SPEAKER_00 0:01

BBC Gardeners World Live at the NEC. The sun has blessed us. And I'm blessed because Nikki Chapman's joined me in the studio. How lovely to see you.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Well, what a lovely link. Thank you. If you can compare me to Sunshine, it's a good day, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 0:16

How's it been going? You've been so busy on the main stage, haven't you?

SPEAKER_01 0:19

It's great. Don't tell anyone because they think I'm working hard, but I'm loving every minute of it. Um, it's a joy coming here. This is a show for everybody, not just gardeners, but for everybody. And um the guests that I've had are always super entertaining. I mean, we've had Adam Frost, we've got Monty Don, I had Johnny the Gardener yesterday, which went down so well. I mean, he's got like two million followers on Instagram, and yeah, he did wear his shorts for those that know who Johnny is.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Yes, if you I I interviewed him uh I think earlier in uh in the show as well, and he came in in the tight top of the short, and we talked about his fire service and whatever else, but he'd clearly been to the gym, hasn't he?

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Oh yes, oh yeah. Not that I'm envious. I was gonna say that body takes it's not days, not months, it's years of honing. Um, and it's interesting because you look at garden sheds in a in a new light, and for those that don't know Johnny, um he spends a lot of time in his shorts, and I think we're allowed to say they're short shorts. I mean he would say that himself, standing on his garden shed. So who knew?

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yes. So we just leave people to picture that for five seconds and then we'll move on. And then we'll move on. So what's been catching your eye this year? I mean, the show gardens seem ever better than they than they have been.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Do you know what? And and I mean this with love. When I came in on very early on Thursday morning and I walked in, there was nobody here, just obviously everybody getting ready, but the public hadn't come in. And it was just the standard this year. Everything looks so beautiful. So whether you're walking through the floral marquee, you know, the way it's been set out is stunning, and there's lots of access, that's what I like. But it looks so beautiful. The thought, the presentation. That's what I'm gonna say this year, because there's something for everybody here, but the presentation looks so good, and when you come into here, we were in one of the big halls, and obviously we've got our lovely stage, and it's just I think we're ready. This year for so many people has been um I don't want to say difficult, but it it's a year that we won't forget. Yeah, and I think coming here you walk through the doors, you walk through the gates, you're outside, and you just think, oh, this is escapism.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

It's that's a good point, actually, I think, isn't it? Because gardens are where people go to escape, they create something that's personal to them, yeah. And that's where they go to escape.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

It's interesting, I was chatting to Monty on the stage, and he said that he was about 15, he'd just been expelled from school, and um, and he said he was planting some carrots, and he said he just had the seeds in his hand, and he looked at those seeds and thinking what they are gonna become, and he had a moment, and that's when he realised this is his happy place when he's out in his garden when he's pottering. And I said to him, Are you gonna be watching Gardener's World, you know, on on Friday night? And he said, Well, in actual fact, Nikki, I'm probably gonna be watering. And I said, Well, we're all gonna be watching you, Monty, and then we'll go and water our gardens afterwards because we've got lots of light, haven't we? We're on like practically the longest day. Um, but it's interesting how it is our happy place, and I love the fact that when you come here and you and especially over the weekend, you get people of all ages, you get loads of families, which is such a joy, because you know they might not be interested in gardening, and then you say to them, you know, have you ever grown rhubarb? Oh, yes, I grow rhubarb with my grandparents, and you're like, Well, actually, that's gardening, or you know, you see people walking out with a cactus, and that's gardening, a house plant, whatever it is. I mean, obviously, we've got the good food show as well, so there's all of that gorgeousness on the other side, but um it's it I think it's really important, and we need those elements, we need that joy in our lives. I'm looking at my phone, it's on the table. We need to put those damn things down and just get out. Blue sky, sunshine, it's perfect.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

It it's interesting uh this year talking to the uh the visitors here. More and more people seem to be making the most of small spaces, raised beds, pots, and things like that. And some uh you put your hand up, you're you're doing the same. And looking at the beautiful board as and the maker meter matter. I love that, which is fabulous, isn't it? Clever, so clever. And DeGraf Mensa uh from Newsround has done it with Lucy Chamberlain, which has brought in the newsround crowd. I know. So he's now got he's bringing young people into that, which is fantastic. But those small areas are making it a reality for young people because they can grow stuff, stick it on pizzas, and and that's the connection, isn't it? Which is brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Absolutely, because when I was young, you know, obviously we've always had built-up areas, but you know, the world or the UK has changed significantly. So more and more people are living in flats, apartments, you know, shared ownership, it might be rented accommodation, and so we are realising that we don't all have a garden, or if we do, it could be really small, it could be a courtyard. But what you can do, and that make meter matter, whoever came up with that, well done, massive round of applause because you know, even down to your lawns, if you've got a lawn and you're like, I love my lawn, I love my lawn looking like this. If you leave one section of it a meter, the difference that creates for wildlife and pollinators and bees and everything else, so we can all do something, can't we? And it is small changes, big difference. We have to be aware of our environment and what we can do to help our planet, but we've also got to be aware of how we can look after ourselves.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

Yes, absolutely. And there's a big, uh big move now to for social prescribing, isn't there, where where the medical profession are are saying to people, we'll refer you where you can to somebody where you can go gardening because it will improve your mental health, which is sounds really grown up and a great thing to do.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah, and we we haven't mentioned it yet, so let's mention the wheelbarrows, you know, with all the young children from the schools, you know, doing these creations in their wheelbarrows and getting really artistic. I mean, you look at some of them and you're like, wow, you look at others, and you're like, I'm not quite sure what that is, but it's theirs. Yeah, and they've got their hands dirty and they're doing it, and you know, they're the ones we're going to be looking at, aren't we? They're our gardeners of the future, and the planet is in their hands as well, and it's lovely that they're embracing it and the schools are supporting them. So it's do you know what? We're talking about gardening, and you and I are sitting across a desk in a little sort of porter cabin, if you like, and we're surrounded by gorgeousness, and we're both smiling. And why are we smiling? Because we're talking about gardening.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Yeah, absolutely. Talking of gardens, how's the Chapman Garden?

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Chappa's Garden is doing very well this year. It's a little bit of a jungle, I'm not going to lie. I've changed a tree. My amalankia died on me last year, or semi-died, so I've had to change a tree, which I was determined not to do, and after two years I gave up. Um, and the experts here, because as you know, I'm not an expert, always say you can't keep everything. You know, sometimes it happens. It's looking so good. It is my sanctuary. This year has been great because we've had an awful lot of sunshine, an awful lot of heat, and also in the latter couple of sort of weeks or months, a lot of rain. So it's just got bad. Yeah, so guess where I'm going to be tomorrow night.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

You're going buying, are you, to fill a space, or you're going to be in the garden?

SPEAKER_01 7:16

I'm going to be in the garden. I've already bought some beautiful Air Force lavenders.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

I've just seen those. They're clever, aren't they? I imagine. Just to explain what that is for people.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

So um British Garden Centres are one of, well, is our big sponsors here. I'm actually on their stage, and they have they have these lavenders that are half lavender colour and half white. All in one plant. They're grown locally by British Garden Centres. I've never seen anything like it before, and I went past and I was like, you know, when you do a double take, I was like, I'm having those. So I've got four because they're quite small. I know they grow, they're there's I know they're selling out really quickly, um, but I bought four because I want them to look like a cluster, but to have the white and the lavender colour together, how beautiful! And they're called Air Force. Yeah, isn't that great?

SPEAKER_00 7:59

It's brilliant. I I walked past them before and noticed them. In fact, Jacquel McVicker uh is uh is in the studio behind you at the moment doing another interview, and she brought some in uh as well.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

She's a legend, that lady.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

She is absolutely queen of herbs.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Yeah, absolutely. Again, it's one of those names if you know your gardeners, shall we say your hold cultural experts? She's a leader, isn't she?

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Now I know you're busy, so I'm gonna have to let you go shortly, but what else are you up to when you're not gardening and gardeners world live engine?

SPEAKER_01 8:26

Oh well, I'm very lucky because I work with amazing people and I love the shows that I do. So I have a an evening show on Magic Radio, it's called Mellow Magic, and it's Monday to Thursdays every week, which is wonderful. So I do that in the evening, it's about being relaxed. So actually, you could listen to me while you're watering your garden. I mean, wouldn't that be perfect?

SPEAKER_00 8:45

I think we spoke last year about a gardener's playlist that you could put on Spotify. It's such a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

Yeah, we should do that, shouldn't we? Definitely. And then I'm filming more series of Escape to the Country. Brilliant. Um, and I Escape to the Country is where we go back and we see how people got on. So it ties in really well with Gardeners World, doesn't it? It really does. It's getting out there and uh changing stuff and doing things for the better, and by that I mean ourselves as well as the planet.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

You're absolutely spot on. Nikki always a pleasure to see you. Enjoy the rest of the show.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Take care.