Chris Collins

I was involved with the Marshalls Garden That Kids Really Want from way back at the beginning, running workshops with school kids who produced some fantastic work that's really come to life this week. I've been running around doing TV all week and I feel like I know the show really well. As for the gardens, the bar just seems to keep rising, you've got to tip your hat to the RHS, the high standards are reflected in the Show Gardens. They've taken a bit of stick for being so green but to me that's the most important colour in a garden, a plant might only flower for three weeks of the year...what about the other 49? I like the contemporary, eastern touch this year with the cloud-pruned hornbeams in Tom Stuart-Smith's garden and Arabella Lennox-Boyd's Telegraph garden. I've spent time in Japan and the biggest difference is that Western gardens are very hands-on whereas Eastern ones are all about contemplation. The Marshalls garden is all about kids getting stuck in and grazing their knees!