Alan Titchmarsh
Broadcaster
Alan Titchmarsh will be back at Chelsea again this year presenting the world's most famous flower show to millions of BBC TV viewers, which he has done since 1983.
Royal Horticultural Society What kind of garden do you have at home?
AT My garden is arranged around a Georgian farmhouse so it has fairly strong formal lines but within those lines an effusive mix of flowers, shrubs and bulbs. I have quite a lot of topiary - clipped yew and box - which I love, though I do think that sometimes my garden might look a little like Trumpton!
RHS What's you favourite plant or planting combination?
AT I have different favourites in different seasons. The topiary comes into its own in winter when it gives the garden real structure. But I enjoy the seasonality of British gardens with snowdrops and daffodils giving way to tulips then roses and pinks, lavender and sweet peas, delphiniums and even tree ferns which I have in a grove under an old yew tree. I like good lines and lots of cottage garden plants.
RHS What do you enjoy most about Chelsea?
AT I love Chelsea's celebratory atmosphere - the feeling that spring has well and truly arrived. The standard of cultivation is matchless, and I like meeting up with growers and garden designers and seeing 'where we are at' at the moment in terms of plant and garden fashions. It keeps us fresh.
RHS Best Chelsea experience?
AT Building a garden at Chelsea (well, two actually) was an unforgettable experience. I managed to get a Gold Medal in 1985 for a Country Kitchen Garden of which I am still very proud. It is incredibly hard work and you need a really good team around you. I was lucky enough to have three or four folk who really worked with me to make it a success.
RHS Your top tip for surviving Chelsea?
AT Never stand when you can sit, eat and drink little and often, never walk past the loo.
RHS What do you do once Chelsea is over?
AT I always take a week's holiday. We broadcast for seven days, working ten or twelve hours a day, so I'm ready for a break at the end of the week! This year I'll be at home in my own garden - last year I went down to Cornwall.
RHS Chelsea in five words?
AT The world's best flower show.