Skip to playerSkip to main content
Orbit.Room
  • 8 hours ago
Gardeners' World - Season 59 Episode 2
Transcript
00:11You coming? Come on then.
00:25Come on then. Come on.
00:27Good boy, you are. Good boy.
00:30Hello. Welcome to Gardener's World.
00:45And welcome to a lovely spring day here at Longmeadow.
00:48And a brand new piece of the garden.
00:50This used to be one side of the cot.
00:53And I planted it over 30 years ago from hazelnuts that I gathered.
00:58I planted some trees in here and underplanted it with all the lovely primroses and bluebells that you get in
01:03coppice woodland.
01:04But the trees grew very big and they sucked all the moisture from the soil, blocked all the light.
01:10And for the last five years it really hasn't been very good on any level.
01:15But no longer.
01:16Because I have begun the transformation into making this area into a really beautiful woodland garden.
01:23Not one.
01:52Not one.
01:53in almost every variation of the shade theme.
01:59Whoa, hang on a minute, that's Ned.
02:01Ned, what are you doing?
02:02Come on, come here.
02:06Okay, good boy.
02:08Would you like a little something?
02:09Would that make you feel better?
02:11Now please don't bark when we're filming.
02:14Right, what I'm going to plant today
02:17are two modest plants, but they are charming.
02:20They all grow in shade and they spread really easily,
02:25but not out of control.
02:26So what's not to like?
02:27Now, first one is tiarella.
02:31This is tiarella spring symphony.
02:33And tiarella has these tiny white little starbursts of flower
02:38carried on long stems and flower from now through till May.
02:43And they are happiest with dappled shade
02:46that doesn't dry out too much.
02:50This is tiarella, tiarella grandiflora.
02:53And you can see the foliage is quite similar,
02:55but the furs are rather different
02:56because they are born on long, thin stems,
02:59but they're pale, primrose yellow, tiny little bells.
03:02I love them.
03:03They'll last into June.
03:04And they are the perfect ground cover woodland plant
03:08that also looks really good.
03:09They're not just filling a space, they're performing as well.
03:14Both these plants come from the damp woodlands or forests
03:18of the west of America,
03:20so don't stick it in very dry shade.
03:30It's gardening convention that plants look better placed
03:34in odd numbers than even.
03:37If you plant in threes, fives, sevens, even nines,
03:41it tends to look more natural
03:43than if you do it in twos or fours or sixes.
03:45So I tend to plant in triangles in groups of three.
03:53If you want a massed effect of any kind,
03:56it's nearly always more economic and more successful
03:59to buy lots of small plants
04:01than a few really big ones.
04:04Small plants establish much more easily
04:06and they're much cheaper.
04:17Although I absolutely love the creativity
04:21of making a new garden,
04:22the thing I love most in the world
04:25is actually planting.
04:27On a spring day, with the sun shining,
04:29the birds are singing,
04:31putting plants in the ground,
04:33knowing that they're going to grow,
04:34that sense of hope and satisfaction
04:37all comes together
04:38and it's just as joyous now
04:40as it ever has been in my life.
04:43Now we're going to visit Mary Keane.
04:45Now Mary Keane, over a long period of time,
04:48has been one of our best-known garden designers
04:51and writers
04:52and she's made gardens all over the world.
04:55But Jo has been to see her
04:56in her own garden at home.
05:02When I think of gardening royalty,
05:04Mary Keane is right up there
05:07and what sets her apart
05:08is her instinct for planting.
05:13From Grand British Gardens
05:15to designs across the world,
05:17Mary's work is about atmosphere and emotion
05:20and she designs gardens
05:22that are to be loved, lived in
05:25and feel truly alive.
05:27But down this path
05:28is something even more personal.
05:31It's her own sanctuary
05:32and it's not somewhere
05:33that she shares very often.
05:35So this is a real treat.
05:43So Mary, you design gardens for,
05:45well, the rich and famous royalty.
05:48Some very high-profile clients.
05:50Quite high-profile.
05:51I'm not allowed to talk about any of them.
05:53I know, we're not going to talk about any of them.
05:54But what I'm interested in
05:56is how different it is
05:58designing their gardens
06:00and designing your own garden.
06:01It's completely different.
06:02I like small flowered plants
06:05that you see through
06:07and that are ephemeral.
06:08I'm not doing display,
06:09I'm doing atmosphere.
06:11And it's for me to potter
06:13and wander about in the morning
06:15and in the evening
06:16and in the middle of the day.
06:17It's just a lovely place to be,
06:19not a place to look at,
06:21not a place to show off.
06:22And the actual layout,
06:23did you draw it out on a piece of paper?
06:25No, I didn't.
06:26It's two rectangles,
06:28like two tennis courts,
06:29end on end.
06:30And I knew I wanted some flower beds
06:33for conventional plants
06:35and then I wanted two-thirds,
06:37which we're in now,
06:39to be wild,
06:40with wildflowers all year.
06:42And I made this S line of beauty path through it
06:46to make the garden seem longer
06:48and more mysterious.
06:50If you've got a small garden,
06:51you want to be able to walk round it
06:53and to feel like a sort of adventure.
07:00Oh, this is energising, Mary.
07:02I've got to say,
07:03what style of planting
07:04would you call this border then?
07:06Mixed?
07:07Can we call it mixed?
07:08It sounds a bit boring.
07:10It's got lots of stuff
07:11in like snowdrops
07:12and hellebores underneath,
07:13so it goes on all the time.
07:15And then these
07:16sort of bursts of colour
07:18like the Henry lily
07:19and the agapanthus.
07:21Don't ask me.
07:22I think it's a headborne hybrid,
07:23but it's just a good dark form.
07:25Yeah.
07:26I love the orange.
07:26Some people don't like orange.
07:28I love orange.
07:29I like it.
07:29I love it.
07:30There really is a lot to see
07:32because you're planting
07:33in small groups here,
07:35like you said,
07:35not large brushstrokes.
07:37No.
07:37And it's got a sort of wild feel
07:38and the more you look,
07:40the more you see.
07:41You could stand here for hours
07:42and just look at the detail.
07:47A plantswoman at her core,
07:50Mary has filled her garden
07:51with plants that bring her joy.
07:54Not as you might expect
07:55in the usual arrangements
07:56of threes or fives,
07:58more like an artist
07:59claying with colour
08:00on a canvas.
08:04Mary's really got me thinking
08:06because I've been reticent
08:08to use purple foliage plants
08:10in my garden,
08:11mainly going for greens.
08:13But she inherited
08:14that purple berberis,
08:16which is on the boundary,
08:17and she's picked it up
08:18in colours and stems
08:19of other plants,
08:20like the thalictrum there
08:22has got dark stems.
08:23We've got the hollyhock
08:25with those purple flowers,
08:26really deep colours.
08:28And over here,
08:28we've got the foliage
08:29of the dahlias
08:30and that red sanguissorba
08:32in the back there as well.
08:34And it's really got me thinking.
08:35It adds a lovely depth
08:37to the planting, colour-wise,
08:39and a nice rhythm as well.
08:41Might have to use it.
08:50So has this border
08:51got a name?
08:52Well, that border beyond
08:55that we've just looked at
08:56is wild and high
08:58and shrubby.
08:59And this one
09:00is the transition
09:01between wild and high
09:03and shrubby
09:03not totally working
09:04and a much more
09:06gardened, flowery look
09:08against the wall.
09:09So that's the floweriest,
09:12chaddest bed.
09:13Catchy names you've got there
09:14for them.
09:16I love the hollyhocks.
09:17I love the height
09:18because a lot of people
09:19think, oh, tall plants,
09:20you've got to put them
09:20at the back of the border,
09:21but you're bringing them
09:22to the foreground
09:23and you're looking through them.
09:25Well, I love the looking
09:26through tall plants.
09:27That's my aim always,
09:28to look through.
09:30I love this euphorbia.
09:33It's Segueriana.
09:34What is it you love
09:35about euphorbias, Mary?
09:37Oh, well, I like their greenness.
09:39You like euphorbias too,
09:40don't you?
09:40Love them.
09:41I love their leaves.
09:43I love the fact
09:44that they perform all year.
09:46It's the zinginess, isn't it?
09:48It's the zinginess.
09:48They set off other plants
09:50in the garden so well.
09:52And the Dianthus carthusianorum.
09:55That is my favourite plant.
09:56Your favourite plant
09:57of all time?
09:59I've got a lot
09:59of favourite plants,
10:00but that is currently
10:01my favourite plant.
10:02Yeah, OK.
10:04Desert Island plants.
10:05Desert Island,
10:06I'm allowed eight.
10:07No, that's records.
10:08OK.
10:10No, but it's fabulous.
10:11The thing about it is
10:11it grows in shade,
10:12it grows in gravel,
10:13it grows in the border
10:14and it flowers
10:15for a long, long time.
10:17I mean, it's just
10:18a brilliant, brilliant,
10:19airy, graceful,
10:21lovely plant.
10:26As well as being
10:27a great designer,
10:28she obviously loves
10:30her plants too,
10:31does Mary,
10:31because look,
10:32from the front of the garden,
10:33all you see is plants.
10:35You've got an apple tree,
10:36we're planting all the way
10:37round it,
10:37no voids whatsoever.
10:39And before I came,
10:41I thought,
10:41oh, there's going to be
10:41some unusual stuff,
10:43some rare things.
10:44I better gem up a little bit.
10:45But actually,
10:46what's lovely is
10:47they're mainly
10:48cottage garden-style plants
10:50and things that we can
10:51all get our hands on
10:53in nurseries
10:53and garden centres.
10:54Things like the pinks,
10:56the oregano there,
10:58we've got crocosmere here,
11:00peonies,
11:01iris,
11:03fennel,
11:04agapanthus,
11:05and it's all put together
11:07so effortlessly too.
11:12This is idyllic,
11:14this courtyard.
11:14It's beautiful.
11:15Well, I rather love it
11:16because it's got
11:17a lot of rarities.
11:18You said there weren't
11:19any rarities
11:19in the rest of the garden.
11:20This is a rarity corner here.
11:23Well, I can see
11:24this is more unusual,
11:25it's more exotic.
11:26Yeah, I like a challenge.
11:27I've got the fuchsia,
11:28climbing lady Boothby.
11:30That's lovely.
11:32And melianthus.
11:32Melianthus,
11:33which Joe likes.
11:34I like it.
11:34Well, I think it looks
11:35great there.
11:36Yeah, I know,
11:36I think it's lovely, actually.
11:38And what about the one
11:38by the door over there?
11:40Oh, that's begonia
11:43albopictorosia.
11:44It'll stay out all summer
11:45and then it'll go in the kitchen
11:46in the winter.
11:48So of all the gardens
11:49that you've created,
11:50how does this one rate?
11:52When people ask me
11:53what's my favourite garden,
11:54I always say mine,
11:56of course,
11:56and they're quite surprised.
11:58But of course,
11:59isn't yours your favourite garden?
12:01Most definitely.
12:02Because that's where
12:02you can garden
12:03and that's what we want to do.
12:05It just is
12:06the place where I feel
12:08completely at home
12:10and myself.
12:11The passion comes across
12:12from you so strongly.
12:15Oh, Joe.
12:16Thank you so much.
12:16This has been amazing
12:17seeing your garden.
12:18It was lovely having you here.
12:20Thank you for coming.
12:21Thanks for inviting us.
12:39Come on.
12:51Many, many years ago
12:53I visited Mary Keane's
12:55previous garden
12:55in Berkshire.
12:56It was wonderful.
12:57And she was the very first person
12:59to come and see
13:01my garden in London
13:0243 years ago.
13:04And she wrote an article about it
13:05and arguably
13:06started my career
13:08as a garden writer
13:09and broadcaster.
13:11So it's fascinating
13:12to see her garden now.
13:14Now I'm just gathering
13:15one or two
13:16of these scented leaf
13:17pelargoniums
13:18which I'm going to take
13:19down to the end
13:20because it's time
13:21to give them
13:22a bit of attention.
13:30Come on, panty boy.
13:32Hot panty boy.
13:39The thing about
13:40these scented leaf
13:41pelargoniums
13:42is obviously,
13:44as the name suggests,
13:45their fragrance.
13:46Now this is tormentosum
13:48and you rub the leaf
13:50and it releases
13:51this strong odour
13:54of peppermint.
13:55It's really powerful.
13:56Now this is a new variety
13:58called Torrento
13:59which rather weirdly
14:01smells of those
14:02little cola sweets.
14:05It is slightly weird
14:07I have to confess
14:08but interesting.
14:10And there are lots
14:11and lots of fragrances
14:12from the slightly weird
14:14to the absolutely delicious.
14:17But whatever type
14:18of pelargonium you have
14:19now is the time
14:20to get them ready
14:21for spring.
14:27This is a much more familiar
14:29zonal pelargonium.
14:31It comes from South Africa
14:33and rather than these
14:35relatively compact plants
14:38with big flowers,
14:39when you see them
14:40growing wild
14:41they can be big shrubs,
14:43big woody shrubs
14:44sort of six foot tall
14:45with smaller flowers
14:47which are then pruned
14:50by fire
14:51but from it
14:52they regrow.
14:53And I don't necessarily
14:55suggest getting a blowtorch
14:56to prune this
14:57but prune it
14:58you must
14:59if you don't want it
15:00to get really leggy.
15:01These have been
15:02in the greenhouse
15:03all winter
15:04so they've flowered
15:05all winter.
15:06However,
15:07you've got to be bold
15:08and cut them off now
15:09or else you won't
15:10have any in the summer.
15:11It's exhausted
15:12and it needs a rest
15:14so if we take off
15:15those flowers
15:16and cut back
15:16refresh the compost
15:18water it
15:19feed it
15:20we'll get vigorous new growth
15:22and that will give us
15:23a really good display
15:24later on in summer.
15:26You can cut these
15:27really hard
15:28or if you like
15:29a little bit of legginess
15:30and I do
15:32then you include that.
15:34So what I'm going to do
15:35is just cut here
15:36which leaves a bit of stem
15:39and then here
15:45and that can come off there.
15:49Now this one
15:50the one that smells
15:53of cola bottles
15:54I'm going to be
15:55much more ruthless.
15:58Take that off.
16:00That there.
16:01Now can you see
16:02there is new growth
16:03right at the base
16:05and that's where
16:06I'm going back to
16:07now that is radical
16:09but because it's
16:10a young plant
16:12I'm doing that
16:13to really encourage
16:15a fresh flush of growth
16:17from the base.
16:19and finally
16:20this one
16:21tormentosum
16:22I like the way
16:23that it spills down
16:25I don't really want
16:26to reduce this at all.
16:27All I'm going to do
16:28is take off
16:29any spent leaves
16:32however
16:33this one here
16:34this zonal pelargonium
16:36needs repotting
16:37and I'll show you
16:37how to do that.
16:38So I'm going to take it
16:39out of the pot
16:40like this
16:46and what I'm going to do
16:47is take off
16:47the bottom third
16:49so we're taking off
16:51quite a lot
16:52of the compost there.
16:58I've put
17:00the crocks back
17:01in the bottom
17:04and I've got
17:05some fresh compost here.
17:06Now this is
17:08a wood-based compost
17:09a little bit
17:10of garden compost added
17:11and quite a lot of grit.
17:15Just look at the roots
17:17on that.
17:19Great.
17:20In you go.
17:28And I'm going to wiggle it
17:29to work
17:30the soil
17:32around the roots
17:33and then I'm going to
17:33dress that with some grit
17:35which just makes it
17:36look better.
17:40Give it a drink
17:42but make sure
17:43it drains thoroughly.
17:48And then feed it
17:49liquid seaweed
17:51once a week
17:52and you should start
17:53to see healthy new growth.
17:55And keep feeding it
17:56until it starts flowering.
17:59I will go through
18:00all the pelargoniums
18:01particularly the zonal ones
18:02and set them up
18:04for fresh growth
18:05and of course
18:06a really fresh
18:07good display
18:08in the summer months.
18:14Now,
18:15last September
18:16we went to visit
18:17Karim Habibi
18:18in his nursery in Kent
18:20and his incredible collection
18:23of heritage apples.
18:31We have 700 varieties
18:32of apples.
18:34What I'm doing
18:35is actually preserving
18:36lots of the old varieties.
18:38It's important
18:39that these are available
18:40for people to grow
18:41in their gardens
18:41because they're not
18:42available in shops
18:43and people forget
18:45what very nice
18:46heirloom varieties
18:47taste like.
18:48Each apple
18:49is like rehearing a song
18:50you've not heard
18:51for a while
18:52because I'll instantly
18:53remember
18:53the other times
18:55I've tried that apple.
18:56So I'm quite passionate
18:57to keep these apples going.
19:00I'm very glad
19:01when people do
19:01come to the nursery
19:02try an apple
19:04for the first time
19:04and they say
19:05goodness
19:05I never knew
19:06apples could taste
19:07like this.
19:13This is Sweet Society.
19:15It's a lovely
19:16dessert apple
19:17with quite an intense
19:18flavour
19:18quite crisp as well.
19:25This is Jumbo
19:26one of my favourite
19:27cooking apples
19:28and it cooks down
19:29to a lovely
19:29apple sauce
19:30very very easily.
19:36This is Captain Kidd
19:37a lovely sweet apple
19:38with a pear drops flavour.
19:45Caring for all these trees
19:46is a huge operation
19:47I'll be producing
19:497,000 or so
19:50new trees a year
19:52I am obsessed
19:54with the apples
19:55I'm obsessed
19:55with looking after
19:56fruit trees
19:57and maintaining
19:58the collection
19:58it is a sort of
19:59labour of love.
20:03Right now we're
20:04amongst the mother trees
20:05so there's about
20:06a thousand trees here
20:07and every single tree
20:08is actually a different
20:09variety
20:10and that's essential
20:11to have
20:11so that I can harvest
20:12Cyan wood
20:13and Cyan wood
20:14is essentially
20:15new growth
20:16on that tree
20:17which I can use
20:18for cloning.
20:19Just above each
20:20leaf stalk
20:21there is a bud
20:22and each one
20:23of these buds
20:24has the potential
20:25to produce a new tree.
20:27If you look at
20:27older growth
20:28on a tree
20:28those active buds
20:30aren't there
20:31so that's why
20:31you can't use
20:32older wood
20:32and you need
20:33new growth.
20:36So right now
20:37I'm taking
20:38the leaves
20:38off
20:39the Cyan wood
20:40so that it doesn't
20:41actually dry out
20:42I'll also
20:44take the top off
20:46because that is
20:46actually too thin
20:47to work with
20:48so now that's ready
20:49and the next stage
20:50is to graft this
20:52onto some rootstock
20:59Right now
21:00we're amongst
21:00the rootstocks
21:02the rootstock
21:03obviously determines
21:04the vigor of the tree
21:05and so every
21:07apple tree
21:08that is in this country
21:09is actually
21:10made in this way
21:11where it's actually
21:12made up of two parts
21:13the rootstock
21:14and the Cyan
21:14which is above that
21:15and you can usually
21:16see the graft union
21:17where it's actually
21:19going to have
21:19different bark
21:20it's going to look
21:20quite different
21:21so that's the part
21:22where you know
21:23that any flowers
21:24on that top part
21:25of the tree
21:26will produce
21:27let's say
21:28your Bramleys
21:29or your Cox's
21:29Orange Pippins
21:30so this Cyanwood
21:32that I collected
21:33from the mother tree
21:34I'm going to graft
21:35this onto
21:35this rootstock
21:36right here
21:37using a technique
21:37called chip budding
21:38I'm making a shallow
21:41cut on the Cyanwood
21:45the next stage
21:47is to make
21:48the exact same
21:49incision
21:50on the rootstock
21:56I'll then tape
21:58this up
22:02and that's now done
22:03so that bud
22:05that is now on there
22:06that will fuse
22:07to the rootstock
22:08and next year
22:09and next season's growth
22:10that will grow
22:11into a one-year maiden
22:12so it might put
22:13five, six foot of growth on
22:22so every summer
22:23I'll be out here
22:24chip budding
22:24in late July
22:26through till August
22:27it's a lot of work
22:28I will probably be spending
22:29the best part
22:30of 10, 12 hours a day
22:32both collecting
22:32Cyanwood
22:33and chip budding
22:34I'll probably aim
22:36to do 500 of these
22:37a day
22:38I'll work well
22:39into the night
22:39some nights
22:40with a head torch on
22:41and that's just
22:42because there is
22:43a shortish period
22:45where you have to get
22:45quite a lot of work done
22:50once you grow
22:51an old variety
22:52like Ashmead's kernel
22:54for example
22:54it's such an
22:56unforgettable variety
22:57that you become
22:58quite excited
22:59and passionate
23:00about preserving
23:01more and more
23:02old varieties
23:02because you realise
23:03that these apples
23:05are some of the
23:06best fruits
23:07in the world
23:07you can go back
23:09through time
23:10and see how important
23:11a certain apple was
23:12to a certain area
23:13because that apple
23:15is cloned
23:15you can actually
23:16taste exactly
23:17what people were tasting
23:19sort of 200, 300, 400 years ago
23:21and you can't really do that
23:23with a lot of other fruits
23:28in the early 90s
23:29when my parents
23:30started things here
23:31Britain was actually
23:32losing lots of its
23:33old orchards
23:34my parents were quite
23:35passionate about
23:36actually sourcing
23:37old material
23:38and creating a collection
23:40things like
23:41margill
23:41or pitmast
23:43and pineapple
23:43these old varieties
23:45which were
23:46such lovely apples
23:47to actually grow
23:48and try yourself
23:49they really wanted
23:51you know
23:52everyone to have
23:53that experience
23:56I really wanted to
23:58experiment
23:59and try and create
24:00my own varieties
24:01eventually
24:02I persuaded my dad
24:03to let me have
24:04a sort of
24:04small nook
24:05of the nursery
24:06where I actually
24:07sort of planted
24:08seedling varieties
24:10grafted those out
24:11and eventually
24:12I have actually
24:13produced some
24:14of my own varieties
24:15unfortunately
24:16my father passed away
24:17before trying
24:18any of the seedling apples
24:19and one of the first
24:20apples which was
24:21an exceptional apple
24:23I've actually now
24:24named that variety
24:25after my father
24:26I've called it
24:26Hamid's red pippin
24:28I think he would have
24:29been very interested
24:30to try that
24:31it's quite sad
24:32he never did
24:32but it's very nice
24:34every time I see
24:35that apple
24:35to sort of
24:36think of my dad
24:40right now
24:40we're amongst
24:41the maidens
24:42in the nursery
24:43to get to the point
24:45where your
24:45one year old tree
24:46is going to
24:46start to thrive
24:48and produce apples
24:49firstly you want to
24:50plant the tree
24:50in the wintertime
24:51and let the tree
24:52establish
24:53so that means
24:54plant the tree well
24:54so the roots are happy
24:55and water the tree
24:57quite a lot
24:57so in that very first
24:59wintertime
25:00whilst it's dormant
25:01you probably want to
25:02cut some branches off
25:03lower down
25:03so these lower branches
25:05in the long term
25:06are not going to be
25:07very useful
25:07perhaps if you are
25:08going to sort of
25:09try and train
25:09in a spalier
25:10or step over
25:11but for a
25:11freestanding tree
25:12which generally
25:13is what most people
25:14plant
25:15you really want
25:15a clear trunk
25:16lower down
25:16so that maintenance
25:17is quite easy
25:18and then at the top
25:20of the tree
25:20most people actually
25:21want quite a sort of
25:22three-dimensional crown
25:23so imagine a goblet
25:24shaped tree
25:25and those are where
25:26you want your fruit
25:26so that the tree
25:27is able to sort of
25:29hold itself up
25:30whilst carrying
25:31heavy fruits
25:32you can essentially
25:33choose where you want
25:34the crown of the tree
25:35to be
25:35by cutting the leader
25:37off at a certain point
25:38because what happens
25:39is if you cut
25:39the leader off
25:40all the buds
25:41below the certain point
25:43where you cut the tree
25:44they're going to compete
25:46for apical dominance
25:47which means they're
25:47going to try
25:48and grow as much
25:49as they can
25:50so you end up
25:51with a large
25:52sort of cluster
25:53of branches
25:54coming out
25:55and from that
25:56you can actually
25:56select some
25:57that will form
25:58a balanced crown
25:59of about sort of
26:00four branches
26:01five branches
26:03I would like to think
26:05that in a few hundred
26:06years time
26:07people might have
26:08a Hamid's red pippin tree
26:09in their garden
26:10and they will look up
26:11who was this person
26:13where did this apple
26:14come from
26:14oh I live in Kent
26:16oh okay
26:16I know where that
26:17you know
26:17where that town is
26:19it's something
26:20that I'm very fortunate
26:21to be able to do
26:22and I certainly
26:24would love it
26:25if one day
26:25one of my children
26:26wants to
26:27continue this
26:28I can't think
26:29of anything nicer
26:30than working
26:31alongside one of them
26:32or all of them
26:33if they all
26:34want to join in
26:35so many apples
26:36yummy
26:52when I planted
26:53this orchard
26:53so many years ago
26:55I carefully hunted out
26:58and chose
26:58heritage
26:59local varieties
27:01I wanted to build up
27:03something that could
27:03only represent this area
27:05so therefore
27:06of course
27:06I really admire
27:08what Kareem is doing
27:09and he's doing it
27:10so well
27:11it wouldn't be marvellous
27:11if his children
27:12carried that on
27:13and his grandchildren
27:14what a fantastic project
27:16now
27:17it's time
27:18to visit one of your gardens
27:19we're going down
27:21to Dorset
27:22to visit the garden
27:23of James Baker
27:26hello
27:27I'm James
27:28off of the Traitors
27:29welcome to Weymouth
27:30I do this for a living
27:31gardening
27:32so I thought I'd show you
27:33my humble abode
27:34this is like a patio area
27:36obviously it's a bit early
27:37in the year
27:38but your tulips
27:38are coming up now
27:39it's constantly experimenting
27:41daily I might move
27:42something around
27:43whatever tickles my fancy
27:44that's part of the fun
27:45of gardening
27:46you know
27:46you're never right
27:47and you're never wrong
27:48everyone's a busker
27:49me included
27:52structurally
27:52functional down the middle
27:54I have a family
27:55I don't have any
27:56please keep off the grass
27:57business
27:58I just like to fill the beds
27:59with everything
28:00just go wild
28:01and I like to let the periwinkle
28:03cascade down
28:04a bit like a waterfall
28:05the hebeer just goes wild
28:07and what I love about this
28:09you get the purple
28:10and I've got a climbing rose
28:11that comes through
28:12and the pink and purple
28:13intertwine
28:14beautiful
28:15now this is my
28:16piĆØce de rĆ©sistance
28:17my favourite bit of the garden
28:19this pear tree
28:20so basically this pear tree
28:21was swamped with ivy
28:23and it was on its last legs
28:24had one little pear on it
28:25we replanted that seed
28:26and that is
28:27growing down there
28:30that scraping sound
28:31you hear in the background
28:32is my son
28:33hello Noah
28:33hello
28:34raking up the leaves
28:35good man
28:35and I let the kids do
28:36what I used to do
28:37in my granddad's garden
28:38is just learn on the spot
28:39watch, learn
28:40experiment
28:41trial and error
28:42my great granddad
28:43was an incredible gardener
28:44lived to 102
28:46so you know
28:47there's something to be said
28:48to be outdoors
28:49you know
28:49breathing in the air
28:51it's good for the soul gardening
28:53master and apprentice
28:54I think you're the master there
28:56in this area
28:57I'm going to put onions
28:59down here
29:00carrots in the front row
29:02radishes
29:03lettuce plants
29:05potentially a cucumber plant
29:07running up that
29:07you've got the job now
29:08it's yours
29:10so this little area
29:11I salvaged what I could
29:12from the wreckage of a hedgerow
29:14this bay was put in
29:15and it was a twig
29:16when we cut it back
29:17but it's you know
29:18been shaped now
29:19no Edward Scissorhands
29:20but you know
29:21good enough
29:21the little hack I've got
29:22is sedum stonecrop
29:24it's good ground cover
29:25it's great weed suppressor
29:26this came from one clipping
29:28I got
29:28which is incredible
29:29they're up there
29:30with periwinkle for me
29:31for beautiful
29:32almost like forest floor
29:33carpet coverage
29:35here's my bravery
29:36award for gardening
29:38this aeonium
29:39was left out
29:40all year
29:41kind of as an experiment really
29:42it was a success story
29:44so I will be trying that again
29:45I hate to shatter the illusion
29:46it is trial and error gardening
29:48gardening adds years to your life
29:50and life to your years
29:51and that is like
29:52the best quote I think I've ever heard
29:54I want that on a t-shirt
29:56that's my garden
29:57thank you for watching
30:23I like the fact that James' son was growing vegetables
30:30well it's time that I started to sow some vegetables too
30:34Longmeadow had such a soaking all winter
30:37now the raised beds make a difference
30:40and actually now they're not too bad
30:42they're ready
30:42the rule of thumb
30:43if you're sowing seeds
30:45or indeed planting anything out
30:46is if the soil feels cold to your hand
30:49don't do it
30:50but if it doesn't feel cold
30:52doesn't have to feel warm
30:52it just doesn't feel cold
30:54then you're away
30:55and you can get going
30:56and what I'm actually going to put in here
30:58is for me a bit unusual
31:02this is garlic
31:03and nine years out of ten
31:05I plant garlic directly into the bed
31:09usually in September
31:10but certainly no later than October
31:12but I couldn't get the bulbs to plant
31:16until October
31:17late October
31:18and by then
31:19the ground was too wet
31:20so what I did is
31:22I planted them up into these plugs
31:23I brought them on in the greenhouse
31:25for about the first month
31:26and then they've been outside all winter
31:28because for garlic to form cloves
31:30rather than just a single bulb
31:32it needs a period of cold weather
31:41if you've planted bulbs
31:42and they've rotted in the wet
31:44or if you've just got ground
31:45that stays wet all winter
31:46this system of planting the garlic
31:48in deep plugs
31:49or three inch pots
31:50and then planting out
31:52when the ground is ready
31:53I think can work very well
32:04now
32:05last August
32:06Carol went to RHS Rosemore
32:09to see their vegetable garden
32:11and potage
32:12and of course
32:13I'm sure they produce delicious food
32:15and I'm pretty sure
32:17that all of it gets eaten
32:18but it also looks fantastic
32:25As far as I'm concerned
32:27nothing beats
32:28growing your own fruit and veg
32:31and eating it
32:33Here
32:34there's so much
32:35to inspire you
32:36to grow your own
32:41This is a huge space
32:43the sort we might all dream of
32:45Mind you
32:46with a veg garden this big
32:47we'd have to feed the whole street
32:49There are so many ideas here
32:51we can take away
32:52and use in any size garden
32:55or even without one
32:56There are examples all around
32:58of veg, herbs and fruit
33:00growing in containers
33:02There are tomatoes
33:03chilies
33:05aubergines
33:06basil, parsley
33:07an array of herbs
33:08and even
33:10a glorious apple tree
33:11Traditionally
33:13in larger gardens
33:15fruit and veg
33:16are separated
33:17from flower borders
33:18to be more productive
33:19but that's not practical
33:22in smaller spaces
33:23so
33:24if you want to grow
33:26a bit of both
33:27and have limited space
33:28there's a perfect solution
33:32Well this is another of
33:33Rosemore's beautiful gardens
33:35This one is called
33:36the potager
33:37There are vegetables galore here
33:40but it has a whole
33:41different aesthetic
33:42from the vegetable garden
33:44In the vegetable garden
33:45everything's grown
33:46in serried ranks
33:48Here
33:49everything's grown
33:50because it looks beautiful
33:52next to its neighbour
33:53The whole idea
33:55is about design
33:56using vegetables
33:58ornamentally
33:59and making them look
34:01utterly beautiful
34:04The overall design
34:05in this garden
34:06is important
34:07It's based on a circle
34:09There's a circular herb garden
34:11in the centre
34:12and around it
34:13are arranged
34:13four symmetrical beds
34:15Although everything's edible
34:17it's all about
34:19what plants look like
34:20together
34:21So you've got
34:22beautiful chard here
34:24with these pink stems
34:25but over there
34:27another Swiss chard
34:28but this time
34:29with golden stems
34:31with the sunlight
34:31streaming through it
34:33It's hugely versatile
34:35and what's more
34:36you can eat it
34:37right the way
34:38through the year
34:39It'll overwinter
34:40wonderfully
34:41It's very, very hardy
34:43I love the addition
34:44of these tagetes
34:45all around the edge
34:47of this bed
34:47There's the tall one here
34:49which is one called
34:50cinnamon
34:51but the point is
34:52it's single
34:53which means it's hugely
34:55attractive
34:55to pollinating insects
34:57and of course
34:58that's just what you need
35:00to pollinate your beans
35:01and lots of your other
35:02flowering plants
35:03and then for a bit of drama
35:06in the background
35:06we've got this amaranth
35:08This is one called
35:10Red Army
35:11with these very dark stems
35:12and dark flowers
35:14and seed heads
35:15Amaranth is a wonderful vegetable
35:17it's grown all around the world
35:19for its leaves
35:20Here it's grown
35:21both to eat
35:23but also decoratively
35:24Now everything's set
35:26against each other here
35:27to give interest
35:28in texture and colour
35:30but also there's height
35:32from these beans
35:33growing up an obelisk
35:35in the corner
35:35and next door to them
35:37another vertical emphasis
35:39that great big aurac
35:40looking gorgeous
35:42in seed against the blue sky
35:44and then right in the middle
35:46these two sentinels
35:48these great big plants
35:50of bronze fennel
35:51another interesting texture
35:53to add to what already exists
35:56right the way through the bed
35:57and in fact
35:59right the way through the garden
36:02How about this
36:03for a novel idea
36:04If you've got a fence
36:06separating one bit
36:07of the garden
36:07from the other
36:08don't just leave it
36:09grow something up it
36:11Grow something like
36:12this beautiful plant
36:14This is an ornamental gourd
36:16and it's just using
36:18the fence as support
36:19All along these stems
36:21flowers are produced
36:22both male and female
36:24and when the bees
36:25have moved the pollen
36:26onto the female flowers
36:28they'll turn into fruit
36:29Now on this plant
36:31they're ornamental gourd
36:33so they're not edible
36:34but there are so many
36:35members of the
36:36Cucurbit family
36:37that grow in exactly
36:38the same way
36:39that are utterly delicious
36:41squash and pumpkins
36:43for a start
36:44All they need
36:45to grow successfully
36:46is loads of sun
36:48and lots of water
36:49Beautiful
36:56Not only is this garden
36:58packed with beautiful vegetables
37:00but there are so many
37:02fruit trees too
37:03and so many good examples
37:05of how to grow them
37:06Here's a step over apple
37:09The whole idea is
37:10it makes a really
37:11really low plant
37:12and yet
37:13it's extremely productive
37:15Just look at the apples here
37:17And all that happens is
37:19as the apple comes up
37:21two big shoots
37:22are trained horizontally
37:24along wires
37:25The wires are just
37:26a couple of feet
37:27off the ground
37:28and it's tied in
37:29and keeps making progress
37:31all the time
37:32And each time
37:33it sends out a side shoot
37:34that's cut back
37:36to a couple of buds
37:37which is when it makes
37:39these fruiting spurs
37:40and eventually
37:41these lovely
37:42delicious apples too
37:44But another
37:45wonderful way
37:46of training apples
37:47is this
37:48This is an espalier
37:50and it's a beautiful
37:51example of this technique
37:53So here's the central trunk
37:55and this time
37:57these branches
37:58have been trained out
37:59horizontally
38:00These ones first
38:02obviously
38:02the plant has grown up
38:04a couple of feet
38:05and then two more
38:06are trained out sideways
38:08Again
38:09that happens
38:10Third one
38:12and probably
38:13you'd end up
38:14with a fourth one
38:14you have here
38:15and all the way up
38:17you've got this
38:17bountiful crop of apples
38:19So even in a tiny space
38:22or on a flat wall
38:23or in between
38:25two parts of a garden
38:27you can produce a plant
38:28which gives you
38:29loads and loads
38:31of fruit
38:34Throughout the veg garden
38:36there are glorious
38:36examples of
38:37companion planting
38:38as here
38:40with this wonderful archway
38:42full of fig leaf gourds
38:44Look at those
38:45beautiful fruits
38:46But at their feet
38:48are growing
38:48tagetes
38:49and they are supposed
38:50to deter whiteflies
38:52and other kinds of apis
38:54They've got a really
38:55strong pungent smell
38:56and they bring in
38:58all sorts of
38:59pollinating insects
39:00The potager
39:02and the vegetable garden
39:03show us all
39:05that with a little
39:06bit of creativity
39:07we can put
39:08vegetables
39:09and flowers
39:10together
39:10to produce something
39:12which is just as beautiful
39:14as any bed
39:15or border
39:40Now here's another change
39:42that we made
39:42over the winter
39:43This is the mound
39:44and for the last
39:46six or seven years
39:47these have been
39:49big beds
39:50on either side
39:51of the path
39:51with roses
39:52and quite big planting
39:54but the space
39:56was awkward
39:57so
39:58taken them out
40:00and this has been
40:02laid as a terrace
40:03Here you're raised up
40:05I'm looking down
40:06on the new woodland garden
40:07which is pleasing
40:08and so I'm very happy
40:10with the result
40:22This has proved
40:24to be the perfect place
40:25to keep houseplants
40:26and they're happy in here
40:28for three reasons
40:29The first is
40:30the light is good
40:32It's bright
40:33but it's not glaring
40:35It's never very direct
40:37sunlight
40:37The second reason
40:39is that the temperature
40:40in here is pretty constant
40:41and houseplants like that
40:43whereas in a modern
40:44centrally heated house
40:45the temperature
40:46can fluctuate by 20 degrees
40:48and thirdly
40:49the reason why
40:50they're happy in here
40:51because they're neglected
40:52and neglect
40:53is the secret
40:55of the happy houseplant
41:07when I say they thrive
41:09when I say they thrive on neglect
41:09what I mean is
41:11is that you can really
41:12damage them
41:13by too much of anything
41:14too much watering
41:15too much feeding
41:16too much warmth
41:18too much light
41:19is going to do
41:20far more damage
41:21to houseplants
41:22than a bit of
41:24benign neglect
41:25I'm going to go through
41:26each of these
41:27and do what I would
41:28do in spring
41:29as we enter
41:31the growing season
41:31I'm going to start
41:32with the cheese plant
41:33because this poor thing
41:34is not in a good state
41:36look it's fallen
41:37completely over
41:38it's lost its support
41:39and if I put it
41:41on the table
41:41for a minute
41:42you can see
41:43what's happened
41:43this here
41:45has broken away
41:46so the first thing
41:48to do
41:48is to prune it
41:49now is the time
41:51to prune
41:52a cheese plant
41:53it's too big
41:55reduce it in size
41:56if it's damaged
41:57take off the damaged part
42:00by and large
42:01it's actually
42:02not at all unhealthy
42:03can you see me
42:04through the leaves
42:06it's looking quite happy
42:07so the first thing
42:08I need to do
42:09is to support it
42:12make sure they're strong
42:13and make sure
42:14they're tied in well
42:15when you're tying up
42:16any plant
42:17always use soft twine
42:19so it doesn't damage
42:21the plant
42:24there we go
42:26if the leaves
42:28get at all dusty
42:29just wipe them
42:30with a damp cloth
42:32with your fingers
42:34just remove
42:35some of the compost
42:36maybe the top inch
42:37and then
42:39top it up
42:40so a soil-based compost
42:42or a bark-based compost
42:43with plenty of drainage
42:47this just gives it
42:49a little bit
42:49of extra goodness
42:50to kick off
42:51this fresh growing season
42:54the next thing to do
42:55is to give this
42:56a good drink
42:58what I have
42:58is a very weak solution
43:00of seaweed feed
43:01and I'm going to
43:02water that in
43:02until it's running
43:03out of the bottom
43:06let it be sodden
43:07and then
43:08let it really drain well
43:12now this
43:13spider plant
43:14is moderately happy
43:16and spider plants
43:18are one of the few
43:19house plants
43:20that actually can be
43:20a bit wetter than most
43:21because they're very forgiving
43:23so if you do overwater them
43:25you're unlikely to kill them
43:26but once a week
43:28is plenty
43:29with house plants
43:30you may experience
43:31little flies
43:32these are fungus mats
43:34and they are living off
43:36decaying organic matter
43:38in the compost
43:39and one of the reasons
43:40why it's decaying
43:41is because it's too wet
43:42so the quickest way
43:43to get rid of it
43:44is take off
43:45the top layer of compost
43:46replace it with fresh
43:47give it a soak
43:49and then only water it again
43:51when it's bone dry
43:52what I'm going to do
43:53with this now
43:54is give it
43:55an immersive soak
43:57hold it down
43:58until it stays
43:59under the water
43:59can you see the bubbles
44:01coming up there
44:03it's bubbling
44:04like a man
44:04who's had Jerusalem
44:05artichokes
44:06before his bath
44:09it's quite a good way
44:10of watering house plants
44:11that have become
44:12so dry
44:13that the water
44:13just seems to
44:14bounce off the top
44:16now
44:17while that's having a soak
44:18I'm going to deal
44:19with the Chinese money plant
44:21and
44:21what I'm going to do
44:22with this is repot it
44:24that's pretty firmly in there
44:25a little trick
44:27is to use a cane
44:27in the bottom
44:28and just push
44:29like that
44:30now you can see
44:32that
44:32that is essentially
44:33pot bound
44:34if you can see
44:35more roots than compost
44:37it needs repotting
44:39now I'm going to put it
44:40back in the same pot
44:41rather than putting it
44:42in a bigger pot
44:43so I'm going to remove
44:44some of the existing
44:46roots and compost
44:47and I'm just going to
44:48use my fingers
44:48I'm just going to
44:50scrape away a bit
44:50like this
44:53creating room
44:54for some fresh compost
44:56and therefore fresh roots
44:57to grow into
45:01we'll put a little bit
45:02of compost in the bottom
45:08push that down in
45:10having repotted
45:11I will give this
45:12a water
45:13and a feed
45:14let it drain thoroughly
45:15and then put it back
45:17now
45:18your best friend
45:19with any house plant
45:20is this
45:21a mister
45:22if you're not sure
45:24how much to water
45:25or when to water
45:26you can never go wrong
45:28by increasing the humidity
45:30so place them somewhere
45:32where you can spray them
45:33so their leaves
45:34are distinctly damp
45:35and sometimes running
45:36with water
45:36without damaging
45:38carpets
45:39or curtains
45:39or cushions
45:40and having watered them
45:42if any has accumulated
45:43in the saucer
45:44that's beneath them
45:45throw that away
45:46don't let them sit
45:47in the wet
45:48and that will do
45:50for most house plants
45:51of course it doesn't
45:52apply to cacti
45:55or succulents
45:56which are another
45:56whole thing
45:57all together
45:58now the whole point
46:00of house plants
46:00is that they deliver
46:02all the year round
46:05but out in the garden
46:07there are some plants
46:08that are absolutely
46:09of the season
46:10and only perform
46:12for a few
46:13brief
46:14bright weeks
46:15but are really special
46:16when they do
46:17and we went down
46:18to Cornwall
46:19to visit a grower
46:21of camellias
46:22which of course
46:22are at their best
46:23now
46:24and I think
46:25you might
46:26truly say
46:27that he does
46:29love a camellia
46:39I'm described
46:40by my missus
46:41as a serial obsessive
46:42and my current
46:43obsessions
46:44are camellias
46:46really in it deep
46:47with camellias
46:51the Italians
46:52used to call them
46:53perfecters
46:53there's a perfection
46:54in the arrangement
46:56of the flower
46:56that is
46:58pretty much
46:59unrivalled
47:05my name is
47:06Jim Stevens
47:06I've been in
47:07professional
47:08horticulture
47:08all my life
47:09this is my garden
47:10in Doddwolves
47:11in south east
47:12Cornwall
47:12and we've been here
47:13for about
47:1435 years now
47:16camellias
47:17give me interest
47:18in the garden
47:19from late autumn
47:20right through
47:21to spring
47:21when not much
47:22else is happening
47:23being evergreen
47:24shrubs
47:25providing greenery
47:26through the winter
47:27and form a background
47:28for everything else
47:28that's going on
47:29they're beautiful
47:32look at that
47:38there are over
47:4030,000 varieties
47:41of camellias
47:42there's about
47:42300 species
47:43there are
47:45camellias
47:45with beautiful foliage
47:47right through
47:48to the other
47:49extreme
47:49where you've got
47:49flowers
47:506 inches diameter
47:52in vivid pink
47:53and everything
47:54in between
47:54you've got perfume
47:56you've got big growers
47:57you've got small growers
47:58there's got to be
47:59a camellia for everybody
48:01I've got a couple
48:02of dozen here
48:03when I'm showing you
48:04them all
48:04I want you to
48:05put your hand on your heart
48:06and say
48:07you don't like any of them
48:11this is
48:11camellia
48:12Annette Carroll
48:13which has long been
48:14one of my favourites
48:14it always performs
48:16really well
48:16every year
48:17I love the way
48:18it opens
48:18from this really deep
48:19pink bud
48:20and then fades
48:21so at any one time
48:22you've got a sort of range
48:23of different colours
48:23across the bush
48:29this is one called
48:31Camellia japonica
48:32bob hope
48:33as good a deep
48:35rich red
48:35camellia as you'll get
48:37but a very typical
48:38japonica type camellia
48:39so it's a fairly
48:40solid presence
48:41in the garden
48:42this one has been here
48:44probably 12 or 15 years
48:45and I've kept it around
48:46about the same size
48:48by taking a couple
48:49of years growth
48:50growth off every second year
48:53when you read gardening books
48:55they'll often tell you that
48:56camellias don't need pruning
48:58but if you don't prune them
48:59they'll grow into small trees
49:01and are much too big for a small garden
49:04and you can prune them
49:06they respond extremely well to pruning
49:13so if you're wanting a really good starter camellia
49:16I've got a variety called Debbie
49:18this is a Williamsii camellia
49:21it's a good vigorous grower
49:23has lots and lots of flowers
49:24over a long period of time
49:26one of the characteristics
49:27of the Williamsii's
49:28is that they
49:29generally speaking
49:30drop the flowers
49:31before they go brown
49:32one of the reasons
49:34that they're so popular
49:34the japonica varieties
49:36which comprise the majority
49:38tend to hold on to the flowers
49:40and they go brown on the bush
49:43this one's one called
49:45Minato no Acibono
49:46which means harbour at dawn
49:48and this is a Lutruensis hybrid
49:51which means that it's
49:52beautifully perfumed
49:53right beside that
49:55towering above it
49:56is Camellia reticulata mystique
49:59which is very very different
50:01it's a very blousy
50:02pretty pink thing
50:06Camellia reticulata
50:07is the prima donna
50:08of the Camellia world
50:10and this I guess
50:10is what most people
50:11would associate with Camellias
50:13this is what they would
50:13be thinking of
50:15beauty is in the eyes
50:16of the beholder
50:17that to me is beautiful
50:20at the other extreme
50:21are things like this
50:23this is Camellia lutruensis
50:24which is a species
50:25such as you'd find
50:26growing in the wild
50:27so the flowers are tiny
50:29they're single flowers
50:30they're quite sweetly perfumed
50:32which the vast majority
50:33of Camellias are not
50:34and then the third one
50:36that I've got here
50:36is a variety called
50:37Koto no Kaori
50:39which is a hybrid
50:40between lutruensis
50:42and a japonica variety
50:43and this to my mind
50:45combines the best of both worlds
50:48you've got the colour
50:48you've got the floriferousness
50:50of it
50:50plus you've got the perfume
50:57this is my propagator
50:58and I took this batch
51:00of cuttings
51:01it was very late July
51:02early August last year
51:03they've been pretty much
51:05undisturbed since then
51:06just watered them occasionally
51:08and it'll be interesting
51:09to see whether they've
51:10got any roots on them
51:13ah look at that
51:14a little root system
51:17oh you're looking
51:18and a happy man here
51:19terrific
51:21when I take them
51:22in the cuttings
51:22that I took
51:23I cut that off
51:24right at the base
51:26wounded it slightly
51:27with a very sharp knife
51:29I just pare the bark off
51:31just down one side
51:32which is just enough wounding
51:33to stimulate rooting a bit
51:35and stuck it in the propagator
51:38so that needs to be potted up
51:40now into a little individual pot
51:42and lots and lots of new plants
51:53here we've got another species camellia
51:55this one's one called trans noquensis
51:58with tiny little white flowers
52:00very very strong contrast
52:02with this and the debbie behind it
52:05the typical what people
52:06would think of as camellias
52:07perhaps wouldn't even recognize
52:08this is a camellia at all
52:10but it has a much more natural
52:13relaxed habit of growth
52:14so a very thin twiggy
52:16upright habit of growth
52:17that might be much more appropriate
52:19to a lot of people's
52:20more natural type gardeners
52:22than the traditional camellia
52:30people who don't like camellias
52:31are not amenable to reason
52:33are they for heaven's sake
52:35how could you not like camellias
52:37it doesn't make any sense
52:55well it's hard to say this jim
52:57but you may notice
52:58i don't have a single camellia
53:00in this garden
53:00because i'm one of those terrible
53:03people that has not yet learnt to love them
53:05but maybe it will come to me
53:08but i do love hydrangeas
53:10and i've got some here
53:11in the writing garden
53:13you may notice that we've made some changes
53:15over winter
53:16because when we put the doghouse up last summer
53:18we put a path in front of it
53:21and it was a bit narrow
53:22so we widened the path
53:23to make a terraced area
53:25now there is space
53:27to put big pots
53:28i've got two
53:29and i'm putting in hydrangea paniculata
53:33hydrangeas cope well in light shade
53:35and they need relatively good drainage
53:38and the great thing about paniculata
53:41they can be pruned hard every year
53:44so therefore you can grow them in a pot
53:46without them getting too big
53:49first things first
53:50it needs a crock in the bottom
53:51it's not so much to improve the drainage
53:54but it's to stop the compost
53:56falling out the bottom of the pot
53:59i've already mixed up
54:00a mixture of grit
54:02plenty of our homemade leaf mould
54:05and the rest is peat-free compost
54:17right
54:18now that
54:20obviously
54:21gives lots of room for growth
54:23and because this is a great big pot
54:25i do want it to be dramatic
54:26this is a hydrangea paniculata
54:29kayushu
54:30and it carries conical white flowers
54:33june, july, august
54:35a lot of hydrangeas you think of
54:37as being september
54:39coming in for their best
54:40later in summer
54:41and into autumn
54:42also the critical thing about them
54:44is they flower on new wood
54:48right, let's take it out of the pot
54:52as a rule of thumb
54:54when you're planting anything in a pot
54:56leave at least an inch
54:58for watering
55:00perfect
55:11now as always
55:13particularly at this time of year
55:14when you plant anything
55:16water it in
55:20give it a good soak
55:22as well as watering it
55:24and giving it moisture
55:25it's moving the soil around the roots
55:28and i will water this weekly
55:30now
55:31what you see
55:33will carry no flowers at all
55:35so these stems will be bare
55:36the new growth
55:37will carry
55:38the flowers
55:39eventually what i want
55:41is a plant that is about
55:42seven foot tall
55:45festooned
55:45with white
55:48conical flowers
55:51now
55:51i've got some jobs
55:52you could do
55:53this weekend
56:05buddlia
56:05buddlia can be pruned now
56:07it flowers on new growth
56:10so everything that is on the plant now
56:13will produce no flowers
56:14so you need to cut hard
56:17if you go down to two buds
56:20from the base of the plant
56:21that's about as low as you need go
56:23or maybe about two or three foot
56:26but be brave
56:29and cut hard
56:37now is a great time
56:38to sow cosmos
56:39for a really good late summer display
56:43fill a seed tray
56:44with peat-free compost
56:45and carefully sprinkle the seeds
56:48so they're evenly placed across it
56:50cover them over
56:52water them
56:53and the best way to do this
56:54is to dip it in a tray of water
56:56for about ten minutes
56:57and then put them somewhere
56:58warm to germinate
57:00and they should be ready to prick out
57:01in a few weeks time
57:08if you've got hyacinths
57:10that you've grown for an indoor display
57:12over winter
57:12or any other bulbs
57:14that you've grown in containers
57:17you can plant them out into the garden
57:19when they've finished flowering
57:22put the whole thing
57:24untidied up
57:25leaves
57:26stems
57:26and all
57:27into the soil
57:28bury them
57:29and let them die back naturally
57:31and they will flower next year
57:39into the soil
57:39in a little bit
57:39they will kill you
57:56and the soil
57:56Hurray
57:56little
57:59explai
58:02some
58:02more
58:02qualities
58:02as
58:02you
58:02eat
58:03I will take these buddlier cuttings and put them through a shredder.
58:07And then that will go onto paths, and that way everything gets recycled.
58:14Well, that's it for today.
58:16It's been a beautiful spring day here at Longmeadow.
58:20And I do hope that you can get out into your garden and enjoy some spring sunshine
58:27and just this sense of the world breaking free from winter and coming alive again.
58:33I'll see you back here at Longmeadow next time.
58:35So until then, bye-bye.
59:06Longmeadow
Comments