Chat Ed : Hello folks and welcome to this afternoon's webchat with Chris Beardshaw and Anne-Marie Powell from 'The Great Garden Challenge' - the daily gardening show live from Blenheim Palace.
Chris Beardshaw : Hello everyone, we've just come off air and we are enjoying the sunshine, for once, here at Blenheim.
Cynds : Hello Chris
Angelene : *waves*
Anne-Marie Powell : The show was really good fun today, did you guys like it?
Cynds : *throws rose petals at Anne- Marie
fionajones : Hello Chris and Anne Marie, yes, enjoyed as usual
Chat Ed : Emailed Question from EricT - All of the gardens seem to finish despite the time constraints- do they ever get any help from the production team?
Chris Beardshaw : No they don't. They are given a very strict time frame within which they have to finish. Some of them don't get as much done as they would have wanted. But most do, as a result of long hours, and a lot of hard work, manage to pull it off. That's also largely as a result of the extraordinary amount of preparation they do.
Helen : Chris, After filming finishes in July, what will you be doing next and what will happen to all the gardens at Blenheim?
Chris Beardshaw : Firstly I shall be collapsing in a very big heap after not only spending everyday here at Blenheim but also building a show garden at Chelsea Flower Show. The gardens here are likely to stay until July then they are all going on to good homes after that.
fionajones : I would like to know, what is the difference, in real terms, between a landscape architect and a garden designer and which do you think is best for the gardens?
Chris Beardshaw : I'm a landscape architect and a garden designer and a gardener. It simply comes down to the qualifications that you hold. As a general rule landscape architects deal with more conceptual matters and larger areas, whereas garden designers tend to deal with smaller, more intimate spaces. To be honest, both are well equipped to design gardens.
Chat Ed : Emailed Question from Annie-Marie W - I came along yesterday to look at the gardens and support my friends who were competing. I had an absolutely brilliant time, thank you, (even though they lost!) and was amazed at the amount of work which has gone in to create such fantastic spaces and a great show. In my excitement I forgot to ask a 'plant doctor' question, I have a large honeysuckle, on an east facing wooden fence, which gets infested with greenfly about now, when it is flowering. It seems to get worse each year as I have hundreds of birds in the garden and therefore don't spray in case they get poisoned. The plant is quite big and I do cut it back every year. I tried putting bird food nearby to show them a feast awaited them, to no avail. Is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of greenfly, but keep the birds?
Chris Beardshaw : Yes the best way of dealing with the numbers of greenfly you have is to spray the plant as soon as the bugs break in spring and then every 10-14 days throughout the spring and summer with garlic emulsion. It's a completely natural pesticide that doesn't harm the plants, the birds or the beneficial insects. The only thing it discourages are the aphids. It's readily available from garden centres and if you can't get it the Henry Doubleday Research Association will be able to help you.
Chat Ed : Emailed Question from Claire - What has been your favourite garden of the series so far? Emailed Question from Harmon - What's been your least favourite garden?
Anne-Marie Powell : There have been lots of favourites. I really like the more modern gardens with inventive use of hard landscaping materials and plants. I loved the Affinity garden, which actually lost! I hope I don't have the kiss of death for our competitors.
Chris Beardshaw : For plantsmanship I liked the Kingfisher Dell, but for showmanship, the same for me, the Affinity.
Anne-Marie Powell : So, why did it lose?!
Lynn De Santis : Have a couple of large trachycarpus which are looking rather sad and yellow. Do they need feeding and if so what?
Anne-Marie Powell : Are they getting enough water and sunshine and is it well-drained soil? They also like a bit of shelter from frosty winds. A good plant though :)
Alex : I am trying to grow anthriscus 'Ravenswing' and native cow parsley, I sowed seed in early march but it has not germinated, any ideas as to why? also will 'Ravenswing' come true from seed?
Chris Beardshaw : The native cow parsley is a biennial and therefore sow the seeds as soon as they are ripe, into a light, open, fertile compost and they'll take two years to flower. Ravenswing doesn't tend to come true from seed, it has a tendency to become increasingly green as the population progresses.
Karen : How are you both holding up under the demanding pressure of presenting a live show? Chris where is your favourite dive site?
Chris Beardshaw : We're both holding up pretty well. It's fairly straightforward really, but we both love it. As far as favourite dive sites are concerned I've dived in the most exotic regions in the world and I have to say the most stunning dive I have ever had was off Eddistone Lighthouse when the sea was flat calm, the cup corals were glistening on the rock face and we were joined by a pod of dolphins.
Quasi : gardening is a bit of a sissy thing, but why are men better at gardening than women are?
Debbie : who says they are!
Dalek : Get lost quasi, women are just as good if not better than men
Anne-Marie Powell laughs
Chris Beardshaw : I think that gardening is something that can be as masculine or feminine as you wish to make it.
Dalek : women have more flair
Cynds : flex for us chris
fionajones : Chris, that is a very 'fair' answer! ;-)
Chris Beardshaw : There are some gardens that are fantastically masculine and other gardens which are beautifully feminine and it's up to you to decide which style you want to go for, so it’s slightly naive to dismiss all gardening as being a bit sissy.
HumberWitch : How's 'Chelsea' coming along, Chris?
Chris Beardshaw : We're doing OK, it's always a real struggle to get a Chelsea garden off the ground, especially when we have only had three months to pull it all together. And I think the success of any garden, especially a show garden, is down to how you deal with the various crisis points that you have along the way.
Anne-Marie Powell : He seems remarkably cool and collected and calm....
ruckshana : can i ask a question regarding my wisteria- it hasn't flowered for 8-10 yrs- how can i make it flower, what’s wrong?
Chris Beardshaw : Try stopping feeding it, as too much fertiliser will encourage it to produce leaves, rather than flowers. Also, prune it hard in February to about five buds from the start of that year's growth, then prune lightly just after mid-summer.
The garden fan : I saw the programme and following it. I would like to know if I can visit the venue and if so when and at what price?
Chris Beardshaw : Yeah, by all means, we'd love to have people coming along. They are open all the time that we're on air and the best thing to do is to check the website for details.
dianafellingham : Exactly what do the judges look for in the garden competition, is it the 'overall' finished look, the structure or the plants themselves?
Anne-Marie Powell : We have very strict judging criteria on subjects such as design, plantsmanship, practicality and finish. Then we judge also on visual impact. We usually have fights about it, which I win! (Not really.)
moon : i want to know how to look after my strawberries
Cynds : My wife is having problems with her strawberry plants, each year they are producing less and less crop, is this suppose to happen?
Anne-Marie Powell : Strawberries only have a certain amount of shelf life, Chris used to grow them commercially and would throw them away after four years. It's best to use the runners that the strawberries so enthusiastically produce, as main cropping plants when the parents start to look a little tired.
phil : hi chris im just about to finish university and the only job i could possibly be happy doing was gardening. Ive been doing it for a number of years now, but only at a basic landscape gardening level, for family friends, etc, and as a groundsman over a few summers at a school with large grounds. i was wondering what the best way to get into it professionally would be, for example, an apprenticeship
Chris Beardshaw : The National Trust offer a fully-fledged apprenticeship scheme, so you could talk to them or you could go via one of the botanic gardens. I also know a lot of my ex-students just started by working in local gardens and landscapes and with a bit of hard work and enthusiasm it's amazing how your client list can grow. Don't be put off, there's a real shortage of genuinely talented gardeners in this country.
a : We live in a very modern house , with a small city garden south facing, measuring 4.6m x 6.9m. Obviously, its very small and we want make the most of the space. Any ideas? We kind of like the idea of digging down somewhat to create more space, but don't know how far to dig down and potential how many levels to go down. Any help/ideas appreciated. Many Thanks.
Chris Beardshaw : We've got 120 show gardens here that are all five metres by five metres, come along and have a look to see what tickles your fancy then you can try it in your own garden.
Chat Ed : Emailed Question from pete - I really want to bring friends and family to see the gardens at Blenheim... when will the show being on until?
Chris Beardshaw : We finish during the first week of July, but check the website for details. It's also a good day's visit too because there is also the entire Blenheim estate at your disposal.
fionajones : Chris, you always appear calm, even on the outtake shown the other week! Is this generally how you manage a full-time job, a Chelsea garden and guest appearances? Do you ever become riled at anything?
Karen : Can I just say I think Chris is wonderful and has managed to get me interested in gardening where my parents failed! Used to watch his progs because of him but now like gardening, thanks - I think!
Chris Beardshaw : Yeah people that waste time! I hate that and find it really frustrating. I like being busy - I've worked ever since I was 11 and I've worked seven days a week pretty much since then. But the great thing about gardening being your work is that it doesn't really feel like work.
Chat Ed : Our time with Chris and Anne-Marie is almost up, so last questions now...
ali : Can U explain how the competition works - quarterfinals are next, but how did it get down to 8 winners. What is the overall prize? How many gardens will the winners have to have designed?
Anne-Marie Powell : The quarter finals go to semi-finals and then to finals... there were 32 teams in the quarter finals, so then 16 in the semis and then 8 in the final. The winners will have designed four gardens for us and the prize is great! It's a horticultural trip to South Africa and a year's writing contract with a national gardening magazine.
dianafellingham : Many thanks indeed for a superb show. I live in France and am glued to it daily. We are lucky to have 1.5 acres of garden so it’s really giving us some wonderful ideas.
Cynds : You teach chris?
Anne-Marie Powell : Yes he does, he teaches us how to be calm everyday!
Chris Beardshaw : Yes I do teach. I teach at Gloucestershire University and I spent fours years lecturing at Pershore College of Horticulture and I still do lectures around the country. If you want to know if there is one in your neighbourhood then check out my website www.chrisbeardshaw.com
Cynds : I shall keep my eye out for you then Chris
Chris Beardshaw : Thanks very much for watching the programme, we hope that you enjoy it and we hope to see you all up at Blenheim.
Anne-Marie Powell leaves the room
Chris Beardshaw leaves the room
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