The Welney Website

The Making of a Chelsea Garden

Giles Landscapes entry at the Chelsea Flower Show, 2005

You can see much more about the Company's various show gardens on their own special Chelsea Website including designer Stephen Hall's blog.

To learn about their huge commercial landscaping contracts and other activities go to their main website

A major feature of the 2005 garden was a Cedar Cabin, seen here under construction in Giles Landscapes workshop shed at their Welney premises.

Its a big, big shed, but so was the cabin!

I was later invited to play a small part in transforming a small grassy slope on the edge of the Chelsea showground into an award winning garden - by transporting the cabin from Welney to Chelsea.

Saturday 7th May 2005

The cabin had to be dismantled for its journey to Chelsea in my 7.5 tonne truck. Some of it was palletised and loaded by fork truck (as on right) but a good deal was manually loaded (as below).

A break in loading gave Adam Giles (son of Roger Giles the company founder and an independent producer of media programmes) a chance to snap Steve Kerr the carpenter who built the cabin.

Adam also designed Giles Landscapes special Chelsea website.

7th May 2005

The cabin fully loaded and secured for its journey to Chelsea.

Cedar is quite soft and marks easily so it was important that it was well protected including protection from chaffing by the straps securing the load.

To avoid the traffic problem in London, I left Welney at 4.30 am.

Even though I had to queue to enter the grounds and then deal with the security checks, I was still on site well before 7am.

The scene on arrival on site at Chelsea.

The bags contain rocks which the Giles crew will have to unload and place exactly where designer Stephen Hall (in yellow waistcoat) has planned.

The crew had already been working on the garden for some days doing the ground works. It's hard work and long hours.

16th May 2005

My second visit to Chelsea was with the meadow-grass turf, plants and various other bits and pieces.

The trays of turf were on mobile frames which are devilishly difficult to prevent from moving in transit, but it did mean that they could be wheeled onto my truck's huge tail-lift for swift unloading. The show organisers do not allow exhibitor's delivery vehicles to stay any longer than absolutely necessary.

16th May 2005

The pool has been constructed, the cabin is almost ready for its seedum insulated roof and the rocks and some of the plants are in situ.

But still a lot to do.

Left, the root arch

Right, the pond plants awaiting final positioning in the pond.

 

For more photos, a plan of the garden, plant details, and the award received see Giles Landscapes special Chelsea Website

All text and photos on this page are copyright © Peter Cox, 2008