Behind-the-scenes in the run-up to RHS Chelsea the usually tranquil Royal Hospital grounds in south-west London become a frenzied building site. There’s cranes and diggers rolling in, lorries turning up by the minute, delivering tons of hard landscaping materials as well as sculptures, trees and plants to transform the site into the world’s greatest flower show for one precious week of the year.

No garden designer can create a Chelsea show garden alone. Each one has a team of builders and gardeners all prepped to build a show garden from scratch in about three weeks.

From the initial sketches through to the last plant being teased in, a designer will know exactly what they want to achieve – and meet the judges’ criteria for the coveted gold medal.

This year’s M&G show garden designer Jo Thompson is a single mother-of-two with a faithful all-women planting team. Each of the women has specialist garden skills and takes an annual ‘horticultural holiday’ from their own business, despite it being the busiest time of the year.

They get on their hands and knees from dawn until dusk, getting their hands dirty in the Chelsea soil to create Jo’s vision. And they do it for love, knowing that’s Jo chance of grabbing gold rests with them.

It is not as if they all live round the corner; they fly in from across the globe for the privilege to work with the ‘one who has the eye’.

The M&G garden will be quintessentially British with a large natural bathing pool framed by masses of ‘soul-stirring’ planting and the team say they are thrilled to be working on the Main Avenue garden.

Jo is proud of her gifted team which has grown over the years as she has met, become friends and often mentored, these enthusiastic garden lovers.

She said: “I am so lucky to have such a fabulous team. They are so talented and they each bring an extraordinary skill; we have a special bond and that shows through in the planting. I love them to bits.”

Lesley Bellew meets Team Thompson who do it all for love

Katrina Christison is usually up at the crack of dawn every day watering 200 hanging baskets in Main Street, Otorohanga, New Zealand. This is just one of 100 regular garden maintenance contracts her company looks after and yet she drops everything to spend 10 days at Chelsea.

She said: “I still pinch myself, it’s like a dream coming to Chelsea and working on a show garden alongside fantastic landscape designers.

"To me, it’s a thrill that’s the equivalent of a movie star fan meeting their idol! There is no price for being on the team working with someone like Jo and I am so excited about the natural bathing pool.”

Katrina worked on Jo’s gold medal-winning London Square garden last year.

She said: “I met Jo in Japan at the World Gardening Cup when I was part of New Zealand designer Xanthe White’s team. Jo was building her garden next to us. Jo’s way with plants, her choice and combinations are stunning and to top it she is an amazing lady.

“I couldn’t believe it when Jo asked me. It meant I could stay with Andrew Fisher Tomlin – so I even left my steel cap boots at Andrew’s last year with the hope of coming back!”

Nina Baxter has been Jo’s planting team manager for four years and says they have ‘a bit of system’.

She said: “Jo briefs me on everything, from when deliveries will arrive to which plants will need extra TLC and we discuss who will take on particular planting areas in the garden.

Nina, a former communications executive who retrained in 2002 now runs her own garden design practice in Beckenham and garden clothing company Land Girl, said: “I love Jo’s style. When I first saw garden for the Thrive charity garden at Chelsea a few years back it jumped out as a stunner. I marked her out!

“We are very in-tune – you have to trust your planting team. A female team is very different and working in such a tight space you need a sensitive touch as well as being light-footed among the plants.”

Nina added: “I also make sure Jo has space to think, so perhaps I will suggest ‘putting on the kettle’ to the team so they can wander off and Jo can contemplate the garden and make tweaks as we go along.

“When the plants arrive, and there are thousands, about eight of us get them off the lorries and we look over which ones need holding back or bringing on to be at their absolute best for the show. We have three students, all girls, who will help with all of this including cleaning the plants while we position the key combinations.

“When it comes down to the planting, there is no actual plan on paper. We have to get our eye in to Jo’s delicate, yet exuberant style. She is a joy to work with and although everyone gets stressed she is so considerate we learn masses! She relies on us to deliver and the trick is not packing in too much but allowing the plants to breathe.

“We all need to be in Jo’s head when it comes to planting out. If an interpretation is not quite right we will start over again or perhaps add more plants. Visitors to Chelsea do not expect to see gaps and judges do not accept bare soil!”

Tracy McQue is an experienced horticulturalist and garden designer who has been part of Jo’s team for three years. She brings with her a passion for quality design and a broad in-depth plant knowledge. Tracy lives and works in Scotland and has just returned from a commission in Japan to be home for RHS Chelsea and what she says is ‘one of the best weeks of the year’.

Tracy, who also teaches garden design students at the Scottish Agricultural College in Edinburgh, said: “It’s fun at Chelsea because we have a camaraderie no matter what the weather.

“It’s always great getting together and seeing Jo and the team because we are always learning something new.”

Gill Chamberlain, who will celebrate her 65th birthday during the show, says she loves working with a group of girls who have ‘a shared passion and all with something to contribute’.

She said: “I come away from the show having learned so much from each one, bursting with enthusiasm, refreshed and inspired.”

Gill, who runs a design practice and lectures at the London College of Garden Design, said: “Jo’s special light touch and real understanding of time and place create something very special.

“Her planting is ‘properly romantic’ with a light feminine touch and her creative use of familiar plants creates somewhere where you just want to be. As for the team, we have forged great friendships. We all work together with the same aim, all with definite roles which we understand – it’s that feminine touch: Organised!"

Yuko Nagamura is head gardener at Huis ten Bosch in Nagasaki. She met Jo at the Gardening World Cup in Japan and has flown in to be part of Jo’s planting team over the last four years.

Yuko, who also runs her own garden design business, said: “The amazing feeling about working with Jo is that the sense of trust coming through the whole body.

“Getting involved in the show and to be part of the creation of Jo’s romantic English-style

planting is my wildest dream come true. As a foreigner and reflecting on my path to get there, I am so privileged and it's a pure pleasure to work with Jo and see her honest smile.”

Hitomi Urabe works with Yuko Tanabe at Huis ten Bosch and was responsible for inviting Jo to the Gardening World Cup. The three women quickly built up a mutual respect and Hitomi can’t wait to help Jo this year.

She said: “I love Jo’s planting and the way she uses colour. It is such an honour to come to England and have the chance to work with Jo and her planting staff.”

Garden blogger and keen amateur gardener Petra Hoyer Millar interviewed Jo a few years back and followed her during a show build up. Her curiosity grew and when she first saw all of the plants arrive at Chelsea she admits there was ‘a lot of drooling over the trolleys’.

She became more involved and started to help with the planting and is now a regular member of the team.

Petra said: “For me, the magic of the garden is in the creation rather than the end result. It is wonderful when the plants arrive. That’s when Jo can see the quality of the stock, lay them out to consider the textures and colours.”

“It’s then you feel the time pressure as specific areas must be finished before going on to the next phase. The only people we compete against is ourselves. We have to know what we are doing; if you are planting a shady area you need to ensure the plants point the right way, towards the sun, so it looks as natural as possible.”

Kate Carr says she will be forever grateful that ‘Jo took a chance on me’. She said: “When I was at college I asked my tutor if I could help in Jo's garden and as a consequence I've had some incredibly valuable experiences and have met some wonderful people.

“Jo didn't know me, I just asked! And she gave me a go.”

The Somerset-based mum-of-one says: “Jo continues to be a great inspiration, not just as a designer, but as a working mum. When I was expecting my son Eddie she encouraged me to keep my business going, continue to learn and develop my ability as a designer.

“At Chelsea, it’s all about trying to be in tune with Jo, respecting her space, physically and mentally, being an ear when she wants one and staying clear when she needs some peace.

“Jo’s planting hits me, emotionally, and I cannot wait to see what an incredible job she will do for M&G. She has come up with a scheme that visitors are going to fall in love with. We are a tight team and Jo is always calm, focused, always appreciative of our efforts and helps to breed a feeling of confidence throughout the team.

“We come with the same attitude during that 10 days: Chelsea, Jo and her garden is our world!

Francesca Murrell, who is a RHS Chelsea gold medal winner in her own right, will be supporting Jo for the first time this year.

Despite her own talents, Francesca says Jo’s designs are ‘inspirational’ and she will leave behind her own business and work as a head gardener on a large estate in Brightling, West Sussex to support Jo.

She said: “I live and breathe gardens. It’s just a great privilege to work with Jo and to be part of her all-girl team. Her designs are so inspirational and I love Jo’s enchanting and pretty plant combinations.

“I can’t wait to meet the team and see the garden - especially the natural pool and the plants!”

Sarah Wilson met Jo on social media. Jo tweeted asking if there were any good gardeners in East Sussex and Sarah got in touch.

Sarah said: “I now help to maintain some of Jo’s clients’ gardens, so I really know and understand her planting style. It will be my first time helping Jo at Chelsea but she is so encouraging and trusting. I will give it everything I have.

“I shouldn’t be nervous once I settle in - but I am excited!

Sarah will be giving up a week of her time despite designing a RHS Hampton Court garden this year.

She said: “My style of gardening has changed since I qualified at the London College of Design last year. I tend to go for more conceptual gardens as people will see at Hampton Court where I have designed the DialAFlight Synaesthesia garden. It’s like a rave tent!”

Priya Gupta is one of the students who will be helping Jo for the first time. Priya is pursuing a post graduate diploma at the Inchbald School of Design and says she knows that she has a ‘great opportunity’ to be working with Jo.

She said: “I am so excited and eager be there! I am a perfectionist, which makes me work hard, so I hope to be an asset.”

Jacqui Haskins, M&G marketing director, said: “It is fantastic to be working with such a well-regarded female designer, along with her all-female team. M&G has always been impressed with Jo’s beautiful creations.

“We are confident that Jo’s creative design will once again create a show-stopping garden for all to enjoy.”

FACTFILE

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show runs from Tuesday to Saturday, May 19-23. It is open to the public on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tuesday and Wednesday are members-only days.

The show starts at 8pm and finishes at 8pm on Tuesday to Friday, and on Saturday it runs from 8am to 5.30pm.

See the show on BBC 2 from 1pm each day from Tuesday to Thursday.
Tickets cost from £31. Children under five go free. No dogs allowed.

All tickets must be booked in advance; visit www.theticketfactory.com.