:02:39. > :02:43.Hello, welcome to Gardners' World. And tonight's programme is a full
:02:43. > :02:47.hour-long. I'll be working here at Longmeadow, then I'm off to
:02:47. > :02:51.Birmingham to join the rest of the team at Gardners' World Live. Along
:02:51. > :02:56.with Carol, Joe and Rachel, I'll be bringing you the very best of the
:02:56. > :02:59.show. There are show gardens with great ideas to take home.
:03:00. > :03:03.Particularly love this mound where there's a tunnel going through
:03:03. > :03:07.underneath and it's covered with wild flowers. Children just love it.
:03:07. > :03:16.A floral marquee packed with inspirational planting combinations.
:03:16. > :03:21.How about this one, great big black holly hocks, contrast so
:03:21. > :03:24.beautifully with this salvia. It's really dramatic. And there might be
:03:24. > :03:30.time for some shopping. Before I head off to Birmingham, I'm making
:03:30. > :03:35.sure that my roses flower for as long as possible. I'm keeping my
:03:35. > :03:45.tomatoes growing on the straight and narrow and potting up some
:03:45. > :03:49.
:03:49. > :03:53.I'm starting off by planting a number of different dahlias.
:03:53. > :03:58.Dahlias weren't fashionable for a long time, but I love them. They
:03:58. > :04:08.give a fantastic range of colour and texture from July right through
:04:08. > :04:13.
:04:13. > :04:18.doesn't really have any flowers at all, at least not in this garden,
:04:18. > :04:25.because it's not hot enough. But it is an astonishing plant for foliage
:04:25. > :04:30.and texture. This is a species dahlia. It's a tree dahlia. It
:04:30. > :04:38.grows five metres tall. Here it will grow as tall as this hedge. I
:04:38. > :04:43.will put one on the other side. That will give real structure.
:04:44. > :04:49.This plant is a dahlia in its pure wild form. Its flowers are very
:04:49. > :04:53.small and they're only produced if we have a long, hot summer. But
:04:53. > :04:59.nevertheless, hundreds of incredible flowers of every shade
:04:59. > :05:04.and form are all bred from this original plant.
:05:04. > :05:08.Of course, dahlias are fascinating plants, because they were
:05:08. > :05:12.introduced from Central America by the Spanish, at the same time as
:05:12. > :05:16.potatoes and tomatoes. They were thought of as a food plant. People
:05:16. > :05:21.bought them over to eat the Tubeers. You can eat them. They won't kill
:05:21. > :05:24.you, but they're horrible apparently. I haven't tried. It
:05:24. > :05:33.wasn't until the 18th century that people started to grow them and
:05:33. > :05:41.breed from them. There's a Swedish man And ers Dahl, who started work
:05:41. > :05:50.on them and they were named after him, zaila. So it was -- the
:05:50. > :05:54.dahlias we love are bred from this type, which was a potential food
:05:54. > :06:02.crop. Frost will blacken and kill this back. The Tubeers we have to
:06:02. > :06:06.protect. They're fed by the foliage and storing up goodness. Then I
:06:06. > :06:10.will lift that later on because I can't overwinter them in this
:06:10. > :06:15.garden. It is amazing to think that what we grow here would have been
:06:15. > :06:17.laid eyes upon by those Spanish adventurers, when they found the
:06:17. > :06:27.new world. This is one of these original links
:06:27. > :06:43.
:06:43. > :06:46.dahlias in this form, which are plants created from large and
:06:46. > :06:50.healthy tubers, which go into the ground and bulk out and produce a
:06:51. > :06:54.mass of flowers, completely predictable, because they'll be
:06:54. > :06:58.from named varieties. They will give colour right from July through
:06:58. > :07:02.to November. I've got a small selection here that will work well
:07:02. > :07:09.in The Jewel Garden. Some of them will be very familiar. This one,
:07:09. > :07:14.for example, is the bishop of Land aff. I remember when people were
:07:14. > :07:18.snoby about dahlias, "We don't like dahlias, but we like the bishop of
:07:18. > :07:25.course." It is good. It has chocolatey stems and a Ferny
:07:25. > :07:28.foliage. The flowers are a simple intense red with a yellow interior.
:07:28. > :07:34.The combination works well in itself and as part of a border.
:07:34. > :07:41.Another one I particularly like is this one Arabian Knight. That's got
:07:41. > :07:45.green foliage, much more robust, but very intense wine-coloured,
:07:45. > :07:49.slightly in-curving flowers. Both of them superb for The Jewel Garden.
:07:49. > :07:59.I'm going to take this to The Jewel Garden to plant out. If I can get
:07:59. > :08:16.
:08:16. > :08:21.dahlias and various places to put them. The important thing is they
:08:21. > :08:25.work in with the garden, but also work for dahlias. I have a few
:08:25. > :08:28.obvious spots that I can plonk them in. I know the colour is going to
:08:28. > :08:34.work because I picked them right. I've left that area for a dahlia. I
:08:34. > :08:39.will balance it on the other side. When choosing suitable places for
:08:39. > :08:44.dahlias, the soil's got to be good. They like rich soil. They respond
:08:44. > :08:49.much better to a well composted, nice rich, well-drained soil. If
:08:49. > :08:53.you've got a sandy condition, beef it up with compost. And also, they
:08:53. > :08:57.want sunshine, but not scorching heat. Well scorching bright
:08:57. > :09:02.sunshine any way because the flowers can fade. The final thing
:09:02. > :09:06.about their positioning is dead heading. Because, you do want to be
:09:06. > :09:10.able to get to the plant to dead head it regularly. By regularly, I
:09:10. > :09:13.mean every two, three days. If you don't dead head them, they put
:09:13. > :09:18.their energy into producing seed and then you lose flowers as a
:09:18. > :09:21.result. You keep dead heading dahlias, they go on and on
:09:21. > :09:26.producing more flowers. So I need to be able to reach it. About the
:09:26. > :09:31.furthest I can get at is in there. Other than that, most of them will
:09:31. > :09:37.be along the edge. So, if I put that one there, and
:09:37. > :09:44.make that the first I plant. Planting them is simplicity itself.
:09:44. > :09:50.Pop them in the ground. The main thing to do is plant them the same
:09:50. > :09:54.depth they are in the pot, so the tubers are buried. Chuck that out,
:09:54. > :10:01.there you see, a nice root structure, a healthy, good dahlia
:10:01. > :10:06.plant. Also make sure there's enough room for it to grow. Most
:10:06. > :10:14.dahlias get to between three foot and six foot tall. They need room
:10:14. > :10:18.for height and also to spread. Let's pop that in the ground. Now
:10:19. > :10:28.I'm not quite ready to go to the show yet, but earlier this week,
:10:29. > :10:37.
:10:38. > :10:42.Joe went along for a preview in the pressure is really on. The show
:10:42. > :10:46.opens in a couple of days and this marquee will be packed full of
:10:46. > :10:50.visitors. Now the exhibitors are putting final touchs to their
:10:50. > :10:59.stands and detail is everything. But why go to such extraordinary
:10:59. > :11:04.lengths to make your stand, well, stand out? The best stands will win
:11:04. > :11:09.a prestigious RHS medal, but for these plants people is a medal the
:11:09. > :11:13.icing on the cake or the cake itself? How important is a medal to
:11:13. > :11:17.you? Does it matter? The medal, anybody that says a medal isn't
:11:17. > :11:20.important is fibbing a little bit. At the end of the day, if the
:11:20. > :11:25.public love it, then that's what it's about. They're always
:11:25. > :11:28.important. It's recognition of what you've done over the past six
:11:28. > :11:31.months. I come to a show like this, I want to go away with the best
:11:31. > :11:39.medal I can. It's not always possible because sometimes you just
:11:39. > :11:43.don't have the plants available. Wow, you have a stream in your
:11:43. > :11:48.exhibit here, running through the middle. That's incredible amount of
:11:48. > :11:57.work, with the moss on the rocks. It looks like it's been here for
:11:57. > :12:01.years. We always put a lot of attention into the displays. We
:12:01. > :12:05.want to put together plant combinations that you can achieve
:12:05. > :12:08.at home. And we want to show the right growing conditions to grow
:12:09. > :12:12.the plants. Have you won golds at Gardners' World Live before?
:12:12. > :12:17.have. We have a lot of loyal customers. They actually get us
:12:17. > :12:27.almost as excited as we do when we win a Gold Medal. Let's hope it's
:12:27. > :12:30.gold this year and let's hope that the stream swings it. I hope so!
:12:30. > :12:34.Now Mike, you're always at this show. You are, of course,
:12:34. > :12:39.Birmingham City Council, so it's local to you. You got a silver at
:12:39. > :12:43.Chelsea with a similar display. You had feed back from the judges,
:12:43. > :12:47.how have you tweaked that to get a better medal? One of the things
:12:47. > :12:51.they raised was an issue over a tree Fern, which we made to look as
:12:51. > :12:55.if it had just collapsed. We thought the best thing to do was
:12:55. > :12:58.take it out all together. What does gold or silver gilt mean to you and
:12:58. > :13:02.to everybody who works on it and the council in general? I think
:13:03. > :13:06.it's a reflection on everybody who works within the organisation, but
:13:06. > :13:12.ultimately, we would like a Gold Medal. Of course, wouldn't we all!
:13:12. > :13:18.We would! Exhibitors are always looking for new ways to attract
:13:18. > :13:28.attention to their stands. Frank, who has travelled from Germany,
:13:28. > :13:36.
:13:36. > :13:40.uses Origami baskets to display his I've never quite known the
:13:40. > :13:46.difference between the two. flowers and become more of a shrug.
:13:46. > :13:50.The other is more of a tree form. As simple as that? Simple as that.
:13:50. > :13:55.You haven't got a medal from the RHS yet, what would it mean to get
:13:55. > :14:05.a bronze or even a silver? It would mean a lot, definitely. We'd be
:14:05. > :14:09.
:14:09. > :14:14.some of these guys and seeing how much work goes into these exhibits.
:14:14. > :14:17.It's about business, of course, it's about pride, but what's
:14:17. > :14:27.running through all these exhibits here is the passion, the passion
:14:27. > :14:37.
:14:37. > :14:42.for plants and the passion for basil is suffering, I'll tell you
:14:42. > :14:48.why. It's because of moles. There's moles get in here in the bed,
:14:48. > :14:53.rummage around and -- and very often they collapse when I hit a
:14:53. > :14:57.mole hole. He comes in, hits the wood at the edge and turns right or
:14:57. > :15:01.left and runs down under the basil. In the morning, when I come in,
:15:01. > :15:06.it's as though someone's been pulling the basil out. That darn
:15:06. > :15:11.mole is uprooting it. It's never getting a chance to grow properly.
:15:11. > :15:21.I don't want to kill the mole. I like the idea of them. But I really
:15:21. > :15:31.
:15:31. > :15:35.tomatoes. I do this about once a week, looking to take outside
:15:35. > :15:41.shoots. Side shoots on tomatoes are actually very clear. You have a
:15:41. > :15:46.leaf and the main stem and the side shoot grows in the gap between the
:15:46. > :15:50.stem and the leaf at 45 degrees. There's a good example. You can
:15:50. > :15:53.just usually just flick them off like that with your fingers and
:15:53. > :15:58.pull it off. Keep a sharp knife with you, if it doesn't want to
:15:58. > :16:03.come, cut it cleanly, rather than ripping the stem. The reason you do
:16:03. > :16:07.that is because when you're growing a cordon, you want just one stem
:16:07. > :16:12.going up, foliage and then truss of fruit. If you have side shoots,
:16:12. > :16:16.it's trying to become a bush. Those side shoots are very vigorous.
:16:16. > :16:22.Although they can bear fruit, they don't bear as much fruit as if the
:16:22. > :16:26.stem is controlled. Now, if you look here, at the back, I've left a
:16:26. > :16:32.side shoot. That's no more than about ten days old. It's already
:16:32. > :16:35.bigger and stronger than the stem that it's shooting sideways off.
:16:35. > :16:40.It's developing its own side shoots. You can see that's a problem that
:16:40. > :16:43.compounds and very quickly you can risk breaking the main stem. It's
:16:43. > :16:47.falling. The whole thing becomes unruly. So I will cut that O I
:16:47. > :16:57.won't attempt to break that with my fingers. Using a sharp knife, get
:16:57. > :17:04.
:17:04. > :17:11.across sooner or later. This tomato plant seems to have lost its leader.
:17:11. > :17:18.It has stopped at about a foot high. I love just about to pinch of that
:17:18. > :17:23.side shoot. If I leave it to grow, it will become the leader. The
:17:23. > :17:32.great thing about tomatoes is they are tough and they will regenerate.
:17:32. > :17:38.If you break one, met the next side shoot that forms below the break-
:17:38. > :17:43.point form past it and there is your new stem. When you grow
:17:43. > :17:48.tomatoes as cordons, that is supported by a straight cane or
:17:48. > :17:53.poll, it is important to tie them up regularly. Use the soft twine.
:17:53. > :18:00.You do not want to cut into the tender growing to sue. If you do
:18:00. > :18:07.not tie them up regularly, they bend and it is hard to straighten
:18:07. > :18:15.them. I have snapped a really beautiful plant in two. It is a
:18:15. > :18:22.regular job. The family vegetable garden is starting to provide
:18:22. > :18:28.produce for the table. It is based on a four bed quotation. One for
:18:28. > :18:35.carrots and celery, another potatoes, a third brassicas, and
:18:35. > :18:41.the last has peas and beans. As for the beans themselves, they have
:18:41. > :18:50.been a fantastic harvest. I like to eat broad beans when they are young.
:18:50. > :18:56.That is a lovely sized board been! They are really delicious. -- broad
:18:56. > :19:03.bean. You can still get the best from it. The secret is to peel it.
:19:03. > :19:12.Like that! I think that is too big to cook and eat like that. If you
:19:12. > :19:17.parboil it, it has a leathery skin. Peel it off, puree it, add a bit of
:19:17. > :19:27.oil, add garlic and pepper and it makes a really nice dip. Even the
:19:27. > :19:40.
:19:40. > :19:45.big ones, without the skin, they autumn and winter should be planned.
:19:45. > :19:49.If you have not planted cabbage seeds, it is not too late. Once the
:19:49. > :19:59.young plants are sturdy, lift and transplant them to their final
:19:59. > :20:04.growing position. Now, this bed in the new vegetable garden is for
:20:04. > :20:07.brassica. At the cabbages in here. It has had a bit of a compost as
:20:07. > :20:13.the dressing. Before you plant cabbage, it is important to make
:20:13. > :20:20.sure the soil is firm. If you know you're going to plant them, tread
:20:20. > :20:26.it down with your feet. Firm it down like that. What we want to do
:20:26. > :20:35.is get the roots really firmly established. It makes a big
:20:36. > :20:43.difference to the stability. These have grown well. Take a couple of
:20:43. > :20:52.plants out. Where we have a weedy one, we can ditch it. That is fine.
:20:52. > :20:58.Do not let these dried out to match. Make a hole, get this in. Put it in
:20:59. > :21:03.deep and as firm as possible so the roots are anchoring it in. These
:21:03. > :21:09.plants of big and heavy and they can topple over. If it is firm they
:21:09. > :21:14.will not be stressed by moving around too much. I find this really
:21:14. > :21:20.exciting. We are planting cabbages for the winter - a product of a
:21:21. > :21:24.little packet of seeds we had. That continuity is great. As well as the
:21:24. > :21:31.pleasure of knowing they are going to be well-grown and we're eating
:21:31. > :21:37.them fresh from the garden. You can also see how the runner beans I put
:21:37. > :21:42.in a week or two back have mostly germinated and are growing well.
:21:42. > :21:48.Where they have not germinated, I can move the second one to fill a
:21:48. > :21:53.gap. The one thing to watch out for, in summer, with cabbages or
:21:53. > :22:00.brassica or any kind, is the cabbage white butterfly. As soon as
:22:00. > :22:05.you see that, you know it is laying its eggs. Caterpillars will eat
:22:05. > :22:12.your brassica. Net it as soon as you plant them or just keep an eye
:22:12. > :22:16.on it. If you see caterpillars, knock them off. If you do that
:22:16. > :22:26.every day there is no problem at all. You do need to be around and
:22:26. > :22:32.
:22:32. > :22:37.you need to do it at least every good moments, bad moments, good
:22:37. > :22:42.bits and bad bits that you can always correct it. There is always
:22:42. > :22:48.next year. With a show garden it has to be perfect, dead right on
:22:48. > :22:58.the day. Rachel has been to see the show gardens at Gardeners' World
:22:58. > :23:06.
:23:06. > :23:10.Live as they get ready for the gardens are always the big draw
:23:10. > :23:16.with visitors. Gardeners' World Live may not have the class for the
:23:16. > :23:21.budget of Chelsea. It does have masses of really good inspirational
:23:21. > :23:25.ideas that would work in any garden. In his garden There is an
:23:25. > :23:31.attractive painted, metal seat which doubles up as a plant support
:23:31. > :23:37.with plants going over the arch. In this instance it is a honeysuckle.
:23:37. > :23:43.Here is an obelisk with a sweet pea threaded through it. This wonderful
:23:43. > :23:53.fragrance will surround you. That is one really good tip. Let me see
:23:53. > :24:03.
:24:03. > :24:06.suggesting you should have the supermarket trolley in your garden
:24:06. > :24:11.but you could use an old wheelbarrow or a series of broken
:24:11. > :24:19.buckets and give them a second life housing a mini garden, planted with
:24:19. > :24:23.succulence and featuring lots of Heidi holes for insects. This
:24:23. > :24:29.garden proves that sometimes the very best thing you can do is let
:24:29. > :24:33.natured get the upper hand. If you can have a wild space like this
:24:33. > :24:37.summer in the garden, not only will wildlife benefit because you're
:24:37. > :24:45.creating all these habitats, things like leaving a loch where it has
:24:45. > :24:50.fallen, children just love it. You do not need plastic toys, you can
:24:51. > :24:56.have fun in the garden. This Mount, with the tunnel underneath, it is
:24:56. > :25:06.covered in flowers. It looks beautiful, benefits wildlife and
:25:06. > :25:09.
:25:09. > :25:13.this is where we nurture the next by all means enjoyed the gardens as
:25:13. > :25:23.a whole. Take the opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies to
:25:23. > :25:27.
:25:27. > :25:31.see what might work in your own home nowadays, this fits the bill
:25:31. > :25:37.perfectly. I think my top tip from this garden is, if you have to have
:25:37. > :25:41.the building of any sort, whether it is a shed for your tools or the
:25:41. > :25:47.Home Office, make it as attractive as it can be. There is no place to
:25:47. > :25:52.hide it. If you can bring the plant right up to the structure, like
:25:52. > :26:02.these, so much the better. The show has not opened and I have found
:26:02. > :26:11.
:26:11. > :26:16.brose season. It has been quite early this year. Hopefully they
:26:16. > :26:21.will last a long time. The worry with early flowers of any kind is
:26:21. > :26:29.they will be over early. We need to keep the flowering going as long as
:26:29. > :26:37.possible and keep them healthy. I pruned this one on March 11th. It
:26:37. > :26:41.is a galloper. I like all roses. I liked them for their style,
:26:41. > :26:48.voluptuousness, beautiful. This is single flowering. It will not
:26:48. > :26:58.produce any more, even if you cut them off. They will produce hips.
:26:58. > :26:58.
:26:58. > :27:02.At the back, we have got the climbing rose. She is repeat
:27:02. > :27:09.flowering. It is well worth dead- heading or the old flowers and that
:27:09. > :27:17.will stimulate more. If we take a flower head which is going or gone
:27:17. > :27:23.up over, that one is one, the petals are all falling off. With
:27:23. > :27:30.secateurs prune right back to a junction and take that off. That
:27:30. > :27:36.will stimulate more growth and more flowers from beyond that point. Go
:27:36. > :27:40.back as far as you need. Sometimes you have to take off the great long
:27:40. > :27:46.stem. Dead-heading is a form of pruning. If you see it like that,
:27:46. > :27:53.there is a logic to it. I pruned my roses hard and late to their only
:27:53. > :28:03.just coming into flower. Two are looking particularly good. This has
:28:03. > :28:07.lovely compact, pink flowers. This one manages to combine
:28:07. > :28:13.voluptuousness and elegance. As neither needs dead-heading, all I
:28:13. > :28:19.need do is simply enjoy them. Mike early-flowering species roses do
:28:19. > :28:24.need attention right now. This rose has completely finished flowering.
:28:24. > :28:30.It was covered with a mass of primrose yellow, a single, very
:28:30. > :28:35.charming flowers. One of my favourites. It has completely
:28:35. > :28:40.finished. It would be a very good time to prune it. Early flowering
:28:40. > :28:48.roses and species roses are like ramblers. They make their flowers
:28:48. > :28:55.on of what they produce in the previous summer. All the New Grove
:28:55. > :28:58.-- the new growth will provide next year's flowers. If I prune now, it
:28:58. > :29:04.will have flowers. It will help me control where the flowers are on
:29:04. > :29:11.the bush. If I leave it, the flowers will get higher and higher
:29:11. > :29:16.and the base will get barer and bearer. It is a good idea to
:29:16. > :29:22.rejuvenate the shrub. You will get new growth from the base. Buchan
:29:22. > :29:31.clear the tangle. The wood is getting cold. We can give it a
:29:31. > :29:37.fresh start at the base. That comes out. I would like to get this done,
:29:37. > :29:43.partly because it is crowded and tangled and it is old wood. You can
:29:43. > :29:53.see it has lost its shape. Because I want to get new growth coming
:29:53. > :30:00.from the base, you take the oldest first. There we go! It is all the
:30:00. > :30:05.same, whether it is radical pinning -- pruning or dead-heading. It is
:30:05. > :30:10.about preparing them for looking magnificent next year. There are a
:30:10. > :30:14.number of other jobs are want to get down before I go to the show.
:30:14. > :30:18.Now high-summer is nearly here, do remember to give your containers a
:30:18. > :30:25.regular watering, even if it has been raining. It is also a good
:30:25. > :30:34.idea to feed them regular -- regularly as well. I'm giving these
:30:34. > :30:39.liquid seaweed. However, do not be tempted to feed lavender plants.
:30:39. > :30:44.That will encourage soft, sappy growth with all sorts of problems
:30:44. > :30:54.as a result. Give them a regular water, treat them rough and they
:30:54. > :30:58.
:30:58. > :31:02.in flower now is agapanthus. It's great to see the colour of the bulb
:31:02. > :31:06.that you're getting. Agapanthus flower best when the roots are
:31:06. > :31:15.tightly constricted. But even they need repotting from time to time.
:31:15. > :31:19.They need good drainage, so mix a peat free compost 50/50 with grit.
:31:19. > :31:24.Pack them into the container. And if you do have to divide them,
:31:25. > :31:30.which is a good idea to do every four or five years, put them in a
:31:30. > :31:35.pot just the next size up - there's a lovely bee. He's come by my nose.
:31:35. > :31:41.That likes it. Put them in a pot a bit bigger. Don't be worried if
:31:41. > :31:45.they don't flower the next year. They may take a year or two to get
:31:45. > :31:49.sufficiently constricted. If you're growing chilli plants move them to
:31:49. > :31:54.the hottest spot you've got. They do like harsh conditions. I use
:31:54. > :31:58.terracotta pots, partly because they look good, but also because
:31:58. > :32:03.they're porous. Don't put them in too big a pot. You want the plants
:32:03. > :32:09.to grow under a bit of stress as that way they don't produce too
:32:09. > :32:14.much foliage, but lots of fruit. Use a free-draining compost.
:32:14. > :32:19.A little tip about chillies and peppers, never water them after 4pm.
:32:19. > :32:28.That way they go to bed dry and that reduces the risk of any fungal
:32:28. > :32:32.infection. OK, it's showtime. I'll get dressed,
:32:32. > :32:37.get cleaned up ready to go to the show. I must gather some plants to
:32:37. > :32:47.take with me. I have a few tomatoes here. I want to bring a few bits
:32:47. > :33:02.
:33:02. > :33:12.and pieces for the bring and buy there, see you later. Good boy. No,
:33:12. > :33:37.
:33:37. > :33:40.no, wait there. Hello you two. How are you doing?
:33:40. > :33:45.How's it going? Nice to see you. I've just got here, dumped my
:33:45. > :33:49.plants and haven't seen anything at all. You have been here for ages.
:33:49. > :33:54.And the show gardens are excellent. Really good things to see. I've
:33:54. > :34:01.been in the floral marquee mainly and the standard is very high.
:34:01. > :34:06.it? I'm itching to go in. Did you bring any plants? I bought a plant
:34:06. > :34:10.on the train. It wasn't easy. I brought some cash as well. Good, so
:34:10. > :34:13.you can buy plenty and take even more home. People are here already
:34:13. > :34:23.and they're carrying all sorts of interesting looking bags. Let's
:34:23. > :34:23.
:34:23. > :34:27.join them. That's fantastic. It's clematis,
:34:27. > :34:34.isn't it? Yes. How many have you brought? Four. Are you taking them
:34:34. > :34:44.to our stand? Yes, course I am. What are you looking for? Foxgloves.
:34:44. > :34:45.
:34:45. > :34:52.Do you know what it is? No. It's an astrantia. My wife did. It's
:34:52. > :35:01.beautiful. You have brought these for the bring and buy? I have. I
:35:01. > :35:04.have about 40 of these. I have a big streptocarpus that needs
:35:04. > :35:09.dividing. It's wonderful. Is this for the bring and buy? Yes. What
:35:09. > :35:19.are you looking out for? I don't know. Inspiration. Gardners' World
:35:19. > :35:21.
:35:21. > :35:26.Live, you can bet your life you Now the place is filling up fast.
:35:26. > :35:33.People are pouring in. Before it gets too full, I want to look round
:35:33. > :35:38.myself. There's one garden in particular that I want to see.
:35:38. > :35:41.This is a show garden called the Spirit of Longmeadow. It's the
:35:41. > :35:46.first time that I've seen it. It's quite an odd thing. It's like
:35:46. > :35:50.catching sight of yourself on the corner of the street. You do a
:35:50. > :35:55.double take and say "I know that person." It's awful live like the
:35:55. > :36:00.one that I've got back at home. Yet, there's no one bit of it that
:36:00. > :36:02.is exactly the same, but it has absolutely caught the basic
:36:02. > :36:07.essentials of Longmeadow. Of course, essentials of Longmeadow. Of course,
:36:07. > :36:11.it's quite simple. It is formal structure, you have the paths, just
:36:11. > :36:16.like we've got and the mixture of stone and brick. Then the hornbeam
:36:16. > :36:20.hedges and the limes behind. I say they're cracking limes, much better
:36:20. > :36:25.than my own in the garden. In amongst that formal structure, you
:36:25. > :36:30.have planting that is allowed to just go free. So you've got
:36:30. > :36:36.vegetables, mixed in with anuals, with grasses, with perennials.
:36:36. > :36:40.We've got bulbs - all working at once. Things like this geranium,
:36:40. > :36:44.running through, sprawling and climbing with those incredible
:36:44. > :36:49.magenta flowers. The chocolate cosmos, they have got one ahead of
:36:49. > :36:53.us with that. Ours hasn't yet flowered. As well as The Jewel
:36:53. > :36:57.Garden, we have hostas from the damp garden. We have the Hazel
:36:57. > :37:01.wigwams, very typical. We use them in the vegetable garden and the
:37:01. > :37:04.flower garden. They as a wonkiness that I like very much indeed.
:37:04. > :37:08.A lot of these plants you can buy at the show. Some of them will be
:37:08. > :37:12.at the bring and buy stall. Bring some plants along, then you can
:37:12. > :37:17.exchange them, perhaps, for a piece of Longmeadow. Come any way, come
:37:17. > :37:27.and see all the gardens and get a glimpse into Longmeadow, but here
:37:27. > :37:33.
:37:33. > :37:38.packed with plants, but for me, it's in the floral marquee where
:37:38. > :37:48.you can see plants in their full glory. This year, there are some
:37:48. > :37:54.
:37:55. > :38:00.particularly exciting combinations combination, but on this stand,
:38:01. > :38:04.it's used in a really refreshing and different kind of way. You've
:38:04. > :38:08.got this wonderful combination of plants, different textures,
:38:09. > :38:16.different sizes and they're all mingling together. So you come up
:38:16. > :38:26.from this glorious one with dark blue Bratz with ak yum, a native
:38:26. > :38:27.
:38:27. > :38:31.plant this. (echium) It's exquisite with the aquilegia. You feel as
:38:31. > :38:36.though everything is jostling together. They're all doing it
:38:37. > :38:42.happily, viing for your attention. Over here, how about this for
:38:42. > :38:47.attention catching? Here the whole idea is contrast. These big black
:38:47. > :38:56.poppies, peony flowered poppies, contrasting beautifully with this
:38:56. > :39:02.glorious salvia. Look at those brachs. This layer makes a sort of
:39:02. > :39:09.carpet from which arises these great big black holly hocks. It's
:39:09. > :39:13.really dramatic, a real contrast. The combinations on this stand are
:39:14. > :39:21.very refined. I think it's exquisite. You've come down from
:39:21. > :39:24.this glorious acer, classic plant with these big, dark leaves, into
:39:25. > :39:29.this libertia. What an unusual one too. Normally they have green stems.
:39:29. > :39:35.Here they're dark and they make this lovely contrast with those
:39:35. > :39:45.white three-petaled flowers. Across the little path to this, what can
:39:45. > :39:52.you call it, ethereal plant. It's a North American woodlander. It
:39:52. > :39:59.adores a shady site. Then flowing through this lovely soft line is a
:39:59. > :40:06.plant you could never describe as being a fairy -like plant it's a
:40:06. > :40:10.bit of I thug really. It ramps and rambles all over the show. But the
:40:10. > :40:19.brilliant thing is how two such different plants can emphasise the
:40:19. > :40:25.quality of their partner. Combining plants isn't just about
:40:25. > :40:32.the way they look, it's about the way they feel, their texture and
:40:32. > :40:38.the wonderful scents that they emitt, as you wander along this
:40:38. > :40:48.stand with the melee of beautiful herbs, you could also of on a
:40:48. > :40:50.
:40:50. > :40:54.Mediterranean slope, drinking in those aromas.
:40:54. > :40:58.It's easy enough buying plants, but the magic begins when you get them
:40:58. > :41:04.home and put them together. This is just such a wonderful arrangement
:41:04. > :41:12.with these flat heads of akilla. And the spikes of purple saflya.
:41:12. > :41:16.The whole thing goes together so wonder thri -- wonderfully well.
:41:16. > :41:22.It's set off by this scintillating dahlia. That's a really bold
:41:22. > :41:27.statement. You're not always dependent on
:41:27. > :41:33.scent or colour for combinations, occasionally you can do something
:41:33. > :41:37.with just one colour. Gertrude Jekyll said green is also a colour.
:41:37. > :41:44.This stand proves that. Look at these marvellous differences in
:41:44. > :41:50.texture, glorious leaves on this euphorbia. How about this, really
:41:50. > :41:56.prickly, offensive, it's quite violent, this plant, it's a
:41:56. > :42:00.relative of tomatoes and potatoes. And the shiny texture of this one
:42:00. > :42:08.there. The whole ground floor of this stand is just decked with
:42:09. > :42:16.Ferns and impatiens, all manner of plants. When your eyes finally
:42:16. > :42:20.moves up to the paddle-shaped leaves of the banana, you realise
:42:20. > :42:22.it's also all about scale. Whatever it is that excites you about the
:42:22. > :42:27.relationship between plants, whether it's their colour, their
:42:27. > :42:37.scent or their scale, you'll find so many brilliant examples of all
:42:37. > :42:46.
:42:46. > :42:50.were putting their finishing touches to them. Have they changed
:42:50. > :42:55.much? I was here yesterday. It's so interesting to see, now they're
:42:55. > :42:59.looking pristine and perfect, and the judging of course. This got a
:42:59. > :43:03.gold. Tony Smith has a raft of gold medals over the year. He gets a
:43:03. > :43:08.narrative and he refines it down and he ends up with these amazing
:43:08. > :43:12.gardens, like this. This one is about grass and man's
:43:12. > :43:15.interpretation of the word and relationship with the word. We have
:43:15. > :43:19.natural grass, plastic grass and rice in the bowl in the middle,
:43:19. > :43:22.which is a form of grass. He follows that narrative through.
:43:23. > :43:27.It's very good. There are ideas you could take home as well. This idea
:43:27. > :43:34.of digging down and having a lower level, I really like. That would
:43:34. > :43:41.work. The quality of the build is just fan tafrtic. It is immaculate.
:43:41. > :43:46.We better go and see some more, hey. Rachel was on Yvonne Matthews'
:43:46. > :43:49.garden earlier in the week. She's a regular at Gardners' World Live,
:43:49. > :43:53.renowned for zany designs and bright colours. For me, this design
:43:53. > :44:00.is a bit safer than her usual, but the judges obviously liked it, as
:44:00. > :44:10.they gave her a Silver-Gilt. Congratulations, Chris, great
:44:10. > :44:11.
:44:11. > :44:14.garden, but what exactly is a bother? In my world it's someone
:44:14. > :44:18.who messes things up? A bother is someone who doesn't exist any more
:44:18. > :44:23.really. They used to be a group of about a dozen men who worked around
:44:23. > :44:28.the High Wycombe area, making chair legs for the chair industry, for
:44:28. > :44:34.the Windsor chair industry. Why did you want to create a garden around
:44:34. > :44:40.that concept? I was commissioned to come up a shore garden around a man
:44:40. > :44:44.you'll worker. I was stumped. I was in a local wood at Bolton Abbey. I
:44:44. > :44:48.came across Richard in the wood. I saw his setting, how beautiful it
:44:48. > :44:53.was, the lovely planting, the canvas and tools. Now I thought
:44:53. > :44:56.he's my kind of man you'll worker. You won gold and you won Best in
:44:56. > :45:06.Show in a small garden category. Congratulations. Are you here all
:45:06. > :45:17.
:45:17. > :45:20.gardens because it's a real garden. It's partly the hard landscaping,
:45:20. > :45:24.which uses the good contrast of different materials, but not so
:45:24. > :45:29.many that the whole thing becomes a muddle. I love the simplicity of
:45:29. > :45:34.this pond. And then the planting, you have this pallet of rich
:45:34. > :45:40.purples and bright acid greens, a bit of grey-green as well. That
:45:40. > :45:46.combination of shrub, some of them everygreens, grasses, perennials,
:45:46. > :45:52.roses. It works on so many levels. It won a rich live deserved civil
:45:52. > :45:56.guilt medal. The designer of this garden,
:45:56. > :46:00.Rebecca Govier, was aiming for a dream-like quality in her garden.
:46:00. > :46:06.She's succeeded brilliantly, not only in the landscaping, but in the
:46:06. > :46:10.planting, which is a wonderful pallet of soft mofz and silvery
:46:10. > :46:14.foliage. It has unusual plants, this euphorbia, called white swan,
:46:14. > :46:20.you don't see very often on show gardens. There's height in the
:46:20. > :46:25.planting too. These lovely ones, which are tall, but they're airy.
:46:25. > :46:30.You get a sense of transparency that. Height is picked up in the
:46:30. > :46:34.wonderful stems of the trees, which are reflected in the shadows on the
:46:34. > :46:44.wall. The garden won a silver medal for Rebekah, which is a result.
:46:44. > :46:47.
:46:47. > :46:51.This is her first time showing a saw it yesterday. I'm delighted
:46:51. > :46:55.that it won a Gold Medal and Best in Show. But do you think the
:46:55. > :46:59.visitors will be confused by why this type of garden has won that
:46:59. > :47:04.accolade? Yes, possibly. It's because this is so realistic. I
:47:04. > :47:12.feel like I'm back being a cub at the scout camp. It all feels so
:47:12. > :47:15.authentic here. That is hard to achieve with wild flowers and this
:47:16. > :47:20.bivouwac. It's the execution that has won the gold and Best in Show.
:47:20. > :47:30.I'm impressed by the show gardens this year. This kind of range from
:47:30. > :47:36.
:47:37. > :47:41.the conceptual to this is fantastic. chatting to a few exhibitors in the
:47:41. > :47:48.flower marquee as they put finishing touches to the stands.
:47:48. > :47:53.The judges have spoken and awarded medals. This got the gold and best
:47:53. > :48:03.exhibit. All the hard work paid off. Birmingham City Council will be
:48:03. > :48:18.
:48:18. > :48:26.delighted and they were awarded a change the blue one for a brown one.
:48:26. > :48:36.The that will be very generous of you. Thank you. Anyone bringing me
:48:36. > :48:37.
:48:37. > :48:47.some plants? Fantastic! Really good for us to have you have cronies
:48:47. > :48:54.
:48:54. > :49:03.from seed yourself? Yes. -- grown bees. That is generous. Fabulous!
:49:03. > :49:09.What a well-grown plant. It is one I bought last year. I decided I
:49:09. > :49:16.would save the seeds. I have four plants. It is really beautiful. It
:49:17. > :49:21.is only an annual. I did not want to lose it because it was so pretty.
:49:21. > :49:31.Those colours are gorgeous together. That goes wonderfully with your
:49:31. > :49:32.
:49:32. > :49:39.jumper, doesn't care? Just the job! So, you have bought lots of gifts.
:49:40. > :49:44.-- brought. Have you raise these yourself? This one especially. You
:49:44. > :49:53.tip cuttings from a plant you bought last year and have grown
:49:53. > :49:59.them on. What are you looking for? Something different. This is a
:49:59. > :50:09.cutting I took in April, March. It will grow into quite a substantial
:50:09. > :50:12.
:50:12. > :50:18.shrub with incredible blue flowers. Lovely! These are geraniums. It is
:50:18. > :50:25.a geranium that will die after it has flowered but it is gigantic.
:50:25. > :50:33.Huge! I am impressed with these. They're really quite difficult.
:50:33. > :50:42.They are difficult. I lost a few. They were tiny. Thank you their
:50:42. > :50:49.match follows. They will get snapped up. -- very much for those.
:50:49. > :50:57.I was looking at the East. I am a horrible people who cuts my plants
:50:57. > :51:01.and uses them in flower arranging. That is a gorgeous colour! What do
:51:01. > :51:11.you think would be a fair contribution? I will give you a
:51:11. > :51:16.fiver for it. That is absolutely wonderful. Thank you very much
:51:16. > :51:24.indeed. I could be here all day. People are coming and going the
:51:24. > :51:34.whole time. To choose the right plants from Longmeadow, I need to
:51:34. > :51:54.
:51:54. > :51:59.browse around the flower marquee. I have come with a purpose. There are
:51:59. > :52:03.four beds which need planting out. We want the Jewel Garden to drift
:52:03. > :52:13.away to the edge so it becomes looser. Those are the plants I am
:52:13. > :52:29.
:52:29. > :52:35.right for that piece of the garden. When you are choosing plants,
:52:35. > :52:42.listen to your gut. If a plant feels as if it will be the right
:52:42. > :52:45.thing in the right place, it almost certainly will. The small flowers,
:52:45. > :52:51.and the weight it tangles in through the cornflowers. Exactly
:52:51. > :53:01.that feeling of looseness, abandoned and beauty all coming
:53:01. > :53:09.
:53:09. > :53:17.together. The right plant in the exactly the feel and kind of plants
:53:17. > :53:21.award for those bottom beds. They are tall, elegant. These small
:53:21. > :53:26.flowers are on strong stems so they can mingle without crowding each
:53:26. > :53:31.other out. If you are trying to create a gentle, drifting look, it
:53:31. > :53:39.is important not to get too cluttered. You need plants with
:53:39. > :53:46.height and elegance. These worked beautifully. I'm going to get some
:53:46. > :53:53.grasses. That one is going on my shopping list. You have any? Yes, I
:53:54. > :54:03.do. Are they as big as the show plants? They will be. They are
:54:03. > :54:13.�6.50 each. That is 20 quid. That will cover it. Well done! 50 pence
:54:13. > :54:25.
:54:25. > :54:31.Exactly the right thing. What alike about grasses in a border, if you
:54:31. > :54:39.choose the right ones, they provide a sifting feel. You can see through
:54:39. > :54:47.them. This one is perfect. I want some of those. I can put them near
:54:47. > :54:52.the front of the border then behind, above and through, I can have more
:54:52. > :55:00.colour. We have not got this at Longmeadow at the moment. It is
:55:00. > :55:04.almost the perfect grass. This is very adaptable. It will grow really
:55:04. > :55:14.tall. I love this layered sensation, that will Ide drives through them,
:55:14. > :55:15.
:55:15. > :55:24.it dodges pass them. -- eye drifts through them. I will definitely get
:55:25. > :55:34.that. Three each please. That is brilliant. Thank you very much
:55:35. > :55:44.
:55:44. > :55:54.more, I cannot carry any more. I need to get back to Longmeadow and
:55:54. > :56:00.
:56:00. > :56:10.lookout for a good plant. There is lots of shopping in the bring and
:56:10. > :56:20.
:56:20. > :56:26.takers? This is my tomato plant, grown from seed. It is a heritage
:56:26. > :56:31.tomato. Are you interested? It has a very funny name. It is a little
:56:31. > :56:38.bit stripy and it is very good for cooking. Get mummy and Daddy to
:56:38. > :56:47.cook it for you. Stuff it with something and Phuket. That is for
:56:47. > :56:55.you. -- cook it. Are you bringing a plant? Yes. It is a deja Tardis. I
:56:55. > :57:02.did not have time to put label on it. I have just brought my plant on
:57:02. > :57:09.the train. You have seen it all over Chelsea this year. It is from
:57:09. > :57:19.my garden. I have loved it, nurtured it, potted it on. Where
:57:19. > :57:21.
:57:21. > :57:31.does it like to grow? In the sand. Good drainage. He drives a hard
:57:31. > :57:33.
:57:33. > :57:43.bargain. Lovely! That is a bit snazzy. Are you bringing that? That
:57:43. > :57:48.is lovely. Thank you their match. What Pink is it? -- very much. The
:57:48. > :57:57.parent plant is well over 50 years old. It was growing in my mother in
:57:57. > :58:06.laws garden when I was 15. My plant looked ill last year. I took some
:58:06. > :58:15.cuttings and that is one of ah of them. What colour of the flowers?
:58:15. > :58:25.They are white and purple. How much is that? About 50 quid. I will give
:58:25. > :58:26.
:58:26. > :58:32.you that. Is that all right? Put it in the bucket. There are endless
:58:32. > :58:39.retail opportunities at Gardeners' World Live. Hello. Can I just ask
:58:39. > :58:48.you about your roses? You certainly can. Are they the same variety?
:58:48. > :58:58.That is beautiful. I think it is a lovely rose. We had two standard to
:58:58. > :59:04.go with it. Very beautiful. When rhubarb first comes up after the
:59:04. > :59:11.winter, it is really nice. Then it does not really do much after that.
:59:11. > :59:19.They have been and spindly. Next winter, dig it up and chop it in
:59:19. > :59:26.great chunks. Even that will grow again. What have you got? It is not
:59:26. > :59:31.just these. I have brought loads and loads of vegetable seeds. I
:59:31. > :59:38.have got peace for flowers and that covers the flowers. That is
:59:38. > :59:44.beautiful. It is a lovely idea. it is beautiful! I can smell it
:59:44. > :59:48.from here. It is a beautiful rose. It is a modern roads with an old-