0:00:37 > 0:00:40Hello, and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And today, we're at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44Now, this is one of those shows
0:00:44 > 0:00:48that manages to really capture the essence of the season.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52I love it particularly because I come here and meet old friends,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56and make the acquaintance of loads of new plants.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00It's funny, you know. You and I have been coming to the show for years,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and it's my local show and I sort of feel I know it very well,
0:01:03 > 0:01:08but it is extraordinary how one always does find inspiration and see new things.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Yeah, loads of excitement.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Now, Joe can't join us because he's busy with his Chelsea garden,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17and Rachel was due to be with us but, unfortunately, she's unwell.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22So the garden designer James Alexander-Sinclair has stepped into her shoes.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Now, each time I come to Malvern,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I always head straight off to the floral marquee.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32And yesterday, I got in there for a preview before the crowds arrived.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42The great thing about coming in early
0:01:42 > 0:01:44is you get to see the stands being put together and, of course,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48a stand is assembled to look as good as it possibly can do -
0:01:48 > 0:01:52all the plant combinations and the colours are very, very carefully considered.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56And that's exactly what we try and do with our borders,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00so watching how they do it gives me lots of tips and hints
0:02:00 > 0:02:03on how to do it in the garden at home.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05And at Malvern, what I'm looking for in particular
0:02:05 > 0:02:07is a kind of freshness.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Malvern captures spring - and that's the essence that I'm after.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30See, this is what I mean.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34What you get at Malvern is a kind of delicate elegance.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38It doesn't last long - summer blows it away -
0:02:38 > 0:02:41but while it's there, it really is lovely.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44For example, I need my glasses to see this properly,
0:02:44 > 0:02:49but the outlines of this Primula sieboldii 'Lilac Sunbonnet',
0:02:49 > 0:02:52that you need to get close to - you need to look down on -
0:02:52 > 0:02:57and take in them, little piecemeal by piecemeal.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01And it invites a kind of intimacy - you're drawn into it all -
0:03:01 > 0:03:03and that's the very best of it, I think.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Cut flowers don't often get covered in garden shows,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24but they play a really useful role.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27You can go through them all, see the ones you like,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31get their names, ask the growers any tips needed
0:03:31 > 0:03:33about any characteristic of those plants,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36make a note and then order it for your own garden.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40And you know exactly what it will look like, and you can never get that from a picture.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Seeing them in the flesh is the real thing.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51RAIN BEATS ON ROOF
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Tell you what - under canvas is the place to be. It's PELTING down!
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Have a look at these.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05That is a stunning flower!
0:04:05 > 0:04:10And peonies do combine that voluptuousness of tulips
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and the ruffled elegance of roses.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17And I have to say, if nothing else,
0:04:17 > 0:04:18I want to grow more peonies.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20I think they're stunning
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and I can't think why I haven't made more of them in the past.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Now, it's not just about plants here at Malvern.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46There's all kinds of inspiration to be found.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50And I'm going to find mine now from the show gardens.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53And to look at this year's show gardens,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I'm meeting up with an old friend of mine, James Alexander-Sinclair,
0:04:57 > 0:05:02who is not only a renowned garden designer but also an experienced RHS judge.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18James, this is spectacular, as a show garden.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- But would it work as a real garden at home?- It will, up to a point.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25There are certain parameters which you need to buy into.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30What it needs is a really hot, sunny garden with fantastic drainage,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34cos all of these plants will survive where they don't end up with wet feet.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Right, so that's a problem, really. Hence the slope, I guess.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Yeah, hence the slope. Hence the poor soil.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- It's like a Spanish hillside, isn't it, really? - It's actually Cotswold stone,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- which is quite good.- Cotswold stone is excellent.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- It's MADE by these olive trees. - It is. Without the olive trees, it would be nothing.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Without these old, ancient, gnarly olive trees.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58If I go to my garden centre and say I want an old, ancient and particularly gnarly tree,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02- how much is that going to set me back?- The gnarliest of olive trees - one of these big ones -
0:06:02 > 0:06:05is going to set you back about £2,000.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- Right.- But, in the right place, that's £2,000 very well spent.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11It can make a garden.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- Right, this is very, very different. - Completely different.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Now, I know the brief was to make a garden.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- North facing plot...- Yep. - ..modern built...- Yep.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40..and an awkward shape.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Yeah, it's in a little, sort of, funny corner,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45which you often find in new housing developments.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48I think he's done it rather well. What do you think?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Well, I like it. It has a very different ambition to the other garden.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53This is not to wow you and bowl you over.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58But I like the way that it's got really nice, generous structure.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Good oak frame. A small garden doesn't stop you having big ideas.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04The only thing that I am wondering is,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06if this is a north-facing garden and there's no sun,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08why do we need the shade of a pergola?
0:07:08 > 0:07:14Because, I think, it's not there for shade. It's there for privacy.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Because if you've got neighbours to the left and right of you, packed in,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20then all of these climbers will grow across the top of it,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and you've got somewhere where you cannot be overlooked.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25You see, I like the way you have to go round the garden,
0:07:25 > 0:07:26because that makes you see it all.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31The truth is, we know, you pop out, sit down, you forget something.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- We're going to do this, aren't we? - Yes! So if I had a criticism,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38you either need to block the route or make it accessible.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I think a straight line, you link this paving to that paving, it would work very nicely.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55This garden is bigger than most show gardens,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58but it's got some nice ideas you can apply to garden of any size.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02The most obvious is this structure. It's essentially a pergola.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05But they've used two things which I think transforms it.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08They've used really nice materials. It's green oak,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12and by using green oak, it makes it something that's going to last.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It's beautiful in its own right. The second thing is it's witty.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17It's a large structure
0:08:17 > 0:08:21which they've made look like the skeleton of a cruck-frame barn.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23It feels like a building.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27I also really like the way the water works in relation to the path.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28You've got a formal pond there,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31the water runs down from it to a wildlife pond.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35It crosses the path here. On one level, that's a glorified gutter.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40But actually, just a few feet of a narrow rill crossing a path
0:08:40 > 0:08:43gives you all the texture and sound of water
0:08:43 > 0:08:47whilst accommodating it into any garden of any size.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Nobody could accuse this garden of not having enough planting.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07This is perfect show garden planting, not an inch of soil is visible.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- And really, really good quality plants.- They're lovely, aren't they?
0:09:10 > 0:09:12And the detail is really good.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14There's nothing you can see
0:09:14 > 0:09:17that could be made better in any way.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19It's the things you look for when you're a judge.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21It's the quality of the joints,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24the way the water is exactly the right level for the paving,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27the way it's been cut out nicely, it is spot-on.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32That means the execution is really good. Do we like it? I do.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35There's a lot of nice things here that you can take away.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40- I like the sort of generosity of it. - It's a slight looseness as well.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44It's supposed to be a garden for relaxing in after work.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46It's got a really good circulation to it.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49We're coming slowly back to where we began without really noticing.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54And also, there is this one main feature that immediately stands out,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56which is the fern wall.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Which is spectacular, unusual, and extraordinarily effective.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03It works, doesn't it? So no surprise that this is best in show.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05No surprise at all.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Whilst the show gardens are undoubtedly a draw,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34lots of people come to Malvern for the shopping.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36And there's everything here.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40From inexpensive plants to hand-crafted garden buildings,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42with a sliding scale of price tags to match.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46So, Carol and James have hit the stores.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49To James, on his fantasy shopping spree, money is no object.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Whilst Carol is feeling frugal, looking for plants that with a bit of know-how
0:10:55 > 0:10:59can bulk up your borders for a little more than a few quid.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03What Malvern's about to me is plants, plants, more plants.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Do you know, at Malvern last year, there were almost 85,000 visitors.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12And the average spend was about £96.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15But what I really want to find out about
0:11:15 > 0:11:18is how to make more plants for your pennies.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27At this time of the year,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31one of the best ways of increasing your plants is by taking cuttings.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36Nothing's better than these perennial wallflowers, Erysimums.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39But this is a really favourite one, Bowles's Mauve.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41And if you pick up one of these plants,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46already you can see all these little side shoots starting to emerge.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48And when you take this home,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51if you're brave enough to take off those first flowers,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54it will bring on those side shoots. In a couple of weeks' time,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57you can just push down those little cuttings,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00put them round the edge of a clay pot in gritty compost,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05and in a few weeks' time you'll have a whole host of new plants.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10Of course, if the object of the exercise is to grow lots of plants,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13large numbers, then nothing beats seed.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17With Aquilegias, that's always the best way of growing them.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21What's so exciting is, you're never quite sure what you're going to get.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23There are no guarantees.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26But as you see your seedlings emerge, grow up, come into bud,
0:12:26 > 0:12:31the anticipation of the flowers you're going to behold is wonderful.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Probably the easiest and the most straightforward way of propagating plants
0:12:45 > 0:12:47is to divide them.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51It's the only way, really, to propagate this plant.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55This is an ornamental rhubarb, called Rheum 'Ace of Hearts'.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And you grow it for this splendid colour on the back of the leaves.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Once your plant's established, in a couple of years,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03it will have made a big clump.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07You just take a sharp spade, nothing could be easier.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Shove it into the middle, down with your foot,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and take a piece off and replant it.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14And off it goes.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19Ooh! What a beauty! And just look at this.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Now, Geranium sanguineum is propagated from root cuttings.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27And if you take this big chunk of root out
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and you chop it up in chunks about two inches long,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34plonk them on the top of a little seed tray with good compost in,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37and put a bit of grit on the top,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39each one of the nodules all along this root
0:13:39 > 0:13:41will actually produce a new shoot.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44And you'll have miles more plants.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54And that's the thing.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Once you've paid for your plant, you can take it home
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and whether you're going to divide it, take cuttings from it
0:14:01 > 0:14:04or gather seed from it, there's nothing else to pay.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I'm going to be looking at things that are indulgently expensive,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20so if you happen to have won the lottery and you're here at Malvern
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and you want some instant impact, I can offer you...this.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29This is the Himalayan birch. This particular one is 20 years old
0:14:29 > 0:14:34and will set you back a cool 1,500 quid but you will get
0:14:34 > 0:14:36the best birch bark of them all.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38There's one small disadvantage -
0:14:38 > 0:14:41unless you have a very large spade and a very strong back,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43you'll also need one of these...
0:14:43 > 0:14:47a whopping great tree spade.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49And remember, as money is no object,
0:14:49 > 0:14:53these trees are often best planted in groups of seven.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Oi! Over here!
0:14:58 > 0:15:02Every man loves his shed, but if you're feeling a bit flush,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04then this is the creme de la creme of sheds,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06pretty well an extra room to your house.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10In here, you can have almost anything you want,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14you can have wood-burning stoves, tables, desks,
0:15:14 > 0:15:15you can even have...
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Woo! ..a slightly springy bed
0:15:18 > 0:15:22and a fabulous view of your rolling baronial acres out there.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26So, for £12,500, you can have a fully-insulated shepherd's hut
0:15:26 > 0:15:29from which you may watch over your flock
0:15:29 > 0:15:31or escape from your entire family.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54If you want to splash some cash on a serious window box,
0:15:54 > 0:15:55then how about this?
0:15:55 > 0:15:59£3,000 worth of Yorkshire stone. This, once upon a time,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02used to be a drinking trough on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and now it's a small garden.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06You can do this. You need to make sure
0:16:06 > 0:16:09there's enough drainage in the bottom, a few holes,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12fill it up to about here with gravel
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and then you've got enough space to grow things that are small
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and also enough room for something a bit bigger.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19The other way of doing it is, if you look here,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23there's another one without the drainage holes being used as a pond.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Any of these things are interesting and exciting and big enough to make a focal point
0:16:27 > 0:16:31for pretty well any garden. The only problem is,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35if you want this one, you're a bit late - it's been sold.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43You could, of course, blow the whole budget on bulbs.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44This here is...
0:16:46 > 0:16:52This bulb is 20 years old and will set you back about 100 quid
0:16:52 > 0:16:56but, for a mere three quid, you can have one of these.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57It's the same thing
0:16:57 > 0:17:03and this bulb will produce the most glorious, pale-pink, perfectly-scented flower
0:17:03 > 0:17:06to about 1.2 metres and it only costs three quid
0:17:06 > 0:17:11and that makes it the cheapest thing that I've seen all day.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20I have to confess that, even though I obviously love these shows,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24as you walk into a big marquee like this,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27there's always a slight sensation of being overwhelmed.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31I think the key thing is to have some kind of plan,
0:17:31 > 0:17:36even if it's just to buy or see one particular plant
0:17:36 > 0:17:37and then work around that
0:17:37 > 0:17:40so that you don't try and take it all in in one go
0:17:40 > 0:17:42but just let it come to you gradually.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Now, what I'm particularly looking for today
0:18:00 > 0:18:03are plants for dry, shady conditions
0:18:03 > 0:18:07and I know that what will fit that bill are ferns.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10The truth is, ferns are not a glamorous plant
0:18:10 > 0:18:12but where they are in the right place,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14they can look absolutely fantastic.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Most ferns prefer rather damp conditions, particularly moist air,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23but there are a handful that are absolutely right
0:18:23 > 0:18:26for deep, dark, dry shade.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28I'm certainly going to look for those.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29As far as drought goes,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32it may have been raining a lot over the last few weeks,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35but the drought still continues, there are still hosepipe bans
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and they are likely to stay in place for quite a long time yet.
0:18:47 > 0:18:53Now, Tim, I'm looking for ferns that will fulfil a particular brief.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58I've got a couple of really ultra-dry, dark corners.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00I want them to be ferny
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and I also want to have natives, too.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04OK, we can do that,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07because people always talk about ferns for wet areas,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09but there are so many ferns that do well in dry areas.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12The one little clue is that anything that's called Dryopteris,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14beginning DRY, Dryopteris,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- will do really well in a dry spot. - DRY-opteris!- Easy to remember.- Yes.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20The first one I'd recommend is...
0:19:22 > 0:19:26..known as The King, but my fern expert always calls it Elvis
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- because he's a great Elvis fan. - Because Elvis is The King.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Of course! So cristata, The King, is a must.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34That will get to about three feet tall. It's the king of male ferns.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39- Yes.- Moving on from that, if you think about Hart's-tongue ferns,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42everybody sees them in the hedges in Devon, where we're from,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and they're very natural, but there's one called...
0:19:47 > 0:19:50..and it's got a margin on it, it's a little, crispy Hart's-tongue,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52and that'll be fantastic in that area,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56but that's one that people are familiar with because they've seen it in the hedges
0:19:56 > 0:20:00but it's a little bit more interesting, it's more twisty and exciting, it's quite vibrant.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02And then, really, you need to have...
0:20:04 > 0:20:07A great fern, been around for many, many years.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Again, a wonderful British native,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13and one of those plants that has got an AGM, an Award of Garden Merit,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16and will do fantastically well in that situation.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Now, this is the exciting bit for me.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- Let's get the plants together. - OK.- OK.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Getting these into the ground
0:20:32 > 0:20:34is a job I'll really look forward to doing
0:20:34 > 0:20:36and if you're not coming to the show,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39here's some jobs you can get on with in your garden this weekend.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47If, like mine, your strawberries are coming into flower,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51now is a good time to cloche some of them. This will spread your harvest
0:20:51 > 0:20:56by enabling the protected fruit to develop and ripen earlier.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Don't cover up the ends of the cloches as you want to allow access
0:21:03 > 0:21:07for pollinating insects and also keep the plants well ventilated.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17If you leave broad beans un-staked,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21they curl and twist and flop all over the place.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24So support them with a strong stake and string
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and keep them growing upright and, at the very least,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30that makes harvesting a lot easier.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Prick out young seedlings as soon as they're ready.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45You'll know this because they develop a true leaf
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and that's a sign there are roots beneath the soil.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Lift them carefully, taking as much root as possible,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54holding them always by a leaf, cos if you damage the stem,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56then you'll lose the seedling.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01Pot it on into a small pot or a plug so it can grow strongly
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and then be ready to plant out
0:22:03 > 0:22:04in a few weeks' time.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Despite the horrible weather we've had this spring,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21it is getting warmer.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Now is the time to start hardening off plants,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28ready to plant out into their final positions at the end of the month.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Do this by degrees, so first of all put them in a protected place
0:22:32 > 0:22:36and then move them to a more exposed position for at least a week
0:22:36 > 0:22:40before planting, BUT do pay attention
0:22:40 > 0:22:41to the weather forecast.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45There are still chances of frosts in many parts of the country.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10The floral marquee has to be my very favourite bit of the Malvern Show,
0:23:10 > 0:23:15because packed in under this roof are all manner of wondrous plants.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It's a true treasure trove.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21There are plants here from all over the world.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26There are exhibitors from all over the UK,
0:23:26 > 0:23:32including Kevock Garden Plants who have come down from Scotland.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34What wonders they've brought with them,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37including this exquisite...
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Did you ever see anything like that?
0:23:41 > 0:23:42Each of its petals
0:23:42 > 0:23:46are like a piece of washed silk.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49It's absolutely lovely and it's from the high slopes of the Himalayas,
0:23:49 > 0:23:54so it's really enjoying the mist here at Malvern.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57As if that wasn't enough,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01they've even got crosses between that and the little blue Meconopsis,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04called Meconopsis quintuplinervia.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07This, which I've never seen before, is...
0:24:10 > 0:24:13It really is out of this world.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21Of course, Meconopsis have so many different qualities,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23but scent isn't one of them,
0:24:23 > 0:24:24but on this stand
0:24:24 > 0:24:28there are all manner of plants which do have beautiful perfume,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30including, strangely enough,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33some of these dainty little Asiatic primulas,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37but of all the plants on the whole stand,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39this is probably the one with the best perfume.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43This is Zaluzianskya ovata,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45but when I bend down and give it a sniff,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47there's nothing at the moment
0:24:47 > 0:24:51and that's because it waits until dusk descends
0:24:51 > 0:24:55to belt out this perfume in absolute bucket-loads.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57If you look at the plant,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00each flower has got this great, long corolla tube,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03which is the clue to what pollinates it.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08It's moths and, of course, that scent really draws them in.
0:25:10 > 0:25:16Of course, most plants exude their perfume during daylight hours
0:25:16 > 0:25:18and a lot of them need sunshine.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Well, even on this grey day,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23this plant is really pumping out the perfume!
0:25:23 > 0:25:24It's...
0:25:27 > 0:25:29..and it's a member of the pea family.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31It's a legume and you can see that
0:25:31 > 0:25:35when you look at each of these beautiful, pale flowers.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38This is a plant which will continue to flower
0:25:38 > 0:25:40right the way through the year,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43providing you can give it what it wants,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47which is a very, very sunny place and good drainage.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Put it in the right place and it'll belt out that perfume
0:25:50 > 0:25:52right the way through the year.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55A few of the stands
0:25:55 > 0:26:00in the floral marquee are devoted to just one genus of plant,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and you usually find that the people who put on those exhibits
0:26:03 > 0:26:08and run those nurseries are totally addicted to them.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Leila Jackson is just such a person.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Leila, there's just such an enormous range of these plants.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- I only know one or two. - There's a huge range.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25There's 18 different varieties on the stand today, ranging from fully hardy
0:26:25 > 0:26:28to really quite tender varieties that do beautifully in the conservatory.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32- That's how people most associate abutilons, don't they? - Yes, of course they do,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36but the misconception is that they're all tender, but that's not true.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40There's a wonderful range of megapotamicums that are fully hardy.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- That's the ones with the lovely red-and-yellow droopy flowers.- Yes.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Lovely small leaves, small flowers,
0:26:45 > 0:26:46tend to be a good indication
0:26:46 > 0:26:49that they're good and hardy for the garden.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Kentish Belle and Patrick Synge both do extremely well outside.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I wish I was writing their history!
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- And easy to cultivate? - Oh, extremely well, yes.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00They don't mind what soil type.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03They take quite an open soil or quite a solid clay.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05They love the richness of the clay,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08but also sun or shade - they're really quite versatile.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- How long do they flower for?- If you have them in the conservatory,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14you can have 12 months flowering no problem whatsoever.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18But outdoors, they're really going to come into their own end of May,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20flower all the way through to December
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and in a mild winter, we'll also have flowering in January and February.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- That's good enough for me. Abutilons for Christmas.- Oh, yes, definitely.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36Of all the plants I've seen today this has to be THE show-stopper.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37It's...
0:27:38 > 0:27:44It's called that because the flower colour changes from white
0:27:44 > 0:27:46right through to this deep pink.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50You can grow hundreds of plants from just one packet of seed.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54What's more, it's scented of passion fruit.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56What more could you want?
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Well, it's time to go home, get my plants into the ground,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26but the weather forecast this weekend is good,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28so come along to the show and see for yourself.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32I'll be back in the garden next week, so join me then. Bye-bye.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd