0:00:26 > 0:00:29Bodnant Garden stands on a dramatic hillside in North Wales,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33overlooking the mountains of Snowdonia.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41It's a National Trust property, attracting 160,000 visitors a year.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45But with annual running costs of £1 million,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47and visitor numbers in decline,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Bodnant is working hard to raise its profile.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53It's embarking on a £2 million improvement programme,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57led by head gardener, Troy Scott Smith.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02Bodnant is a world-class garden. It's a garden that's developing.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06All gardens do. For me, one of the joys of gardening
0:01:06 > 0:01:10is this idea that it's a work of art that's never finished.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Troy has been at Bodnant for two years.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17He's well aware of the mammoth task ahead.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Of course, we're not just gardening any back garden, it's an historic garden.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24It's 130 acres large,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28so you need a large team of gardeners to assist me in achieving my
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and the National Trust's and Michael's vision for the garden.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35We're fortunate at Bodnant, we have a team of 21 gardeners.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Some with specialisms, such as tree surgery and propagation.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Troy and his team are giving Bodnant a face-lift
0:01:44 > 0:01:46across the whole of its 130 acres.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Rising above the River Conwy,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53the steep slopes are laid out in two utterly contrasting areas.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56The formal terraces...
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and the woodland, known as the Dell.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08The Dell is home to Dave Larter.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11After 12 years as the supervising gardener,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14his passion is undiminished.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17I'm one of the lucky ones in the world.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21When I walk to work, I can take any path I want.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23It depends how much time I've got.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26If I want to listen to the river, I can listen to the river.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28The birds.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Kingfisher flying past.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31No traffic.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Beautiful!
0:02:40 > 0:02:45Amidst the leafy cover of the Dell, there are hidden treasures to be found.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50When I was seven or eight,
0:02:50 > 0:02:51we had a lily growing.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Mum's favourite flower.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58I remember looking through a plant book -
0:02:58 > 0:03:00an A to Z - and finding these.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03The book tells you how scented it is.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08Said it grew up to four metres, 12 feet,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and I wanted one ever since then.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12Then I came to Bodnant...
0:03:12 > 0:03:14HE CHUCKLES
0:03:14 > 0:03:17..and found these in the Dell.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Cardiocrinum giganteum.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25Dave's boyhood enthusiasm has turned into an obsession.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Every year, he gathers seed pods to grow more giant lilies.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30It's a labour of love.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36A plant for a patient person - seven years or more from seed.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Not easy to germinate.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42This year, he has 35 lilies in bloom,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but his ambitions go much further.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50I want, before I retire, 500 of these flower spikes in this Dell.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Deputy head gardener, Adam Salvin, has worked at Bodnant for over a decade.
0:04:00 > 0:04:06He's responsible for the Italianate terraces that define the formal part of the garden.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Everyone that comes here visits this top half of the garden.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13It's where everyone can get to.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It also has a lot of the main features of the garden.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20It's a real privilege to work in this area in particular.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31There's a major project beginning in one of the terrace areas.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Created 100 years ago, it's known as the Stage,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38inspired by an Italian outdoor theatre.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Bodnant's stage has rarely seen any actors but its elegant lines
0:04:43 > 0:04:47and symmetrical planting have made it a magnet for visitors.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Like many areas of the garden, the Stage is in need of a makeover,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57as the yew hedges have come to the end of their useful life.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Adam and his team
0:04:59 > 0:05:04have removed the old yew trees and are preparing to put in new plants.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07But there is a serious problem.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09These are the new yews we've had for the Stage.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13A portion of them have actually got vine weevil.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It is causing this damage to them.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Normally, they would be nice and green and healthy,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22but the vine weevil larvae actually start eating the roots,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and it causes the plants to wilt and die like this.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30It's a big setback and a costly one too.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32350 newly purchased yew trees
0:05:32 > 0:05:36are infected with the dreaded vine weevil.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40These should be full of roots, these pots.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46You can see this little white lava, with the light brown head on it.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48They actually gnaw away at the...
0:05:48 > 0:05:50roots and also the stem bases.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Half the trees are beyond rescue and must be thrown away.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58The remaining trees must be treated with a biological agent
0:05:58 > 0:06:00that devours the weevils.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04There won't be any planting any time soon.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12In the meantime, Adam takes a delivery and gets on with what he can.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Could you bring that other tractor? The turf just arrived.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19400 square metres there should be on there.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25It's now Adam's job to organise his team
0:06:25 > 0:06:29to lay and recreate the perfect lawn of the Stage.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Basically, it's just to put a few of the turfs out where we need them most.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Some of these tricky bits round the edges.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39There's four in that first section,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and then the majority of them for this central section.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45We'll stack somewhere behind this bench as best we can.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49The first turf going down.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50One of many today.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Hopefully that should stand up and get a bit of air to it
0:06:57 > 0:06:59after it's been in the wagon overnight.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Yeah, be happy when it's all down,
0:07:02 > 0:07:07as long as he doesn't make a mess in there, we'll be all right.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Hope he doesn't start scratching it all up.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17You can certainly see where you've been.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22It makes a big difference having seen this project, nearly seven to eight months now.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Most of the time, we've been looking at bare dirt and soil.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31Hopefully, in a couple of days' time, it'll show a bit more life, really.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Within a few weeks, the turf is looking as though it's been there for years.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40But with the new yew trees still in quarantine,
0:07:40 > 0:07:46the Stage isn't quite ready for its new audience yet.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51The revamp of the Stage area is driven by head gardener, Troy,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and also by the family that gave Bodnant to the National Trust.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Michael McLaren and his mother, Anne,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01are taking an active role in the whole garden improvement programme.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04'It's a little bit unique at Bodnant.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06'We still have the donor family here.'
0:08:06 > 0:08:08They're very much involved with the garden.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12So, really, the day-to-day garden management
0:08:12 > 0:08:14is really activated by Michael McLaren,
0:08:14 > 0:08:19'discussing with me jobs, tasks, renovations.'
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Michael's day job is in London as a barrister.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26He visits Bodnant every three weeks to check on progress.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30What I said to Tom is that I'll have a look with you today
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- and we'll agree a plan of action. - Sure, let's do that.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35'Troy and I have a very good relationship.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39'I actually have a direct line with him, so far as the garden is concerned.'
0:08:39 > 0:08:43We want to restore, revitalise parts of the garden which are...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46a bit over-mature and needing restoration.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48'It all works extremely well.'
0:08:48 > 0:08:50..Needs to be cut back a bit.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54But it's so wonderfully symmetrical. It has an architectural feel to it.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02In the Dell, visitors come to admire the hydrangeas in late summer,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05but glorious displays like this don't happen by chance.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10Eh, up. Here he is.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- Looking forward to this? - Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- Looks cold down there. - Looks very cold, doesn't it?
0:09:16 > 0:09:21I'm gonna do a bit of pruning, get the hydrangeas tidied up.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28Tidying up the bushes is easier said than done because of the steeply sloping river banks.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Adam and Dave must indulge in a fairly extreme form of pruning.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Hopefully it's...
0:09:36 > 0:09:39..still strong enough to...
0:09:39 > 0:09:42take my huge weight!
0:09:44 > 0:09:46'I love the hydrangeas.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48'It's the aesthetics.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'We tidy them up, deadhead them, get the dead wood out.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54'Part is of it as well is to keep the vigour,
0:09:54 > 0:10:00'get rid of some of the old wood, get that new, nice, vigorous growth coming up. The flowers.'
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Never a dull moment here, Bodnant.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Anybody lucky enough to get a job here like me...
0:10:07 > 0:10:10..this is the kind of thing we get up to quite often.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14It's not just pushing a hoe and pulling a rake.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Yeah, it's good fun, you know?
0:10:25 > 0:10:30Bodnant garden is famous for its laburnum arch, which blooms every spring.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35A magnificent tunnel of yellow, it attracts 50,000 visitors each May.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40There's lots of imitations now, as I call them.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44But Bodnant's laburnum arch was, I think, the first. 1880-something.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47So this is 130 years old.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52An amazing feature at the time to conceive, I think.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55With that in mind, we're really conscious we have to preserve it.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59What we do is we went through a process last winter of...
0:10:59 > 0:11:04All these original metal arches - they look sound here -
0:11:04 > 0:11:07but as it went into the ground they were rotten.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10You could just push it over, really.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12They've all been renewed.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Every year, it takes about five weeks to cut back dead wood
0:11:16 > 0:11:19and replace the ties on the arch.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24It's time-consuming, but essential for a good show of spring flowers.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28After flowering, deadheading is a two-day operation.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Troy is always looking for ways of saving time,
0:11:30 > 0:11:35and came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39One year, when I first came, I did want to speed it up.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40I thought two days was too long.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44And I got a mechanical hedge cutter in.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48I thought, if you use a hedge cutter, you can go along like that,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50and it would all come off very quickly.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53It was quick. In 40 minutes, I did it all.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It looked really awful to be honest. So...
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I admitted I was wrong and Tony did it again,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01and it looked a lot better.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09Down in the Dell, some of the magic has been lost in recent years.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13The river is cloudy, due to a build-up of silt and shale.
0:12:15 > 0:12:21Dave is determined to make this little tributary of the River Conwy crystal-clear again.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25We have major water work projects coming up.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29The big problem we've got is further down in the mill pond.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Just above the waterfall there.
0:12:31 > 0:12:36There's a huge collection of material that's built up over the years.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39That needs to go, as does what's in the river here.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43If we didn't maintain this,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46then the whole river, right through
0:12:46 > 0:12:50to where it hits the Conwy, would basically fill up with silt and shale.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52To make the dredging easier,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55he has decided to build a dam to divert the river.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59That will give the team better access to the river-bed.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Right, grab some bags.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08We're gonna dam the river tomorrow.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Divert it through that way through the pond,
0:13:11 > 0:13:12so that, basically,
0:13:12 > 0:13:17we've got free access up and down with machinery here.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Clearing out as much of this...
0:13:21 > 0:13:23shale as we can.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Dave is building his dam with large bags,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34each filled with a tonne of stones.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41The heavy manual work doesn't worry trainee gardener Fiona Braithwaite.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I love it.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45At the end of the day, you feel physically tired,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49but you feel as though you've achieved something,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53and you feel a lot healthier as well after doing it.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Day one went well.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Day two is not getting off to a good start.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Not least because the weather's against them.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06There was a mechanical problem this morning. First thing.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10That's fixed - we're back in action again now.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12But now look at it!
0:14:12 > 0:14:17The rain has swollen the river and the volume of water is threatening all of their hard work.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22The potential is that the river picks up,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and undoes everything that I am just about to do.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Whatever Dave tries, the river is too much for him.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33He just can't hold it back.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35The dam won't be built today.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36I didn't think it was a good sign.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39I was down there and the river was flowing strong.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45- Steve said you were almost there. Too much water.- Yeah.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49- Not enough weight in the bags. - Not enough bags.- Not enough bags.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54A non-gardener, or a non-professional gardener,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57you have this image of gardening being deadheading roses
0:14:57 > 0:15:01and doing pretty things, but large portions of our work
0:15:01 > 0:15:05is dealing with diggers, machinery, drainage work.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Dave and his team have got several weeks work here in the river,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14and during that time, there'll not be much gardening happening in the Dell.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Once the water level has dropped,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21the dam can be finished and Dave will be able to start dredging.
0:15:27 > 0:15:34Alison Clarke's role in the improvement programme at Bodnant is to catalogue and protect the plants.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39We have a collection of about 50,000 plants here.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Some of the plants are very, very rare.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Some of them are threatened in the wild.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50Some of the material was collected anything up to 100 years ago
0:15:50 > 0:15:52by famous plant collectors.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56So it's really important that we keep them going.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00All we're looking for is a few specimens to make sure
0:16:00 > 0:16:04that that plant doesn't go extinct, basically.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10So where are we off to?
0:16:10 > 0:16:14I thought if we go over and have a look at this big old chestnut tree,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16and that is a nice introduction...
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Alison is training Fiona in the art of propagation.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Today's lesson is layering - a method gardeners use to create a new plant
0:16:23 > 0:16:28by laying a branch of an established plant on the ground where it grows roots.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33So all layering is really is exploiting what nature does.
0:16:33 > 0:16:39You can see where, with the chestnut, where it's touched the ground,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42I mean, that's been rooted in there for years now,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44but - and here again, over there -
0:16:44 > 0:16:50the branch has gone down low, touched the ground and roots have formed.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Alison uses this layering technique
0:16:56 > 0:16:59to propagate many plants around Bodnant garden.
0:17:00 > 0:17:06I would quite like to have a go at this one first, this rhododendron.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Bodnant is world-famous for its unique collection of rhododendrons.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16With 800 varieties, some of them are very rare indeed.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Ensuring their survival is an enormous challenge.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23If anything happened to one of them and I hadn't propagated it,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27I would feel quite responsible and a bit guilty, really,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29as though it was my fault for letting it die out.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35So I'm just gonna scrape away a little of the bark at the base there.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39And that does two things.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44It makes sure the cambium layer there is going to be in contact with the soil,
0:17:44 > 0:17:50and also it causes all the plant hormones to concentrate in that area,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53so hopefully rooting will take place there.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58I'm just gonna get one of these little pegs.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04I think this is probably the only one of this type that we've got in the garden.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09In a couple of years' time, the branch will have taken root and become a new plant in its own right.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14Once it's properly rooted, you can just sever it here,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17dig it out and move it to where you want it, or pot it up.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20If we don't preserve it for the future,
0:18:20 > 0:18:21I think we'll lose it.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25I think the plants here are precious
0:18:25 > 0:18:30and the people who do the work, they're invaluable as well.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39The improvement programme at Bodnant includes every aspect of the garden,
0:18:39 > 0:18:44from planting and propagation to fixtures and furniture.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47This is one of our classic seats at Bodnant.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49It's a William Kent designed seat.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53We have two of them. One on the Stage and one on the Lily Terrace.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57You can see, it's well past any use, really.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00So we have had two new seats made.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03This is the original colour here.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07We just felt it was a nice opportunity to actually select... a new colour,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11because we weren't really that happy with the original colour.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Actually, lots of visitors this year put on their comment cards,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18"Love the garden, but don't like the green on the seats."
0:19:18 > 0:19:22The old bench from the Stage has been painted with a selection of possible colours,
0:19:22 > 0:19:27but before making a final choice, there's someone Troy must go and see,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29someone who is certain to have an opinion.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36- Morning.- Hello, Troy. - How are you?- Very well, thanks.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41Anne McLaren married the late Lord Aberconway over 50 years ago.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45She lives part-time at Bodnant Hall and is devoted to the garden.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49You have to tell me what all the latest news is because I've been away.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53- It's been a while since we got together.- That's right, a long time.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I think there's quite a few bits...
0:19:55 > 0:20:00Troy wants to know what colour she thinks the bench should be painted.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04- I hate coloured seats. - For me, maintenance-wise, they are a nightmare.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Yes. It's so difficult to get the right colour any way.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12- You did a seat just overlooking the canal.- Yeah.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14I didn't like that colour at all.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15It was much, much too blue.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Also there's beige, greeny, olivey colours.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24That's what I'm for, not duck-egg blue.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- Yeah.- I don't think you want anything strident at all.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Bodnant is home to many ancient and beautiful trees.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44It's vital that any rotten trees are identified and assessed
0:20:44 > 0:20:46before they become dangerous.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Adam is a qualified tree surgeon.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Basically, this Abies tree, it's been dying back for quite a while.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55As you can see here,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59there's quite extensive decay on this buttress here,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02there's bark peeling off.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04So on here, we've got quite a bit of decay.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08If you look up into the crown, there's quite a bit that's died back.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12It's been steadily declining over the last few years.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Now we have the chance to actually remove it.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18The tree has to be felled.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22If left, the rot would spread and cause this ten tonne giant
0:21:22 > 0:21:24to fall of its own accord.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28So we know it's hopefully OK to climb, it's safe enough to climb,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32so what we want to do is climb it, remove it,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34before it does extend even further.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36OK!
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Paul and Adam have 35 years of tree surgery experience between them,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44and they know how important safety is when you're working at heights.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47If you're 100 foot up a tree, you're on your own.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52The only person that's gonna look after you up while you're up there is yourself.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57I think he's enjoying it. At least the wind has stayed down a bit.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Spot on!
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Very good.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08All we need now is to snap it.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14Thank you.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18While Paul clears the path for a safe landing,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Adam makes one last check to ensure that the tree will fall in the right area
0:22:22 > 0:22:25without damaging any other plants.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29It has a slight lean to the right-hand side as we're looking at it,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32so we'll aim it slightly further to the left,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and then it should end up somewhere in the middle there.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40As long as we've got plenty of muscle on the rope, we'll be all right.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Timber!
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Even the best-laid plans can go wrong.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54The tree veered off course and damaged a conifer.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Just a shame about that.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02You saw it moving as it was going down.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07- You thought, "Ah, that's gonna go!" - Yeah, nothing we could do.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10The felled tree is completely rotten.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13It might have fallen at any moment,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15so the main job of the day has been a success,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18in spite of the damage to the conifer.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22You have to take the rough with the smooth.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26If something does happen, it would be unfortunate and unplanned,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29but we would have to accept it, cos once it's happened, it's there,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31you can't put it back.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Troy is not the only one who's attached to the trees in the garden.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44I don't want to see many of my old favourite trees chopped down, because I'm sentimental.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48But I realise, you know, everything has a life period,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52and you can't keep a tree when it's got...
0:23:52 > 0:23:56sort of untidy and old and shabby looking.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01Bodnant often sends specimens to other gardens and nurseries around the UK.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05These links have proved to be enormously beneficial.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10I planted these two trees in memory of my husband.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13He always wanted to have a Magnolia here,
0:24:13 > 0:24:18and I wanted a very tall straight one. And I managed to find one.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And then this is a Judas tree,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22which is supposed to be the tree
0:24:22 > 0:24:27that Judas Iscariot hanged himself on after the crucifixion.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31We used to have a wonderful Judas tree here many years ago,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and it died,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38and I discovered that the Hilliers had had a cutting from my father-in-law,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42and had been propagating our Bodnant Judas tree.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I was able to get that for his second tree,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47which was very appropriate.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Now that the river in the Dell has been dammed
0:25:01 > 0:25:06and is no longer flowing freely, the excavation of the shale is underway.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10The process has reached industrial proportions,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and Dave is missing his plants.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17It runs through your mind several times that...
0:25:17 > 0:25:20I'm only meant to be a gardener,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22and can I just go back to mowing my paths
0:25:22 > 0:25:25and pruning me shrubs?
0:25:25 > 0:25:29It's a lot more straightforward than doing something like this.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32It was Dave's idea...
0:25:32 > 0:25:34to use this conveyor belt.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Really, it was the best way possible of moving so much tonnage
0:25:39 > 0:25:43up a very steep bank, as you can see.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47I mean, we're currently moving... We're doing about 18 to 20 trailers a day.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51One trailer is about 12 tonnes of material,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54so, as you can imagine, we've been doing it a few weeks now.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57So it's a fair tonnage we're taking away.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Months of heavy work have really paid off,
0:26:01 > 0:26:06and many hundreds of tonnes of material have been removed from the river-bed alone.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10The dam has been dismantled, so the water now flows free,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13sparkling in the Dell once more.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21And Dave has an ingenious use for all this shale.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26He's improving the ten miles of paths around the garden.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I'm just tidying up the paths down here a little bit,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33they tend to get a bit muddy through the season.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Gave them a bit of a scrape earlier in preparation.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Put some new gravel down - I'm just gonna whack it down now.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Make it all nice and neat.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Up on the terraces,
0:26:56 > 0:27:01the Stage is being set for some long-awaited newcomers.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03What we're doing now this morning
0:27:03 > 0:27:07is finally planting up some of the yew hedges on the Stage,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10which we started now almost 12 months ago.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13We were hoping to have done it in the spring.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15We decided to leave it until the autumn,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and now finally, the day's come
0:27:17 > 0:27:19when we're trying to get some of these in,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23and make the Stage look like it used to.
0:27:23 > 0:27:2535 from the edge and a gap, so...
0:27:25 > 0:27:29'I've spent a lot of time now just measuring between each plant,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32'making sure the rows are the right distance apart,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36'to try and encourage a nice thick uniform hedge with no gaps,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39'but allowing the plant some room to expand.'
0:27:41 > 0:27:45The paint colour has finally been agreed for the new bench too.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48It's called bothy green.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52It's taken over a year to improve the decaying stage area
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and Troy is delighted with the result.
0:27:56 > 0:28:02Now we've got new hedges that will grow and live for 100 years.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07And it's a big area of the garden, a significant area of the garden,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10which is now complete and we can move on elsewhere.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25From the formal terraces to the wild woodland,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Troy and his dedicated team have renewed and refreshed Bodnant.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32The hope is that their efforts will be rewarded
0:28:32 > 0:28:37with more visitors coming to this beautiful garden in Snowdonia.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:44 > 0:28:48E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk