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The Great Chelsea Garden Challenge, BBC- TV review: A gold medal for the most pretentious concept

Occupational nurse Sean created a "coal miner's garden that's past its best"

Ellen E. Jones
Monday 11 May 2015 18:04 BST
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The Great Chelsea Garden Challenge, BBC2
The Great Chelsea Garden Challenge, BBC2

Over four consecutive evenings on BBC2, six thoroughly middle-class amateur designers on The Great Chelsea Garden Challenge are competing to win the chance to show at Chelsea.

Along the way they're being mentored by Gardeners' World presenter Joe Swift and judged by former Chelsea winner Ann-Marie Powell and RHS expert James Alexander Sinclair.

There were lots of over-achievers here, who'd put their high-flying careers in finance on hold in order to get closer to nature – or, more accurately, the garden centre. It was, however, occupational nurse Sean who dreamed up the most boldly pretentious concept and thus deservedly bagged this week's gold medal award. He created a "coal miner's garden that's past its best" including a rusted bench and plants that have gone to seed. And that's exactly the kind of nonsense these judges go for.

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