0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and welcome to my garden.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10This is a new chapter for Gardeners' World, but obviously it's my home.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13And we've been here 20 years, and my wife Sarah and I
0:00:13 > 0:00:16have made this garden from scratch during that period.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Now, I love it,
0:00:18 > 0:00:20and I hope that as you get to know it better,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24you'll get as much pleasure from it as I do every single day.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Joining me this year will be old friends Carol Klein,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Rachel de Thame and Joe Swift.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Each week, Carol will be visiting some of the best gardens that are open to the public
0:00:37 > 0:00:39and finding lots of seasonal inspiration.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44This week, she's visiting the Winter Garden at Anglesey Abbey
0:00:44 > 0:00:46which is at its best right now.
0:00:46 > 0:00:52The whole place is fluffy and feminine, it's absolutely lovely.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Joe and Rachel will be travelling the country, offering advice
0:00:55 > 0:00:58and a helping hand to fellow gardeners.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00This week, they're in Dorchester,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04tackling unruly clematis and an overgrown pond.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08- Oh, that's looking good, Joe. - Yeah, getting there, getting there.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10- Ooh, lovely! - And he hasn't fallen in yet!
0:01:12 > 0:01:15But I'll always be here at Longmeadow,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17working and looking after the garden,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19just as I have done for the last 20 years.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Longmeadow was just a grassy field when we first moved here,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39but it has changed dramatically since then.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Let me just show you round the garden briefly.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46This is the Herb Garden,
0:01:46 > 0:01:51blasted by the cold here, it got as cold -18 at Christmas.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56The box balls there, which I've grown entirely from cuttings over the years.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59And they just get cut once a year.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00And this is the Lime Walk,
0:02:00 > 0:02:06so-called because these tilia are limes.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09And I bought them in a sale and they were 50p each.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12And I put them in in 1993.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Now this takes us in to the Vegetable Garden
0:02:16 > 0:02:20which has slowly got more and more formal over the years
0:02:20 > 0:02:22to give it some winter structure.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23I bought this hedge,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27this is a Buxus sempervirens, 'Handsworthiensis.'
0:02:27 > 0:02:31I bought it from a newspaper, someone was selling a hedge,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and I went and dug it up, couple of loads in the car,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38and that's been here for about 16, 17 years.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41This bit here...
0:02:41 > 0:02:46is all evergreen. The idea is to have this corridor that is always green
0:02:46 > 0:02:48and in the summer, we plant it up with annuals.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52It's the gap between the Vegetable Garden and the Jewel Garden -
0:02:52 > 0:02:54because it's planted in jewel colours.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57And when we get to midsummer, this grows really tall
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and stretches down,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03so we just fill the whole thing with colour, intense colour.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And it's the core, really, of the garden. This is the centre.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10This is what everything works round. Not the vegetables, but flowers.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13And then, we come into this bit,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16which is the Copse. And it's a hazel copse.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Then you've got all the flowers that you get in coppice woodland.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I've got my dogs buried in here.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31That's Red, that's Beaufort and that's little Poppy.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Who knows, I might end up in this patch too.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51This triangular slither of a garden is what we call the Spring Garden.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54It's a piece that floods badly,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56it's often under water,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59but it's perfect for growing these very early flowers.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Starts with the aconites and snowdrops, which are now over.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05And then we get the hellebores coming through
0:04:05 > 0:04:09and every kind of early perennial and bulb.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12There are plants to take out, plants to replace,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15gaps to fill, every year is different.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18But some jobs are repeated year in, year out.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And one of them is to divide snowdrops.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27There we go, just tease them up.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Now you can see, when you dig up a clump of snowdrops,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38they look like leeks -
0:04:38 > 0:04:41all beautiful straight lines with their white stems.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43And whilst they're still growing,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45it's a very good time to move them.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Much, much more successful than trying to plant them as bulbs.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I'm going to start with some just right over here on the other side of the path.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Replant each clump at the same level in the soil as it was growing previously,
0:04:59 > 0:05:00and firm them in well.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02And I like to gather any single bulbs together
0:05:02 > 0:05:05to make one clump which looks much more natural.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The great thing about a garden in spring
0:05:10 > 0:05:14is that it's changing, every day there are new things being added.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17It's growing and that's thrillingly exciting.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20But if you want to get a garden looking good of a winter,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24it's got to be solid and stay strong for weeks and even months on end.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27And Carol went along to Anglesey Abbey
0:05:27 > 0:05:29to see a winter garden at its very best.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44This can be a really gloomy time of the year.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Sometimes, you don't even feel like venturing outside.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51But in actual fact, there are some plants which excel
0:05:51 > 0:05:53at just this time of year.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54They really come into their own.
0:05:54 > 0:06:01And Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire boasts one of the finest winter gardens in the country.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The Winter Garden is long and narrow,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11but snaking through it is this winding path.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14And at every twist and turn,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16there's something new and exciting to see -
0:06:16 > 0:06:19beautiful coloured stems
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and glorious bark.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25The garden's only been created for 13 years,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28but already it's been a resounding success.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35The Winter Garden relies for its dramatic effect
0:06:35 > 0:06:38on the impact of these big blocks of plants,
0:06:38 > 0:06:43lots of them, and wonderful combinations between the blocks.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47But the point is that anybody could steal any of those ideas,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49scale them down,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and take them home to their own gardens whatever their size.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05When you think of winter colour you usually associate it with something
0:07:05 > 0:07:09sort of macho, dramatic, stark,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13but you come round here and the opposite is true.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16The whole place is fluffy and feminine.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20It's absolutely lovely. All this blossom burgeoning,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24and it's very, very soft and that softness is taken up
0:07:24 > 0:07:28by these gorgeous mounds of this Euonymus
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and whoever planted this lot is definitely in touch
0:07:32 > 0:07:33with their feminine side.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41Richard Todd's been head gardener here for the last 11 years
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and is pivotal to the garden's development.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48That looks like a really satisfying job, Richard.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52- It certainly is.- Can I give you a hand?- Some secateurs? There we go.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57- This is Salix alba vitellina. - Vitellina.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- They call it the 'Egg Yolk Willow'. - Very aptly name too.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02It's a lovely yellow.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05How often do you do this? Because those two over there are much,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09- much more vivid than these, aren't they?- They were done last year.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12You always get the best colour on year one growth of anything like
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- Salix and Cornus.- Right. - So these are two year olds,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- so you can see they're slightly duller.- Yeah.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20So anything you're growing for its stems,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23that colour's brighter and much more vivid
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- if you keep on top of it. - In the first year, much brighter,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29so that's what we're looking for now. We want to aim for next year,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31bright colours in the winter,
0:08:31 > 0:08:32but you've got to do it now.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53This birch growth has to be one of the most iconic pieces
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- of this whole winter garden, isn't it?- It definitely is.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01For everybody it's the sort of climax of a fantastic walk.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Yeah, it is just so... It's so magical and you come round that
0:09:05 > 0:09:08corner and see it for the first time, it's out of this world.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12You just gasp and have to say, "Wow! What have I come to? Is it Narnia."
0:09:12 > 0:09:14I mean, they look incredibly natural.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I love the way they're swaying in the wind.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20In the summer, we want shafts of light coming through here.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23It's very important to pick out the stems and so,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25there's a bit of tweaking from time to time.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27So the odd one or two will come out,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and that's how you carry on with the garden. You've got to keep saying,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34"What's the effect that we're looking for? How do I tweak it? What do I change?"
0:09:34 > 0:09:36- So not just gardener but an artist as well.- Absolutely.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I'll tell you what, it's really paid off, hasn't it?
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Definitely. It's a pleasure to me every day.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06I suppose you tend to think of garden visiting as being
0:10:06 > 0:10:10a sort of summertime occupation, but visiting this garden
0:10:10 > 0:10:14has just been such an experience. There's so much to see -
0:10:14 > 0:10:20all these wonderful twigs and barks and the whole place pervaded
0:10:20 > 0:10:22by this glorious perfume.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I really think it's inspirational.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31If you're planning a garden visit this weekend,
0:10:31 > 0:10:36there are plenty of other stunning winter gardens around the country,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39and they're in their prime right now.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens in Hampshire
0:10:41 > 0:10:45has a cracking display of plants from all corners of the world.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51The winter garden within the 70-acre Cambo Gardens in Fife
0:10:51 > 0:10:54has been expanded over the past 12 months,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58and at RHS Rosemoor in Devon, the winter gardens
0:10:58 > 0:11:01are looking truly spectacular.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06For even more suggestions, go to our website -
0:11:15 > 0:11:18I love the drama of Anglesey Abbey,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21but winter colour doesn't always have to be dramatic.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25I've planted this long strip with box, all from cuttings,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28simply to give us green in winter.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31And you don't have to do it on a big scale. In a small garden,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34just a couple of green plants can give a lift
0:11:34 > 0:11:36to the darkest winter day.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41This is the dry garden.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45It's very sunny, drains really well. We've got cardoons in here,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47we've got Eremurus, we've got masses of tulips,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52Mediterranean plants, but what we do in this place is let things seed,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54so it's never the same two years running.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57It's slow to start, nothing much will happen here for another month or so.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10But there is one job that I need to get on top of right now.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15This shrub rose is Rosa 'Complicata'. A species rose - lovely,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17delicate pink flower, single,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20don't last very long, but it's a joy.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I like it to grow quite big, so I didn't prune it all last year.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Now it needs a little bit of sorting out,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29but if you're tackling an overgrown shrub like this,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31the thing to do is to clear the tangle,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33get rid of any crossing branches,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36anything that's very old or anything that's damaged.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39In general, you want to cut away the oldest growth
0:12:39 > 0:12:43and cut back the weakest growth, which will make it grow firmer.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49If you're cutting out a big stem on a rose, go low.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Go right down to the bottom and that will encourage regrowth.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Cut right back to the stem there.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01We're now almost getting to the point where it's opened out.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05I've cleared underneath it, so from now on in, I want to just
0:13:05 > 0:13:07get a shape to it that I like.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15That'll do. It's a vigorous plant. It wants to sprawl off
0:13:15 > 0:13:18in lots of directions, as long as there's plenty of air in there.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21That's the really crucial thing - air and light so it can grow.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Very often when I do a job like this, I'll clean it up, sort it out.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Come back a day or two later and think, "Oh, there's a bit more to take off."
0:13:28 > 0:13:31A pair of secateurs in my pocket and I'll do it then.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00I remember about five or six years ago when vegetable seeds
0:14:00 > 0:14:03became more popular than flower seeds for the first time.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Well, in the last six years, flower seeds have increased a lot,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10but vegetable seeds have gone berserk.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15They're now 70% of all seeds sold. Now, that's fantastic
0:14:15 > 0:14:20and here we grow as many vegetables and flowers from seed as possible.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21This is the propagating greenhouse.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23We have cold frames there.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Over there is the potting shed.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28This yard really is the engine room of the garden.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31The soil in my garden is still too cold and wet
0:14:31 > 0:14:33to sow vegetables outside yet
0:14:33 > 0:14:38but I like to get going with as many as I can under cover.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40I'm going to sow some beetroot now. I sow the beetroot in modules.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43I used to sow them direct, then in seed trays
0:14:43 > 0:14:45but modules works perfectly.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49I've got home-made compost but I do buy compost sometimes.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52I'm not too obsessive about it.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57This is a mix of leaf mould, vermiculite,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59a bit of sieved compost
0:14:59 > 0:15:00and a little bit of soil
0:15:00 > 0:15:04because I think that helps the root relationship
0:15:04 > 0:15:05with the soil when they go out.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Right. I'm going to sow some Bolthardy.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13This tastes good. Easy to grow. It doesn't bolt too much.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Just scatter them in each module.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Normally when you are growing in modules...
0:15:23 > 0:15:26..you try and sow as thinly as possible
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and then thin them out so there is just one plant in each module.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34But with beetroot, the reason I don't thin them
0:15:34 > 0:15:37is because I think that they're best grown as a cluster.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41So if I can have a clump or cluster
0:15:41 > 0:15:43of half a dozen golf-ball sized beetroot,
0:15:43 > 0:15:48that actually tastes much better than one big whopper.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17Very often at this time of year
0:16:17 > 0:16:21you can have sunny days but the ground is still cold and wet
0:16:21 > 0:16:23or even not prepared because you haven't had a chance to get at it.
0:16:23 > 0:16:29But it is important to plant out onion and shallot sets.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30I've got some shallots here.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32This is a variety called Jermor.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35I'm a great fan of shallots because they taste so good
0:16:35 > 0:16:36and they store very well.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40This is the root end and the sprout comes from the top.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Get some potting compost and simply pot the shallot.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47They are not going to stay in here for very long,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49maybe a month or so at the most,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51but it does give them a chance to grow because they have
0:16:51 > 0:16:52a long growing season.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56In order to ripen in time in summer, we want to get them into the ground
0:16:56 > 0:16:58as soon as possible.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I've got some here that I did in the middle of last month.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05You can see that they've got a decent foliage coming out of the top.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Their roots are firm. I can't pull those out.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Those will be ready to plant out in a week or two.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15This time of year, there's so much to do -
0:17:15 > 0:17:19seeds to sow, the winter to tidy up from, some pruning to be done.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22But there are some people, who not only do all that work,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24but also open their gardens to the public.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29Heather Robinson down in Dorchester is opening her garden as part of
0:17:29 > 0:17:32the National Gardens Scheme this Sunday on the 13th.
0:17:32 > 0:17:38Joe and Rachel went down to Dorchester to give a helping hand.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Heather, it's quite challenging to open your garden in March.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- What made you want to do that? - Each season, to me,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54has such a lot to offer.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57But I think after,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59especially the last few winters that we've had,
0:17:59 > 0:18:05to see the beginnings of spring coming, it's lovely.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07The other thing is not many people do
0:18:07 > 0:18:09so I don't have the competition.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10THEY LAUGH
0:18:10 > 0:18:13- Get in there quick!- Absolutely!
0:18:13 > 0:18:15You also other times throughout the year as well,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18which I think is a lovely idea
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- because you see a garden progress throughout the seasons.- Yes.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25You've got a lot of height. Wonderful height. Silver birches,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27lilac, some evergreen trees.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31People are scared of putting trees in gardens of these size.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34The trees we put in to break up areas.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38I'll tell what really shows is there's a love of clematis here.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42A lot of that height is with clematis going over arches.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43I can't stop buying them.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44THEY LAUGH
0:18:44 > 0:18:46I really can't!
0:18:46 > 0:18:49There are many worse things in life to be addicted to than clematis,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51in my view.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54You've got a big day coming up so we're here to help you.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Are there any specific tasks that you want us to deal with?
0:18:57 > 0:19:02The pond area certainly needs to be looked at,
0:19:02 > 0:19:07pruning of the clematis, putting a little bit of compost round,
0:19:07 > 0:19:08and barking.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Absolutely Well, we can certainly give you a hand with that.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- Let's crack on.- You're good at barking.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15SHE LAUGHS
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Are most of these plants grown in pots?
0:19:37 > 0:19:41- Certainly the irises are.- OK.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44I'd look to repot the ones that are really pot-bound.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47The first thing to do is to get this frogspawn out of the way.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50- Do you want to leave me to it, Heather? I- will.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51OK. See you in a bit.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55It means that when I pull this iris out,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59there'll be no frogspawn attached to it.
0:19:59 > 0:20:05Now, it's pretty much a case, as with all herbaceous perennials,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09splitting it, dividing it up and repotting it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15But before I repot it, I really want to give it a good wash
0:20:15 > 0:20:20because it's covered in duckweed and it's one way of getting
0:20:20 > 0:20:21the duckweed out of the pond completely.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26OK. Now, that's ready to pot up.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28The first thing I'm going to do
0:20:28 > 0:20:33is put some gravel at the bottom of the container...
0:20:35 > 0:20:40..just to help bed plant in and weigh the pot down.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Then I backfill it with some special aquatic compost,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46which is very low in nutrients.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47That is absolutely key
0:20:47 > 0:20:50because if I start feeding nutrients into this pond,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52I'm going to encourage algae in spring
0:20:52 > 0:20:54and it's going to make a right old mess
0:20:54 > 0:20:57and upset the balance of the water.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58As I put it back into the water,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01this soil will all just float away,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03unless I weigh it down with something.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06The ideal medium is some of this gravel.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11There you go. That's one iris repotted.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12But before I put them back in,
0:21:12 > 0:21:13I'm going to give this pond a really good clean-out.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It needs it because there's decaying foliage in there,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and there's lots of duckweed as well.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24- That's looking good, Joe.- Getting there. Getting there.- Lovely.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- And he hasn't fallen in yet. - No, there is that.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Not yet. I know you both wish I would.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31THEY LAUGH
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- Round about here?- Yes.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37You can see where I've got so far with it.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40I can also see great big chunks of chalk.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45- Do you lose a lot of water through the soil?- A tremendous amount.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47With that water draining through,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50you're also going to find nutrients leeching out all the time.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- I think mulch is a good idea.- Yeah.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55This is your lovely home-made garden compost
0:21:55 > 0:21:57so it's beautiful stuff, this.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01You want to put it on about two to four inches thick
0:22:01 > 0:22:06so that, gradually, it acts almost like a slow-release fertiliser
0:22:06 > 0:22:08And it does other jobs too.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10You're going to find that, when it rains,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14that the water's going to be retained, much better moisture retention,
0:22:14 > 0:22:15also, fewer weeds.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18And, finally, because you want the garden to be looking good
0:22:18 > 0:22:22for all of these openings, it sets off all of the plants beautifully.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- Yes, it's that backdrop, isn't it. - Yes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Well, that's one job done.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43But Heather also wanted help with pruning her beloved clematis.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Now, with clematis, they fall into three groups
0:22:46 > 0:22:47when it comes to pruning.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50One, two and three. And it's the group threes
0:22:50 > 0:22:52that we can prune now.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Now among the group three clematis are the tanguticas
0:22:58 > 0:23:01which have golden yellow bell-shaped flowers.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04And the viticellas which are, I think, my favourite group
0:23:04 > 0:23:06They're incredibly easy to grow.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Basically, they produce flowers on new wood.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Growth that's made this season rather than last.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15So, all of this, that's not going to flower.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17So we're going to cut this
0:23:17 > 0:23:19pretty much right down at the base here.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And you can see all these lovely new stems.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24They've already emerged.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25We've got three good strong ones.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27So, I'm just going to cut this.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I like this idea, just putting this netting on
0:23:34 > 0:23:38to give it something to hang on to as it goes up the silver birch.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Very nifty.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45You've got to keep on top of this duckweed
0:23:45 > 0:23:47but I'm sure it's diminishing.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- There is less of it than when I started.- A lot less.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51It doesn't feel like it!
0:23:51 > 0:23:55I think if you get a finer mesh actually in your net.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59- I'm sure it's just going round in circles... - Are you blaming your tools again?
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Well... Yes, I am actually.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Anyway, over to you now.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- Thank you.- And good luck with the open day.- Thank you.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08It is such a lovely garden and there's so much interest here.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10I think visitors are going to be delighted.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Thank you, both of you, very much.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29The great thing about the National Gardens Scheme
0:24:29 > 0:24:33is you get a chance to see all kinds of gardens
0:24:33 > 0:24:35that wouldn't normally be open.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And if you'd like to share your garden with us,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40we would love to hear from you this year.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Particularly if you've got a dilemma
0:24:42 > 0:24:45that you think Rachel or Joe may be able to help you with.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So, send us a couple of pictures by e-mail to -
0:24:51 > 0:24:53And, who know? We may be round to see you.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00Now, here are some jobs to get on with this weekend.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05I like to get my bare-root roses in the ground, certainly by the end of March if I can.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08The great advantage of bare-root roses over containerised ones,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11is that they're much cheaper, they tend to have a better root system
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and because they're field-grown, they're tougher.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16When you receive a bare-root rose
0:25:16 > 0:25:20give it a good soak in a bucket of water while you prepare the hole.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I like to plant my roses deep
0:25:23 > 0:25:26so that the grafting point is below ground level
0:25:26 > 0:25:28as this seems to reduce suckering.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I also add some mycorrhizal product
0:25:30 > 0:25:32which helps the roots develop quickly.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Backfill it, firming it in well.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Give it a good soak and then mulch it quickly.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43This year's potatoes are now on sale.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46And even if your ground isn't ready for planting them yet
0:25:46 > 0:25:49It is time to prepare them by chitting them.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Chitting simply means placing them in a box or on a tray,
0:25:54 > 0:25:55in a bright, sunny place
0:25:55 > 0:25:59so they can develop hard, knobby sprouts
0:25:59 > 0:26:02which will give them a head start when you do plant them.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05If you have some rhubarb plants,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07it's not too late to force a crown or two.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Forcing produces sweeter, tenderer shoots
0:26:12 > 0:26:14than those that are left to grow naturally.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Cover them up with a flower pot,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19making sure that all light is excluded and leave them.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22And, in a few weeks' time, you'll have delicious, tender stems.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39One job I should be getting on with this weekend is finishing pruning my apple trees.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42These are standard, so they grow fairly loosely
0:26:42 > 0:26:44but they got a big tangle in certain places.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48And it's something that really should have been done by now.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52And you prune in winter to clear them out cos you can see.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55There's no leaves, no fruit. You can see what you're doing.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57And also, it stimulates growth.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00If you pruned every winter, you'd never have any fruit
0:27:00 > 0:27:03because the new growth, and this is growth from last year
0:27:03 > 0:27:06hasn't developed any spurs. And you can see, here are the spurs.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08This is what will have the apples on it.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10That takes a year or two to form.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15And then, as it gets more mature, and you follow it back to older wood,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18you can see you get quite a few spurs coming off.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20All these will bear fruit.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22So, I'll just get the saw,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24do an undercut like that.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27So, that when I cut down, it doesn't tear.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28And, at a slight angle...
0:27:30 > 0:27:32..cut away.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34First thing to do is to clear the tangle,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37starting by getting rid of anything that's dead,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40or diseased or any branches that are rubbing or crossing.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45Just allow it so you can imagine a pigeon would be able to fly through.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46I want to get at this one
0:27:46 > 0:27:48because that's coming down through.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51And, if I again do my undercut.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54This is a tree called Jupiter.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57And it's a delicious eater.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01And, in fact, it keeps pretty well too.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03And I've got a few left.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06That's a Jupiter.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08One of it's parents is Cox's Orange Pippin.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09HE SNIFFS
0:28:09 > 0:28:13That's a little leathery but it's beautiful fragrance still.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16And a really good tree and masses of fruit.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Loads and loads. And when I put this in,
0:28:18 > 0:28:19it was a tiny little thing.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31At least I'm seeing some light and air in here now.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35If I keep at it, I'll have the whole lot finished by the end of the weekend.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37It's another job ticked off.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Well, I hope to see you back here at Longmeadow next week
0:28:40 > 0:28:43and have a good gardening weekend yourself. Bye bye.
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