As the 88th RHS Chelsea Flower Show opens its doors for another year, Nicki Chapman and Andy Sturgeon lead the morning coverage of the show live from the Royal Hospital grounds. Here they look at the tricks and techniques employed by exhibitors with designs on a prestigious gold medal.

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Alan Titchmarsh

Nicki Chapman

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Preview Show

Alan Titchmarsh presents an exclusive preview of the 88th RHS Chelsea Flower Show, from the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. As the designers put their finishing touches to their displays, we get a first look at the show gardens and exhibits in the great pavilion. Also, a journey to Norway where gardening on the very edge of the Arctic Circle has provided the inspiration for one Chelsea designer.

Alan Titchmarsh and Joe Swift look at the front runners in the race for this year's medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Gardener and One Show presenter Christine Walkden is also at the show - taking her own trip down memory lane in the Great Pavilion, where she encounters the flowers that have influenced her career.

Alan Titchmarsh and Joe Swift launch coverage of the floral celebration from the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. There's an air of romance around 2010's proceedings, with many designers adding a touch of glamour to their show gardens. Joe meets the designer bringing the first multi-million pound garden to Chelsea, and there's a profile of acclaimed designer Roger Platts, returning to build his first garden in eight years.

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Nicki Chapman and Andy Sturgeon are out early to capture the excitement and heartache as the RHS judges award the much-coveted medals.

Day 2 Part 1

Alan Titchmarsh and Joe Swift host coverage of the floral celebration from the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. It's judgement day: after months of hard work in pursuit of horticultural perfection, the designers and exhibitors face the judges' critical eye. Also, the programme travels to Provence with a designer searching for authentic garden artefacts.

Day 2 Part 2

The power of plants is put under the microscope, as Andy Sturgeon and Nicki Chapman present more coverage from the Chelsea Flower Show. There's also a visit to the largest show garden ever built at Chelsea, designed to highlight all the uses plants can provide. And garden writer James Alexander Sinclair offers his own unique guide to growing fruit.

Day 3 Part 1

The top twenty plants of Chelsea 2010 are profiled, as writer and plant hunter Roy Lancaster joins Alan Titchmarsh and Joe Swift to explain why each plant was chosen. And Christine Walkden is back in the great Pavilion, celebrating the enduring appeal of the garden pink.

Day 3 Part 2

Alan Titchmarsh and Joe Swift take viewers around the floral world as part of Chelsea's celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity. There's an entertaining journey through plant species from northern coniferous zones to the tropical rainforests, including a visit to South Africa's famous Kirstenbosch botanic gardens to see the stunning proteas that have been grown for Chelsea. Alan chats to some of the UK's celebrity visitors pledging support to the International Year of Biodiversity.

Day 3 Part 3

Looking for all that's hip in horticulture, Nicki Chapman and Andy Sturgeon continue live coverage from the world's most prestigious flower show.

Day 4 Part 1

Alan Titchmarsh and Joe Swift examine the latest gardening trends to emerge from 2010's Chelsea Flower Show. Plus, book a reservation with Raymond Blanc as the secret ingredients behind the kitchen garden of this world-famous chef are revealed.

Day 4 Part 2

Nicki Chapman and Andy Sturgeon celebrate the people behind the scenes that make Chelsea one of the greatest flower shows in the horticultural world. There's a tribute to the young generation of gardeners and designers cutting their teeth at the show for the first time. And Andy talks to designers Jane Owen and Anne Marie Powell, who have chosen to highlight the plight of our tropical rain forests by building one in the Royal Hospital grounds - with help from a group of ladies from Cameroon.

Day 5 Part 1

Alan Titchmarsh and Joe Swift celebrate optimism in UK horticulture with a look at the Chelsea nurserymen celebrating new-found success. Actor John Challis - Boycie from Only Fools and Horses - joins Alan to talk about his gardening passions, from a love of rambling roses to the romantic influences he brings to his own garden design. Joe visits the city council which has created a stunning floral tribute to the life-saving air ambulance service that brings injured troops to hospital.

Day 5 Part 2

As the sun sets on another Chelsea Flower Show, Alan Titchmarsh and the team look back at the highlights of 2010's event. It's also the day of the 'big sell off', when members of the public can take home their very own piece of the show.

Day 6

As the gates of the Royal Hospital grounds close on another Chelsea Flower Show, Alan Titchmarsh and the team share their own special memories of the 2010 event with a look back at the golden moments that have defined the show.

Highlights

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London. Held at Chelsea since 1912, it is the most famous flower and landscape gardens show in the United Kingdom, and perhaps in the world. The show is attended by members of the British Royal Family and attracts visitors from all continents.

Highlights to the Chelsea Flower Show include the avant-garde show gardens designed by leading names with Floral Marquee at the centrepiece. The Show also features smaller gardens such as the Artisan and Urban Gardens.

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Seasons21

Season 5 Episodes15

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