0:00:11 > 0:00:13Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18It's not often that planting plans exceed one's expectations
0:00:18 > 0:00:22but it has done here, for me anyway, in the lime walk.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23It's always been white in the past,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27but I wanted to introduce yellow into it.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30So we've added Nicholas Heyek, which is an off-white, ivory colour
0:00:30 > 0:00:34to the White Triumphator tulips
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and also lined it with a primrose yellow wallflower.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40The whole thing is very simple, quite muted,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44but really sings in early spring.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46I'm very, very pleased with it.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51I shall be spending most of tonight's programme in the pond
0:00:51 > 0:00:55but I shan't be alone because Rachel is coming to join me
0:00:55 > 0:00:58at Long Meadow to help me plant it up with marginal plants.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Carol celebrates euphorbias
0:01:01 > 0:01:04and meets an allotment holder in Yorkshire that just can't seem
0:01:04 > 0:01:05to get enough of them.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Where ever you are, are you constantly thinking about euphorbias?
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I'm a euphorbia freak, you know...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Euphoric about euphorbias just doesn't say it.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16Is that a lawn?
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And Joe visits the garden of a fellow designer,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23which, although it's right in the centre of London,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26feels as though it could be in the middle of the country.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Oh! See I wasn't expecting this at all.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49This is where we've got to.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51I'm very, very impressed, I must say.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53The stones are looking great.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55It sort of beginning to blend in.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Already, the stonework is beautiful.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00I love the way you've done it. It's irregular, it looks natural.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04What I really need now is to get plants. I've got a load of plants.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07- They will need potting up.- OK. - Ready for putting in the water.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11If I tog up ready to go in the water, if you could pot up,
0:02:11 > 0:02:12between us we'll do it.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18He's got a good selection of plants here, very nice.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21We've got gravel, we've got these aquatic planting baskets,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23obviously with holes in.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Here we've got these fabric planters as well.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I think if we're going to start with something that goes in a bit deeper
0:02:29 > 0:02:35like the iris here, then we're going to need a fairly deep basket.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36Yep, that looks about right.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41So, we're just going to put a layer of gravel here in the bottom.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45The thinking used to be, and certainly I was taught,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48that when you were planting marginals
0:02:48 > 0:02:53into these sort of baskets, that you would use an aquatic loam
0:02:53 > 0:02:56which had very low nutrient levels
0:02:56 > 0:03:00but, nevertheless, some of that still does seep through into the water
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and you get that algal bloom that isn't very desirable.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06That goes in there, and the new thinking,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and this is backed up by the charity Pond Conservation,
0:03:09 > 0:03:14if that you simply use the gravel or grit. That just goes around it.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17The other thing is that this is much heavier than the loam.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21It really acts as good ballast.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24It makes sure that once that basket's in,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27it's not going to move around.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Great.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31That's ready to go in. It's such a lovely plant as well.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It's our native iris,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36flag iris, Iris pseudocorus.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Bright yellow, it's a bit of a thug though. It's very invasive
0:03:40 > 0:03:44so putting them in a basket like this is also a good idea, for that reason.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Right, how's that for fancy pants?
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Wow! I wish I could whistle.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00I would if I could!
0:04:00 > 0:04:01- First one.- Yeah.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06All right, OK?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08All right, here we go.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12Perfect.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Now a marginal plant is one
0:04:15 > 0:04:18that is adapted to growing in shallow water,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22which means it can spend its life underwater all the time
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and it can be out of the water, some of the time.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Fundamentally, its roots are in water
0:04:29 > 0:04:31and the actual plant grows up out of it.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33An iris is a perfect example.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36By having marginals on ledges around the outside,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I'm softening it and you get this flow, this direct link
0:04:40 > 0:04:43that's unbroken from the water through to the border.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49A pond will bring in a rich diversity of wildlife to any garden.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Marginal plants are the key for this to thrive and flourish.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Now this is Caltha, a beautiful, beautiful marginal plant.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05I'm going to put this hopefully in a shallow area,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07just there.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10One of the first plants to flower of the marginal plants,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14a native, and that really has vibrant colour.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17So we're starting to build the ideas about colour,
0:05:17 > 0:05:18as well as shape and form.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Whoops! There we go.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24To stock a pool, particularly quite a big one like this, you need
0:05:24 > 0:05:28a certain amount of plants to make it look like anything at all.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Not many of these plants can you grow from seed.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35You need to buy your initial stock. But they last.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Once you've got the basis, it starts to look good
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and then you can divide them later and develop more plants
0:05:42 > 0:05:44and then in time it can develop.
0:05:47 > 0:05:48Right, thanks very much.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Now I know this as Scirpus
0:05:51 > 0:05:54although it has apparently changed its name,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56as so many plants seem to do.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Whatever you call it, it has the same effect,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03these lovely porcupine-bounded stripes and they give good verticals
0:06:03 > 0:06:05because it's all a bit horizontal and flat at the moment.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09If we get this in here, and I'll put some more with it...
0:06:09 > 0:06:13The effect I want are these spikes coming out of the water
0:06:13 > 0:06:17and that's all part of the process of merging and blending
0:06:17 > 0:06:22the flatness of the water with the uprights of all the plants that will grow up on the outside.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Now, how are you doing over there?
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Good. I'm just planting up some of our native water mints.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31It's absolutely so fragrant.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34As you plant it, you can just smell the leaves, really strong
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and actually you can eat them the same way as normal mint.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41And like garden mint, it's actually very strong growing.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44It sends out these creeping runners and it's very invasive.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Another good reason to have it in the basket.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Very attractive to all sorts of insects and bees,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54a thing of beauty well worth having.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Very smart. Maybe I could put this down this end.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Yes, because you've got it starting to look really nice there.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05While Rachel and I are paddling around in the pond,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Carol has got her feet firmly on dry land.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12And, she's found glorious euphorbia growing in the wild
0:07:12 > 0:07:17and also an amazing collection in a very unlikely situation.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29Plants that can look after themselves are a huge boon for busy gardeners.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33And there are euphorbias that will thrive in just about every position.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39In woodlands all over the south of England
0:07:39 > 0:07:42are hundreds of colonies of this native stalwart.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47Euphorbia is one of the biggest genus in the world
0:07:47 > 0:07:51but of it, only about 140 species
0:07:51 > 0:07:54can be grown under our garden conditions.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57We've got our own wild forms of it, of course.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01This beautiful Euphorbia amygdaloides, the wood spurge.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04You've probably seen it as you've been whizzing by.
0:08:04 > 0:08:10It lines road verges and tumbles up and down the woods.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12It's a magnificent plant.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16First of all, in the spring, these stems emerge
0:08:16 > 0:08:19with these whirls of symmetrical leaves right the way up
0:08:19 > 0:08:23and gradually the flower stem is thrust from them.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26It's like a crosier - it leans its head
0:08:26 > 0:08:30and then gradually it stands up straight
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and these big, vivid bracks come out.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36They're there to announce its presence, not to us,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40but to the insects that it needs to pollinate it.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The flowers themselves are contained deep within.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46They're tiny, minute.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48What a glorious sight it is.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Euphorbias' cultivated cousins are to be found in gardens
0:08:53 > 0:08:55all over the country.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58But where better to savour the delight of euphorbias
0:08:58 > 0:09:01than by visiting a national collection?
0:09:01 > 0:09:04This one has such an unlikely home
0:09:04 > 0:09:06on an allotment just outside Sheffield.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Here you'll find 134 different species and cultivars
0:09:11 > 0:09:14that have been collected and lovingly nurtured
0:09:14 > 0:09:17by retired teacher Don Witton.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21It's a beautiful, Don, it really is lovely.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24But, what were the first euphorbias you ever grew?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Well, they're here Carol, the first two I got, both freebies.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Being a Yorkshireman, "owt for nowt" is our name for it.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Euphorbia robbiae with its deep evergreen foliage
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and Euphorbia cyparissias, the dainty one that takes over.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39- It's a thug!- They are both thugs!
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I say, it wasn't love at first sight, obviously.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45But when I realised the two different foliages
0:09:45 > 0:09:47were part of the same genus, I was fascinated.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- You got hooked.- I got hooked.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52As they say, I started tracking them down all over Britain, really.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And wherever you are, are you constantly thinking about euphorbias?
0:09:56 > 0:09:58I'm a euphorbia freak.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02You know, it's... euphoric about euphorbias just doesn't say it.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08There's a euphorbia for every part of the garden,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11whether it's sunny rockery, screening or evergreen.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Half the collection are evergreen, the other half are deciduous, die down for the winter.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Part of the 130 I've got...
0:10:17 > 0:10:20You've a beautiful Euphorbia myrsinites over there
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and that's one...
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- It's a hillside spurge. - I've seen it.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30My euphorbia passion has taken me all over Europe to see them
0:10:30 > 0:10:31in the wild.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34I've seen them growing out of cracks in rocks and all sorts of things.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38And, when they grow in my soil, they think they're having a birthday.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42As euphorbias can be quite promiscuous, Don takes cuttings
0:10:42 > 0:10:47to maintain the integrity of this national collection.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Because of the toxic nature of the sap, it's a good idea to wear gloves.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Don dips the cuttings in a hormone rooting powder
0:10:54 > 0:10:57to encourage them to develop roots.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02One of his top tips is always to leave the cuttings uncovered.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06If you had to recommend, say three...
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- It's horrible, that. - Carol, that's a devil of a job.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- It's like saying, "What's your favourite plant?"- Yeah. - It's an awful question.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- It's got to be... The polychroma's still my favourite species.- Yeah.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Midas is my favourite one.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Euphorbia polychroma 'Midas' - it's got the Midas touch.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- It's beautiful.- It's going to continue growing for another month
0:11:24 > 0:11:26and just swamp itself in those acid bracks.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30If that's your best of the best, what else do you like?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32If I had to list the next one, it'd be another deciduous form,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36one from the Himalayas, that will be flowering at the end of June and July over there.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- It's got fabulous foliage, as you can see.- Oh!
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- You want to know its name, don't you?- Yeah.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43It's Euphorbia donii.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46I'm afraid, just like this Don isn't,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49it's strong and handsome and upright and well-behaved.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50- And upright?- Yes.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- Is it well-behaved? - It is, a nice clumper, nice clumper.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56You won't get seedlings, it certainly doesn't run.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59What about some of the ones that are like our native one,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01what about forms of amygdaloides?
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I've got the red leaf version over there,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06that looks absolutely fabulous at the minute.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09I do have one to like Euphorbia cyparissias that we let loose.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Well, you don't have any choice with that, do you?
0:12:12 > 0:12:16- It goes exactly where it wants to. - It's a mischievous little rascal.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20You name a garden situation
0:12:20 > 0:12:23and I can tell you a euphorbia that will slot in there.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Dry, shade, full sun, swamps, spurge...
0:12:26 > 0:12:29You know what, you could probably tell me several.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Yeah. I probably...
0:12:31 > 0:12:34How did you guess, Carol?
0:12:34 > 0:12:38And for Don's list of euphorbias for all sites and situations,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41go to our website.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Don's divine allotment demonstrates
0:12:44 > 0:12:49the diversity and usefulness of this broad-ranging species.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52There's everything from our native wood spurge
0:12:52 > 0:12:57that loves the shade, through to great towering Mediterranean beauties
0:12:57 > 0:13:01and exotic species from the Himalayas.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04And it's not as though this is the end of it.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07At the moment, you can see bare soil here
0:13:07 > 0:13:09but you give it a couple of months
0:13:09 > 0:13:14and this whole thing will have exploded into this bounty of growth
0:13:14 > 0:13:18and what's more, it will go on looking wonderful,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22euphorbias providing their beauty right the way through
0:13:22 > 0:13:23to the end of the autumn.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Now, you can go and see Don's collection of euphorbiae
0:13:34 > 0:13:37because he's got an open day on May 6th.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40If you go to our website, you'll get all the details.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43I confess I have a connection to Euphorbia donii, too,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46because it was named by a forebear of mine,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50a botanist called David Don, from Forfar in Scotland.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53But it's not my favourite euphorbia at the moment.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56This must go to this one here,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea' which, in this position,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04in the Jewel Garden, is just doing it stuff fantastically.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07The best plant in the garden at the moment, I think.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10The Jewel Garden is swelling, but one of the things
0:14:10 > 0:14:15that I'm slightly concerned about, for June, is the absence of poppies.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18If you remember, last year we had masses of poppies in here.
0:14:18 > 0:14:24But we mulched thickly this February, a really good layer of mushroom compost.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28One of the things that mulch does, as well as suppress weeds,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31is suppress seedlings that you want.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33There are some poppies there but what I'm going to do
0:14:33 > 0:14:35is sow some seed on top of the mulch
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and those should germinate and give us a display,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42slightly later than otherwise but it should still work.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I've kept poppy seeds from last year.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48I selected the flowerheads that I thought were particularly attractive
0:14:48 > 0:14:52and tied a ribbon around them and you can see
0:14:52 > 0:14:55there are hundreds, if not thousands, of seeds
0:14:55 > 0:14:57from one seed pod.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Now the poppies will do their thing.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Nothing else I have to do with that, at all.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29But there are other plants that will make the garden
0:15:29 > 0:15:31filled with flower later in the summer
0:15:31 > 0:15:33that need a bit of planning and sorting out.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37I grow lilies in pots, as well as the borders
0:15:37 > 0:15:42and last year I planted up these pots and they looked fantastic
0:15:42 > 0:15:44but they didn't flower for months after planting.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47This year, I thought I would try a different tactic
0:15:47 > 0:15:51and plant my lilies in plastic pots and then plunge them.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Of course, it doesn't have to be lilies.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Anything you're growing that is going to go into a container
0:15:55 > 0:15:58or a border that will flower later in the year,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01but needs growing on, can be grown in this way.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Not only do I put them into plastic pots, but also plastic mesh pots.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09The same ones as we're using for marginal plants in the pond.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12I've lined it with newspaper and as the bulb put out roots,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16these roots will work their way through and they can grow through.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Just the small feeding roots.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21So crocks in the bottom, so you've got good drainage.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24And lilies are woodland plants.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27It's a good idea when you're potting something up
0:16:27 > 0:16:31to replicate the growing conditions that they get in the wild, if you can.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33That's simple enough. I've just added leaf mould
0:16:33 > 0:16:35to normal potting compost.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37If you haven't got leaf mould, a bark-based compost
0:16:37 > 0:16:39or a bit of a vermiculite, perlite, chippings,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43anything that loosens it and opens it out.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48That'll sit in there. Then cover it over with more compost.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55There you are, a beautiful terracotta pot, beautiful lilies
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and it could be any other summer-flowering bulb,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59looking great together.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01When the lilies have finished,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03which will be around about the end of July, I lift the inner pot out
0:17:03 > 0:17:07and then I can replant the terracotta pot.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11I'm getting maximum value from both the container and the flower.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Now, Joe has been giving us his design masterclass over the last few weeks
0:17:15 > 0:17:19and now he's going to concentrate on mastering his own design
0:17:19 > 0:17:23for his Chelsea show garden, so we shan't be seeing him until after Chelsea.
0:17:23 > 0:17:29But, last week, he went along to see the garden of a fellow designer in the heart of London.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Charles Rutherford is an architect
0:17:37 > 0:17:40and the newly elected chairman of the Society Of Garden Designers.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43So you might think his own garden would have a precise,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47carefully constructed designer look.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49That's not the case.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51What he's created is a plant-filled oasis
0:17:51 > 0:17:54that's a real contrast to the city.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- I've come on a good day, haven't I? Look at the light.- Isn't it perfect?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03With this, what I was really trying to create was
0:18:03 > 0:18:07an immediate impact of a break between
0:18:07 > 0:18:11house and city and garden.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16So, this is really a small evocation of a woodland garden.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17Yeah, it's absolutely gorgeous.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I love the laburnum holding the whole area together, in a way,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23giving a canopy over the top, a great sculptural form.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25It's a beautiful form, isn't it?
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I love the colours as well, the tulips and the wallflowers
0:18:28 > 0:18:30and then... Forsythia?
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Sorry, it's not one of my favourite plants. Especially when it's backlit like that.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- It's beautiful. - It is absolutely gorgeous.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Then this quite strong boundary as well.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41It's a very strong division, isn't it?
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I wanted to make these very different gardens.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- Is that a lawn running through there? - It is unexpectedly a lawn.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50In a small space, the lawn is quite impractical.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Any introduction of a hard surface would emphasise
0:18:53 > 0:18:56the fact that it is quite a small space,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59whereas in a sense here, there is a sense of being able to dream.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07It's not just in small spaces that Charles resists the use of hard landscaping.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09In the larger section of his garden,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12the only hint of his architectural background was his domed greenhouse.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16There's barely a brick or a paving stone to be seen.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17Ah!
0:19:17 > 0:19:19See, I wasn't expecting this at all.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24There's very little hard landscaping in the huge proportion of plants.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28The paving that's here is absolutely to the minimum.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29- but the majority of it is planting. - it is.
0:19:29 > 0:19:35Tulips, at the moment, we step over apples and tree peonies
0:19:35 > 0:19:36and lots of colour.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38It must just keep going and from now on in...
0:19:38 > 0:19:43- It is, it's solid colour right through to the autumn.- Yeah.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It's not solid colour everywhere, of course.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48After the tulips, the tree peonies come out,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52- then the herbaceous peonies, then the delphiniums, the Echium pininana.- Of course.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56A really good succession of plants that you've got in this space.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Not every area is in flower all the time.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01To make impact everywhere, well, it's impossible.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04I think, in a way, it might be disappointing in a sense.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08If everything had a full year-round impact,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10you perhaps wouldn't discover parts of the garden.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Charles's naturalistic approach even extends to the landscaping,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19where he's used plant-covered mounds to create different levels.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22At the back, a bull sculpture overlooks the garden
0:20:22 > 0:20:25from a slight height, giving great focus to the space.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Even the seating area, to catch the morning sun, is surrounded by plants.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It's just that one moment of the day,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35it's a really beautiful place to sit.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38It's a great vantage point looking across the garden,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40through the planting from here, as well.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43It gives a completely different perspective on it, doesn't it?
0:20:43 > 0:20:46It uses the maximum length that you can possibly have in the garden, of course.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51I also like the feeling of being in the planting.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55This garden doesn't have a designer look and that's the whole point.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58All these plants create a wonderful lush, dynamic,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02constantly changing space.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06It is something that I've developed over 25 years
0:21:06 > 0:21:08and so it's quite an old garden.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Actually, one of the best moments for me was when that mound,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18which was meant to be stripes, horizontal bands of ceanothus
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and cistus, failed totally,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23when all the cistus decided to migrate to the top of the mound.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Plants do what they want. They live in their way.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27That's what's so exciting to me.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30I think that was what, really, suddenly catapulted me
0:21:30 > 0:21:33into being a plantsman, was the realisation that
0:21:33 > 0:21:37you are working with a living medium that's not completely controllable
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and that does wonderful things.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43And if you'd like to visit Charles's garden,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46it is open to the public on 30th September.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Now I want to build up the planting in this area,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59which is actually the boggiest piece of the garden.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02This is where the pond overflows when we fill it.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04It's also the shadiest bit.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08So ideal for primulas. I love them. I love primulas of all kinds. I haven't got enough.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12So the idea is we use the pond as an excuse to get more primulas.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16And get more, I second that, definitely.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19For gardeners, primulas are really divided into three groups.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21There are primroses and polyanthus
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and that includes our native primrose,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26the Primula vulgaris and also cowslips.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Then there are the auriculas, very beautiful,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34very much favoured by the Victorians and some people still display them
0:22:34 > 0:22:36in an auricula theatre.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Now also the Asiatic primroses
0:22:40 > 0:22:42and that includes the candelabra primulas.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Which is what I'm planting here. This is Primula florindae.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48It comes from the Himalayas
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and it is sometimes called the Tibetan cowslip.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Really big, tall, cowslip yellow plants in July and August
0:22:55 > 0:22:59should look really dramatic and pick up the yellows.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Seeds itself well, so should spread pretty well. It can be invasive, I suppose,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05if such a beautiful thing can be regarded as invasive.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08That's a problem I'll be delighted to deal with in a few years' time.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Exactly. I'd like that problem.
0:23:11 > 0:23:12This is a lovely one.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15This is actually very early in flower, the first one into flower.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19In fact you can see just a few little buds coming through there.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's called 'Postford White'. It's a japonica.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27I think it has that lovely simplicity,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30the white flowers with the golden centre.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33It's that lovely innocence that you get with a primula.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37This third variety I've got is, I can never pronounce this,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39it's Pulver... I'll say it again.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- Pulver... - RACHEL LAUGHS
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Pulverulenta?
0:23:43 > 0:23:45You may laugh!
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- It is the mealy primula.- Easy. - Easy way.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49Easy way.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Pink candelabra primula, never grown it before,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55seen it often in pictures, seen it in gardens.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I want it. I want it in my garden and now I've got it.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Even I can't pronounce its name.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05If you want to learn about plants, and be inspired by them, the thing is to go and see them.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Go and see a collection, see them growing at their best.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12We went to Harlow Carr to see their collection of primulas.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Wow, tends to be the main reaction.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26There is just such a wide range of colours.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Over the years it's just been a collection of the seed
0:24:30 > 0:24:32being scattered and dispersed naturally,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35which has created the Harlow Carr hybrids.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39The reason they're really pale this year is that we've had a dry spring.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42If it had been a wet spring, the colours would be a lot more full on,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45very deep crimson and scarlet colours.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49To grow primulas, you're going to need damp conditions.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52They enjoy partial shade to full sun.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Slightly acidic soils, full of nutrients and goodness.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00We've just top-dressed this bed with our own compost.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01They're loving it.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03A full flourish.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06With primulas, you can sow the seed in the autumn,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09or in the spring, but what I like to do is sow them in the spring
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and bring them on for the following year.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14That way, we can plant out and get an instant impact
0:25:14 > 0:25:16but also we can go through the plants and see what colour
0:25:16 > 0:25:19they're going to flower and we can select out
0:25:19 > 0:25:21a variety of different colours.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Water the compost first.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Then scatter with vermiculite, using a sieve.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Then disperse the seed using a piece of paper
0:25:33 > 0:25:35over the top of the vermiculite.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Once you've done this, then recover with vermiculite
0:25:41 > 0:25:43and put in a cold frame.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Germination time, should be two to three weeks.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Once you've established a display like we have at Harlow Carr,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53to keep it maintained and going, you're going to need
0:25:53 > 0:25:58to let the plants and primulas do what they do best and cross-pollinate
0:25:58 > 0:26:01and just let them do the work and all being well,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05it should look as fantastic as what it does at Harlow Carr.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I've got a few more.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Lovely, you can never have too many, I'd say.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29The great thing about these, of course, is they are easy to divide.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34You know, once they get going, they just rip apart and that works well.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Here are some jobs you can do this weekend.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Last year my squashes and pumpkins were a disaster
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and that was because it was so cold.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49So, hopefully, this year it will be warmer and they'll thrive.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52In any event, now is the time to plant them.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I like to put two seeds in a small pot,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59knowing that I'm going to weed out the lesser of the two.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Cover them with compost and then put them somewhere warm to germinate.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07A window sill will do, but a heated mat, if you've got one, is ideal.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14As soon as your peas appear above the ground,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17it's important to give them something to climb onto.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19You need a large surface area.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23So, traditionally, bean sticks were used
0:27:23 > 0:27:27and I've kept the brash from the coppice which I pruned earlier this year
0:27:27 > 0:27:31but any kind of netting will do the job just as well.
0:27:34 > 0:27:40At this time of year, clematis are putting on masses of new growth
0:27:40 > 0:27:44but at this stage, it's not self-supporting
0:27:44 > 0:27:46so it's important to go around your clematis and sort them out,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50tie them up, untangle them and get them into a good position
0:27:50 > 0:27:53so that the later growth, which is self-supporting,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55will look at its best.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03I think, one of the things I find actually reassuring,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06rather than scary, is this is very much a work in progress.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10- Yes.- It may not come right, you know. Most things don't!
0:28:10 > 0:28:14But the great thing about gardening is they're changeable and adaptable.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- Exactly, you dig them up and move them on somewhere.- Yeah.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21I have to say, Monty, this has made me want my pond absolutely now.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25- You shall have your pond. You shall go to the ball.- I want it right now.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Now, we shan't be here next week because it's snooker
0:28:28 > 0:28:32but Rachel, Carol and myself will be at the Malvern Spring show
0:28:32 > 0:28:34in a fortnight's time.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38- So, we'll see you then. Until then, bye-bye.- Bye.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd