So... as the title suggests... against all the odds... it's another Gold! 

This is Rebekah, updating the Rural Stonework blog on Steve's behalf, so I'll leave it for him to fill you in on all the details when he gets a spare moment.  We just wanted to keep everyone up-to-date, and share the good news!  All involved are ecstatic, as you can imagine. It must have been quite something to have been there, when the results were given out...

I know everyone at home here in Devon, is very proud of Steve and the team.  So much blood, sweat and tears has gone into this project, and it's great to see them get the results they deserve! 

Signing off for now... Going to try and catch all the coverage on the T.V & enjoy a glass of fizz...  Rebekah :-)

Finally, the Rural Stonework team (of two!) have returned from the Chelsea Flower Show build-up, after weeks of hard work, not only building the garden, but also gathering and packaging the stone.   

In similar circumstances to last year, the preparation for this project, was more demanding than the actual build itself - bearing in mind that we had to transport the stone from Dartmoor to London, whilst keeping it in pristine condition, with live moss, lichen and other plant life protected and intact upon arrival.

All involved with the garden have done an amazing job, in less than perfect circumstances.  At one point, the entire project was hanging in the balance due to sponsorship issues.  Fortunately, Dan Flynn, from Gardenlink, stepped up to act as a guarantor for the build, and the project was back on track.  However, due to the change in circumstances, the number of employed tradesman had to be minimised (including the Rural Stonework team), and a host of willing volunteers were drafted in by Dan.  Although there was only Cameron and myself on site to do the stonework, Ben Davies deserves a special mention for his tireless efforts in gathering and delivering additional materials to London, in difficult conditions. 

Just this week, there were also issues with the importation of the rare Korean plants, essential to the concept.  Thankfully, these should now be in the soil by the weekend.

So fingers crossed for Sunday, when the judging takes place.  Keep an eye out for the results on Tuesday by checking this blog in the morning!


Below is a outline of the garden concept, as published on the RHS website, in case you haven't seen it.

Day 3.
The watchtower is pretty much completed with all of the large trees up. Tomorrow morning we start the stonework inside the gun turret bunker.

Tomo hiding behind a tree

Jihae in front of our 60 year old wall!

Cameron and myself are back at Chelsea to start building the DMZ garden designed by Jihae Hwang. Dan Flynn of Gardenlink is project managing, and building, this thought provoking concept after recent sponsorship issues. Well done Dan, lets prove that a show garden at Chelsea doesn't have to have a huge budget. This is our third day, so here are a few progress photos.

Day 2.
Cameron on the move with Tomo and Jihae in the background.

An old, old wall - with a B & Q shed behind it.