0:00:06 > 0:00:09Hello and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Well, it's summer now, so having complained about spring
0:00:12 > 0:00:15for the last few months, we have a chance to complain about summer.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19But it does mean that a lot of plants need moving on
0:00:19 > 0:00:23or else replacing and I'll be looking at tulips
0:00:23 > 0:00:25and how best to deal with those today.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Carol is not complaining at all,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30she's celebrating fabulous rhododendrons in Dorset.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35The whole place is packed full of rarities,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39brought here by generations of plant hunters.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45This weekend there's a special event in London where over 200 gardens
0:00:45 > 0:00:48open up to the public, and Joe has a sneak preview.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50I've lived in London all my life,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and I didn't know some of these gardens even existed.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I shall be planting herbaceous perennials in my cottage garden
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and looking at how to spend your money most wisely
0:00:59 > 0:01:04on these fabulous plants as well as tending to my sweetcorn and carrots.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Just snapping off the seed heads of these tulips.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18I've never known tulips so late, but they are going over
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and they do need attending to.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I know that for a lot of people that is a little bit of an issue.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27In fact, I've had a couple of letters
0:01:27 > 0:01:29of which this is a good representative.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30It's from Nick.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33"What does Monty do with his tulips after flowering?"
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I'm about to tell you, Nick. "I know about letting them die down
0:01:35 > 0:01:37"and drying them before replanting them.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40"But they deteriorate and the flowers are inferior.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44"Is it best to dispose of old bulbs and purchase new ones?"
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Yes and no, is the answer to that.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51Because tulips, when they die down, develop a new bulb.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55If they produce one big enough, that will flower
0:01:55 > 0:01:59but the chances are not as well as any of the tulips you have got.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04What you bought were the absolute pick of the growers' bulbs.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06The bigger the bulb, the better they flower.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09It can take a tulip two, three or even four years to produce
0:02:09 > 0:02:14a big enough bulb to produce the kind of flower you are used to.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16If I left these in the pot here now, and these were rococo,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19fabulous, gorgeous parrot flowers,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23they would not flower so well next year.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26So, if you are growing tulips in pots, always lift them,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29deal with the bulbs, and I'll show you how,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31and buy new bulbs for next year.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34So that answers that question. How do you deal with them?
0:02:34 > 0:02:38You take off the seed heads and lift them out of the pot. There we go.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43Here we are, you see, look.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46There's a nice example of a new one forming.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49That's never going to be big enough to produce a flower for next year.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54It's really important that the leaves and the stem naturally
0:02:54 > 0:02:59die back because that's what's feeding the bulbs.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03These ones are coming out easier.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08What I'm going to do with these, is to store them.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12I could throw them away on the basis
0:03:12 > 0:03:15they won't flower very well for a year or two
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and they've done a gorgeous display and it was worth the money.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20And that's a reasonable way to go about it.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24But actually what I try and do is store them and keep the best.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29I can either store them and dry them and use them as dry bulbs,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33or I can line them out so that next year if any produce flowers,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36I cut them and use them as cut flowers.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I've got some actually in the cottage garden.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40That way you can develop your own stock.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44If you've got space and patience, it may well take three or four years.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47In the short-term I have got a place I'm going to put them.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Store them somewhere dry with natural light,
0:03:52 > 0:03:57wait until the leaves have completely died back
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and remove the stem, clean off any soil from the bulbs
0:04:01 > 0:04:03and they can be planted in the autumn.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08Well, that's the tulips put to bed, but Carol paid a visit
0:04:08 > 0:04:13to Dorset to frankly revel in one of the season's best displays.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16She has gone to the home of the Digby family
0:04:16 > 0:04:19that across the past three generations
0:04:19 > 0:04:23have built up a staggering collection of rhododendrons.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40When you step into the gardens of Minterne House
0:04:40 > 0:04:44it's like entering a whole different world.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45It's almost as though you've woken up
0:04:45 > 0:04:50and found yourself walking along a track in the Himalayas.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53The whole place is packed full of rarities,
0:04:53 > 0:04:58brought here by generations of plant hunters.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05These intrepid explorers risked life and limb.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Men like Joseph Hooker and George Forrest travelled all over
0:05:08 > 0:05:10the Himalayas collecting plants.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Including many of the rhododendrons
0:05:13 > 0:05:16that now decorate this Dorset Valley.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20The Digby family inherited this estate back in the 17th century
0:05:20 > 0:05:26and each generation of obsessive plant collectors has left a legacy.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29The Honourable Henry Digby is keen to maintain the tradition.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32My grandfather, great grandfather
0:05:32 > 0:05:36and my father all sponsored many of the plant hunting trips to China.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40If you are a sponsor or a subscriber, then when the seed came back
0:05:40 > 0:05:42it was given to the sponsoring gardens,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44so we would receive the seed,
0:05:44 > 0:05:49propagate it in the greenhouses and plant it out in the garden.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Some of the rhododendrons brought here are now
0:05:52 > 0:05:54on the edge of extinction in the wild.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58These detailed drawings, a record of Joseph Hooker's 1847 expedition,
0:05:58 > 0:06:03show many of the plants that have found a haven in this garden.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05They are very much technical books,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09although they are beautiful drawings, beautiful prints.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12All the stamens, the seed pods and everything,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16are meticulously copied or painted here.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22Here we are 160 years later and we are actually identifying them...
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- From these descriptions... - ..and from the technical book.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35'Head gardener Ray Abraham's task is to look after this unique
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'collection of historic plants.'
0:06:37 > 0:06:40This looks really special, what's this one?
0:06:40 > 0:06:43This is falconeri that came
0:06:43 > 0:06:46to this garden from the Hooker collection.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50He brought it over here to Minterne Gardens.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52The great thing about plant collectors is
0:06:52 > 0:06:55they love to keep everything secret.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57They didn't like divulging where they got it from,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00even in the Himalayas.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Very often they would shoot at each other in the Himalayas
0:07:04 > 0:07:06if they saw each other across the valley.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Because they did not want anybody else to collect that plant.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15This is just amazing, it is an absolute wall of rhododendrons.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Yes, they grow like this in the wild
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and we try to replicate the way they grow.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27So that they can protect each other because they don't like the wind.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- It obviously works, doesn't it? - Yeah, that's right.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35I understood Dorset was limestone, how do you grow acid-loving plants?
0:07:35 > 0:07:37Our soil is special to this valley.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42This is a natural spring called Lady Abingdon's well.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46This is the nature of the soil here which is green sand.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50All the rhododendrons are grown on this green sand.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55- What is green sand? - Green sand is a very acidic soil,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58through thousands and thousands of years of rotting matter
0:07:58 > 0:08:02and the green sand becomes acidic, if you like,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05as in natural leaf mould.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Because the more acidic nature of it,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10the flowers produce brighter colours.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12And what a dazzling array of colours,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16the towering pink of King George.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18or the compact yellow of wardi.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23In brilliant contrast to the riot of purple augustinii.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29But Ray's not content, he wants to hybridise these amazing plants
0:08:29 > 0:08:32to create even more new varieties.
0:08:32 > 0:08:40The whole idea of this plant is to turn it red in the future.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44- You want this in red? - Everything in red.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48The bottom of the leaves, and the flowers all in red.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49How do you go about it?
0:08:49 > 0:08:51You take pollen from these anthers here,
0:08:51 > 0:08:56and then you transfer that to barbatum,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59the stigma on the barbatum flowers.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05He can hybridise using the pollen of the barbatum right now,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07or store the anthers for use later.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11I can cut the anthers off so I can actually put that in the freezer
0:09:11 > 0:09:15and keep it for a year, then I can transfer the pollen in a year's time
0:09:15 > 0:09:19to a plant that flowers at a different time of year.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22And then create that hybrid.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- So the possibilities are endless, aren't they?- Yes.- How exciting.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31For Henry Digby, one of the joys of this collection
0:09:31 > 0:09:34is that he is able to preserve rare and endangered varieties
0:09:34 > 0:09:38for posterity and make his own mark on the garden.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I'm always thinking three generations ahead, which is
0:09:41 > 0:09:44actually extremely frustrating because whatever you do,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47you're not going to see it in your own lifetime.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I take the view that I'm the beneficiary of what other
0:09:50 > 0:09:52people in my family have done in the past.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56So I can enjoy what they did now, so hopefully the next
0:09:56 > 0:10:01three generations will enjoy what I create now.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04If you still have doubts about the true value of this garden,
0:10:04 > 0:10:09just look at this, the renowned plant hunter George Forrest
0:10:09 > 0:10:12discovered Rhododendron hippophaeoides
0:10:12 > 0:10:14high in the mountains of Sikkim.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18But now this is possibly one of only two or three specimens
0:10:18 > 0:10:21left in the entire world.
0:10:21 > 0:10:27It just shows you the importance of the work that Minterne does
0:10:27 > 0:10:30both in growing these beautiful rhododendrons to perfection
0:10:30 > 0:10:33so we can see them as they are in their natural state,
0:10:33 > 0:10:39but perhaps even more importantly making sure that there is material
0:10:39 > 0:10:45there so they can be propagated and brought back into cultivation.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01I've got some perennials to put in the cottage garden.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Now the cottage garden is evolving, and I am adding in the lovely
0:11:05 > 0:11:07medley, the random mix that comprises
0:11:07 > 0:11:10the heart of any cottage garden.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14So, for example, I have got white carrots here next to a rose,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17we've got pinks growing in a very informal mix.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19So, I need to add the next layer.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24We've got shrubs in and herbaceous perennials do that job brilliantly.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26To make it clear, a herbaceous perennial
0:11:26 > 0:11:29is a plant that dies right back over winter
0:11:29 > 0:11:34and then returns again the next year, sometimes for 10 or 20 years,
0:11:34 > 0:11:39sometimes a bit shorter lived and only for about three or four.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Now, herbaceous perennials are wonderful
0:11:41 > 0:11:43and every garden should have as many as possible.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45The trouble is they can be quite pricey,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47particularly if you're buying a lot.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50If you buy a plant for six, seven, eight pounds
0:11:50 > 0:11:54and you want clumps of three, maybe three or four different types,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57you could spend 100 quid very easily indeed.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01But there are ways of spending your money wisely.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04The first thing to do is look for small plants.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09This is a campanula. Campanula lactiflora Pritchard's variety.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Now it costs under £2.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15And it makes better economic sense to buy three of these
0:12:15 > 0:12:17and plant them in a group
0:12:17 > 0:12:21than to buy one that is three times as large.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24What you will be paying for there, as much as anything else,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26is the nursery man's time.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29They've got to water them, they've got to protect them,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31they've got to re-pot them. That costs money.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Whereas if you let the time happen in your garden,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37you get the benefit of the plant and you get it cheaper,
0:12:37 > 0:12:38so that's tip number one.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41The second thing to do is to buy a large plant,
0:12:41 > 0:12:48as big as possible and divide it and make yourself more plants.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53You could make three, four, five clumps that by next year
0:12:53 > 0:12:55each would be as big as this plant.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Effectively in one year it's cost you a fifth
0:12:58 > 0:13:00of what it otherwise would.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02This is a Michaelmas daisy.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06All you have to do is take it out...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11..and you can see that is pretty pot-bound.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14So, that plant has been in that pot for too long.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Sometimes a really big plant will be going quite cheaply
0:13:18 > 0:13:21because of that, they want to get rid of it.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And we simply break that up and you can use your fingers
0:13:24 > 0:13:27and thumbs, and get in there like that.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And don't worry about damaging the roots too much
0:13:33 > 0:13:37because there's plenty of them, it's inevitable anyway. There we go.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Now, that's two decent-sized plants.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Immediately we have halved the cost of this aster.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48If I wanted to, I could break them down into individual plants,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51each of these will grow,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55I've got what, one, two, three, four, five plants
0:13:55 > 0:13:59just in that clump. I could either plant them individually in the soil,
0:13:59 > 0:14:00or pot them up and grow them on.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05What I'm going to do is plant about four or five asters in here.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Which will stay separate this year,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11but by next year will have made one really big, dramatic clump.
0:14:11 > 0:14:17That way, for the cost of a relatively small plant
0:14:17 > 0:14:20which cost under £7, I've got something that would cost me
0:14:20 > 0:14:22£20, £30 to buy.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Well, there we are, by breaking it up,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42I've got a really big clump that will establish itself this year
0:14:42 > 0:14:44and get better and better over the next few years.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And that's the spirit of cottage gardening.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It is about making the most of limited resources.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Nothing flash but lots of effect without spending a load of money.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Now, you may not be planting herbaceous perennials
0:14:58 > 0:15:01but here are some other things you can get on with this weekend.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06As broad beans grow, they get top-heavy
0:15:06 > 0:15:10and blow over very easily or simply fall under their own weight.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13They don't have tendrils to support themselves by twining
0:15:13 > 0:15:17but all you need to do is give them something to lean on
0:15:17 > 0:15:21and the easiest way to do this is use canes or sticks and some string.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Now is the perfect moment to lift and divide primroses.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Dig up a good-sized clump and break it into as many parts as you wish.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40You can replant it in the same place and it will regrow
0:15:40 > 0:15:44and flower with the same vigour. Or you can establish new sites.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Remember that it is a woodland plant and likes dappled shade
0:15:48 > 0:15:49and moist soil.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Some herbaceous perennials, like this Lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker'
0:15:58 > 0:16:02can grow very strongly and dominate.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05If you cut some of it back by about half,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09it lets light and air into the plants around them.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12It staggers the flowering season of the lysimachia
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and also extends the pollinating season for insects.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Come on then. Come on.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36By far the most dramatic thing in the garden at the moment
0:16:36 > 0:16:37are these alliums.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40This is Purple Sensation
0:16:40 > 0:16:45and in fact we planted 100 bulbs here 15 years ago.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49So most of them are self sown and they do look completely,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53dramatically stunning here at the beginning of June.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56What is surprising is that, if you read any book,
0:16:56 > 0:17:02they will say that alliums need really sharp drainage, blazing sun.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Well, this is heavy Herefordshire clay.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Although it's an open site, it hasn't been blazing.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12But for whatever reason they are happy.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31These are the sweetcorn that I sowed a few weeks ago and you can see
0:17:31 > 0:17:35that they have all germinated successfully and grown really well.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39But they have exhausted the goodness from this seed compost.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And seed compost doesn't need to be rich.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Its sole purpose is for the plant to establish.
0:17:45 > 0:17:52And sweetcorn really needs rich soil, lots of sun and good drainage.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55If you've got that in your garden, these can go straight out.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56If I take one out of its plug,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00you can see that it's got a nice root system.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02That's a perfectly good plant.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05It's starting to get a little bit root-bound so needs moving on.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10But, in this garden where you've got heavy soil and the nights are still
0:18:10 > 0:18:14cold, and if it's cold and wet at the same time, sweetcorn hate that.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16They really, really need heat to thrive.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20So I'm going to put them on and then I will plant them out and I don't know when that will be.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23It could be another month, it could be in a couple of weeks' time.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30I've mixed up a really nutritious mix which is bark-based
0:18:30 > 0:18:35potting compost which I have bought mixed up with sieved garden compost
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and some grit and actually a little bit of leaf mould too.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42The grit gives it better drainage, but the critical thing is
0:18:42 > 0:18:46garden compost is not only giving it more nutrition, but also it's adding
0:18:46 > 0:18:50that bacterial fungal relationship with the soil which is so important.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Just pop the plug in, fill around it and shake it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Don't push and prod the plant in
0:18:59 > 0:19:01because that will just damage the roots.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03That's absolutely fine like that.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Now, although this is a very busy time of year,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16it is worth finding time to go and visit other gardens.
0:19:16 > 0:19:22You always come back with something that will improve your own garden.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25But London is, although full of gardens,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27not full of many that are accessible to the public.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30But this weekend there is a special event
0:19:30 > 0:19:34where hundreds of gardens are opening up and Joe gets a taster.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46London is packed full of gardens, many of them
0:19:46 > 0:19:51the preserve of the very wealthy and locked away from prying eyes.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Others are hidden gems set amongst the community.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58And this is our chance to find out what is behind these high fences
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and these gates.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Park Square is one of the largest of the traditional garden squares
0:20:06 > 0:20:11opening all over the city. Kevin Powell is the head gardener here.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- This is a treat. - Welcome to Park Square.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- This dates back to the Regency times, doesn't it?- It does, yes.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20So how's that reflected in the design here?
0:20:20 > 0:20:24The idea was to create the country in the urban setting
0:20:24 > 0:20:28as a respite to the hustle and bustle further down in Regent Street.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33The planting design of the time was to have a lot of green with
0:20:33 > 0:20:37definitions, punctuation of the odd spire of colour.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I'm so glad you are opening it and you can get in here.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I've driven past it a million times.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44I've driven pretty much all the way around it but never got in here.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49But it is not just traditional spaces here in London
0:20:49 > 0:20:51that are throwing open their gates to the public.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Garden Barge Square is a unique collection of gardens moored on the Thames.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00This is great. It is what a garden is all about, really.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04A sense of exploration, finding something new at every turn.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09And you are moving from one barge to the other. Good evergreen planting.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11This is Geranium maderense.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14This is not a hardy plant at all, this is from the island of Madeira
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and obviously it has got through the winter completely unscathed.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20It shows what a microclimate they have here.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26These seven barge gardens have been designed by architect Nick Lacey.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31It's quite a challenge to make a garden on a boat, I can tell you.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32Where do you start?
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Well, this was the very first one that we did.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It had been used for dredging, I think,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39so it had some silt in the bottom of it.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41And, bit by bit,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44it began to create its own ecology which was absolutely fascinating.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- Things started growing? - All sorts of things started growing, very surprising things.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53I mean, the obvious things like buddleia but some very unexpected
0:21:53 > 0:21:55things like irises started growing
0:21:55 > 0:22:00and ducks started nesting in it and it was a sort of lovely
0:22:00 > 0:22:06little ecosystem of its own so I decided to kind of formalise
0:22:06 > 0:22:09the thing by doing it in a rather more ordered way.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Your roses are already in flower here and I live just up the road in Hackney
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and mine aren't yet so you are ahead of schedule.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17Well, it is quite mild here.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23I think the river acts as a sort of air conditioning unit in a way.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26It protects us from some of the extremities of the weather.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30- This one is gorgeous.- Yes, so this is one of our orchard barges.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33As you can see, medlars, which have done incredibly well.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37They are very happy. And very productive as well.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40We get a tremendous crop off these in the autumn
0:22:40 > 0:22:44- and lots of lovely medlar jelly. - I'm just so impressed.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46It's a real garden here.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It's got trees, it's got shrubs and perennials and edibles,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51everything you want here, really.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It's amazing how well things do, isn't it?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And down here, am I right that you've got some bees somewhere?
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Indeed we do. Some bees which have turned out to be very happy here.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04They have managed to deal with two big tides a day.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08They go up and down by seven or eight metres, 25 feet.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- And they find their way home. - Indeed they do.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17On the other side of the river is the Lillington
0:23:17 > 0:23:19and Longmoore estate, and urban housing development
0:23:19 > 0:23:23built in the '60s with open spaces in mind.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27They've taken part in Open Garden Squares for eight years now.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Jim Myers looks after the communal spaces.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Jim, this estate is known locally as the Hanging Gardens Of Pimlico.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- That's right.- But there are several gardens within this estate.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Here is the exotic garden and then we've got what
0:23:40 > 0:23:43I call Med beds with the Mediterranean-style planting.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48There is a century garden which deals with smells, feels.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51There is a more woodland-style garden at the far end which is
0:23:51 > 0:23:52left to grow a bit wild.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Yeah, there is a multitude of gardens besides all
0:23:54 > 0:23:57the gardens that people have in their balconies.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Yeah, then you've got the balconies and everybody overlooking it
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and gardening on their rooftop spaces and everything.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04It's fantastic.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Many of Lillington's residents are keen gardeners, including Sancia.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15She was attracted to the estate because of its gardens.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Wow! It's a little paradise in the sky, isn't it?
0:24:18 > 0:24:21- Yes, my little bit of paradise. - You are a bit of a plantaholic, I can tell.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- Yes, yes.- And you've got an orchard at the back here as well. Plenty of trees.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27And lots of fruit as well.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Feels like proper horticulture is going on here,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31it is not just mowing lawns and cutting a few trees back.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34No, the gardeners work so hard and keep them looking great.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38And that was another attraction when I came here.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41There obviously were gardeners all over the place.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48There is a myriad of gardens to experience during this Open Garden Square weekend,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51whether it's Lillington, barge gardens on the Thames
0:24:51 > 0:24:54or traditional squares like Park Crescent.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I've lived in London all my life
0:24:57 > 0:25:00and I didn't know that some of these gardens even existed.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03It just reflects the diversity, not only of horticulture,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05but of the communities that come together
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and get to know each other through gardening.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18The Open Garden Squares weekend means that there are over 200
0:25:18 > 0:25:22gardens open this weekend, many of them normally closed.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25You can get details about all of them from our website.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Now, moving from wonderful gardens that are only open occasionally
0:25:30 > 0:25:33to the everyday task of growing vegetables.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36I've got some carrots growing here and they've germinated
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and are growing up but although I tried to sow them
0:25:39 > 0:25:41as thinly as possible there are the odd clumps
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and they are a little bit thick and I want to thin them.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46The reason why you thin carrots is
0:25:46 > 0:25:50so that the ones that are left behind are a decent size.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53If you have a mass growing together in a clump, they will all be small.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56So if you want them to be a little bit bigger, you need to give them
0:25:56 > 0:25:59a bit more room. The process is dead easy.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01You just sort through them
0:26:01 > 0:26:05and you want to leave about a finger's width between them.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09So start pulling them up gently and you can see the size of carrot
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I'm pulling out is absolutely minute.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15You can do this job at any stage but, like this, the earlier
0:26:15 > 0:26:19I do it, the sooner the other ones left behind will grow.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Now, this thinning process is not difficult
0:26:22 > 0:26:27but it is fraught with one big problem
0:26:27 > 0:26:33and that is that carrots have a wonderful carrot-y aroma so even
0:26:33 > 0:26:38something as tiny as that has got the most delicious carrot-y smell.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42And as well as pleasing you, it is thrilling the carrot fly.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46The carrot fly can smell carrots apparently from as far away
0:26:46 > 0:26:50as half a mile. So they smell it and they come zooming in.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51They know where to lay their eggs.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55They lay their eggs on the surface of the soil
0:26:55 > 0:26:57right next to the carrot. They hatch, they go down
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and then the grubs eat through the roots as they grow.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01You end up with
0:27:01 > 0:27:05the familiar holes that go right through it.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Carrot fly are a nuisance
0:27:06 > 0:27:09so you want to deter them. There are two ways of doing this.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12One is to do as I've done which is to grow a baffle.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17So I've put shallots in here simply to provide another sent
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and alliums of all kinds are traditionally used.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Chives, onions, shallots,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26garlic, in amongst carrots to deter the carrot fly.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29The other thing you can do is to provide a barrier
0:27:29 > 0:27:31because carrot fly only fly about four foot high.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35So if you have a barrier of some sort around the bed of carrots,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37that works to some extent.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Finally, do your thinning at dusk
0:27:40 > 0:27:44because the carrot fly are much less likely to fly at night.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Put all that together and you shouldn't have too much trouble
0:27:46 > 0:27:50but be aware of it. If you can smell a carrot, so can a carrot fly.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55This is only a little job but it is worth keeping on top of this sort of thing.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00In fact, that is the key to good vegetable growing.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Lots of attention to detail but in small doses.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05You don't have to have heroic tasks.
0:28:05 > 0:28:0920 minutes here and there is usually enough, especially at this time of year.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Of course, at this time of year we are starting to get harvests.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16It's starting to deliver as well as take our time and energy.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Anyway that's it for this week.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23See you next week here in Longmeadow. Till then, bye-bye.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Come on. Good boy.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd