0:00:04 > 0:00:07Hello! Welcome back to Gardeners' World.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11It's been four weeks, and during that time it has rained
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and it's rained,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15and then when it finished raining, it rained some more.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17It's been the most appalling summer so far,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21but funnily enough, the garden hasn't suffered too much.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Here at Longmeadow, everything has grown. Lots of flowers.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Look at the dahlias, for example. You'd think they need more heat
0:00:27 > 0:00:30but they seem to be quite comfortable.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32So not anything to be too gloomy about,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34but quite a lot of work to do,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36and the garden's hitting that stage
0:00:36 > 0:00:40which is getting fuller and the richness comes with that fullness,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and then goes right through August and September.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45So a lot to do at this point
0:00:45 > 0:00:47to get ready to enjoy the rest of summer.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Carol will be celebrating one of the most versatile
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and loved of all plant families - the geranium.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56It's difficult to go wrong with geraniums.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01They just associate themselves so beautifully with other plants.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And Rachel goes back to visit her novice gardeners
0:01:04 > 0:01:05at the Didcot army barracks
0:01:05 > 0:01:09to see how the community garden there is flowering.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Oh, wow! Ha, look at that!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15There's nothing more exciting
0:01:15 > 0:01:19than a brand-new garden just beginning to emerge.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22And I'll be in the wall garden revamping it and planting it up
0:01:22 > 0:01:24so it'll look at its best right into autumn.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28And I'll also be sowing veg that will carry me through summer,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31as far as possible to the first frost.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39BIRDSONG
0:01:47 > 0:01:50One of the bits of the garden that's giving me the most pleasure
0:01:50 > 0:01:52at the moment is actually one of the least colourful -
0:01:52 > 0:01:56it's the grass borders which I planted up just over a year ago,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and they were very sparse
0:01:58 > 0:02:00and really nothing much happened last year.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02But, boy, it's all happened this year.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05And the combination of the different textures
0:02:05 > 0:02:07like the Miscanthus, and then you've got the Stipas
0:02:07 > 0:02:10with their lovely oaten heads
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and the Verbascum's coming up through there.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15We've got the Knautia floating through,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18the Cephalaria, which is growing enormously tall -
0:02:18 > 0:02:21all these different textures, that's the key to it,
0:02:21 > 0:02:26are working together and just seem to be having a whale of a time.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29It's extraordinary how plants can be enjoying themselves,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and, as a gardener, I did nothing, just stand back and enjoy it myself.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55Now, there are lots of good things happening in the wall garden,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56so let's be positive.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Fabulous lilies and a general sense of
0:02:59 > 0:03:03sort of summer energy coming through.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06But, I have to qualify that by saying, the roses,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11which should be doing their stuff now, have had a dreadful summer.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15The thing to do is to tidy them up. Just go around
0:03:15 > 0:03:19and deadhead what needs it and you'll find it's almost everything.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24You cut it off and you're not left with very much.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27For these old roses, they won't reflower, or, if they do,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30it won't be until September and then not very much.
0:03:30 > 0:03:31If you've got hybrid teas or floribunda
0:03:31 > 0:03:34then it's worth paying lots of attention and they'll keep going,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37but I'm afraid for me here in the wall garden,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40the roses have not been a success and that is that.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42However, let's be positive,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45because there's lots you can do, lots you can do now,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47to make this part of the garden,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50and any part of the garden, look great later in the year.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52For example, the sweet rocket,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54which was so important in May
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and was bright and fresh, is over.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59It's a biennial, these are the seedpods.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01It's not going to do anything else this year.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I'm going to take most of it out, clear some space,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06do a bit of cutting back,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08but not destroy the general feel of the garden.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14This housekeeping will create the opportunity for new plants,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18which will then put on their display later on in summer.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24You notice some of these... I'm cutting some, I'm pulling.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27There's a bit of regrowth
0:04:27 > 0:04:30on some of the sweet rocket which might produce flowers
0:04:30 > 0:04:34later in the year, so it's really a question of what's suitable.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37That foxglove can come out.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It's like hand weeding.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Actually getting in a border,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45you get the feel of it and see where the spaces are
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and where they're not, which is equally important.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56With a plant like the geraniums,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58you can see that they've finished flowering.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02If you cut hard at the base - don't leave half the plant,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06cut the whole thing down to the ground - that will get light
0:05:06 > 0:05:11and air in and it's actually amazing how quickly geraniums regrow.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Of course, this extreme growth,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24which has been wet for weeks,
0:05:24 > 0:05:29is absolutely ideal for harbouring slugs and snails,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31particularly slugs.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35We've been inundated with people saying how bad it's been
0:05:35 > 0:05:37and what's the best way to deal with them.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42So if you've got any particular method that's failsafe,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44contact us through our gardening dilemmas.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Otherwise, if you want to find out all the various ways
0:05:46 > 0:05:49of approaching the slug and snail problem, go to our website.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Removing dead and congested plants
0:06:01 > 0:06:04creates space to replenish and refresh the border.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16The plants that I've got to fill these gaps
0:06:16 > 0:06:17are all half-hardy annuals.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Half-hardy annuals just simply means it's not frost-resistant.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24So these have been grown from seed under glass
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and are now ready to go out. And you could buy these anywhere.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30So we've got Nicotiana sylvestris.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33And this is the enormous tobacco plant
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and in the right soil will grow about six foot tall
0:06:35 > 0:06:37with these lovely, great, long,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40dreadlock-like white trumpets of flower
0:06:40 > 0:06:43which smell sort of musty and musky and oily,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46especially at night when they've baked in the sun.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49We've got two types of cleome -
0:06:49 > 0:06:51'Cherry Queen' and 'White Queen'.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Cleome, the spider plant
0:06:53 > 0:06:55which has this mad head,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58is a bit spiny. It will grow about four or five foot tall,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and, again, just keep flowering.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02And the flowers are produced as it goes up
0:07:02 > 0:07:05so you don't need to deadhead it. It just keeps coming.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07And, finally, Cosmos 'Purity' -
0:07:07 > 0:07:09very well-known plant. Rightly so, it's a cracker.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11White daisies that again will keep going
0:07:11 > 0:07:15until the first frost, so all good-value plants.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20I can put a tobacco plant in there
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and I'll put some cosmos nearer the front,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and, as for planting, there's no mystery.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29You make a hole, you put them in.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32You plant them so that that level is about there
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and you just gently firm the soil around them,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38give them a good soak and let them get on with it.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41At this time of year, there's no problem, because it is warming up,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44there's plenty of moisture in the ground, they will grow.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56These Nicotiana have actually been potted on.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Because the weather was bad, we couldn't plant them out,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03therefore they were outgrowing their pots. The big plants
0:08:03 > 0:08:05have big root systems, so they've gone into bigger pots.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09But it does mean that they're really nice, big, healthy plants.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Obviously, this kind of planting is a slow process.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26You want to take your time, and considerate it and move things around,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30and it's all part of a long rhythm of planting.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It sometimes can be evaluated over years,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37but Rachel has been involved with a project that has been begun
0:08:37 > 0:08:41and will see its fruition within one growing season.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44That's at Didcot army barracks with a group of first-time gardeners
0:08:44 > 0:08:46who've been making a cut flower garden.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49She's been back to see how they're getting on.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55I must say, I'm really keen to see
0:08:55 > 0:08:59how the garden here at Didcot is progressing.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01It's been more than four months now since they started work
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and the idea is really to enhance the lives, not only of servicemen
0:09:05 > 0:09:07here on the barracks, but their families too.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11The bare brown plot was sown with annuals
0:09:11 > 0:09:15so they would see results quickly and have plants flowering this year.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18But they've had the worst weather to contend with
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and plants have been slow to get going.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Well, they say mighty oaks from little acorns grow
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and it's been about two months since the first seedlings here
0:09:30 > 0:09:32started poking out through the soil,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35so let's see how they're getting on.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Oh, wow! Ha, look at that!
0:09:48 > 0:09:52You see, there is nothing more exciting than a brand-new garden
0:09:52 > 0:09:54just beginning to emerge.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Here you are! Hello!
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- ALL:- Hi! - You ought to be congratulated.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I'm so impressed by what's going on over there, it's fantastic.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11- We've got flowers! - Yeah, you've got flowers! It works!
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Have you enjoyed it? - Yeah, we've had a lovely time.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16It's been real good fun.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Hard work as well, or not too bad?
0:10:18 > 0:10:22A lot more work than we thought it would be, but it's nice to learn.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25It looks very verdant, lots of green. So we'll go and see that
0:10:25 > 0:10:28everything's flowering properly as well, it's not just leaves.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31But I think it's great. Let's go and have a look.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Bring babies, children. All hands on deck!- Come on, then.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Fraser, are you coming too? Come on then, Fraser.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Right, where shall we start?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43There are dahlias at the back. Let's go and have a look at those.
0:10:45 > 0:10:51Right, dahlias, what do you think of these, then? Are you happy with them?
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Well, they've kind of not grown there,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55and they've all grown that side!
0:10:55 > 0:10:59What's quite interesting is now that these big trees are fully in leaf,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02you can see how far that leaf canopy comes out
0:11:02 > 0:11:06and dahlias need really hot, sunny weather.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09So although they look fantastic cos there's lots of leaf
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and they're very tall, in fact what's happened is that
0:11:12 > 0:11:15they've really desperately been searching for some light
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and I'd be very surprised if you get any flowers from that.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21You might, but they'll be pretty scrawny.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23These ones don't look quite so impressive
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and you've also got a bit of slug damage on them.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27But I think you've a better chance of getting more flower
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- there later in the summer. - Yeah.- Mmm-hmm.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35It's not all bad news, though. We can try to rescue some of them.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40I get Amy to cut back the large, leggy dahlias to encourage new side shoots
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and although the new stems will be smaller and stockier,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47with some strong sunshine they might just straighten up and produce flowers.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Just look how beautiful all this is. Fantastic growth on it.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58I had noticed in there you've got some black fly there.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04They tend to cluster around these top soft parts at the very tips
0:12:04 > 0:12:07and they suck the sap, and that means they can distort the growth
0:12:07 > 0:12:10and, in fact, they can spread virus that way as well.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12So with a small infestation like this I would just go round
0:12:12 > 0:12:16and just brush them off, pull them off.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Just always keep an eye open when you're out in the garden.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24The sweet peas have been relishing the wet weather recently
0:12:24 > 0:12:25and are romping away.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27But stray stems need a bit of encouragement
0:12:27 > 0:12:29to make them grow skywards.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I think what's nice about this is I love cut flowers in the house,
0:12:40 > 0:12:46but I'm very much a lilies, tulips kind of person and I think
0:12:46 > 0:12:50this has broadened my mind a bit as to what other things you can have.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Lots of plants are starting to flower.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56The honeywort, Cerinthe major,
0:12:56 > 0:12:57is already putting on a show,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01and to keep it flowering throughout the summer we cut back a few stems
0:13:01 > 0:13:07and give it a foliar feed to ensure new growth remains strong and sturdy.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Well, our novice gardeners are doing incredibly well.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I think they're really beginning to get the hang of it now.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17They're getting the gardening bug and they've worked so hard.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19I'm very impressed, I must say.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21And, yes, we've got a few things in flower,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24but I can't wait to see their faces when it really gets going.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Now, most of us have had a fairly difficult time of it trying to grow veg.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46It's been a struggle.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50My biggest disaster, without question, are the carrots.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Pretty pathetic.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56However, it's not too late to sew another batch of carrots
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and that's what I'm going to do.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The important thing is not to try and hang on to the shreds
0:14:02 > 0:14:06and tatters of the original crop. This has had it.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10What I will do is just lift and see what's in there...
0:14:10 > 0:14:13See, a magnificent specimen. Such a shame.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16These were cosmic purple.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Would have been nice if we had had a crop of purple carrots
0:14:18 > 0:14:21because carrots don't have to be orange.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26The original ones were purple and white.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29And orange ones were only introduced in the 17th century.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35What's happened is all this rain on this heavy soil has compacted it.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And that now... See, look at that. I can take a handful of that
0:14:39 > 0:14:43and it's just clay, and that's not good for carrots.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46So I shall dig the whole thing over, loosen it up and lighten it.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Right, I just want to put this to the record.
0:14:51 > 0:14:57This is the sum total of my carrot crop for summer 2012.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Right, that isn't perfect. I mean, it's slightly wet,
0:15:16 > 0:15:21slightly claggy, but I think it's more important to get
0:15:21 > 0:15:23the seeds in than to wait for perfect conditions,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26cos in this summer I don't think they're ever going to come.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29But the soil has now got air,
0:15:29 > 0:15:34and, as a result, it's really important to stay off it.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Now, I've got two varieties here - Autumn King and Flyaway.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I'm going to sew Autumn King first.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Carrot seeds are small and each carrot wants to be spaced,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47ideally, about an inch or two apart.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It's just a question of sprinkling them
0:15:50 > 0:15:53as evenly as you can between the boards.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00That's it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Now, that was a rescue mission.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Now for something a little bit more pro-active
0:16:06 > 0:16:09because now is the time to plant our leeks.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13I do stress that actually now is the time to sew
0:16:13 > 0:16:15or plant an awful lot of things.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18If you've had a disaster in your veg garden,
0:16:18 > 0:16:19you can re-do almost anything.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23And if you haven't grown any veg at all yet, doesn't matter.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Lots you can do and get a harvest
0:16:25 > 0:16:28in late August and September and October.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30I'm going to plant out my leeks.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Now, I sewed these earlier on in spring
0:16:32 > 0:16:36but you can buy leek plants from garden centres
0:16:36 > 0:16:39so you're not going to miss out if you haven't sewn any.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Two ways to do this - either plant them out in modules or pots like this.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46You can see I sewed them in a deep pot
0:16:46 > 0:16:50so you've got a nice strong root system. I'll show you that.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54There we go. You can see the roots starting to pile up
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and coil up at the bottom of the pot.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Certainly time to put them out.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04And so that, if it's planted out in one unit, when I dig it up
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I dig them up as a unit and although the plants will be smaller,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10they'll be perfectly tasty and very easy to manage,
0:17:10 > 0:17:11and I do that quite a lot.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Or I can break it up and plant each one as a bare root seedling
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and I think that's what I'm going to do here.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Now, when I've planted out all my leeks,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I'm going to sew some French beans.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36And French beans are perfect for sewing now.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39They like heat and like to grow away strongly,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41and I bet if you've sewn them a few months ago,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44they'll be sitting there looking very unhappy.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Put them in the ground now, they'll grow fast
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and you'll have a really good harvest in September,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52IF we get some sun, but that's beyond our control.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I'll tell you a plant that has done really well this year,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58despite the rain, is the geranium.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01And Carol is celebrating the wild geranium
0:18:01 > 0:18:04as well as all the wonderful cottage garden varieties
0:18:04 > 0:18:08in a visit to East Lambrook Manor in Somerset.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Once upon a time this was the site of two collieries.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Since their closure in 1869, Mother Nature's stepped in,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26covering the landscape in a host of plants.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Over 160 different species have established themselves here
0:18:32 > 0:18:36and are among them are several species of geranium.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47Most of us have one or two geraniums in our gardens
0:18:47 > 0:18:52but this is one of the wild antecedents of those geraniums.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54It's Geranium pratense
0:18:54 > 0:18:58and it's surely one of our most beautiful wildflowers.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Pratense means "of meadows" and it used to be a plant of hay meadows,
0:19:02 > 0:19:07growing alongside grasses and other beautiful perennial flowers.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Geoffrey Grigson, the well-known botanist, described it as,
0:19:11 > 0:19:16"Haunting the verges like an encampment of gypsies."
0:19:16 > 0:19:19And that has the pure romance of this plant.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's called meadow cranesbill.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And that's because of the shape of its seed heads
0:19:25 > 0:19:29which resemble the head and the beak of a crane.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32"Geranos" is the Greek for a crane.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36And most geraniums have five simple petals.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40And on the back is this lovely star-shaped calyx.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45Sometimes you can even see it through their translucent petals.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49This is the sort of picture that we'd all love to emulate,
0:19:49 > 0:19:54but you could never recreate anything just as beautiful as this.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Plants woman and author Margery Fish famously said,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02"When in doubt, plant a geranium,"
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and that's exactly what she did.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Margery Fish moved to East Lambrook Manor
0:20:09 > 0:20:12just before the Second World War and set to work.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16She created a garden which, to this day,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20remains THE iconic cottage garden.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Head gardener Mark Stainer has worked here since 1975.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28He knows every inch of the place.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Geraniums are very important to this garden.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35She started collecting geraniums way back in the 1940s.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37As a novice gardener, she would have been thrilled
0:20:37 > 0:20:41how they could split up and distributed around the garden,
0:20:41 > 0:20:46- filling nooks and crannies.- Isn't that 'Mrs Kendall Clark?'- It is.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48It's a seedling. These have just seeded.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50I haven't planted these. They've just arrived there.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I often think this is the presence of Mrs Fish in the garden.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55You don't see her, but she's here,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58filling in parts that she would like to see filled.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00And Mrs Fish collected geraniums all her life,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03she wrote about them enthusiastically in her books,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and it's through her writings that she's inspired so many people
0:21:07 > 0:21:09in their love of geraniums.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- Including me. - Including you, yes, absolutely.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14The beauty of geraniums
0:21:14 > 0:21:17is the foliage blends in with any herbaceous border
0:21:17 > 0:21:21and the flowers seem to combine well with any colour scheme.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I think if you've got a new border, plant a few geraniums in,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and very shortly you've got that air of permanence.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33Geraniums come from all over the Northern Hemisphere,
0:21:33 > 0:21:38from the Far East, right through Asia and Europe and across to America.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42And they've evolved with different sorts of habitats
0:21:42 > 0:21:46so you find geraniums that do brilliantly well in shade
0:21:46 > 0:21:50and some that are completely at home out in baking sun.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55Now, down here in the ditch garden, one geranium is really predominant.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57It's in complete control.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00This is Geranium oxonianum.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04It'll grow in dense shade or out in full sun.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06But when it gets above its station,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09you can take the secateurs or the shears to it
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and just chop it down to the ground.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Within a few weeks, the foliage will be back
0:22:15 > 0:22:19and after that, it will flower again with gay abandon.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35I've never met this lovely geranium before today.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38This is one called 'Tiny Monster'.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41It's one of a brand-new range of hybrids
0:22:41 > 0:22:45that have been developed during the last 15 or 20 years.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48And it's a geranium that adores a sunny position.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Its parents are Geranium sanguineum, the 'Bloody Cranesbill'
0:22:53 > 0:22:55and Geranium psilostemon.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59It's got this really endearing habit of lolloping forwards
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and making these great bit clouds of foliage
0:23:02 > 0:23:05smothered in big magenta flowers.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18When Margery Fish started using geraniums,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20her repertoire would have been very limited.
0:23:20 > 0:23:26But she would have loved some of the wonderful new cultivars and selections
0:23:26 > 0:23:28that are available today.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32This dark-leafed form of pratense wouldn't have been around then.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34But she would have honed in on it
0:23:34 > 0:23:37and probably used it in just the same sort of way.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Doesn't it look lovely
0:23:39 > 0:23:43contrasting with these straight spikes of the Sisyrinchium
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and these bright ones here?
0:23:49 > 0:23:53I think the reason we gardeners love geraniums so much
0:23:53 > 0:23:57is they're so amenable and they just associate themselves
0:23:57 > 0:23:59so beautifully with other plants.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03I think, really, it's difficult to go wrong with geraniums.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20This is the conclusion of a trial that I began in spring.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Last year's new potatoes were very disappointing. They grew sort of OK,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27but the taste was non-existent and they broke up when they were cooked.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31And that was a result of too much cold, too little water,
0:24:31 > 0:24:32and irregular water.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35This year, the growing conditions have been different.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38But I really wanted to see which was the best new potato,
0:24:38 > 0:24:43both for crop, health, and also, most importantly, for taste.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47So I'm digging a selection from each of the six varieties I've grown.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49I'm going to taste them later on.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Now, while I'm doing this,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54here are some other jobs you can do this weekend.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It's been a tough year for tomatoes.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01But there's every chance of green tomatoes ripening
0:25:01 > 0:25:03as soon as we get some sun.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06But to help this, remove the lower leaves from each plant,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09up to the second truss of tomatoes.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14This means the lowest truss will get maximum sun and air
0:25:14 > 0:25:16which will speed up ripening
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and also reduce the risk of fungal diseases.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Because of the rain that we've had,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25there's a huge amount of lush growth
0:25:25 > 0:25:28and this means that most plants need supporting.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Check any supports you have and reinforce them where necessary.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And if they're a really tall plant, like this Onopordum,
0:25:34 > 0:25:35give it a strong stake,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38because they're not going to get any smaller,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and we're almost certain to have some high winds.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Beaded irises can become rather congested
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and it's a good idea to lift the rhizomes
0:25:48 > 0:25:50and divide them every three or four years.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53When you lift them, be careful not to damage the roots.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Break the rhizomes or cut them into separate pieces
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and replant spaced out.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Leave the rhizome on the surface so it can bake,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and next year, they will flower with renewed vigour.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Come on, you, you can have your tasting in a minute. You jump up there.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18I dug two plants' worth of potatoes
0:26:18 > 0:26:21from each of the six varieties of new potatoes.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26You can see straight away huge difference in quantity and shape.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30On Sharpe's Express, a pretty good harvest from that.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Pretty regular size. A bit of scab, but they've all got that this year.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37On International Kidney, a pathetic return from two plants.
0:26:37 > 0:26:43And yet look at Duke of York. That's a real bumper crop. So that's good.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Winston - they're enormous! That's a new potato, and, yet...
0:26:46 > 0:26:48I know, look at that, that's like a ball.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51A new potato as big as any baker.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56We've got Foremost, very scabby, and then Swift, another tiny crop.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58I've cooked them exactly the same way -
0:26:58 > 0:27:01just boiled simply in water - and tried to cut them the same size.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04And you can see Sharpes Express has broken up completely.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07International Kidney held its shape well.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Duke of York - another one that's almost blown apart.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Winston is looking very good.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Foremost, the skin's come off,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and Swift, the skin's come off a little bit.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19So, again, big differences.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21The critical thing is the taste test.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23So I'm going to do this for you.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Flowery.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Not great.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38There's big variation in the mouth,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42as there does seem to be in the soil, ranging from very dry,
0:27:42 > 0:27:48almost powdery, to the quite buttery, almost watery, texture.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Swift is the most conventional texture of a new potato.
0:27:51 > 0:27:58I quite like the way that Winston has a soft melting texture,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00but none of them are outstanding on taste,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03which I think I'll put down to the amount of rain we've had.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05But they'll all get eaten and they'll all get enjoyed.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07And I would like to hear from you.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10If you've tried new potatoes, a number of varieties,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12let us know how you got on,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15both in the ground and also when you ate them.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18I'll be back next week. I'll see you then. Bye-bye.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Do you want a potato? No? Try one of these.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23Wait.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37Is that good?
0:28:49 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd