0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08And this weekend the clocks go forward, which for us gardeners
0:00:08 > 0:00:10is the best time of the year
0:00:10 > 0:00:13because it means that the light has at last caught up
0:00:13 > 0:00:16with all our instincts to get out there
0:00:16 > 0:00:18and garden for as long as possible.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24This week, Carol visits one of the country's finest topiary gardens.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Just look at that - it's spectacular!
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Joe gets a dahlia masterclass.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33- There's a dahlia Joe Swift already.- Yes.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37- I'm single and beautiful apparently. - I'll give you a better one than that.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43At Long Meadow I'm planting for spring and sowing for summer.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01This is the perfect spot for this Erythronium.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04This is Erythronium californicum 'White Beauty'
0:01:04 > 0:01:06I'm putting into the copse here.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10I've got a dog's-tooth violet next to it,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13so they complement and I'll put a few more in.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17What this has - as the name suggests - is lovely white flowers,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and just the right feeling of freshness
0:01:20 > 0:01:23that you get with this early spring light
0:01:23 > 0:01:28coming through the gentle shade of the branches, but as yet no leaves.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32And all the planting in the copse
0:01:32 > 0:01:37is designed to make the most of this dappled light.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41These plants respond really well to the coppice cycle.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Coppicing is really easy, it's like any gardening with shrubs.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49You have a few trees and shrubs
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and cut them back hard on a regular basis.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55These hazels I last cut back five or six years ago
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and they are due for a cut next year.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00In that time the whole ecosystem changes.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02You get completely open space, light floods in
0:02:02 > 0:02:07and the primroses and the bluebells and the violets
0:02:07 > 0:02:08just go whoosh with colour.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Then gradually, as the cover grows,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14the shade increases and they die back a bit. They spread slowly.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16It's changing all the time.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18It's a lovely, subtle thing.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35This is the best time of year to add plants in areas like this,
0:02:35 > 0:02:36before the canopy closes over
0:02:36 > 0:02:41and while you can still see the flowers and the gaps.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45The copse spans the path that runs down the centre of the garden
0:02:45 > 0:02:46and comes over on this side,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49which actually seems to grow primroses better.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53But, of course, you could do this in a tiny space.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57When we were in London I had a little area where I used willow and dogwood
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and then cut those down every two years.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01It is important to get the coppice cycle,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05so you flood it with light regularly and then it shades.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09This Hacquetia has got
0:03:09 > 0:03:11a wonderful ruff of lime green
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and the flowers are tiny little yellow jobs in the middle.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19But it's such a spring, vibrant colour.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21So we'll introduce that,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25but that's about as flash as we are getting here.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28I don't want to have too much garishness because it's subtle.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32The colour in this part is really dictated by the primroses
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and I love primroses, they are my favourite flower.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37I love the delicacy of them.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40These are all hybridised. They range from almost pure white
0:03:40 > 0:03:44to egg-yolk yellow and every shade in between.
0:03:44 > 0:03:50For about three weeks, primroses just sing in this part of the garden.
0:03:50 > 0:03:56There's no other plant that expresses the hope of this time of year so well.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09While the spring flowers are fabulous,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12it's still important to keep sowing so you get
0:04:12 > 0:04:16summer flowers coming through and the whole sequence unfolds.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19As one finishes, others begin.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21I'm going to sow my sweet peas now.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24I used to sow them in autumn always, but found there's not much advantage
0:04:24 > 0:04:30and there's a lot of problems with keeping a sweet peas over winter here.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35There are many, many different varieties of sweet pea.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39If you are sowing them, you want to see them in flower,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42you want to choose ones that you really love.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45We went along to Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire
0:04:45 > 0:04:49where Lady Ursula Cholmeley grows 60 different varieties.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Their value as a garden plant is fantastic for two reasons.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02One is you can get a very long flowering period out of them
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and secondly, you have got cut flowers for...
0:05:04 > 0:05:08These have been flowering since mid-May this year
0:05:08 > 0:05:11and I would hope to be still picking by mid-September.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13It's a pretty fantastic flowering season.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24We've divided ours up into old varieties and newer varieties.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29The old Grandiflora peas are more your classic cottage garden plant.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33They've got a great deal of charm, their scent is fantastic.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36The modern varieties are much bigger and frillier.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44We've got some of the oldest varieties here.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46This one - Matucana - is a fantastic sweet pea.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50It's very like the original Cupani, the first known variety of sweet pea,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53but it has two or three more flowers on the stem
0:05:53 > 0:05:55and it's very famous for its scent.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Next to it we've got Lord Nelson,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01and I love about the old-fashioned peas, what their names say.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04It's very evocative of English history.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Presumably the naval connection is why
0:06:07 > 0:06:10it's the most brilliant dark blue colour.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16This is a modern variety that I particularly like,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18mainly because it's completely mad.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It's red on a white ground.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24The colour is so incredible.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26you can't really believe sweet peas
0:06:26 > 0:06:28could throw a colourway like that - it's fantastic.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33They are part of the English psyche.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37It's the same as cream teas, strawberries, roses,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41sweet peas and swallows, I think, to me, sum up an English summer.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43A lot of people maybe remembered their grandparents,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46certainly I remember my grandparents growing them.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50It's more than just a flower, it means a lot to me as well.
0:06:54 > 0:07:01There's no doubt about it that sweet peas are quintessentially to do with an English summer garden.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04I can't imagine this garden without them. I've got a selection here.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08I've got Painted Lady, which is a lovely pink with a fabulous scent.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Cream Southbourne we always grow.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13It's a Spencer type. They do have fragrance,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15but not nearly so good as a Grandiflora type.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Cupani, which is the original sweet pea,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20really good and I would always want that.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22But let's sow some Cream Southbourne.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25What I do is sow them in these pots,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29three or four to a pot, and they stay in the pot.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32They grow on through and when they are planted,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34tip them out and plant all three together
0:07:34 > 0:07:37at the base of a tripod or wigwam.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41You can see that they are nice, big seeds.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45There is a lot of nonsense talked about growing sweet peas,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48a lot of ritual, which I don't think it's necessary,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51just as I don't think it's necessary to grow them in the autumn.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I don't nick them, I don't soak them.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58All I do is just pop them in a fairly loose compost.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01This is a mixture of a peat-free bought compost
0:08:01 > 0:08:02mixed up with a bit of vermiculite
0:08:02 > 0:08:05and leaf mould, so it's nice and open.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Space them out...putting them in,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and just pushing them down like that.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Then I'll sift some soil over the top.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18And I'll grow these under cover until they germinate.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21As soon as there are little shoots appearing,
0:08:21 > 0:08:22they'll go first to a cold frame
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and then quite quickly outdoors to harden off.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30But I won't plant them out until certainly early May,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32because it can be quite cold here.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34At the same time as I plant them out,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I'll probably plant some direct and that will bulk them up.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42The great thing about sweet peas is not only do you have scent and wonderful colour, but height.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45And height is so important. Any flowers that climb,
0:08:45 > 0:08:50and can climb up a tripod or wigwam so you can place it where you want that height,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54as opposed to being restricted to a wall or fence, is good news.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Whatever you plant, don't forget to label it.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Give the seed a light covering of the same compost mix,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08put them somewhere warm and sunny and water them in.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19As well as sweet peas, I'm going to be sowing some dahlias.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22I don't normally grow dahlias from seed,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24but I'm quite keen to increase our stock
0:09:24 > 0:09:28because the last couple of winters have hit our dahlias really hard.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29We need to bulk the numbers up.
0:09:29 > 0:09:35I thought I would grow some dahlias as cut flowers and grow them in the vegetable garden.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Then we can also have them in the Jewel Garden
0:09:37 > 0:09:39and I'll grow those from tubers.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42However many dahlias we grow here,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45it will be nothing compared to Ken Stock down in Bournemouth.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47He's only got a small plot,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50but he grows hundreds and hundreds of dahlias.
0:09:50 > 0:09:57So Joe went down to see what tips he could glean from a lifetime devoted to dahlias.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06On the south coast, spring has well and truly begun.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12In just a few months' time the beaches will be packed full of people,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14the roads packed full of traffic.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19And one garden in particular will be packed with dahlias.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22When I say packed, I mean packed!
0:10:29 > 0:10:33To say Ken Stock is a dahlia enthusiast is an understatement.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39In the height of summer his modest front and back gardens are home to 500 different varieties.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Since he retired six years ago,
0:10:42 > 0:10:48they have gradually eased pretty much every other plant out of his garden.
0:10:48 > 0:10:54Ken, your garden, I can count three roses, one Euonymus and that is it.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57At this time of year there is nothing else in it.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00That's right. I was dreading that, I thought you'd bring that up.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- The whole garden is entirely dedicated to your dahlias.- Yes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07But what is it about the dahlia that you love so much?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Well, they are a fantastic species. They produce
0:11:11 > 0:11:14various types of flowers, various heights,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16you've got every colour in the rainbow.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20- You are a one-flower man.- The dahlia comes from Central America.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I feel almost like a Mayan Indian.
0:11:22 > 0:11:29I've got something there that driving me to this distraction of the dahlia. It really holds me.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34For Ken, the summer display more than makes up for
0:11:34 > 0:11:37the fallow winter and spring. Not that the work ever stops.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43Keeping and developing a display like this is a full-time job.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Last autumn your dahlias, when they get hit by the first really hard frost,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49all the foliage will go black.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52That's the time to lift them up and store them.
0:11:52 > 0:11:59Once they are blackened, you cut them down, wait a couple of weeks, let the buds...
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Round the collar where the stem joins the tubers, there will be buds.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06They are more prominent if you leave them a couple of weeks.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- Then you lift them and you've got a nice, big tuber.- Wash them off.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Then into trays, and we are waiting to get some cutting material?
0:12:14 > 0:12:15Used to, I don't do that any more.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18I split the clump into tubers with an eye.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Why do you do that?
0:12:20 > 0:12:24You get a far bigger clump of tubers the following year.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Stronger than you would have...
0:12:26 > 0:12:30- Better than the cutting. Much better.- OK, that's new on me.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Show me what a division looks like then.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Here's one that... Can you see the eye?
0:12:37 > 0:12:41There's an eye there, there's one there.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42I can, I'm used to seeing them.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46I can see it just. You've got the bulbous part of the tuber.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Whereas some people cut it off here, you've got to keep this section,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54- the adjoining section on it. - That's where the growth comes from.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56All 400 or so dahlias in Ken's greenhouse
0:12:56 > 0:12:58have been grown from divisions.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04But to get even more, now is the time to start taking cuttings from the emerging new growth.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- Just below.- Just below.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08That's it.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Take a bit of foliage off.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13The main reason - you reduce the leaf area
0:13:13 > 0:13:14so it doesn't wilt so much.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15The transpiration.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Oh! You professionals, eh?!
0:13:19 > 0:13:22A little, tiny... Oh, rooting powder.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24You use rooting powder.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- There you go.- The next one.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31And just under the node.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- And there you go.- Rooting powder.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- Bless you. - You see - now I know why I'm here!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- You're going to have these, you know.- Am I?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Oh, yes! When we've finished you are going to take them home.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47You know there's a dahlia Joe Swift already out there.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- I'm single and beautiful.- I'll give you a better one than that.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56But Ken isn't content to grow commercial varieties.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57He breeds his own.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Last year, he registered over 40 dahlias with the RHS.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04After selecting and labelling the parent flowers,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08he strips the petals to reveal the centres
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and then brushes the pollen of one onto the other.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14The cover protects against further pollination.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Then, after about a month, Ken brings them inside to dry.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24I can see what you like about these dahlias, because you can grow them
0:14:24 > 0:14:28from divisions, from cuttings and from seed as well, can't you?
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- You learned something! - I learned something.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35- That's the thing about gardening. You never stop learning.- It's brilliant.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39It's great to learn something new about one of my favourite plants,
0:14:39 > 0:14:44and I can't wait till later in the year, when I can enjoy the display.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Well, I doubt these will look quite as spectacular as Ken's,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00which are amazing.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But it is quite a good way to get a lot of dahlias -
0:15:03 > 0:15:04to sow them yourself -
0:15:04 > 0:15:08particularly if you don't have any tubers to start with.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Because, for about £2 or £3 you'd buy a packet of seeds,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15which will give you up to 100 plants.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Whereas to buy one dahlia tuber could cost the same amount,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21a really good quality one would cost £2 or £3.
0:15:23 > 0:15:24That is a distinct advantage.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27The disadvantage with seeds is you buy them as a mix,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30so you don't really know what that mix is made up of.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34You'd get an idea, there'd be hot colours or there'd be a paler mix.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36This one is called Bishop's Children
0:15:36 > 0:15:39because of the bright colours, which I want for the Jewel Garden.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43But, I'm actually going to plant these out into the vegetable garden
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and use them as cut flowers to see what colours they are,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50and then the following year, I may put them more specifically.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54I like to place the seeds on the surface, putting two to each module.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58One can be weeded out later. Then I cover the seeds lightly.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Right, now...
0:16:09 > 0:16:14I'm much more familiar with growing dahlias from tubers.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19The great advantage of that is that you know your variety,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22you know exactly what the flower is going to be like.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24This is Arabian Night,
0:16:24 > 0:16:30which is a beautiful, rich red, with a slight touch of blue in it.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33It's a lovely colour, and just perfect for the Jewel Garden.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36That's a nice, healthy tuber.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39However, I'm going to give this a little encouragement.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I'm not going to force it into growth,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44but just give it a good start in life,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47by growing it for the next few weeks in the greenhouse,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51getting it into...growth
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and then putting it into a cold frame,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55and then in a protective place outside,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57so it will gradually harden off.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00So that by mid-May, which is when the last risk of frost
0:17:00 > 0:17:04will have passed, it will be ready to plant out into the garden.
0:17:05 > 0:17:11That is going to give me a very focused source of colour in the Jewel Garden,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15and I can place it exactly where I want it to give maximum effect.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17But it is expensive.
0:17:17 > 0:17:23So expensive but very focused, and this is cheap but very cheerful.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Now, come and have a look at this.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Look at the box hedges in the Jewel Garden.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Don't they look appalling? They look dreadful.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51This could be very worrying because if it was box blight,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I may have to dig the whole lot up and burn them.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Actually, I don't think this is blight,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00but the disease is so virulent, it is worth
0:18:00 > 0:18:04keeping a very careful lookout for it.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Box blight has spread over the last ten years,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and it's something that anybody who grows box,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13either as hedges or topiary, just has to deal with at some stage.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Carol has been along to Levens Hall in the Lake District,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20which has got the oldest and some of the most magnificent topiary in the land,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24to see how they are dealing with this problem.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Where the foothills of the Lake District flatten towards the sea
0:18:34 > 0:18:36is a magical garden.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Just look at that - it's spectacular!
0:18:55 > 0:19:00You really appreciate the geometry and the symmetry in some places,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04but then all these things with their own personality.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08It's just lovely and you get a real idea of the whole thing.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12I can't wait to get in amongst it.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18This incredible miscellany of box and yew
0:19:18 > 0:19:22represents 300 years of continuous evolution.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It was in the 1690s that Guillaume Beaumont
0:19:26 > 0:19:30laid out the architecture of the gardens at Levens Hall,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34and as far as we know, it was he who introduced
0:19:34 > 0:19:38the very first box and yew in the gardens.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44And now is a wonderful time to enjoy this garden.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Fresh from its annual trim, it couldn't be more pristine.
0:19:48 > 0:19:55You feel as though each one of these monumental structures is a character in a play.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58But the drama's made all the more intense
0:19:58 > 0:20:03by this lovely box that's used to edge all these beds
0:20:03 > 0:20:07and set the stage, really create the symmetry.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09But sadly,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12all that's going to have to change.
0:20:18 > 0:20:24In the mid-'90s came word of a new virulent disease attacking box -
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Cylindrocladium buxicola.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31It became known by some gardeners as the Black Death.
0:20:33 > 0:20:39Slowly but surely, the Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa' throughout the garden is dying.
0:20:39 > 0:20:45In some areas, the gardeners have had no choice than to remove it altogether.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53So, how long ago was it, Chris, that the dreaded box blight actually struck?
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Well, we didn't get it until two years ago,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and when we got it, we knew about it. The symptoms...
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It's called the Black Death.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Within a few days, it can turn black and the leaves drop off.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- As fast as that?- Absolutely.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Because it's a fungus, isn't it?
0:21:08 > 0:21:12It is. It germinates on the leaf in hot, humid conditions.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16The one good thing about box blight, although it does affect all box,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19it hits the low box edge in Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa'.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21It gets through that the worst.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26It's got a softer leaf and the fungus gets through the cuticles so much easier.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28The larger box pieces,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31the leaves are so much harder the fungus can't get in.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33That's the secret to it resisting the disease.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38- You're hoping to hang on to all these?- Were hoping to survive with this stuff and replace the box edges.
0:21:43 > 0:21:44Mine's tougher than yours.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47It's coming out easy enough up here! THEY LAUGH
0:21:47 > 0:21:51It must have become a pretty familiar task?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54It has. Throughout the history of the garden, they've been replaced,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58but this time, we have to find something other than box to do it with.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Lonicera's great. It clips very well for a big hedge,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06but for keeping our hedges small, it just grows too much.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10We'd probably have to clip it six to ten times a year to keep it in order.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13We might try a patch somewhere, but it's not our frontrunner.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Probably this one behind you is much more like it.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17That the Ilex crenata.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20You can see it is actually quite a good match for the box.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22It is, it's the best look-alike.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24It may be the winner. It's a real look-alike.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27We've never grown it here, so until we try it,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30do we know whether it likes our soil, our climate or what?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33But it's used extensively as a hedging plant, isn't it?
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Yeah. That is one of the front-runners, yeah.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Alongside this one, which is Teucrium x lucidrys.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41You can see it's got quite a shiny little evergreen leaf,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44but it is hardy and easily propagated.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47We took these cuttings last year. That might be a winner.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50We may have the clip this a couple of times, just to keep the flowers off it,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52but we've got high hopes.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05- If I pass them...- You tap them out and chuck them here, I shall place them. That's great.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07We're planting them touching.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09They'll make a thicker hedge faster for that.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14They had small hedges in the past, and perhaps that's a tradition we should go back to.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Certainly, with the speed of growth of the replacements,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20instead of replacing them every 50 years, it will be every five years.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24That's why propagating them ourselves from cuttings like these,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26that will be so much more important.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Is it going to be somebody's full-time job?
0:23:28 > 0:23:30It may get a bit like that.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Let's pull that out the way and see.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Great.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37If you can get the last pots,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40I'll get a rake and see what we can make it look like.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45How much more to go, then?
0:23:45 > 0:23:50Two metres done, and how many? 2,000 to go. You've got a job till the end of the summer!
0:23:58 > 0:24:03You can visit Levens Hall from April 10th,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05but if you can't get to Cumbria,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08there are several other gardens with outstanding topiary
0:24:08 > 0:24:10opening up over the next couple of weeks.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15Hatfield House in Hertfordshire has an exceptional knot garden.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22Packwood House in Warwickshire has clipped yew on grand scale.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27The 200-year-old topiary garden at Antony House in Cornwall
0:24:27 > 0:24:29is well worth a visit.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33For even more suggestions, visit our website.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41I realised that I haven't been to Levens Hall for about 15 years now,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and I LOVED it then, I loved seeing it. I must go back.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47A beautiful garden and I hope that the new hedges
0:24:47 > 0:24:50add to its beauty, and it's not seen as a terrible loss.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I've certainly got to deal with my box hedges.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56I don't think it's box blight.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58I think the problem we've got here is frost damage.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01It is consistent all the way along.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03I think I know why we've had the frost damage.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08It's because I didn't cut the hedges in here until October 29th.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10I looked it up in my diary yesterday.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Because it was cut so late, the wounds were exposed
0:25:13 > 0:25:15and there was a little bit of a new growth,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and we've got that really cold weather in the middle of December.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Boomf, it got hit, and this is the result.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24And if you look in, if you open it up and look inside,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27there is new growth in the interior,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and that's a pretty good sign that there isn't blight.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32However, that's not the end of the story,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35because it means that these poor hedges have been stressed.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40A stressed plant is much more vulnerable to a box blight if it's around.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I need to do something about that.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45So, I'm going to spray.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Not all sprays have to be chemical.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I'm going to spray with seaweed.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Liquid seaweed, used as a foliar spray, is really good,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56particularly at this time of year,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00for nourishing and aiding recovery in any ailing plant,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and by spraying the foliage,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07the goodness is absorbed very quickly.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09The goodness from seaweed are micronutrients.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Seaweed is better than any other plant at retaining micronutrients,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16and they in turn
0:26:16 > 0:26:20enable the plant that receives it to take up other nutrients.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It's a trigger, really.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25These are all fairly small actions,
0:26:25 > 0:26:30but the combined effect, and the timing of them,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32will make a big difference to the plant.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Here are some other jobs to be getting on with this weekend.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44You don't actually need a greenhouse, potting shed
0:26:44 > 0:26:47or cold frames to grow plants from seed.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51A seed bed is very cheap and very easy.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53If you prepare a patch of ground,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57removing all stones and any trace of weeds, and rake it fine,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00you can sow your seeds in short rows.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Thin them as they grow,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04and then plant them to their final growing position.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08This is a wonderful way of growing brassicas and biannual flowers,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12and it's a really simple way of producing lots of plants
0:27:12 > 0:27:16that will need no hardening off, and it can't be done any cheaper.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I finished pruning my soft fruit last week,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and now is the perfect time
0:27:23 > 0:27:28to give them a top-dressing of a potash-rich fertiliser.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32If you can get hold of wood ash, that will do the job perfectly.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Finally, if you have paths made from old bricks,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41you're bound to have frost damage after a winter like the last one.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Chisel out any damaged or broken bricks,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and bed replacements in on sharp sand.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49There's no need to use cement to fix them.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55The trouble is that if you let it get as bad as I've done,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59you start to do one brick, and that leads to another,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and you realise they're all a bit ropey.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04My advice is, don't be like me, because I always look at it
0:28:04 > 0:28:07and think, "There are more important things to do.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10"I want to be planting, I want to be growing this, pruning that."
0:28:10 > 0:28:16If you tackle the paths in spring, when the worst of the weather is over, and you do it every year,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18that way you keep on top of the job.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Now, having started, I'll have to plug away at this,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25and with any luck, by next winter, I might have repaired the worst of it.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Anyway, next week, I hope you'll join me here again at Long Meadow.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32See 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