The Gardening World Cup- Japan

In just three weeks judging will take place and we will know who has won the Gardening World Cup in Japan. I’m in daily contact with the organisers in Nagasaki. Alan Ward, who is sculpting the Angel which will form the centre-piece of my garden is already there and hard at work. He hadn’t expected such intense heat and high humidity, but he’s immensely impressed by the professionalism of the team who are organising the event.

There’s a massive TV advertising campaign and every train is carrying posters promoting the show. There are 12 competitors from four continents and it would be five if David Davidson from the Kirstenbosch gardens in South Africa had been able to attend. David and I had a memorable long lunch at La Poule au Pot in London during the Chelsea Flower Show with our Japanese hosts and he was hoping at that stage to take part, but unfortunately other commitments precluded him from accepting the invitation. I think he would have enjoyed the status which we have all been given in this video, taken from the official Japanese website.