0:00:02 > 0:00:03Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06Quite a lot of us have had pretty miserable weather
0:00:06 > 0:00:09so far this spring and summer.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12But we've reached that peak of the year.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14A couple of days ago, we had the longest day.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16On Sunday, we've got Midsummer's Day.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Now is the point where we have most light.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23And that's not just daylight to do jobs in,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25it's light to look at things,
0:00:25 > 0:00:29light for plants to soak up and be resplendent in.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32So now is the time to make the most of it.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Carol is showing how any garden can grow trees and climbers
0:00:36 > 0:00:42that will encourage a whole range of wildlife into our gardens.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Even in a short length, just the boundary between you
0:00:45 > 0:00:49and next door, you can pack in all manner of species.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56And Joe is picking up tips at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire,
0:00:56 > 0:01:02a grand garden that has a particularly English informal elegance.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Look at this, this hedge has taken on a life of its own,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09it's been let to grow all wonky and knobbly,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13so it's become this wonderful piece of living architecture.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And I shall be doing a big changeover in the Jewel Garden,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21cutting back and taking out the spring flowering plants
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and adding in tender annuals and perennials.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I will also be harvesting my garlic too.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36I think at this time of year,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38definitely, my favourite flower is the rose.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43There is no other plant that combines sumptuousness,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46elegance, grace, voluptuousness, even,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50all within one tightly furled pack of flower.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53My favourite roses are the old roses,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56the classic roses - including the gallicas, the centifolias,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59the bourbons, the damasks, the mosses.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02They really have everything you want from a rose,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05all together in one quite tough shrub.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07They are good, easy plants to grow.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09But at this time of year, there can be a few problems.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Something you want to watch in a year like this,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14which has been very wet, is balling.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17You can see here, for example, this moss rose -
0:02:17 > 0:02:22and you can see the moss on the rose that gives it its name -
0:02:22 > 0:02:24is a good example, because we have got a nice,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27fat bud waiting to open. Now, that's very wet.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31And if the sun really blazed down today,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34the outer layers dry out quicker than the inner layers
0:02:34 > 0:02:37and they form a sort of cap. And that will stop it opening.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39So you need to pull the outer layers off,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42otherwise the whole bud just drops off.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45The other thing that it's a good idea to do at this time of year,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47as well as cutting flowers to take indoors -
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I love doing that, once a week, go round, cut a basket full of roses
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and just make little posies of them - is to deadhead.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55This is 'Cardinal De Richelieu'
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and it's very prone to looking scruffy when it's wet.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01So what you have to do is just cut the flowers off.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Now, deadheading is not just pulling the petals off, that's not enough
0:03:04 > 0:03:08because the seed will still form and that will take goodness.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Get a pair of secateurs and cut right into a bud.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13There's another one there, that's going over,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16that's just about had it. So cut right down to there.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20That will form sideshoots so you'll get more flowering.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Most of these roses are not repeat flowering at all.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25They flower from now until the middle of July.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28But while they're doing it, they're just fantastic.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45If you remember, I planted up these pots a few weeks ago.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47And not only are they growing well,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49but the dahlia's flowering in June.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52That's 'Arabian Night'. Looking really good.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56And the Cosmos atrosanguineus has got this fabulous,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58rich colour, so it's looking really well.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03I love the combination of the dark foliage of 'Bishop of Lander'
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and the colour of the flower of the cosmos.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08There is a risk that the nasturtium will be too dominant.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Nasturtiums in good soil grow very rampantly
0:04:11 > 0:04:14but don't produce many flowers, so I might pull a few of those out,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17otherwise the cosmos' bright lights in there will get swamped.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Talking of swamped, we've come to a point in the Jewel Garden
0:04:20 > 0:04:23which is really a turning point in the year.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26All the flowers that were so spectacular in May
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and early June are now over.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30You can see here, it looks fine.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33It's got a kind of energy and vitality from its exuberance,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36but it won't stay like that. Nothing ever does.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38You've got to be planning ahead.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42And if I left that, it would start to slump and fall and squash,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45and you pay the price in as soon as two weeks.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48So now is the time to make space,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50take out the old plants that have done their stuff,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52cut back where appropriate
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and then start planting and planning for later on in summer.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02So you can see here that there is a real mixed bag of plants,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04which is what I like.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07But look closely and they're looking quite scruffy, and these
0:05:07 > 0:05:10wallflowers, all grown from seed last year, have done their stuff.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12I'm going to pull that out.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Wallflowers are actually short lived perennials,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16and they could be left. I could cut them right back
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and they would grow and they would flower next year.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21But they would not flower so well.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28If I had left that in the ground and cut that back, like that,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30so it was sticking up from the ground like that,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33that would grow back, that is an option.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36But I'm looking for space.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41You can see how we've got Allium sphaerocephalon growing up here
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and it's flopping everywhere.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And the aquilegias around it. The aquilegias, I can cut back.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47I'm going to cut right back.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57This is Geranium 'Ann Folkard' and I don't cut that back,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I want it to twine through.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I don't know if you can see the yellowy, lime coloured leaves,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and it's got a little magenta flower,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06just about appearing about now.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And that will go right through summer.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10And it's a wonderful plant for linking other plants.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13It just works its way round.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Whereas other geraniums,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18that have really been at their best in around mid-May, you can cut
0:06:18 > 0:06:22back right to the ground and they will grow back and flower again.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Before I get too carried away,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I want to clear up the mess I've made and then take stock,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34because there might be a few things that could do with cutting back,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37another few things I might want to pull out, just to make more
0:06:37 > 0:06:41room, but if I get too enthusiastic, I could undo good stuff.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43For example, the Oriental poppies
0:06:43 > 0:06:46should be cut right to the ground when they've finished flowering,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49but I've got one or two buds on there,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51so we'll leave that for the moment.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Having cleared away or cut back the set of plants I know
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I want to remove, the next job is to support remaining plants,
0:07:12 > 0:07:17so I can see clearly the available space to put new plants into.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Now, these are the plans that I've got set aside to fill the gaps
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and the one uniting feature of them all is that they're all tender.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32We've got salvias, tithonias, cannas,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36cosmos and zinnias. You can buy all these from a garden centre,
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and a range of other tender plants. In fact, we've raised all these,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43so we've got seed, cutting, seed, division and seed.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48And the tithonias were grown from seed too.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Tithonia is really good value,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00for the intensity of the colour it gives out.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Bright orange sunflower. It's got a sort of velvety touch to its petals.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07It will go on flowering from July, right through
0:08:07 > 0:08:11until the first frost at the end of October.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15So a good, hard-working plant and very dramatic.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19And we use that orange to set off all the purples and the blue.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22So when positioning it, you want to think where the purples
0:08:22 > 0:08:24and blues are going to be to get the right effect.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26So rather than plant them individually,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29what I'm going to do is set them out,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33but I won't actually plant them until everything is in position.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41As well as tithonia, I'm putting in Cosmos 'Dazzler'.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Like all cosmos, it's easy to raise from seed
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and as long as it has some sunshine, will grow in almost any soil
0:08:47 > 0:08:51and give you an intense magenta colour right through into autumn.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54I took lots of Salvia guaranitica cuttings.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59These have an intense blue, almost purple flower which will
0:08:59 > 0:09:04contrast vibrantly with the orange of the tithonia.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08When you're happy with the position of your pots,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10put them in the ground. Take your time, think about
0:09:10 > 0:09:13how they're going to grow and how they move in
0:09:13 > 0:09:15and adjust them accordingly.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18And of course, the effect that you're after is a seamless web.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21They should look as if they've just arrived at that point.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23They won't look anything at all for a few weeks,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26so give them a chance, but by the end of July,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29they should be really kicking in with all their colour.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Now, what do you think of when you think of the RHS?
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Probably Wisley, Chelsea Flower Show and the other flower shows.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40But not that many people know about the partner gardens.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42These are nearly 150 gardens around the country that,
0:09:42 > 0:09:43if you're a member of the RHS,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46you can go and visit when they're open and special times of the year.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Joe has been along to Northamptonshire to visit one of these partner gardens.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Kelmarsh Hall was built in the 18th century
0:09:59 > 0:10:04and the estate is set in 3,500 acres of rolling Northamptonshire countryside.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Although at first it feels rather grand and formal,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16the garden itself is the epitome of English country garden style.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23The gardens at Kelmarsh were created in the 1930s
0:10:23 > 0:10:25by the late Nancy Lancaster,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28a doyenne of interior design whose signature style
0:10:28 > 0:10:33was to create a house and garden that didn't look too new or too old,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37but had a relaxing atmosphere that looked lived in.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44To Nancy, the garden wasn't a monumental showpiece
0:10:44 > 0:10:47but a beautiful, restful space.
0:10:47 > 0:10:54So walking around it was a bit like putting your comfy slippers on and saying, "Aah!"
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It's frightening when you think of the hours gardeners put in
0:11:07 > 0:11:11up and down the country, getting their hedges as perfect as possible.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Well, why bother? I mean, look at this.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16This hedge has taken on a life of its own.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19It's been let to grow all wonky and knobbly.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It's had the lower branches pruned up
0:11:21 > 0:11:24so it's become this wonderful piece of living architecture.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27That's what adds the character to this garden.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32I caught up with head gardener Esther McMillan to find out
0:11:32 > 0:11:35how she achieves Nancy Lancaster's relaxed country style.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Well, it's supposed to be like a shabby chic,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44so we try and tread a fine line between
0:11:44 > 0:11:48some sort of dishevelled elegance and utterly shambolic.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50But within quite a strict structure?
0:11:50 > 0:11:52If you think about interior decorating,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55you've got a very, very grand house -
0:11:55 > 0:11:57very formal lines, symmetry, et cetera -
0:11:57 > 0:12:02and then you've got soft furnishings, so you can translate that into gardening terms
0:12:02 > 0:12:05with the herbaceous plantings as the soft furnishings
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and your hedges as the formal structure.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Nancy Lancaster became queen of the "English country house" look
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and, you know, her style of living went outdoors.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21In this style of garden, you won't find razor-sharp hedges
0:12:21 > 0:12:22and neatly preened plants.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Instead, nature is allowed to have the upper hand.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Well, just a little.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32It's definitely a very romantic style
0:12:32 > 0:12:36and it takes a lot of, sort of, passion to do it.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40It's...probably harder than tidy gardening, ironically.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45How do you keep this look going?
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Letting things billow over,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50so edging plants that tumble over the edge.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54I think the phrase is, "Like old ladies' petticoats."
0:12:54 > 0:12:58You need to stake things, like hidden corsetry, basically,
0:12:58 > 0:13:03and create these little structures around clumps of plants
0:13:03 > 0:13:07and using the natural materials helps.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18So to create this seemingly effortless style, what does it take?
0:13:18 > 0:13:24Well, you've got to start with formality and then you've got to put quite a lot of effort in, actually.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25You've got to hoe your beds,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28you've got to keep your edges of your paths nice and clean
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and you've got to stake your plants, too.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33But then you can let the plants rip.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38You can let your roses just grow wild and your hedges go all knobbly.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42After all, it's nice not to have to be perfect all the time.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Hello. You waiting for me?
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Come on, then.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03I've got some garlic here, which I planted in September.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06It's a very early variety called Sprint.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Now, it might be ready, normally, by the end of June but normally,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11I would look to harvest that
0:14:11 > 0:14:14in mid-July. But, if you look closely,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17you can see that the foliage is looking very yellow.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21You can see these orange blotches on there - and that's rust.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22That's leek rust.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25You very often see it on the outside of leeks.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26It's a fungus.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29And it's been caused, or at least increased dramatically,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31by this very wet weather we've had.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33It's been warm and wet,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36and that's lovely conditions for a fungus like that.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40It's attacking the foliage. It shouldn't attack the bulbs but it'll affect the bulbs
0:14:40 > 0:14:43because if there's no foliage, they can't get any bigger.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Whereas if the foliage was really green,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48the bulbs would go on swelling for another few weeks.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50So if your garlic's looking healthy, leave them,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53but if you've got this, it's time to dig 'em up.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58When you're harvesting garlic, always dig it up.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Don't pull it, because you don't want to damage the basal plate
0:15:01 > 0:15:03where the roots attach to the bulb.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06So if we take that out of the ground... See, it's not bad.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11It hasn't got that sort of tautness that you get on mature garlic, but that'll be fine.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15That's perfectly OK. What you have to do is dry it.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Dry it thoroughly and then store it.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21The smaller ones, we'll eat fresh.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Fresh garlic is slightly milder,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27sweeter and it's got a real taste to it - flavour,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29rather than a sort of accent.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33There's a very garlicky taste that we all recognise, but this is subtler and deeper.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37And if you roast it and just eat the heads whole,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41they're absolutely delicious - or you roast it with a chicken, say -
0:15:41 > 0:15:42and it's perfect.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47So don't feel you have to store it all. Garlic is a greedy plant.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51It really does do well on rich, well-drained soil,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53which is sometimes hard to combine those two.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57But it really repays adding plenty of compost
0:15:57 > 0:15:59to ground that's got garlic.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04CUCKOO CHIRPS
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Do you hear the cuckoo?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11That's almost the last cuckoo of the year.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15A few more weeks and then she'll be gone. Oh, there we are. Listen.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Well, I'm not that disappointed by that. I see it as a rescue mission.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28We've salvaged a crop of garlic which will get eaten.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30They just won't get stored very well.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33We've got some more that should store better later.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Now, talking about storage and getting eaten,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38there's a tradition in the Don household whereby we lift
0:16:38 > 0:16:41the first new potatoes - whatever variety they are -
0:16:41 > 0:16:43at the beginning of July, on July 8th,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47because that's my birthday and it's like a little birthday treat to myself.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50But this year, I'm doing a trial - I've got six different varieties
0:16:50 > 0:16:53of new potatoes and I want to compare how they get on.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55I'm going to leave that for another few weeks but I thought,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58seeing as it's Midsummer, I'd have a little sneak preview.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Now, everybody loves rummaging around to see what potatoes they've got.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09So if I just dig in under there and lift...
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Oh, look. There are some.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13There we go.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Now, this is a variety called Foremost.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22There we go. Look at that.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25They're not very big and they're a bit scabby
0:17:25 > 0:17:28but they probably taste quite good, although there aren't many of them.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Now, one of the immutable laws of nature
0:17:31 > 0:17:34is that however much you rummage around for potatoes,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36you always miss one - usually quite a big one -
0:17:36 > 0:17:40but you leave new potatoes in the soil until you need them.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43They don't store at all well and when you lift them,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47the sugars start to change to starches quite quickly.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49So to get that lovely sweet taste,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52dig them just an hour or so before you eat them -
0:17:52 > 0:17:57minutes, even - and then you get a sweetness that you can't buy.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Maybe a little bit of garlic, a little bit of potato -
0:18:02 > 0:18:04that'll be good.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16As well as harvesting,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19here are some other jobs to get on with this weekend.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21# It don't mean a thing
0:18:21 > 0:18:25# If it ain't got that swing... #
0:18:25 > 0:18:28It's very common for broad beans, at this time of year,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31to suddenly be smothered with blackfly.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34This is not a disaster
0:18:34 > 0:18:36because it will not affect the production of beans.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40And the easiest way to deal with them is simply pinch out
0:18:40 > 0:18:44the growing tips, which is what the blackfly are attracted to.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46This will reduce the number of fly
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and will even encourage the development of more bean pods.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54# What good is melody?
0:18:54 > 0:18:56# What good is music
0:18:56 > 0:18:59# If it ain't possessing something sweet? #
0:19:01 > 0:19:05If you've got grass growing up to a hedge or an edge of any kind,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09it's very difficult to keep it clipped or mown neatly.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15The answer is to create a gutter between the mown area and the edge.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Use a board or a line and cut a strip of grass away,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and then you can keep that clean and trimmed
0:19:23 > 0:19:25and it makes mowing a lot easier.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30# It don't mean a thing
0:19:30 > 0:19:33# If it ain't got that swing... #
0:19:33 > 0:19:37The June drop is when apples shed their excess fruit,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41and it's an indicator that it's a good time to thin them.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Reduce each cluster of fruit
0:19:43 > 0:19:47to just two healthy, well spaced apples, and that will ensure
0:19:47 > 0:19:51that they are in best possible condition when you harvest them.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Now, these three wigwams of sweet peas are a little test I'm doing.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Nothing scientific - just out of interest, really.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06They're all the same sweet pea. They're all Monty Don sweet peas.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11And the ones at this end were sown in pots last October.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14The ones in the middle were sown in pots in March.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18And these ones were direct sown - I think it was the end of April, beginning of May.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And I just wanted to compare, A - how they grew,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24and B - how many flowers they produce right across the year.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Well, you can see, for starters,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29that the autumn-sown ones are twice the size
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and producing flowers already.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34They've just started and they're really getting into their stride.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Spring ones are looking quite healthy but it'll be a while before they flower
0:20:37 > 0:20:41and the poor old direct sown ones haven't really got going yet.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45So I think you can say that if you want to have sweet peas
0:20:45 > 0:20:48to pick by midsummer, you'd better sow them in autumn.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52However, that doesn't mean to say you'll get more sweet peas across the year. So we'll see.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Maybe the May ones will catch up by August and September.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Now, Carol is answering your dilemmas this week,
0:20:59 > 0:21:03and she's had a letter from someone who loves trees and would like to include them in their garden,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06not least because they attract so much wildlife.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09But how do you do that in a normal-size garden?
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Trees are the most important feature in my garden
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and I'm not the only one who feels like that.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Dulcie Warren has written to us from Hampshire, saying that,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32like me, she's got mature trees in the garden
0:21:32 > 0:21:36but she's distressed about the amount of habitat and big trees
0:21:36 > 0:21:39that are being cut down and destroyed,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and she wants to know what we can suggest -
0:21:42 > 0:21:45especially for people with smaller gardens -
0:21:45 > 0:21:47in the way of trees and shrubs
0:21:47 > 0:21:50that are not only going to provide them with pleasure
0:21:50 > 0:21:57but provide food, shelter for all those creatures with whom we share the garden.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00If you're gardening in a smaller plot,
0:22:00 > 0:22:05you might think you just haven't got the space to start planting forest trees.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10But this bit of native hedge illustrates that,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13in actual fact, even in a short length -
0:22:13 > 0:22:16just the boundary between you and next door -
0:22:16 > 0:22:19you can pack in all manner of species.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24There's hazel here, sloe, field maple, and the beautiful oak.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It actually supports literally hundreds of invertebrates
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and you can have one in your garden!
0:22:31 > 0:22:36And hawthorn offers food and shelter for so many creatures,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40and it makes a brilliant hedging plant.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45It's thick and it's thorny - it's wonderful. But...
0:22:45 > 0:22:46let it do its own thing
0:22:46 > 0:22:50as a specimen tree in the middle of your garden
0:22:50 > 0:22:54and it can become the focal point of the whole place.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08If the hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna,
0:23:08 > 0:23:14was a tree from a foreign land that was introduced, we'd all want one.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19This tree lights up the countryside from the north of Scotland
0:23:19 > 0:23:24right down into the south. Every May, the whole place
0:23:24 > 0:23:29is iced with its beautiful blossom along the hedgerows.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32And yet, we tend to take it for granted.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38Not only does it offer you the most beautiful skeleton in the winter
0:23:38 > 0:23:43but later on, its leaves are shiny and brilliant
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and then they're followed by this glorious blossom.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49We call it May where I come from!
0:23:49 > 0:23:52And that blossom provides so much food -
0:23:52 > 0:23:55pollen and nectar - for insects.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00Those flowers are followed by a crop of bright red berries.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Those berries are feasted on by our blackbirds and thrushes
0:24:03 > 0:24:06but they persist right the way through the winter
0:24:06 > 0:24:12and flocks of redwings and fieldfares enjoy them en route to their final destination.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16If you're going to go for just one tree, make it a hawthorn.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It's not just trees and shrubs that are important for bringing in the wildlife -
0:24:32 > 0:24:35lots of climbing plants do exactly that, too.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42And to that end, I'm going to plant this lovely honeysuckle.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45This is Lonicera periclymenum,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48a native honeysuckle,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and this is a cultivar of it.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55It's called 'Graham Thomas', named after the great plantsman,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and it's got much paler flowers with none of the crimson within.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02And that means you can see it even more
0:25:02 > 0:25:05at the time when it's at its best, in the evening.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09I'm going to put it behind this tree stump and all I've done,
0:25:09 > 0:25:14really, is just to add a bit of leaf mould -
0:25:14 > 0:25:16cos that's what the plant likes.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19It loves deep, woodsy sort of soil.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24A lot of people think that this is a plant which needs sunshine -
0:25:24 > 0:25:26not a bit of it.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30This plant is so accommodating. You can plant it out on a wall,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33on a fence - wherever - as long as it got its roots
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and a bit of shade and it's got that lovely stuff underneath.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43I'm hoping this is going to find its way up into these trees.
0:25:43 > 0:25:49It just twirls itself around, just gently climbing up into the canopy.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Whereas lots of our flowers and trees and shrubs
0:25:52 > 0:25:55attract wildlife during the day,
0:25:55 > 0:26:00this attracts all those things that we don't see in the night.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03All those moths - there are many more species of moths
0:26:03 > 0:26:07than there are butterflies in this country but we don't see them.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10If you look at the individual flowers of this,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14you'll see these great, long corolla tubes.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17And so moths have a much longer proboscis than butterflies
0:26:17 > 0:26:20so you can bet your sweet life
0:26:20 > 0:26:24that that's exactly what this plant provides nectar for.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28And it's at night, just as we're going to bed,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32that this plant comes into its own,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34belting out that perfume
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and bringing in all those lovely, special creatures.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45Well, thank you so much, Dulcie, for raising this very important issue.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49There are more than 11 million gardens in this country
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and if each of us, every time we go to put a plant in,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57thinks not only how much we love that plant
0:26:57 > 0:27:02but just how it's going to benefit wildlife, everyone wins.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32These are the Zantedeschias I bought at Gardeners' World Live.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35At the time, I knew it was a bit of a gamble -
0:27:35 > 0:27:38it was a bit sort of out there and not my normal thing.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42I also knew that they may not get a rapturous reception
0:27:42 > 0:27:44when I brought them home.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46And I wasn't wrong!
0:27:46 > 0:27:50The reception committee was, er, muted, to put it politely.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52However, I'm sticking to my guns -
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I still think they have great possibilities.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I've agreed to not plant them in the border but pot them up.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59I've got some nice terracotta pots and they won't hurt.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02If I was going to plant them,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05I was going to sink them in pots anyway so they're very movable.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09The reason you sink them in pots is because they don't like root disturbance and they're tender.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11So you've got to move them in autumn anyway,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14because they're not frost hardy.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16It's better to lift the whole pot and maybe plant it out of the border
0:28:16 > 0:28:19in spring. As it is, they're going to stay in pots.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22They'll be moved around, they'll find a home somewhere.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26That's it for today's programme.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Now, we shan't be back, I'm afraid, for four weeks
0:28:29 > 0:28:32because of various sporting activities.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34But life will go on at Long Meadow.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36We'll keep gardening - I hope you do, too -
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and we'll meet again in a month's time. Till then, bye-bye.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd