Episode 3 Gardeners' World

Nigel! Nige!

Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.

Now this weekend, everything changes

because on Sunday morning the clocks go forward.

And for me that's the best and biggest weekend

of the entire calendar

because that extra hour of daylight in the evening changes everything.

Go on. And don't smash the prim... Oh!

Come on.

This week Carol is taking her inspiration from the countryside

to show us all how we can make the most of a shady bank.

There are things like primroses, a total delight.

And if you're looking for the perfect evergreen

spring flowering shrub then Rachel may have the answer

because she's visiting a collection of some of the world's oldest and rarest camellias.

It's these japonicas that provide

a touch of glamour on the gloomiest day.

Joe is continuing his series of design masterclasses,

looking this week at paths and patios.

First, he's joining me here at Long Meadow

to give me a hand with my new pond.

-Here we are, Joe. What do you think?

-Oh! Yeah!

It holds the space beautifully, doesn't it? So it's a perfect circle?

It's an absolute circle based upon the line of that path through

there, which is the old path and where we're standing was a border.

I didn't want to the lose the essence of the damp garden,

so the idea is is the pond becomes part of the existing character

of the garden, rather than changing it completely.

'The different levels will provide the conditions for a wide range

'of plants, with the deepest part ideal for waterlilies.

'And the clear water will be spangled with sunlight

'and reflections of the braches.

'The marginal areas will include plants like the bright yellow

'splash of Marsh marigold,

'and the delicacy of flowering rush.

'Both of which will blend well

'with the original planting of the damp garden,

'the whole thing will provide the perfect environment for wildlife.'

What I see in my head is the damp garden

given this extra element of life - reflection and light coming into it.

And formalising it to a degree, the perfect circle formalises

this whole area and adds an element of strong design in there.

That's easy, admiration's easy!

-Now we've got the hard stuff.

-OK, OK. I'm excited about this.

-Can you manage that?

-Yes.

-I'll tell you what, this is heavy.

-Oh, this isn't too bad(!)

'First of all we must put down an underlay which will protect

'the waterproof membrane from being pierced by trees or stones.

'You can use any soft material for this, from sand to old carpet.

'But this manmade textile is very strong, easy to use

'and will last a long time.'

I have a nasty feeling that what we're making

is a glorified swimming pool for Nigel!

THEY LAUGH

'Although they'll be covered smoothing folds in the underlay

'will help to avoid wrinkles in the waterproof liner.'

You're enjoying yourself, aren't you? You just want to roll around in it.

You want to have a nice... loll around, in a comfy way.

Why do you want to fill this with water?

This is a great little suntrap.

-It's a complete suntrap.

-I think I'm getting a tan.

I think it's going to fit this space well, don't you?

You're going to be landscaping around it, aren't you?

Yes, we've got a path to put in and we're got to set it in context,

but I'm enjoying your masterclass.

-Thank you.

-It's good, I like it.

-This week it all about landscaping material.

-That's convenient.

Great garden design is about combining aesthetics

with practical solutions,

Over five weeks I'm taking a close look at six very different real

gardens that beautifully illustrate the principles of good garden design.

And with the help of my sketch book and some of my own ideas,

I'm attempting to explain these principles

and show you how to make your garden a success.

So far I've looked at boundaries and layouts, but choosing the right

surfaces can go a long way to help you achieve the look you're after.

So this week, I'm looking at landscaping.

When it comes to hard surfaces in the garden don't use too many

different materials because it will look cluttered and confused.

I always stick to a maximum of two materials

and try and get them complementary.

So this lovely sandstone terrace here works beautifully,

then the stepping stones through the lawn are the same material as the terrace,

but they're a regular unit adding definition to the lawn

but also very practical.

And then towards the back of the garden, we've got a gravel surface.

It's very economic to put down but it's absolutely

the right choice of material because it complements the stone.

It also bounces the light around in this shady area,

and adds a nice texture too.

Towards the back of the garden we've got the stone again repeated.

So we've got stone, stepping stones and then gravel and then stone,

creating a lovely harmony through the hard surfacing.

'Two different materials used together will create interest.

'I tend to pair up either natural materials or manmade materials.

'Or laying one material in different ways is also a great approach,

'and light coloured surfaces will really lift a dark space.'

There are some simple design techniques which can help

break up a rectangular space.

This path is laid on a slight diagonal,

which creates a dynamic line through the garden and the overall effect

is that it increases the feeling of width in the garden.

But also this path has been cleverly laid,

it's used regular strips of granite,

but they're laid horizontally across the garden so they slow the eye down,

so you can enjoy the planting on either side as you move through it.

'I've got some tips for the size of material to use, for paving stones or slabs,

'and the area into which it will fit nicely.

'Large paving stones can work in both large and small spaces,

''but I tend to only use small units

if they're being used in a smaller space.

'Small tiles are great for fanning out curves and circles.

'And I really like the elegant, sinuous curves

'these long thin tiles give to this path.'

If I'm incorporating a lawn into a garden,

I'll always use a strong geometric shape.

It will look good throughout the year,

help hold the planting around it together,

and also be much easier to maintain - it's more practical.

In this part of the garden there's a rounded lawn

which has got brick edging all the way around it.

Now the brick edging is important because it stops the lawn

changing shape over time, it's a permanent circle.

At the same time, it acts as a mowing edge, you can get the mower out,

mow all the way around it,

nice and clean, no edging, job done.

'Using water as a surface adds a different dimension to a garden.

'There are practical issues and maintenance to consider

'before you introduce it, but I love the versatility of water features.

'You could go for moving water to provide dynamics and flow to the garden.

'Or a different feature could add and air of serenity.

'How it sounds is also really important.'

This pond and fountain work really well.

From the terrace near the house you can hear it, but you can't see it,

so you're intrigued and drawn to this area at the back of the garden,

and when you get here you find this lovely shaded, tranquil space.

Now we've set the ground plan

we need to think of the garden as a three-dimensional space.

So next time we're going to be looking at all the vertical elements.

Now this is a manmade artificial rubberised lining.

The key thing about it, apart from the fact that it will hold water,

is that it is stretchy.

The idea is that as the water goes in,

the material will stretch and smooth out

and we'll get rid of all the wrinkles and pleats and rucks that

we don't want to see,

because once they're there and the water's in,

we can't get rid of them.

Ideally, you do this on a warm day - it's quite mild today -

because it will stretch even more.

And if it's frosty or raining, forget about it, don't do it.

So this is a pretty good day for it.

'Waterproof liners are not cheap

'and often the most expensive part of the pond.

'This one cost £5.50 per square metre, but it is guaranteed

'for 30 years, and it makes sense to invest

'in the best liner you can afford.

'The better it is, the longer it will last.'

And this liner is much bigger than the hole itself,

which is really important.

You have to be as generous as possible.

-We need to have more this way I think, Joe.

-Yes.

-I think it's time to start putting some water in.

-Right.

Now, this is where I'm getting the water for the pond.

It's an enormous rainwater tank that was here when we moved 20 years ago.

Now, I know a lot of people,

especially in the southeast and the east of the country

are in the middle of a drought

and in a couple of weeks' time there's a hosepipe ban.

But if you can collect what rainwater you do have,

you'll be amazed at how much gathers and how quickly,

and you can use that to feed a pond.

-You sure it's on the other end, yeah?

-Yep.

-It's come out now.

But it should be...

When I drop it down there

I suppose it will be a lower level and it will come out.

-OK, I'll feed you in.

-Well!

-Right, how long you got?!

-Have you got a spare bed made up, Monty?

-That should be...

I wasn't planning on being here all week(!)

It's going in with a lot more pressure than that.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-There might be a kink in it.

-There might be.

-Ah!

-Ah-ha!

-Ah, kink.

-There's a knot.

Oh, here we go! I'll make sure it doesn't overflow(!)

-OK. Good...

-MONTY LAUGHS

A big advantage of using rainwater

is it doesn't contain the high levels of nutrients

found in tap water which cause algal bloom.

As a basic rule, if you're filling a pond with tap water,

leave it for two weeks, don't plant it or put any fish in

and just let it settle down.

The wildlife it brings to a small garden - fantastic.

One of the things I love is when the swallows arrive.

They swoop down on the water and just pluck a little bit of water.

It's magical, water is magical in a garden.

-I'm going to let you... It doesn't take two of us!

-I'll manage this.

Leave it to me, Monty.

I've got a few other little things to do.

-I'll come back and see you.

-OK, I'll make sure the liner doesn't kink up.

Now, the Spring Garden is gradually filling up,

BUT there's still a hole

from when the last time Joe was in the garden,

and he helped me take out a holly.

Now, I haven't filled it yet because I've been mulling over the options.

I'd like to have another evergreen, preferably a flowering one

and ideally one that flowers now

so it's in with the rhythm and the flow of the Spring Garden

and all the plants around it.

Now, by far the most obvious option would be a camellia,

the problem is... I don't really get camellias.

They don't strike a chord within me.

I can see objectively they're nice

and I know lots of people like them but they don't quite do it for me.

If you're struggling with a plant,

one of the best things to do is go along and see them at their best,

see a wide range of them in full bloom.

And at Chiswick House, in west London,

they've got a fabulous collection grown under glass.

That's where Rachel has gone this week.

Chiswick House Conservatory, built in 1813,

is home to one of the oldest collections of camellias in the world.

At the time, this was the longest conservatory ever built

and it was used to house fruit - peaches, figs and pineapples,

but once camellias started to flood into Britain from China,

well then it was devoted

to these exquisite and doubtless very expensive plants.

The camellias in the conservatory are very rare and very old.

They're all japonicas that descended from some of the earliest specimens

that came to Britain nearly 200 years ago.

These beautiful camellias here at Chiswick House were nearly lost

when after centuries of neglect and two world wars,

the conservatory was really badly damaged

and some of the plants within it.

Four years ago with lottery funding, the camellias were rejuvenated

and their home carefully restored around them.

Head Gardener Fiona Crumley

was responsible for nursing the plants back to health.

Fiona, how do we know that these camellias are so old?

Because unfortunately, a number of years ago three died,

down at the far end

and the people at the time had the wit to take a section of the trunk

and were able to count the rings

and positively identify exactly how old they are.

So we now know that roughly speaking a trunk size of about this diameter

is somewhere around about 1830.

So these might be some of the original plants

that came in at that time?

Yes, they were coming in with sea captains

and there were lovely, romantic stories of them

arriving here in the UK

and then being distributed to nurserymen for large sums of money.

There was a particularly famous nurseryman at Vauxhall Cross

called Chandler,

and he produced this wonderful catalogue

of the varieties available in 1831.

Elegans is here as are 15 other varieties of that particular period.

Why is this particular collection here at Chiswick so important?

For two reasons.

One - because it represents a collection that is still under glass.

On the whole, once it was discovered that they were hardy,

most people took them out of their glass houses and grew them outside.

Secondly - because it's a lovely demonstration

of varieties of a particular period

in that we know these were planted sort of 1830 to 1850 here,

but for some reason

these have never been adulterated by more modern varieties.

What are the really special plants that you have here?

One of the really special ones is this one, Middlemist's Red

and this was introduced into this country early in the 1800s

and went to a local nurseryman called John Middlemist

who was based at Shepherd's Bush, so not very far from Chiswick at all.

The interesting thing about this one is as far as we know at the moment,

there are only two in the world -

this one here and one in North Island, New Zealand.

Why so few of them?

Well, that's the mystery we've yet to unravel.

It could be cos they're difficult to propagate

but that might have been a key feature

of why it is so rare at the moment.

These stunning cherry-red flowers flecked with white,

belong to Camellia japonica 'Chandleri',

named for the owner of the Vauxhall nursery where it was bred.

Back in 1825 it sold for £5 - that may not sound impressive

but actually it's about £600 in today's money, so an awful lot.

Although many of these camellias date back to the 1830s,

today we have literally hundreds of varieties to choose from.

There are camellias of course that flower at different times of year,

the tea camellia - Sinensis

and the sasanquas which flower from autumn into winter,

but it's these japonicas for me

that flower in January and then through to March

that provide a real hit of colour

and a touch of glamour on the gloomiest day.

Actually, I realise it's the pink that I don't like about camellias,

that combination of glossy green and pink.

However, I do like the white flowers of this one.

This is called Cornish Snow

and it has an elegance and a kind of open, easy charm

that is very attractive.

As I say, it's open - it grows in quite a loose fashion.

It gets quite big, about 15 foot with these small flowers

and in particular, these small leaves,

and therefore it keeps a balance,

and I think it will fit in this spot really well.

Like all camellias, it prefers an acidic soil.

If you're not sure if your garden is suitable, have a look around.

If in your street or your area even there are rhododendrons growing,

pine trees, other camellias, then it will definitely grow.

Just make a simple hole...

and then gently take it out of the pot...

..and pop it in.

Now, when you're choosing a position for a camellia,

it needs a bit of shelter from wind

and above all, does not want to face east.

The problem with that is cos it flowers at this time of year

and if you have an icy night,

bright sunshine in the morning will hit the frozen petals

and burn them off

and then they'll turn a horrible brown and drop off.

So this is facing southwest, which is ideal.

It's protected by these trees from the morning sun

and also from the cold, east wind.

This is hardy to about minus ten...

which means if we get a winter like the last couple,

it won't like it at all.

Let's keep our fingers crossed on that.

Right, let's give this a drink.

Now, I've watered that in well

and it's worth remembering with camellias that they like moist air

and particularly need water in late summer.

A lot of camellias drop their buds, sometimes the following spring

because they were too dry when the buds were forming at the end of summer.

So I'll remember to give this a really good soak in August

and then keep it well watered throughout August, September

and into October.

Now, the final thing to do is to mulch it.

And I'm using bracken, which is ericaceous,

and will help it.

And if you can't get bracken,

use any mulch except for mushroom compost,

which is alkaline.

Never use mushroom compost for ericaceous plants,

like camellias, rhododendrons, or anything like that.

Bracken will do very well,

pine bark is great if you can get that,

but otherwise garden compost or well-rotted manure will do the job.

Perfect, really. A lovely plant.

The predominant feature of Long Meadow is that it's dead flat.

Which makes life easy,

but perhaps not as interesting as it might be.

But I do know that some people find gardening on a steep slope

a bit daunting.

Luckily, Carol is here to tackle that specific problem.

I've had a query, from Ralph and Dorothy Shaw,

who live in the Vale of Clwyd, in Wales.

It's about a steep,

shady slope on the way up to their house.

They want a few interesting solutions,

including some low maintenance plants

that are going to cope with the situation.

Well, here in Devon we're surrounded by inspirational ideas

of just how nature copes with slopes.

Devon is famous for its miles and miles of hedgerows.

And here, where there's a hedge, there's always a great bank.

Just look at this.

All our hedgerows in Devon are built on steep banks.

And although there is stone underneath

there is enough soil here to support all manner

of beautiful shrubs and trees, which actually form the hedges.

And it's composed of so many different plants

that go on right the way through the year.

There are things like primroses, a total delight.

And the closer you look, the more you see.

There are bluebells here that are going to be at their best

in May and June.

Red campion. Celandines which are already beginning to put on a show.

But the whole thing is bound together

by this glorious polypody.

This is one of my favourite ferns.

It runs around and binds all the soil together.

It provides the backbone for this wonderful community of plants.

There is so much inspiration we can take from natural banks

and use in our own gardens.

Back at Glebe I've got my own shaded slope in need of some sprucing up.

So this bank is really quite bare.

Nothing's established here yet.

And it's this that I want to tackle, and fill it with all sorts.

I've got a load of plants here.

I think all these are going to do well.

They're perfectly suited to this sort of situation.

I've got periwinkle.

This one is Vinca minor 'Gertrude Jekyll'.

It's my favourite.

With these dainty white flowers, it will cover that bank.

I've got polypody.

They're going to get established really quick. Straight out of pots.

And there are other ferns, too.

Asplenium, Hart's tongue fern.

With these tall slender leaves, with a slight undulation.

That will adore this sort of place

because it will cope with dry shade,

which is just what it's going to experience on that bank.

But you don't have to buy everything.

There are all sorts of things from the garden

that you can move around and put into there.

Here is a Pulmonaria that has seeded itself in the wrong place.

I think this is just the right place for it.

'One problem with planting on slopes can be subsidence and loose soil.

'But ferns like polypody, with its wide-spreading roots,

'are perfect for binding soil together,

'the same way they do in the wild banks that line the Devon lanes.'

Next, I want to use this lovely little periwinkle.

Now, it's got several sort of crowns on it,

and if you have a look in here

you can see all these places where

individual bits are rooted.

And each of those will make a separate plant.

'This may look brutal,

'but by dividing it up I'm going to get plenty of clumps of periwinkle,

'which, as they creep along the soil, will cover large areas of this bank.

'And just like the primrose we saw in the wild,

'it'll give this slope a splash of colour when it flowers.'

I want plants that are either native or close to native.

This is a purple-y leafed version of wood spurge.

Euphorbia amygdaloides.

And I know for a fact that once it has settled in here

it will not only enjoy living here, but it will seed itself around.

So we should get it actually moving in every direction.

And that's what I'm after.

This nice mingling and mixing.

When you've got a great big bank

and it's grassy and weedy or full of wild flowers,

it's just not a good idea

to try to turn it into something terribly civilised

and that looks very, very cultivated.

A much better solution is probably just to add to it,

to get plugs of wild flowers,

the sort of things that are going to love living in a hedgerow.

'Colonies of snowdrops

'are just coming to the end of their flowering period.

'Now is a great time to lift and divide them.

'They'll be very happy on this slope and flower next winter.

'But you could scatter other wild seed here, such as Welsh poppies,

'that'll add colour and thrive under this canopy.'

I think that's going to work really well.

The thing to remember when you've got a sloping site is,

first of all, choose plants

that are really going to enjoy that sort of situation.

So whether it's sun or shade, choose plants that are appropriate.

And then don't go for things that like to stay in one place,

all those sedentary plants.

Look for things that love to roam around a bit.

Cos they are the plants that will spread their roots, colonise,

and soon turn your bare bank into a tapestry of colour and beauty.

Ralph and Dorothy, I hope that sets things straight.

They are lovely plants, those. I'll tell you a tip,

because I once made a terrible mistake of planting on a bank,

I didn't really have enough plants,

so I put the majority of them at the bottom.

Of course, I should have put them at the top,

because the seed falls downhill,

and spreads much faster.

It's coming on, isn't it?

Yeah, it's filling up, isn't it?

As the pond fills up

we need to fill out as many wrinkles as we can.

But if you're not making a pond this weekend,

here's some other jobs to be getting on with.

Now is the time to prune gooseberries,

redcurrants, and whitecurrants.

But leave blackcurrants till after they've fruited.

The important thing is to create an open goblet of a shape.

Remove any crossing or damaged branches,

and any stems growing inwards.

When you're satisfied you've got a good, strong framework,

reduce new growth by about a third.

Now is a good time to take daily cuttings from the new shoots

from last year's plants.

Use a sharp knife and cut below the surface of the compost.

Doesn't matter if you take a piece of tuber. Strip off the lower leaves

and insert them into a very well-drained potting mix.

Water them and put them in a warm place.

They need to be kept moist and the simplest way to do this

is simply spray them two or three times a day with a mister.

They should root fast and provide you with new plants

that will flower in late summer.

Here you go, Joe, this will keep you going.

-Sustain your labours.

-Lovely. It's a tough job, this, Monty.

-Sitting here!

-Thank goodness you were here today!

Now, that'll fill gradually.

-It will.

-It'll fill!

Certainly be filled by the time we're back next week.

But, see you then,

and enjoy the extra hour of daylight in the garden.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd