0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hello, and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Today is the Autumn Equinox.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Which means we have exactly the same amount of day and night,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16meaning that from tomorrow things start to tick slowly towards winter.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Time is getting shorter,
0:00:19 > 0:00:24and there's just a slight sense that we need to get on with things.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Come on, Nige! Don't look at me like that, come on!
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This is the best time to plant out biennials
0:00:33 > 0:00:34for great display next year.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38So this week, I'm putting in some foxgloves that I've grown from seed.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Carol is at Glebe Cottage,
0:00:41 > 0:00:45with ideas on how to fill an empty border for free.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Well, I'm going to start off by growing loads of stuff from seed.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Much of which is ready to collect right now.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56And Rachel visits a garden in Berkshire which proves
0:00:56 > 0:00:59that roses are often at their very best
0:00:59 > 0:01:01when they're at their most natural.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04This is a classic combination growing around
0:01:04 > 0:01:05and through an apple tree,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08wonderful, milky-white flowers.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Oh, it's sensational.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14Good boy.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30Put that to one side.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33A month ago I sowed some green manure - Hungarian grazing rye.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35And this is it. It's come up well,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37despite being rather cold.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Although it's a little sparse there's nothing to worry about,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43because what I'm really interested in is the root growth,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47which will be forming a good web underneath the soil, bulking it up,
0:01:47 > 0:01:48adding organic matter,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52and also providing a cover above the ground to stop weeds growing.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54So that's fine and set for the winter.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58What I want to sow now are some onions
0:01:58 > 0:02:01that will grow steadily over the winter
0:02:01 > 0:02:03and then give me an early crop next year.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06First of all, I think I need to rake that over.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09We had potatoes in here which I lifted.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11These were Charlotte and they've been good.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15But when I lifted the potatoes, I added compost and forked it over
0:02:15 > 0:02:19and although it's rather dry, that's good soil.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Now overwintering onions are sometimes called Japanese onions.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Because a lot of them have Japanese varieties.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I've got a couple of varieties I have grown before, are reliable
0:02:29 > 0:02:34and I like the taste of, and taste is always the important thing.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39I've got two varieties, a white onion called Radar.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Good, really tough, but quite a delicate taste
0:02:43 > 0:02:47which I like very much, and also Electric Red.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Red onions add colour, glamour and they tend to be slightly sweeter.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54The best thing to do is just dib holes...
0:02:55 > 0:02:57about four or five inches apart.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Obviously the wider apart they are, the bigger the bulb.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And I don't like onions too big - a tennis ball is perfectly big enough.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Just do a row along there.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17These will be ready for harvesting about June or early July,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20so just a month or six weeks ahead of main crop.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26But the theory is that you store your main crop now,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and they will last you through to about April or May,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and then these follow on in succession.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Now there's very little else to do,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35but do keep an eye on them, because birds come along
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and see this thing wriggling up, and they pull at it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And it's quite common to come down in the morning
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and find them scattered around, and that is birds.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48And the best way to counter that is to cover them with fleece
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and weigh them down, until you see good green shoots,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54which means the roots have grown and anchored into the soil.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58But it doesn't always happen, so I won't fleece them straight away.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Now, you dib a hole to put it in, because there's a basal plate
0:04:02 > 0:04:06that the roots grow from, and if you just ram it into the soil
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and almost screw into the ground
0:04:08 > 0:04:11there's a real danger of damaging that and affecting root growth.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I quite often use my finger instead of a dibber,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18although you could argue that my fingers were made for dibbing.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Now, I'm watering these in
0:04:36 > 0:04:41just to make sure that the soil, which is very dry,
0:04:41 > 0:04:42firms around the bulbs.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46So I'm using a rose rather than a direct jet
0:04:46 > 0:04:49which will just knock the bulbs out of the holes.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Right. That's the job done.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59And nothing else to do now except to keep them weeded.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Now I set my carrots here back in April and broadcast them,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and the reason for broadcasting was so I didn't have to thin.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12And the reason I didn't want to thin was that attracts carrot fly.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15It didn't stop them, but if you just dig them up when you need them,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18the risk of getting damaged by carrot fly is much less
0:05:18 > 0:05:20and they've been a good crop this year.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23We've been eating them for the last couple of months.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29These are not award-winning, but they're a good size
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and very tasty this year. And that's what I grow them for.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35There for the kitchen, not for the show bench.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Now, above all, this is a season of harvest,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47but there are things we can be planning for next year.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49And down at Glebe Cottage, Carol is showing us
0:05:49 > 0:05:52how to fill empty spaces for free.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10There are very few opportunities at Glebe Cottage
0:06:10 > 0:06:12to do some completely new planting.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14I mean, we've been in the garden now
0:06:14 > 0:06:20for more than 30 years and it's pretty well-established.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23But we've built these new raised beds
0:06:23 > 0:06:25that sort of tumble down the hillside.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28There are four of them altogether.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32And they are presenting this opportunity
0:06:32 > 0:06:35to plant all manner of wonderful things.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40But the whole backbone of these beds is going to be formed from plants
0:06:40 > 0:06:44I'll propagate myself from the rest of the garden.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49And I'm going to begin that process by growing loads of stuff from seed.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And some of it I'm collecting today.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Well, it's not exactly the perfect day for collecting seeds.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10What you want is a really dry, warm, sunny day.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14And preferably still too, but nonetheless
0:07:14 > 0:07:19this is my last chance to gather seed of this glorious dark red astrantia.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22It is one of my favourite perennials anyway,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27but this crimson one is really a particular favourite.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Now here the whole thing's gone brown,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33and it's probably just about dry enough to collect.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37So what I'm going to do is snip it very, very carefully.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40Put it into my paper bag.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Oh...don't want to lose ONE seed!
0:07:44 > 0:07:47And now I hope the seeds will just fall into the bag
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and I'll be able to sow them straight away.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Well, these are such precious things, I've got everything ready here,
0:08:05 > 0:08:11and first of all I want to discover just what's in here.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Now, a lot of people would just save their astrantia seed
0:08:14 > 0:08:19and sow it the following spring, but I invariably sow it immediately,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21because you're in with two chances.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Occasionally, it will germinate for you straight away.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Sometimes, after a few weeks, you just know it's not going to work.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32But don't despair.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34I just put the seed tray outside
0:08:34 > 0:08:38to experience really severe cold and leave it there all winter,
0:08:38 > 0:08:43because it's the cold that actually breaks the dormancy.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48So all I'm going to do is cover the seeds with a bit of grit,
0:08:48 > 0:08:49no compost at all.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54I'll label that, and then I'll water it,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and instead of watering it from above,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58which will swish that seed all over the place,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I'll let it imbibe some water
0:09:02 > 0:09:05from shoving it in a washing-up bowl or something like that.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08And just imagine how many seedlings I'm going to have
0:09:08 > 0:09:10to enhance these beds.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Now another plant that I'm so anxious to get into these beds
0:09:18 > 0:09:21is Hesperis matronalis -
0:09:21 > 0:09:23sweet rocket, dame's violet.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28It's got all these vernacular names that allude to its beautiful perfume.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32And I've got a particularly fine plant this year.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34It was...oh, just scrumptious.
0:09:34 > 0:09:40And it was so prolific that instead of picking each stem individually
0:09:40 > 0:09:44when it went to seed, I just took my shears and took the lot down.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49It's going to give me, I know, absolutely masses of seed.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00Collect your seed at the very point at which it's thoroughly dry,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02and if it would work in nature,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05it's almost certainly going to work for you.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14Now, I'm going to sow this lot, and by the spring I'll have small plants.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18And I can start to decide just where I'm going to plant it.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24Hesperis is a short-lived perennial. You'll get a few years out of it.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Some people treat it as a biennial.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30I'm also going to include lashings of hardy annuals.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34I love plants like nigella and calendula,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38and their seeds are just ready for collection.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40And because they're hardy annuals,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I don't have to wait until the spring to sow them.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47I can sow them directly into these beds later on this autumn,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and that means that they'll establish really well,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55and they'll make good, strong plants and flower much earlier next year.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03As well as hardy annuals,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06there are lots of half-hardy annuals to collect.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09This cosmos has just been out of this world.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14I sowed it quite early this year, February or March.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19What I'm going to do, instead of randomly taking any old seed heads,
0:11:19 > 0:11:24is select the plant that I think has got the most beautiful flowers.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Although I'm not guaranteed exactly the same flowers next year,
0:11:27 > 0:11:32I'm in with a fighting chance if I collect things from here.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I'm going to dry them in a paper bag.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38It needs to be cool, it needs to be dark,
0:11:38 > 0:11:44so I know that these flowers are going to grace those new beds.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49I won't see any bare soil at all, because in-between all my perennials
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and all the other things that are going in there,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I'm going to have great clouds of this lovely, lovely flower.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15There is a huge satisfaction in raising any plant from seed
0:12:15 > 0:12:18and if you collect it yourself, that tops everything.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Everything in this bay has been grown from seed
0:12:21 > 0:12:24and everything in the cold frames, either seed or cuttings.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Some of it will be planted next spring
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and we'll look after it over the winter,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30but some of it, like these foxgloves,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32are ready to go out into the garden now.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54I'm putting these foxgloves here, in the walled garden.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56This is north-facing so it's fairly shady,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00although it actually gets light in the afternoon, early morning.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Foxgloves are woodland plants.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06This is a variety called Sutton's Apricot.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08I'm always looking for apricot flowers,
0:13:08 > 0:13:09because it's a tricky colour.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11That balance between orange and pink
0:13:11 > 0:13:15when it's dead right is lovely, but very often gets a bit muddy.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16However, these should be good
0:13:16 > 0:13:20and they exactly fit in with the palette of the walled garden,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22which is all pastels and soft colours.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Planting them couldn't be easier. I've planted a little group here.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Just make a hole, there's a bit of allium coming up, there.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32You can see, that's got a good root system.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36It's been grown in a compost with plenty of leaf mould added,
0:13:36 > 0:13:42which replicates the whole woodland environment they are happiest in.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46And just pop that in, like that. Put one back here.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55These should flower next May and June
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and all winter, they'll just sit there.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00The whole point about biennials
0:14:00 > 0:14:04is that you sow the seed immediately after flowering,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06which in this case is sort of May, June time.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10They develop foliage and good root system,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and wait and bide their time over winter. The soil is now still warm,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17so in autumn the roots are still growing. Next spring,
0:14:17 > 0:14:22when the light starts to increase and the soil warms up,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25they can grow vigorously from a head start.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And these should be nice and tall, about three to four foot tall,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30lots of flowers and lots of seed,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and then the process will start again.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40OK. What I intend to do is spread these around the whole garden,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42rather than just have them in one piece.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45But I have got other biennials I want to add in here too.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52The second biennial I'm planting is the Verbascum 'Polarsommer'.
0:14:52 > 0:14:58This has great, grey, felted leaves, and a marvellous spire of flower,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01covered in little yellow flowers, and that combination
0:15:01 > 0:15:06will work perfectly in here with the other pastel colours.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12The final biennial I'm adding to the walled garden is onopordum.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16This giant thistle is one of the most statuesque plants
0:15:16 > 0:15:17that you can ever grow.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20It has milky, glaucous foliage,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and then purple flowers
0:15:23 > 0:15:25carried up to 12 feet high.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29What I'm looking to do, as well as work in height and groupings,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31is get the colour right.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34All the colours in the walled garden are pastels,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38dominated by the roses, and everything works off that.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40That's fine if your roses flower,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43but this one here, Felicite Perpetue, I planted in spring
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and it didn't produce any flowers at all.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46It didn't grow very well
0:15:46 > 0:15:51because it was so cold and dry throughout May and June here.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53However, it's picked up.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55We've got some stems here, that's seven foot tall,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58and I can train that in and tie it in before winter,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01so it doesn't blow around, and hopefully next spring
0:16:01 > 0:16:05it will grow, and then we'll get good flowers next summer.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07In general, my roses at Long Meadow
0:16:07 > 0:16:09haven't been at their best this year.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11However, Rachel's been to a garden
0:16:11 > 0:16:15where the roses have been glorious all summer long.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37I see a lot of rose gardens, but this one is just a little bit special,
0:16:37 > 0:16:41because there's none of that really managed formality.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Here, the roses have room to breathe.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48They can romp up into trees and tumble over walls.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52And best of all, they look completely at home in this environment.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Fiona Ambler has created this garden over 16 years,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03but was lucky enough to inherit an orchard
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and some beautiful brick and flint walls,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09creating a wonderful backdrop for roses.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15I started on the garden bit by bit, really.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17We levelled a bit and built a wall,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and planted a few more flowers and a rose.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The first rose I planted was called Compassion.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I remember my mother saying, "Are you going to plant any roses?"
0:17:26 > 0:17:30I said, "There's just one I really like, I shall put Compassion in."
0:17:30 > 0:17:32She's never stopped teasing me since,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34because I must have planted 300 since then.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37What is it now that you've put in so many roses,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40that you look for when you put in a rose?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43I'm very clean on the ramblers and the climbers,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46because we've got a lot of old apple trees in the old orchard.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Anyone that looks good not just once in the year, but through the year.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55The spinosissima, the Scotch Burnet roses, are very good,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58because the leaves always look good.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03They have hips in the autumn and as a plus, they sucker,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05so your clump of roses will get forever bigger,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07which, to me, is always a plus.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09I'm interested in how other people put roses together.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Here, for example, you've got this county rose.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Which county is this one?
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- That's Hertfordshire. - And, of course, Bonica
0:18:17 > 0:18:18on the other side, the paler pink,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- which is also a very good hedging rose.- Yes, absolutely.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23What made you combine those two?
0:18:23 > 0:18:26The thinking is to get the right height and shape
0:18:26 > 0:18:28to fill the space that you've got.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32The second thing is to make sure the colours blend in together.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35The flowers are the shortest bit of the year,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37so the shape of the shrub, the colour of the leaves
0:18:37 > 0:18:39have all got to look good together.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46This doesn't feel like a rose garden so much as a garden full of roses,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50all used to great effect in lots of different ways.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Fiona takes all the stuffiness out of roses
0:18:58 > 0:19:00by combining them with perennials and grasses
0:19:00 > 0:19:07to create a scene as soft and naturalistic as a wild flower meadow.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Not many of us have room for a big, rambling rose in the garden
0:19:10 > 0:19:12but this is a classic combination -
0:19:12 > 0:19:14growing a rambler through an apple tree.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17They're both members of the rosaceae family.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22This one's called Astra Desmond, wonderful milky white flowers.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23You'd get first
0:19:23 > 0:19:24the blossom from the apple,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27then the fruits, then this incredible display.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30They flower only once in the year, but when it does,
0:19:30 > 0:19:31oh, it's sensational.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44'Roses don't always spring to mind when it comes to hedging,
0:19:44 > 0:19:49'but used informally, many make very good hedges, both high and low,
0:19:49 > 0:19:55'with flowers, hips and thorns to deter unwelcome visitors.'
0:20:00 > 0:20:04I must say this pink is really earning its keep in the garden,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06isn't it? Which one is this?
0:20:06 > 0:20:07This is Apple Blossom.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Appropriately, as we're in an orchard.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13It's fantastic with the clematis, this viticella
0:20:13 > 0:20:15growing through it as well.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- Is that something you do quite a lot? - Yes.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19The viticella fit well into roses
0:20:19 > 0:20:22and they're flowering at the same time quite often.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24The great thing with viticellas is,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27because you prune them hard at the start of the year and take off
0:20:27 > 0:20:30this top growth. They're easy to prune. A perfect companion.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34That's right. On the whole, a smaller flowered clematis
0:20:34 > 0:20:37look better with roses. The large flowered ones
0:20:37 > 0:20:40make more of a show on their own, don't they?
0:20:40 > 0:20:42This is absolutely beautiful.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55Fiona makes the very best of her roses of every type.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59I think the garden shows what versatile plants they are,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01even in this very naturalistic setting.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05The message seems to be, choose the right plant for the right place
0:21:05 > 0:21:07and then let them do their thing.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16I do so agree with that general philosophy.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18If a plant is happy it will always look beautiful
0:21:18 > 0:21:23and a beautiful rose is as lovely as anything the garden can offer.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I think this Rosa 'Complicata' has been happy cos it's looked good.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30I pruned it last March, let light and air into it,
0:21:30 > 0:21:35and it's responded with a mass of its lovely, single, pink flowers.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37And now we've got good hips
0:21:37 > 0:21:40that'll look better for a month or two before they fade.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Now there's a subsidiary result of the pruning
0:21:43 > 0:21:46which are these very vigorous new growths
0:21:46 > 0:21:49that will bear next year's flowers.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51They also have another role,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54to provide cuttings from which I can make new plants.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56If you want to make a rose garden,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59producing your own plants from cuttings is cost free
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and really not difficult at all.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05They respond well to it. These would be hardwood cuttings.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08The easiest way to take these is to take a really long stem.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11The one I've grabbed is a good one, not too thin.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14I'm going to cut right down in the bottom there.
0:22:15 > 0:22:16Get in here.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Cut there. I'll take one more while I'm about it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26There's a nice on at the back.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29There we go.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31That can come out.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36Right.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Ow, just pricked myself! Never mind. That's roses.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Now we'll make these into cuttings.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54What you're looking for is material about the thickness of a pencil.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55You can use normal prunings.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57There's nothing special about this
0:22:57 > 0:23:00other than it's fresh, new growth that's hardened off.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Hardening off means that this growth at the top,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06which has happened in the last month or so,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10is too soft. If you can bend it, it won't make a good hardwood cutting.
0:23:10 > 0:23:16We'll take the tops off, probably down to there,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and that can go.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Then I'm going to cut this into about six to eight inch lengths.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27The bottom of the cutting's always straight and the top's at an angle.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I cut below a bud. If I cut there...
0:23:31 > 0:23:33..that's one bottom.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38And cut above a bud at an angle. Just there.
0:23:39 > 0:23:46Cut straight bottom, above there. That's two.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Straight underneath there and above there. I've got three out of that.
0:23:51 > 0:23:57Then strip the leaves off. Those leaves come off like that.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58I actually just strip that off.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01So what I've got is a straight stem with a flat bottom
0:24:01 > 0:24:03and a sloping top.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Two reasons for doing a sloping top.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07The first is so you know it's the top
0:24:07 > 0:24:10because if you jiggle it around and get it upside-down,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13at least you know you won't put it in the wrong way round.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17And also, if it gets very wet, the water won't sit on the bud
0:24:17 > 0:24:21and possibly rot it. It'll run off like a sloping roof.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29Now, unless you're going to do this very, very quickly, as I am,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32you should just pop them into a glass of water
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and keep them nice and fresh.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38I'm just going to make a little slit trench along here.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40And it is literally just like that.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46This is a little, tiny nursery bed and if you are going to propagate,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49whether it be from seed or cuttings or division,
0:24:49 > 0:24:53it's very useful to have a corner of the garden where you can put plants
0:24:53 > 0:24:55to grow them on.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57OK, there we go.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01And I'm going to add a little grit along the bottom.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05All cuttings root better with good drainage. I'll just pop some grit...
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Sharp sand will do the job as well.
0:25:08 > 0:25:09There we go.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15And then space them out at about six-inch intervals.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Now remember, that's the bottom, that's the top.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20So up against the edge.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23And in fact with hardwood cuttings, a 50% success rate is good.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28The residue of prickles are there
0:25:28 > 0:25:31so every time I push down, I'm getting spiked!
0:25:34 > 0:25:38And then all we do is pull this back.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41And you can see why I made the trench as it is,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44because it's so easy to pull back along there.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46Pull back there.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51And just gently firm them down around them.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Like that.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Label it, water it and then just keep it weeded.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Now, the roots won't start to form until next spring.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06But next October,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I could have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven
0:26:09 > 0:26:12new Rosa 'Complicata' plants.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17A reasonable size that have cost me, what, ten minutes of my time?
0:26:20 > 0:26:25Here are some other jobs that you can do this weekend.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27'This is the best to plant bulbs in containers
0:26:27 > 0:26:30'as well as out into the ground.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34'I'm putting daffodils, this is a variety called Tete-a-tete,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36'on a layer of gritty compost. And I cover them up
0:26:36 > 0:26:42'and put a layer of crocus. These are Crocus tomassinianus.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43'And then cover those up.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47'The crocus will flower first in February and March,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51'and as they die back, the daffodils will push past them
0:26:51 > 0:26:53'to flower gloriously in April.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56'Now is the perfect time
0:26:56 > 0:26:58'to scratch your lawn.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02'I'm using a rake designed specifically for the job
0:27:02 > 0:27:04'but a wire rake will do just as well,
0:27:04 > 0:27:05'and whatever you use,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07'give it a really vigorous scratch,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11'and this will take away all dead grass and moss
0:27:11 > 0:27:13'and let in water, light and air.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16'It will look rough for a week or two but next spring,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20'the grass will grow back all the better. And if you do it now,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22'you won't do it any damage before winter comes.'
0:27:36 > 0:27:41It's been a difficult year for tomatoes. Not really enough sun.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42However, the grafted tomatoes
0:27:42 > 0:27:45that I've grown down this end of the greenhouse
0:27:45 > 0:27:48have been very prolific. I will say that for them.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Now, this is part of an experiment that we're doing,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55which is the difference between grafted and non-grafted tomatoes.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59If you've grown grafted tomatoes and have any thoughts or observations,
0:27:59 > 0:28:03we really would like to hear from you. If you go to our website,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and through our "gardening dilemmas" email address,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09contact us with whatever experiences you have,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12we can share them all together in a few weeks' time.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Now, I'm away next week so we shan't be at Long Meadow.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19However, there will be Gardeners' World at its normal time,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21and it's a special programme with the rest of the team
0:28:21 > 0:28:24coming from the RHS gardens around the country.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27And then we're back here in a fortnight's time.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29So, see you then. Bye-bye.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media
0:28:37 > 0:28:41E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk