Episode 23

Download Subtitles

Transcript

0:00:07 > 0:00:09Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.

0:00:09 > 0:00:13I shall be making the most of this fading and elegant season.

0:00:13 > 0:00:15I'm also preparing for next year.

0:00:15 > 0:00:19Carol has got some great advice on how to take your garden with you

0:00:19 > 0:00:21when you move house.

0:00:21 > 0:00:24For me, and lots of other people I know,

0:00:24 > 0:00:27plants are more important than any piece of furniture.

0:00:27 > 0:00:31But by using the right techniques you can very quickly

0:00:31 > 0:00:35turn your new garden into a home from home.

0:00:35 > 0:00:39And Joe is visiting what I think is one of the best combinations

0:00:39 > 0:00:42this country has to offer of architecture and planting.

0:00:42 > 0:00:46Every time I come here it gets my gardening blood flowing.

0:00:46 > 0:00:49It is fantastic, and I love it.

0:00:59 > 0:01:03One of the many things I like about September

0:01:03 > 0:01:07is that the relationship between things to enjoy in the garden

0:01:07 > 0:01:10and things to do, is very nicely balanced

0:01:10 > 0:01:13because the garden is never so full as now.

0:01:13 > 0:01:15And there is nothing really pressing.

0:01:15 > 0:01:19It is not like April, where you feel that jobs just have to be done,

0:01:19 > 0:01:22to get on, or even as you go into October and November

0:01:22 > 0:01:24and you've got to get things done before winter.

0:01:24 > 0:01:28Now is the time of year when there's masses to enjoy

0:01:28 > 0:01:30and not too much to do.

0:01:30 > 0:01:31And a lot of tweaking around.

0:01:38 > 0:01:42All I have to do here in the dry garden is cut away anything

0:01:42 > 0:01:44that does not look good now.

0:01:44 > 0:01:46Because as a rule of thumb, if it doesn't look good now,

0:01:46 > 0:01:49it's not going to get any better over the coming months.

0:01:49 > 0:01:52I am afraid, this is it. There isn't a lot of it.

0:01:52 > 0:01:55Just some Aquilegias here that have got pretty manky.

0:01:55 > 0:01:59Cardoon leaves that could come off.

0:01:59 > 0:02:04That is not going to look any better in November than it does now.

0:02:04 > 0:02:08However, the good news is, particularly here in the dry garden,

0:02:08 > 0:02:14is that most of this will get better and better over the coming months

0:02:14 > 0:02:18because it gradually becomes statuesque and stately

0:02:18 > 0:02:22as winter comes in and strips it of all its green.

0:02:22 > 0:02:25Then it gets frosted and the seedheads look really clear,

0:02:25 > 0:02:27and the birds of course love it.

0:02:27 > 0:02:31Because this is grown on poor soil, these plants are tough.

0:02:31 > 0:02:33That means they are growing strong, upright,

0:02:33 > 0:02:38they are not flopping all over the place, they are not bashed by wind.

0:02:38 > 0:02:40So this is actually a very good winter garden.

0:02:40 > 0:02:43And it is a good tip, if you've got poor soil,

0:02:43 > 0:02:46it is going to limit your choice of plants, and limit how they grow.

0:02:46 > 0:02:49But if they do adapt, they will survive very well

0:02:49 > 0:02:51into autumn and winter.

0:02:51 > 0:02:53Just a little bit of tidying up. That is all I have to do.

0:03:05 > 0:03:09I like the way that this mullein is holding well.

0:03:09 > 0:03:11In this poor soil, it is standing up.

0:03:11 > 0:03:13It is not a thing of great beauty but it will get better

0:03:13 > 0:03:16and it will gradually and then elegantly decay,

0:03:16 > 0:03:17and the birds will perch on it,

0:03:17 > 0:03:19and it will sway, and it will get frosted.

0:03:19 > 0:03:24And talking about frosted, all these umbellifers,

0:03:24 > 0:03:26the fennel, and the teasels, with their heads,

0:03:26 > 0:03:29perfect for autumn and winter weather.

0:03:29 > 0:03:30I like the grasses too.

0:03:30 > 0:03:35The grasses in this soil grow very, very differently

0:03:35 > 0:03:39than they do in another part of the garden which has got richer soil.

0:03:39 > 0:03:42This is Miscanthus malepartus.

0:03:42 > 0:03:45It opens out like that and then the seedheads will fall.

0:03:45 > 0:03:46It really looks good.

0:03:58 > 0:04:03September is a really good time to be planting bulbs.

0:04:03 > 0:04:05We tend to think about bulbs

0:04:05 > 0:04:07as being for sunny, well-drained places.

0:04:07 > 0:04:11But there are a group that will do perfectly well in light shade,

0:04:11 > 0:04:13and woodland in fact.

0:04:13 > 0:04:14Oh, you've dropped your apple!

0:04:14 > 0:04:18Nigel, by the way, regards apples as balls that grow on trees.

0:04:18 > 0:04:23And I'm converting the copse into a woodland garden.

0:04:23 > 0:04:25Not a huge change, I'm not going to dig it all up,

0:04:25 > 0:04:27I'm going to plant into the ground.

0:04:27 > 0:04:29There are masses of primroses and bluebells

0:04:29 > 0:04:31but I am just adding to the planting.

0:04:31 > 0:04:33And also adding variety.

0:04:33 > 0:04:36And of course, all the plants

0:04:36 > 0:04:37must be adapted to growing in light shade.

0:04:37 > 0:04:42And the first is Erythronium. Dog's tooth violet.

0:04:42 > 0:04:46And the reason it is called dog's tooth violet is...

0:04:46 > 0:04:48It just so happens we have a dog here to show!

0:04:48 > 0:04:50Pretty similar, Nige.

0:04:50 > 0:04:54They are long and they look just like a dog's canine.

0:04:54 > 0:04:57But they have a bulb that can be planted like any other.

0:04:57 > 0:05:00Just budge a minute. Can you move? No? Obviously not.

0:05:00 > 0:05:04I'm going to plant them here. You are not supposed to be doing this!

0:05:04 > 0:05:06You're not supposed to be!

0:05:06 > 0:05:12So, if I plant a batch here, working between the tree roots,

0:05:12 > 0:05:14put them in fairly far apart,

0:05:14 > 0:05:17because this particular variety, which is White Beauty,

0:05:17 > 0:05:20have quite big leaves, and the leaves are very decorative too.

0:05:20 > 0:05:22So you don't want to crowd them all out.

0:05:22 > 0:05:24One of the things I love about bulbs

0:05:24 > 0:05:28is you get quite a lot for not very much money.

0:05:28 > 0:05:29So you get a decent effect.

0:05:32 > 0:05:34Remember the rule of planting any bulb.

0:05:34 > 0:05:39You can scarcely be too deep, but you can plant too shallow.

0:05:39 > 0:05:42The deeper the better really. And at least twice its own depth.

0:05:42 > 0:05:45So, on a long bulb like that, you want to dig a hole quite deep.

0:05:47 > 0:05:49And September, early October,

0:05:49 > 0:05:52is a really good time for any bulb planting.

0:05:52 > 0:05:56For spring flower bulbs, that is.

0:05:56 > 0:05:58Because they start growing,

0:05:58 > 0:06:01in the case of daffodils, as early as late August.

0:06:01 > 0:06:04And the longer they have to grow in the ground,

0:06:04 > 0:06:06the bigger and the healthier the plant will be

0:06:06 > 0:06:09and the better flowers you will get next spring.

0:06:09 > 0:06:14The only bulb that you can, and indeed should, plant late

0:06:14 > 0:06:17and by late, I mean November, December, is a tulip.

0:06:21 > 0:06:25Now, I love dog's tooth violet. And they are special plants.

0:06:25 > 0:06:28But I have to confess, they are not as special as these.

0:06:28 > 0:06:30This is Trillium grandiflorum.

0:06:30 > 0:06:34Trillium is one of those plants that has charisma. It is special.

0:06:34 > 0:06:37It is called Trillium because it has got three petals,

0:06:37 > 0:06:38three sepals,

0:06:38 > 0:06:43a North American plant that likes shade, perfect for here.

0:06:43 > 0:06:47And this will grow, the white flower, to over a foot tall,

0:06:47 > 0:06:50which in spring flowering terms gives it stature.

0:06:50 > 0:06:54This is a plant that stands out above the crowd.

0:06:54 > 0:06:58It's quite expensive, £2.50 for each of the rhizomes,

0:06:58 > 0:06:59and I'll show you.

0:06:59 > 0:07:04They don't look very dramatic, like this...

0:07:04 > 0:07:10but that will become something very special, so it's worth investing.

0:07:12 > 0:07:16Do try and add some leaf mould to the soil if you can.

0:07:16 > 0:07:18Don't bury the rhizome too deeply, just cover it up with

0:07:18 > 0:07:25a couple of inches of soil and mark the spot so you don't disturb it.

0:07:27 > 0:07:30Now obviously there's nothing to see now,

0:07:30 > 0:07:32this is all about next year and probably the year after that

0:07:32 > 0:07:36and the year after that before they really look their best.

0:07:36 > 0:07:41But when you move home you do have to leave plants you love behind.

0:07:41 > 0:07:44But...not always.

0:07:50 > 0:07:55For each and every one of us our garden's a very special place.

0:07:57 > 0:07:59And they're full of memories too.

0:07:59 > 0:08:04Lots of plants represent people or occasions,

0:08:04 > 0:08:09things we've been given or we can remember in our mum's gardens.

0:08:10 > 0:08:14But what happens if we decide to move house?

0:08:14 > 0:08:17We've got to leave our plants where they are,

0:08:17 > 0:08:20but there are still ways and means to ensure that

0:08:20 > 0:08:23we bring parts of those plants with us to a new home.

0:08:26 > 0:08:30One of the letters we've had is from Elaine Ford and her husband

0:08:30 > 0:08:34who are moving house from Surrey to Devon.

0:08:34 > 0:08:38She's been taking loads of cuttings, but she specifically wants

0:08:38 > 0:08:42to know what to do to make sure that the lavender cuttings

0:08:42 > 0:08:46she's taken get off to a flying start in their new home.

0:08:51 > 0:08:54Well, these are the lavender cuttings that I took

0:08:54 > 0:08:57and they've made fine, bushy little plants.

0:08:57 > 0:09:00They should be very, very well-rooted.

0:09:03 > 0:09:06Ooh! Look at that.

0:09:06 > 0:09:09I could just leave them in this little pot but if I pot them on

0:09:09 > 0:09:13into something bigger it means they'll be much bigger plants

0:09:13 > 0:09:14by the spring.

0:09:14 > 0:09:18Just try and ensure they keep as much root with them as possible.

0:09:18 > 0:09:21I'll put them into a bigger pot.

0:09:21 > 0:09:26The idea is they've got a couple of months now where they can grow and

0:09:26 > 0:09:29make fairly rapid sort of growth.

0:09:29 > 0:09:34Then they can stay in those pots over winter

0:09:34 > 0:09:38and go out into the garden or be potted on again.

0:09:39 > 0:09:45If I nip these tops and remove some cuttings from the edge,

0:09:45 > 0:09:51just taking the top couple of inches from them,

0:09:51 > 0:09:56it'll mean all those little side shoots will make big laterals

0:09:56 > 0:09:58and the whole bush is going to be really big

0:09:58 > 0:10:00and shrubby by next spring.

0:10:00 > 0:10:04The advantage of that is I'll get masses more flowers.

0:10:11 > 0:10:16If I ever had to move house there's one plant I'd just have to

0:10:16 > 0:10:19bring with me and that's this beautiful white Phlox.

0:10:19 > 0:10:23I use it all the way through this bed.

0:10:23 > 0:10:27It's got huge sentimental value.

0:10:27 > 0:10:31My mum Jeanie gave me a bit of this when we first came to the garden

0:10:31 > 0:10:35and I couldn't take cuttings from it now, but there are so many

0:10:35 > 0:10:40other perennials in the garden that are just ripe for taking cuttings.

0:10:42 > 0:10:46Don't you just love this gorgeous dark plant?

0:10:46 > 0:10:49It looks like chocolate and that's its name -

0:10:49 > 0:10:53Ageratina altissima 'Chocolate'.

0:10:53 > 0:10:56"Altissima" meaning it's tall and really chunky.

0:10:56 > 0:11:01These plants have only been in these new beds for a year.

0:11:01 > 0:11:03They were tiny plants when I put them in,

0:11:03 > 0:11:05and they were grown from cuttings.

0:11:05 > 0:11:10I can raid this without it having any adverse effect at all.

0:11:12 > 0:11:15It's not just this plant that you can take cuttings from.

0:11:15 > 0:11:18There are loads of them! Things like Penstemons.

0:11:18 > 0:11:19You might have to use a knife

0:11:19 > 0:11:23if you're taking cuttings from a big shoot on a Penstemon.

0:11:23 > 0:11:26Or you can pull off little side shoots like this.

0:11:26 > 0:11:30Asters - you can leave them right over the winter.

0:11:30 > 0:11:34Take them with you in the spring, pot them up and then put them

0:11:34 > 0:11:38out later into your garden. It's easy really.

0:11:56 > 0:11:59Although there are all sorts of plants you can grow from

0:11:59 > 0:12:03cuttings, and it's a really exciting way of making more plants,

0:12:03 > 0:12:08there's one way that's even more time-honoured -

0:12:08 > 0:12:10and that is collecting seed.

0:12:10 > 0:12:15It's the easiest way to move your plants from one garden to another.

0:12:15 > 0:12:18In these big pots, I've got all manner of annuals.

0:12:18 > 0:12:21They look a bit scruffy now because with both my Cerinthe

0:12:21 > 0:12:23and these lovely Calendula -

0:12:23 > 0:12:27I've not deadheaded them for weeks

0:12:27 > 0:12:29because I've wanted them to make seed.

0:12:29 > 0:12:30And they have!

0:12:30 > 0:12:35The seeds on Cerinthe - big and black - very obvious.

0:12:35 > 0:12:37They're the ideal thing,

0:12:37 > 0:12:42if you've got a family, for little hands to come and collect and to

0:12:42 > 0:12:47take part of their old garden into their new garden and sow themselves.

0:12:49 > 0:12:54Moving house can be one of the most stressful events in anybody's life

0:12:54 > 0:12:57but it can also be one of the most exciting.

0:12:57 > 0:13:01For me and lots of other people I know,

0:13:01 > 0:13:05plants are more important than any piece of furniture, but by using

0:13:05 > 0:13:08the right techniques, by taking cuttings,

0:13:08 > 0:13:11making divisions and collecting seeds

0:13:11 > 0:13:16you can quickly turn your new garden into a home from home.

0:13:22 > 0:13:25Sometimes you find yourself salvaging plants,

0:13:25 > 0:13:29not to take from one garden to another, but within your own garden.

0:13:29 > 0:13:32That's the case this year for me with Verbena bonariensis.

0:13:32 > 0:13:37Last summer, the Jewel Garden was full of it, we had great clouds

0:13:37 > 0:13:41of its lovely flowers, which of course are so good for butterflies.

0:13:41 > 0:13:45They just love these little florets.

0:13:45 > 0:13:50It's a plant that comes from the Pampas of Argentina and stands out.

0:13:50 > 0:13:52It's perfect for a border

0:13:52 > 0:13:55because you can mingle it with almost anything.

0:13:55 > 0:13:57It works it way through

0:13:57 > 0:14:00and doesn't get shielded by it, which is why I want more.

0:14:00 > 0:14:04We did have lots of seeds and the fact we put a really thick mulch on

0:14:04 > 0:14:07stopped them germinating,

0:14:07 > 0:14:11whereas in the grass borders we didn't mulch, it has come back.

0:14:11 > 0:14:15Now, I shall sow seed next spring and it grows well from seed

0:14:15 > 0:14:22and I might dig up some plants and over winter them in the cold frame.

0:14:22 > 0:14:25So they can be planted out after we've mulched next year.

0:14:25 > 0:14:28I'll also take cuttings and you can take them

0:14:28 > 0:14:31at this time of year from Verbena bonariensis very easily.

0:14:31 > 0:14:34We're looking for side shoots.

0:14:34 > 0:14:37Not the main stem,

0:14:37 > 0:14:42but the shoots that grow between the main steam and a leaf.

0:14:42 > 0:14:45Here's one but this is too big, this ends in a flower.

0:14:45 > 0:14:47You want one without a flower -

0:14:47 > 0:14:51never take a cutting with a flower on the end.

0:14:51 > 0:14:53But off this side shoot are further side shoots,

0:14:53 > 0:14:55so there's one there.

0:14:55 > 0:14:56That will make good cut material.

0:14:56 > 0:15:01With side shoots like this you can either peel them off

0:15:01 > 0:15:04or you can cut them.

0:15:04 > 0:15:08And that just pulls off without any problem at all.

0:15:10 > 0:15:15That's the sort of size of Verbena cutting I like to take.

0:15:15 > 0:15:18Ideally that, or even a little bit bigger.

0:15:24 > 0:15:29The routine for taking cuttings is pretty established -

0:15:29 > 0:15:33some really good, well-drained compost.

0:15:33 > 0:15:35I've run out of grit so I'm using Perlite.

0:15:35 > 0:15:37And act fast.

0:15:37 > 0:15:39Take your cut material out.

0:15:39 > 0:15:41Strip off the lower leaves.

0:15:41 > 0:15:44You don't want to leave too many.

0:15:44 > 0:15:46Pop them in.

0:15:49 > 0:15:52These should establish roots within a few weeks.

0:15:53 > 0:15:58But they will wilt fast if you don't keep them nice and moist.

0:15:58 > 0:16:01If you've got a propagator, well worth it.

0:16:02 > 0:16:07If you haven't, you could consider putting a plastic bag around them.

0:16:07 > 0:16:11Although there is always a risk of it getting too wet in there.

0:16:11 > 0:16:13Or just mist them two, three or four times a day.

0:16:13 > 0:16:15You can see I'm not cutting the end.

0:16:15 > 0:16:19If you cut them, cut them cleanly beneath a leaf node.

0:16:20 > 0:16:22Right...

0:16:22 > 0:16:23I'll do the others in a minute

0:16:23 > 0:16:27but that really does need to be kept moist.

0:16:27 > 0:16:29I've got a propagator and I'll put it in.

0:16:29 > 0:16:32In this weather that'll just go flop and they will never recover.

0:16:32 > 0:16:36You may not consider doing any cuttings this weekend,

0:16:36 > 0:16:38but here are some other things you could be doing.

0:16:46 > 0:16:48Agapanthus are coming to the end of their flowering season,

0:16:48 > 0:16:50but don't ignore them

0:16:50 > 0:16:54because next year's flowers depend upon the next few weeks.

0:16:54 > 0:16:58So keep them in full sunshine, keep them well-watered and give them

0:16:58 > 0:17:03a high potash feed such as liquid seaweed or a tomato feed.

0:17:05 > 0:17:12September is the ideal month to cut Yew, either hedges or topiary.

0:17:12 > 0:17:15If you're cutting topiary don't try and get it dead right

0:17:15 > 0:17:20on the first pass, work upwards and all over the entire piece.

0:17:20 > 0:17:24Then when you've taken the general shape off, you can fine tune it.

0:17:27 > 0:17:29It's worth checking your apples now

0:17:29 > 0:17:32because they're beginning to ripen and fall daily.

0:17:32 > 0:17:36If an apple's ripe it'll come away readily in your hand.

0:17:36 > 0:17:41If it falls to the ground, it won't keep so use them straightaway.

0:17:41 > 0:17:43If you've a lot, simply juice them.

0:17:46 > 0:17:49Other than cut the grass and collect the fruit,

0:17:49 > 0:17:51we've let the orchard do its own thing.

0:17:51 > 0:17:55But Joe's been to a garden that is much more structured.

0:17:55 > 0:18:02I think it's a brilliant combination of tight architectural structure and loose planting.

0:18:06 > 0:18:08Five years ago,

0:18:08 > 0:18:12Hestercombe in Somerset became an RHS Partner Garden.

0:18:12 > 0:18:15To be one, the garden has to fulfil three conditions.

0:18:15 > 0:18:18It's got to be a good horticultural standard,

0:18:18 > 0:18:23a great visitor experience and inspirational to gardeners.

0:18:23 > 0:18:27Hestercombe's 18th-century landscape is certainly impressive,

0:18:27 > 0:18:29but within its grounds is an Edwardian gem

0:18:29 > 0:18:32that I know well and absolutely love.

0:18:34 > 0:18:38I first came here about 20 years ago. Well, over 20 years, actually!

0:18:38 > 0:18:42And the garden just blew me away, and it was pretty much there and then

0:18:42 > 0:18:46that I decided I wanted to be a professional garden designer.

0:18:46 > 0:18:49At the time, this was the most impressive

0:18:49 > 0:18:52and inspirational garden I had ever seen.

0:18:55 > 0:18:59It was completed in 1906 by British architect Edwin Lutyens

0:18:59 > 0:19:03and doyenne of garden design Gertrude Jekyll.

0:19:03 > 0:19:06Lutyens was famous for his arts and crafts buildings

0:19:06 > 0:19:09that imaginatively re-fashioned English country houses

0:19:09 > 0:19:12with romantic and medieval features.

0:19:12 > 0:19:16Jekyll was famous for her flowing cottage-garden style

0:19:16 > 0:19:19and skilled use of colour.

0:19:19 > 0:19:22She introduced Lutyens to many garden projects,

0:19:22 > 0:19:25and Hestercombe is considered to be their finest collaboration.

0:19:28 > 0:19:31When I first came, I was so lucky.

0:19:31 > 0:19:34I had the place to myself, the sun was setting,

0:19:34 > 0:19:36the light was absolutely magical,

0:19:36 > 0:19:41and I felt myself being breathlessly drawn through the garden

0:19:41 > 0:19:44into certain rooms and then looking along vistas and wanting to go there.

0:19:44 > 0:19:47But it was only after, after I'd left the garden,

0:19:47 > 0:19:49that I realised I had no control over it.

0:19:49 > 0:19:53I was being manipulated by Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll.

0:19:53 > 0:19:56They were doing it to me. And I didn't even know it.

0:19:59 > 0:20:03I just love all the stone detailing in this garden. It's so beautiful.

0:20:03 > 0:20:07A really good example, this local stone is called mort slate

0:20:07 > 0:20:11and then this is just absolutely classic Lutyens set of steps,

0:20:11 > 0:20:13the way they fan out, concentric circles,

0:20:13 > 0:20:16but they've been softened by Gertrude Jekyll's planting.

0:20:16 > 0:20:20Lovely, Cerastium and fleabane softening the rises,

0:20:20 > 0:20:24but still keeping it practical cos you can walk all the way up them.

0:20:24 > 0:20:27And the whole composition... It's just so pretty.

0:20:29 > 0:20:32For 60 years, the garden was left to crumble

0:20:32 > 0:20:36until the Hestercombe Gardens Trust took it over in 2003.

0:20:36 > 0:20:39All the stone in the garden has recently been restored

0:20:39 > 0:20:42but the planting was something of a mystery

0:20:42 > 0:20:45until Gertrude Jekyll's plans were discovered.

0:20:45 > 0:20:48Head gardener Claire Reid has brought some copies to show me.

0:20:48 > 0:20:50Where did they come from?

0:20:50 > 0:20:53They were found in the sort of gardener's mess hut,

0:20:53 > 0:20:56left abandoned there, really, so we've been really lucky

0:20:56 > 0:20:59because we've been able to work with them as much as possible.

0:20:59 > 0:21:01We've had to change a few things.

0:21:01 > 0:21:05For instance, the huge canners you can see in the sunken garden,

0:21:05 > 0:21:08which we call the Great Plat,

0:21:08 > 0:21:10they're meant to be variegated maize

0:21:10 > 0:21:12and we ordered the seed from France and we grew these maize

0:21:12 > 0:21:16but because we're in Somerset, the badgers just went for them.

0:21:16 > 0:21:18So that's our change, really.

0:21:18 > 0:21:20And what about the gladioli?

0:21:20 > 0:21:23They're quite stunning, really. Was that one of her colours?

0:21:23 > 0:21:25- Yeah.- That salmon pink gladioli?

0:21:25 > 0:21:29Yeah, lots of people think we've done this wrong often

0:21:29 > 0:21:33because people think of Jekyll as being the soft hues and muted tones

0:21:33 > 0:21:35and sort of graduating colour.

0:21:35 > 0:21:39But here, she described it in her book as vibrating colours.

0:21:39 > 0:21:40And another point is

0:21:40 > 0:21:44she didn't have that wide a range of plants that we have today either.

0:21:44 > 0:21:48- It was much more limited, wasn't it? - No, it was a limited palette,

0:21:48 > 0:21:50but that gives you the balance around the garden.

0:21:50 > 0:21:52If you're only using a smaller palette,

0:21:52 > 0:21:55you're not bombarding the eye with lots of different things.

0:21:55 > 0:21:57It's probably a good way of designing.

0:22:01 > 0:22:03There are details in the garden

0:22:03 > 0:22:06that hint at Lutyens' and Jekyll's team-work.

0:22:06 > 0:22:10Lutyens left holes in the walls to enable Jekyll to plant them up,

0:22:10 > 0:22:14and a glorious pergola that lures you around the far reaches of the garden.

0:22:16 > 0:22:19I love this pergola. It's about 200 feet long.

0:22:19 > 0:22:22Apparently, it's one of the longest pergolas in the UK.

0:22:22 > 0:22:25And I love the way the lavenders just billow over the paving

0:22:25 > 0:22:27either side of it.

0:22:27 > 0:22:30Just lovely and soft but the eye is drawn through the middle.

0:22:30 > 0:22:33The garden faces onto open countryside,

0:22:33 > 0:22:37cleverly drawing you away from the austere Victorian building.

0:22:37 > 0:22:40However, much of the view is blocked by walling and the pergola,

0:22:40 > 0:22:44but the design allows you glimpses through the gaps and apertures

0:22:44 > 0:22:48that intensify the views beyond.

0:22:48 > 0:22:51You're not quite sure what you'll see until you get there.

0:22:51 > 0:22:54There's always this excitement of what's round the next corner.

0:22:54 > 0:22:57And there you go. Oh, look at that!

0:22:57 > 0:22:58Isn't that just beautiful?

0:22:58 > 0:23:01The lawns either side and the rill right up the middle,

0:23:01 > 0:23:03drawing your eye...

0:23:03 > 0:23:07And you're not disappointed when your eye gets there, that's the thing.

0:23:08 > 0:23:12It's exciting to walk around this garden as it twists and turns

0:23:12 > 0:23:13and delights.

0:23:13 > 0:23:16And it's a confident design by two people

0:23:16 > 0:23:18at the height of their creativity.

0:23:19 > 0:23:24Every time I come here, it gets my gardening blood flowing.

0:23:24 > 0:23:26It's fantastic and I love it.

0:23:33 > 0:23:35I love Hestercombe, too,

0:23:35 > 0:23:39and I do feel that Lutyens is one of the great unsung heroes

0:23:39 > 0:23:40of garden design.

0:23:40 > 0:23:43And I bet he never dug his own garden!

0:23:44 > 0:23:48And I'm digging the beds for the white garden...

0:23:49 > 0:23:52..which will be planted up this autumn and next spring.

0:23:53 > 0:23:57But preparing the soil is the key to it.

0:23:57 > 0:23:59Your plants are only as good as the soil,

0:23:59 > 0:24:03so that the better you can get it, the better the plants will be.

0:24:03 > 0:24:05It's really a very simple equation.

0:24:05 > 0:24:08But of course, you can't change your soil. It has a character.

0:24:08 > 0:24:11And it's important to know what it's like,

0:24:11 > 0:24:14and digging is certainly a very good way of finding out.

0:24:14 > 0:24:19This is a clay loam. As far as I know, it's never been dug before.

0:24:20 > 0:24:21So it needs breaking up

0:24:21 > 0:24:25because it's the structure that matters more than the facility.

0:24:27 > 0:24:30See, look, this has come away in a slab.

0:24:30 > 0:24:35So my soil is fundamentally clay that holds together

0:24:35 > 0:24:38and if I drop it, it won't break apart much.

0:24:39 > 0:24:41In fact, if I leave that all winter,

0:24:41 > 0:24:44the rain and the cold and the wind will break it down

0:24:44 > 0:24:48and you'll be amazed how next March or April,

0:24:48 > 0:24:51that'll be lovely, crumbly tilth.

0:24:51 > 0:24:55But if you're not certain how to tell, take a handful of soil,

0:24:55 > 0:24:58and first of all, hold it in your hand, toss it about.

0:24:58 > 0:25:01If it holds together, it's likely to be clay.

0:25:01 > 0:25:03If it was a sandy soil, it would break up.

0:25:03 > 0:25:06I have to really squeeze that to break it.

0:25:06 > 0:25:08Now, this is a clay loam,

0:25:08 > 0:25:12which means it's fundamentally clay but it's mixed in with humus.

0:25:12 > 0:25:16It's good soil. It's nice stuff. It does tend to be a bit heavy.

0:25:16 > 0:25:20If it was a sandy loam it would break up.

0:25:20 > 0:25:22The particles would be really big

0:25:22 > 0:25:24and the danger of that soil is all the water,

0:25:24 > 0:25:28all the goodness, can just leach through it,

0:25:28 > 0:25:32like a sieve. It just pours down, out of reach of the plants.

0:25:32 > 0:25:35So what you need to do then is to open it up,

0:25:35 > 0:25:37add masses of organic matter,

0:25:37 > 0:25:40and that holds it and gives it structure and substance.

0:25:40 > 0:25:45If it's a very heavy clay the water and the roots can't get in.

0:25:45 > 0:25:47It's a solid mass. Go on, move yourself!

0:25:48 > 0:25:50It literally becomes impenetrable.

0:25:50 > 0:25:52That becomes solid and hard,

0:25:52 > 0:25:56so we need to break it up, add organic matter

0:25:56 > 0:25:57so it's loose and open.

0:25:57 > 0:25:59And that's the real purpose of digging.

0:25:59 > 0:26:01Get the structure of the soil right

0:26:01 > 0:26:04regardless of what its basic character is.

0:26:06 > 0:26:08Using a spade...

0:26:09 > 0:26:13..is a beautifully fine-tuned business.

0:26:13 > 0:26:15Quite hard work digging this clay!

0:26:15 > 0:26:19This one, which I love and I've had about 20 years,

0:26:19 > 0:26:22is a good example of how the angles all work,

0:26:22 > 0:26:24so you put it in so it's upright

0:26:24 > 0:26:28and automatically that leans the handle away from you.

0:26:28 > 0:26:32And then when you put your foot on it, all the force is going down,

0:26:32 > 0:26:34so you go down like that and it goes down easily.

0:26:34 > 0:26:37And then in this case you pull it out,

0:26:37 > 0:26:38chop down that way,

0:26:38 > 0:26:41hardly any effort.

0:26:41 > 0:26:44Again, put it down straight and just pull it back towards you

0:26:44 > 0:26:46and the soil levers out.

0:26:46 > 0:26:47And that's easy.

0:27:02 > 0:27:03A few weeks ago,

0:27:03 > 0:27:06I showed you the effects of blight in this greenhouse.

0:27:06 > 0:27:08Never had blight here before, and funnily enough,

0:27:08 > 0:27:11it hasn't affected the other greenhouse

0:27:11 > 0:27:13where the tomatoes are absolutely fine.

0:27:13 > 0:27:15However, I had to pull all these out.

0:27:15 > 0:27:18We salvaged a lot of the tomatoes but others had to be burnt, too.

0:27:18 > 0:27:22Now, I've had lots of letters. This is Ron Taylor, "sincerely stressed".

0:27:22 > 0:27:24Kim Bull in Chichester.

0:27:24 > 0:27:27We've got John Rich, and they've all asked the same thing.

0:27:27 > 0:27:31How do they deal with the soil or the compost

0:27:31 > 0:27:34after you've got rid of blighted tomatoes?

0:27:34 > 0:27:38The truth is, there's not too much to worry about

0:27:38 > 0:27:42because the blight will only go on living in the soil or compost

0:27:42 > 0:27:46in living organisms, and that means tomatoes or potatoes.

0:27:46 > 0:27:48No risk of tomatoes going on living in the soil.

0:27:48 > 0:27:51There is potatoes. If you're growing potatoes,

0:27:51 > 0:27:53you do need to get rid of every scrap

0:27:53 > 0:27:55and not grow potatoes there next year.

0:27:55 > 0:27:57But tomatoes in a greenhouse,

0:27:57 > 0:28:01very, very small risk of the spores living on till next spring.

0:28:01 > 0:28:06I shall be sowing a salad crop in here and putting in plugs

0:28:06 > 0:28:08because it doesn't transmit to anything other than

0:28:08 > 0:28:10tomatoes or potatoes.

0:28:10 > 0:28:13Next spring, I'll probably change the soil

0:28:13 > 0:28:16but that's a good idea to do in a greenhouse every three years or so,

0:28:16 > 0:28:19to stop the build-up of viruses.

0:28:19 > 0:28:22And I'll also give it a good scrub. But don't worry.

0:28:22 > 0:28:25It's not going to lurk in your soil over winter

0:28:25 > 0:28:26and then destroy next year's crop.

0:28:26 > 0:28:28That's it for this week.

0:28:28 > 0:28:32Next week I shan't be at Long Meadow as we are doing an RHS special.

0:28:32 > 0:28:35I'll be down at Wisley, Carol will be up at Harlow Carr.

0:28:35 > 0:28:38So we'll see you at our normal time then. Bye-bye.

0:28:40 > 0:28:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd