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Gardeners' World Season 59 Episode 3
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00:30BIRDS CHIRP
00:40Hello, welcome to Gardener's World.
00:43This is the lime walk.
00:45It's the first thing I see when I come out into the garden in the morning.
00:49And some years ago, I planted ferns, mainly dryopterous, all the way along its length.
00:56But they've become a little bit straggly.
00:59Some have got very big, some are smaller, and that rhythm of the ferns is beginning to be lost.
01:06However, I've got the new woodland area where I really want to add ferns.
01:11So I think I can kill two birds with one stone.
01:13By removing ferns from here and reshaping it, I can use them where I think they'll be much more effective.
01:20So that's what I'm doing.
01:21Now, I'm digging this dryopterous out.
01:22Now, it's a beast.
01:23It's quite something.
01:26When you're moving any plant, you want to take as much of the root as you possibly can.
01:31Right.
01:32Weightlifting for the day.
01:35Into there.
01:36That's one.
01:37I've got another one to move.
01:43They are really quite substantial.
01:49Okay.
01:50Off to the woodland, then.
02:00Come on.
02:01Come on.
02:03Come on.
02:16The one unifying factor with all the plants in the woodland garden is that they all have adapted to some
02:22degree of shade.
02:23Of course, at this time of year, there's hardly any, which is why you get spring flowering plants that wouldn't
02:27survive the sort of shade that they're going to get in June.
02:31However, ferns will take deep shade, whether it be dry shade or wet.
02:37But I've been around.
02:38I've marked the spots where I want to put the ferns with canes.
02:41I know exactly where I want them to go.
02:42It's just a question of making a hole, bunging them in.
02:46It may not look like it now, but this is the darkest corner of the woodland garden.
02:51In fact, arguably the darkest corner of the whole of Longmeadow.
02:54Because once the foliage grows on this hawthorn, it shades this area out.
03:00There are trees beyond that shade the hawthorn itself.
03:15Right, let's see if that will fit.
03:31There you go.
03:33It is important not to plant them too deep, just the level that they were when you dug them up.
03:44I will now water that in.
03:52Everything you plant into the ground should have a good soak.
03:56And if it's very dry, you're going to have to keep watering.
03:59Once when they're established and growing strongly, then you can back off.
04:02Right, that's one, and the beauty of that is it's big, it's going to fill that space, it will look
04:07dramatic, so that's fine.
04:09However, the other one, I'm going to divide.
04:14Oh, boy.
04:19There we go.
04:20So, when you're chopping up a big root, and this applies to ferns like this, to hostas, a really big,
04:26chunky root, your best tool is a sharp spade.
04:29Just jab down on it hard, and I hope that you hit it fairly accurately, but you won't do much
04:34damage.
04:35There we go.
04:36Perfect.
04:38That's the one.
04:39So, that gives us two big ferns.
04:42What I'll do is divide each of these in two again.
04:47So.
04:58Ferns are really, really adaptable plants.
05:01Get them established, then they'll need no attention at all.
05:04And I know some people feel they're, you know, a bit dull, they're just green.
05:07I mean, actually, once you get into them, they're wonderful.
05:11They're beautiful plants.
05:33The orchard is filled with daffodils.
05:35The first lot are the wild daffodils, the pseudo-narcissus, which is actually, to be honest, just beginning to go
05:40over.
05:40But we've got others coming through.
05:42We've got daffodils that we've planted out from pots.
05:45We've also added pheasant-side daffodils, which flower very late.
05:50They will come through in May.
05:51But the point about the daffodils here in the orchard, and any in long grass, is they're quite robust.
05:57And they have to be.
05:58Because the wind can sweep in.
06:00We can have rain.
06:01We can have snow.
06:02And the daffodils have to take it all and keep on flowering without any protection.
06:07And, by and large, they do, and they look wonderful.
06:11However, Francis has been up to visit a collection of daffodils that are very different.
06:15They're small, but they're exquisitely beautiful.
06:25Today, I have been given the keys to a world very few people ever get to see.
06:31Behind these greenhouse doors lie one of the most extraordinary private collections of miniature daffodils in the country.
06:43The hands that tend this incredible collection prefer to stay out of the spotlight.
06:48But she has given me permission to have a look around and to share it with you.
06:57Inside this Yorkshire garden, there's three greenhouses, a rock garden, and over 30 years of work dedicated to these lovely
07:05little flowers.
07:06This, of course, is a daffodil.
07:08It is a favoured flower of spring.
07:11It sort of heralds that new season.
07:13We see them everywhere.
07:14But what we're seeing more and more of are these.
07:17These are miniature daffodils.
07:19I grow them in my garden.
07:21There are some beautiful ones.
07:22But what you probably won't have seen is one of these.
07:27This one is called Little Finn.
07:29And this is what this collection is made of.
07:35These are truly tiny.
07:38The flowers grown here require real dedication.
07:43Miniature daffodils originate from places like the Mediterranean, places where it's very hot in the summer and very dry.
07:50And to flower well, they need to be baked by the sun in the summer and then have a cool
07:55winter.
07:55So in terms of growing them, a glass house to keep them protected from the rain and lots of drainage,
08:01so gravel and sand, very much in the way that you would grow alpine plants.
08:13In this greenhouse is where all the species daffodils or narcissi are kept.
08:19So these are ones that naturally occur in the wild.
08:22This is narcissus provincialis.
08:25So this is a very definite classic daffodil shape, only obviously much smaller.
08:31This is the corona, the central trumpet part of the daffodil.
08:35And then around it is the perianth, which makes up the petals.
08:40And it's those two features and their size and shape that give the daffodils their characteristic forms.
08:48This one, on the other hand, which is a cyclamineous type, which has these reflex petals that point backwards, always
08:56feels to me like it's scared.
08:59Or like it stuck its head out of a car window and everything being blown backwards.
09:03I love these.
09:06These ones may be my favourite narcissi.
09:10They're called bulbacodium or hooped petticoat, so you can kind of see why from this beautiful big trumpet.
09:17So this is a really oversized corona and very, very small perianth with these tiny petals.
09:25Absolutely stunning.
09:27And it's all of these differences.
09:29Once you start to look at daffodils, as with any plant, if you get obsessed with them, you see these
09:35minute little shifts from one species to another species.
09:39And then, of course, from them, you can start breeding brand new hybrids.
09:47From one greenhouse of pure and simple miniature species, it's a short hop to another to see the results of
09:53selective breeding.
09:57Now, all of the narcissi in here are bred hybrids, so they've been selected over a huge process to come
10:04to this stage of being ready.
10:06And there are some absolutely incredible ones here.
10:09Look, this is peach twist.
10:11It has twisted petals on the perianth, and the corona is that peachy colour.
10:17It's really unusual, really, really beautiful.
10:20What else do we have?
10:21Oh, look.
10:22So this one has a square flower because it has two extra petals on it.
10:30And then just in front, look, this beautifully delicate spider-shaped flower with a pronounced trumpet and really, really defined
10:41perianth.
10:42And I do have to say, the scent in here is incredible.
10:46Narcissi don't all have scent, but a lot of them do.
10:50And this breeder is choosing them especially for their really rich scents.
10:54So even if you're just growing these, to cut them and put them in a little vase on your table
10:58where you can smell them, they're so worth it.
11:01To get here, though, is not a simple thing.
11:05As with any passion project, selecting and breeding these takes an awful lot of time.
11:20This is the propagation greenhouse.
11:23So once you've chosen the two parents you want to cross, you'd collect the seed from that cross and sow
11:28it.
11:29And this is what you would get.
11:31This is just germinated seed in year one.
11:35Look how fine and delicate this is.
11:38And each one of these blades will grow into a slightly different flower, potentially, with different characteristics from the parents.
11:46So you never know what you're going to get when you do plant breeding.
11:49Now, this is year two.
11:52So again, incredibly fine and delicate plants.
11:56And it won't be until year four when the first flowers will grow.
12:02Now, this is a year four seedling.
12:07So this is the first time that this has ever flowered.
12:11No one's ever seen this before because it's never existed before.
12:14But that's the magic of this.
12:16You know, you never quite know where it's going to end up.
12:19This is the first time that I'm seeing this.
12:22Well, that we're seeing this.
12:25Isn't it lovely?
12:27So let's try it.
12:28It does well.
12:31But not all miniature daffodils need the comfort and safety of a cool greenhouse,
12:36as it is their selective breeding that has resulted in their tolerance to our UK outdoor climate.
12:43If you look closely in amongst the woodland and the spring garden, you will see the odd miniature daffodil.
12:50Now, this is one called Little Beauty.
12:54It's a miniature, but it is a lot more generalist than the ones in the greenhouses,
13:00which means it doesn't need to be as baked by the sun.
13:02It doesn't need to be on gravel and it can grow in a garden setting.
13:06But it doesn't like to get too wet.
13:09So if you're growing these, which are much more widely available,
13:12just make sure you're putting them somewhere fairly free draining.
13:16The nice thing about these miniature daffodils is that they sit at just the right height to mingle in with
13:22other spring flowers.
13:23So there's Scylla here, which are blue, hellebores of all colours, primroses, snowdrops,
13:29and they all look beautiful together.
13:33We all love daffodils.
13:35But I think there's a very good argument for also trying miniature daffodils in the garden too,
13:42to bring colour, to bring elegance, and maybe even to bring some scent.
13:46But be careful, because you never know.
13:49It might become an obsession.
14:06I do think those miniature daffodils, of which I do have a few, and grow them in pots, are exquisite,
14:12jewel-like.
14:13The daffodils I've got here on the mound, and I've trialled them in pots,
14:18I've got two different sorts.
14:19They're very, very similar.
14:20This is Pacific Hunter, and this is Hunter Dawn.
14:25But they both share the quality I wanted, which is that soft, pale yellow,
14:32because the colour scheme here on the mound is pale yellow and pale blue.
14:38And that's half the fun.
14:39You're looking for varieties and trialling them, and just seeing which hits the mark.
14:43The house, for example, yellow queen, are spot on.
14:46And I think these daffodils are great too.
14:48And they have another extra bonus.
14:50They're very fragrant.
15:03I'm mixing a compost mix for sweet peas.
15:07I sow the sweet peas in October, so they spend all winter protected by a cold frame.
15:12And I'm going to plant these ones into pots.
15:16I've got a sweet pea called blue velvet, which fits in with the mound's colour scheme
15:20and also has a wonderful fragrance.
15:24Now, with sweet peas, you can grow them in pots really easily, and I've done it many times.
15:30But they are hungry and they are thirsty, so you need a big container.
15:35First of all, I need a crock.
15:39The second thing is, when mixing up the mix, I've used bark-based compost with sieved garden compost and grit.
15:46So it's rich, it'll hold moisture, but there is some drainage.
15:50They don't like sitting in a puddle.
15:58Next phase is to put up the supports before you plant.
16:03So we put one in there like that, another like that.
16:17OK, it's nice and strong.
16:19The plants themselves, I have pinched them out at least twice to try and stop them getting leggy.
16:26What you want are nice, strong, stocky, sturdy plants with a good root system, and then they will grow nice
16:32and tall.
16:34They're planted in very deep plugs, and however you're planting them, put them inside the support, not outside.
16:43If you put them round the outside, they're going to be hard against the side of the pot and will
16:47drain quicker and dry out quicker.
16:51The rule of thumb when you're taking anything out of any container is you want an equal amount of root
16:57and compost.
16:58If it's more compost than root, then probably it needs to be in there a bit longer.
17:01So that's just about perfect.
17:03That's how I like them to be.
17:05So pop it in like that, one at the base of each support.
17:20As they grow, they will need tying in with soft twine.
17:23They will start to attach themselves after about a month or so.
17:26Water them at least weekly and feed them with a seaweed feed.
17:33If it's very hot and dry, you will have to water them more.
17:37They really do not like hot, dry weather.
17:40So a tip is if you're growing them in a pot like this, make sure you've got a water supply
17:44nearby.
17:47I do think that sweet peas look good in any garden, but we went down to West Sussex to visit
17:53Millie Proust, who grows lots and lots of varieties of sweet peas and uses them for cut flowers.
18:07I would describe my garden as bucolic, pastoral, a little bit wild, not perfect, mainly because I've been trying to
18:17grab corners to grow flowers on where I can.
18:21And it's very, very productive.
18:29I'm Millie Proust.
18:30This is my garden in West Sussex, and my life is basically just flowers and seeds.
18:40When I moved here, I really knew so little about gardening.
18:44I'd been interested in floristry for a long time, and I knew that you could grow cut flowers.
18:49And I gave it a go and immediately caught the bug.
18:52The learning curve was steep.
19:01There's a project I've been doing for 10 years called Willis for Wednesday, and it's a chance for me to
19:06gather floral ingredients and put them together.
19:10And it has acted as a record of what's been in flower when.
19:13And it's also been a chance for me to practice the skills of floristry.
19:19So sweet peas have really become an obsession.
19:22I'm growing over 70 varieties this year, some here outdoors and then some in the tunnels indoors, and that just
19:29helps us hedge our bets on seed harvesting.
19:33This is a variety that I'm really excited about, David Toster Man.
19:37It was bred just a couple of years ago, and it is the first of a dappled classification.
19:44And then this is one of my all-time favorites.
19:47It's just such a unique color.
19:48It's called Susie Zed, and it's got this smoky rose and then this silvery gray, and I just love using
19:56this in arrangements.
20:08I love violas, and we grow them at the feet of our sweet peas to keep them shaded and keep
20:13the moisture locked in.
20:15It acts as a sort of living mulch, and they get a bit stressed underneath the sweet peas.
20:19So they stretch up, and the stems get quite long.
20:21So you can see here, got a very usable stem.
20:26Just cut off the side shoots, and then that goes in a bouquet.
20:29Look at that lovely little movement.
20:37I think that you can get something quite extraordinary from the ordinary.
20:41These hookah leaves I use throughout the year.
20:45And they're so lovely and change color.
20:48It makes such a pretty base for an arrangement.
20:52And the mysia, that is one thing I really love.
20:55You can get it at most garden centers, and they come in all sorts of lovely colors.
21:00They last really well as a cut flower, and they have these most gorgeous scents.
21:12So something we need to do before we begin is to remove any lower leaves.
21:17Anything that's going to sit below the waterline.
21:19Because if they're in the water, they'll rot, and the arrangement won't last very long.
21:23And once we've done that, we can start putting in the framework.
21:28And I always like to use a foliage framework.
21:31One really simple rule that I use is I don't do anything at the same height.
21:36And this gives a natural movement and makes it look a lot more thoughtful and designed.
21:42One thing I really love to grow in pots is herbs.
21:47Because not only do they make lovely cut flowers, like this flowering oregano, they also double up as a culinary
21:54ingredient.
21:59I love these little mysia.
22:03And finally, I'm going to use my favorite sweet pea variety.
22:07This is Chocolate Streamer.
22:08It's such a productive, healthy variety, and I just love the color.
22:13And it has a great scent.
22:15I'm going to tuck some in.
22:19I love detail.
22:21So having something that is small and intricate, I find draws you in and makes you look closer at things.
22:29It doesn't take much to create lots of beauty.
22:32It's so sweet.
22:43There is something so special about growing things from seed and from cuttings.
22:49Because there's a sort of input-output that's very satisfying.
22:53And then when you're rewarded with so much beauty, and really the main cost is your time and your love,
23:02it feels just very nourishing on a very simple level.
23:29Watching Millie compose her display struck me that actually putting a border together is very like making a vase of
23:37cut flowers.
23:37You need the same difference in heights and sizes.
23:40You need texture.
23:41You need foliage.
23:42You need color.
23:43And you need fragrance.
23:46And fragrance at this time of year is a bit thin on the ground,
23:48except for these Crown Imperial Fritillaries.
23:53A week ago, they just sort of emerged from the ground.
23:56They're growing really fast.
23:58They're in bud.
23:58But already that very distinctive, musky, slightly foxy fragrance is coming through.
24:06And some people find it a little strong.
24:09I have to say, I love it.
24:12Not least because it's such a marker of the season.
24:22Come on in.
24:24Good boy.
24:25Come on.
24:43Now, if you've been with me a week or two ago, or at any time during the winter,
24:49the water would be up over my wellies.
24:51This was a pond.
24:54Now, you might think that's terrible for all plants,
24:56but there are some plants that not only survive a winter wet like that,
25:01but actually thrive.
25:02And this is one of them.
25:03This is a cornice, a dogwood.
25:05And like willows, they like wet feet.
25:08They're great for planting in a bit of boggy ground or at the edge of a pond,
25:12although it actually is very adaptable and will grow in reasonable amount of dry too.
25:17It's one of those plants that is tough as old boots.
25:22Now, I pruned this back about two or three years ago, right down.
25:26So, you can see this is two or three years' growth.
25:28Now, the reason why we grow dogwood in the garden, as much as anything else, is for the new shoots
25:35in winter,
25:36because they have a really vibrant bark, really strong color.
25:41You can see the new growth in there is a sort of lovely, rich, burgundy color.
25:47Now, this is Sibirica alba.
25:49So, the bark is red, but you can get them with green bark.
25:53You can have yellow bark.
25:54And if you prune hard, you stimulate lots of new growth and lots of wonderful, intense color in the middle
26:02of winter when there isn't much else.
26:04Now, the time to cut it back is now.
26:06When you start to see the new foliage emerge, cut it back.
26:11Now, what I'm going to do with this is really be ruthless.
26:17The easiest way to do this is get in there, have a really good hack, and then tidy up.
26:29Right, that's the first pass.
26:31But the basic rule of any pruning is always cut back to something.
26:36For instance, we've got a side shoot coming there and another one coming here.
26:42If I cut in the middle, I've got a length of stem that will not produce any new growth, and
26:48that will die back.
26:49And dead wood is going to invite disease, fungus, and increase the risk of damage to the plant.
26:56So, always make a point of cutting to something.
27:00So, if I tidy up by going above a side shoot or a bud or a leaf, as long as
27:06there's some growth...
27:13Now, in some cases, you want to reduce it, but there's no obvious side shoot.
27:18But if you can see, there's a slight bump, and that's a node.
27:22And that counts as something, because that is where leaves will grow from.
27:37I know that this looks quite catastrophic, but the roots are there, they're strong.
27:42What's left behind is very healthy.
27:44That will produce new shoots in weeks.
27:47And in a couple of months' time, it'll be about three, four foot tall.
27:51And by this time next year, you'll have about four foot of brilliant red new stems.
27:57And they will shine throughout the winter, whatever the weather.
28:01And then you can leave it for a year or two if you want to get it bigger.
28:04But it is worth doing this, I would say, at least every three years.
28:11Now, most of this will go through the shredder.
28:14However, I've selected this, which is a nice straight piece of new growth,
28:19because this will make really good cutting material.
28:22And cornice, like willow, takes very easily from cuttings.
28:28Come on.
28:43This is the nursery bed.
28:45Now, a nursery bed is essentially a holding bed for plants that you've propagated
28:50and are growing on until they're big enough to hold their own on a border.
28:54There are two great advantages of having a nursery bed.
28:57The first is that you don't need pots, you don't need compost,
29:01you don't need to water them very often.
29:03They look after themselves.
29:05And the second thing is that they are growing into the biome of your soil in your garden.
29:12So when you plant them out, they are immediately adapted to the conditions they're in.
29:17Now, these are cuttings, by and large,
29:19which I have struck and rooted in the greenhouse and then planted out.
29:24But with dogwood, you don't need to do that.
29:26There's none of that fat.
29:27All you need is a pair of secateurs, some soil and a nice straight stem.
29:32No thicker than your finger and no thinner than a pencil.
29:36You want the cuttings of dogwood to be about six to nine inches long.
29:42Cut beneath a node.
29:44Now, here are the nodes.
29:45There and there.
29:46Now, this, by the way, is the opposite to when you prune when you cut just above a node,
29:51which will produce a leaf.
29:52This produces roots from just below a node.
29:55So I'm going to cut beneath the node like that.
29:59Now, make sure it's the right way up.
30:01Make sure that's the top.
30:02And so that you know it's the top, cut it at an angle.
30:06By having a slant on it, it means any rainwater won't collect on it and there's no risk of that
30:12rotting.
30:12And the next stage is the easiest of the lot.
30:15I just stick them in the ground.
30:19Push them so that they're at least half buried, if not three quarters.
30:23If you've got compacted soil or it's very heavy clay, then it's a good idea to make a sort of
30:28V-shaped trench,
30:30three or four inches deep, filled with organic matter, and maybe even put a bit of grit or sand in
30:35the bottom,
30:35so the drainage is good.
30:37Space them two or three inches apart.
30:40You will know there are roots forming when you start to see new growth.
30:45But leave them where they are till at least early autumn.
30:49Then you can dig them up and plant them.
30:52If it doesn't rain, they'll need watering once a week.
31:00I'm confident that those cuttings will take, but the truth is this is not a time of year
31:05when you can or should take cuttings from many plants.
31:09Dogwood are an exception.
31:10It is a time of year, however, when we should all be sowing seed, and as many as possible.
31:16And the best way of getting hold of seed is to collect it yourself from your own garden.
31:22And Sue has been to visit a garden where seed collection has been taken to another level.
31:41If you like saving seed, you've probably got more than enough, and I like to give away my excess.
31:48So when I meet fellow gardening enthusiasts, not only are we sharing knowledge,
31:53but we're sharing seeds as well.
31:55So some of my plants are in their garden, and some of their plants are in my garden.
32:00And it's really rather lovely.
32:03And I've come to Flanethley to meet someone who's taken seed saving to a whole new level.
32:10Maggie Carr has been gardening here for 30 years, and she's recently started a seed library.
32:18Hello, Maggie.
32:19Hi, Sue.
32:20What is a seed library?
32:22Well, a seed library is a collection of seeds that you can have some seeds from.
32:26So we give you the seeds for free.
32:28You can have up to 10 different packets.
32:30You can go onto the website and choose your own seeds, and then we'll send them out to you.
32:35And then we ask you to grow them, and to save enough seeds from one variety for 10 packets,
32:42and send them back to us at the end of the year.
32:44And that way, we can keep the library going.
32:47But of course, what actually happens is that people get really enthusiastic about this,
32:51and they save loads and loads of seeds.
32:54And I end up with people sending me shoe boxes full of seeds.
32:57Really?
32:58Absolutely fantastic.
32:59What are you harvesting here?
33:01So this is a mothmullin of a bascum.
33:05It's fantastic for pollinators, especially moths and things like that.
33:09So this would be in our Plants for Pollinators section.
33:12And the seeds slowly ripen over the plant.
33:16And so I'll be picking these seed heads and saving them.
33:21And how do you tell if I look carefully?
33:24Okay.
33:24Some are darker than others, aren't they?
33:26They're darker, but also they start to split.
33:28Ah, yep.
33:28And so that's when they're really ripe, when they start to split.
33:31They're crispy and they're dry.
33:34Can you see the seed?
33:35Oh yes, lots of seed.
33:37That's plenty to share, isn't it?
33:38Yeah.
33:46It's lovely wandering through Maggie's garden.
33:50Like mine, it's on so many different levels.
33:53Her love of plants is obvious because there's so many different varieties.
34:02These are Maggie's carrots.
34:04And if I think of them as biennial flowers, I can understand the process better.
34:09So what Maggie does is she sews a lot of carrots in a tub.
34:12Then she harvests them in the autumn.
34:14She's looking for the typical carrot.
34:17Not the biggest or the smallest, but the most typical to that variety.
34:20And then she replants them in this polytunnel.
34:23She needs about 20 because some may die.
34:25There's only actually now 16 here.
34:27And they need to cross-pollinate before they set seed to get a really resilient carrot.
34:33And so she's going to harvest the best seed for her seed library.
34:37And the carrots that don't make the grade, they may be a bit knobbly in the autumn,
34:42of course end up on her table.
34:52So, Maggie, where are you taking me?
34:54Well, this is the Tunnel of Beans.
34:57It certainly is.
34:57These are full of Maggie's Belotti beans.
35:00I have to give one a go.
35:02They come from a seed that I was given many, many years ago by somebody
35:06who told me that they had the best bean ever.
35:09But when she sent me the beans, she didn't send her name.
35:13So I had to, in the end, just call them Maggie's Belotti bean.
35:16How fabulous.
35:18I have a bean named after you.
35:20Belotti beans I love.
35:21I normally have them dry.
35:23How would you have them?
35:25Well, first of all, this is my most favourite way.
35:27Just like this, you know.
35:29They are delicious.
35:29Delicious.
35:30Sweet as anything.
35:31So I have them raw in salads.
35:33And then I let them get a bit bigger, so they get a bit like this, a bit bigger.
35:37And then I have them steamed or in stir-fries, just chopped up as like a regular bean.
35:43These are delicious.
35:44I hope I can take a couple of seeds here.
35:46I think we might find you a packet.
36:06So this looks exciting.
36:08What's going on here?
36:09OK, yeah, so these are germination tests.
36:11I've got two different varieties of pea here.
36:14So this is a variety called May Queen, and this is a variety called Roi de Carribee.
36:20So I take 50 seeds and I sow them in these gutters.
36:26And then I count and see how many have germinated.
36:29And how many do they have to be to get past the test?
36:34You need to get at least 45.
36:36Oh, that's 90%.
36:38Indeed.
36:39I'd better get counting.
36:401, 2, 3, 4.
36:4115, 16, 17, 18, 19, 16, 17, 18, 19, 16, 17, 18, 20, 18, 20, 18, 20, 18, 21.
36:4543, 44.
36:47I failed.
36:49Oh, they forgot in.
36:50The thing is that these are actually only just been sown.
36:53So I'll give them another few days.
36:56Give them a chance.
36:56And at least one more, I guarantee, will pop up.
37:00So this will, in fact, hit the minimum.
37:02There's nothing more frustrating, is there, or disappointing,
37:05is when you put out your seeds and they don't germinate.
37:08Oh, I know.
37:09Are they really tasty?
37:10They are the sweetest, loveliest peas.
37:13They rarely get up to the garden, out of the garden, up to the house, you know,
37:17because I just eat them on the way.
37:18That is always a sign of a good point.
37:19I'm a snacker.
37:34So this is a bit of high-tech gardening wizardry.
37:39Indeed, indeed.
37:40Is it, guess what it's used for?
37:42Well, can you?
37:43Well, no.
37:45OK.
37:46This is the seed cleaner.
37:47Right.
37:47And I always used to winnow all my seeds,
37:50but you end up with it all around the garden, you know,
37:53it gets everywhere.
37:54And so this is a much more efficient version of that.
37:57And so what I do is I put the vacuum cleaner on
38:00and suck the air out with the vacuum cleaner,
38:03pour the seeds in here,
38:05and the chaff gets separated here
38:08and goes down into the bottom there,
38:10and the seed ends up in that bucket down there.
38:13This is ingenious.
38:15I know.
38:15My son made me this for Christmas.
38:18Don't you love sons who make you things for Christmas?
38:21Vacuum off.
38:21Vacuum off, please.
38:24So here's the seed ready to pack up
38:27and send off all around the country.
38:30About my personage,
38:31I bought you some seeds of mine.
38:34There we go.
38:34And these are Mrs. McGee Amaranth.
38:38Oh, brilliant.
38:39I believe you're missing Amaranth now.
38:41I am missing Amaranth, yes.
38:43And I've brought for you...
38:44Ah, Maggie's Palocci Bees.
38:47Maggie's Palocci Bees.
38:47Wonderful.
38:49You're welcome.
39:03Neville bag.
39:04Come here.
39:05Up.
39:06Do you promise
39:08to take this biscuit
39:10and look after it
39:12and care for it
39:14until the end?
39:16Will you do that for me, Ned?
39:21Well done.
39:23Good boy.
39:25Good boy.
39:33What Maggie's doing
39:35works on lots of levels
39:37and I think the idea
39:37of a seed library
39:38introducing people to plants
39:39that they haven't otherwise got
39:41and then using them
39:43to increase the store
39:45and the stock of seed
39:46of otherwise quite rare plants
39:49is a brilliant idea.
39:50But there's another
39:51more personal reason
39:52for collecting seed
39:53from your own garden
39:54which is not only
39:56that it saves a lot of money
39:57but also if you collect seed
39:59from a plant
40:00that is clearly happy
40:01in your garden
40:02the new plants
40:04you grow from the seed
40:05will also thrive.
40:07And if you then collect
40:08seed every year
40:10in effect you are breeding plants
40:12that increasingly
40:13are adapted
40:15to your particular garden
40:17and that means
40:18they're going to be
40:18extra healthy
40:19extra happy
40:20and extra beautiful.
40:32Having collected your seed
40:33or bought seed
40:34sowing it
40:35is in many ways
40:36straightforward
40:37but actually
40:38it's worth taking
40:39real trouble
40:40and care
40:41and what I'm going to do now
40:43is give you a brief
40:44masterclass
40:45in seed sowing
40:47and sowing seed
40:48is one of the most
40:49rewarding things
40:50you can do.
40:51Okay, let's start.
40:52What I've got here
40:53are ingredients.
40:54Now seeds don't need
40:56much nutrition
40:57it's all in the seed
40:59what it really needs
41:00is good soil structure
41:02the compost needs
41:03to be loose
41:04and open
41:05with some nutrition
41:06but not too much.
41:08You can buy seed compost
41:10and if you can get it
41:11that's a good option.
41:13Personally
41:13I like to modify
41:15brought in
41:16bark based compost
41:17I then loosen it up
41:19we want a nice
41:19loose root run
41:20vermiculite
41:22is very good
41:23because it biodegrades
41:24quite quickly
41:25this is perlite
41:26this is actually
41:27reused perlite
41:29perlite opens the soil out
41:30it holds water
41:31but it doesn't get
41:31waterlogged
41:32and it biodegrades
41:33very slowly
41:35this is leaf mould
41:36not very high in nutrition
41:38but great for soil structure
41:40which is ideal for seeds
41:41and this is sift garden compost
41:43you don't need much of this
41:44just a little bit
41:45to add a bit of goodness
41:46and bacteria
41:49it's not an exact science
41:51but I use equal quantities
41:53of vermiculite
41:54leaf mould
41:54and compost
41:55and if you don't have any leaf mould
41:57simply substitute it
41:58with more compost
42:03it's very light cooking
42:05you're mixing it up
42:07and it feels light and fluffy
42:09it should just feel
42:10as though it runs through the fingers
42:12and it does
42:12and that's perfect
42:15now having made
42:17your perfect seed compost
42:19you need to put it in something
42:20seed trays are ideal
42:21particularly if you have
42:22small seeds
42:23and quite a lot of them
42:24if you haven't got many seeds
42:26you can buy
42:27half-sized seed trays
42:29if you've got big seeds
42:31anything that you can
42:32pick up individually
42:32in your hands
42:33plugs or cells
42:35are really good
42:36because each seed
42:38has space for the roots to grow
42:40now today
42:41I'm going to sow tomatoes
42:43so I'm just going to use
42:44a small seed tray
42:46because I don't need
42:46a massive amount
42:50fill it
42:51not quite too overflowing
42:53and then give it a shake
42:55so it's even
42:56and what I do
42:57is very lightly push on it
43:00and that levels the surface
43:02now I'm sowing gardener's delight
43:05which is a really good tomato
43:06to start with
43:07if you've not grown tomatoes before
43:08it is very forgiving
43:09it's good to grow outside
43:11you can grow it in the greenhouse as well
43:13so a good place to start
43:14now the simplest way to do it
43:16is take a pinch
43:17and try and spread them out
43:19as evenly as you can
43:22looking to space each seed
43:24ideally half an inch
43:27a centimetre apart
43:28but that is quite tricky
43:30another little tip
43:31is to take a pencil
43:32and in this case
43:35it's a sharp mistake
43:36but the principle is the same
43:37lick the end
43:39and then with the damp end
43:41pick up a seed
43:42and then
43:45place that on the surface
43:47and it should come off
43:48and that way
43:49in principle
43:51you can place them
43:52exactly where you want
43:54there is no benefit
43:55for sowing them
43:56more thickly
43:58all you get
44:00is lots of
44:01seedlings that don't have room
44:03to develop good roots
44:04and the roots
44:05are the important bit
44:06not what you see above ground
44:07then
44:08all I do is
44:09very gently
44:10press lightly
44:11just to make sure
44:12that the seed has
44:13good contact
44:14with the compost
44:15because that will help germination
44:16at this point
44:17you need to know
44:19whether the seed needs
44:20light
44:20or darkness
44:22in which to germinate
44:23most seeds
44:24like darkness
44:25and seed packets
44:26will always have that
44:27information on it
44:29tomatoes need covering
44:30I cover them
44:31with vermiculite
44:32a sprinkle of compost
44:34all work as well
44:35now I'm just sprinkling
44:37this very thinly
44:40like that
44:42label it
44:50that's the sowing done
44:51but there's one more
44:53really important stage
44:54which is to water
45:01probably the best way
45:02is simply
45:03place the seed tray
45:04in a tray
45:06or a bath
45:06or a container
45:07of water
45:08so it absorbs
45:09moisture from the bottom
45:10leave it there
45:11for about 10 or 15 minutes
45:12and then put it
45:13somewhere warm
45:14to germinate
45:14ideally sort of
45:15somewhere between
45:1615 and 20 degrees
45:18and if you can keep it
45:18constant
45:19so much the better
45:20keep them watered
45:21but not sodden
45:22and then the seedlings
45:23will emerge
45:24at which point
45:25we go on to the next step
45:26but we'll come to that
45:28in due course
45:31now I adore tomatoes
45:32and grow lots
45:33but we went to Wiltshire
45:35to visit
45:36a real tomato
45:39aficionado
45:44we've only got to walk
45:45in the tunnel
45:45and have a peek
45:46don't wonder
45:48this bloke's a bit old
45:49isn't he
45:49it's a bit weird
45:51this chap
45:51what's he doing
45:53there's said to be
45:54about 12,000
45:55varieties
45:55and
45:56don't just eat
45:57a red tomato
45:58try something a bit different
45:59I call tomatoes
46:01vegetables really
46:02because
46:03you wouldn't have them
46:04in a fruit salad
46:10my name's Lance
46:11I'm a passionate tomato grower
46:13I grow about
46:14120 varieties a year
46:16tomatoes are the one
46:18fruit or vegetable
46:19whatever you want to call them
46:22that cannot be replicated
46:23in the supermarket
46:25if you can buy a cabbage
46:26and grow a cabbage
46:27there's a little bit of
46:28difference in the quality
46:29but you cannot replicate
46:31a home-grown tomato
46:37so I really like to grow
46:39a cross-section
46:40between modern classics
46:42and heirloom varieties
46:44and heirloom varieties
46:45generally
46:45well I would say
46:47are pre-1950 varieties
46:48heirlooms have this
46:50fantastic backstory
46:51with their history
46:53and I like finding them
46:55and unearthing them
46:56because some of them
46:57were lost
46:58unless they'd been saved
46:59in seed banks
47:00an heirloom with a story
47:01with a great taste profile
47:03so this is a new one
47:05to me this year
47:05and I was attracted
47:06to the name
47:07it's called
47:08Plan 9 from Outer Space
47:10which is a terrible
47:121957 sci-fi movie
47:14this is actually
47:15an accidental cross
47:16that was found
47:17in someone's garden
47:18in 2014
47:20it's a lot brighter
47:21than I expected
47:21on the palette
47:22tropical acidity
47:23to start with
47:24and then you've got
47:25a really sticky sweetness
47:27right on the finish
47:28it's quite balanced
47:29quite intense
47:30a lot of bi-coloured
47:31tomatoes tend to be
47:33a bit bland
47:33and this definitely
47:34is not bland
47:35it's all about the flavour
47:36I love intense flavour
47:38tomatoes
47:39which you simply can't buy
47:40nothing like a homegrown tomato
47:42nothing to replicate it
47:44so the way I taste tomatoes
47:46and perceive them
47:47you start out with bland
47:48ordinary mild
47:50and then you can go
47:51from two directions
47:52you've got
47:53particularly sweet
47:54which you get in a lot
47:55of cherry tomatoes
47:57quite tart
47:58which you can get
47:59in yellow tomatoes
48:00and then what I'm really
48:01looking for in all my tomatoes
48:03is balanced
48:04so we come up to here
48:05ideally I'm looking for both
48:07both these characteristics
48:09in equal amounts
48:09and just occasionally
48:11just occasionally
48:12the bit I'm really looking for
48:14is intense
48:15and I only find it occasionally
48:17in tomatoes
48:18savoury
48:19sweet
48:20balance
48:21and a really long finish
48:22and you don't get it very often
48:24just a couple of times a season
48:26and I really savour those moments
48:33so this is a wonderful heirloom
48:35that I've been sent
48:36by a gentleman
48:37in Hertfordshire
48:38who've been growing it for 15 years
48:39and his family
48:40have been growing it
48:42in Cyprus
48:43for three generations
48:44and many people
48:45in the same village
48:46have been growing it
48:47and it's a village called
48:48Vassa
48:48in Cyprus
48:49and this is called
48:51Heart of Vassa
48:52and it's the first time
48:53I've grown it
48:54this has been passed down
48:55by many generations
48:56in this village
48:57in Cyprus
48:58so it's a genuine heirloom
49:00that's been unearthed
49:01and I'm so thrilled
49:02to be growing it
49:06this is Chopper Chops
49:07and I've been growing this
49:08for about four years
49:09and it is
49:10deeply embedded
49:11in my collection now
49:12and I grow every single season
49:13so this variety
49:14has black shoulders
49:15and that is where
49:16the sun has hit it
49:17and it's anthracyanin
49:19it's a pigment
49:20that you find in blueberries
49:22what I love about this tomato
49:23has an array of colour inside
49:26and it varies between tomatoes
49:28so let's see
49:29what we've got in here
49:32initially quite sweet
49:33and then you've got
49:34some zingy coming through
49:36yeah it's got a classic tomato taste
49:38but there's just a little bit
49:39more going on
49:44one of the great things
49:45about growing an heirloom variety
49:47that is stable
49:48is that you save the seed from it
49:49and it runs true
49:51so how I save the seed
49:53is you need a ripe tomato
49:55and I take the seed out of that
49:56and I put it in a little pot
49:58with some water
49:59label it
50:00then I leave that for a week
50:01it kind of ferments
50:02and it replicates the tomato
50:04rotting on the ground
50:06and a very ripe tomato
50:08improves germination
50:10so then what I do
50:11after a week
50:11is I wash the seed
50:12get rid of all the impurities
50:14and the other bits
50:15apart from the seed
50:16and I lay that
50:17on a piece of greaseproof paper
50:20label it again
50:21and I leave that to dry
50:22for about a week
50:23and then that seed is dry
50:25and good
50:26and at its peak
50:28for five years
50:29and that can go into
50:30a small jam jar
50:31at room temperature
50:32and see it's good to go
50:34if you have a stable variety
50:36that's not a hybrid
50:37it will always breed true
50:39you may get a very rare
50:40accidental cross
50:41but that is quite rare
50:43I start seed sowing in February
50:45bring my seedlings on
50:47and once they reach
50:48about 12 inches high
50:49I transfer them
50:50into 15 litre pots
50:51with a multi-purpose compost
50:53tomato plants
50:54like to have damp soil
50:56they like a good soaking
50:58once a week
50:58and a good feeding
50:59but damp soil is preferable
51:01I tend not to use grow bags
51:03because they lose their moisture
51:05quite quickly
51:05and that's why I opt for pots
51:07and during the early flowering stage
51:09and the growth stage
51:10I use quite a nitrogen rich feed
51:13liquid seaweed is a good option
51:15a lot of nitrogen
51:16in liquid seaweed
51:18and as the flowers
51:19start to turn to fruit
51:20I reduce the nitrogen levels
51:22and I increase the phosphorus
51:24and potassium
51:25because that encourages
51:26more flowering
51:27and really good large fruits
51:34so something I've been growing
51:35for the last couple of years
51:36because it's just a really
51:38interesting concept
51:39are micro tomatoes
51:40and this is the complete variation
51:43you get from the smallest
51:45up to the tallest
51:48and they come in different
51:49growth habits, colours
51:50what I really like about micro dwarfs
51:52is their versatility
51:54you can sow seed
51:55and within 12 weeks
51:57you've got ripe tomatoes
51:58and if you haven't got a garden
52:00or you've got a small balcony
52:01limited space
52:03you can grow this
52:04no problem
52:06and also once the season ends
52:08you can bring this in
52:09and treat it like a house plant
52:10and extend the season
52:12so these are all mature plants
52:14they will not get any taller
52:15quite happy in 2 litre pots
52:17but apart from that
52:18they don't need any management at all
52:20just a little bit of love
52:21and a little bit of feed
52:28if you've never grown a tomato before
52:30I would definitely give it a try
52:32it's very rewarding
52:33homegrown tomatoes
52:34are fantastic
52:35take the plunge
52:36give it a go
52:37you've got nothing to lose
52:55I think the great thing about tomatoes
52:58is to work out how you like best to eat them
53:01and if you find out what you want to use them for
53:04then you will find wonderful varieties to choose from
53:07now this is about as far removed from tomato as you can get
53:10but I think it's delicious
53:11this is rocket
53:12and this is not any old rocket
53:14because the rocket you buy
53:15or the rocket you get served when you go out for a meal
53:18is almost invariably the perennial kind
53:20has much more zigzag leaves
53:22and actually is a bit thicker and tougher
53:24but if you're growing at home
53:26the annual rocket is much better
53:29the taste is better
53:30the texture is buttery and peppery and delicious
53:33it doesn't store well
53:35it bolts very quickly when it gets warm
53:38it needs lots of water
53:39in other words
53:40it needs some attention
53:41it needs gardening
53:42but we're gardeners
53:43and that's what we do
53:45this I sowed actually in January
53:47but sow it now
53:48and it will come up within days
53:50and it will be good until May
53:52and then it will start to bolt
53:53but you sow another crop in August
53:55for harvesting in September and October
53:57now if you have grown them
54:00and you've got nice young plants
54:01give them space
54:02because actually these want to be quite big plants
54:05each one needs you know
54:07six to nine inches in which to grow
54:10and then you get a big plant
54:11and you can cut it all
54:13and it will come back at least twice
54:16before it bolts
54:19it likes plenty of moisture
54:21so add organic matter to the soil
54:23to retain moisture
54:28I'm planting them
54:29in a grid
54:30because it makes it so much easier to hoe
54:33and weed
54:39although it seems a very humble plant
54:41I think this is something for the epicure
54:44really delicious rocket
54:46and it also makes very good pesto
54:49rocket
54:51walnuts
54:51you can use cheddar cheese
54:53oil
54:54it's absolutely delicious
54:56now to complete this job
54:58I need to water them in well
55:00but that's all the watering they'll need
55:02and while I'm doing that
55:03here are your jobs
55:05for the weekend
55:22if you're growing climbing or rambling roses
55:25and you haven't tied them in
55:27then do so now
55:31otherwise the new growth
55:33can be damaged by the wind
55:34and this of course
55:35will restrict flowering
55:48now's the time to sow broad beans
55:50not least because
55:51they are one of the seeds
55:53that will germinate at lower temperatures
55:55than most
55:57a double row is best
55:59with the rows spaced about a foot apart
56:01I use a board to space them
56:03and then the beans
56:05three or four inches apart
56:06along the length of the row
56:09just push the seeds
56:10into the soil
56:11so they're an inch or two below the surface
56:16rake them over
56:17so they're well covered
56:18mark the spot
56:19if it's very dry
56:20give them a water
56:21but rain should do the job
56:23and they should appear above ground
56:25in a few weeks time
56:35if you grow the winter honeysuckle
56:37the Nessera fragrantissima
56:38like I do
56:39then now is the time to print it
56:41and this applies to all the early flowering shrubs
56:44prune them immediately after flowering
56:49this is because they produce their new flowers
56:51on this year's growth
56:54it's a good idea to refresh the plant
56:57by cutting out old wood
56:58so get right in there
57:00and using a saw or strong loppers
57:02cut the oldest growth
57:04down at the base of the plant
57:05it may look dramatic
57:07but it will let light and air in
57:10and encourage the new shoots
57:12to grow more vigorously
57:19go on then
57:27the snake's head fritillaries
57:30are now probably at their best
57:32and they're a fascinating plant
57:33there are two things about them
57:35that I love
57:36the first is
57:37that they are a plant of floods
57:40and of course here at Longmeadow
57:42we do flood
57:42and they need a really good soaking in winter
57:46they can be dry in summer
57:47but not in winter
57:48they won't grow if they're dry in winter
57:51and I planted about a dozen
57:5325, 30 years ago
57:55and they have spread down this end
57:58which is the wettest end
57:59when the flood comes in
58:00this is where it comes in
58:01and it comes halfway up
58:03and no further
58:03and they haven't spread further up at all
58:05so they're absolutely a marker of the water line
58:08and the second extraordinary thing about them
58:11is we think of them as one of our really special wildflowers
58:14flowering by the thousand on water meadows
58:17but actually
58:18they're almost certainly a garden escapee
58:20so it's a plant that has been introduced
58:23slowly left gardens
58:25found where it likes
58:26and made itself at home
58:27which is what it's done here at Longmeadow
58:30anyway that's it for today
58:32I'll see you back here next time
58:33so until then
58:34bye bye
58:35bye bye
58:40bye bye
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