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, construction and planting. The planting is the most important and carries a possible 30 marks out of 100. In order for a garden to be awarded a Gold Medal it must earn 75 points or more.The next day the judges go round the gardens armed with the assessors

It's RHS Chelsea Flower Show this week: the biggest and most famous show in the world (although Gardeners' World Live at the NEC from 16-20 June 2010 runs pretty close of course!).The tickets sold out very early but for those of you lucky enough

Just in case you have been in a surgically induced coma or trekking up hidden valleys amongst deep jungle, I must remind you that this is Chelsea Flower Show week. Garden designers, nurserymen and builders have been beavering away in the grounds

in the world) then this is my lightning guide to 10 highlights of the show.1. The Conceptual Gardens. Unique to Hampton Court, these are gardens, usually designed by young designers, that explore ideas not usually found in conventional gardens. There is one

of them start selling flowers before March, although The Telegraph has published a list of companies offering both British and imported flowers by post.One day I hope to be able to give my Valentine a posy of cut flowers grown by me, in my garden

In 1985, Chris Baines created the first ever wildlife garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Apparently it caused quite a stir - wildflowers in those days were often dismissed as 'weeds' - and his medal was mistakenly inscribed "Chris Baines, for a

in the rain, so I get to see them, eat my lunch in the morning to avoid time-wasting lunch queues. There's no point in dressing up and trying to look pretty, it only ends in tears by about 11.30am. Sensible shoes and a sturdy rucksack are the only way to go

and beyond.This year is going to be particularly interesting for all the shows because the unseasonably hot weather has knocked everything out of kilter. For example, my friend Cleve West - who is building a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show for the Daily

. How difficult was that? Looks very hard but let me talk you through the process, step by step:1. Buy seeds2. Disturb ground.3. Sow Seeds3. Go back inside.4. Wait. (There is an option of pouring oneself a cool something at this point in the proceedings

What a spring we're having. Provisional Met Office reports suggest April was the warmest on record. It was also the 11th driest, based on average rainfall across the UK. Scotland's rainfall has been 110% above normal levels, while the South-East has