The world's greatest flower show; The world's greatest job

Alex Baulkwill - RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2008

Imagine being responsible for managing the world's greatest flower show! Well that’s the task facing Alex Baulkwill, aged just 33, who as Show Manager for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (sponsored by Marshalls) has the daunting task of making sure that Chelsea 2008 is brimming with the finest examples of horticultural excellence in the world.

Visitors to Chelsea are often not aware of the role played by the Show Manager, but Alex is likely to become a familiar face to viewers of a new BBC series, A Passion for Plants, which features the work of the RHS.

The series treates us to a peak behind the scenes so you can see for yourself what it takes to transform the grounds of the Royal Hospital into the world’s most famous show, in just three weeks!

Alex's story will be broadcast on Friday 16th November in an episode which will show the 'Chelsea experiences' of first time exhibitors, Alan Gardner and Anthea Guthrie and will reveal some of the judges' insights as they take their important tour round the showground.

Last year Chelsea included 20 show gardens and 26 small gardens as well as 106 floral exhibits, 304 garden product stands and a host of other exhibits. Alex and her team needed to ensure that all 600 reached the highest standards to create a show as special as Chelsea and to satisfy the expectations of some 157,000 visitors.

The normal planning cycle for the show lasts 15 months but Alex only joined the RHS flower show team the previous Christmas (2006) so she only had a third of the time to get to grips with the 2007 show and now she is going to do it all over again for 2008.

"Putting on the show last year was one of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced in my caree to date," explains Alex. "But, the feeling of walking round the showground on the first morning of the show and realising that we had done it was indescribable."

Alex admits that gardening is addictive: "I remember my Dad pushing me to his allotment in his wheelbarrow when I was about four, and since then I have been hooked. You’ll often hear exhibitors say that Chelsea gets into their blood, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a fantastic show, and I can’t wait for the next one."

As usual there are some really exciting designers lined up for 2008 including Tom Stuart-Smith, Andy Sturgeon and Arabella Lennox-Boyd as well as a raft of fantastic floral exhibitors.

"I'm sure we will face lots of challenges along the way, but it’s a great journey," says Alex.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show will run from 20th to 24th May 2008 - RHS Members Days 20th to 21st May - 22nd - 24th May RHS members and non-members. The BBC series runs from Friday 19th October for eight weeks.

We wish Alex and her team well for the 2008 show.