0:00:07 > 0:00:10On a bright July morning like this,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13there's nothing I like better than to slip downstairs,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16go straight outside, and not do any gardening,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20but just soak up that sun and the light.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23And the early morning light has that combination of delicacy,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25almost fragility, and yet energy,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28and that sets you up for the whole day.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Now you may have noticed that there's some sort of sporting event going on at the moment,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41and tonight Rachel, Joe and Carol will be in London.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Rachel is at the Olympic Park, looking at how this once blighted
0:00:47 > 0:00:51post-industrial landscape has been transformed.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56This is what gardens can be in the future.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Exciting, colourful, based on planting but also very sustainable.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07And Carol is in the West End looking at the wild side of London.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11- It must turn everybody on who comes up here.- It does.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13The general public, it's fantastic.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16They don't even realise that these are wild flowers.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22Joe gets an exclusive peek at the garden
0:01:22 > 0:01:24hidden behind a particularly famous front door.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31And I'll be here in the garden at Long Meadow.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I'm going to be harvesting my blackcurrants,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37making my own plant feed and sowing some winter veg.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54I've had a letter from Ann Robinson, which says,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58"I'd appreciate advice about which fertiliser is best for planting
0:01:58 > 0:02:01and as a general feed. Or is it best
0:02:01 > 0:02:04to vary things at different times?"
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Now that's quite typical of a lot of letters that I get,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11cos it is quite difficult to know what is best to do for plants.
0:02:11 > 0:02:17And the first thing I'd say is, on the whole, there's no need to fertilise any plant growing in soil.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19It's likely to do more harm than good.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23However, if you're growing plants that are being asked to do
0:02:23 > 0:02:25a huge amount of work or are in pots,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29it's quite likely you will need to feed them at some point but not all are alike.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33For example, if you've got lilies like we have in pots here,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36certainly there's no point in feeding them now.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39If you're going to feed them, you feed the bulb
0:02:39 > 0:02:42which makes next year's flower, after flowering this year.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51I planted up these four large pots in a jewel garden
0:02:51 > 0:02:53earlier on in the summer.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Now I put in lots of garden compost
0:02:55 > 0:02:59which should provide the necessary feed but if I used ordinary compost
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I'd have to feed them regularly.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06It's asking too much to have this much colour coming from this much compost.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Now the kind of feed I need to provide
0:03:09 > 0:03:14is that which will promote flowering and not foliage growth,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18and that comes down to the ratio of the fertiliser.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22So if I have a general purpose feed,
0:03:22 > 0:03:27you'll see there "NPK 4:4:4."
0:03:27 > 0:03:34Now NPK stands for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38And you need all three for the plant.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41But it's the ratio of all three that's really significant.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Now this is a general-purpose fertiliser so it's 4:4:4, ie equal.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49But if I just want to have flowers, I don't need much nitrogen at all
0:03:49 > 0:03:53because nitrogen promotes green, lushy growth.
0:03:53 > 0:04:00So if I have a tomato feed, "NPK 6:3:10."
0:04:00 > 0:04:02A very different ratio.
0:04:02 > 0:04:09The potassium which is encouraging flower and fruit development is really high, that's 10.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12And that's what you need to encourage any plant
0:04:12 > 0:04:15that's producing lots of flowers or you want fruit from it.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20In fact, as a general rule, if you use a general purpose tomato feed
0:04:20 > 0:04:21on any flowering or fruiting plant
0:04:21 > 0:04:23in a container, you won't go far wrong.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27However, you can make your own.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30It's very easy, it costs nothing and it's very effective.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Now I have comfrey growing at the edges of the damp garden.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43It grows as a weed, it gets washed in by the flood.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And this wild comfrey is full of nutrients.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54All I do is stuff the leaves
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and stems into a trug or a bucket until it can't take any more,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01top that up with water and leave it for three weeks.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04It'll smell horrid but don't worry about that.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Then strain off the leaves
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and the resulting liquid you use as a base for a feed.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And don't overfeed. Dilute it well.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16You can do more harm by feeding too much than too little.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18So just a little bit of feed once a week or once a fortnight
0:05:18 > 0:05:21will do all that's needed. If you haven't got comfrey,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24you could always use nettles. Nettles make a really good feed
0:05:24 > 0:05:27and you do it exactly the same way. If all this seems terribly complicated,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30you can go to our website and you'll get all the information you need.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Now as gardeners, we try to keep everything going
0:05:39 > 0:05:42for as long as possible but we have to work with the weather
0:05:42 > 0:05:45we're given, there's nothing we can do about it but adapt.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47But if you're putting on a big event,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50you've got to get it right on the day.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52And few events are bigger than the Olympics.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03The London 2012 Olympic Park is welcoming the top sportsmen
0:06:03 > 0:06:05and women from across the globe.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10But it's also showcasing the best in British horticulture.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15This 250 hectare site, much of which was an industrial wasteland,
0:06:15 > 0:06:20has been absolutely transformed into the largest urban park
0:06:20 > 0:06:23created in this country for 150 years.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33This landscape along the River Lea in East London has been cleansed,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36creating ribbons of colourful planting which weave throughout the site.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44These jewel-like displays are the result of over five years
0:06:44 > 0:06:49of careful work by a group of British landscape and garden designers.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Along with his colleague, James Hitchmough,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Professor Nigel Dunnett created these flower-rich meadows
0:06:55 > 0:06:57which encircle the main stadium.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01For the first time here at the Olympics in London,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03the park is as important as the buildings.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05The park is a setting for the buildings.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07What we've tried to do here is to look forwards,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09so we could easily have gone and looked back
0:07:09 > 0:07:11and tried to recreate some pastiche of Victorian bedding
0:07:11 > 0:07:13and the sort of heritage
0:07:13 > 0:07:16of gardens but instead we said we're not going to do that at all,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19we're going to look to the future and say, "This is where we are now.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21"This is what gardens can be in the future."
0:07:21 > 0:07:26Exciting, colourful, based on planting but also very sustainable.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34The 2012 gardens bring together over 250 species of plants
0:07:34 > 0:07:38from across the globe, a vibrant textural tapestry.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44These planting palettes are the creation of Chelsea gold medal winner Sarah Price.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46One of the largest challenges
0:07:46 > 0:07:48in working on the Olympic Park
0:07:48 > 0:07:52has been visualising the terrain of the park,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56because when I first visited here,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00the whole site was an industrial wasteland,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02so in a sense you're really designing blind,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04because you can't visit the site.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06You can't see the ramps, the gradients,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09everything that you do you've got to visualise.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14You've got to visualise how those plants are going to look in combination
0:08:14 > 0:08:18and what it's going to feel like to walk through the garden.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20The gardens are really linear.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23They're half-a-mile long and so we all really wanted to create
0:08:23 > 0:08:26a change of character as you walk along, through the different spaces.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Vibrant tones marry together plants from across continents
0:08:31 > 0:08:34in the southern hemisphere garden,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38some of the seed for which was specially gathered from South Africa.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Nectar-rich plants pepper the hay meadows
0:08:41 > 0:08:45inspired by Western Europe, with Shasta daisies
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and purple loosestrife to attract butterflies and bees.
0:08:50 > 0:08:56And from the Americas, a dense swathe of prairie planting will provide gorgeous late-summer colour.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02From the ashes of its industrial past, the park is now ablaze with sensational blooms
0:09:02 > 0:09:07and it was Phil Askew's job to bring this transformation into fruition.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10This used to be a goods railway yard, derelict,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13not far from the largest fridge mountain in Europe,
0:09:13 > 0:09:14and covered in Japanese knotweed.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17So we would probably have been battling our way through the undergrowth.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Surely the most crucial thing in this project is timing,
0:09:21 > 0:09:26because it's all geared towards being fabulous for the Olympics themselves
0:09:26 > 0:09:28- and the Paralympics?- Yes.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31How have you managed to make that happen?
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Well, we thought carefully about some of the plant species so we know that they will be flowering now,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39but perhaps more importantly we thought about the growing conditions for them.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41So we've played around with nature a bit.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45We have starved things of water, we've cut them down.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46Our perennial meadows in the north of the park,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50we cut down about a month ago to slow down their flowering.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54And our team of gardeners has also been frantically dead-heading,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58removing flowers so that we can get them to flower again, as it were.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01So we've done a lot of work on that, on feeding the plants
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and on the soil conditions they're growing in, really,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06so they're absolutely optimal but also we can control, if you like,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08a little bit of nature.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14These meadows, gardens and wetlands are now set to celebrate
0:10:14 > 0:10:20the best of our horticultural heritage on the world stage.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34Well, it wouldn't be summer 2012 if it didn't start to rain, would it?
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Never mind, doesn't stop me picking my blackcurrants.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38I love blackcurrants,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43not least because they're the main ingredient in summer pudding,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and summer pudding, everybody's got to admit,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49is the most delicious thing you could possibly eat in summer.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54Love it. But of course you can make ice cream from it, sorbet, sauces.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59And blackcurrants produce their fruit on relatively young wood,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02on wood produced the previous year and then two-year-old wood,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and then they start to decrease after three years.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06In fact, I can show you over here. Have a look.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10This, which was pruned hard last year,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14you can see is producing no fruit at all on this year's growth,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16which is the fresh growth here.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19But if you go down, look, there's the fruit down the bottom,
0:11:19 > 0:11:23which is wood that is one and two years old.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26And that gives you a clue to the pruning regime.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28The best way to prune them
0:11:28 > 0:11:32is to remove a third of the oldest wood every year,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35so if we have in here, we've got a stem there,
0:11:35 > 0:11:40you can see that is fairly old and can come out.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Cut like that.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46So that will rejuvenate and reinvigorate it.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Now, the time to prune can vary.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52You can prune them in winter, and you'll do no harm.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56I like to prune blackcurrants when they've finished fruiting.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Round about August time.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01That way, you get lots of light and air in.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05You get the maximum time for new growth to ripen,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07because that's going to start bearing fruit next year.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12So I do all my blackcurrant pruning in the next few weeks,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14after I've picked the last of the berries.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Now, of course, I'm growing fruit in a fruit cage,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22in a very carefully controlled environment,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25pruning them for maximum productivity.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28But Carol has been to the streets of London,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32finding plants that will grow whatever the circumstances,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35and often against considerable odds.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Wild flowers have a lust for life. They just want to grow.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Whether they're out in the wild world
0:12:57 > 0:13:00or they're jostling for position in our towns and cities.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03They're total pragmatists that just use
0:13:03 > 0:13:06every opportunity they can to live and flourish.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16While we pursue our busy lives, wild flowers just get on with it.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21But if you stop for a moment just to admire the delicacy
0:13:21 > 0:13:22and daintiness
0:13:22 > 0:13:24of the tiny flowers of this toadflax,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28you're reminded of what the real world is.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34This masonry is ancient,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37but it doesn't compare in age
0:13:37 > 0:13:39to this beautiful little fern.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43The spleenwort has been around since prehistoric times.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46But it uses every opportunity it can
0:13:46 > 0:13:50to colonise every crack and crevice,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54just enjoying the richness of this lime mortar.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57This is London's West End, theatre land.
0:13:57 > 0:14:03Almost every inch lies under tarmac and concrete.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05But hidden between Soho and Covent Garden,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09there's one space where you can still see the earth.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13This garden covering a third of an acre
0:14:13 > 0:14:16has been established since 1984,
0:14:16 > 0:14:21on what was formerly a car park and before that, a bombsite.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25The plants, flowers and trees here provide an invaluable resource
0:14:25 > 0:14:29for local wildlife, who've made it their home.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36Head gardener Chris Raeburn has been here since the early '80s,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40when he answered an advert for "Part-time Gardener Wanted."
0:14:41 > 0:14:45It's not what you'd call a typical sort of London park space.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Not at all. One of the things I was really keen to ensure that we did
0:14:49 > 0:14:50when we renovated the garden
0:14:50 > 0:14:53was not to lose the background plant community
0:14:53 > 0:14:55that's developed here over 20 years.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59We have to be a garden for people because that's our purpose.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01But we can also be a really good garden for wildlife.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06I love this focal point at the edge of the path.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08It's completely un-contrived but it works beautifully.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10It's lovely, thistles. I mean, they seed about
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and so they move around the garden each year,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15but they're fantastic for bumblebees.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19The flowers are like bumblebee beds. They just roll around in them.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21But also, particularly as a public garden, they're un-pickable.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22So they're fantastic.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- Yeah, and a very dramatic statement too.- Oh, beautiful.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29A beautiful colour. It'll flower for a month and a half, two months.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- At least! Look at all the buds. - It's lovely, isn't it?
0:15:34 > 0:15:39Within this small space, you've got so many different habitats.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I love this pond area.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44And I love the fact that you've used the wire fence
0:15:44 > 0:15:45to support your climbers.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48It's one of my favourite climbers. It's a bramble.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It flowers for months, it fruits for months,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53both for wildlife and for people.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Protects nesting birds from cats and also protects my pond from people.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I think this combination of nettles
0:16:05 > 0:16:10with this very sophisticated Arundo donax 'Variegata',
0:16:10 > 0:16:12this gorgeous tall grass,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15typifies the whole philosophy of the garden.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18It's this wonderful combination
0:16:18 > 0:16:23of accepting plants that are hugely important to wildlife,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25wild flowers, weeds,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and combining them with these highly ornamental plants
0:16:28 > 0:16:31that makes the whole garden work.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Wild flowers find their way into our cities in a myriad of ways.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42Away from the densely populated streets of London's West End,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46perched above the River Thames, a meadow of wild flowers
0:16:46 > 0:16:50has been introduced onto the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57Last year, amidst this concrete jungle, the garden was created
0:16:57 > 0:17:01by a group of homeless people with the help of the Eden Project.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Paul Pulford spent seven years of his life on the streets,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08until a chance to garden
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and grow wild flowers up on the roof turned his life around.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16This is the best place in the world for me.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Being able to come here every day
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and work on this garden is just absolutely amazing.
0:17:21 > 0:17:27I'm totally inspired by planting and using native wild flowers
0:17:27 > 0:17:29which is my passion, it's my hobby and it's my life.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33It's very strange, though, this preconception that people have
0:17:33 > 0:17:37that gardens must be full of very cultivated plants,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41but you just demonstrate here that's not true.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42No, it's not true.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45A lot of these plants here, people are digging out of their lawns
0:17:45 > 0:17:48and cutting them down in their hedge banks as weeds.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50I tell you what, if there were dahlias and roses
0:17:50 > 0:17:53in the middle of that, you'd fling them out, wouldn't you?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55They'd be straight out, they'd be straight onto the compost heap.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Everything here is either a food or it's a medicine.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01And our ancestors would have known about this,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and that's what really turns me on with native plants.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- It must turn everybody on who comes up here.- It does.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09The general public, it's fantastic.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Lots of them come up here with their children
0:18:12 > 0:18:16and they don't realise that these are wild flowers.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20To be in this garden now, I'm actually at the pinnacle in my life.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22I think if Monet was alive today,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25then he'd be out here with his easel and he'd be painting it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32I'm sure Paul is right about the healing power of this place.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34The wild flower meadow
0:18:34 > 0:18:38and the surrounding garden have proved to be a sanctuary,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41not just for plants, flowers, creatures,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44but also for the people who care for it.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05I've got a group of veg here which are perfect for sowing now,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07and are really delicious.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10They're all Oriental vegetables and all belong to the cabbage family,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13but you can treat them as a salad crop or you can cook them.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16I've got some Mibuna here, some Mizuna,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18some Oriental mustard and some rocket.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Most of us know rocket.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Mizuna's very similar.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25It's got more zig-zag leaves and a bit more peppery.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Mibuna has got strapped leaves, and that's also peppery.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30You can eat them as salads or you can cook them,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32you can make sauces from them. Really nice to eat.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Sow them now, and they'll be ready to eat in September,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37and go on right into winter.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Now, I'm going to start with sowing Mibuna,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44but you can sow all of them in exactly the same way.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Just put some seed compost into a seed tray.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51I've mixed some vermiculite into this to open it out a little bit.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54With seed compost, you don't need lots of nutrition.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57All you're looking for is a nice loose medium
0:19:57 > 0:19:59for the seeds to grow in.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02By the way, Mibuna, which has these great strap leaves,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05can be a big plant. It can really be like that.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06So if you sow it direct,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10one of the problems is you need to thin it quite radically.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Now as always, it pays to sow thinly.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17You're not going to be any better off
0:20:17 > 0:20:19for crowding a seed tray with seeds.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Just an even spread.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Because to have a healthy plant,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28it wants to be healthy at every stage of its life.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30It's much harder to reclaim a plant from a bad position
0:20:30 > 0:20:33than it is just to nurture it gradually.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36OK, a slight covering over that.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Now the other way of sowing seed,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48which is slightly more time consuming
0:20:48 > 0:20:53but actually skips a phase, is to sow them directly into plugs,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57so the plant has its own space from the very beginning,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and then you can take it straight from this
0:20:59 > 0:21:02and plant it into the ground, whereas in a seed tray,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05you need to transplant it, either into a plug or a pot first.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07And you just fill 'em up...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14..clean that off.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Now this time I'm going to put some...
0:21:21 > 0:21:25D'you know, I've labelled that Mizuna, and in fact it was Mibuna.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Easily done.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Right, now Mizuna.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37You don't need a greenhouse to raise veg at this time of year.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38You can sow them direct if you want,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40and then thin them, and just put them outside.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44The beauty is you've got enough warmth in the days
0:21:44 > 0:21:46for them to germinate, but enough coolness at night
0:21:46 > 0:21:49so when they get planted out, they're not going to bolt.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51And that means that they will grow nice and strong
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and last well into winter and right through till next spring
0:21:54 > 0:21:56if they have some protection.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Now last month was the annual Open Garden Squares Weekend in London.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05People bought tickets and could visit all the gardens.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09However, one of them was 10 Downing Street.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And only 25 of those ticket-holders were chosen at random
0:22:13 > 0:22:14and allowed in to see it,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18and Joe was lucky enough to go along with them.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Over the years, I've been fortunate to visit all kinds of gardens,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28but today, as part of the Open Garden Square Weekend in London,
0:22:28 > 0:22:29I've been invited to nose around
0:22:29 > 0:22:32one of the most private gardens in the country.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Since the 18th century,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41the gardens at 10 Downing Street have been enjoyed by a long line of VIPs.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Harold Wilson
0:22:44 > 0:22:46and Margaret Thatcher to name a few.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48And now, me.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'Behind this famous door, the garden at Ten Downing Street has been used
0:22:56 > 0:22:59'as a world stage to announce peace treaties, coalitions,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03'and it's even hosted the odd tea party and barbecue.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05'But what's it really like?'
0:23:08 > 0:23:13Wow, well...it's much bigger than I thought it was going to be.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Remember, it's a London garden.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19And it's surprisingly welcoming and inviting. Have a little look around.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28There's been a garden here at Number Ten since 1736,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32when the first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, took up residence.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Ever since, the politicians who have lived here
0:23:35 > 0:23:38have all made small contributions to the garden.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46To find out more, I caught up with gardener Will Tremorin,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50who's been helping to keep the garden here at Number Ten in tip-top shape.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Hi there, Will.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- Hey, Joe.- See you're tying in the roses on a gusty day like this. - Really gusty.- Yeah.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Smells amazing round here. These roses are gorgeous!
0:23:58 > 0:24:01These are Margaret Thatcher's roses.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03The ropes and the climbers are John Major's contribution.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06She did the roses on the side,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and Major did the swags with the climbers.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- Exactly.- So, OK, there's a dual effort going on there.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15What about the veggie patch in the corner?
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Erm, Sarah Brown was responsible
0:24:18 > 0:24:19for introducing the raised vegetable bed.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22At the moment, we've got winter, spring veggies,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24we've got a bit of carrot, some radishes,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27spring onions, swede, beetroot, garlic.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29It's great having a little bit of grow-your-own in here.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31It's amazing what you can grow in a small plot.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37The space is a combination of Number Ten
0:24:37 > 0:24:41and Number 11's back gardens joined together.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43It consists of a large, sweeping lawn,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46no doubt for all the hob-nobbing guests at state functions,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and like all gardens, it has many horticultural challenges.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53We've got a very clay,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57sort of, on the acid side, in one part of the garden.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Where we're standing here is quite a sandy soil.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03This part of the garden cooks in the summer time,
0:25:03 > 0:25:08whereas the other end of the garden stays quite shady, moist and cool.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11It's a micro-climate, definitely,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and it gives us a wider variety of plants to play with.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16What are the challenges of a garden like this?
0:25:16 > 0:25:21Well, I think the main challenge is the surrounding London plane trees.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Although they're great at clearing up pollution,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28they're also equally as great at making pollution!
0:25:28 > 0:25:31So, we're constantly having to pick up after the trees.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Well, the leaves and the seed balls.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It's the leaves, it's the seed balls, it's the bark,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38it's just one thing after another.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40- And they're not even in the garden! - There's no respite.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53We've introduced a lot of habitats for various insects and wildlife.
0:25:53 > 0:25:59- We've got bee boxes, we've got bird boxes.- You've got a pond as well.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02We've got the pond, we've got areas in the garden
0:26:02 > 0:26:03that we don't keep pristine,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06otherwise it won't be wildlife friendly.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10- We've got finches, blue tits, robins...- Yeah, woodpecker.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- Woodpecker.- It's amazing, isn't it? In the middle of Westminster,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17- if you create the right environment, things will just turn up!- Yeah.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25It's like any other garden, frankly. It's got the same problems.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Bit of dry soil here and a bit of shade over there.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33But as far as hosting very important people from around the world,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37this garden fits the bill perfectly.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It's always fascinating to peek over any garden fence,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49and all the more so if it belongs to the Prime Minister.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53You can get information about next year's Open Garden Squares Weekend
0:26:53 > 0:26:55on our website.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59But if you're staying in your own garden,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01here are some things to be getting on with.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05When you get erratic temperatures and uneven moisture levels,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08it's very common for the beet family to bolt.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10That includes chard and beetroot.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15But you can salvage the situation by cutting back the bolting stem
0:27:15 > 0:27:17right to the base.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20This then will give the chance to grow normally.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24However, if your lettuce bolts, there's not a lot you can do
0:27:24 > 0:27:26because it'll get bitter to eat,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29and the best thing to do is consign it to the compost heap.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36If you have a pond, it's almost unavoidable
0:27:36 > 0:27:40that you're going to get a growth of algae or weed at some stage.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Gently scoop it off the surface
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and then put it by the side of the pond
0:27:44 > 0:27:46and leave it for an hour or two.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50And this will give all the insects a chance to return to the water.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54After that, you'll find it makes excellent compost.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It's been a good year for delphiniums,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04but all good things come to an end, and that's the situation now.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07So it's time to cut them back, hard to the ground.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11Then, if we get plenty of heat in August and September,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15they'll re-grow and throw up fresh flower spikes.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18MUSIC: "I Feel So Good" by Jo Ann Kelly
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Well that's it for this week.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Now, more often than not, we're taken off-air to accommodate sport,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34but despite the Olympics, we're here next week and every week,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38right through till November, so I'll see you next Friday. Bye-bye.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd