GROWING FOR GOLD

From first-timers to multiple medal winners, we talk to five of the nurseries exhibiting in Chelsea's Great Pavilion this year to find out more about the plans and preparations they are making to ensure a winning display

SHOW GARDEN PROFILES

We talk to the designers behind a selection of this year's show gardens about what has influenced and inspired their choices

In at the deep end

A new nursery that specialises in water plants is facing one of its biggest and most exciting challenges this year exhibiting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the first time

Granular detail

In work that explores texture and variation, wood artist Darren Appiagyei showcases the natural beauty of his raw materials warts and all

Fleeting beauties

Cherry blossom is a cultural icon in Japan, and a school teacher there has made it his lifelong mission to ensure the longevity of the Japanese cherry tree by raising a series of remarkable hybrids

MANOJ MALDE

The garden designer, show judge, RHS ambassador and television presenter on changing careers, making a splash with colour, and promoting inclusivity and diversity within the gardening community

Stone gold

With deceptively simple design and a masterful use of rock, Peter Berg has crafted a polished family garden froma steeply sloping site

The new bedding

Talk of bedding can conjure images of gaudily coloured, over-fertilised blooms, but many annuals, biennials and even tender houseplants can help fill gaps and offer a sensational summer garden peak. Here, three experts recommend their favourites

Rich tapestry

In west London, Butter Wakefield has created a timeless and immersive garden that's inviting to people and pollinators alike

DISPORUM

These delicate woodlanders with fairy-bell flowers make the perfect companions to hostas and ferns, and are relatively easy-going provided you offer them a moist and shady spot

True to form

The sympathetic renovation of a historic garden in Cornwall takes inspiration from one of its most famous sons, the naturalist John Davies Enys

TRUE COLOURS

Do gardens need a carefully considered colour scheme, or are they better when a mix of spontaneous, clashing colours come to the fore? Alice Vincent is undecided

Sow where they grow

Sowing seeds where they are to grow is an easy, bother-free way to bring colour to your garden. Here, three experts recommend their favourite flowers for growing direct

Flow of ideas

A creative meeting of minds has produced a dramatic spring garden of contrasts, with water at its heart

Natural selection

At Twelve Nunns Nursery in Lincolnshire, it has taken 20 years for three new erythroniums to be offered for sale

Grass roots

Bio-designer Zena Holloway goes back to basics with her organic sculptures, fashioned from wheatgrass grown at home

Colour magic

In his garden in the Irish village of Kiltegan artist TJ Maher paints with plants, which in mid to late spring means tulips galore

GEMMA JEROME

The director of Building with Nature on the need to put nature at the heart of development, and why we may have to rethink our desire for our own private gardens

Room for a view

Stefano Marinaz has created year-round interest in this small urban garden, providing spaces to share with friends and with wildlife

RANUNCULUS

Ranunculus asiaticus has long been a popular florist's flower, but a number of new garden cultivars can now offer home growers spring colour for the garden and vase

Artistry of nature

Within the bucolic garden of his family farm, Emmanuel de Quillacq has created a contemporary space inspired by the local Flemish art

In The Kitchen

As the year draws to a close Jojo finds ways to preserve summer’s flavour through the raw months, and makes the most of a glut of grapes

Ahead Of The Curve

Crafted from the timber of 150-year-old oaks, Gaze Burvill’s furniture celebrates tradition, but it is made using cutting-edge technology

Potagers

When is a vegetable garden not a vegetable garden? When it’s a potager of course. But does the distinction come down to anything more than pretension or French good taste?

12 Of Helen And Vicky's Favourite Conifers

12 Of Helen And Vicky's Favourite Conifers

Nature's Widest Canvas

At their home in Vermont, Susan and Rick Richter have collaborated with master stone worker Dan Snow to create a stunning structured landscape

Juan Grimm

The renowned Chilean landscape architect on responding to topography, his passion for evergreens, and why herbaceous perennials are overrated

Rich Heritage

As Parham House in West Sussex prepares to plants out bulbs for next spring, head gardener Tom Brown looks back at one of his favourite tulip combinations

In The Garden

Jojo takes inspiration from a long-established kitchen garden as she considers how to train fruit in her narrow back garden

Sam Pagett

After gaining several years of gardening experience in the UK, Sam is extending his horticultural knowledge with a stint at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.