It’s one of the most highly anticipated dates on a gardener’s calendar. The Chelsea Flower Show, in all of its natural and man-made beauty, is a celebration of bright, beautiful blooms and avant garde garden designs, attracting crowds far and wide.
For exhibitors it’s a labour of love. Countless months are dedicated to creating show-stopping plans, sourcing perfect plants and finding the all important financial backing. On top of that there’s the weather to contend with. And what for? That highly coveted gold medal.

Patricia Thirion and Janet Honour’s garden
Patricia Thirion, from Bushey, knows all too well the trials and tribulations of the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual show, this is the fifth year she and fellow garden designer Janet Honour have exhibited.
In previous years the pair has missed out on securing the top prize at Chelsea, but this time it’s different. Three days ago, they won gold for their Herbert Smith Freehills’ garden for WaterAid.
“I just can’t believe it,“ exclaims French-born Patricia, in a breathless voice. “We’re over the moon, all of our hard work has paid off.
“Never in a million years did we think we’d get gold, everything has to be perfect, we never thought we’d manage it.
“We’ve been disappointed in previous years, but I think, in the end, that was what pushed us on, why we didn’t give up. 
“This year when we opened the envelope, we were convinced it would be silver. But it was gold, it was gold! Gold in the Artisan Garden category! The pair of us nearly fell over in our heels.
“It’s so special to have won it in the centenary year of the Chelsea Flower Show. We’ve not stopped celebrating, in fact we’ve still got two champagne bottles to open.“
The garden is inspired by the charity work WaterAid does in areas of India that are prone to flooding. According to Patricia, it reflects the transformation to people’s lives that can be brought about by access to clean water and improved hygiene and sanitation, empowering communities, particularly women and children, and giving them more time to generate income, through, for example, market gardens. Covering an area of 7m by 4.5m it features a house on stilts with a veranda, surrounded by marigolds, roses and hanging garlands.
“We used 2,500 marigolds in the display,“ says Patricia, who co-owns A Touch of France Garden Design with Janet. “Marigolds are used a lot in Indian culture and symbolise longevity, which I think is very fitting for the idea behind the garden.
“I hope people will understand the message behind our design, that it’s important to have access to clean water. The work WaterAid does is so important.  Clean water, sanitation, it’s life.“
And it seems certain the duo will be exhibiting next year, provided they are financially backed.
“There’s so much work, there’s so much research, it’s nerve-wracking, but how could we not?“ laughs Patricia throatily. “We love the Chelsea Flower Show, it’s an incredible experience.“

Kate Gould
Radlett-based garden designer Kate Gould wowed judges with her first Show Garden, The Wasteland, receiving gold for her efforts.
“I was relieved and happy when I found out I’d won,“ Kate chuckles, “but mainly relieved.”
Kate’s design for The Wasteland was inspired, she says, by her own personal experiences of working in and around London.
“I see lots of derelict spaces that can be renovated to create areas for wildlife and people, and I also see lots items abandoned on the roads.
“The Wasteland was crafted on an unused piece of ground, an abandoned pumping works.
“Some of the waste from the site’s industrial past is reused within the garden, but there are screens made from shopping trolleys, a water feature made from washing machine drums, a roll top bath cut in half to create a chair and crazy paving for flooring.
“There are also trees and perennials. Unfortunately some plants are shorter than we would’ve expected, but that’s because we’ve not had the weather for them to grow. “
This is the sixth time Kate has exhibited at the show, winning gold and silver in smaller categories on previous occasions.
Asked by the RHS to participate in the show garden category, her display was self-funded, through her business Kate Gould Gardens, with a cost running into a six figure sum.
“We have worked ourselves into the ground over the past six months to ensure that we could continue running the business and would still be able to pay our suppliers,“ says Kate.
“It’s been an added stress, that’s for sure. That and the weather, we had to do a lot of gardening with thermal underwear on, which is ridiculous, it’s nearly June. You can almost control the money, but with the weather you’re at its mercy.
“I hope people who see the garden understand that with a bit of sorting, with a bit of care, some things can have a second life, it doesn’t need to cost the earth.
“One man’s rubbish could very well be another man’s treasure.“