The Chelsea Experience with Fleming's Nurseries - Scott Wynd

Today we're going to have some fun with Scott Wynd, the official 'problem solver' of the Fleming's 2012 Chelsea Team! This is Scott's 6th year at Chelsea and he's got a whole lot of great experience under his belt and some stories to tell- I'm dying to know what he said to make the Queen laugh like that (see below!) - Jenny x

Flemings 2005 Gold Medal winning Chelsea Flower Show entry 'Float'

Scott Wynd is one of Australia’s premier landscape design and construction specialists. He was the lead construction manager for the build of the first Fleming's Chelsea entry in 2005, designed by Jack Merlo, which received a gold medal.  He was also the designer in his own right in 2010 and again won a gold medal. Renowned for their iconic pools, lush, functional garden spaces, and great outdoor entertaining areas, Scott’s company Total Landscapes and Constructions and TLC Pools, is in hot demand in Melbourne! Scott has been a steady member of the team since 2005 and is the captain of the construction team in 2012. - Wes

More of the 2005 'Float' entry and Scott posing with some of the Chelsea Flower Girls after the big win!

Are you excited to be back at Chelsea for 2012? What do you love about the Chelsea Flower Show?

It’s great to be back at Chelsea I have to say – this is a project that gets in your blood. I first came to Chelsea in 2005 when my crew built Jack Merlo’s ‘Float’ design for Fleming's. It was a beautiful, sleek design, very iconic and very much the signature of Jack Merlo, so it was a pleasure to build and thoroughly deserved it’s Gold medal.

Chelsea is a completely different environment to building a home garden. Show Gardens are completely different to build… they have greater challenges, they have a time frame, they have to look perfect and work to be showcased to a crowd all within 17 days – and then they are demolished in a matter of days.

In the years that I have been involved with Chelsea it has become more and more clear to me how important this event is to the Australian landscape industry. The project is Wes Fleming’s baby, and his vision was to ensure the experience is shared among the people in the horticulture industry – from apprentices, nurserymen and women, landscape contractors, builders, and pool construction people - just as much as it about sharing ideas amongst different landscape designers.

Scott saying something hilarious to the Queen (!!!) and working hard on site at Chelsea

What has working at the Chelsea Flower Show taught you?

One of the loveliest things I found throughout these past years working with Fleming’s is that landscaping is a blend of gardens and construction, without one the other is lost, and Chelsea has taught me that in England, the soft side of the business takes priority where in Australia we tend to rely on our hard elements for impact – a pool, a deck, a entertaining space etc.

The English designers create postcard perfection with mass plantings of perennials and pleached trees, avenues and delicate seating areas for quiet contemplation, their designs are in stark contrast to the bold structures found in the Australian Garden. Their use of plant material has certainly made an impact on me – although I don’t share their love of pretty perfect and laden flower beds, I can appreciate their use of the plant material to great effect – to soften the hard edges of the built material, to lend elegance and balance to built spaces.

I have also noticed how many of the Australian gardens have lent influence to the European and English designers also – small elements of change are appearing as they notice the role hard landscape plays in our gardens.

English designers have made the comment to me more than once that they are envious of our ability to be bold at Chelsea - it’s perceived as bold to them, as the use of hard landscape materials is so foreign here they feel it will affect their chances of success if they dare to be different. But that is slowly changing, and more use of constructed elements melding with the traditional use of plants is emerging, and it’s a pleasure to see.

Having an opportunity to build at Chelsea is special. But the news it brings home is probably more valuable than you can imagine. The landscape and horticulture industries represent a wide range of occupations from gardeners to marketers, arborists to designers and architects – and they all share in the good news story of our success at the Chelsea Flower Show. The industry also needs to excite people in their own backyards - we hope this project inspires others to spend time creating their home environments and discover a love of horticulture/design in their own way.

See you in the pool!

- Scott