0:00:02 > 0:00:04RADIO PLAYS "Tweedlee Dee" by LaVern Baker
0:00:09 > 0:00:13Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World, and June has come to Longmeadow
0:00:13 > 0:00:17and it's very welcome, even though it's a traditional English June -
0:00:17 > 0:00:19a bit wet, a bit blowy, a bit chilly,
0:00:19 > 0:00:25but the garden is loving it because everything is growing lushly.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30This week I'm planting out tender annuals into the Jewel Garden,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32as well as giving my elderly citrus plants
0:00:32 > 0:00:35a thorough and long-overdue service.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Carol is helping a Wiltshire beekeeper
0:00:40 > 0:00:43who wants ideas for shade-loving flowers
0:00:43 > 0:00:47that will bring colour as well as nectar to her garden.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51And Rachel is going to Wisley...
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Look how beautiful they are! It's almost... Oh, you feel mean.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56..to find out how your garden
0:00:56 > 0:00:59can benefit from the miraculous Chelsea chop.
0:01:04 > 0:01:10There's no doubt about it that there's a different kind of energy in the garden now.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15In spring, everything is becoming - there is that electric thrill
0:01:15 > 0:01:19that seems to run from plants into one's skin.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22But now we go into summer, it's a bigger pulse,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and that promises much more richness.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Some plants, of course, span the gap
0:01:27 > 0:01:30between spring and summer. The Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw'
0:01:30 > 0:01:32has been flowering for weeks,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34and next to it, the Anchusa 'Loddon Royalist',
0:01:34 > 0:01:37both with fabulous colour, but both have
0:01:37 > 0:01:40the freshness of spring and the richness of summer. But in general,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43everything is going stronger and deeper
0:01:43 > 0:01:45and growing more powerfully.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49BEE BUZZES
0:01:49 > 0:01:54But sometimes that exuberance of growth gets carried away with itself
0:01:54 > 0:01:58and plants start to flop. You can see a really good example here.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00This is the poppy 'Patty's Plum'.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03This one's going over, this is just about at its best,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07but it flopped before I had a chance to support it
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and although I've rescued it and put it upright,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12it doesn't look great. It looks like
0:02:12 > 0:02:14a drunk leaning on a lamppost.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Not only does it not look very good, it also does damage to neighbouring plants,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22so the idea is to support them BEFORE they need it,
0:02:22 > 0:02:23before they fall over.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28And the main weapon in my armoury of supporting plants is cold steel.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38Now the reason I go for cold steel to support my plants
0:02:38 > 0:02:40is because it works so beautifully.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43If you buy yourself
0:02:43 > 0:02:47a length of mild steel bars - this is 6mm thickness -
0:02:47 > 0:02:50you can make really nice supports.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53They're cheap, they're easy to make,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and certainly much cheaper than anything you can buy.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59This cost us, well, round about £2
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and that is about half of what it would cost you anywhere.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Go to a steel stockholder, steel merchant.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10You can look them up on the Yellow Pages or the Internet, there are lots of them.
0:03:10 > 0:03:16Get them cut to length - this is a 2.5 metre length - and bend them round anything you like.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19I've used this to bend them round, you can use a tree trunk.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21In fact...
0:03:21 > 0:03:24this bin is quite good cos all you have to do is just roughly get them
0:03:24 > 0:03:27in the middle like that,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and just bend it round following the contours,
0:03:30 > 0:03:35take it round like that and there's your hoop, perfectly formed.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36That's stage one.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Stage two, you need a couple of boards.
0:03:43 > 0:03:44Lay your hoop
0:03:44 > 0:03:47on the ground like that.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Put this across, stand on it,
0:03:53 > 0:03:54bending it up a little,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and just pull it back towards you.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59There we go.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02There we are.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06A perfect plant support.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Took, what, 15 seconds to make?
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Now the key thing for any method of supporting
0:04:18 > 0:04:21is to do it before the plant needs it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23This group of Heleniums
0:04:23 > 0:04:25is fine, perfectly upstanding,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27not battered at all.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29But there's a real chance as it grows,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33which it will do very fast now, that on a windyish day
0:04:33 > 0:04:35or in a storm, it'll get battered,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37so if I put this in like that
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and then put another one on this side...
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Not touching, not pinching it or corseting it in any way.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48There's the protection, it's in place.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52As it grows, if it leans outwards, it will be gently held up
0:04:52 > 0:04:54rather than squeezed in,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and that's the way to stake plants.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Well, that's how I use these steel hoops,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02but, of course, there are other ways of doing the job.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07The simplest and perhaps oldest-fashioned
0:05:07 > 0:05:09means of support is by using
0:05:09 > 0:05:11canes or sticks and string,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13particularly suitable for individual stems
0:05:13 > 0:05:16like delphiniums or sunflowers. The thing to watch
0:05:16 > 0:05:19is not to make it so tight that the plants are squeezed,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22but not so loose that they're not supported.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29I keep all our prunings, specifically for supports.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33They can stand here, and what looks just like a pile of old wood
0:05:33 > 0:05:37actually makes really good material for getting under plants.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41That's hazel, pruned from the purple hazel in the Jewel Garden.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44This is actually field maple, which is also nice and twiggy.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47You can see that you can either use a big piece like that,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51or you can even cut it right down and use it much more delicately
0:05:51 > 0:05:53underneath smaller plants.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55If I cut that off and cut those off,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58you can just stick that in underneath a plant
0:05:58 > 0:06:00and it grows through it and that works as a support.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Or even straight shoots like this.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08They're flexible, so I can bend that round
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and then that would go round a group of plants.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15I can weave that, bend this in so it goes into the ground
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and, hey presto, you've got another kind of support.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Of course, it doesn't have to be flowers.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It also works well with vegetables. Look at this.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Nothing supports peas better than pea sticks, which is just brushwood,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and these are all just prunings from the garden,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34recycled and they work perfectly.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38All this is about supporting plants now
0:06:38 > 0:06:41so they can grow as big as possible and still look good,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43but Rachel has been to RHS Wisley
0:06:43 > 0:06:47to see the technique with which they reduce the size of plants now
0:06:47 > 0:06:50so that they can look really good a little later on in the year.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03The herbaceous borders here at RHS Wisley are world-famous,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06with thousands of visitors coming here every year
0:07:06 > 0:07:10to get inspiration from the colour, the shape, the texture
0:07:10 > 0:07:12of these planting combinations.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14But to keep the borders looking this good,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17the gardeners here have a few nifty techniques up their sleeve,
0:07:17 > 0:07:22including a radical technique called the Chelsea chop.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27One man who's been using this crafty technique for years
0:07:27 > 0:07:31is the curator of the garden here at Wisley, Colin Crosbie.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34The Chelsea Flower Show nursery men and exhibitors
0:07:34 > 0:07:38grew a lot of plants and got them flowering at Chelsea Flower Show time.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42The plants they didn't use, they sent back to their nursery, pruned them back hard
0:07:42 > 0:07:46so they could sell them in September cos they'd delayed the flowering.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49We've adapted that to the garden environment.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52We realise if you prune plants at Chelsea Flower Show time
0:07:52 > 0:07:56you make them flower later, hence the name the Chelsea chop.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06A wide range of perennial plants respond to the Chelsea chop.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09We'll practise on Veronicastrums and also Sedums,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11but there are a whole host that really do respond.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16It seems almost sacrilegious because these lovely soft flowering spikes,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19they're really getting there now and you want us to cut them all off!
0:08:19 > 0:08:22You have to be brave. Cut it down by about 50%.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26The plant will respond and will flower six or seven weeks later.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28OK, I'm in your hands, so about 50%...
0:08:28 > 0:08:3150%, down by half, don't be scared.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Right, I'll go for it.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38You're in control of the border and the flowering period and the height of the plants.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41If you look here, we've got this lovely Eupatorium.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44What we'll do is prune three, leave three,
0:08:44 > 0:08:45prune three, leave three,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47and that way we're adjusting the height
0:08:47 > 0:08:49so you can see right through to the back
0:08:49 > 0:08:52and it makes the border far more interesting.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Actually, Colin, that doesn't look bad at all, does it?
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Let's go and do some more.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12These Sedums are ready to be done.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Look how beautiful they are! It's almost... Oh, you feel mean.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19If we left them, they'd have big flowers in the late summer
0:09:19 > 0:09:22and they'd pull the plant apart. By pruning them hard now
0:09:22 > 0:09:25you've got a much shorter plant, lots of small flowers
0:09:25 > 0:09:28and it looks really, really tidy in the garden.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30So how far are we looking at going down here?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32We've got to cut them by about 50% again.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35OK, so the same thing again.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39These shoots are perfect. You can see where I've cut that one,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I would trim it just underneath the leaves there,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45put it into a general potting compost.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47You've got a cutting, you've got a plant for free.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- It's a win-win situation, isn't it? - Certainly is.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54I know around Chelsea is obviously the optimal time to do this,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57but is there a point at which it becomes too late in the year?
0:09:57 > 0:09:59We wouldn't do it any later than mid-June.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Cos you've got to leave enough time for the plant to regrow
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and enough energy to reflower.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Generally, the Chelsea chop works well with any herbaceous plant
0:10:10 > 0:10:14that has leaves branching from their stems,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16such as Heleniums...
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Phlox...
0:10:20 > 0:10:22..Repertorium...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26..and Asters.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32So we're heading towards this clump of Pulmonaria on the corner.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35They've finished flowering those lovely bluish-purple flowers,
0:10:35 > 0:10:40they've gone over, and the foliage, that lovely mottling,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42that's also looking a bit sad, isn't it?
0:10:42 > 0:10:46It's looking tired, there's mildew on there, the foliage is brown,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- we've got to be ruthless, dive in, cut it down to ground level.- Right.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54That reinvigorates the plant.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58And it encourages it to send up fresh new foliage
0:10:58 > 0:11:01which is really clean, you see the markings on it.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05You'll continue to get flowers throughout the summer months.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09What about people who've got a very small garden and they feel
0:11:09 > 0:11:11they have to hang on to every bit of greenery that's there?
0:11:11 > 0:11:14I think it's more important in a small garden
0:11:14 > 0:11:17cos you want it to look good for as long as possible.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Rather than having something that's tired and dead in the summer,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23you've got fresh foliage, which is clean, lovely markings on it,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28fresh flowers coming up - far more important to do in a small garden.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31So now, Colin, from now on, every year, I'll be thinking of you
0:11:31 > 0:11:33at about Chelsea time,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and getting out in the garden and giving it a good chop.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45# Tweedlee tweedlee tweedle doe
0:11:45 > 0:11:50# I'm a lucky so-and-so
0:11:52 > 0:11:55# Hubba hubba honeydew
0:11:55 > 0:11:59# I'm gonna keep my eyes on you
0:11:59 > 0:12:01# Tweedlee tweedlee tweedlee doe... #
0:12:03 > 0:12:04At this time of year,
0:12:04 > 0:12:09I start to plant out the tender annuals
0:12:09 > 0:12:11that have been growing in the greenhouse
0:12:11 > 0:12:14for the last couple of months. They've been through stages
0:12:14 > 0:12:17of germination, pricking out,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20putting into the cold frames, hardening off.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23And now we've reached June, they're ready to come into the garden.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I really like using annuals in a mixed border.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32They take on the baton from the early bulbs.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34These have been grown for a while, they're ready to go out.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37This is a Cosmos, it's called 'Dazzler'.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41You can see the plants have been growing in plugs...perfect.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43The roots are well-formed, but not pot-bound at all.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45I can put these out in groups.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Pop them in.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50These won't flower for quite a few weeks,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54but the whole point about annuals is to bring on the succession,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58add variety to the border and spread the colour,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00spread the flow of plants.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05These are grown from seed. You can buy trays of annuals.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09But the beauty of growing plants from seed is you can grow so many.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10You can get real volume in here.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12We've got hundreds to put in
0:13:12 > 0:13:15for the same amount of money it would have cost to buy dozens
0:13:15 > 0:13:20as plants. And there's bound to be some left over.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22I intend to bring those along to
0:13:22 > 0:13:24the bring-and-buy stall at Gardeners' World Live,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26which is in two weeks' time.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I will be bringing plants from the Jewel Garden
0:13:28 > 0:13:30and some vegetables.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32And if you bring any spare plants you've got,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34it really doesn't matter what kind.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Donate them to the bring-and-buy stall
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and then you can buy other plants
0:13:38 > 0:13:40that you would like to have in your garden.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44All the proceeds for your purchase will go to Children In Need.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48'There are plenty of other tender annuals that can be planted out
0:13:48 > 0:13:51'now the weather is warmer.'
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Cerinthe 'Purpurascens' is elegantly beautiful.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Its glaucous blue foliage and its rich mauvy-blue flowers
0:13:56 > 0:14:00last for ages. It will seed readily but not invasively.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Tithonia, with its intense orange daisy flowers,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09is one of the key plants in our late summer border
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and will flower bravely on till the first frosts.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16I'll get those in.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18It all adds to the rich variety of the border.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Of course, that border is not just plants. It's insects,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25it's butterflies, all attracted to the nectar and the pollen.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And Carol has been to Wiltshire to see a beekeeper
0:14:29 > 0:14:31who contacted us with a garden dilemma.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35What are the best plants to put in your garden to attract bees?
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Bees have been around for millions of years,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43whereas human beings are fairly recently on the planet.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45But we rely on bees.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50Over a third of our food production depends upon them.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52But during the last few years,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56bee numbers have experienced a serious decline.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01And that's prompted a renaissance in the art of beekeeping.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05'One of our viewers, Jane Ranger,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07'who's recently started keeping bees,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09'has written in and asked me to come to her garden
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'to give her a few ideas for planting the perfect flowers
0:15:12 > 0:15:13'for her bees.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16'We had a chat on the phone,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18'and I brought along a selection from home
0:15:18 > 0:15:19'that should do the job.'
0:15:21 > 0:15:22What gorgeous chickens!
0:15:22 > 0:15:26And I love your garden, it's really laid-back.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- Love the daisies. - Thank you, Carol.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33We try and keep everything as natural and comfortable as possible.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35The main problem I've got is down here with the bees.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37I'm no good at bees!
0:15:37 > 0:15:40LAUGHING: No, it's the plants!
0:15:40 > 0:15:42It's the plants I need your help with
0:15:42 > 0:15:44because we've got this shady area down here
0:15:44 > 0:15:48where there's a nice lot of weeds coming through.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51But we'd like your thoughts about what plants we could put there.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- It is a real corner, isn't it? - It does, it goes to a point.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00All this deciduous shade. But you've got lots of things around here.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03You don't think of brambles being blossom bushes,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- but they are, really.- Yeah.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08They flower over a long time, hugely attractive.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- I think we ought to keep those. - Really?
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Your cow parsley's wonderful.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15And your poppies, full...
0:16:15 > 0:16:19- Lots of poppies.- Yeah, and packed with pollen when they come out.
0:16:19 > 0:16:20Yeah.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23If we have a really good clear-out
0:16:23 > 0:16:27whilst leaving the things that are useful.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It still looks very rough,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41but for our purposes it'll do.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Yes.- Yeah?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45- Can you grab the rose? - I will, Carol.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51If we just sort of place these.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54I think the rose ought to go at the foot of your damson, there.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Will it climb up into it?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It's not strictly speaking a climbing rose,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01but I've got one at home, Rosa rugosa,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05that goes right up into my apple tree and uses it for support.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- Wonderful.- It's got these fabulous, almost single flowers.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11The trouble with double flowers
0:17:11 > 0:17:14is that very often they don't produce any pollen or nectar,
0:17:14 > 0:17:18and even if they do, it's hardly accessible to any insects.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22- Right.- So single flowers are always the best.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Flowers for a long time and it puts up with rough conditions.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- Needs to!- So it's just the thing.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30And this Geranium nodosum.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34- Yeah. - This is a shade-loving geranium.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37And again, all crane's-bills are great for bees.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38They're all over this...
0:17:38 > 0:17:42- And it's open again, isn't it? - Yeah, it is.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And can you see here, it's already made seed.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48It will flower on and on, right into the autumn,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and it'll chuck its seeds around all over the place.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- And it's evergreen, it's a handsome plant, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58This Lamium, too, it belongs to the family Lamiaceae,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02they used to be called Labiates cos they've got lipped flowers.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Yeah, I can see that.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06So there's a nice landing stage for the bees.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09They can access all the nectar that's in there.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I think this will just scramble everywhere.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17- As it goes, chuck a bit of soil on top of the stems...- Right.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20..so that they'll root from each of these nodes.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And then you can just detach a few pieces later and move them around,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- out into the rest of the garden too. - Great.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42It might not be a Chelsea garden, but I reckon it's the bee's knees!
0:18:42 > 0:18:44It is fantastic.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47'The shady corner should now offer a feast for Jane's bees.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51'But I've also brought along some more plants for a sunnier position.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54'They will help with the period that both beekeepers
0:18:54 > 0:18:57'and gardens struggle with - the June gap,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59'when the spring flowers are fading
0:18:59 > 0:19:02'and the summer ones have yet to bloom.'
0:19:02 > 0:19:06I bet the bees have been all over these Alliums, haven't they?
0:19:06 > 0:19:07They certainly have.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13- This is Anchusa. Bees love borage.- They do.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Every description. It is in that family.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17It's going to...
0:19:17 > 0:19:20withstand this poor ground.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23But it's here, this is the vital bit.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24These wonderful blue flowers.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Good colour for bees, isn't it? Blues and purples and whites.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29Yeah.
0:19:29 > 0:19:30Just look at this one.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Oh, I know what that is, that's a clover, isn't it?
0:19:34 > 0:19:35- Yes, but it's a big clover.- It is.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38It's Trifolium ochroleucom,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and it'll make a great big bushy plant,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43absolutely smothered in these gorgeous blooms.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- Right the way through June into July, on and on.- Brilliant.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It's not just your honey bees that are going to love it.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54All bees will love it, as they will all these plants.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- Is there any chance of us having a look at them, Jane?- Yeah.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Can't stand on one foot!
0:20:11 > 0:20:14They're very happy bees, aren't they?
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- They're quite calm.- They really are.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19There's the queen.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20Oh, look at her!
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- What's that bright blue? - I've marked her.- You've marked her?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- Yeah.- So you can tell. She is quite a lot bigger.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30She is bigger, especially her abdomen where all the eggs are.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34She is the centre of the hive and the one who...
0:20:34 > 0:20:39Without the queen, you know, your hive dies, basically cos you get no more babies.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42So, why do they need pollen and nectar?
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Pollen's mainly used for growing,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46the nectar is a sort of carbohydrate,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50the energy food that they use to fly around and everything.
0:20:50 > 0:20:57Isn't that why it's so important to have masses of plants that flower over a really long period of time?
0:20:57 > 0:21:00So they can have a steady flow coming in, definitely, yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- You don't just have to keep bees to care about bees, do you?- No.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10Our gardens cover a greater area than all our nature reservations.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14- Mm.- So, what we all put into our gardens is important.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15- And it's going to help.- Yeah.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26RAIN PATTERS
0:21:30 > 0:21:34A few weeks ago I potted up Pelargoniums and lavender
0:21:34 > 0:21:38to make the most of this very warm, sunny wall on these steps.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40They're growing fine, they're great.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45I also added in these citrus, these are very trusty old plants.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50This one I've had for about 15 years and this one for over 25 now.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53They're not quite the right place for them
0:21:53 > 0:21:57and actually they're not looking that healthy, I have to confess,
0:21:57 > 0:21:58they need some TLC.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03So, if I take this off to the potting shed
0:22:03 > 0:22:07I'm going to give it a bit of attention and now is the perfect time to do this job.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Also, the perfect weather to go indoors.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26All right, just come in the dry.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Gently lower this down, so I don't break the pot.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Even a citrus plant that's ailing a little bit is still a wonderful thing.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I think that combination of the brilliant green leaves,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42the fruit - a bright orange, a bright lemon,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47a terracotta pot and preferably a blue sky is as lovely as anything.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Now, this has lived all winter, indoors.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52It needs winter protection because it's not really frost-hardy.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56But when you keep it indoors, it always tends to get a bit tired
0:22:56 > 0:23:00and then when you put it outside in spring, the whole plant perks up.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02You get lovely new, green growth,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05you get the flowers coming out that smell fantastic,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08got fruit forming and you have flowers and fruit at the same time,
0:23:08 > 0:23:09the whole thing is a joy.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13So, to get a full measure of joy from this plant
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I want to give it a boost and about every five years it's a good idea to re-pot them.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20That's what I'm going to do now.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26I don't quite know what to expect because... It's not too bad.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32If you look at that, the roots are growing round the edge of the pot,
0:23:32 > 0:23:33they've run out of space.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Let's put that down for a minute, it's heavy.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Best time of year to do this is early June.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42So, your normal topping up and light pruning
0:23:42 > 0:23:44you want to do about March, April,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48but leave this until growth is really getting going.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53And just tease off the old compost without damaging the roots.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Now, I've mixed up a compost mix for it,
0:23:58 > 0:24:04it's a combination of a proprietary, organic, peat-free potting compost,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06a good bucket of grit
0:24:06 > 0:24:11and a generous bucket of sieved, well-made home garden compost.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14And that combination gives it the right amount of nutrients.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15They need sustenance.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18But they also need drainage and that's what the grit's for
0:24:18 > 0:24:22and they MUST have good, quite quick drainage.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26When you water them, you want to see the water coming out the bottom of the pot.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29OK, let's put a layer underneath the plant.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37There we go.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Now, this is where I know whether I've got to trim the roots or not.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Yeah, I think I am.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Just going to trim those back.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I don't want them touching the side of the pot
0:24:50 > 0:24:52so all I'm going to do is snip them off a little bit.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01I have not done this for six years and that's probably enough.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05If you did this every year to your citrus they would not be happy.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11So, if in doubt don't prune the roots.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16The main reason I'm pruning them is to fit them into this pot.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30I must stress - that root pruning is not something you do every year.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Just do it about every five years and then every year
0:25:33 > 0:25:35you just need to add a mulch, the compost
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and then pinch out the growing tips so you keep the shape.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40But this has lost its shape a bit,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42so I'm going to prune slightly more radically
0:25:42 > 0:25:44because I've taken roots off
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and now I'm going to take a bit of the top off.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48That's a goner.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Here.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54There.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58That's looking much better.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Next stage will be to give it a good soak, a bit of a feed,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05top-up with mulch and find the right spot for it.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10That reminds me, I've got in my pocket a letter from June Lucas, if you're watching, June,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13it says, "I have a couple of citrus trees which I think are grapefruit
0:26:13 > 0:26:18"which I grew from pips about 10 years ago and they're very green and healthy, the trouble is
0:26:18 > 0:26:21"they've never flowered and I'm wondering why."
0:26:21 > 0:26:24That's an easy one - they're ten years old.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Grapefruit grown from seed don't flower for about 20 years.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30You're halfway there, June, hang on.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38It's a good idea to give any citrus a feed of liquid seaweed once a week throughout the summer months.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42And here are a few other things to be getting on with.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49When June arrives I know it's the best time to sow climbing beans.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I put two seeds at the base
0:26:51 > 0:26:55of each support of their frame and by the way, it is important
0:26:55 > 0:27:00to make sure that the support is good and strong.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04When they've germinated, I'll weed out the weaker of the two.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07And now the nights are getting warmer,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10they should germinate and grow very fast indeed.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13One of my favourite flowers of all, the foxglove,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17is in full glory at the moment. You can buy these at garden centres
0:27:17 > 0:27:20but they're quite pricy when bought as individual plants.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24A much better way of growing them is to sow seed
0:27:24 > 0:27:28but like all biennials you need to do this now for next year's display.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Sow the seed in the seed tray and put them somewhere protected.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It doesn't need to be in a greenhouse.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36When they're big enough to handle,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40put the seedlings either into a corner of the garden where they can grow on or into pots.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45And then they can be planted into their final growing position in early autumn.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Although it's showery at the moment here at Longmeadow,
0:27:52 > 0:27:57for most of us it's been a really dry spring and our ground is parched
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and we need to water.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01The secret of effective watering in the garden
0:28:01 > 0:28:05is to give things a really good soak.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Far better to water thoroughly once a week than lightly every day.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Try and get the water to roots of the plant, not just on the foliage,
0:28:12 > 0:28:19water in the evening and if you're going to use a sprinkler, leave it on for at least an hour.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24That's it for this week. Next week I'm working in my herb garden,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28building up a range of delicious herbs for the kitchen.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I'm also paying a visit to Claude Monet's garden
0:28:31 > 0:28:36at Giverny in France which is looking staggering.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37I'm there to meet the new head gardener,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40the first one for 35 years who is an Englishman.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44So, see you then. Bye-bye.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:54 > 0:28:57E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk