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Designers Diary - Sailing for Gold 2008
21st May 2008 - A Memorable Chelsea
Wednesday already – I can’t believe it. I made it home last night for the first time in a week and what a change in the garden! In a variable season like this one, you miss a week and spring becomes full summer green behind your back. The azaleas were in full flower on Jermyns Lane we drove back last night – always an overwhelming spectacle. After the adrenalin rush of building the Chelsea exhibit and the fun of the show the thought of the return to reality can be quite a withdrawal. However, I must admit that the idea of returning home is now very appealing.
Monday, press day disappeared in a bit of a blur, it always does. These days I never seem to be at the launch party because of the demands of the media, but of course that’s what we are there for.
The Royal visit on Monday evening was certainly a memorable one. We were told that The Queen was on a very tight schedule, and would only have time to touch on the edge of the Hillier exhibit with no time to walk through. However, Her Majesty showed considerable interest in our association with Skandia Team GBR, and our hopes for the further success in British sailing. She asked to be shown the other end of the exhibit, the sails and medals, and spent some time chatting about sailing. She also showed interest in the prevalence of Mediterranean and Australian plants, and their application in planting to cope with climate change.
Gala night was cold one and those of us that had spent all day in the show longed for warm food and drinks rather than ice cold champagne and canapés, but needs must…… After the Gala it was on to dinner with Scotts at Luccio’s. What a relief to be in the warm and eat something substantial.
Tuesday morning saw the delivery of our 63rd consecutive Gold Medal. Ricky and Mark had to search to find it and the BBC were there to record the event.
The Hillier Crew were on good form and looked great in their white kit with coloured trim. Chelsea Live magazines were well received and everyone worked well to man the pumps and hand them out to the visitors. We spent the day chatting to visitors and receiving compliments and congratulations – a great feeling that seems to make all the effort worthwhile.
I like to spend most of the week at the show, partly to see something other than the monument site which seems to have become home. Also to remind myself why we do this and just how important this event, and our presence at it, are to the British gardening public. But also, on a more practical note, to consider the various aspects of breakdown. It is all very well building it, but the site has to be cleared by next Tuesday morning when the Pavilion is taken down.
I also need to start thinking about next year: will we be here? If so, what will we do? Each year, in the run up to the show, I decide I’ve had enough – this will be the last. I know Ricky feels the same way. But we’ve done it once again – so maybe one more? We’ll have to wait and see!
20th May 2008 - The show is open and......
What a relief - i got the call from Mark and Tim at 7am, they were on the exhibit preparing for the 8am opening, and what fantastic news, 'Sail for Gold' was awarded a Gold Medal by the RHS, our 63rd consecutive Gold Medal. The morning has been a flurry of activity - i got to the exhibit at 9am and have spent the time so far talking to the Press, friends and fellow exhibitors. Its 10am now and the buzz in the marquee is fantastic. We have a new team of staff who have come up for the day - right now its all hands on deck! More updates later...
19th May 2008 - Press Day
This morning we have to get ready for the press and our first visitors - the entire Skandia Team GBR Sailing Team. They arrive at 10am, and make quite an impressive site on the front of the exhibit - we get them lined up for a photo shoot, and then for an hour or so they mingle with the press, giving interviews and, not suprisingly, talking to us about their own gardens. With many of the team off to Holland to continue training this afternoon there wasn't much time, but it was great to have such a dedicated team with us for a short time - a real feeling of synergy!
At 12.30 Johnson Beharry VC, came on our exhibit to receive a cheque on behalf of Help for Heroes - the charity set up to provide rehabilitation facilities for wounded service personnel. We presented him with a cheque for £15,265, raised from the sales of the rose Help for Heroes - £5 from the sale of each rose has been donated to the charity.
Johnson Beharry is the first recipient of the Victoria Cross since the posthumous awards to Lieutenant Colonel H. Jones and Sergeant Ian John McKay for service in the Falklands War and the first living recipient for nearly forty years. At present he is one of only twelve living recipients of the VC, and the youngest. Part of his citation reads: ‘For his repeated extreme gallantry and unquestioned valour, despite interest direct attacks, personal injury and damage to his vehicle in the face of relentless enemy action, Private Beharry deserves the highest possible recognition.’
To read Johnson Beharry VC full citation - click here
18th May 2008 - Exhibitionist!
I can't believe its Sunday so soon. I find it even harder to believe that the exhibit is finished, apart from a few final touches. The team really moved fast yesterday; plants were placed in their final situations very swiftly. We even got the turf laid and the boards around the exhibit lifted and moved out of the Pavilion by the end of the day. The cooler weather has been great for the staging team, and for the plants and neither party looks quite as exhausted as they have at other times.
I am particularly pleased with the planting in front of the beach huts. The colour scheme is a welcome relief from our usual more subdued tones. Our new floribunda rose ‘Star of Britain’ is even better than expected. The flowers are shining scarlet with velvety petals and it promises to be free-flowering, healthy and vigorous. The Callistemon citrinus ‘Splendens’ are just wonderful compact mounds of flowers. If only people would prune them straight after flowering, cutting back to just behind the seedheads, this is what they would look like in gardens. The Choisya ‘Aztec Pearl’ look better than ever. The leaves are such a great background for the sparkling white flowers. It really is one of the best plants we have ever launched at Chelsea. It was 19 years ago that it made its debut, this was at the first Chelsea I was involved in staging. 
The most exciting moment of yesterday was when our magnificent glass sail was lifted into place. At three metres high it is a terrific weight and took a lot of muscle and manpower to handle it gently and accurately. In sapphire blue, with abstract silver fish it makes a bold focal point rising out of the bronze, silver and gold planting surrounding the medals.
Well we're finished now – the staging team will leave today. Its always a sad moment when the team breaks up.
This lot deserve a medal – hope it’s the right colour! 
17th May 2008 - Going for Gold
What about that! – Clearing the decks on a Saturday evening. Yes there are still finishing touches to do in the morning but we are all but there. This morning saw the waves of grass, phormium, astelia and artemisia flow into place around the medals at the front of the exhibit. Cup Final traffic delayed the arrival of the glass sail and I was a little worried whether it would be in position in time for Chelsea Live photography.
By late morning the beach side garden was completed and its cheerful red, white and blue planting was already attracting attention. Sue quickly accessorised the area conjuring teacups, lobster pots, deckchairs and towels into place. To complete the scene the seagulls, wooden fish and our Welcome Aboard lifebuoy will probably be the most asked about items on the exhibit!
As usual we went to the café this morning for breakfast and I bought sardine sandwiches for lunch. These were just the right choice, and I enjoyed them sitting alongside the beach huts writing the captions for the magazine and wondering whether we will have time to photograph our "naughty postcard" tomorrow..
Mehrdad and Colin arrived around 2 o’clock and then it took a monumental team effort to lift the magnificent glass sail into place. It is really quite stunning and instantly added a wonderful sapphire focal point in the middle of the picture. Lots of good comments during the day make me think this is the best we’ve ever done. I always think that at this stage – hopefully the feeling will last.
At the end of the day we still have plenty of plants left, all loaded onto trollies ready to make the journey to one of the garden centres. As far as the bark is concerned we have all but run out, and we have left ourselves a little short to finish the area around the sail pool in the morning – improvisation may be called for.
At the end of the day the magazine seems to be underway, and we’ve had good day. I’ve a feeling we might manage a drink or two tonight!
Later that evening... 
Celebrations at a local nightspot for John Hillier, who is celebrating this as his 50th Chelsea Flower Show. Two of John's sons, Andrew and James, joined in the celebrations - will they match 50 Chelseas, we'll wait and see...
16th May 2008 - A Star Class Exhibit
With two days to go we are well on target. Another four lorry loads of plants seem to have disappeared during the day; some into our exhibit, and others in the show. Because of the amount of stock we have on site we seem to become the “Cash and Carry” of the show where other exhibitors come to find plants to supplement their stock. Quite a few parts of the exhibit are really starting to look finished, but we have to remember that 20 trollies of key plant material are still due to arrive in the morning. Eye catching colour combinations are a feature of the Hillier exhibit and Sue is one of the masters of creation. She also puts together the accessories, pots and paraphernalia that personalise out plot. Some gorgeous black glazed pots make a striking contrast to the reds of oleander and scented pinks on the Marina terrace. The furniture arrives in the morning.
The BBC are very keen on Monkey Puzzles this year. I know they have had a camera crew in Chile filming them in the wild, so they should be pleased to see a fine young specimen on the corner of our exhibit. I have always thought it is one of the least desirable garden plants ever introduced and I haven’t warmed to it during the process of staging – This is one bit of Chelsea I will not want to take home. Liz said that Alan is going to be filmed holding the plant – I can’t see him holding onto this one. It took three of us to lift it into place.
Outside the beach huts Pip and I are relieved to see Star of Britain. The colour is brighter and bolder than we imagined: it really is a fabulous rose. A bright crimson floribunda it is named in honour of Skandia Team GBR sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, who compete in the Star Class.
Emma and Stuart are making good progress with the planting around the “medals”. I want the style of planting to be very different this year so we all have to keep reminding ourselves to plant in larger drifts or waves of one variety, and to use coastal plants in the designated areas of the garden. I also have my mind on photography and filming. We need to photograph the key areas for Chelsea Live magazine tomorrow and the weather forecast is lousy. The earlier we can take the pictures the better the light will be, hopefully!
15th May 2008 - Lilacs and champagne
It was pouring with rain as we drove up the motorway; thank goodness we are inside the Pavilion. The team were all on site when we arrived apart from Chris. Unfortunately the mini bus was clamped last night and he was awaiting release: a minor setback and an annoyance soon rectified. Three lorries of stock were quickly unloaded, and with more manpower soon moved into place.
At the end of the day we have less plant material around the edges of the exhibit than I can ever remember. We have taken bold decisions to send back anything we do not believe we are going to use. Many of the Acers that have made the brief trip to London return without starring in the exhibit. There is nothing wrong with them and many would be proud to show them: we simply have not got the room, or the right place, and we are do not wish to spoil the effect by cramming in the material. Rick is understandably proud of his lilacs and is determined to use them. He keeps whetting our appetite with the promise of plants to come. 
Despite the cooler weather watering is still essential and the in the last two hours some of the team turn their attention to can and hose. Neil and Nigel concentrate on removing any of the sharp edges from the glass insert in preparation for a final coat of resin. Nigel has discovered the Chelsea swap Shop: a place in the grounds where you can leave unused materials or help yourself. We find some excellent stone to create a stylish edge to the Sail Pool and a maxi bag of sand to use as a base for the grasses. A further foray sees Nigel and Neil return with a superb piece of drilled stone to use as a water feature in the other pool. It looks rather like a half sucked Everton mint in the wheelbarrow but in place it is really quite stunning. They are understandably very pleased with the result and ask for their next challenge. I’ll have to think about that one!
In the meantime I change my shoes in one of the beachhuts, change my shirt and head for a taxi with Rachel and Andy to the Chelsea launch party at The Bluebird on Kings Road. It takes ages to leave the showground as we catch up with fellow exhibitors that we have all got to know over the years. More acquaintances are made and renewed over a few glasses of champagne during the next two hours – I’ll regret this in the morning!
14th May 2008 - More help arrives
Progress today seems to have been a bit slow. Three lorry loads of plants to unload took up quite a lot
of manpower and there is still a lot of work to do on the painting and edging. Stu and Alan have spent all day cutting and fitting the wooden sleepers; Wayne has been painting, Angela watering. I always feel guilty when people come up to Chelsea with a vision of arranging plants and spend their time on building work.Our main hold up today has been the glass insert in the paving. The cool night and morning made the resin more viscous, and impossible to lay in the same way as we did last night. We decided to lay it more thinly and cover it with another layer of clear resin. The effect is not as good but it will be more safe and secure. We need quite a bit more resin – another headache for Brian from organicstone I am afraid.
I have concentrated on getting the trees in place, and some of the big shrubs that are impossible to manoeuvre into position later. Some of them are real beasts and take 3 men to lift them with difficulty. I told the big bony pittosporums that this is their last Chelsea; my threats did not make them any more cooperative. The ac
ers are particularly large and magnificent this year and I am concerned whether we have enough space for them. At the moment I am trying to maintain the coastal theme in the centre of the exhibit, so this limits the space for more woodland subjects. I may have to give way on this and use more poetic licence tomorrow.
Just before I left the showground I dropped one or two Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ into place alongside the sail. I want this to rise out of the waves and this plant is ideal, perhaps with phormiums. The young eucalyptus are standing in the wings, they look wonderfully silver-blue and frothy. I am also surprised how good the oleanders look. These are becoming more popular in British gardens with out milder winters and mostly hotter summers. The reddish-pink ones look fab. Alongside the beach huts and I can see the pure white ones in those shiny black pots. Lots of planting on the agenda for tomorrow and reinforcements of both plants and people are on their way.
13th May 2008 - Chelsea Tuesday
Another hot and sunny day. The rest of our trees arrived on site this morning, a little later than expected due to the traffic and congestion in the showground. Normally I would be keen to get these into place as soon as possible, but I do not want to get in the way of the construction team who have now reached the rather fiddly stage in the Chelsea building process.
After lunch Neil and Nigel started to lay the blue glass and resin through the central channel in the main pathway. When mixed it is rather like a crystalline tarmac and sets very quickly. The first mix proves to be rather too stiff and the finished result a little uneven. We are all concerned that the glass is as even and flat as possible to avoid any broken fragments that could have sharp edges.
I have spent most of the day outside on the Harrison Garden helping with the planting. Although it is lovely to be out in the sunshine the dust from the road and the plane trees makes it quite uncomfortable as the day wears on. Although the show gardens are big the space becomes very crowded with so many different people involved and it is quite hard to make progress. 
The occasional trip indoors during the day makes me realise how lucky we are to be in the pavilion: It is cooler, more airy and less dusty. Space may be limited indoors as more exhibitors come into the pavilion but it is just as tight 
outside and the plants have to survive the wind, sun and dust.
The tamarisks on our exhibit were only just coming into flower when we picked them; now they are at the show I really wonder if they will last. The warm weather makes things bloom so quickly.
Tomorrow morning the first members of the plant staging team will arrive on site. I have decided to travel up with them from Hampshire. It means another early start but at least we can talk en route. Neil has already decided what everyone is doing tomorrow. We have at least three lorry loads of plants arriving and I want to get as many of the trees and large shrubs in place as I can. This will clear the way for three intensive days of staging through Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
12th May 2008 - cooking on gas
The team have been “cooking on gas” this weekend and made excellent progress. First thing this morning the lads from Forest were on site to erect the beach huts and construct the deck. Shortly afterwards the mast rose up alongside the monument. What a relief! ………..it fits.
Neil sent me a picture mid morning – I think it will look great once its surrounded by the planting. The conical umbrella is in place over the terrace, the fabric panel screens are fitted and the store is built. The pathway is nearing completion and by tomorrow morning we will be filling the channel with the stream of crushed glass and resin.
Raising the Sail....
10th May 2008 - remembering everythin
g
For me, the most challenging aspect of Chelsea is remembering what we have promised to do for everyone else. Hillier Nurseries are involved in the supply of trees, shrubs and perennials to at least ten other show gardens and floral exhibits. As with our exhibit there are lots of last minute additions and changes, and at the end of last week it seemed as if half the nursery was being lifted and despatched to Chelsea.
Many made the trip to Hampshire to look at the stock they had picked, and on every trip to Broadmead tree nursery I bumped into fellow exhibitors. We have all been taken by surprise by the weather, and the rapid effect that it has had on foliage and flowers. In some cases this presents opportunities to use 
plants that two weeks ago I would never have dreamed would make it. In other cases it means a change of plan, discounting the use of a key plant that could have been a starting point in the design process.
For those of us that have been doing Chelsea for a number of years, changing your plans at the last minute is just part of the build up to the show. For those exhibiting for the first or second time the prospect can be quite daunting. I suppose initially all of us believe that each detail is essential for the design to satisfy our imagination. After a few years you realise that no one else saw
the imaginary picture that you did, and it is the overall effect that matters, not the individual detail.
In real gardens details change all the time: plants never follow the rulebook. They grow bigger or smaller than you imagine, their flowering time varies with the season and sometimes they die and have to be replaced. Chelsea gardens that try and stick to the original plan often fail because they forget that plants are living things and haven't read the rulebook.
9th May 2008 - on the train
Well, the day has finally arrived. I'm heading for London for our first day on site. Although the outside gardens are already well under way, this is the first day that we can start work in the Pavilion. The construction team: Neil, Nigel, Pete and Steve are already on site and unloading the Hillier lorry carrying our equipment and some of the construction materials. Also waiting to be unloaded Organicstone, as reliable as ever, have arrived with the paving, the terrace and my crystal encrusted medals; I can't wait to see those. Brian, who masterminded the pathway rang to say that they had washed every grain of the crushed blue glass (Bombay Sapphire bottles) to ensure that this bonds well with the clear resin we will use to fill the central channel of the pathway.
Today I need to clarify construction details with the team so that they can get on with it over the weekend: we aim to have the hard landscaping complete by Tuesday afternoon, ready for the arrival of the plants. The largest trees, chosen yesterday, will be loaded today to arrive on site tomorrow morning. Those in containers larger than 200 litres need to be built into the exhibit, to avoid damage to paving and structures later.
Finalising the tree selection yesterday took longer than I had imagined. It was warm, breezy and we were flagging as much as the trees. The Quercus ilex we chose last October looked terrible and they certainly will not be going to the show. The Betula jacquemontii in 80 litre pots looked light and thin compared to trees we have selected for other exhibits so we reduced the number and chose some larger Betula papyrifera ‘Kenaica’. The worst thing about choosing on a nursery full of big trees is that everything starts to look small after a while: I know it will be a different story when we come to position them.
The cooler morning lulls us all into a false sense of security. The weather forecast predicts an even hotter sunnier day tomorrow so Ricky will have his work cut out keeping everything watered and the cold store will be stretched. Yesterday there were obviously problems with the refrigeration unit, which no one mentioned: I am very grateful for that!
8th May 2008 - Preparations at Broadmead
7th May 2008 - team briefing
This afternoon, i briefed the team who will start the build up on-site on Monday at the RHS Hospital Grounds. Watch this space for day by day progress reports and photos.
3rd May 2008 - thoughts at 3am
By the time we reach the beginning of May 3am is a familiar site on the bedroom clock, as I wake to remember another detail I haven’t finalised. This morning was no exception, particularly as still more cool, showery weather is forecast. Ricky’s call yesterday has worried me, especially about the roses: what a great year to choose to shout about red floribundas and silver foliage plants that enjoy dry, sunny situations.
My visit to the nursery was more reassuring – Ricky is in positive mode and says that the foliage has never looked finer, particularly on the acers; they love this cool moist weather. Down in the glasshouse the grasses look OK, maybe the gold ones look a little tarnished; I hope that’s not a bad omen. However my attention was grabbed by the various eucalypts, particularly Eucalyptus perriniana, “The Spinning Gum’. The leaves like silver discs threaded onto the fine branches are quite unlike anything else amongst the show stars and I am captivated. I always fall in love with a plant during Chelsea; perhaps this one is this year’s infatuation?
Up in the poly tunnels Lavandula ‘Papillon’ looks divine alongside Convolvulus cneorum with its silky silver leaves and shining white flowers; I have my blue and white but what about the red? Actually the roses look better than I expected. They have been this behind before and made it so let’s keep our fingers crossed. The callistemons are starting to open and their bottlebrush blooms will certainly deliver sufficient scarlet even if the red roses are thin on the ground. Having spent Wednesday evening selling callistemons on QVC I feel a certain affinity with this plant, I’m even tempted to plant one in my own garden – I’ll see how I feel after the show.
Despite the usual trials and tribulations I feel more enthusiastic about Chelsea this week. The sun was shining as I left Skandia House yesterday and I had been talking Chelsea – that always gives me confidence. I had been to talk to the staff of Skandia, our sponsors, about the Chelsea project: Sail for Gold in association with Skandia Team GBR, the British Sailing Team. For me the objective is to spread our Chelsea message and to encourage an interest in following our progress at the show.
I am always encouraged by the level of interest in Chelsea wherever I go. Talking about what we are doing crystallises my thoughts and often brings new ideas. It is also an added incentive for me to put my money where my mouth is and come up with the goods.
Being associated with the winning sailing team, with their sights set on Olympic Gold, puts on the pressure to do the best we possibly can. This theme is exciting, it is different, and, believe me, it’s a real challenge.
The Origins of a Garden
Hillier’s ‘Sail for Gold’ Garden at Chelsea 2008
Hillier often work with partners from outside the horticultural world, especially at Chelsea Flower Show. The synergy that results from the association of successful organisations from different worlds has a unique effect on their outlook and how they are perceived externally. Hillier and Skandia are two Hampshire based companies aiming at a similar market, and both consider themselves to be the best in their field: so this resulted in our initial discussions about the possibility of working together at Chelsea Flower Show.
Mention Skandia in Hampshire and Skandia Cowes Week spring to mind: the financial planning company have long been associated with this prestigious event. However, the association of Skandia with the sailing world goes much further than the Isle of Wight. Skandia are Gold sponsors of Skandia team GBR, the British sailing team, currently in training with the Olympics in mind. To gain a better insight into this highly competitive world and seeking creative ideas for a possible partnership project, I found myself in Cascais, Portugal with Skandia Team GBR during the World Championships in July 2007.
I know nothing about sailing but have always had an affiliation with the water. I love the sea, the vastness of it, the movement and the sounds of the waves, the wind and the cacophony that comes with tethered boats in any harbour or marina. I love the colours of the water, sky, sails and the changing light that creates that all-surrounding powerful picture that is a seascape.
I have always admired the industrious determination of sailors as they drag their boats from the hard to the waters edge and the skill and grace that follow as the wind fills the sails and the craft glide, seemingly effortlessly across the water.
My sporadic attempts at sailing have proved that it is not as easy as it looks. This is a sport that takes determination, agility, strength, skill and practice. I have always convinced myself that if I lived by the sea, had a boat, a dedicated coach and plenty of time I could do it. One day, perhaps…….
Cascais, Portugal – July 2007
Arriving at the Marina de Cascais on a clear blue morning for the daily team briefing I felt rather like a fish out of water. No point pretending that I knew anything about sailing; it was quite clear that all those milling around me had a job to do and would find it quite ridiculous that a gardener was in their midst with not a plant in sight. The sunshine and strong breeze seemed like quite good news to me but too much wind had clearly been a problem the day before, and sailing had been disrupted. To me, as an outsider, this seemed rather strange: surely wind was the main requirement?
The daily briefing was clearly a time to discuss sailing conditions, tactics, progress on previous days, and the objectives of the hours ahead. I had always thought of sailing as a sport for individuals, or perhaps groups of two or three people. Not so. It was immediately evident that this was a vast team effort with the clear objective of winning. All involved were focused on delivering the best individual performance to contribute to the success of the whole. Now this suddenly seemed rather more familiar: just like the Hillier Chelsea team - another successful group of individuals out to win. In fact, both Skandia team GBR and the Hillier Chelsea team are gold medal winners and the most successful teams in their field.
I soon found out from talking to other bystanders that I was not alone in my ignorance of the world of sailing. Sailing is the sport that The Brits excel in; we win more Olympic medals for sailing than anything else. However, sailing never seems to get the profile that other sports enjoy and this seems surprising the more one thinks about it. Sailing is exciting, fast, dynamic and inspiring to watch. It embraces the association of man and the natural environment. Sailing employs the elements but emphasises man’s vulnerability.
I spent the morning in Cascais watching the preparations, the grooming of sails and boats, the attention to detail and co-ordination of operations of individuals and teams. Midday saw the steady departure of boats onto the water: inviting, shining blue and rippling enticingly into the distance. After a relaxing lunch in Cascais (clearly an activity for free-loader observers like me, rather than competing sailors), we boarded a rib to go out to sea and watch the action. My visions of a leisurely ride around the bay, soaking up the sun and perhaps sipping a glass of Champagne soon disappeared.
As we left the marina the swell became greater and the rib took off at speed piloted by our local friend Andre, who clearly spent a lot more time on the water than I did. His disregard for the waves as the rib dived from one peak to another trough found my grip tightening onto any available rope. The soft rubber side of the rib suddenly seemed a lot more rock-like through my swim shorts: little did I know how much harder this would feel after the following three hours.
It was a lot further out to the sailing than I had imagined but white specks on the horizon soon became towering sails, moving and circling around the boats that would start the race. I could not imagine how these vessels, all seemingly circulating in different directions would ever line up to cross the starting line.
The Race is On……….
Fortunately, we had two sailing stars on board: Ian Percy and Andrew Simpson. These two were clearly quite at home out here – standing up in the rib, oblivious to the waves which repeatedly drenched those of us sitting and clinging onto the sides. Ian and Bart sail in the Star class (star is a different type of boat – with a crew of two chunky sailors), and had competed and won a medal the previous day. They patiently explained what was happening, at the same time shouting encouragement and advice to fellow team members. As a certain flag was hoisted on the starting boat, all the boats somehow slipped magically into place and crossed the starting line heading off in the same direction. Out of chaos came order: not unlike the seemingly miraculous way that the disarray of 3,000 plants suddenly emerges as a complete garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.
As the sails headed towards the far end of the course, we followed to see them make their way through the gate and round the marker, quite how I’ll never know. Discussion ensued as to the influence of the wind: was it a bit flukey or a bit shifty? What about the current? Whatever, it was evident that all the competitors were totally focused on the matter in hand: to cover the course as quickly and as skilfully as possible and in the least time: in other words to win the race.
Cascais left me inspired but puzzled as to how I could interpret the world of sailing and Skandia team GBR in a Chelsea garden. However I was certain that ‘Sail for Gold’ should be the inspiration for Chelsea 2008 and the focus for Skandia and Hillier’s collaboration.
From Cascais to Weymouth……….
In September, I caught up with the team again at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth. After the warm sunshine of Cascais I was naturally apprehensive about a day on the water in England in autumn. However the weather always surprises: a much calmer sea but stronger winds – so strong in the afternoon that racing was postponed allowing many of the competitors to get out the windsurfers and kite surfers and have some fun. Again the spirit of the team and the focus on competition were an inspiration. Sails, wind, sun and sea worked their magic to create an ever moving and changing picture, and the light was much softer and mellower than Portugal two months earlier. But still not a single plant in sight!
The great advantage of designing a garden inspired by a world outside horticulture is that there is nothing to copy: this was a blank canvas. Salt-washed timber, stone, glass and water were already in my mind. Silver and blue foliage, grasses and coastal plants would certainly have a presence in textural planting perhaps in drifts and waves. The red, white and blue team colours, though patriotic are not the easiest to use in a garden but they had to have a presence: I decided on red floribunda roses, blue ceanothus and perhaps frothy white spiraeas: this could be fun and eye catching as a focal point. One thing was certain I needed a sail: perhaps a boat, perhaps a sail for shade or perhaps a sculpture: I decided to phone a friend that likes a challenge…………
October 2007
Click the links below for more information on Chelsea 2008
Click the links below for more information on Chelsea 2008
