0:00:08 > 0:00:10Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Now, you know, I don't know if I've ever seen the garden
0:00:13 > 0:00:17looking so lush and the colours so intense right at the end of August.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Normally about this time of year,
0:00:19 > 0:00:23everything's starting to fade a little, but I suppose that's because
0:00:23 > 0:00:26we've had such a wet summer on this side of the country.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29It's one of the few benefits of too much rain.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33However, you can't stop the roll and turn of the seasons,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37and plants are beginning to set seed, and I'll be collecting seed -
0:00:37 > 0:00:40particularly of perennials - both to sow now
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and to store to make new plants from next year.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Carol will be looking at umbellifers,
0:00:45 > 0:00:49plants like cow parsley with lovely open tops.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54This is such a wondrous and multifarious family.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57You'll find that once you bring one umbel into the garden,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59you'll be greedy for more.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01You'll want to fill the whole place up with them.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And we'll be visiting a garden in Cheshire
0:01:04 > 0:01:07where a man's passion for one plant
0:01:07 > 0:01:10has filled his garden with late-summer colour.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Dailies give me more colour and more interest than any other plant,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17and so I've thrown out all the shrubs and everything else.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Really, it's taken over my life, I suppose.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32Good boy.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Now, last time I was in here,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42I was showing you how the tomatoes were doing fine,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45the leaves were curling a bit, but that wasn't a problem,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47everything was hunky-dory.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Well, I shouldn't have spoken so soon.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53I think I remember saying that the risk of blight
0:01:53 > 0:01:55was very minor in a greenhouse.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Two days later, blight swept through this greenhouse.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01This, of course, is potato blight,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05the fungus which can turn potatoes to mush
0:02:05 > 0:02:07and completely defoliate them,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and it affects tomatoes because tomatoes are cousins of potatoes.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13So, having seen the damage,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I then stripped all the foliage off the plants,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19thinking it would stop the spread
0:02:19 > 0:02:22and that the existing fruit would ripen.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Well, you can see the blight has spread to the stems,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30really clear here, and, even worse than that,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33has spread to the fruit, so these are blighted fruit.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36If I leave these, they won't ripen and the blight will get to them first,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40so my only recourse is to harvest the green ones
0:02:40 > 0:02:42and make green tomato chutney,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46harvest any ripe ones that seem to be unaffected by blight and eat them,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50and then the plants and any blighted tomatoes I will burn,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and if you can't burn them, you could bury them.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Bury them, but at least about a metre deep
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and that will rot down, or just bag them up
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and take them to your green waste disposal unit,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04but I'm afraid that's it. That's my tomato crop a goner.
0:03:22 > 0:03:28Sooner or later, most gardeners get round to growing annuals from seed,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32but it seems to be another leap to grow perennials from seed,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34plants that will mature, like this monarda,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and come back year after year,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39plants which typically you go and buy
0:03:39 > 0:03:43from anything between about £5 and £15 each,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47but they will grow from seed and often very easily indeed.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50What you need is a pair of secateurs,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54you need some brown paper bags or envelopes -
0:03:54 > 0:03:58I've got both here - paper, because that way, it can breathe a bit.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01If you put it into polythene, you get evaporation,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05and moisture will not enable the seeds keep.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08This Monarda..."Raspberry Wine", that's the seed head.
0:04:08 > 0:04:15Just take it off like that and push it seed head-down in there.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Now, that's ready for sowing now if I want to,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21but it will keep in a cool, dark place
0:04:21 > 0:04:24for weeks and sometimes even months.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26You can see this, by the way, is just one plant,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28so if I have 20 seeds in there,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30think of the display that you can get.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41I'm having to creep through here
0:04:41 > 0:04:45because I don't want to crush my favourite plants.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48These are Meconopsis sheldonii,
0:04:48 > 0:04:53and you can see they've set seed these beautiful seed heads,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and although they don't necessarily come true from seed,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59these are wonderful, rich blue.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01I'm going to try and grow them.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04If you want them to be exactly like the parent,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08better to propagate them vegetably,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11but if I collect these seed heads...
0:05:11 > 0:05:14and raise the seed, there is a chance
0:05:14 > 0:05:19that I could get dozens of fabulous meconopsis.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22And they really are royalty amongst plants.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Rachel and I planted these primulas.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36This is Primula florindae, the Himalayan cowslip.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41Really, really successful, and you can't have too many of these.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42So let's cut that.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Oh, that's caught in, so I'll do that at the same time...and that.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Now, once you've collected your seed,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00you can either sow them straightaway or store them.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03On the whole, it's easier to store the seeds until spring,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06sow them then, and then as the ceilings grow,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08they can be moved on and planted out.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And if you're storing your seeds,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14the basic conditions is a cool, dry place.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Now, we actually store our seeds in here.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Just keep them in the bag exactly as collected
0:06:18 > 0:06:23and we just line up the bags, and this shed is perfect.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26It does get cold in the winter, but the seeds don't suffer
0:06:26 > 0:06:27and they come through perfectly well.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29If you don't have a cool, dry shed,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33resist the temptation to put them in an airing cupboard -
0:06:33 > 0:06:34they don't want to be warm.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37In fact, the best thing to do is air dry them for a few days,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40then put them in a sealed container in the fridge.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44And in a fridge like that, they will keep for months
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and have the by-product of vernalising too,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49which means give them a winter period of cold,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52which is the trigger they need to germinate next spring.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55For the majority of perennials,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59saving and storing seed for a spring sowing is fine,
0:06:59 > 0:07:04but some seed likes to be sown fresh as ripe or green seed.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Now, I'm going to store the monarda,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10but I'm going to sow the meconopsis and the primula.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Meconopsis is not that difficult to grow from seed,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18as long as it has moist, loose compost.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Now, we've got our seed pods there,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and I've made up a compost with really lots of grit in it.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Ideally, this would be an ericaceous compost.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Now, I don't use peat, but there are alternatives.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32If you haven't got an ericaceous compost, it doesn't matter terribly,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35but you will have to move them on into ericaceous conditions.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37So...
0:07:40 > 0:07:44As with all seeds, don't be tempted to sow too thickly.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48You're better off with a few healthy plants
0:07:48 > 0:07:51than a mass all cheek-by-jowl in there.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55And now I'm ready cover it with a layer of grit,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58which will protect it and keep the moisture in
0:07:58 > 0:08:00but won't block the light.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02And of course label it.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I tried sowing Primula bulleyana last year in the green,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08i.e. when they were completely fresh,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13and I had no luck whatsoever - and these are green seeds I've got here.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17I think the mistake I made was I kept it too wet
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and also - and I'm sure this - I kept it too warm.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I put it onto a heated bench.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Now, this is a species plant
0:08:25 > 0:08:30and therefore will come true. Remember that seeds from a species -
0:08:30 > 0:08:33that's a plant that is not crossed with any other -
0:08:33 > 0:08:37will nearly always come true to the parent,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40but seeds from a cultivar or a hybrid -
0:08:40 > 0:08:45that's a plant that is the result of a cross between two others -
0:08:45 > 0:08:49will carry the characteristics of both parents.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53So therefore will be variable and sometimes very variable.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Now, my cold frames at the moment are having a revamp,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07but this just amounts to a sheltered corner
0:09:07 > 0:09:11and it's a perfect place to put meconopsis and primula.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Now, I'm going to have to keep those watered,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18but I'm going to cover one of the primula pots with clingfilm.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21A, that'll mean I won't have to keep watering it so much
0:09:21 > 0:09:24and B, it means it really will not dry out.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27And I won't cover the other, and it's a little experiment
0:09:27 > 0:09:29just to see if it makes a difference.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33And I was reading about this tip over breakfast this morning,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and I thought, "That's timely - we'll give it a go."
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And rather like hosepipes, I'm one of these people
0:09:39 > 0:09:44who can take a sheet of clingfilm and reduce it to a crumpled rag
0:09:44 > 0:09:46in a space of a millisecond.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50There we are.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59And I'll do all the rest of those seeds in due course.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I'm often asked what my favourite plant is,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and there is no real answer to that, but you can't beat
0:10:12 > 0:10:16the massed white foam of cow parsley
0:10:16 > 0:10:20running along a hedgerow or by the side of the road.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24And I do love all umbellifers in whatever form they make take,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29and, of course, an umbellifer is a plant that has these umbels of flower
0:10:29 > 0:10:33and then a flat top and they're perfect for insects,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35perfect for a garden.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And Carol has been to see glorious umbellifers,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41both in the wild and in the garden.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00People cherish the sight of Daucus carota, the wild carrot,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03up and down the country in late summer.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07This is a time when it makes these wonderful platforms of flower,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10mixing itself with grasses and other wildflowers,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14but when you get down here and examine it,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17this flat platform is actually composed
0:11:17 > 0:11:22of hundreds of little flowers, and as those petals begin to fall,
0:11:22 > 0:11:28the whole umbel folds in on itself like a shell closing.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31While these seeds really set and ripen,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35it makes this almost wire-like structure around the edge,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39which gives it one of its other common names - bird's nest.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43But who'd want to invite a carrot into the garden proper?
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Surely they belong in the veg plot.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49But this is such a wondrous and multifarious family,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53you'll find that once you bring one umbel into the garden,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55you'll be greedy for more.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57You'll want to fill the whole place up with them.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14Here at Bury Court, with the backdrop of this classic oast house,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18plantsman John Coke has created an exquisite garden
0:12:18 > 0:12:22that pays homage to the spirit of the wild,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26and some of the most significant players on the stage are the umbels.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34So many umbels, John.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37- I mean, they play a pretty important role here, don't they?- They are.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Partly because they give a very strong connection with the wild.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46We see, don't we, in any hedgerow or a meadow,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- cow parsley kind of plants. - Umbels all over the show.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51Yes, it's almost trying to get
0:12:51 > 0:12:55a sort of dream-like evocation of the natural world.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Exactly. I suppose all the great plant explorers
0:12:58 > 0:13:01were intent on collecting shrubs and trees and climbers.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04They wouldn't have given umbels a second look, would they?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Not in the slightest, no.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Gardeners would have seen something like that as a weed
0:13:10 > 0:13:13to be yanked out and tossed onto the compost heap definitely,
0:13:13 > 0:13:18but now I think they are virtually my most valued garden plant.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It's got the structure of a tree or... Hasn't it?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Some great woody plant. What is it, John?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34This is Peucedanum verticillare.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- Verticillare obviously because it's so, sort of, stiffly upwards.- Yes.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Talk about a plant erupting out of the ground,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42because that does in spring and it's got a fantastically long season,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45this plant, because right from that moment when it does erupt
0:13:45 > 0:13:48up till deepest winter when all you see, in fact,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50is the skeleton which is left,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54but it's very sculptural shape, you know, right into the winter.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56And it just says very proudly,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- "Look at me. Aren't I a wonderful?" - Yes, exactly.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11In this part of the border, Angelica gigas.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13These plants are used to great effect.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17They kind of punch their way right the way through
0:14:17 > 0:14:20all these great mounds of different perennials.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23They're real punctuation marks,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and further down the border, he's used it with another umbel
0:14:26 > 0:14:30to achieve a completely different sort of feeling.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32If you wanted to introduce...
0:14:32 > 0:14:36a ferny, frothy mass of a plant in your garden
0:14:36 > 0:14:41then you couldn't possibly do better than Selinum wallichianum.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43One of the virtues of umbels
0:14:43 > 0:14:46is that they seed freely all over the show.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51But occasionally, you want to decide just where you want to plant,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55and then it's worth buying an established plant in a pot,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58digging a hole and putting it in.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02No point trying to divide them, though, because basically,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05under the ground, they're all carrots.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08All have a big taproot and they're impossible to divide.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20If Angelica gigas and Selinum wallichianum
0:15:20 > 0:15:23are at the dramatic end of the umbel scale,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25then surely this plant,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Ammi majus, is at the opposite end.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32It's light, airy, almost frivolous.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35It gives this sort of ethereal effect,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37especially when it's used en masse.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41If you wanted to introduce this light touch, perhaps to a bed
0:15:41 > 0:15:46where you've got lovely, dark plants like this beautiful Echinacea,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50you can sow the seeds of ammi in the spring
0:15:50 > 0:15:52or even in the autumn previously.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Prep them out into modules or individual small pots,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and then dot them right through the planting.
0:16:07 > 0:16:13Bury Court showcases umbels in all their glorious magnificence.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18From the daintiest of annuals to great statuesque giants,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21all of them a-buzz with pollenating insects.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Umbels bring something special to every bed and border.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29They bring structure and shape,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and no garden can possibly afford to be without them.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Now, from time to time, I do ask you to contact me
0:16:49 > 0:16:51if you've got any gardening queries,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53or if you've got a similar experience to my own.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58And I've had lots of letters regarding box blight.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00From the north east of Scotland, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04right across the country, it does seem that box blight is endemic,
0:17:04 > 0:17:09and I'm afraid this tale of woe is depressingly familiar.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11By the way, if you've got any queries at all,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14We do like to hear from you. Contact us.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16But as far as box blight goes,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19there really is not a lot of choice in what you can do,
0:17:19 > 0:17:25because what it does is completely rips away through box plants.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27You can see down in here that...there,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30you get this dieback, this chocolatey, brown,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33sometimes a bit mouldy dieback, and it can kill the plant.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36And you have to remove all traces of it.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38However, there are box varieties
0:17:38 > 0:17:41that seem to be more resistant to blight than others,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43and one of them is "Handsworthiensis".
0:17:43 > 0:17:46This is one of the biggest growing boxes,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50and you can see that right next to where there is blight,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52we've got plants growing here that seem to be untouched.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56And that's because they have an extra-thick leaf.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58They're really much more robust.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01So, I'm going to take cuttings from the "Handsworthiensis",
0:18:01 > 0:18:06and any thick-leaf box will do, grow them on, so at least I've got
0:18:06 > 0:18:09new stock that will be more resistant coming on,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12because if this weather continues,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15box blight is going to continue to be a problem.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16It's not going to go away.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Now, when you're choosing material to take cuttings from,
0:18:21 > 0:18:26you want to look for nice, strong new growth that is upright,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29healthy and vigorous.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33And you need a top, you need some leaves and you need a stem.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Down the bottom.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Also, always with all cuttings, have a polythene bag.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43That will stop the transpiration of moisture
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and make it more likely to strike.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00When you're making cuttings of anything,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02you want really good drainage,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05so as well as a normal potting compost,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07add something to improve the drainage.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Grit is fine or I've got perlite here,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13which you can get from any garden centre.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18It can be up to as much as 50/50 of perlite and potting compost.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Mix it in well.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Lightly fill the pot, like that. And that's ready.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Now, you take a cut material, let's take any one out.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36There we have the cutting. There are far too many leaves on that,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39because that will lose moisture before it develops roots,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43so the first thing I'm going to do is take off the lower leaves,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46simply by going like that. You leave too many, it'll dry out.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Too few, and there'll be nothing to feed the roots.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Now, that's a little long, so I'm going to cut that down,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and ideally, cut below a leaf node.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Leaf node is just the two sides where the leaves come out.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59Clean cut across.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Then put it in the pot.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03It's best to put it against the edge of the pot,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07so I'm going to put one in each corner, down the edge like that.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Now, if you don't take your own cuttings,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14and if you've got some boxes, I really do urge you to try it,
0:20:14 > 0:20:15it's incredibly satisfying.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18But, someone gives you a box or you buy it,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22it's not a bad idea to put it into quarantine for about a month.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Keep it in its pot, set it to one side,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29because it just might be introducing blight into your garden.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Now, in three weeks' time,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37we're going to RHS Wisley to do a special programme from there.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40So one of the things that I shall be asking them
0:20:40 > 0:20:42is not only how do they deal with box blight
0:20:42 > 0:20:45but also what alternatives they're using,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47what other plants are taking the role
0:20:47 > 0:20:53that box has performed for the last 400-500 years in so many gardens.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56And of course, you may not grow any box at all.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58You may not be taking cuttings,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00but here are some other jobs you can get on with this weekend.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07The strawberry runners that I potted up a few weeks ago are now
0:21:07 > 0:21:10ready to be separated from the parent plant and re-planted.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Choose a site that hasn't grown strawberries
0:21:14 > 0:21:15for at least three years
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and has been well manured over the last year.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Space the young plants in rows or grids at least two feet apart.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25This will look rather wide spacing,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29but it gives each individual plant the opportunity to grow
0:21:29 > 0:21:32as big as possible and bear as much fruit as possible.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37We're all hoping for an Indian summer,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and our flowers to look as good as possible for as long as possible,
0:21:41 > 0:21:42and this includes containers.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46The best way to do this is to give them a feed now.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50It wants to be high in potassium to maximise flowers,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and this will come from homemade comfrey, liquid seaweed
0:21:53 > 0:21:56or a general-purpose tomato feed.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Dilute it according to instructions and give them a feed now
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and again in two weeks' time.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Just because we're coming to the end of summer,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08it doesn't mean to say that the weeds won't go on growing,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11and it's important to keep on top of them right through into autumn.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13And in a heavily planted border,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17the only solution is to get in there and hand-weed.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25There are probably more flowers in the garden at this time of year
0:22:25 > 0:22:28than any other season, and one of the things I love doing
0:22:28 > 0:22:32is going out and just cutting a small bouquet
0:22:32 > 0:22:35to bring indoors into the house.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38These, for example, are seed dahlias which I grew last year,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40kept the tubers. It was a mixed batch of seed,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44and I kept the colours I liked and then lined them out.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47And the beautiful thing about dahlias is the more you cut,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50the more flowers are produced right up till the first frosts.
0:22:50 > 0:22:51And I love dahlias,
0:22:51 > 0:22:56but I probably don't love them with the same passion and intensity
0:22:56 > 0:22:58as Geoff Hoyle in Cheshire.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Whatever position you want to put it, there is a dahlia that will fit.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14I love the different sizes and shapes and colours.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17For starters, you've got every colour but blue.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Then you've got big ones
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and you've got the miniature pom-pom dahlias,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25so you've got a wide variety of sizes.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29And you've got different shapes as well, and also even heights.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31You've got some that will grow to eight foot high
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and others that only grow to two foot.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41I was brought up to be a gardener, and my dad was a keen dahlia grower,
0:23:41 > 0:23:46and when I was a lad he used to have me crawling around under his dahlias.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50When we first came here, it was just one long piece of grass,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54so I got into flowers and as time's gone by, I've realised that
0:23:54 > 0:23:58dahlias give me more colour and more interest than any other plant,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and so I've thrown out all the shrubs and everything else.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The lawns have got smaller. Really, it's taken over my life, I suppose.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Well, I plan everything by height.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15I go around each autumn and measure how high each dahlia has grown.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18I keep records, and then when I put my stakes in the following spring,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21I try to allocate a tall dahlia to a tall stake
0:24:21 > 0:24:25and a short dahlia to a short stake, so that it gets a tiered effect.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28There's a dahlia there called "Ryecroft Delight"
0:24:28 > 0:24:31which always grows to about eight or nine feet, and so I know
0:24:31 > 0:24:35I can rely on that dahlia to grow that high the following year.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I tried doing a colour scheme one year
0:24:40 > 0:24:43where I had a red bed, an orange bed, a yellow bed,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45and it didn't look right at all.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49So now I just go on height. The colours look after themselves.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51I tend to go for brighter colours
0:24:51 > 0:24:55and just have the odd white or cream one here as a contrast.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01I love this dahlia. It's a miniature decorative
0:25:01 > 0:25:02called "Blyton Lady in Red".
0:25:02 > 0:25:04I like it because of the strong colour,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06the fact that it's got very strong stems
0:25:06 > 0:25:09that make sure it stands above the foliage,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and I also like the lovely form of it.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16This one is a dark leaf variety called "Happy Wink".
0:25:16 > 0:25:18It only grows about two foot tall,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21has loads of flowers, beautiful colour. The bees love it.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30If you want really strong flowers, the best thing to do to produce
0:25:30 > 0:25:35a strong growth and a bigger flower is to take out the two side shoots.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39So you just get them between your fingers and chop them off like that.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42For the novice, it might be better to try a miniature variety,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47because they tend to have smaller flowers, stronger stems,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50and you'll see for example with "Weston Spanish Dancer" here,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I'm going to let three flowers grow under one stem,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and it will be strong enough to support it,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58so I'll leave it to its own devices.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02The main thing that I do is keep on top of the deadheading.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05At least twice a week, but I do it more often than that, I would say.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08So, you go round and chop off anything that looks as though
0:26:08 > 0:26:12it's about to die, or it has died,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14and discard them onto the compost heap.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16And you'll find that by the following day,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18there's plenty more flowers anyway.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I'm quite ruthless. People say, "Take that home
0:26:20 > 0:26:24"and put it in a vase," but it's on my compost heap.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28It does take a lot of my time. Is it worth it? Absolutely worth it.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30I mean, when you get to times like this
0:26:30 > 0:26:34and you look around and think, "I've done that," yeah, it's worth it.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Geoff's garden is open this weekend on the National Garden Scheme,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and it is amazing. So much colour.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50In fact, so much colour, I'm told that you can see it
0:26:50 > 0:26:52as you come in to land at Manchester Airport.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55But better to go along and see the garden for yourself.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Now, I'm making a new garden here.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01This is a writing garden which I had tried to develop
0:27:01 > 0:27:05with the long grass and growing umbellifers, bulbs,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08even perennials through it.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12But in this wet weather and with our heavy soil, the grass has dominated.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17And it's really difficult to lose that rather lank, over-lush feeling.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Mind you, there is a moment in May
0:27:18 > 0:27:22which lasts anything from ten days to three weeks, if you're lucky,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24when the cow parsley dominates
0:27:24 > 0:27:29and it's a lovely, light, airy, white froth.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33And that's the spirit that I want to capture.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34The very, very best of May.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37If we can get that from April through to October,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40then I'll be delighted and that's how I'm going to plant it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42So it's going to be a white garden,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46very light, very airy, ramblers climbing up the apple trees.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Lots of scent.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Very full and easy, nothing formal about it at all.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56So, we've lifted the turf. Now, I'd like to pretend that I've used
0:27:56 > 0:28:00my grandfather's old turfing tool, which I have used a lot in the past,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02but it's horribly hard work.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04In fact, we hired a turf cutter.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06So if you want to lift more than just a little bit of turf,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10I can recommend it. And if you're taking up any amount of turf,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12don't throw it away. It's not rubbish.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17If you stack it, grass face to grass face, and build it up as a block,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22that forms the best potting compost or top soil if you need it.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25So value every little bit of it.
0:28:25 > 0:28:26And I've got myself a project.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29I'll be working on this right through autumn
0:28:29 > 0:28:31and probably well into next year as well.
0:28:32 > 0:28:33Now, that's it for this week.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Next week, I'm back but at a different time.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Gardeners' World goes out at 9 o'clock next week on BBC Two.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41And I'll see you then.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Bye-bye.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd