Richard Jackson: My 10th Anniversary at QVC and preparing for Chelsea

Hello everyone! Today I'm thrilled to be celebrating my 10th Anniversary at QVC. I've had so many fantastic times over the years and I'm just as excited about QVC gardening and meeting QVC customers now as I was 10 years ago!

I'm really looking forward to this year's Chelsea Flower Show. I was thrilled with last year's Bejewelled Garden and the wonderful response we received from the judges, the public, and the QVC viewers. And of course, it was great to win that silver medal.

This year we're really going for it with the QVC Garden, which is five times the size of the Bejewelled Garden. The QVC Garden looks incredible and we're in a prime spot this year, so the impact is going to be amazing. The designers have taken inspiration from the countryside and incorporated that into the garden very cleverly.

The Chelsea juggling act

For Sarah Price and her team, the weather in the run up to Chelsea can prove a bit of a nightmare.

If it's really cold the plants don't come into flower as quickly as you need, and you have to put them in greenhouses to speed up. If the weather becomes very hot you have to move the plants into coolers to slow down. And if it pours with rain it makes the ground conditions really difficult.

So it’s a real juggling act for the designers and you're on a knife edge up until Chelsea Monday when you have to have the garden ready for the Royal party and the judging. I've even offered to help Sarah this year with a bit of the gardening!

Meeting QVC customers

The Chelsea Flower Show is a great opportunity for me to meet QVC customers and I'm looking forward to talking to you about your gardens as well as showing you what QVC has done at Chelsea.

Last year our viewers took a pride in the Bejewelled Garden and that meant such a lot.

This year we'll be at Chelsea from about 6am on the Tuesday morning when the medals are announced - nervous as anything!

Read more gardening blog entries

Find out more about the Chelsea Flower Show 2008

Comments

[Georgina Hooper]

Dear Richard,

After receiving my selection of fushia's which included 6 climbing (why don't they put all six in one tray? seems more sensible than 2 + 2+ 2) opened and watered them and put them on garden table. Grandsons knocked off. Plants all mixed up. As they were so small there seemed no difference between them, however, now that they have grown and are all doing well, I still don't know which are the climbers. Can you help me? Love the show but don't always catch it, but when I do it usually costs me money.

Many thanks, Georgina

[rosemary henderson]

Dear Mr Jackson, On your show you mentioned the possibility of a garden trip to Maderia. If it comes about, I would be extremely interested. Regarding T&M plants, I do have to say that mine rarely arrive in top condition. But I have just taken delivery of "Plant Connection's" 40 off Mimulus and they arrived in wonderful shape. They are better packed than T& M's and I am really pleased with them. Could we see more shrubs please. And as I am shortly moving to an area with chalk, Could you advise on what soil type would be beat for the plants you are showing. Regards and keep up the enthusiasm. Rosemary

[Colin Gittins]

Great 24 hours Birthday show!! Between you and Dawn I will never have money again.. 2 windowsill Tomatoe kits arrived couple of hours ago not sure if the drip tray is quite big enough so may place the whole BRILL healthy kit on a larger one,the canes fit well and stable My have to get the flying doctor (Jules) in for the yellow geraniums,they look to need the kiss of life
Cheers and many THANKS