0:00:05 > 0:00:07Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World
0:00:07 > 0:00:10and the most glorious spring day here at Long Meadow.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15In my ornamental vegetable garden,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I will be showing you how veg can be as beautiful as they are delicious.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Euphorbias are so versatile, that there is virtually one
0:00:25 > 0:00:27for every part of every garden.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Daffodils are now coming to an end, but Carol discovers
0:00:32 > 0:00:36some older varieties that you can grow to extend the season.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41Full of personality, look at the way they're just moving in the wind.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47Rachel helps a gardener whose borders are in danger of being overwhelmed with shrubs.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49It's not a thing of great beauty yet!
0:00:49 > 0:00:51But it will be.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04One of the many delights of this time of year is
0:01:04 > 0:01:08the way that deciduous hedges are coming in to new leaf.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10These are hornbeam, and we have masses of it
0:01:10 > 0:01:12at Long Meadow. It does well in our soil.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It has brown leaves all winter, and then these fall off
0:01:15 > 0:01:17because they are pushed aside by these new leaf buds
0:01:17 > 0:01:20that are coming through and opening out.
0:01:20 > 0:01:26In a few weeks' time, this will be a green wall of that incredible
0:01:26 > 0:01:30lustrous green you get in May and at the end of April.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It frames what we call the cricket pitch,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34which is a fanciful name, really, because we only once
0:01:34 > 0:01:37had a cricket net up here where the children played,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39but that hasn't been the case for ten years.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42We let the grass grow long and we have put bulbs into it.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44You can see there are daffodils nearly over,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47we have had crocus and a few fritillaries.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49That's what I want to increase today
0:01:49 > 0:01:53because fritillaries do really well on our soil.
0:01:54 > 0:02:00This is Fritillaria meleagris, which is the Snake's Head fritillary.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02I bought these in flower from the internet
0:02:02 > 0:02:04and you can see they are a delicate bundle.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10To buy them in flower like that costs about £22 for 50
0:02:10 > 0:02:14whereas to buy them as bulbs which you would plant in autumn
0:02:14 > 0:02:18would be £25 for 100, so roughly twice the price.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21The real advantage is that you can see what it looks like.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26You can put them in now and plan the way that they look.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Also, you get that instant gratification, let's be honest.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It's nice to see results straightaway.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36I'm planting them with a trowel, just chopping out the soil
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and popping them gently in, and they are quite fragile things.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Snake's Head fritillaries will naturalise
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and there are wonderful examples.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Magdalen College, Oxford, has a meadow full of fritillaries
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and at Cricklade, there's fields of them
0:02:53 > 0:02:57and they spread by seed and that is what I want to happen here.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00But it's a slow process, probably not in my lifetime
0:03:00 > 0:03:03will they become a great meadow, but they will spread gradually.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05That's fine like that.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06And...
0:03:07 > 0:03:10..what they like is ground that doesn't dry out in summer.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15They are from water meadows so that they flood in winter
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and then they flower
0:03:18 > 0:03:22and then the grass grows up and gets cut for hay
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and the seed, of course, has fallen by then and it is spread on the ground
0:03:25 > 0:03:27and the haymaking process spreads it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31In gardening terms, all that means is if you don't want long grass,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33then don't plant bulbs into it
0:03:33 > 0:03:35because if you cut the leaves off before they set seed
0:03:35 > 0:03:39you will find that all your bulbs will disappear.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44One of the things that I particularly like about fritillaries is that they extend the bulb season.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47They're a link between the early spring bulbs
0:03:47 > 0:03:50and then the great burgeoning of spring.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The daffodils here are almost over now
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and were by the beginning of the month.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Increasingly modern varieties of daffodils tend to finish quickly,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03but Carol has been to the Garden House in Devon
0:04:03 > 0:04:06where they have a mass of extraordinary daffodils
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and particularly some that are very good for extending the season.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Narcissus are synonymous with spring.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22It is the Latin name for a genus of bulbs in the amaryllis family,
0:04:22 > 0:04:27flowering mainly in the spring and native to Europe and North Africa.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31Usually we call them daffodils and when those big, vibrant,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35rich yellow flowers appear, we know spring has arrived.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Right now, though, many of them are coming to the end of their show.
0:04:41 > 0:04:48But luckily, there is a whole range of old heritage varieties that are just coming into their prime.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Matt Bishop, curator of the Garden House in North Devon,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58has a real passion for these very special daffodils.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02These are a far cry from modern cultivars where
0:05:02 > 0:05:06the breeding trend has been towards bigger, brighter, bolder plants.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10These are a narcissus called Stella and these are subtle, their segments
0:05:10 > 0:05:14twist and they've got an irregularity about them.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16If you look across a whole clump,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19between each flower, there is some variation in shape.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21They're not all standardised, are they?
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Not at all, and that really is part of their charm.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Full of personality, look at the way they are just moving in the wind.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30It is just absolutely beautiful.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Heritage varieties are difficult to categorise.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41They were generally grown before daffodils became really popular
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and commonplace with commercial breeders,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47who developed the shape and colours with which we are familiar today.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57I think that Narcissus cyclamineus has to be my all-time favourite.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00It is a very un-daffodil-like daffodil, isn't it?
0:06:00 > 0:06:02But tremendously important because of its features.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Its swept-back, rather frightened-looking flowers -
0:06:05 > 0:06:08the breeders have been trying to incorporate this feature
0:06:08 > 0:06:10into their hybrids. They are
0:06:10 > 0:06:13going over a bit, but are already fattening their seed capsules.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14So lots of these are of self-sown?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17They do, they seed around. We started with a small patch,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and we have ended up with a great drift.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24It's difficult to buy as dry bulbs, isn't it, cos the bulbs are so tiny.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It is much better in many ways to buy them in pots
0:06:26 > 0:06:28when they are in flower.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29You can see what you've got
0:06:29 > 0:06:33- and you stand a chance of getting your own seed.- Exactly, yes.
0:06:40 > 0:06:46Although it's true to say heritage varieties are unusual and special,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50with a bit of determination, most of them can be tracked down.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Sulphur Phoenix is an antique daffodil with no trumpet.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59It dates back at least to the 1800s.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03I love its poise, its gentle colouring and the way in which
0:07:03 > 0:07:06each petal is separate from the rest,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08completely un-muddled.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13If you love trumpet daffodils,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18what could be more refined than Narcissus johnstonii?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Its deportment is impeccable
0:07:20 > 0:07:24and its colour as pale as the best lemon souffle.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47One of the most exciting parts of all this is creating your own daffodil,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49crossing to different ones.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Taking chance out of the equation rather than just leaving it
0:07:52 > 0:07:56to nature, you can have a go yourself and cross to parents that
0:07:56 > 0:07:59you have picked out and hopefully they will inherit the features
0:07:59 > 0:08:01you like from either parent.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03First of all you have to have one growing.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08Here is one I potted earlier, so I am going to
0:08:08 > 0:08:13do the sacrilege bit, if you're a poor daffodil flower.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I am snipping off all of the segments from the outside
0:08:15 > 0:08:21and that allows better access to the trumpet.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26Now I am going to insert the scissors down the edge of the corona
0:08:26 > 0:08:29and insert them just inside there like that
0:08:29 > 0:08:30and snip all the way around.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- It's real surgery, isn't it? - It is, a bit.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Now they are all exposed, what I'm going to do...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38All those important sexual bits?
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Yes, I am going to remove those anthers.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47The anthers are the bits that bear the pollen?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Yeah. And by removing them before they have shed the pollen,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55I am completely eliminating any chances of self-pollination.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58So your stigma's there in the middle?
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Yes, ready to receive pollen.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- Ready and waiting! - Now we get down and dirty.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06What we're going to do now is to
0:09:06 > 0:09:10reveal the anthers which we're going to apply to the stigma.
0:09:10 > 0:09:16Yank off this here and just get those anthers exposed
0:09:16 > 0:09:20and the anthers are covered in nice, fluffy pollen.
0:09:20 > 0:09:27We're going to apply the pollen to the stigma, and that is about it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28Right.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32So you're going to wait for that seed capsule to form?
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Yes and probably in about six to eight weeks, just as the leaves are
0:09:36 > 0:09:39dying down, you will notice the seed capsule start to yellow.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41They fatten and go inflated.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43I pick it off, bring it indoors
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and put it in a small container to actually collect the seed in
0:09:46 > 0:09:49a place where you know it is and then sow it immediately.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51When do you expect it to germinate?
0:09:51 > 0:09:52Next spring,
0:09:52 > 0:09:58and then possibly four or five years afterwards, the first flowers.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00It can be well worth the wait?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Absolutely.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11The Garden House is a truly wonderful garden.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Other great gardens where you can see spring bulbs
0:10:15 > 0:10:17at their very best right now are
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Coton Manor Gardens in Northampton...
0:10:20 > 0:10:24..the Guy L Wilson Garden in Londonderry in Northern Ireland...
0:10:25 > 0:10:28..and Abbey House Gardens in Wiltshire.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36I think the best way to maintain a good display of daffodils
0:10:36 > 0:10:39is to do nothing, don't deadhead them and
0:10:39 > 0:10:43certainly don't cut the leaves back, let the bulbs develop,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46let them seed themselves, and at the beginning of July,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49you can clear them away, and that way they go on year after year.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54These bulbs, the imperial fritillaries, have been threatening
0:10:54 > 0:10:57to flower for weeks and they've got that particular
0:10:57 > 0:10:59catty foxy smell.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Some people hate it, but I love it because I associate it
0:11:01 > 0:11:04with the flowers, but now they are flowering,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07and aren't they just amazing? The most dramatic plant we grow.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I love the erythronium with them, too.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14I was up here last night till 8.45
0:11:14 > 0:11:17pruning these limes, trying to get it done by today.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21I didn't have time to clear up, but certainly, yesterday evening,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23there were no tulips in the spring garden,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26yet this morning, the West Point are starting to flower.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I love the way at this time of year, you turn your back for
0:11:29 > 0:11:32five minutes and bang! Flowers everywhere.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35The crab apple blossom has appeared just this morning - fantastic.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01I am planting an avenue of artichokes
0:12:01 > 0:12:04here in the ornamental vegetable garden.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09This started out life as our veg patch and gradually over the years,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11it's got more and more ornamental
0:12:11 > 0:12:14but it's still a working vegetable garden
0:12:14 > 0:12:17and for all the fastigiate yews and the box hedging,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20these beds grow food and food that we like to eat.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23And I like that, it's fine, because it's still very much
0:12:23 > 0:12:27a working vegetable garden, but the only proviso is
0:12:27 > 0:12:31it's to look good, so we're choosing our varieties
0:12:31 > 0:12:34for ornamental value as well as taste.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36It's not difficult, you're not having to make
0:12:36 > 0:12:40many compromises, because so many vegetables look fantastic.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Think of ruby chard and purple podded peas and artichokes and
0:12:45 > 0:12:48climbing beans and then you can put in sweet peas
0:12:48 > 0:12:49and things like that, too.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53By having them along here on either side, I have this ribbon
0:12:53 > 0:12:57and I'm planting a particular variety, called Violetta di Chioggia
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and these are the flowers.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Don't they look amazing?
0:13:02 > 0:13:03Isn't that beautiful?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06They taste really good, too, and I love artichokes.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09So you've got the perfect combination, and it doesn't
0:13:09 > 0:13:11matter what variety you choose,
0:13:11 > 0:13:16if you're planting them, they do like rich, well-drained soil.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20My soil has had 20 years of muck
0:13:20 > 0:13:24and a little bit of magic to improve it and it was good to start with.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26By the way, aren't these wrapped beautifully?
0:13:26 > 0:13:28They come and they are wrapped up
0:13:28 > 0:13:30in moss,
0:13:30 > 0:13:31isn't that lovely?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Just take that off.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38And I hardly need to dig, I could almost use my hands,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42but I just turn the soil over, I don't add anything underneath them
0:13:42 > 0:13:45because it is so rich, but if you have very sandy soil,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48add plenty of goodness and if it is very heavy, you do need
0:13:48 > 0:13:52to lighten it up, because they don't like sitting in cold, wet soil.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54When I've have planted them all,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I'll water them all in and give them a mulch.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00For the first year, I want them to concentrate on developing
0:14:00 > 0:14:06strong roots, so they will throw up a stem with a large flower on it.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08You should cut that off before it gets too big,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and if they do develop other flowers, which they will later on,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15eat them small, don't let them get bigger than a golf-ball size
0:14:15 > 0:14:18so that the roots get really strong, that means they will over-winter
0:14:18 > 0:14:21much better, and next year you'll get a better harvest.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25I think artichokes last what, three, four years,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27and then you need to replace them,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31but because there are so easy to propagate, that isn't a problem.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Whatever you do with your veg and however you grow them,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41you'll have to deal with the same problems that we all have to do,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43however common they may be.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46One of the many e-mails and letters we got
0:14:46 > 0:14:49in response to it our garden dilemmas was from Ian Purdy
0:14:49 > 0:14:54and he says very simply, "How do you prevent carrot fly?"
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Well as it happens, Ian, I will be sowing carrots next week,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01so watch next week's programme and we will cover that.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04But I have had many e-mails about shrubs.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And a couple about shrubs going out of control.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11So, Rachel went along to see if she could help rein them back in.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16She's off to meet Moyra Gardener who lives in Surrey.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18BELL RINGS
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- Hello, Moyra!- Rachel!
0:15:21 > 0:15:22Hi. Very nice to meet you too.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- Please come on in. - Here to see the garden.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29So how long have you been here?
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Well, I came in September, so just six months.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I wanted a small house with a large garden. And here we are.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- And you succeeded!- Yes. Yes.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40But there are some issues I have got.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42You don't have to be in a rush.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46You have been here since September, so you've been through an autumn and
0:15:46 > 0:15:48a winter, but you've not yet seen it in spring and summer.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52So there might be things that perhaps don't look promising now but will be
0:15:52 > 0:15:54beautiful and you might fall in love with them
0:15:54 > 0:15:56and other things that don't work,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59but I know there are areas you really want to tackle now.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Well, I have already made a start on this part of the border.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- I have taken out something I thought was dead.- Right.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I have created some space, but I am not sure what to do next.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12This doesn't look very good, rather ugly and in the way.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15No. I agree with you completely.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16This is a Choisya ternata,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19which is a great workhorse of a plant,
0:16:19 > 0:16:20but you have got one enormous one.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22You've got this other one at the front.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's in completely the wrong place because it is
0:16:25 > 0:16:28right here at the front, so you will be forever hacking back at it
0:16:28 > 0:16:31to try and keep it away from the edge of the grass.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35- Yes.- So that is something we could get rid of. Will we take that now?
0:16:35 > 0:16:36- OK!- Let's do it.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Whoa!
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- Great. I'm just going to drag this off onto the lawn.- OK.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59This big choisya at the back, and that really is quite a mature thing.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- Yeah.- It's sort of trying to take over.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06This is just really encroaching here on the viburnums.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08It's not giving this room to breathe,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11so I think we should try and clear this back here.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Do it after flowering so you don't lose the flowers.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16We'll lose a certain amount this year,
0:17:16 > 0:17:17but you can see the little buds -
0:17:17 > 0:17:21wait for those lovely flowers, and when they've finished,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- then you can do it. - But I can take off some of this that's been frosted?
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Yes, I would take that back now because it doesn't look great,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- particularly over on that side, I think.- Right.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36If I'm cutting down into the wood,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38how far down can I go down into the old wood?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41They are very forgiving, so you can cut them back very hard.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45You could do it all in one go, but I think a better approach is to
0:17:45 > 0:17:48do it over three years and take back a third of the oldest stems
0:17:48 > 0:17:51each year, right down to base so it invigorates the plant
0:17:51 > 0:17:53and sends up new growth.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Well, let's step back and have a look,
0:17:55 > 0:18:00it's always a good plan before we go too far.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02It's looking really much better now.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06A really nice shape and I can see how this viburnum looks better in this context.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09As a backdrop - certainly I don't want to lose it at the moment.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12It's a good start, and look at this space we've created.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- Yeah.- Lots of this, let's get rid of all of this.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Lovely room. Erm, to put in something more interesting
0:18:18 > 0:18:22that's going to give me colour for a longer period of the year.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Exactly, so shall we put some perennials through the front?
0:18:25 > 0:18:27- That would be exciting, yeah. - Make it a bit less shrubby.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35I saw you had these lovely big clumps of hemerocallis
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and thought, we'll raid those and use some of them over there.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- Is this what I call day lily?- Yes.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45They go from pale yellows right through rich oranges
0:18:45 > 0:18:48to burnt umber, those sort of colours. So, very nice.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51If you get your spade, just push it in right through the middle.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53That's it, there we go.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- I'll come down this side.. - Yes, come the other way.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58And give it a good...
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Will it go?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- Yes!- Well done, excellent.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07They are fibrous roots, but they're quite solid, those roots, as well.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08No, no, that feels right.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Perfect. Go for it again.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- Yes!- Oh, yeah... And this is the right time to divide them?
0:19:14 > 0:19:19Yep, fine to move them now. You can do it in the autumn as well when they finish flowering,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22but there's something about the vigour in their growth at this time of year.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25They sort of want to grow, so I quite like moving them now.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28So, Moira, we could've divided these up even smaller, but I think
0:19:28 > 0:19:33if we keep them to fairly reasonable clumps, you're going to have
0:19:33 > 0:19:37flower colour substantially this year without waiting too long.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39OK. That's great.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44- And I know that you've also been out spending, haven't you? - Yes.- Little spend.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Yes, I've indulged myself with some of those herbaceous plants in those
0:19:48 > 0:19:51strong colours, reds and yellows and so on, that I really like.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53This looks like a great selection.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I've even put some blue there.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58That's veronica and achillea.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Gorgeous. So you've got yellows, things like the helenium there.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04You've got rudbeckia and then an achillea.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Oh, this is terracotta. This I grow masses of.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08It's fantastic.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It's got really dark, rusty red flowers.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14As they age, they get paler.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I love that horizontal shape of the flowers, fantastic in a mixed bed.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- Good.- You know what I was wondering?
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Because these look like fairly
0:20:22 > 0:20:23good plants, I'm just going to squeeze.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25let's have a look at the rootball.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27What we could do, actually,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29- is get a couple of plants out of this as well.- Oh, right.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Divide this. We'll double them up.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- Yeah. I like that idea. - Just pull that now.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- Wow!- OK?- Yeah.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43So again we can just bulk that up.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46So that would make a really nice clump if we put four pieces together.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55This is the really fun bit when we try and get
0:20:55 > 0:21:01the combination of shapes, textures and colours just right.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- I think it's looking good, Moyra. - I'm absolutely delighted.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08I really love the way, even the leaves already, the lovely contrast,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11the feathery and the silver and the bright green.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16So, hmm, yeah, I'm really excited. It's going to be a great summer.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41It looked to me as though Rachel was having a good time there.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Getting stuck in.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Now, this is the Wall Garden.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49I was in here last week sowing some hardy annuals
0:21:49 > 0:21:51and also repairing the grass.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Look, it seems to be taking well.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56That's knitting, starting to grow.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Another week, I'll mow that and we'll be able
0:21:58 > 0:22:00to tread on it absolutely as normal.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02The Wall Garden is where we eat, where the children
0:22:02 > 0:22:04have played as they've grown up.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I want to add some euphorbias.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10There are so many different species of euphorbia.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12There is certainly one you can put anywhere in your garden.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17This is martinii "Tiny Tim"...
0:22:17 > 0:22:19which doesn't get very big.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23It probably grows, 12, 18, maybe two foot in our rich soil.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Which is fine, because it's in front of the rows, fairly near
0:22:26 > 0:22:31the path - not too near because, as with all euphorbias,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35it does have a sap that can irritate your skin.
0:22:35 > 0:22:41If you've got sensitive skin, it's probably a good idea to wear gloves.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Now, you don't need to prepare the soil.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48Martinii grows on any good free-draining fairly rich soil in
0:22:48 > 0:22:52full-sun or part-shade, which pretty much fits this description.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54This is west-facing.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I'll pop that in like that.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Of course, the point of euphorbias, particularly
0:23:00 > 0:23:03at this time of year, is that they have that electric zing.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07This is beautiful lime green.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Which no other plants quite gets the same.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13These aren't the flowers, these are the bracts around the outside.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18Now, that as a group will make a really good impact.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22A group is always more effective than the same number of plants dotted about.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26I'm going to make another group of these euphorbias here.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30This is Euphorbia cyparissias "Fens Ruby".
0:23:30 > 0:23:32You can see it's got this amazing
0:23:32 > 0:23:37vivid lime green top and these pink, flush through
0:23:37 > 0:23:39with tawny coloured stems.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Cyprissias is a euphorbia that grows well
0:23:42 > 0:23:47in free-drained, very bright, sunny conditions.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I just want to show you while I'm here
0:23:50 > 0:23:52about the sap,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55because it is very spectacular.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00If I cut a piece off, if I cut that out, you do see the latex.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05That sappy latex there, that's bleeding out.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09That's what will irritate your skin. If I got it on my horny old hands,
0:24:09 > 0:24:10it wouldn't hurt at all,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14but if I then rubbed my face or eyes, that would irritate it.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16So if you get that on your skin
0:24:16 > 0:24:19just wash it off with cold water straightaway.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21If you want to take a cutting from euphorbias,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23you can do, but dip them in charcoal.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27That stops the bleeding and they will root quite easily.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Quite possible to take good cuttings from most euphorbias.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Right, I'll put that in the barrow. I'll stick that in the soil so
0:24:34 > 0:24:38there's no risk of getting that on my skin and I'll plant these up.
0:24:38 > 0:24:44While I'm putting these in the ground, here are some ideas for other jobs you can do this weekend.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52If you have sweet peas ready to plant outside,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54it should be safe to do so now,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57especially if you live in the South or a sheltered area.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02Put each at the base of the tripod, water them in well and pinch out
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and pinch out growing tips to ensure a nice bushy plant.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09If you haven't sown any seeds yet, it's not too late to do so if
0:25:09 > 0:25:13you put the seeds directly into the soil at the base of each tripod.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Just over a month ago, I sowed some salad seeds
0:25:20 > 0:25:24in the greenhouse to use the space before it gets filled with tomatoes.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Well, the job for the weekend is to enjoy it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Pick them when they are very young,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32cos they're not going to be there for long
0:25:32 > 0:25:36and have a beautifully delicate salad.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50I said that there are euphorbias for everywhere. In fact, it's one of
0:25:50 > 0:25:54the largest genus in the world. There are over 2,000 species,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and into the Jewel Garden here, I'm adding
0:25:57 > 0:26:02a suitably rich colour. This is Euphorbia wulfenii,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05which is a sub species of Euphorbia characias.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09As you can see, it's got these fabulous cymes as these are called -
0:26:09 > 0:26:12these great towers of flower.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15And a really beautiful, elegant,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17grey-blue foliage.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21That will go in there.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23It lasts a long time.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26It's not just a spring flower.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28This will flower on into summer.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34It gives structure to the border cos this will grow a full four, five foot tall.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37And where you've got the space, it's a magnificent plant.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Quite long-lasting, and when the flowers have finished,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45cut them back to the ground, cut them right back down,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and then that will throw up a new shoot which will flower
0:26:48 > 0:26:50next year.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Because it does this constantly, you have a succession of flowering
0:26:55 > 0:27:00shoots as well as the foliage, which looks great in autumn too.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Firm that in.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Now, the Jewel Garden is going to feature
0:27:05 > 0:27:08at Gardeners' World Live in June,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11where we will be making a show garden
0:27:11 > 0:27:13that captures the essence of it.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14It's not going to be a replica,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16but hopefully it will get the spirit.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19So if you come along to Gardeners' World Live,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23then you can get a first-hand view of this Jewel Garden.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29Right. That is going in there, and I've got another one of my favourite euphorbias over here.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35This is Euphorbia griffithii "Fireglow".
0:27:35 > 0:27:36You can see it's got this
0:27:36 > 0:27:41incredible orange-pink inflorescence and pink stems.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43We did have it for years
0:27:43 > 0:27:46all over the Jewel Garden, and I thought last winter
0:27:46 > 0:27:48had killed it, but look.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Just in the last few days, it's popped up out the hedge.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Obviously, the hedge has protected it.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57It's coming out the side there. We've even got it
0:27:57 > 0:27:59pulling out the side.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01That's the sort of scale it can grow.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05It'll come up like this, this great stems with their
0:28:05 > 0:28:08pinky, ruby, coral-coloured glow.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13Of course, it wants to flower with this fantastic fiery flame.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18I'll keep that flame burning by adding some more griffithii into this part of the Jewel Garden.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23Lots to do, no more time to do it in, I'm afraid. That's the end of today's programme.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27But next week we've got an hour-long Easter programme.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28It does start half an hour earlier.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Eight o'clock to nine o'clock here at Long Meadow.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34So, join me then. Bye-bye.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:52 > 0:28:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk