Chelsea is the ultimate flower show and to be allowed to exhibit at this Royal Horticultural Society event is a huge honor. For one week of the year the world's gardening community all focus on The Chelsea Flower Show in the grounds of the The Royal Hospital.
The variety of themes created for the Show Gardens are astonishing. And as I found out, planning one and bringing it to life is like a military campaign!
ALL THAT PREPARATION
Three years of preparation went into the creation of this Cotswold garden. Only three weeks are allowed for the final construction. Finally, just three days are given to dismantle the garden at the end of the show. You must return the site to exactly how it was found.
I used over 4000 plants for this project. To compliment my use of beautiful honey coloured stone I chose a blue and yellow colour scheme for planting.
It is vital that every plant looks at its very best for the show. With this in mind, some had to be forced on artificially so that they would flower during the show. Others that would normally flower too soon, had to be held back in refrigeration. I even wrapped some plants in cotton wool to protect them during transit!
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After |
ALWAYS GO TO GREAT LENGTHS
I borrowed eight mature specimen trees from Westonbirt Arboretum, the oldest and largest arboretum in the world. Since 1868 over 16,000 trees have been planted there, yet this was the first time in its history that trees had actually left the site! The trees that I borrowed were up to 75 years old.
As you can imagine, they had to be lifted with extraordinary care for transportation in articulated lorries, to London. These trees were even filmed for a TV documentary and became famous for their journey. Visitors to Westonbirt still ask to see the 'trees that went to Chelsea'.
I excavated 60 tons of soil to achieve the correct levels before building work could begin. Then over 80 tons of materials were brought in for me to use. One thing that always amazes me is that all the materials for every exhibit at Chelsea have to come through one narrow gateway.
I managed to find some wonderful 200 year old Cotswold stone which was perfect for all the walls and steps. However I still had one major problem. Where could I get hold of genuine antique roofing tiles? Simple, I persuaded a one of my clients to let me take part of the roof off his house!
WOULD I DO IT AGAIN?
The project involved a massive investment of blood, sweat and tears. As it went under the microscope of the world's top judges would it all prove to be worth it? Yes, it scooped a major award and the BBC's 'Gardeners World' was presented from inside the garden. Who wouldn't want to go through that again!
