0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10Pruning the limes that are pleached around the vegetable garden
0:00:10 > 0:00:13is a very symbolic action here at Longmeadow,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15because it feels like spring can't really begin until
0:00:15 > 0:00:19all last year's growth is cut away, we're left with the bare bones,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21and then the new growth can come in and follow it.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Over the years it's a job I've learnt to love,
0:00:24 > 0:00:25because it's so symbolic.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28I'm not going to be up here just pruning limes,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I'll be showing you part of Long Meadow that you haven't seen before
0:00:31 > 0:00:35and yet it's probably one of the most important bits of the lot to us as a family.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39I'll be repairing the lawn in there, I'll be sowing some hardy annuals,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41and also pruning my figs.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Carol will be visiting the Gibberd Garden in Essex.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48There's no route around this garden,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51it's all done with a clever placing of objects and sculptures.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56And Joe is dealing with a problem that has affected a lot of gardeners
0:00:56 > 0:00:58over the last hard winter.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01- Did it have orangey sort of...?- Yes, it was running down the trunk.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Oozy, orangey, yellow...
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- It looked as if it was foaming as well.- Foaming!- Yes!
0:01:18 > 0:01:20This is the walled garden.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24It was the first piece of garden that we made when we came here 20 years ago.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28It's always been our domestic space, there's been a paddling pool here,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31a trampoline and this is where we eat in the summer.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34It comes into its own round about mid-May
0:01:34 > 0:01:38and is really nice from then till mid-September, I suppose.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42We planted lots of roses, everything here is soft -
0:01:42 > 0:01:47pinks, mauves, lilacs, yellows. It's a gentle, very, very relaxed place.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52Today I want to sow some hardy annuals which will add to that floral mix.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02Annuals are brilliant at filling the ground and adding colour
0:02:02 > 0:02:07and texture just as well as perennials, although for a shorter term.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Now if I just broadcast them, they will grow and they will grow fine,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15but they would also get completely mingled up with the weeds.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19So I need some way of knowing exactly where I've put my precious seeds.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22The simple way to do that is just rake over a piece of ground,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25and make a pattern of some kind, it doesn't matter what.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30If I draw a cross like that, and then sow my seeds in that cross,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34as they grow I'll be able to see very clearly a cross of little seedlings
0:02:34 > 0:02:36in amongst any weeds that grow.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39So I weed everything but that cross.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Then I thin them, and as they grow up you lose the pattern.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46It doesn't matter if it's a cross, a circle, a square, a zigzag,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50any old shape you like, just something you can recognise.
0:02:50 > 0:02:56My choice of seeds is dictated by the colour theme in this part of the garden, which is soft.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00So I'm going to put some cornflowers in here.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05These will have a lightish blue, we don't want harsh, intense colours.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07We've got the jewel garden for that.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10And I just put them in thinly.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14It's much better to have fewer healthy plants,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17not competing to much for nutrients or water,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21than lots and lots that are struggling to survive.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24You'll get just as many flowers as a result.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27And I will have to thin these slightly as they grow.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32So I'll probably end up with only four or five plants in this spot.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Then just cover them up gently with my fingers like that.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39And now, mark it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Which is why I'm clutching these prunings.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46These are lime prunings, and...
0:03:48 > 0:03:50You see that lovely red.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Right, that's one little patch.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58And I'll do this all over the walled garden, filling the gaps.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Hardy annuals tend to come from the northern hemisphere,
0:04:02 > 0:04:07which means that they respond to light as much as they do to heat.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09So by sowing them now as the days are getting longer
0:04:09 > 0:04:13I'm giving then the maximum opportunity to grow really fast,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17set flower ideally round about the longest day or before,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21then that gives the seeds time to ripen and fall as the days get shorter.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27By adding hardy annuals to this piece of garden
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I'm building up a tapestry of colour.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35Sometimes a scent with it, sometimes its individual flowers work,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38but overall it's a sensual, floral experience, and I love that.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41But Carol's been to the Gibberd Garden in Essex
0:04:41 > 0:04:46which has been created through a love of sculpture, architecture,
0:04:46 > 0:04:47and dramatic design.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05The Gibberd Garden in Harlow, Essex is considered to be one of
0:05:05 > 0:05:10the most important post-war gardens in the whole of Great Britain.
0:05:10 > 0:05:16It was designed in the late 1950s by the famous architect, Sir Frederick Gibberd.
0:05:16 > 0:05:24He was also responsible for such iconic projects as the Catholic cathedral in Liverpool,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30and the design and development of the new town of Harlow.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41Gibberd created his own private fantasy with a number of garden rooms,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44that tempt you in different directions,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47using sculpture and landscape design.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52He had a clear vision of what he wanted his garden to become.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57It really begins as garden design in the core and then
0:05:57 > 0:06:02it extends into landscape design out into its surroundings,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06so it really expands from architecture, which is the house,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09into garden and then into landscape.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Sometimes Sir Frederick modified his house,
0:06:19 > 0:06:25building these enormous windows to frame views that already existed outside,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and enabled you to see them from the house.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32And always there was this organic relationship
0:06:32 > 0:06:35between the inside and the outside.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58There's no route around this garden,
0:06:58 > 0:07:03Sir Frederick was a past master at luring you in,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06enticing you this way and that.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11It's all done with a clever placing of objects and sculptures,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14the way a gap is created between a hedge...
0:07:15 > 0:07:17..or the way a tree is pruned.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21And it's something that everybody can think about
0:07:21 > 0:07:24and aspire to in their own gardens.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39Gardens are, in its simplest form, it's the art of picture making.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45I think my best example is the view of a Roman temple.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50If you stand at X and look, there it is, a perfect framed picture.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59Sir Frederick loved this nut walk, three parallel lines of coppiced hazels.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04He felt that it needed at its end some focal point.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06He wanted a white sculpture.
0:08:06 > 0:08:12He couldn't find anything, so in the end, he had this lovely lady commissioned.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15She looks perfect at the end of there
0:08:15 > 0:08:21and it's typical of his desire to integrate sculptures and artefacts
0:08:21 > 0:08:24within the garden that he was designing.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34Gibberd believed that once you look at a garden as design,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and put it into practice, it becomes an art form.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43You are concerned with first of all an art of space,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46then you're concerned with form, colour and texture.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51And it's all complicated because it changes over the season,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54and it changes over the year.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00I think it's probably the most complex art and most difficult art
0:09:00 > 0:09:02that I certainly have ever worked in.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Long ago in my youth I was trained as a painter,
0:09:15 > 0:09:20and it's true that I tend to see everything in terms of two dimensions.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25I think about my garden and it's like a flat plan.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29But one thing I'm really going to take home from this garden
0:09:29 > 0:09:35is this wonderful use of space, of volume, of vertical structures.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39I'm going to go home with all sorts of new ideas.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46If you're planning a garden visit this weekend,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48the Gibberd Garden has just opened its gates
0:09:48 > 0:09:50for the new season.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53But if you can't get to Essex,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55There's Little Sparta in Lanarkshire,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden in St Ives,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05All are stunning and well worth a visit.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09For even more suggestions, got to our website.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24I do so agree with Carol about the importance of height in a garden.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28And when we came here to Longmeadow, it was completely flat,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30nothing really taller than the grass.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32I've tried to get as much height as possible.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34And you can do that in quite a small space.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36This walk is very narrow.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's clipped back now but it will grow another two or three feet
0:10:39 > 0:10:43and I've tried to get the hornbeam hedges as high as I can.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47What you get, if it works, is the same effect you get
0:10:47 > 0:10:48in a church or a cathedral.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52You have these great, tall aisles going through the garden,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56which even in a little garden seems to expand the space.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18The primroses are coming to an end in the coppice
0:11:18 > 0:11:21but they are replace by another flower that I love.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23This is the wood anemone
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and you can see the outside of the plant
0:11:25 > 0:11:29is flushed with a sort of mauvey-pink steak.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32But the inside, when they open, which they will do in the sunshine,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36is almost pure white with this delicate,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39almost citron yellow, interior.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42And although each individual plant seems almost fragile,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46the massed effect can be really dramatic.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48They've spread obligingly from the dozen or so
0:11:48 > 0:11:50that we originally planted.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51And for a few weeks in April,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54they are the heroes in this part of the garden.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18The lawn here, in the middle of the walled garden,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20is no great shakes. I'm very aware of that.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22I don't worry too much about grass.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25If it's green, it's clean and it's soft then I'm happy.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28But there is a divot here in the middle.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31We had a cherry tree here, 'Tai Haku'.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33It stayed here for about a year, it didn't really work.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36We've moved it to another part of the garden.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Turfed over, but because it was dug for the tree, it's dropped.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44And you can see, if I put this board over it,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46There's quite a gap underneath there.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48But to repair that,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I've actually decided to replace the turf.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Because my turf won't match, I'm going to make a feature of it
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and have a square of different turf in the middle.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01So, the first job is to mark out the area
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and remove the turf.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11If you're removing turf, the best way to do it
0:13:11 > 0:13:13is in sections that can be handled,
0:13:13 > 0:13:15so that you can re-use it.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Cut strips or squares with a turf cutter or sharp spade...
0:13:23 > 0:13:26..carefully sliding the blade underneath it
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and then lift the sections one by one.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Pile them up carefully and make a turf stack.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And a turf stack is where you'll stack the turf
0:13:37 > 0:13:41grass face to grass face and build it up and leave it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45And then you slice down through it and that give you beautiful loam
0:13:45 > 0:13:47which is great either as part of potting compost
0:13:47 > 0:13:50or if you want to use it fill in soil here and there.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51Either way, it's very useful.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59After lifting the turf, I prepare the soil by forking it over.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Then I bulk up the ground by adding sieved soil,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06compost and sharp sand...
0:14:07 > 0:14:09..because if you want a healthy lawn,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11you must have good drainage.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17The next phase is to tread it all over.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20You always do this whether you're sowing or turfing any soil,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25just tread it over like this, firming it but not compacting it.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Now, I'm going to turf this,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34but, of course, I could do it with seed.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38And, a packet of grass seed, like that, costs about £3 or £4.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41And this turf costs three quid a roll.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Obviously, a packet of grass seed will do a much bigger area
0:14:45 > 0:14:47than the surface of the roll.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49But it takes longer and, also,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53it's harder to get exactly the type of surface you want.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55For a large area, I'd go for grass seed.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58It gives, in the long term, a better result.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01But, for patching, I think it's turf every time.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04And it doesn't matter if you're doing an area this size,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07or a football pitch, exactly the same procedure,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11which is to lay your rolls out, having kept them damp.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13And butt them tight to the edge
0:15:13 > 0:15:15cos you can always cut the edges to fit.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17And unroll it.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21And lay them in courses.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25So, make sure that the joins, which are here, don't meet.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And the other thing is, I've got a gap there.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Never put your short sections at the edge.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34So, what we'll have to do is cut that
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and put a short section in the middle.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Because, before turf bonds,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42it dries out unless you're very careful.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46And the edges curl like a stale sandwich.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49So, the smaller the piece, the more the edges are likely to curl.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53So, we want to keep that join there nice and big.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Now, I don't need to worry too much about it knitting at this stage
0:16:18 > 0:16:20cos, obviously, it has to grow to do that.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24I just want to make sure it's level, remember there was a great big dip.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Well, it's not there now.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Although it looks like finished grass,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33we should treat this like seed and not walk on it
0:16:33 > 0:16:35for at least two weeks.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39And a good rule of thumb is, when it's growing strongly.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43And keep it watered.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59These figs have been here now for 16 years.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01I put them in, actually, a day before my 40th birthday.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I remember, I went and bought them and popped them in.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07And they've become a feature of the walled garden
0:17:07 > 0:17:09and we love them. We love them mainly for their trunks,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12which looking like elephants' legs.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13And I prune them clear
0:17:13 > 0:17:16so we can enjoy just these as structural features
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and also, the shade they give in summer.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22However, they've been hit really hard by the last two winters.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25And if you look here, for example,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29you can see that you've got absolutely dead growth.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32If I snap that off, it just breaks.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35However, the fig itself will be fine.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I know that. I've just got to prune it and tidy it up.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Now, of course, figs aren't native,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and they've learned to adapt to our climate
0:17:42 > 0:17:44and it's not a wonder that they have a hard time
0:17:44 > 0:17:48but not nearly as bad, it seems, as cordylines have had
0:17:48 > 0:17:49over the last couple of years.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I've had loads of letters,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53the programme's had masses of letters coming in.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56What on earth is happening to our cordylines and what can we do?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Joe's been along to Walsall
0:17:59 > 0:18:02to have a look at a particularly damaged cordyline
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and offer some advice.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Last year, Maureen's garden was at the height of its beauty
0:18:08 > 0:18:12with stunning cordylines and other exotics creating a wonderful display.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15It's a garden that she's nurtured for the past 18 years
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and the structure and form of the architectural plants
0:18:18 > 0:18:22are key to the impact that the garden has on all the senses.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26A year on, and after the coldest December on record,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28the garden has suffered badly.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I've had a long chat with Maureen before coming to visit her
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and I suspect that the damage is not solely down to the cold weather.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- Ah, so this was the cordyline you were telling me about?- Yep.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Ah, you must be quite upset.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45It was beautiful!
0:18:45 > 0:18:48- It WAS beautiful. - It was beautiful, yeah.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- It's looking quite damaged now, isn't it?- It is.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55And it's got a funny smell as well and I don't know what to do with it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59It's major damage on it, isn't it? You can see how hard it's been hit
0:18:59 > 0:19:02by, well, the coldest December on record.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Plus, last winter was cold too,
0:19:04 > 0:19:05so it's had a double hit.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09But, actually, I think the problem with this goes deeper.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12There's this bacterial infection called slime flux.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14In fact, the RHS have had lots of letters
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and people enquiring about it and so have we.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Cordylines right across the board have been damaged severely
0:19:21 > 0:19:24and I think this has got classic symptoms of it, really.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28This slime flux is actually a soil-borne bacteria
0:19:28 > 0:19:29and through the winter,
0:19:29 > 0:19:34the bark will crack and it allows this stuff to get in there.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Did it have orangey sort of...
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- Yes, it was running down the trunk. - ..oozey, orangey-yellow.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- It was foaming as well. - Foaming!- Yes!
0:19:42 > 0:19:44THEY LAUGH Exactly.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49And now you can see it's really damaged the trunk and it's left this black residue around the base,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53- which slightly smells, as well. - It does.- A slightly fishy smell,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55which is never a good sign of a plant, really.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I've never heard of that before.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- No, well, you get it in trees and you can get it in clematis as well.- Yeah.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04But this year it seems to have jumped on to cordylines.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09Will that infection spread to the rest of the plants I've got planted around?
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Most of these plants will be absolutely fine with it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Most healthy plants can ward off most infections.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18It's because this has been hit by the frost
0:20:18 > 0:20:20that it's become susceptible to it.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25The good thing about cordylines is that they will generate from the base. It's called epicormic growth.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- It comes from the base and they start all over again. - Oh, right.- Which is great.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32We've got to take this down to quite low, almost at ground level,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35take all the structural damage out.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- And hope that it regenerates.- Yeah.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- Yeah, OK, then. That'll be fine. - You up for that?- I am.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45- Are you going in?- I'm going in!
0:21:01 > 0:21:02- Got it?- That's it.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Heavy, that bit, cos it's full of water.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08It's amazingly fibrous and wet still.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Well done! But you can see here, it's a nice, clean cut now
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and that's quite important, that you don't end up with lots of bits sticking out.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20- It's a nice, single, clean cut through it.- Can we treat that now, or do you leave it as it is?
0:21:20 > 0:21:23It doesn't need treating with anything at all.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Just protect it in the winter if I have any new growth?
0:21:26 > 0:21:30It's important that you protect it, because it'll be young and tender.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35- Yeah.- And if we have another severe winter, it's just going to repeat,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39so the idea is to really try and establish some woody growth
0:21:39 > 0:21:43- that can get through a winter. - Yeah.- But it will probably split.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Rather than having a single trunk, you'll probably have two or three,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50which can look fantastic. I prefer cordylines when they split a bit.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54And, actually, the old timber, what I would do is put it in your green bin
0:21:54 > 0:21:56for the council to take it away because they compost it
0:21:56 > 0:22:00at a much higher temperature than you do at home and what they'll do
0:22:00 > 0:22:02is they'll chip it and then compost it
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and it's so hot that they sterilise it all the way through, whereas,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08you're not going to reach those temperatures
0:22:08 > 0:22:11and you run the risk of re-introducing slime flux back into the garden,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- so you're better off getting it out.- OK.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Once you've had to remove a large architectural plant from your garden,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23what can you do to fill the space that's left behind?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Well, I've come up with a very simple design solution
0:22:26 > 0:22:30that will fill the gap whilst the cordyline re-grows.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37I was wondering... This, this black willow, um...
0:22:37 > 0:22:42obelisk, something like that. Cos obviously it's a temporary solution
0:22:42 > 0:22:46so it just needs to be there for a year until the cordyline comes back.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And you could grow some annual climbers up it for a shot of colour.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- That's nice, yeah.- There's lots of great climbers that you could use.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56I could use morning glory, because it's a nice bluey purple
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- and it would go with the Philadelphus.- That'd be lovely.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Set off by the Philadelphus and the bamboo behind.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05And it'll take your mind off the cordyline not being there!
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Once the cordyline grows up,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10you can take this and use it somewhere else in the border
0:23:10 > 0:23:13- and use it with annual climbers. - That's a good idea, yeah.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It's just a big shock when you lose a big plant, you know.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18I know, I know! I'm trying to take your mind off it!
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- You've had it from when it was that big and...- It's going to come back!
0:23:22 > 0:23:24There must be such a lot of disappointed people
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- who've lost the same things. - Exactly, exactly.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31- But you've had many good years out of it.- We have, yeah.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33- And it's coming back.- Yes, it is.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52I don't grow cordylines, but I'd be devastated if this fig was to die.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57But it's good news it'll grow back and, personally, I like cordylines with multi-stems.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And thank you for writing in to us. If you've got any problems,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03any dilemmas that you think Joe or Rachel could help out with,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05please do write to us.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08And if you go to our website, you'll get all the details.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13This fig, as I say, I'm pruning for its aesthetic qualities.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17And it's a question of not just cutting off the dead material.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21I'm pruning this fig to make the most of its structure and form.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24However, I do love the fruits and want as many as possible.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27To maximise fruit production you need to prune it
0:24:27 > 0:24:28in a slightly different way.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32I've got one round the corner that is a good example of that.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39This little fig is planted against what is a south-west-facing wall.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43It's only been here for a couple of years and it's not very well pruned,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46but the idea is to let it grow against this wall
0:24:46 > 0:24:50and not get any bigger than the space of the stone around it.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51And if you want fruit from a fig,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54there are two things that you have to consider.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58One is to restrict its root growth, so it puts its energy into fruit
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and the other is to prune it appropriately.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04As far as root growth goes, you've got the wall on one side,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07stopping it going that way and you've got stony, thin soil here
0:25:07 > 0:25:10So this is a good position, and lots of sun.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14As far as pruning goes, we're trying to create short,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18rather knobbly sections, rather than long growth.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I'm going to start by removing the suckers at the base of the plant
0:25:22 > 0:25:24because they will be very vigorous,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27but be sapping energy from the plant.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31We'll take all these off and that will need re-doing every year.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32As we come up, we'll take that off
0:25:32 > 0:25:35because it's growing against the wall.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I'll take this branch off because it's growing outwards
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and I want to keep everything as flat as possible.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44And these are crossing and eventually they are going to rub
0:25:44 > 0:25:48and that's no good, so some of these are going to have to go.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Now, there's no system to this.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53I'm making this up as I go along. I'm using common sense.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56What I'm thinking is I want a two-dimensional plant
0:25:56 > 0:25:59that is growing laterally and not out into that direction.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02So what I have now is just the basis
0:26:02 > 0:26:05of a fan-trained fig, nothing too formal
0:26:05 > 0:26:09And that should bear plenty of fruit, especially when I tie it in
0:26:09 > 0:26:11and let lots of light and sun get to it
0:26:11 > 0:26:13and bake those figs and get them ripe.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Which won't be until September at the earliest.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36These are the beetroot that I sowed four weeks ago.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38They've germinated, they've come through,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41but they need to be hardened off before I can plant them out.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44They've come from the hot bench to this cool part of the greenhouse.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Next stage is to take them to the cold frame.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49There are lots of other things to be do this weekend
0:26:49 > 0:26:51and here are some ideas you can do at home.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58If you're raising plants from seeds, it's important to prick them out
0:26:58 > 0:26:59as soon as they develop true leaves.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Hold them by a leaf and ease them gently from the soil,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04taking as much root as possible
0:27:04 > 0:27:08and you'll be surprised at how much root there is. Put them in a new,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12slightly larger container, gently pressing the soil around them
0:27:12 > 0:27:14and then water them in well,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17which will also help to consolidate the soil around their roots
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Recutting lawn edges in early spring
0:27:25 > 0:27:29stops the grass spreading into beds and borders and redefines the lawn.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Use a plank as a straight edge and make cuts cleanly,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35using a half-moon edging tool or a sharp spade.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49The beetroot go into here, where it's open during the day
0:27:49 > 0:27:51but closed up at night so they get some protection.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54And then, from here, they go and stand outside,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56day and night in this slightly protected space
0:27:56 > 0:28:00so by the time they are ready to go outside, they are hardened off,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03robust and they can take whatever the weather throws at them.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07At this time of year, that rhythm of seeds and seedlings
0:28:07 > 0:28:12and hardening off and planting out just rolls along and I love that.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15And that's pretty much what I'll be doing this weekend.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18But I'll see you again next Friday, here at Longmeadow.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Till then, bye-bye.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:24 > 0:28:27E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk