HEN the last of the crowds have gone, Max de Soissons will get his chance to admire the show.

As the sun sets he will wander through the showground, savouring a kaleidoscope of colour and scent.

"It will be my own private viewing," he said.

It will also give him time to reflect on a job well done - as the mastermind behind this summer's Royal Horticultural Society Show at Tatton Park.

Max, who works full-time for the society, has been planning the multi-million pound project for more than two years.

It aims to bring the glories of the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Show to the North West for the first time.

"We want to make sure that we reach the standard and quality of all our other shows," he said.

"It will hopefully become a show of national and international standing."

Tatton Park's proximity to Manchester Airport and the motorway network helped to clinch the deal.

Other plus points included a similar social class of people living in the area that would attend a flower show, and a large number of nurseries in the area.

The show will be the society's first attempt in England to spread out from their southern roots.

Scotland already has its own show which started in 1997.

"Hopefully we will regionalise our activities and boost our membership as well," said Max.

For four days in July, 20 acres of Tatton Park will be covered with every flower and plant imaginable.

Behind the flawless beauty of the exhibits will be hours of work and planning.

More than 4,000 people will be involved in creating a selection of show gardens and horticultural displays.

Builders are expected to arrive on site at the start of July - three weeks before the opening day.

Their first job will be putting up a fence around the showground to protect the displays from the park's wildlife.

"As any keen gardener will tell you, a flower show is like a tasty salad bar for a deer," he said.

He counters criticisms that the show will upset the park's natural balance with examples from the society's Hampton Court show.

That event has been used as a blueprint for the Tatton show.

It too is staged in a sprawling deer park.

"Deer are sensible animals and tend to move away to another part of the estate when they see all the activity going on," he said.

Once the fence has been erected, special tracks will be laid to protect parkland from vehicles unloading equipment and plants.

The major structures will then be built.

The largest temporary building - the length of 10 swimming pools - is the society's grand marquee.

The tent will be packed with displays from 75 specialist garden centres.

The PVC structure will include sweet peas, cacti, chrysants alpines and orchids.

These major contributors will arrive 17 days before the opening to bring their designs to life.

Gradually the showground with its central plaza and four main sections will be built.

Each quarter of the field - named Knutsford, Egerton, Plantation and Rostherne - will be full of every conceivable plant or item associated with flowers and gardens.

Conservatory manufacturers will rub shoulders with individual garden designers.

And nestled between lupins and lavender, visitors will find compost and rockeries.

The main site will be surrounded by other specialist displays.

"It is an opportunity for people to see the best of the best and be inspired to experiment with their own garden," he said.

Max may even find some tips for his own urban retreat in Shepherd's Bush.

"I'm a slightly lazy gardener and I am into foliage for an all-year-round garden," he said.

"It's my release valve."

He hopes 70,000 fellow enthusiasts will also join him in appreciating the show.

But when the last visitor leaves, there's the big clean-up.

"A few weeks after the show people won't know we have even been there," said Max.

Almost every plant will be used again.

And after the contributors leave within weeks of the show's end, a gang of helpers will comb the grass to pick up litter and replant any patches of worn grass.

Max has everything planned to the final detail with military precision but one thing cannot be predicted - the weather.

The appeal of blooms, plants and the outdoor life could be dampened by a downpour.

But while he accepted that attendance could be affected by the weather, he suspected the crowds would still visit - come rain or shine.

"After all we all garden in the rain," he said.

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