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00:00get you in that floral mood.
00:32Hello and welcome to the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show 2026 from the
00:39grounds of the Royal Hospital in London.
00:41It's the highlight of the year for gardeners, designers, growers and of course us.
00:47It absolutely is.
00:48Not long now until the doors open, tomorrow morning the world's media will descend on
00:53this place and everyone can see what is on offer.
00:56You can feel tension, excitement, a great pavilion, they're finishing bits and pieces.
01:02Judges have done their work, you know?
01:05Wow.
01:06Well, someone else who is back here at Chelsea and knows a thing or two about impressing the
01:11judges is the designer of this garden, Kazuyuki Ishihara.
01:16After years exhibiting in the smaller garden categories, last year he made his debut on
01:22Main Avenue and he's scooped the lot, RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year and the BBC RHS People's
01:29Choice Award.
01:30The big question, can he do it again?
01:32Can he do the double again?
01:33Because this is looking quite good, isn't it?
01:35I wouldn't be at all surprised.
01:37His attention to detail is incredible.
01:41Now straight away, look at the planting.
01:42The way the layers of the trees are built, the aces go in, the pines go in and then you
01:47come down a level and you've got this beautiful sort of moss with these lovely little irises
01:51popping up through.
01:52And let's wander through it because obviously the central thing that runs through the whole
01:56garden is the water.
01:57And again, it's classic Japanese, that whole idea of renewal, you know, and it's just fantastic.
02:04And then you're drawn towards the back of the garden.
02:06That's the tokenoma, isn't it?
02:08That's the pavilion, the ancient pavilion, not very much used nowadays, where families
02:14would sit and look back at spectacular gardens like this one.
02:17Well, what a brilliant garden it is, and we'll be revealing what the RHS judges think of this
02:22garden and all the other gardens across the week.
02:25Coming up tonight on the RHS Chelsea Flowers Show 2026, supported by Range Rover.
02:33Rachel de Tame will take a first look inside the great pavilion, the ultimate plant paradise.
02:41Arit Anderson will unveil her first ever judged garden on Main Avenue.
02:47It's a real passion project inspired by a person very close to her heart.
02:53JJ Chalmers seeks out the designs pushing the boundaries in the smaller garden categories.
02:59Plus, it's the garden that's been making headlines.
03:03We'll exclusively reveal the RHS and the King's Foundation Curious Garden, designed by our very
03:11own Francis Tophill, championed by the King, Sir David Beckham and Alan Titchmarsh.
03:18Looking forward to seeing how Francis has brought all those ideas together.
03:24It's quite something. Well, all that is coming up. But first, earlier today,
03:28we went on a whistle-stop tour of the showground to discover why the RHS Chelsea Flower Show really
03:35matters. Not only does it raise a huge amount of money for the RHS to support green projects
03:41around the UK, it also acts as a showcase for the world of horticulture and garden design.
03:52Chelsea's Main Avenue is the place where designers make their name. This year sees the return of Sarah
04:00Ebley, who's going for gold with her garden for the campaign to protect rural England. And she's
04:08certainly making an impact. It's mighty and magnificent.
04:13Chelsea. This landscape of sandstone cliffs is dramatic in both scale and colour. It has been
04:20designed as one of this year's RHS feature gardens to celebrate the work of Project Giving Back,
04:27which over the years has enabled more than 60 charitable organisations to highlight their causes
04:34through garden design. Chelsea reminds us that a garden has the power to transport us to a completely
04:46different place. And here, designer Max Parker-Smith has brought a little of the Australian outback to
04:57south-west London.
05:01The real stars of the show at Chelsea are, of course, the plants. This year, colour is back and the
05:07planting
05:08is big and bold, like in this courtyard garden. It shows us that even in a little space, you can
05:15create
05:15something truly bright and beautiful.
05:20This house park studio has been created by three times gold medalist winner James Whiting. It's lush,
05:29it's fragrant and a real love letter to plants.
05:36And here at the heart of the showground is the famous Great Pavilion. This is where all the very best
05:43nurseries and growers come every year for this one week in May. The rich, diverse palette of plants
05:50inside truly underlines Chelsea's status as the greatest flower show in the world.
06:00And now we've made our way along Main Avenue to the Killick, a seed in time garden designed by Baz
06:08Granger.
06:08It has been inspired by some of Britain's oldest wetland traditions, but it's also
06:14the ultimate modern family garden. When you step in here, it's the water that you notice first,
06:21isn't it?
06:21Yeah.
06:22The noise of it.
06:23Exactly. I think that, though, would be when it was raining. That's this preconceived idea.
06:27The water's caught up there, drops into there, and then it moves through, well,
06:32ultimately the different areas of the garden.
06:34But what I love about this garden already is when you come onto it, you really get a sense that
06:40there's so much to discover, there's so much detail and things unfolding in front of you.
06:45You talk about unfolding, I think this is one of those gardens that as the week goes on,
06:49you'll keep seeing some, yeah, beautiful bits in it.
06:52It's divided into three separate areas, really. Yeah, yeah.
06:54Hedgerow, wetlands, and then the sort of dry, where the reeds are drying over there.
06:59Yeah, but even that detail, you know, the reeds are there to dry so that you would use them on
07:04the building, you know, if you needed to. But what I love, actually, is the diversity of the planting.
07:11If you look at the trees, if we go back not that many years at Chelsea, a lot about monoculture
07:16is
07:16in the same trees. Whereas here, you've got meddlers, you've got mulberries, you've got this incredible
07:21black walnut. And your pear tree over there, look.
07:25That's like a piece of, that looks like a work of art, that pear tree. It's so old, isn't it?
07:30Think about how many years somebody's looked after that tree. And the little bird houses that just
07:37pop up around the garden. So again, it's just full of detail. And then I love this black walnut,
07:43because I didn't really notice this as I stepped onto the garden. But it's very clever the way it's
07:47been planted. And then you just look up, and it tall is above it all. They're quite late into leaf.
07:52So it's quite clever, really, because you would get the spring sun, then it would provide shade,
07:57then it would lose its leaves, and then this would light up again. So it's really cleverly placed.
08:02Yeah, absolutely wonderful. As you say, I think we're going to discover a lot more about this
08:05over the week. I think we are.
08:07Now, with just a few hours to go until the show opens, the growers in the Great Pavilion
08:11are putting the finishing touches to their exhibits. Rachel went to take a sneak peek
08:16at the sensational plants on display.
08:23The Great Pavilion feels like summer time condensed into one place. And you come in here,
08:30the sights, the smells, even the sounds of summer are all around you and giving us that inspiration
08:37for our own gardens.
08:41Well, the classic summer flower must be the rose. And we're here on the David Austin Roses stand.
08:48The display is extraordinary, all that colour and the fragrance. It just hits you the moment you walk on.
08:56This is a shrub rose called Gabriel Oak. And it's beautiful. I love the very saturated magenta in
09:02the centre of the flower, paling to a slightly almost lavenderish pink with those rather frilly petals.
09:08The scent is fantastic. The health of the foliage is really good. In fact, the mix of all these shrub
09:14roses together just looks beautiful. And here's something very different, a rambler. And this is a
09:20classic called Rambling Rector. This is a big rose. It needs a large tree for it to ramble and scramble
09:27all the way through. And then the effect is really spectacular. Raymond, I know you are a regular at
09:38Chelsea. We can always rely on you to bring us a taste of summer. How many times have you come
09:43to
09:43Chelsea? It's actually 66 years since I came to my first Chelsea. That's a long time. It's even more than
09:48me.
09:49Now, tell me about this year's display. We have two and a half thousand plants. We have three new
09:54varieties. So that's really exciting. But I think my favourite is Clematis Eliza. It's really a super
10:00plant. It's very interesting. And of course, it would blend perfectly with roses. Well, my judgment is
10:05that it's absolutely spectacular. You're very kind. Thanks, Rachel.
10:11Well, some of the exhibitors here in the Great Pavilion are Chelsea's stalwarts. They've been coming here for
10:17many years. There are also new exhibitors such as Growing Crazy. Now, Stephen, you've brought your
10:24incredible collection of pelargoniums. Is this the very first time you've been to the show?
10:29No, I've actually been to Chelsea Flower Show before. This is a full circle moment because I came
10:34here when I was about 13 years of age. This is the first time that we've been here with our
10:38own display.
10:39Have you got a standout plant that you really love? At the moment, it has to be Lord Bute.
10:45It doesn't normally come out in such flower this time of year. So we're really pleased we've managed
10:49to do that and get it to Chelsea. I think it looks wonderful. So well done. Thank you.
10:57Of course, one of the best things about coming into the Great Pavilion is you're seeing some newly
11:02introduced plants for the very first time. And here on the blue diamond display,
11:06there is this extraordinary hydrangea. It's called Velvet Night Red Lace. And for me,
11:14this is just a really sumptuous taste of summer.
11:20One man making his debut on Main Avenue this year and taking on a big design challenge is designer
11:28Angus Thompson. He is creating a garden that he hopes will remind us to slow down and take a breath.
11:35I joined him during the build-up to the event.
11:43Angus, welcome back to Chelsea. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?
11:46It has. We were here 2009 on the smaller gardens. This is your first Main Avenue garden. It is.
11:52Foolishly, I thought, hmm, kind of, what's the fuss about a bigger one? But obviously,
11:57it's the intensity of everything happening at the same time.
12:00So what is the story behind this garden, then?
12:02We are called Breathing Space. So it's the Garden for Aspirin Lung UK. And it's a garden about rest and
12:11empowerment, really, to move at your own pace. As you can see, at the heart of it, we have this
12:16raised platform, which is a kind of multi-use space for people to rest, for people to take
12:24part in gentle activities, depending on ability, anchored by the two pines that you see behind us.
12:32The platform's coming in. That looks like concrete to me, but that's a bit of a no-no here at
12:37Chelsea.
12:37We've come up with a carbon zero concrete, and that is because it features something called
12:41Acla, which is like a biochar pellet. So charcoal, really? Effectively, yes, which is in itself
12:48carbon negative. So adding that to the aggregate and adding oyster shells to the aggregate, the
12:54end result is a carbon zero concrete. Well, welcome back. Lovely to see you here,
12:59and I'm really looking forward to seeing it all coming together.
13:10Angus, this has really come on, hasn't it? Wow, I can't believe how much you've done in a week.
13:15It's been fantastic. Yesterday had a great day, kind of the plants being offered up where the garden
13:20begins to come alive. I'm fascinated by what the woman here is doing to this rock. Amanda is just
13:26aging a little bit where required. We're northeast facing, so we're cheating a little bit with how
13:32the sunlight lands on those boulders. It's amazing. Real expert craftsman. The attention to detail.
13:39This platform, you've put it all in. It's amazing. It's quite a structure to get in place.
13:43It was. I was sat down watching massive cranes, kind of four hours per piece, unable to kind of
13:50look, but just trust the process. Nerve-wracking for you. I know you have a way of keeping
13:56everyone in your garden calm though. Your wife is the secret weapon.
14:00My wife's the secret weapon. What is she going to do?
14:01We're about to take our team onto our breathing space platform and just do a small class to develop
14:09one's understanding of breathing. And we're simply now going to focus on our breathing,
14:14which is calming for the body and the mind, and it helps us to feel steadier. Breathing in,
14:19releasing, any tension, opening up, and a long gentle exhalation. So best tree pose you can all do,
14:26and then find your branches and breathe. Whoa! That's it. Just keep breathing, keep steady.
14:33When it gets really stressful here, you can just tell them to deploy all these techniques she's
14:37taught them. You could use it around the whole showground actually, because it's going to get
14:40quite stressy over the next few days. Let's have everyone on our platform doing it.
14:43Well, good luck with it all. I look forward to seeing this when it's completely done.
14:54This has come on leaps and bounds. Amazing what you've achieved in, what, just less than a week.
14:59In some ways, it's slow progress. You have to take your time with Chelsea, stand back and review each
15:05plant that you place. The desire of this garden is not to be overly showy. It's woodland edge. It's
15:11quiet. If you look for it, you'll find some kind of jewels, but you've got to look for them a
15:15little
15:15bit. And that's the key to your garden, isn't it? It's the, you know, take a breath, the serenity,
15:20the peace and calm. You've got to reflect that in the planting. How are you doing that?
15:24It's lots of greens, which is the centre of the colour wheel. So that's a great start point in which
15:28to add
15:28a few things. But we also have got a great planting team, which wanted to add an authenticity
15:34to our lean into the Japanese aesthetic. So we invited Midori Shintaro over from Japan.
15:42And how important has her input been? It's been essential. It's very thoughtful. And for me,
15:48she really has got the notion of the beauty of empty space.
15:54Midori, lovely to see you. You've come all the way from Japan to do this, haven't you? Tell me what,
15:59what you're trying to achieve here. We often say create ma or take ma. It means create, you know,
16:06that empty space. And that empty space also that creates the empty time. As a, you know,
16:13the living thing, we cannot live without plants basically. So that means, yes, taking the ma is
16:20very important. So it's letting the garden breathe by letting the plants breathe and making everyone feel
16:27relaxed. Yes. It's all about the ma. You haven't got that long to go. Are you feeling the stress of
16:32it?
16:33No, not quite. It's really becoming the garden I wanted it to be. So let's see where we get over
16:39the next couple of days. But I think we're not rushing it.
16:45And what a beautiful garden Angus has created it. Just look at it. Yohaku no B is the Japanese idea
16:54about the beauty of empty space. And you can see it so beautifully illustrated right here at the very
17:01front of the garden. All of these plants given so much space just to show them off. The wonderful pines
17:07that went in right at the beginning as this garden was built. And they shade these lovely seating areas.
17:13The whole idea of this garden is that you can come in here, pause, relax and take a deep breath.
17:20Come up here onto the floating platform, which I can finally see. And it's all its glory. And that hovers
17:27over this water feature. The planting here is very green and white with the occasional pops of purple,
17:34the circium and these gorgeous irises in there as well. And the wonderful sound of the water trickling
17:41under there. Angus, well done. It's lovely. Having watched this being built, it is lovely to see it
17:46finally done. And it is very calming. Thank you, Sophie. Yeah, well, it took took all all the time
17:52that we needed. But it's the first time I've seen it as kind of fully done and not under wraps.
17:57So it's
17:57lovely for me to see it with the sunshine and everything. You have been very calm throughout
18:00this build. But I did see you an hour before the judges came around this morning looking quite stressed,
18:06the most stressed I've seen you during the whole project, because they were just down there.
18:10They were going to come and judge your garden. And it wasn't quite ready, was it? We just got round
18:15there with our host pipers. They came round the corners, the truth of it. Yeah, it's been, you know,
18:20we've been working hard for three weeks. And it's amazing how what outwardly feels quite a simple
18:25build has just been quite complex. So yeah, we've used all the time. And it is all about,
18:31it's about, it's for asthma and lung, isn't it? And it's, it's all about calming down,
18:36taking in deep breaths, relaxing. And it's a hard thing to achieve in a space like this.
18:42Yes, I think, you know, our lack of visual clutter, and I think our colour palette of greens is,
18:49steers you in that direction. And it's not didactic in a way, there's pause points around
18:54the garden. So you can use it as per how you're feeling that day. And this garden will live on
19:00after Chelsea, where's it going? Correct. Yes, this goes up to a breathing centre in Rotherham.
19:06So it's, we've already started the build there. So it will pop out of here and slot into place there
19:11the week after Chelsea. Well, this is going to be a very nice, calming place to come during the
19:16Chelsea week, which, as we know, gets very, very busy. But well done, congratulations, and
19:21fantastic to see it all finished. Thank you, Sophie. Now, designing a large Chelsea garden
19:25like this is no mean feat. But if you have less space to work with, you may have to be
19:31even more
19:32creative. JJ Chalmers went to explore the small gardens and houseplant studios, where the designers
19:39have had to really think outside the box.
19:49I love this part of Chelsea, tucked away in the trees, away from the hustle and bustle
19:54of Main Avenue. It is a treasure trove of creativity. It's the perfect place to come and have a few
20:00ideas for your own space at home. There are some beautiful plants in this space,
20:13but what Rebecca's put them in is also brilliant. These planters have all got false bottoms,
20:19so it allows you to plant at different heights, but also they're lightweight and they're modular.
20:24It means that you can move them around, and this space is just so much more versatile,
20:28and you could take them with you if you move house. And this entertaining space,
20:33which is built out of reclaimed scaffolding boards, that's a bit of me. But my favourite
20:37bit is over here. Look at this table. It could be a potting bench. It actually folds away,
20:45so you get a little bit more space. But can you imagine working from home right here?
20:58This place is bold. It shows you that you can still have a humble space and make a statement,
21:04and it's not just these aluminium resin-covered walls with their bold and beautiful amber colour.
21:11It's a tree this size in a space this small. Tina has used every single inch of this garden, including
21:17in the wall. A few holes drilled, you've got a bug hotel. With an all-you-can-eat buffet,
21:23because all of these plants are perfect for the pollinators, because without them,
21:27you don't get any fruit out of your tree.
21:40How spectacular is this? I mean, it looks like a rainforest. But actually, the concept is fairly
21:45simple. There's a pump at the bottom, which draws water up through the central pipe here,
21:50and then that water cascades down over these terracotta pots. And it means that the plants are
21:56constantly being watered, and that water is being recycled. And it doesn't just look good. Listen.
22:05Sounds calm. And these are house plants, so even if you don't have any outdoor space,
22:12you could bring this inside.
22:23Do you know what? I actually love limitation, because constraint, it forces you to get creative.
22:30And I hope that what we've shown you has inspired you to get creative with your small space.
22:41Well, most of the cut flowers you can buy in Britain are still imported from abroad. There
22:48are now over a thousand small growers specialising in seasonal British-grown blooms. Some of them are
22:55part of the Flowers from the Farm Network. We join them as they prepared to bring something special to Chelsea
23:04this year.
23:10My name's Georgie Newbury. I'm a flower farmer and florist based in Somerset.
23:18I'm a writer by trade. I used to work a very long time ago for American Vogue in Paris. But
23:23then I met my
23:24husband, so I moved to Somerset and I had to find a new way to make a living. I quickly
23:29found I could
23:29grow flowers. For 16 years since then, we've been growing bunches of flowers for sale. So Flowers from the Farm
23:37Farm is the trade body that represents specialist, small-sized flower growers in the UK. I'm the external
23:45chair and we have eight members of the board and we have a thousand members. 80% of us are
23:50women. It's an
23:51incredibly collaborative business. I can't grow enough flowers, so I need my neighbour. We rely upon each other.
24:01Anybody can be a flower farmer. You don't need a huge amount of space. You might have three kinds of
24:06flowers that you really love. You love tulips. You might love peonies and you might love dahlias.
24:11So you might just grow those three things. You're going to need your neighbour who will grow the
24:18filler that will go with that. And you'll need another neighbour who'll grow the foliage to go with that.
24:24And together, the three of you can do an amazing thing out of really quite a modest space.
24:31The whole Flowers from the Farm Chelsea team, we live miles and miles and miles away from each other.
24:36So everybody came down to stay the night last night so that we could have a final go through of
24:40everything that we need, everything we need to know. And then today we're spending the day doing
24:45a mock-up to make sure that the idea we had in January is actually going to work.
24:53Lots of reasons to go to Chelsea. Partly, we need more flower farmers and it is the greatest show on
24:59earth. So go and
25:01demonstrate at Chelsea. But we're definitely going to Chelsea so that we can encourage people to buy
25:05more flowers, to know that there is a flower farmer nearby. And I really hope we get our SIC codes
25:11so
25:11that we've got something massive to celebrate on Press Day. SIC codes are standard industrial
25:16classifications and nobody knows about these things. They are a five-digit number which is given you by the
25:24government and it's associated with your sector. If we get our SIC codes, we can not only prove how much
25:31money we're putting into the economy of the British Isles, but then we're in a position to be protected
25:37by government and encouraged by government. There might be grant aid. None of us have ever had any
25:44support from government because we don't exist. So we have to change that. The design for Chelsea is
25:53really loosely based on a Fibonacci spiral because all flowers open in a Fibonacci sequence, which is a
26:00swirl. And it's cut flowers growing, the cut flowers harvested and the cut flowers used in floristry.
26:07Penny Domet is a fantastic garden designer, so we're really lucky to have her on the team.
26:12To begin with, we've got this paved area which will be the hard standing
26:16and the seat with the compost in it. I love the compost seat. Because of this lovely swirl
26:22of the paving with the sets, I think we'll get a lovely curve and I think it'll show the plants
26:28off
26:29beautifully. I'm also a florist and over the years I've worked with Nathan Shaw. When it came to deciding
26:36how we were going to create a structure, I couldn't think of anybody else that I would have gone to.
26:43What I would like is an exploding greenhouse. So we still have a greenhouse shape,
26:49like kind of like this and the uproids are going to explode. So like large metal leaves?
26:57Kind of, yeah. I just don't want the greenhouse to meet.
27:01You don't want it, you don't want it looking like a greenhouse. Yeah, I don't want a greenhouse.
27:07Sarah and Eisel over there are in charge of the floristry and Sarah's just putting together this
27:14lovely modular arch. They're so handy. You can make any size you like, you can rearrange them and
27:19they're 100% sustainable. They're absolutely perfect. Like the different hexes that we're able to use,
27:25we can use it on site. We don't need anything other than chicken wire. There's a juxtaposition
27:30between the plants and the metal. It all comes together really beautifully.
27:35So flowers grown in Britain, they're an entirely different creature than the ones that are imported.
27:40They have movement. They're scented, which is something you just don't get with flowers that are imported.
27:47Flowers grown in the UK have 20 times less carbon footprint
27:52than flowers that have flown in from elsewhere. Chelsea is nerve-wracking for all of us. We are
27:59flower farmers and florists. We are not nursery people. For us to have those plants in perfect
28:06condition for Chelsea is really quite difficult. We're too small to be grand about Chelsea. We have to
28:12be there to take our place at the table. We've got to own the space of flower farming in the
28:18UK. We need
28:18to remind everybody that there is such a thing as a local flower farmer and our job is to encourage
28:25people to grow more flowers for sale, enable people to grow more flowers for sale and make sure that our
28:30government recognises the value of the work that we do and supports us in return.
28:39And the first miniature flower farm of cut flowers is in the Great Pavilion and it's blooming
28:46marvellous. Well, it's nearly blooming marvellous. Nearly. How are you feeling? We're nervous, but I think
28:52we have every right to feel confident. The team has worked so hard, I've never seen anything brought
28:57together so fast. I mean, it's looking luscious, isn't it? But when you're finished, this is going
29:02to tell the story of, well, flower farm to end product. Exactly. Field to harvest to floristry.
29:11You see the whole process. Well, because that greenhouse is going to look like it's exploding,
29:17yeah? Well, yes, the leaves are exploding from the greenhouse because we haven't got room for the
29:21floristry otherwise. If you had a normal sized greenhouse, there wouldn't be room. That's going to look
29:25incredible. It is going to look amazing. So coming to Chelsea then, how does that help with your sick
29:30code? Well, if we're going to exist as a cut flower sector, then we need to be seen, don't we?
29:36So the
29:37place to go to do that is going to be the greatest show on earth. Chelsea Flower Show. Wonderful. And
29:44so
29:44when people turn up on Tuesday, public come in, ultimately, what's the message? I want people to look
29:50at their gardens and go, I could do that. I could grow a crop of digitalis. I could grow a
29:55crop of
29:56peonies. These things are valuable. And I've got a bit of garden. You don't have to have an enormous
30:01amount of space. I've got colleagues growing on allotments. You don't need much. So ultimately,
30:06if you can find a little space, have a go. Have a go. Flowers for sale. We need them. We
30:10need more
30:11growers. Well, judging, I'm sure you'll be fine. But I'm going to wish you good luck anyway. Thanks
30:17very much, Adam. All right.
30:21Well, it really is a hive of activity here in the floristry zone in the Great Pavilion. They
30:26are working really hard to put the finishing touches to the exhibits, leaving it to the very
30:33last minute. They've got until nine o'clock tonight to do it all. But the freshness of those flowers is
30:39so key. Yeah, absolutely. And that's why they're leaving it so late. We've got plenty more to come
30:45on tonight's first look at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 and events supported by Range Rover.
30:53We'll be giving you an exclusive tour of the RHS and the King's Foundation Curious Garden by Francis
31:00Tophill with contributions from the King, Sir David Beckham and Alan Titchmarsh, no less.
31:07Plus, Rachel's been exploring another garden with a royal connection, inspired by historic royal
31:15palaces. It's the perfect place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
31:23But first, our very own Ariat Anderson is taking on a big challenge here at Chelsea this year. Not only
31:30is this garden her first main avenue designed to be judged by the RHS, but the message behind it
31:36is deeply personal, as we discovered in the lead up to the event.
31:42I'm Ariat Anderson. I'm a garden designer and this year at RHS Chelsea, I am going to be the designer
31:49for
31:50the Parkinson's UK garden inspired by my sister Julie, because my sister has Parkinson's. I was quite
31:59taken aback and really upset. She was diagnosed with a condition that she wouldn't get better from
32:06and that was heartbreaking. Not quite adept yet.
32:11Just go backwards. I know, don't go backwards.
32:18I bought some drinks because I know you always like a tea.
32:22I was fostered when I was very young alongside my younger sister and Julie is the eldest out of all
32:29of us. I'll tell you what I found the other day. Look at this, do you remember this? Lisa, me
32:36and you.
32:37And I just look at that picture now and I just think, that just epitomises how I've always just
32:43seen you as my big sis.
32:48How have you been doing?
32:50I've had some pretty awful days, I must admit.
32:53Then you pick yourself up and carry on, didn't you?
32:54The reason why I'm doing it, it's brought home to me just how difficult it is.
32:59Yes, it's not easy. The trouble is, people don't understand it. That's the biggest thing.
33:05I just hope people can learn a bit more about what it means to have Parkinson's. There's so many
33:10symptoms and they change. You used to be able to sleep and now you can't sleep and you didn't have
33:15a tremor and now you have a tremor. I mean, it's not your disease. It's everybody around you's disease
33:20as well because it drags you in. You've got it. You're the one that has to deal with it every
33:24day,
33:24but we're witness to it and we are part of it really, I guess. I think it's painful for you
33:29really.
33:32It is our fastest growing neurological condition in the world. It's affecting people that are younger.
33:39So this condition at this moment isn't going away. So to be able to showcase it through
33:45the joy of a garden is something that I knew I had to do.
33:50The inspiration for this garden has been drawn out of a group of gardeners who have Parkinson's.
33:58So David Plummer has invited me down to his garden in Brighton and that's going to be invaluable
34:03for me to be able to see him in his own garden and how it helps him with his Parkinson's.
34:11I was diagnosed in 2009 at the age 39. I'd like to sort of understand how being outside and doing
34:20what you do, how it helps with some of your symptoms. It's my outside sanctuary really. It's heaven. The
34:29world was my playground being a professional wildlife photographer, but I've still been able to do that
34:35and carry that on because of the garden and the changes I made to it. I've turned this garden into
34:42my workplace. So one adaptation I've made is I make the jobs achievable. Otherwise it can be a little
34:50bit overwhelming and so the job sits there for a year undone and so I do bite-size hits. One
34:57of the
34:57things I'm learning about Parkinson's is about movement control and there's a term called freezing. Can you
35:03tell me what would potentially help in the garden to overcome the freezing? I freeze. You have to
35:09adopt techniques to break out of that cycle of freezing. So an adaptation could be some form of
35:16movement in the garden that will break the cycle. It could be water moving or plants moving. Dealing with
35:24the night time aspect of the garden could be the most important point. It really helps my insomnia
35:30because it's such a debilitating symptom to get that over a prolonged period of time people really
35:39struggle and that just coming out into an outside space makes a person feel better. Thinking about
35:46what you've said it feels like any garden I design I need to think about access, need to think about
35:54the
35:54freezing episodes because you know that's really important if you're going to be in a space. I get
35:59it with my sister and hearing you as well talk about the insomnia. I really want to touch upon that
36:04and acknowledge that. Well the pressure's on now. All eyes of the Parkinson's community are on you.
36:09Thank you. My shoulders just got a little bit heavier.
36:17It's been brilliant catching up at David's and really fine tuning some of the ideas and some of
36:23the things that he needs but the ideas that I want I've got to create them and finding a maker
36:29to do
36:30them has got to be the right one and I'm really really pleased to be working with Karn Sanderlands and
36:37the team at Millimetre. I'm looking forward to seeing them because getting it out of here and getting it made
36:43is
36:43is the exciting bit.
36:48I am so looking forward to this being real. We've got the handrail. Water's coming through
36:55at height. Somebody can see water, touch water, hear water and if they get that moment when they
37:03they literally their feet freeze this is a sensory cue. Does that sensory experience of the water in
37:09the handrail? Will that potentially pull them out of this freeze? Yeah. We're looking at this side of
37:14the canopy. It's the other side where you get all of these beautiful perforations that will allow your
37:20dappled light to come in. This gives you a feeling of enclosure and safety and feeling of care. And I
37:26think if you're sat here you have Parkinson's. Imagine that is insomnia and you've sat down and you can
37:33just feel that you can just breathe for a minute.
37:40Just seeing the amount of work that the team have done is kind of blown me away really.
37:48Create the show garden at Chelsea is a huge task. Doing it for a charity that you love
37:55starts to personalise in it. But to have it for somebody central in your life, in your immediate
38:00family has just ramped up the pressure. I've got to put myself out there.
38:08And here it is, the finished garden. Arik, congratulations. It is absolutely beautiful.
38:14It's been an emotional journey for you. It has, it has. You know, doing this show garden takes a lot
38:19out of you anyway, Sophie. But to then add in such a personal moment, yeah, it's been a lot but
38:25it's
38:25what's driven me on. And flowing all the way through the garden is this. I mean, it's absolutely
38:30beautiful. And to touch it as well, it's amazing to touch. It's what a hand rail and a hand rill
38:36as
38:36well. Yeah, it is. So yeah, play on words. This hand rill is something that I wanted to put in
38:41the
38:41garden so that people can have a support when they walk. When you have Parkinson's, it can be quite
38:46difficult, but didn't want to make it feel like it was just sort of ubiquitous hand rails. So with the
38:52water running through it, it picks up a sensory sound and the sight of water, because there's a
38:58condition called freezing, where the brain sort of stops you from walking. Tuning into this kick
39:03starts the brain again. Talk me through the planting, because you've got very different pockets.
39:08What was the thought behind that? Yeah, so I wanted to create these different zones,
39:13kind of reflecting the mood of what happens when you have Parkinson's as this sort of more
39:17joyous and uplifted moment when you're feeling sort of good in your treatment. But there's also
39:22high anxiety that can occur. So by having a cooler, calmer palate, it means if somebody wants
39:27to sit quietly and be surrounded by the calm, or if you want to be lifted by the energised,
39:33colourful planting. And then the pathway here is very wide for a purpose, isn't it? Yeah,
39:39definitely. So if you have Parkinson's, your walking gait can make you veer to one side for a bit,
39:46or your dyskinesia, it's called you move a lot. So there needs to be space. And I wanted to make
39:52sure that that person can walk through this garden side by side, comfortably with somebody without
39:57feeling constricted. And tell me about the significance of this structure. Well, this
40:01structure is what we're calling the nighttime shelter, because at night, a lot of times people
40:06with Parkinson's can't sleep, insomnia, sleep disorder. So it's to suggest that your garden can be a
40:12place to use at nighttime, changing the palette completely going into the power blues, the whites,
40:18as the sun goes down, these really pop these colours. So I want people to think that they could
40:23maybe by their own window, by their door of their back garden, create their own nighttime area, and
40:28maybe get some respite from the garden during those difficult times. Well, it's absolutely,
40:32it is beautiful. And I think it's going to mean so much to people, to people with Parkinson's,
40:37to their families as well, people who live with what is really a horrible disease, isn't it?
40:42Yes, yeah. And it is also your first Main Avenue judged showguards. So very, very good luck.
40:50Thank you, Sophie. Thank you.
40:53Best of luck, Eric. We're all wishing you well. Over in the Great Pavilion, the growers have really
40:59been pushing themselves and their plants to the limit. And earlier today, as final preparations are in full
41:06swing, JJ Chalmers join them as they edge towards the finishing line.
41:14The Great Pavilion showcases horticultural ambition from growers and nurseries all over the world.
41:22And there are spectacular displays of skill here.
41:27This is the RHS City Season of Abundance installation,
41:31and it challenges the limits of the size and scale of the pavilion. And it sits here right at its
41:37heart,
41:38and it's pretty big. It's 17 meters by 18 meters. I mean, you're not going to miss it. And it
41:43is all
41:43about spring changing into summer. And with these six beautiful multi-stemmed hornbeams and a variety of
41:50planting, it truly is abundant.
41:57Everywhere you look, people are prepping their plants to perfection.
42:03There are feats of technical skill over at the Brantwood Stand with their incredible wisteria.
42:09This stand is so beautiful. It looks like it's been here for, what, 200 years?
42:13It does. And that's what we were looking for. We wanted to show as much variety as possible,
42:17standard wisterias, climbing wisterias, bonsai. And this is what Brantwood looks like. So we've
42:22actually brought it to life. Wow, just brought a little chunk of it down here to London.
42:25Yes. Tell me, how much of a challenge was it to get these here from Cumbria?
42:29It was a huge feat of engineering to get them here. We had the wisteria in three different
42:34locations. So we had to go around Cumbria and pick them up. And then we had to travel
42:37down to Worcestershire for the third. They're so delicate. And we had to pack the truck so carefully.
42:43So we had to try and avoid every pothole. So you can imagine how slow the truck was going to
42:47get here.
42:48It was well worth it. Thank you very much.
42:54Look at these daffodils. Taylor's bulbs have brought 46 varieties to the show and they are
43:00all perfect. I know in my garden at this time of year, they are long gone. So to have them
43:05looking
43:05this good is no mean fee. Well, you guys are clearly still very busy. Very busy.
43:21Night and night. These have come from a completely different climate.
43:24Yes, they have. Coal is a real issue and being near the door is not helping.
43:29What temperature are these guys used to? They're like 30 degrees.
43:32Good luck getting 30 degrees at Chelsea.
43:39Chelsea wouldn't be Chelsea without a little bit of weird and wonderful.
43:43And you can certainly find it here at Wax Wicked Plants.
43:48These carnivorous plants, they look like they come from another planet.
43:50Where have they come from? They've come from North Yorkshire.
43:52Wow. And how much of a challenge is it to get them down here?
43:55It's not easy because they're very precious. So what we do is we lift them, we load them one by
44:01one.
44:01We cuddle them, take them to the van and put them carefully in a crate.
44:06They're a lot of fun. I think so.
44:22I'm not sure there is anything better in the world than come the weekend, you kick
44:30back and relax in your own garden. Let's set the scene. It's Sunday PM, lazy afternoon.
44:41The space feels fantastic. When you start to look at the design of this, it takes me back
44:49to be in my nan's garden. She never threw anything away, so she would hoard and collect.
44:56And they love that. And how you can create this sort of eclectic mix of items, pull them together,
45:04and they look like they belong. If you think about it, we've got reclaimed paving,
45:10the bricks tied back in with a back wall. You've then got the copper that works its way through the
45:16space. They sit comfortably with our different containers. Then you've got the three different
45:21water features. And if you take a moment and stop and listen, they all make slightly different sounds.
45:28So you've got this sort of little tune going on in the background. Then you get to the planting.
45:34Big statement up in the corner, which is the river birch. And that sets a tone in a sense. Not
45:42only does it
45:43connect to the materials, but also there's layers of planting underneath it, and you're left with this
45:51hug of a courtyard. It feels comfortable to be in. Sort of romantic cottagey. When you look a little
46:01closer, you realise the selection of so many of these plants has been driven by that tea. We've got
46:09things like the camellias, the roses, the lemon balm. There's even some nettles. So yeah, all in all,
46:19it creates a place that you would definitely want to spend a good few hours.
46:27Now, I'm not the only one that's been seeking out a little rest and relaxation before the show
46:34opens tomorrow. Rachel has found the perfect place to do just that.
46:47Well, I've found the perfect place to relax. I'm on the Boodle's Garden, designed by Catherine MacDonald.
46:53And it's inspired by the historic royal palaces, which includes Kensington Palace,
46:58Hampton Court, and the Tower of London. In fact, this central area is very much inspired by the tower.
47:05You've got this rill, which actually goes all the way around. But very cleverly, it just comes down at both
47:11sides, just down these little waterfalls, which have just the right amount of sound. And that represents
47:16the moat at the tower.
47:21The planting at the front of the garden is anchored by this mammoth yew that's been beautifully clipped.
47:29And then there's this lovely drift of plants going through. You've got lots of grasses,
47:33things like the Brizia, the Imperata cylindrica rubra, which is that red foliage. There are irises
47:40just travelling through. And then again, we're anchored at this end. You've got this OG-shaped pot,
47:45which is an inverted shape that you see on the roofline of the Tower of London and again at
47:51Hampton Court. And Catherine's very cleverly turned it on its head and put a yew in that.
48:02And that sumptuous theme in the colours really continues through here. You've got more irises
48:07and then the glorious buckeye bell peony with that rich crimson colour. On this side,
48:13the iris is slightly paler. And then there's a cloud of Anthriscus sylvestris raven's wing,
48:19the raven, of course, for the Tower of London. It's a lovely effervescence.
48:28The planting design here is incredibly clever because in fact, it's quite a restricted palette
48:34of plants. That means that you feel calm. Your eye doesn't go from one thing to another. It's
48:39really lovely. You walk past the pear and there's a yew hedge that just wraps itself
48:45around you like an arm giving you a big hug.
48:53Finally, there's a chair of pretty majestic proportions from which I can sit and admire
49:00the agapanthus and feel relaxed and regal. Pretty much like a queen.
49:11Now there's one RHS Chelsea garden that's already been making headlines this year and it is designed
49:18by our very own Frances Tophill. She's teamed up with none other than His Majesty the King,
49:24Sir David Beckham and Gardening Royalty, Alan Titchmarsh. I caught up with her as she took on
49:31the daunting task of bringing this illustrious garden to life.
49:40Frances. Hello. You've gone to the other side this year. I know,
49:44it's slightly terrifying. From presenting to designing and what a garden to design.
49:48I know, no pressure. The RHS and the King's Foundation. I know. Well tell us about what you
49:53are doing then. The whole garden is the curious garden, with it being me that's designed it about
49:57plants, about how incredible they are, not just in a garden but actually globally, economically,
50:03how important they are in human lives. And so this is the museum which is this beautiful oak frame
50:09building and which is going to just be filled with all the things you can do with plants. It's a
50:14walk
50:14through. People can actually come into this space. Which people love.
50:17I don't want to add pressure to you but you have, let's say, quite a high profile team involved.
50:23Alan Titchmarsh. And his advice, which was absolutely priceless, it's like, just do you
50:27but more polished. I was like, actually, yeah. So we're going from Alan Titchmarsh to David Beckham.
50:34He's been really involved in kind of helping to choose the planting. And then His Majesty the King
50:40has also been involved. Just the King.
50:42Did they have specific things they wanted to achieve in this garden?
50:47They did. Alan was all about representing the best of horticulture, which is his passion.
50:53So no pressure there. The King is all about detail. So all the things like the little carvings on the
50:57timber and the artisan craftsmanship of everything, it's what he'll be looking for. David Beckham is a
51:06a beehive. And the beehive is in there. And the beehive is in there. So we're going to have a...
51:14It's going to be a wild beehive. So woven willow with a kind of cob on the outside of it,
51:21which will be in the middle of the veg garden with cut flowers and companion planting,
51:27hopefully to sort of show pollination. Although hopefully we won't actually have any bees in it,
51:33because they'll have to be moved. We've got a good honey supplier.
51:38There's a good supply of honey, apparently, that will be brought in. Not just me.
51:42Not just you. You're all very good at all. Yeah, we are.
51:45Do you feel left out here, aren't you? No, I don't.
51:47Keep bees. I don't do all.
51:49We'll sell you some. How much pressure are you feeling? Well, quite a lot.
51:57We're not being judged, which takes some pressure off in that sense. But the main thing is,
52:02I don't want to let anybody down. I want the garden to feel like a beautiful space. And I want
52:07those people when they come to feel that as well.
52:21Jake, hello. Watering the wall. Yes. What are you actually doing here?
52:25Because this is lime render, which is a natural product. We're just feeding it with some moisture
52:29so it doesn't dry out too quickly. Frances is not here. No, she's not. You're on your own.
52:35She's let me loose. She's out looking at some plants and doing some visits like that.
52:39We're constantly in contact every day. Video calls, you know, messages.
52:43Should we give her a call? I want to see what she thinks of it all. Oh, a video call.
52:46All right, so she answers. Ah, there she is. I know you haven't been here for a few days,
52:51but Jake's doing a great job. The render looks amazing. He's just been watering the render,
52:56so it's going very well. You've been in regular contact with Jake? Yeah, regular pictures,
53:01updates, discussions on trees, those sorts of things.
53:04Well, very nice to see you, albeit miles away. We'll see you next week. Bye. See you later.
53:12What a garden to be creating. It's fantastic. There's lots of different ideas and it's been
53:16really fantastic to bring it all together. I'm looking forward to seeing it next week.
53:26Frances, what a transformation. I was here less than a week ago and I have to say,
53:31I was wondering how quickly this garden was going to take shape because there was no planting.
53:36Yeah, well, the planting started happening two days ago. It just transforms everything. The plants
53:42are the main focus really of this because it's a celebration of horticulture and of plants. We're
53:47just all hands on deck planting. Volunteers as well here, planting it up for you. We do. So we have
53:52the
53:52core planting team, but each day this week we have four volunteers from the RHS and we also tomorrow
53:58have some students from the horticulture training at the King's Foundation as well. They've been doing
54:03all sorts of things, but Lila's down there helping doing the mulching around our cut flowers.
54:08You're one of the volunteers here. What's it like? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm very
54:14new to horticulture and so in my first year to be able to work at a Chelsea show is incredible
54:19for me.
54:20You've got this wonderful museum, as you're calling it. Tell me about what you've got here.
54:24The Museum of Curiosities is to show people that plants come into all of our lives and what an amazing
54:30thing the natural world can be. I have tried to encompass all of the things that plants can do
54:36for people. At the moment I'm working on the dye area. So this is a swatch book of different dyed
54:42plants which I've made bunting from and I've turned it into a book to actually show which plants make
54:48which. Are you nervous or are you kind of on course? The end is in sight, but we still haven't
54:54got most of
54:55our plants here. I'm not worried that it won't happen, but I'm worried that it will be some very
54:59long days to get it there. That's what Chelsea's all about. Good luck, thank you.
55:07And here it is. What a wonderful burst of colour. It feels beautiful, but for me it's the interplanting
55:17of the herbaceous perennials, the shrubs, the veggies, the herbs all in together. If you had a hard
55:24day at work, you came home, walked out, this would make you smile. It's already,
55:30it is making me smile right now. Let's go through the Museum of Curiosities as well because I haven't
55:34seen this. It's the first time I've seen this properly finished and all the flowers,
55:38the dried flowers hanging. Isn't it lovely? It is. Do you know, I imagine Francis's house to be like
55:43that. It very, very possibly is. And look at that, that beehive. Isn't that spectacular?
55:50That's fantastic, isn't it? That's what David Beckham wanted. This place really does celebrate plants,
55:53doesn't it? It really does. Oh, here she is. The woman herself. Congratulations. Oh, hello.
55:59Well done, girl. Are you happy with it? I think so, but I need more time for it to all
56:04sink in.
56:05Ask me in a month. Yeah, no, I think it's really lovely. So come on, you've been here,
56:10you've built, created it. What's your favourite element? Oh, well, I love the herbs. Yeah. That
56:16whole front edge. Um, it took me three days because it kept crawling off to like, you know,
56:21can you check the gutters? Can you do this? It took me three days to place that, but I really
56:25wanted to place that myself. Mainly because I love herbs, but also it's the texture of it. So that,
56:30that front corner under the pomegranate trees, I love the pomegranate trees. I wanted that to be this
56:35kind of amazing, sumptuous, textural space. And you were talking from the day I came to see you,
56:39when you first broke ground here about, about the garlic. I've just spotted it. You grew that,
56:43didn't you? Especially for David Beckham. Well, I didn't grow it for David Beckham,
56:46but when he asked for garlic and I'd already put in the plant orders, I had to dig up some
56:51garlic from my allotment and put it up for David Beckham. So yes, I did. I did grow that.
56:57What would you take home? Oh, I mean, I would take home the beehive. I would take home the beehive.
57:03I love
57:04the beehive, but also I think lots of things from the building. A lot of it comes from my home,
57:09so I will be taking it back home again as well. What did I just say? Exactly. And you've got
57:14the
57:14big day tomorrow. The King is coming with David Beckham and Alan Titchmarsh, but the King is going
57:19to be here. Are you nervous about it? Yeah, I am nervous. I feel like it's a lot of responsibility.
57:23I want to represent, you know, the RHS and the King's Foundation well. I want them to be proud. I
57:30want
57:30them to get it. And I just, you know, I want people to love it. I want people to learn
57:34from it and be
57:34inspired by it and enjoy it. But I think when everyone comes tomorrow, that will be the test
57:39of whether I've kind of done them proud. You've nailed it. Thank you.
57:44You've worked so hard for us. Masses of luck for tomorrow. Well, that's all we've got time for
57:50this evening. Our coverage from Chelsea continues tomorrow on BBC One at 2pm, when Nicky Chapman and
57:57Angelica Bell will be bringing you all the excitement from Press Day. They'll be joined
58:02by our family of experts helping you at home make an impact in your garden.
58:08Monty and Rachel will be back tomorrow here on BBC Two at 8pm with the exclusive coverage
58:14of the Royal Family's annual visit to Chelsea. But that is all from us for tonight. Enjoy the week.
58:23Bye. Bye.
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