The Stephen Hawking Garden for MND - RHS Chelsea 2010 blog.
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The latest updates, news and photos will appear here: |
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| 27.May.2010 |
Here are a few pictures of celebs who visited the garden (courtesy of the MNDA)
Professor Stephen Hawking |
Ringo Starr & Barbara Bach |
Bill Oddie |
Rolf Harris |
David Bellamy |
Jonny Ball |
Rob Bryden |
The Team |
Paul Smith |
Jo Whiley |
Nick Knowles & Chris Beardshore |
Benedict Cumberbatch |
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26.May.2010 |
First day of the show open to the general public. Lots of really good comments about the garden.
Lots of leaflets given out and weather a bit cooler.
Garden featured on the BBC's Chelsea show.
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25.May.2010 |
So it's a bronze then.
The RHS feedback was that the quality and size of the plants was not quite up to Chelsea, but they understood that because we were a late entry we couldn't be expected to have got better specimens in the time allowed.
The feedback on the build and design was good though.
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| 24.May.2010 |
 Press Day. The garden was judged at 9.00am and then the press and celebrities toured the show.
Professor Stephen Hawking arrived later in the afternoon and was given a guided tour of the garden.
Her Majesty The Queen then arrived and showed great interest in the plants as she was shown around the garden.
Among the celebs who came onto the garden today were Rolf Harris, Bill Oddie, David Bellamy, Paul Smith, Helen Mirren, Johnny Ball, Imelda Staunton, Nick Knowles, Ringo Starr & Barbara Bach, and Rob Bryden.
The garden was also featured on the BBC's Chelsea Flower Show programme and on BBC's East Midlands news.
Picture: PAUL GROVER © Daily Telegraph
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| 23.May.10 |
 Whew! another scorcher.
Assessors came round first thing and inspected the garden. They will write an assessment to guide the RHS judges who will be round early tomorrow.
Cameras and tv crews were all over the garden today - it was difficult to get onto the garden to do some finishing off work.
"Black hole" water feature has been had its chrome centre painted black.
Tomorrow (Monday) the team have to be off the garden for 7.30am to allow the judges access. So it looks like a 6.30am start to do some last minute tweaks.
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22.May.10 |
Hottest day of the year!
Sue, Graham, Rob, Simon and Martin were joined today by Julian.
The garden is worked on from 7am until 10pm to ensure it will be completed for when the RHS assessors come at 9.00am tomorrow.
Swamp area is finished off. Planting nearly done. Everybody tired!
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21.May.10 |
Another really hot day. Simon Mott from Millscape Landscapes has arrived to help finish things. We have a fantastic replacement Gingko tree now.
The garden is starting to look really good. |
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20.May.10 |
Really hot and muggy day to be working, Everyone is very hot and tired. Water feature is in and working. Planting continues. Olivier Blackburn and Tracey Goodwin, both students from Nottingham Trent University, have been helping with the planting and have to go home tomorrow..
The garden is getting many favourable comments from passers by. |
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19.May.10 |
Tree ferns, olive, figs and monkey puzzle are all now in. Our specimen ginkgo has been caught by the frost so we need to source another. This is slightly holding up putting the bog garden in.
The garden is being photographed tomorrow for this Sunday's Telegraph lifestyle magazine. Sue was interviewed for this feature by Bunny Guinness who is doing a feature on things the general public can take home from Chelsea.
An interview with Sue has also appeared on the BBC's Chelsea website
Click here to view.
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18.May.10 |
Today the plants arrived and the planting started in earnest.
The large plants are now in (tree ferns etc).
A picture of the garden's drystone wall is on the RHS twitter - http://twitpic.com/1ojjqq |
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16.May.10 |
Quieter day today - perhaps the lull before the storm!
Alan has finished building the wall. He flies back to Shetland tomorrow (volcano allowing).
Most of the plants will start to arrive in the morning. |
14.May.10 |
The team take 5 minutes out for a cuppa and to pose for a photo.
Left to right: Martin, Graham, Rob, Alan, Sue, Bertie, Rob and Tom.
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13.May.10 |
The "black hole" water feature from David Harber has arrived. This will be installed in the next few days. Everything else is progressing well. The garden seems to be getting a fair bit of attention. The wall is looking fabulous!
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12.May.10 |
The wall is now nearly complete. The clock has been built into a recess in the wall.
The water fall has been tested and cascades gently through the clock. This will eventually fall into the "black hole" water feature that hopefully arrives tomorrow. The boundry walls have now all been painted black. This should create a fantastic foil for the foliage.
Icopal have delivered the moss matting. |
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11.May.10 |
The wall is now half built.
The water flow from the clock works and the staging to support the plants behind the wall is also half built (pictures to follow).
Martin is going on errands round the other gardens begging and borrowing items the team need (and finding some stuff in skips!)
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11.May.10 |
The Clock is "gently" fitted into place and Graham tests the water flow. |
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10.May.10 |
The build is going well.
Graham, Rob, Tom and Rob are continuing with the landscaping.
The stone has arrived and Alan Smiles, the drystone waller and his assistant Bertie have started building the wall.
Sue is painting the outside walls and Martin is working hard ferrying infill for the walls that he has found in some skips!
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8.May.10 |
The build begins for "the Stephen Hawking Garden for Motor Neurone Disease" at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010.
Graham and Rob start the build.
Doors open for lorries at 10am.
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5.May 10 |
The garden is now featured on the BBC RHS Chelsea website.
Click on the links opposite (opens in a new window)
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30.April.10 |
The custom made clock is collected from Smiths Derby and patinated ready for the show. |
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23.April.10 |
The BBC arrive to interview Sue for the BBC red button Chelsea 2010 coverage |
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22.April.10 |
The clock has been custom made by Smith of Derby.
It now just has to be aged and it will be ready for the show. |
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12.Mar.10 |
Ginkgo biloba one of the specimen feature trees in the garden. One of the oldest known living species to have survived since prehistoric times.
biloba because its leaves have two lobes.
Also known as the maidenhair tree. |
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12.Mar.10 |
Dave from Kelways standing by our fig trees -Ficus carica- These are to be put into the warm and forced in order to get their leaves out in time.
Fingers crossed. |
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12.Mar.10 |
Sue: 'Good they have some Wollemi nobilis. One of our key plants.
This is a plant that has recently been rediscovered after it was thought to be extinct. It has a beautiful shape to it.
I'll take 3! All different sizes please to give a more natural look as if they have self seeded themselves individually.
I hope these are big enough - but then if they have only just been rediscovered and grown from seed then they aren't going to be at full maturity yet.
Wow a plant that could have been munched on by dinosaurs! Just think of that.'
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12.Mar.10 |
Sue: 'I quite like the bendy tree ferns to add some interest to the garden.
They should give a more natural look.
They look a bit sad without their beautiful fronds.
The fleece in the top is to stop the wet getting into the crown of the plant and then freezing. The only part actually alive on the tree fern -Dicksonia antarctica is the top. This is where it gets its water and nutrients from.
It should be an interesting task for Graham and Simon to keep these upright in the ground as they will be so top heavy on one side.
Just a minor problem I'm sure but one to think about.' |
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12.Mar.10 |
Sue and Steve drive down to Taunton to Kelways nurseries, leaving at 6am and arriving just in time for a late breakfast at 11am. Then a long drive back.
After much ringing around Kelways were really helpful and agreed that they could add on some plants to their long list that they painstakingly grow on for the demanding designers of Chelsea.
Sue notes that all the Euphorbia mellifera have already been bagged by another designer!
Photo taken of Sue standing next to the Dicksonia antarctica -Tree fern- as a reminder of how high they are. These weigh a lot when transported and manoevered onto site. They have been dried out over winter but once the trunks are watered to get the fronds to sprout they soon put on weight. |
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| 2.Mar.10 |
Visit Seagrave nurseries in Leicestershire. They have offered to lend us plants for the show if we need them |
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5.Mar.10 |
Sue, Graham, Rob and Martin mark out the garden at a local nursery at Hathern. |
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14.Mar.10 |
Sue collects 'fossil' rocks from the National Stone Centre in Derbyshire. The rocks have been leant by stone carver Carole Kirsop. These have been carved by pupils from local educational establishments.
These may be built into the stone wall to give an impression of age. |
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19. Mar.10
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While down south Sue, Graham and Rob meet up with Alex Denman from the RHS to view the site RHW38. It looks just like a football pitch but at least its flat.
The drain and the monument in the distance are our only markers. The pavilion will be built behind our garden. |
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19. Mar.10 |
Stone is chosen for the dry stone wall to be built by Alan Smiles and Bertie.
The stone is a reclaimed york stone walling material. Sue hopes that the moss will still be attached when it arrives - we shall see. |
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19. Mar.10 |
Sue Graham and Rob drive down to London at 5.30am to visit the stone merchants in Chertsey Surrey. |
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25.Feb10 |
Sue visits Smith of Derby to talk about the possibility of them making the clock for the wall. They have an impressive portfolio including the clock at St Pancras station and the clock ion St Pauls cathedral.
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| 19.Feb.10 |
We are in! The news comes from the RHS that we have finally been acepted to show a garden at The Chelsea Flower Show on stand number Royal Hospital Way 38. Yikes! Now we have to go full speed ahead to catch up with those who got accepted in December 2009. |
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With a lot of hard work from Isabel Keen, a Sponsor- Brewin Dolphin Ltd - is found- the project is back on.
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| 20.Jan.10 |
Graham Fowlds from Soar Valley Services landscaping company calls Sue on her mobile to see if she is doing Chelsea this year on the offchance that they may be able to get involved in some small way. Little does he realise how big that small way will be. Sue snaps his hand off at the offer
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| 19.Jan.10 |
Sue recieves a call from Alex Denman, show supervisor at the RHS, that a space has become available at the show - the search is on for new sponsors. |
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| 1.Dec.09 |
The original date for entry to the 2010 RHS Chelsea flower show is missed as no sponsor has commited in time.
Everyone is dissappointed after having done so much work towards the garden so far but look forward to entering hopefully in 2011. |
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Date:22.10.09 |
Revised plans are sent to the RHS and initially approved.
Sue builds a model and takes the finished article down to London to be delivered to the RHS head office for the deadline. |
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