We are having an Open Day this Saturday 5th June, starting at 9.30, where we will sell off all the plants that we grew for both Tom’s and Andy’s garden. You are very welcome to join us and it’s a nice opportunity to wander round the nursery and see what we are growing. Most of the stock on the nursery is available at discounted prices so please come along.
This article can be seen in full on the Telegraph website
At Chelsea Flower Show 2009 Ulf Nordfjell’s sublime marriage of a country garden within a modernistic setting scooped the top prize. And this year, for Chelsea Flower Show 2010, Andy Sturgeon’s deeply sophisticated gravel planting won the judges over.
But how does it work? How, as a sponsor, do you spot a winner? Neither were guaranteed to take the prize (the RHS judges are a highly unpredictable, wayward lot in their choices), but one can try to tilt the odds.
Here’s how it happens.
As gardening editor I am asked to pick a designer the summer before the next show. This in itself is a tense operation. I can’t ask a top ranking name (and it’s a small world, so everyone knows everyone else) if they are already engaged to another sponsor. They would say no, a rejection of crushing proportions. Or they may not want to “do” Chelsea that year.
So I rely on trusted insiders, who tip me the wink that so and so has said they are interested, and did I know that such and such might be approached. It’s a grand dance, of sorts.
In the case of Ulf Nordfjell, I knew we would be in safe hands. He is a world-class designer from Sweden, and had caught my eye at Chelsea three years ago, his first appearance. His garden had a touch of Christopher Bradley-Hole in its clean elegance and unusual planting – pruned apple trees just in bud, for instance. His garden didn’t win – Sarah Eberle’s extraordinary Martian creation beat him – but he was widely believed to have been robbed. In 2008 I heard he was interested in a second go, so I jumped at the chance to get him on board. I hoped 2009 and would be his year – and it was. His design was faultless. And what I liked most about him was his utterly professional approach to winning.
Andy Sturgeon is a designer I’ve always admired. His planting is original and highly unusual. He had won gold four times, but never best in show, so when I heard last year he was interested I couldn’t believe my luck. He is the nicest man one could possibly meet. He has more talent in his little finger than… well, almost anybody else. Surely this would be his year?
The contractors building our garden, Crocus (which also built and supplied plants for Stuart-Smith’s garden) have a trick or two up their sleeve. Mark Fane, in charge of operations, insists on tight deadlines and he pushed Andy to get the front of the garden ready by the weekend, so that anyone who happened to pass would get a glimpse of what is to come (rather than a big mess).
I had a good feeling about Andy’s, however. By the weekend, with the main structures in place, he was working his magic with his planting.
People were beginning to cluster round the garden as it was being finished; very beautiful gardens, such as his, act as a magnet. They have a glamour and romance which draw you in.
The judges were, I hope, unanimous.
Even better, I believe Alan Titchmarsh likes it, too.
Kylie O’Brien
Sally Nex, a garden writer who writes our Veg Blog at Crocus, spent the day working on Andy’s garden, handing out leaflets and answering questions. These were her thoughts….
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like being one of those people who hand over leaflets at a garden at Chelsea, now, having spent a day on Andy Sturgeon’s fantastic garden doing just that, I can tell you. It’s like having six conversations at once. They go something like this:
“Excuse me, can you tell me what that shrub is just there – the one with the purplish leaves?”
- Yes, that’s Dodonea viscosa ‘Purpurea’. It’s borderline hardy – wouldn’t have got through last winter but should be fine in a sheltered spot in a normal year….
“Is this the garden that won best in show?”
- yes, that’s right, it’s…
“Excuse me? Do you know much about the plants?”
- well…
“Could you just tell me what that tall plant is over there?
- That one over there?
“No, the one next to it… the one with the yellow flowers…
- Oh that’s a yellow knapweed – Centaurea…
“You see that purple-leaved shrub there? Could you…
“I’ve got a gravel garden, you know. Do you think these plants would do all right in it? It’s on clay soil though so it gets a bit flooded in the winter….”
- er… clay?
[Carol Klein walks onto the garden at this point with a large pot of bright pink flowers and a camera crew]
“Excuse me, I’m from a Japanese film company and we did an interview with Andy earlier today – do you think we could just come on the garden….”
“What are those big things made out of? Are they wood?”
- Oh, no, they’re Corten steel. It’s pre-rusted….
“Hi Sally! Remember me? We trained at college together!”
- You’d have to ask him, I’m afraid. He was just on that garden opposite filming a minute ago so if you see if you can find the nearest BBC film crew you’ll probably find him…
“So how come the garden won best in show, then? Why did the judges pick this out?”
- well, I’m not actually a judge, but I can tell you what I think makes it work if you like…
“Excuse me, you see that shrub with the purplish leaves….”
“Why has Carol Klein left those pink flowers right in the middle of the garden? They’re right in my photograph, you know.”
[we move them and risk the wrath of the BBC]
- It’s Dodonea viscosa ‘Purpurea’. Needs well-drained soil, a sunny spot, but it’s evergreen… Do you want me to write it down for you?
“Do those trees grow there all the time?”
- nope, it took a flatbed lorry and a crane to move them into position…
“You know, I re-did my garden last year after it was all curvy lines here. Now it’s all gone straight again.”
- umm…
“Excuse me, there’s this purple-leaved shrub over there….”
“Could you just tell me what that bobbly sort of grass thing is?”
- what, this one here? Stipa tenuissima?
“No, not the soft one, the bobbly one. Behind it.”
- This one? Pennisetum setaceum?
“No, that’s got flowers. The one behind it. The one with the bobbles.”
[I gingerly walk onto the garden and ask her to tell me where to stop]
“There, that one!”
- umm… that’s a Dasylirion. It’s kind of more of a yucca than a grass….
[the camera crew are back and asking everyone to stop using flash photography: there is, understandably, some disgruntled chuntering until Carol Klein calls out, “That's right! No flashers, please!” Whereupon everyone starts giggling]
“Excuse me, could you tell me – is that a Dodonaea?”
- Oh my goodness. Do you realise you’re the first person all day who has recognised that shrub?
“Oh, really? Well I grow it as a hedge.”
- a hedge?
“Yes, I’m from South Australia. You know, we had temperatures of 35 degrees last year for three weeks solid and no rain – and it came through and hardly even noticed. That’s one tough, tough shrub.”
It was great fun, restored my faith in British gardeners and I got to know one of the best gardens at this year’s Chelsea inside out and back to front. And it doesn’t get much better than that.
If you click on the link below, you will be able to watch a short video of Kylie O’Brien, gardening editor of the Telegraph, talking about the garden and about winning Best in Show this morning
Andy Sturgeon won his first Best in Show award for his magnificent garden for the Daily Telegraph. The hot weather over the last few days really helped the Mediterranean themed planting to thrive. The judges were really complimentary about it and it’s the second year in a row that the Daily Telegraph has won Best in Show.
Everyone at Crocus is feeling exhausted but happy. That’s our third Best in Show in a row and our fourth in five years. Great news for everyone. Please let me know what you thought of the gardens and the show generally.
Tom won yet another Gold Medal this morning. Over the last few days so many people have admired his stylish under-stated planting set against the contemporary building and traditional walls and paving. Another masterpiece.
Just when we thought it was all sorted on the Laurent-Perrier garden we had a major crisis. There is often one crisis per year but I really thought that we had avoided it this year. For some reason, the pond went completely cloudy. It was really strange and we couldn’t work out what had caused it. We quickly realised that this was not a minor problem so we decided to pump out the water (Caroline Effluent Services came to the rescue!) and give the whole pool really good scrub. It’s not often you see us get stuck in like this! Fingers crossed we have sorted it.
