Andy Mcindoe

Tuesday Team Brief

Andy McIndoe — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:49:00 GMT

Tuesday morning - just had the staging team briefing. Some are regular Super Troupers and others are new recruits - all are very excited - all set for our Adventure in Gardening! The minibus - our transport of delight for the next few days has arrived. Ricky is busy loading ready for three lorries to arrived in London tomorrow - the first just after we arrive on site - hopefully.

By the time I left the show last night the team seems to be well on schedule. The paving is nearing completion - just the tricky bits of cutting and grouting still to do. The edging is still to do. We use timber sleepers and paint them - grey this year to match the garden pavilion at the end of the diary room.

First day on site

Andy McIndoe — Sun, 16 May 2010 08:56:00 GMT

The First Day on Site The first day on site seemed to have gone pretty well by the time I left. The Team: Neil, Nigel, Pete and Steve had unloaded the lorries, covered the site with polythene, and marked out the plan by the time I arrived just before midday. Brian from organicstone was there with the paving sorting it with his usual care and attention to detail ready for laying. The Venetian palace, a new stone structure by Redwood stone is an additional challenge for the construction team this year.

They have built similar in the past so have a good idea of what’s involved. This, along with the paving, edging, pool, stature plinths and the arrival of the big trees on Saturday means there is a lot to do.

I have arranged a little extra manpower to help with offloading and moving plant material to take some pressure off the construction crew – I hope its enough! I felt much more confident as the afternoon moved on. They had built the base of the palace – up to 3 courses of quoins by four o’clock and intended to make a start on the paving. Tomorrow will be the next three layers or so – then the paving. We have to build up in layers to let the mortar go off between building sessions. Tim and the Redwood Stone team are on site for the weekend so are on hand to help if necessary.

The Pavilion seems a little more pleasant this year. The grass has been nicely cut and prepared and dust is being kept to a minimum with water – long may it continue. There are also more exhibitors inside making a start. The City of Birmingham Chinook helicopter is in position and hovering. This type of carpet bedding display is always a crowd pleaser and was so much a feature of Chelsea in days gone by.

No going back.............

Andy McIndoe — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:59:00 GMT

With so much action on site already it may seem that Hillier are a bit tardy in setting out for London. The Great Pavillion is different - you can't start until its up. Tomorrow, Friday, is the first day we can get in site to begin the hard landscaping. Nigel, one of the construction team spent the day loading the first lorry with all the tackle we take with us. Timber buildings, paving, blocks, sand and ballast will all be delivered direct to site.

The first four - the construction team will start out early tomorrow morning - hopefully arriving just ahead of our lorry - them its unloading with a view to starting to lay foundations and paving straight after lunch. The first thing we do is to cover the site - The Monument - with polythene. You can't dig down in The Pavilion - everything has to be built up instead. Then its full steam ahead before the plants start pouring in next Tuesday. The only plants that go in early are the big trees - These are the foundations of the planting and we take around twenty or so in containers up to 600litre. These will be joined by double the number of smaller trees early next week. The big trees get loaded tomorrow and arrive on site on Saturday.

Is this really May?

Andy McIndoe — Sun, 09 May 2010 18:04:00 GMT

I blame the BBC - they wanted to talk about the weather - lots of "jeopardy". At that point I really believed warm days and sunshine were just around the corner - how wrong could I be. Yesterday (Saturday) was really a miserable day in the garden - cold, dry with a chilling wind and so overcast it barely got light! The sort of day you can cope with in December because its over at 4p.m.!

I visited the nursery on Friday and had a look at some of the show plants with Rick - the roses look great, but those buds are tiny - like petit pois! The rhododendrons are OK although some of those are reluctant. The Digitalis 'Serendipity' a new plant launch might be OK for Hampton Court - can't see it at Chelsea. The philadelphus? - dream on!.

Chelsea Countdown

Andy McIndoe — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:13:00 GMT

Well despite the warm weather last weekend, a frantically busy week on the nursery and a cloud of volcanic ash everything seems to be going OK. Spoke to Ricky this morning and he reports that they are back on track with the plant preparation. I never knew they were off track - so that's good news. It's always funny how the season catches up. Only a few days ago we were all talking about how behind things are this year. Then a few days of sunshine and the wisteria buds are unfurling and showing colour on the front of Ampfield House - Hillier HQ.

Poor light levels are always the biggest obstacle in terms of plant preparation and for the past couple of weeks they have been really good. Up to now little need for the cold store, but I think that may change in the next few days. The roses look better than ever this year - I must say it would be good to have plenty of nice roses for Moroccan Magic - one of the themed areas of the exhibit. My biggest concern is the trees. You never quite know what's going to come into leaf in time, and how good that leaf canopy will be. What looks unlikely to make it now may be perfect in a couple of weeks.