The Great Northern Garden Build

The RHS has been at the forefront of British gardening for more than 200 years. Best known for staging the world’s most famous and prestigious flower show, Chelsea, it has four showcase gardens up and down the country. In 2017, it embarked on a fifth garden, RHS Bridgewater. This series charts the story of one of the most ambitious and challenging gardening projects the UK has ever seen. With unique access, we go behind the scenes and meet the top team of designers, engineers and gardeners tasked with taking on this colossal construction project on the site of a former grand Victorian estate in Greater Manchester. We witness the huge challenges they face creating one of the biggest gardens in Europe, in a constant battle with the British climate, and how they coped with a global pandemic six months before the garden’s grand opening.

We rejoin the team at RHS Bridgewater responsible for creating one of the most ambitious and challenging garden projects the UK has ever seen. With unique access, we go behind the scenes and meet the top team of designers, engineers and gardeners all tasked with taking on this colossal project on the site of a former grand Victorian estate in Greater Manchester. With the major construction work well underway, what impact will a global pandemic have on the build, and will the garden be ready in time for its grand opening?

With the build complete, the garden finally opened its gates to the public in May 2021. With unique access, this is a behind-the-scenes look at the garden with the team responsible for the 154-acre site, one of the biggest attractions in the north west of England. The gardeners, arborists and horticultural apprentices, along with the army of volunteers who keep the garden on top form, all share their experiences, and Carol Klein, who was born and brought up just down the road, also pays a special visit and meets the team.

A look at the team responsible for growing over 20,000 plants every year, which are planted out into RHS Bridgewater. There's a look at how wildlife is being encouraged into the space with the installation of specialist bird boxes for a range of species, as well as a peek into the progress of the horticultural apprentices as they take on the challenge of plant identification. Plus a chat with some of the visitors from the local community, who are experiencing the mental, physical and emotional benefits of gardening in the Wellbeing Garden.