Contractor Dan Riddleston of Bowles & Wyer Contracts filled us in ahead of this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show on how the build went for the Linklaters Garden for Maggie’s, designed by Darren Hawkes and sponsored by Linklaters, which was awarded a prestigious RHS Gold Medal.
After weeks of planning, we’re finally on site at RHS Chelsea. At the time of writing, we have just 20 days before the gates open to the public and the judges arrive.
As the contractor responsible for making sure it’s ready on time, we have a strict programme that sets out the sequence and timing of all operations – from those that will take several days, such as planting the three-metre high hornbeam hedge, to those that can be done in a couple of hours, like placing the rear bench into position.
We can’t expect everything to go smoothly – it takes just one late delivery to throw things out of sequence. But our experience of building large Chelsea show gardens means that we’re adept at dealing with most problems.
We use a huge amount of construction equipment for such a small space: three excavators, two dumpers, two forklifts and the occasional 40t crane. Our workforce is expert at knowing exactly what to use for each job – small equipment for tight, inaccessible spaces and larger machines to unload and transport the central features.
The garden is sited on the notoriously tricky Rock Bank, but fortunately the RHS has excavated some of it before we arrive. We still have a considerable amount of excavation to complete to get the foundations and block wall support in for the rear walkway – an elevated platform, from which the public will be able to view the ‘hidden’ garden.
A further 100m³ of material is to be removed before we can start the foundations, and with just 24 hours before the concrete arrives we need to get a shift on.
www.bowleswyer-contracts.co.uk
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