good and and always in a garden. I think yeah water
09:29However, you're going to bring it in and I think that run through as you say from the back this little trickle and then
09:34Coming down into this pool
09:36The judges are looking for attention to detail and you can really see that the planting around the sides
09:42Aging all of like you say the paving area
09:44That's what they're looking for when it comes to gold totally and I think the final thing is plant associations, you know
09:50All of these plants will work together for me
09:54Which I don't think you get judged on but it's the light. I mean look at this garden now
09:57It's singing joe's been for a long time mate. She knew where that light was going to be. I tell you this is cracking
10:03Yeah, it really is
10:08Here in the great pavilion
10:10The judges have a whole set of criteria that are every bit
10:14as involved
10:16and laid out very strictly
10:18As the show gardens and all the exhibitors know that when they enter into it and they will be related to to plant quality
10:25plant health
10:26Sustainability how they're displayed. I mean all these things which are quite complicated
10:31They are complicated and I think that often visitors are perplexed because their favorite garden which is clearly beautiful doesn't get a gold
10:38Yeah, and it's the same here, you know people say but why didn't I love that rose? Why didn't it get a gold?
10:44It's nothing to do with how much they like it
10:48And i've often talked to judges about this
10:50And they say yes, but we're trying to be objective
10:52We're trying to be fair to everybody. Otherwise, we had all gold to the ones that we liked. Yes
10:57And it's a very very fine line you have to start with a level playing field
11:03Well, the standards really are incredibly high and carol's been to celebrate with some of the talented growers who struck gold today
11:17There's huge excitement in the air in the great pavilion
11:21and the standard is
11:23Incredibly high and that's reflected in the fact that there are almost 50 gold medals in here
11:46Steve
11:48Thank you, once again, it's a very very special year double gold for the fifth time
11:54Yes, yeah, but more than that. It's your 40th anniversary in two ways, isn't it? It is
12:01It's his ruby wedding anniversary 40 years married. Yeah, and we've been in business 40 years as well
12:07Wow
12:08And she's elaine. Anne elaine. Anne. Yes with an agapanthus named after her and I grow up
12:14She's wonderful as always steve, it's a beautiful end to it. It really is so congratulations
12:35Barbara
12:36You've won a silver gilt medal and it's your very very first time
12:41I can't believe it. We are elated delighted
12:45And tegan barbuto is on the world stage on time
12:49I mean, I think it's one of the most original displays i've ever seen but didn't you have a few problems?
12:55Yeah, we have problems our plant material did not arrive until the day before we were all
13:01Unable to exhale and then they came on the 18th and here we are and here you are. Yes
13:07Absolutely. Brilliant
13:10Thank you
13:14But there can be only one winner of the best exhibit in the great pavilion
13:20Chosen by the judges from all the exhibits and this year. It's raymond everson clematis
13:30Enormous congratulations
13:33Best exhibit in the great pavilion. I know it's a little wonderful
13:37Well, I I mean talk about deserving it it's just well you're very kind but we love doing it
13:43Yeah, it shows. Thank you. There's so much love in here. There really is I think
13:49Plants respond to love don't they? Yeah, they absolutely do the proof's in the pudding or in the clematis. Yeah carol. Thank you so much
14:00At every twist and turn
14:03There are medal winners galore this really has to be one of the most
14:08superb
14:09chelsea flower shows ever
14:18Well, we're sitting here in the pavilion
14:23Surrounded by an extraordinary number of medal winners and real quality real quality here
14:30uh
14:32not
14:33As big as perhaps it has been in the past but a lot better than last year
14:38And and clearly that's a good thing and not just fuller with quantity but fuller with quality
14:43Well, I have seen a few things that really caught my eye. So there's a gold medal
14:47for uh, farewell flowers directory, which is all about
14:53That conversation about having flowers for funerals that are completely compostable
14:57Not just the flowers but everything so no phone nothing artificial it all goes into compost which is brilliant
15:04And the other thing that I really loved following was the antiga barbuda
15:09Horticultural society because they had such a disastrous run-up
15:13To creating the the display all of their plants were stuck in and so they couldn't build it until the very last moment
15:19And they got a silver gilt for their first
15:22It's fantastic first time at chelsea, it's fantastic
15:24I mean
15:25It's full of those stories and that's the thing whether you like a plant or not or whether it's your favorite one
15:30In the end, it's about human stories
15:33sometimes
15:34overcoming extraordinary obstacles
15:37And making magic so true
15:40Well one exhibitor who's here for the first time with a stunning display of sweet peas is philip
15:45Johnson
15:46And in the run-up to chelsea, we went to find out about philip's plans for his debut in the great pavilion
15:52And his starry new sweet pea variety
15:56strictly
15:57for the dancing fans
16:01First saw sweet peas when I was nine years old
16:04At my aunt and uncle's they had an old glass house and my aunt had decided to grow some sweet peas in there
16:10and they were just
16:12So big covered in flowers and such a lovely strong scent that appealed to me even at that
16:17Young age and I started growing them and been growing them every year since
16:22It still amazes me today that you can start off with such tiny seeds
16:27and yet
16:28They soon develop into such huge plants and that fascination still remains today
16:34So this is our sweet pea nursery just outside of Malden in Essex this year we're growing around
16:41260 different varieties which someone argues far too many and of course everybody says to me. What's my favorite sweet pea and
16:49Quite frankly the honest answer is that I love them all and my favorite is literally the last one that i've seen
17:00This is one I must show you and this is new
17:02It's called shell pink. We think it's going to be the next big thing in sweet peas
17:07wonderful color
17:08soft peachy apricot
17:11profusion of flowers
17:12Wonderful scent and one interesting thing is the little flower stalks here and that shade there just adds to the overall
17:21ambience of the flower
17:25One of the things that i'm asked about is whether you should pinch out the young plant the growing tip
17:31That will stimulate side shoots to come from lower down the plant and give you more flowers
17:36But we found that actually by not pinching you get a much bushier plant and i've got an example here
17:42There's probably a dozen shoots on this young plant
17:45Whereas if you pinch the tip you may get three or four side shoots if you're lucky
17:50If you just allow the young seed shoots to come up and then encourage it to lean over
17:55And that will cause it to naturally break and send out side shoots without having to pinch it
18:01So
18:03We've just taken on the national collection of lathyrus and sweet peas from my good friend roger parsons
18:10There are around about 1400 different varieties and accessions
18:16This variety is called unique and unique by name unique by nature
18:20It's what we would describe as a blue flake the flake describes the markings on the petals
18:26This is a really old one one of the oldest ones in the collection introduced around about 1904 1905
18:34Within the national collection of sweet peas
18:35There are some very old some very new and we hope to have on our chelsea display a brand new variety named for
18:43The strictly come dancing personality amy dowden. We're so proud to be able to introduce a new variety named in her honor
18:52I'd love to be able to show you the blooms today
18:54But they're a little reluctant to flower at the moment fingers crossed we'll have blooms of amy dowden on our display at chelsea
19:03I first went to the chelsea flower shows as long ago as 1982. Yes. I really am that old
19:09And it was just such a spectacle and yeah, I suppose the idea has always been in the back of my mind
19:15But most of the time i've been growing sweet peas
19:18I've grown them outside and so you're far more subject to the vagaries of the weather
19:23and
19:24Being confident of having a good selection of flowers for the middle end of may is not easy
19:30So now because we grow under glass then we're more confident of having flowers ready for showing at chelsea
19:38So what we're keen to try this year is show the delicate nature of sweet peas and how light they can be in arrangements
19:46And so to that end we want to put some foliage in there with the tendrils and the buds as well
19:51Just adds to their delicate nature rather than big blocks of color. It's just a different style of arrangement
19:58But we're keen to try something new
20:01I must admit already there have been a few sleepless nights around chelsea
20:05But just really that deadline and having to have the flowers ready for that day the recent
20:11Few hot days that we had had an effect on the plants, but I think more than just the hot days
20:16It's the variation a lot of them are dropping their buds
20:20It can often be where there's an excessive amount of moisture and with these wide fluctuations in temperature
20:26but I hope
20:27Next week there seems to be prediction of warmer weather and i'm confident that the plants will settle down and do their part
20:36But i'm looking forward to showing at chelsea for the first time
20:39To show off just a selection of the wide range of varieties that we show there
20:44I know it'll be a wonderful experience and hopefully something like this novel arrangements of sweet peas will catch the judges eyes
20:53Philip when I saw the display you were doing
20:58My heart was in my mouth because I thought it looked wonderful, but I didn't know what the judges would think
21:04They obviously loved it. They did they did
21:07Fantastic. Well done. Thank you very much first chelsea first gold medal. Yep. It's downhill all the way
21:14Yes, yes
21:16Wonderful. So what's the feedback you've had?
21:19We've had nothing but positive comments about it. Everybody loves the lightness the natural effects the tendrils
21:25It's just all works just as sweet peas should be seen. It's just
21:29Natural and your new sweet pea amy dove. Yes, which is there in pride of place. Yes, it looks beautiful
21:36It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous as lovely shade of pink. It really shines in the market
21:41I will be growing up. I promise. Thank you. We will have that although I am so taken with the shell pink
21:49It's it's a lovely shade of apricot. It's new new one out this year. We think it's going to be very popular
21:55Now tell me
21:56You've tasted
21:58Success in a way that can't be taught
22:00Is this will you be coming back year after year? I'm sure we will
22:04I'm sure we will despite all the stress and all the struggle and the long hours. I'm sure we'll be back again
22:10Well, I think it is incredible. You've taken on the national collection. We have we've come here to jersey. You've conquered the world
22:19What's next to achieve beyond that?
22:21I really don't know because not only what these things but there's so much else that's happening in the world of sweet peas for me
22:28Recently, I really don't know where we go from here. It's just the pinnacle. Well, congratulations
22:33Thanks for talking to us and enjoy the success basket. It's thank you very much
22:38Now across the week adam is going to be dissecting the planting trends at chelsea this year and today he's looking at naturalistic sports
22:47And the key design principles to help you recreate the actually quite tricky style at home
22:56Naturalistic planting has gone on at the chelsea flower show for a long time now and designers can make it look
23:05very easy, but
23:07What actually is it?
23:11For me it is an ornamental take on
23:15What's around us whether it's a hedgerow a wild flaha meadow. It's a wild landscape that you're trying to tame
23:27This little patch here is quite fascinating
23:30But what is it? What's the concept?
23:32Well here the idea is you've started to plant up an ornamental border you put in
23:38Some the pita some geraniums, maybe some cosmos then the wilder plants things like the campions the oxide daisies
23:46And this definitely seems like the direction of travel that designers are starting to go in that ultimate blend
23:54So
23:56If you want to have a go at this at home
23:57I think the first thing is to decide the type of landscape that you want to try and recreate
24:03I mean here I suppose is the classic the ornamental meadow, but how do you build it?
24:09Well, this is sitting sort of semi-shade coming into sun
24:12So first thing I would do is choose the grass
24:14So something like the dechampsia here would work in sun, but also some of it would work in semi-shade
24:20And then you want plants as well then that will seed around
24:22Digitalis will seed around at the back there. That's the fox club get it all planted up create balance
24:28I suppose so it feels good. It looks good. And then you back off
24:33You leave it alone and your seeders will start to do their thing
24:37So they'll pop up in different places the following spring you go out
24:41And then you start to tease you start to edit and you go in and you create
24:46A soft mellow feel the bees will come in and they will have a whale of a time
24:58Naturalistic planting comes in so many different styles because it's about landscape
25:02But also think about what you've got. I mean, here's a prime example
25:06You know, if you imagine there's a shrub sat in the background you create a little space underneath
25:10You put your grasses through and then you put the grass in front of it
25:14Underneath you put your grasses through and then add your ornamentals go on give it a go
25:23We have still plenty to come this evening on the rhs chelsea flower show 2025 an event
25:29Supported by the newt in somerset. We'll be heading out onto main avenue to present the rhs
25:35garden of the year award to the unsuspecting designer
25:38But who will it be stay tuned to find out and I will be talking to the jazz singer
25:44Gregory porter about how his garden has influenced his music
25:48But first many of you know jamie butterworth as the landscaper of monte's dog garden actually I have
25:55To say jamie was a lot more than a landscaper. He grew most of the plants. He was absolutely
26:02My right hand man and collaborator. He was fantastic
26:06Your right hand man, yeah 100 but what you may not know
26:10Is that jamie is already a chelsea gold medal winner in his own right
26:14After winning gold for a garden he designed here back in 2022
26:19Well as a rising star himself he knows what it takes to make your mark at this event and he's
26:24Been to see how this year's first-time designers have done just that
26:29Chelsea can be a real emotional roller coaster especially if it's your first time here as a
26:39Designer I still remember that mixture of excitement and nerves and terror especially
26:45On medals day but from what i've seen around the show this talented bunch of designers have got
26:51Nothing to worry about
26:53This is the blue mine garden designed by ashley aylor and ashley's chelsea debut comes hot off
26:59The heels of winning the rhs young designer of the year at the rhs tatton park flower show with
27:05Her woodland trust garden and this garden couldn't be more different this is a calming balcony space
27:12And that's through her clever use of water but more so her use of trees and plants in the space
27:18Underneath the bench we have these thymes we have pines we have artemisia armeria this is a really
27:25Impressive debut from ashley and i cannot wait to see what she does next
27:35This is the room to breathe hospital garden designed by jen donnelly and katherine gibbon
27:40They've only been doing this for four years but they've created the most beautiful
27:45But they've created the most beautiful intimate space everything is designed around this chair
27:55What i love most about this garden is the way that the planting envelops you and they've used
28:00A really clever trick of planting on terraces which allows the planting to get some real depth
28:06And height in the space it's simple refined but really powerful
28:15This is the c6 garden designed by joshua fenton joshua cut his teeth at gardeners world live last
28:24Year where he won the coveted gold medal and here he's brought a truly forward-thinking design to
28:30His first chelsea garden joshua congratulations this is a beautiful powerful space can you talk
28:38Me through it it's a celebration of carbon as the building blocks of life we stored a lot of carbon
28:43In the planters being oak from coppice woodlands in kent and then biochar in the soil it's a great
28:49Way to store carbon but also use it as a nutrient vault for feeding your plants because microbes
28:54Can live inside all the little nooks and crannies that's amazing and so even in the smallest of
28:59Spaces you can you can do something quite impactful you really can i think the public
29:04Are gonna really love this congratulations
29:13From first timers to someone on the comeback trail designer nigel dunnett has a proven track
29:19Record at chelsea but this is his first appearance since 2017 and he's back with a bold design
29:26Inspired by the scottish coastline we joined him in our growth to discover how he's lost none of
29:33His drive to make his mark in the world of garden design
29:41I've made my name as a designer by trying to bring ideas that have been at the cutting edge of
29:47Sustainable design eco garden design if you like
29:52I suppose a good example of that is the whole idea of rain gardens and sustainable urban drainage
29:59I've really liked working with wildflowers and naturalistic planting
30:03A really great example is the olympic park in london for 2012
30:08I've made five chelsea flower show gardens with these ideas in them they were really strikingly
30:14Different but i think it's really good for me to see that they are quite mainstream now
30:20I don't see any point in doing a garden at chelsea if you're just repeating what's been done before
30:27So this garden is also full of new ideas
30:31The inspiration for my garden this year comes from where we are
30:35Hospitalfield arts in our growth in scotland and its surrounding landscape
30:42Hospitalfield is a contemporary art centre and they support artists at all stages of their careers
30:48But in particular give opportunities for artists starting out to have residences here
30:53I was invited to design the walled gardens here four years ago
30:58So this is the formal garden where we set it out in a whole series of beds which are
31:03Edged with low hedges around a central focus
31:07We've got a wildflower meadow but this is also an orchard and we filled it through
31:12With local apple trees so artists who are residents here they might come and use this space
31:18There might be projects where the public can get involved
31:21And it might change from year to year to year
31:23But that's a really exciting element of the evolution of the garden
31:29Kirsten it's been four years since this garden was installed
31:32And each time i think it's amazing it looks fantastic
31:35Yeah i think it's changing all the time and developing
31:38My name is Kirsten Wilson and i'm the engagement and volunteer program manager at Hospitalfield
31:44So having the garden here is really a fantastic resource for our artists and residents to
31:49Enjoy and explore and be inspired by but also have a wider community engagement purpose
31:55And that's really working with local schools
31:57We have a really dedicated team of volunteers
31:59They are really integral to what we do here and we couldn't do it without them
32:03We've actually got an artist in residence and she's doing a project around the small blue butterfly
32:08It's fantastic for me to hear this it's a really vibrant energetic place
32:13And i wanted all of that to come together
32:16To provide the inspiration for the garden at Tralsea
32:19And i hope will be a complete work of art in itself
32:23Which relates not only to the use of the garden as an art studio
32:29But also reflects the local landscape
32:35A large part of the inspiration has come from this wonderful
32:39Dramatic sand dune coastline that runs up and down the coast nearby to Hospitalfield
32:46I find these dune systems so fascinating
32:48Partly because they're so beautiful and so incredible to look at
32:51But i think in terms of an ecosystem they have so much to tell us
32:56Because we all have to be thinking about resilience in the face of
33:00A rapidly changing such extreme climate in the future
33:04And the vegetation the plants
33:06The ecology of these dunes has been adapted to those sorts of conditions
33:11For millions of years they have to put up with so much
33:13Well this is really quite typical of the sort of thing we want to create in the Tralsea garden
33:19I think it's not about trying to copy this but to take inspiration from it
33:23These grasses they are so tough they're slow growing
33:27But they're mixed in with plants which are completely different
33:30Which are really short-lived plants
33:32So this carline thistle here is a biennial
33:35So these plants are adapted to having their seeds be able to fly around
33:40Find a bare patch of soil, germinate quickly, grow, flower
33:45And then the seeds will move on to another patch
33:47And that's the character we're looking at to try and recreate at Tralsea
33:51Grasses, flowering plants, colours and textures with occasional shrubs set within it
34:01So this is our design
34:03It's interpreted let's say through the eyes of an artist
34:05Embedded within this landscape
34:08Embedded within this landscape is an artist's studio
34:12I think the most dramatic element are sand dune sculptures
34:16And that when you're in the middle of it you feel you are surrounded by it
34:19And then the plants grow on top and surround you even more
34:23So we're creating these sand dunes big and tall about two metres in places
34:28Now that is a challenge keeping sand at quite steep angles, quite tall in place
34:35There's increasing horticultural interest in growing plants in layers of sand
34:40Just to produce this really hard-wearing type of planting for your garden
34:46Which doesn't need watering, which doesn't need feeding
34:50Sooner or later we're all going to have to think about these things and plant in this way
34:54And I hope the garden at Tralsea will provide an inspiration
34:58To people to be excited by it, not to be afraid of it
35:01That this is a huge opportunity and opens a whole new world into horticulture
35:10And here it is, the finished garden
35:12And it is a joy to be standing in it
35:15It's really strong structurally
35:17You've got wonderful plants like the Pinus mugo at the back here
35:21But really the thing that catches your eye are these dramatic dunes
35:25Just undulating across the space with those ribs filled with sand
35:29It really is an achievement
35:31Thank you, we're overjoyed with what we've done here
35:34You should be and congratulations on your silver gilt medal as well
35:36Thank you very much, we think we've made something really special
35:39Yeah, it is something very special
35:41But I'm intrigued especially by the sand and why you're growing the plants through the sand
35:47Well the inspiration comes from a sand dune landscape so that's the starting point
35:52But the wider point really is that sand and the use of gravels and other really inert
35:57non-organic free-draining materials is really catching on a lot of interest in horticulture now
36:04As a way of growing really resilient planting
36:07Particularly plants that can deal with the conditions we've been facing this spring of
36:11dryness and heat
36:13So is this something we could be doing in our own gardens?
36:16Could we emulate this?
36:17Exactly, you don't need to take all your soil away and put great depths of sand in
36:20I usually work with about 10 centimetres, three or four inches
36:23It's just enough to get your plants growing in this really free-draining environment
36:28Because it's the winter wet and cold that these drought-tolerant plants don't really like
36:33And they can get their roots down into the natural soils
36:36And all the organisms and microbiology can come back up into the sand
36:39It's just really wonderful
36:40And to be an artist and to be working from that studio with this landscape
36:44I mean that would be just so inspiring
36:46To be immersed in nature should be so inspirational to produce amazing work
36:50And where's the garden going on afterwards?
36:52It's going on to a primary school in Arbroath on the harbour
36:56So very coastal
36:57And the whole garden will be going there as an outdoor classroom including the building
37:01Wonderful
37:02Well thank you again Nigel for creating this beautiful garden and sharing it with all of us
37:06Thank you so much Rachel
37:10My guest this evening is a man whose voice has been described as liquid gold
37:16He is one of the world's greatest jazz singers
37:21And he is also a keen gardener
37:23So it's a huge pleasure to welcome Mr Gregory Porter
37:28Gregory it's lovely to meet you
37:29A real pleasure to be here with you Monty, thank you
37:32Now obviously you are a fantastic musician and you just finished a tour I gather
37:37Yes we just finished
37:38But we're here to talk about gardens
37:39Yes I'm going back home and I'll be right in the garden
37:44So what will you be doing in the garden?
37:46You know for the time that I'm home I like just I'll plant some new plants
37:52I'll go to my nursery and pick up something whatever is bright and beautiful
38:00And try to put it in the appropriate place
38:03But sometimes I make mistakes
38:06And I
38:06Join the club
38:09But I enjoy it
38:10I enjoy being able to get into the ground
38:14It lets me know I'm home
38:16I think I even put this into my music
38:18The idea of getting to the soil
38:21To who you are, where your children are, where you're you know
38:26I mean you live where you were grown up
38:28Yeah
38:29So you literally are connected to the soil
38:31I'm connected to the soil yeah
38:33And you love to cook and eat
38:35I do I love to cook and eat
38:39It was my desire
38:40I have a large property a couple of acres
38:44And it's a shame that I don't have more to eat
38:47But I'm on the road a lot
38:49Yeah
38:50My wife has the two kids
38:51He has to worry about the house
38:52All kinds of things
38:55But you know sometimes if I'm away for two months
38:58It's difficult for the tomatoes to survive
39:02Tomatoes need a little stress
39:03Yeah
39:04That I read in your book
39:05It's like don't mistreat the tomatoes
39:06You'll be all right
39:08I mistreated my tomatoes
39:10And they mistreated me
39:11There's a point in which you don't want to go beyond
39:15Yeah
39:16Did you grow up gardening?
39:18I did
39:18My grandmother had a beautiful garden
39:21She had tomatoes
39:23And it tasted like dirt and sun
39:26The funny thing is
39:28Is I liked the green basket that the store-bought tomatoes came in
39:35And I liked that cellophane wrapper
39:37And I liked the perfect baseball shape
39:40Yeah
39:40But now and a long time ago I craved that grandmother tomato
39:47It's that smell of as you say earth and sun isn't it?
39:50It's the smell of earth and sun
39:52Yeah
39:53And it's the real thing
39:55And you know and now if you bring me a cellophane wrapped tomato
40:00I mean you say that it goes into your music
40:02Explain that a little bit more to me
40:03How does your art and your craft
40:06Yeah
40:07How does it feed off the gardening?
40:09Well I talk about just the organic process
40:15And often when I'm talking of love at its best
40:22I mention the garden
40:23So I have a song called Take Me to the Alley
40:27And I'm basically telling people who are in a difficult place
40:32To come and rest in my garden
40:35You will have a pardon
40:36So it's I invite them to come and rest
40:43If there is some difficulty in their spirit
40:48I wrote that song from a personal experience
40:52I wrote it from you know difficulty in my family
41:00And the place where I would find solace and comfort and relaxation
41:05Was in the garden
41:06Messing around playing around with plants
41:08Weeding, trimming, sitting
41:16And just being in the garden
41:17And just being
41:18It's this interesting space between humanity and divine
41:25Well I think that's a very very beautiful way to put it
41:29And thank you for coming here and talking to us here at Chelsea
41:33And I hope you find that space between the humanity and divine
41:37Somewhere here at Chelsea
41:38Thank you for talking to us
41:39Thank you so much
41:41It was a pleasure
41:47The humble shrub is often overlooked in our gardens
41:50But in the right hands it can become a stylish centrepiece
41:54Guy Watts is a pioneer who's championing architectural plants
41:59And we visited him at his nursery in West Sussex
42:02To discover how they can elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary
42:14I'm Guy Watts
42:15I'm the owner of Architecture Plants in Pallborough, West Sussex
42:22So I came here between the age of 14 and 18
42:25I spent my summers at college and university
42:28Potting on bamboo and working on adding sculpture and shape to plants
42:32That was kind of the thing I fell in love with
42:34It's taking something that essentially could just be a bush or an evergreen in a garden
42:39And adding something to it and making it something different
42:45After university I decided to embark on an adventure
42:49I rode across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Mauritius
42:52And that gave me a lot of time to think about what I could do when I came back
42:56And then 10 years ago I had the opportunity to come and take over the business
42:59So in the last 10 years that's what I've been doing
43:01And we see ourselves as a site of horticultural excellence
43:07So we're a 32-acre site
43:08It's the largest range of architectural plants in the country
43:11With over 40,000 plants here
43:13Everything from small grasses all the way up to
43:15Very, very large specimen trees for that instant gardening
43:18There's a huge range of variety of shrubs that you see in everyday gardens
43:23The Burnham Tynus, Eliagnus abingii
43:25This is a Pitosporum tibera
43:26So we often feel that shrubs are overlooked in people's gardens
43:29They're maybe blocking a view or they're filling a space
43:32And at Chelsea we're going to be showcasing some of the plants that we have
43:36Showing you what you can do with just an everyday plant
43:41This is an excellent example of a shrub that you might find in your garden
43:44And it's a very, very popular shrub
43:46This is an Osmanthus heterophyllus, it's evergreen
43:49But we can add some architectural form to it
43:51By raising the crown and creating some really nice multi-stems there
43:55I'm going to take that and start taking back the foliage to the stem
43:59Nice clean cut all the way up
44:00And you just slowly start taking out and showing off those lovely stems that are underneath
44:06We often do about a quarter to a third where we raise it up
44:10And then we stand back and have a look at it
44:12By doing this you create another field for the shrub
44:15You create another feature in the garden, not just the flower
44:19So that's the bottom done, I'm happy with the level for now
44:21So I'm going to take my shears again
44:23And I'm just going to start by snipping off
44:25I'm just giving this a nice rounded shape
44:30And then I'll allow that to grow out from there
44:32The great thing about this process is you can do this with almost any shrub in your garden
44:37So this has taken me a matter of minutes
44:39Over time this will fill out, make it really beautiful
44:42With a flat bottom and a bell-shaped top
44:45Another technique we use, and it's very design this, this is a blobbery
44:50So this is an undulation of different shapes and forms that you clip together
44:55Traditionally it's something you do with box
44:57Or used to because box blight and box caterpillar is causing rife
45:00So we use different plants
45:02This is Lonicera natida
45:04And we've also got Prunus lucitanica myrtifolia
45:07Both evergreens
45:08And I like to start at the top and I use the curve of the shears here
45:12To start taking some shape into here
45:15And you can do this at any time of year
45:18Except always avoid very, very cold or very warm weather
45:22Always important to step back as well
45:24And have a look to make sure that you're happy with the shape
45:26I'm actually really happy with this as it is at the moment
45:29And we want it to get wider, so it's wider than it is high
45:32So if you want to create a blobbery in your garden
45:34You can mix the forms together
45:35And you can create an amazing element to the garden which has architectural form
45:41If you're looking to create a wow factor in your garden
45:44You can make an architectural plant with
45:46Nawaki, which is a Japanese form of clipping and toprizing
45:50And it's got that kind of cloud-like formation
45:55The beautiful thing about Nawaki is you can almost do it with every single shrub
46:00If you found a shrub like this Osmanthus bergwadii in your garden
46:03You could start to look at the shape
46:04And see whether it's something that could be Nawaki'd
46:07So I'm looking here
46:08I'm trying to see whether it's got nice branching, which it does
46:12I might be inclined to remove one like that
46:15I'm starting to create some shape through it
46:17You want to slowly work your way around the plant
46:20And assess which branches you're going to use and keep
46:23And you want to create lovely horizontal cloud-like forms
46:26Now this is a long process and it can take many years
46:30Eventually you can then manipulate the plant even more
46:33And you can do that with string
46:34I've just done one here which I've tied onto the stem
46:37And I'm going to bring that branch down
46:38And then over time this will harden off
46:42Once I've done that I may want to do a bit of harder work with the stems
46:45Just to create some separation
46:47So I'm going to get some balsa wood here
46:49And that will over time create a much nicer spread plant
46:53And again that's something you can definitely do in the garden
46:55And quite quickly develop it based on how it wants to grow
46:58That's a really important part of this art form
47:02For us generally it's more about what you can do to a plant
47:06The more boring it is the more exciting it is when you transform it
47:09So by raising up to be a multi-stem
47:10Or creating a blobbery or a nawaki from an everyday shrub
47:14That's the most exciting thing in my opinion that you can do
47:16I remember going to Chelsea when I was 14 to 18
47:19Around that kind of time
47:20And always wanting to showcase and be there
47:23And be part of it
47:24This is a true path really
47:26It's bringing all of that homegrown
47:28All about plants
47:29All about the young princess that we're working with
47:31So for me this is kind of an amalgamation of many years of hard work
47:38Guy I'm in my happy place
47:40My father was a shrub man
47:42So my childhood garden was filled with shrubs
47:44So I have to say nothing quite as spectacular as that
47:48But the stand looks amazing
47:50Are you pleased with the display?
47:51It's fantastic yeah
47:53It's a real sort of collection of our architectural plants
47:55It's lots of different types of textures, shapes and forms
47:58It's been a really really brilliant experience to be part of it
48:01It's wonderful and how are people reacting to it?
48:04It's been brilliant
48:05It's a great show generally
48:07And we've also met lots of old customers and new customers
48:10There's loads of suppliers that we work with too
48:12It's just a fantastic event
48:14And it's great to meet so many brilliant people
48:16Who are also passionate about horticulture
48:19Now I know that you and your team have worked incredibly hard
48:22Tell me why it's important to you to support apprenticeships?
48:27During my 20s I ran a charity called Streetscape
48:30And it was all about 18 to 25 year olds and finding their apprenticeships
48:34And we do that now in our business
48:35And 10% of our staff are
48:37And the whole garden really from Frontspot has been taken on by apprentices
48:41To help support us both from growing, collecting other plants
48:44And also the project management
48:46So it's a really important way to learn on a world stage
48:49It's fantastic that you're investing in the future in so many ways
48:53And do you feel now you're going to come back to Chelsea?
48:56Because this is your first, are you pleased with it?
48:58Yeah I mean we've been involved from a sort of supplying and tracing
49:02But we would definitely be back here again
49:03We've really enjoyed it
49:04It's been a brilliant experience
49:06The whole team have been fantastic in RHS
49:09It's just been a great experience
49:10And again a brilliant learning experience for all of our apprentices and all of our team
49:14Excellent, well I couldn't be happier for you
49:16Silver gilt medal
49:17Yeah and we're really happy on our first one
49:19So thank you very much
49:20Many congratulations
49:21Thank you so much
49:29All this week we're celebrating the extraordinary displays
49:32Created by the exhibitors in the Great Pavilion
49:35And tonight Frances is focusing on a fern specialist
49:40Who's just won the prestigious President's Choice Award here today
49:46I'm here on the Kells Bay stand in the Great Pavilion
49:49Which is an amazing showcase for all the different ferns that we can grow in our gardens
49:53And I am really excited to be here
49:55Because I have been walking past this beautiful display all week long
49:59And desperate to get inside and have a look
50:05The thing about this stand which is so striking straight away is its scale
50:12It's absolutely enormous
50:14And it manages to make ferns look really appealing
50:17Their lushness, their greenness, their sumptuousness
50:21Makes them seem really, really enticing
50:35There are over a hundred different species of fern here
50:39So it's a really complex design to put together
50:41And they've done it so beautifully that it looks
50:43Just like a piece of jungle has landed in the middle of the Great Pavilion
50:47It's so naturalistic
50:49And although the tree ferns may catch your eye initially
50:51There are some incredible species here
50:54This is Sphaeopteris cooperi
50:56And it's breathtakingly beautiful
50:58Especially that huge prosia that's unfurling in the crown there
51:03Really stunning
51:03That's an Australian species
51:05And then behind me is Todia barbara
51:08And it might sound strange
51:09But that's always been one of my favourite ferns
51:12Such a beautiful specimen
51:13But there are plants here from all over the world
51:15So the Pacific Islands, Vietnam, New Zealand
51:18And they are all grown to perfection
51:30Congratulations Billy
51:32This is beautiful
51:34It must have taken an awful lot of work
51:36I sort of regretted my ambition last Thursday
51:39It was a very stressful day
51:41Quite a challenge
51:42But absolutely delighted with the finished product
51:44Are there any particular species that are interesting
51:48Or are your favourites?
51:49They're all my favourites
51:51But this year I brought this huge big tree fern
51:54About 15 foot tall
51:55Yeah
51:56It's a cross between this rough tree fern here
51:59And the Scyathe cunninghamni here
52:01And it's the first time I think this would ever been at Chelsea
52:04And you must be particularly proud this year
52:06Because you have a special award as well
52:08On top of my gold medal
52:09Which I saw at seven o'clock this morning
52:11I was thrilled
52:12I was at the front of my stand
52:14And the president of the RHS, Mr Keith Weed
52:17Sidled up to me and presented me with the president's choice
52:20Quite an emotional moment
52:21I'm not surprised that you got it
52:23This is just so beautiful
52:25Thank you very much
52:26Time now for the big reveal of the evening
52:29Because we're about to find out
52:31Who won the RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year
52:34Well earlier Monty was with the unsuspecting winner
52:37When Director General of the RHS Claire Matteson
52:41Went to surprise them
52:43Now Mr Ishihara
52:45You have won gold medal
52:47For this wonderful garden here on Main Avenue
52:52For this wonderful garden here on Main Avenue
52:56Tell me, we all admire its beauty
52:59But tell me the meaning of some of the symbols here
53:02Obviously we have the rake gravel
53:05Perhaps you could explain the significance
53:08Of the patterns on the raking
53:22I have a friend here
53:24Ishihara
53:25I'm Claire Matteson, Director General of the RHS
53:28Thank you!
53:30Thank you!
53:32Thank you!
53:34Thank you!
53:36Thank you!
53:38Thank you very much
53:40You're very welcome
53:42Again, the most beautiful garden
53:44Thank you very much
53:46It's amazing, incredible
53:48Thank you
53:53Wonderful
53:55Now tell me
53:57What does this mean to you now
53:59After so many years
54:01How are you feeling?
54:03It means a lot
54:05I always think I should quit
54:07But I want to keep building more gardens
54:09That will make people happy
54:11For me it means a lot
54:13I feel like Chelsea is a part of my life
54:15I feel like Chelsea is a part of my life
54:17I'm very honoured to have this special award
54:19I'm very honoured to have this special award
54:22It's a great honour for you to come to us
54:24And Chelsea is part of your life
54:26But you are now part of Chelsea
54:28Thank you
54:30Thank you, well done
54:32Congratulations
54:34Congratulations
54:36Well I felt very emotional then
54:38But you must be delighted
54:40You chose this garden
54:42You knew
54:44I think it's literally flawless
54:46I cannot see a single thing he could have done better
54:48Which of course is what judging is all about
54:50And he's obviously all
54:52I know Japanese gardens
54:54I've seen them all
54:56So there's all kinds of things going on here
54:58Done beautifully
55:00How could that not be best in terms
55:02I completely agree
55:04He's been coming to Chelsea
55:06For half of most people's lives
55:08You know he is part of Chelsea
55:10So I'm so pleased for him
55:12It really matters
55:14It's wonderful
55:16It's wonderful
55:19Well I love that enthusiasm
55:21I don't suppose anybody
55:23Has ever been so happy
55:25And why should he not
55:27Because Kazuyuki Ishihara
55:29Made to my mind a fabulous girl
55:31Did you agree with the judges
55:33Well tomorrow you get the chance to have your say
55:35When the BBC RHS
55:37People's Choice Award is launched
55:39On BBC One at 2pm
55:41With Nikki and Angelica
55:43And remember the winner is entirely
55:45Decided by the viewers votes
55:48So the decision is entirely in your hands
55:50Right now I'm going to put it in your hands
55:52We've got time for just a few questions
55:54Let's start with Pam
55:56Pam who where I don't know
55:58But she says I've had my wisteria
56:00For four years
56:02And it's never flared
56:04What am I doing wrong
56:06Yes well I mean probably
56:08If it was sown from seed
56:10It's just not mature enough
56:12It might take ten years
56:14The tip is if you're buying a wisteria
56:17Buy it in flower
56:19And if you've got a wisteria
56:21If you prune it at the wrong time
56:23It won't flower
56:25So prune it immediately after flowering
56:27And prune it hard
56:29Because it flowers on new growth
56:31Right let's move on
56:33Mary says what's a must have plant
56:35For my new Mediterranean gravel garden
56:37In full sun
56:39Oh well that's easy
56:41Any of the Mediterranean herbs
56:43So something with silvery foliage
56:46Yes I love Tilbury
56:48Onions may be beautiful
56:50Lastly is it too late to plant Cosmos seeds
56:52No garden centre near me
56:54This is from Helen by the way
56:56Seems to have plants this year
56:58I would say no but so direct
57:00I think just about
57:02So direct
57:04Fine tilth get them in
57:06I actually did see a wonderful display
57:08Of Cosmos where someone had old packets of seed
57:10They chucked them out onto a rough piece of ground
57:12And it looked wonderful
57:14I like that idea
57:16You see a bit later flowering
57:18And that's it
57:20Keep the questions going
57:22Definitely
57:24Keep your questions for the team coming in
57:26And you can get in touch via the hashtag
57:28Ask BBC Chelsea
57:30All the details on the screen
57:32And we'll answer as many questions
57:34As we can throughout the week
57:36Won't we Monty
57:38We will but no more tonight
57:40Because I'm afraid that's it for today
57:42Tomorrow be sure to join
57:44Nikki and Angelica on BBC One
57:46At 2pm
57:48And I will be back tomorrow evening
57:50With Arit at 8 o'clock
57:52And we're going to be exploring
57:54How gardening can bring people together
57:56So I'll see you then, bye bye
57:58Good night
58:12Music