0:00:06 > 0:00:09Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13As we come into October, I always really look forward
0:00:13 > 0:00:17to my favourite harvest of all, which are quinces.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And I'm just testing to see if they're right,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22because they do tend to drop into the water.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25But just by putting my finger on it and levering up,
0:00:25 > 0:00:29you then get this lovely, downy fruit.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And quinces are the most fragrant of all fruits,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36and add depth and subtlety to any apple dish,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40you can roast it with meat, they really, really are delicious.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44This week, Carol goes to North Wales
0:00:44 > 0:00:48in search of a statuesque wild flower, the eupatorium.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51When you examine these flat heads,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55you find they are composed of lots of separate florets,
0:00:55 > 0:01:00and every single one of them is rich in nectar.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And we visit a grower in County Down in Northern Ireland,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09whose passion for daffodils has taken over his life.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Now, as well as celebrating and harvesting quinces,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23October certainly is time to get daffodils into the ground,
0:01:23 > 0:01:24and as quickly as possible.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29And I shall be planting some lovely white ones into my writing garden.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33I'm also thinking, quite early on, I admit, about Christmas.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36I shall be planting up some bulbs that will flower at home
0:01:36 > 0:01:39at Christmas, and also some I intend to give as Christmas presents.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Come on, Nige.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Come on!
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Now, last week, I went to Rosemoor
0:02:09 > 0:02:14and saw apple trees trained as espaliers and stepovers,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17that were really productive, but took up very little room.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Here at Longmeadow, 15 years ago, I planted this orchard.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21And the trees were tiny,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25but they were on very vigorous root stocks, because I wanted them to
0:02:25 > 0:02:29grow into what's called standards, that is trees with a bare trunk.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31But it does mean that collecting the fruit is quite a caper.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I can't just reach out and pluck it,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36sometimes I have to climb up a long way.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38But I like to store as many apples as possible,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and when you store an apple, it must be perfect and unblemished.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54This apple harvest isn't an event, it's a process, because when you've
0:02:54 > 0:02:58got a big tree like this, they ripen over a period of about a month.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The ones that get the most sun come first,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03then the last ones will follow, four or five weeks later.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05So, I'll pick half a dozen times.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09And then, different trees ripen at different times, because they're
0:03:09 > 0:03:10in different groups.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13The very early ones will start ripening in early September,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and the last in this orchard is November.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19So it's quite a long, slow harvest.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Right, the next part of the process, having picked them,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25is to go and store them so they'll last well.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37What are you doing?
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Having gone to a lot of trouble to pick them carefully,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50now you must think how to store them.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Now, for years, we've used this -
0:03:52 > 0:03:55actually, it's an old bread rack that a bakery used to use,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59that I think we bought for about a tenner, 15 years ago, and have
0:03:59 > 0:04:02used it for storage ever since, and it does the job really well.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04What you need is something that is slatted,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06so you can get air around them.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10And also, the whole point of storing an apple is to keep
0:04:10 > 0:04:14the moisture, to slow down the drying-out rate.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20So, somewhere cool, but not frosty, dark and reasonably moist.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23A shed, a cellar, anything like that would be perfect.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26As you store each one, just check that it's not blemished,
0:04:26 > 0:04:34and put it on a slat, like that. And I'm handling them really carefully.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37It's worth taking trouble. Because these will store
0:04:37 > 0:04:39right through until next spring,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42and actually, they'll probably be better around Christmas time
0:04:42 > 0:04:43than they are now.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46The critical thing is, they must not touch,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48there must be a gap between them.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Now, you can see I've got one here, that's got insect damage on it.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55I couldn't see it when I picked it, so I won't store that.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I'm going to put that on the ground,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and that will get eaten straightaway.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02And the beauty of this is, if you've got enough room,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07it's really easy to store enough apples to eat them every day,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11right through until at least the following March,
0:05:11 > 0:05:16and they always, always, taste better than apples that you buy.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19This is a treat, and you can have a treat every day.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Now, it's not only the season of apples,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31it's certainly time to be planting daffodils.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34But it can be difficult to know which ones to choose,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38because there are an awful lot of different types and varieties.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43And we went to Northern Ireland, to meet a man who grows a huge
0:05:43 > 0:05:46range and is passionate about every one of them.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56I'm a very lucky chap, in that I'm doing something I love,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and I absolutely adore daffodils and I love breeding them.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11I became involved with daffodils
0:06:11 > 0:06:15after having sat beside a chap called Frank Harrison at dinner.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18He said that he bred daffodils, I said I loved daffodils,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20but I was particularly keen on Narcissus.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And he looked at me and he said, "They're both the same thing."
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Anyway, after that, he said, "Come and have a look at my daffodils,"
0:06:26 > 0:06:28which I did, and I was hooked.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I was amazed by the variety, the amount of colour,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37the different forms and everything, and from then, I never looked back.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43We've been breeding for, I think, 16 years now.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Frank Harrison always said that I should never lose
0:06:46 > 0:06:48track of the fact that a daffodil is a garden plant,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52it's not something that has to be nurtured in a hothouse, a softy.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54It has to be a tough flower.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57He would pick a flower and he would just wave it, like this.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And if the head came off, he said that was absolutely no use
0:07:00 > 0:07:02as a garden plant, because it's got to be able to stand up
0:07:02 > 0:07:04in the wind and rain. And this is a nice one,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06known as 'Connelly', one of his breeding,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08so I'm very glad the head stayed on!
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Daffodils, for ease of classification,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19are listed into divisions.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Now, there are 13 divisions, but there are only really nine
0:07:22 > 0:07:25that are of import to the average gardener.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Division one are the large trumpet daffodils,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34that's where the trumpet is as long as the petal.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Division two are the large-cupped daffodils,
0:07:39 > 0:07:44so their cup is over a third of the length of the petal.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Division three are the small-cupped, where the cup
0:07:48 > 0:07:52is less than a third of the length of the petal.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Division four are the doubles -
0:07:55 > 0:07:57doubled like a rose, almost.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Division five is the hybrid of the triandrus species, and it usually
0:08:03 > 0:08:08hangs its head, bell-like flowers, and often 2 to 3 to the stem.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Division six is the cyclamineus hybrids.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It should have a nice, long trumpet,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16but should also have the petals swept well back.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Division seven are the hybrids of the jonquilla, they have a very
0:08:22 > 0:08:26sweet and nice scent, smallish flowers, two to three to the head.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Division eight are the tazettas,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30that most people know as 'Paperwhite'.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32They are the ones that the Scilly Isles are well-known for.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Division nine are the poeticus,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39everyone knows the 'Pheasant's Eye' Poeticus recurvus.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48People have preconceived ideas about daffodils,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52they all think of Wordsworth and waves of yellow daffodils.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55But there are very nice white daffodils,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58there are very nice pink daffodils.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I always say to people, if they look at something and say, "Ooh, that's not a daffodil,"
0:09:02 > 0:09:06I say, "Well, look at it. It's a lovely flower, isn't it?"
0:09:09 > 0:09:12This particular flower is a seedling, it hasn't got a name,
0:09:12 > 0:09:13and is yellow and pink.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15This one in particular, although it's small,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18for the last few years has been winning at the RHS shows.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23It's very flat, smooth, the petals don't tear,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and if you look at almost every one,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28it's the same, they're virtually perfect.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39This is the double, it's a variety known as 'Crackington',
0:09:39 > 0:09:43the interesting thing about this is the challenge to the breeders.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Doubles have a problem, in that they are like a sponge and they soak
0:09:46 > 0:09:50up the water, so if you haven't got a strong stem, they just collapse.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53This particular variety doesn't, this actually stands up to it.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I'm now trying to shrink the plant, so you get these lovely
0:10:06 > 0:10:10daffodils which can fit into pots, or into small gardens.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14I'm also very keen to develop a replacement to Tete-a-tete.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17I think people are beginning to get a bit bored of Tete-a-tete,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20which appears every Christmas, and if I can produce a nice
0:10:20 > 0:10:23variety which is different to Tete-a-tete and have plant breeder's
0:10:23 > 0:10:26rights on it, I can retire and drive my Rolls-Royce around the place!
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Do you know, even if Nial made a vast fortune from his new
0:10:45 > 0:10:48type of daffodil, my guess is he wouldn't stop work,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52because he clearly loves them. And what's surprising about that?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54We all love daffodils.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And there is bound to be one, out of that huge variety,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01that works almost in every situation and every kind of garden.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06And here in the writing garden, I obviously want to add white flowers.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08No daffodils planted as yet,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11so I've chosen a variety called 'Thalia', which is
0:11:11 > 0:11:14from group five, the triandrus group,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18so it's got an elegant stem, multiple heads and then
0:11:18 > 0:11:23fairly small, but really charming, white flowers.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Now, it doesn't matter what type of daffodil you're going to plant,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28the technique is much the same.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32These are going in a border, so the soil is essentially soft.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36If I was planting into turf, you need to take out a plug,
0:11:36 > 0:11:41and it's really worth, if you are planting anything more than
0:11:41 > 0:11:43a handful, buying a bulb planter.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46And that will take out a plug of soil, you pop the bulb in,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and you put the plug you've taken out back on top of it,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51like putting a dowel in a hole.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53That doesn't really work in a border,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55because the soil is too soft.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59You can use a long trowel, you can buy bulb-planting trowels
0:11:59 > 0:12:02and they work fine, that's perfectly good.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07But actually, what I tend to use in the border is this lovely thing.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09I don't think you'll be able to buy one, I've certainly
0:12:09 > 0:12:12never seen it for sale. It is essentially a pointed stick,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15but actually, it is a commercial bulb-planter,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18which I picked up in a sale and it's just a nice, hefty,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20pointed stick with a bar that you can put your foot on
0:12:20 > 0:12:23and just press down in the ground and there is your hole.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25And the key thing
0:12:25 > 0:12:29when you're planting permanently in a border is to plant nice and deep.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34If you've got the bulbs here, you take one out, like that,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38what you want to try and do is have the equivalent of
0:12:38 > 0:12:42two bulbs on top of it, below the surface of the soil.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So, that's one bulb, then another bulb,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and that's how deep it wants to go.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48That will do two things.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52One, the bulb will grow better for it, and two,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56because it's in a border, you've got less likelihood of digging it up.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00When you're planting daffodils into grass,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03the time-honoured technique is to take a handful of bulbs
0:13:03 > 0:13:05and just throw them onto the ground and plant them wherever
0:13:05 > 0:13:09they land, and that tends to look the most natural way of doing it.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Of course, you can't really do that in a border,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14so there are two ways of going about it.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Either you just put them wherever there's a bare space,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20which is what I'm doing here, or if it's an empty border, if it's
0:13:20 > 0:13:24all bare space, you can divide it into squares, just by using sticks.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Equal sized squares and allocate the same number of bulbs to each square.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31But then, don't worry about whether you plant them regularly,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34some could be packed in the middle, some could be round the outside,
0:13:34 > 0:13:35that doesn't matter.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Daffodil bulbs should go on flowering
0:13:38 > 0:13:40year after year after year.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43So, it's worth treating them well when you plant.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47And just a handful of grit in the bottom of each hole,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50so the bulb is sitting on grit,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and that means that it'll never be sitting in a puddle of water.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00This heavy soil certainly can get very wet.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Right.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10And then the only other thing to bear in mind when you're planting,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12is try and put them the right way up.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15If in doubt - pointy way up.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Roots growing from a flat plate at the bottom,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and the flowering stem will come from the sharp end.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Now, it's very straightforward.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41All I've got to do is finish planting the whole border.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And, obviously, planting daffodils is something to be
0:14:44 > 0:14:47getting on with this weekend, if possible.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49If you're not planting daffodils,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52here are some other things you could be doing.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56If you have a citrus plant covered by a horrible black mould,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00there's a good chance it has become infested with scale insect.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Look for brown limpet-like creatures and remove them
0:15:04 > 0:15:07with the back of your thumbnail.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12Mould grows on the sugary honeydew excreted by the insects.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Gently rub this off with some very dilute soapy water.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24October is a good time to be moving herbaceous perennials.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Because the soil is still warm,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32the roots will have time to establish before winter sets in.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36To avoid stressing the plant,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41cut off the foliage before giving it a good drink.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47As the days get shorter and the nights grow colder,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51it's worth giving salad crops a bit of extra protection.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Either throw a layer of fleece over them,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55or insulate them with a cloche.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Not only will this help protect them from frost, it'll keep them
0:15:58 > 0:16:00growing for a bit longer too.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Now, I quite often get letters in envelopes that contain
0:16:08 > 0:16:11bits of plants, more often than not they've turned to
0:16:11 > 0:16:13compost by the time they reach me.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15But I got this the other day, which is really interesting.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It's from Mrs Stainer in Devizes.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21And Mrs Stainer says, "I wonder if you could tell me what has caused
0:16:21 > 0:16:26"my 'Gardner's Delight' tomato plant to produce the enclosed cluster."
0:16:26 > 0:16:30And this, is the enclosed cluster.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32It's pretty spectacular.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37It's a very, very warty and knobbly tomato.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Well, I've grown 'Gardener's Delight' this year too,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and you can see that...
0:16:43 > 0:16:47they look like this. These are small, round fruit.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53And, I think, this, in fact, is not 'Gardner's Delight'.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57I'm sure you planted it as such, or sowed it as such,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02but it's quite common to get a rogue seed in a packet.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04And if you compare your tomato,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06which you thought was 'Gardner's Delight',
0:17:06 > 0:17:07with this one here,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11which is Costoluto Fiorentino, a beefsteak variety,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14it's much more like this.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18And you'll see, actually, this one also has these funny
0:17:18 > 0:17:22protuberances growing from the base of it.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Beefsteak tomatoes are much more likely to suffer from these
0:17:26 > 0:17:28kind of weird growths.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30And what causes them is stress.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33It's a physiological reaction to stress.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37And it tends to happen on the lower trusses.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40The fruit is formed in June and what happens in June
0:17:40 > 0:17:44and early July is, you get hot days and cold nights.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46And that's very stressful for a tomato.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51Or you might get a situation where you over-water or you under-water.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Again, that will stress the plant.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58As it gets bigger, and older, those stresses disappear
0:17:58 > 0:18:00and they're better able to handle it.
0:18:00 > 0:18:06But I would say, I award you the knobbly tomato award of 2013.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Now, Carol has been in North Wales this week,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13in search of late-flowering colour.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Wildflowers are tough.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32All they need to thrive and flourish are the right conditions.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36They don't necessarily need enchanted woodland or
0:18:36 > 0:18:38mystical meadows.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Here, in the Greenfield Valley off the North Wales coast,
0:18:42 > 0:18:48all one particular plant needs to do its thing with great joy,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51are the ruins of an 18th-century copper mill.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02This is Eupatorium cannabinum - Hemp agrimony.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06It gets its Latin name from the fact that its leaves bear
0:19:06 > 0:19:11a striking resemblance to hemp, from which cannabis is made.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14It belongs to asteracae, the daisy family.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Not obvious at first, but when you examine these flat heads,
0:19:18 > 0:19:23you find that they're composed of lots of separate florets
0:19:23 > 0:19:27and each one of those has several flowers within it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And every single one of them,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32is rich in nectar.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38This is plant adored by butterflies, and that's what
0:19:38 > 0:19:43brought it to the attention of wildlife expert Jan Miller.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46She holds the national collection of eupatoriums in her
0:19:46 > 0:19:48garden near Hollywell.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52So were you interested in all flowers, first of all?
0:19:52 > 0:19:57Well, I was interested in wild flowers, many years back
0:19:57 > 0:20:01and when we first got the chance to move here in the early '80s,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05they were talking about all the wildflower meadows dying out.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09And I, principally, wanted some land to have a wildflower meadow on.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13But then I started noticing all the insects that were coming to the
0:20:13 > 0:20:15wildflowers on the wild grasses,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17so I got interested in those after that.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32So what is it about eupatoriums that
0:20:32 > 0:20:34make them so special for butterflies?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37It's like the buddleia flower if you think of it - lots of little,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40tiny flower heads very close together,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43so they don't expend a lot of energy going from one plant to another.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45They can just perch on the plant
0:20:45 > 0:20:49and dip in lots of little drinks of nectar in the same place.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52They can fill up at one bar. That's right.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Different butterflies fly at different times of year.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58They don't all come out all summer.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01In recent years, we've been having quite mild Novembers,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and even then, if it's warm enough -
0:21:04 > 0:21:06above 15 degrees - butterflies can fly.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09And they need to stock up on nectar,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12so eupatorium's a really useful late-flowering plant.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22This is such a handsome specimen.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24What's this? Yeah.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28It's a form of the American Joe Pye weed,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31which was named after an Algonquin Indian, apparently,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36who used it to cure an outbreak of typhus with the pioneers.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39And that's how it got its funny name.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43But it's really a native in America, like ours is here.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46But this one goes on flowering much longer.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50In a number of states it's considered a pernicious weed and...
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Pernicious! Well...
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And especially in damp areas.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59So it does spread by putting out runners underground and then
0:21:59 > 0:22:03coming up all over the place and making big clumps.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06But you can contain it by chopping bits off round the edge.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09But you can propagate them, presumably, from this.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12It's so easy to propagate from a clump off the root,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14but they're a devil of a job to get through.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16I have to use a saw.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20And sometimes I have to get my husband with a mattock to...
0:22:20 > 0:22:23A mattock or and axe, I should think.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26So they're not for the faint-hearted, really.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29But with these purpureums,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I mean, some of them are given names that suggest that they're
0:22:33 > 0:22:37quite small and restrained and better for smaller gardens.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Yes. I think the trouble is that when you grow them from seed,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45or even from division, the first two or three years,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49they only grow about two or three feet high, so people think
0:22:49 > 0:22:53they're dwarfs and they're sometimes sold as a dwarf variety.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56So, yes, you're lulled into a false sense of security.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05If you want something new and different for your autumnal
0:23:05 > 0:23:09borders, why not give eupatoriums a try?
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Not only will they introduce fresh colour, give you structure
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and form and fill big spaces,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19but they'll also help you hang out the welcome sign for all
0:23:19 > 0:23:22those butterflies you'd love to see in your garden.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Well, we've seen how eupatorium can extend the flowering season,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41but if you really want colour in the middle of deepest winter,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45then you need to start planning now and use bulbs.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46I've got three different types here.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50I'm clutching these enormous hippeastrum bulbs,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54more often called and know to most of us as amaryllis.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58And these, of course, have great, tall stems
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and a vast trumpet of flower.
0:24:01 > 0:24:07This is 'Royal Velvet' which has got really rich red colour. I love them.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Now, I've got a number of pots here on the table
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and they're deliberately chosen to be decorative.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Because, it seems to me that a really nice Christmas present
0:24:15 > 0:24:20is to give someone a flowering bulb in a handsome pot.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22It doesn't have to have drainage holes.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25You see this one here is solid.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Or you can have one with holes.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32So I've got special bulb compost here.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35It's a peat-free bulb compost with added charcoal,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39which keeps it sweet. And that's particularly relevant
0:24:39 > 0:24:42if you are planting without drainage holes
0:24:42 > 0:24:44because otherwise you get an anaerobic reaction
0:24:44 > 0:24:46and the organic matter in the compost can start to smell.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48But this is perfect.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49They don't need to be buried.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52As long as the roots are underground that's really all you need
0:24:52 > 0:24:57and I can set that in like that and then pack more of the compost
0:24:57 > 0:25:04around, leaving at least half the bulb sticking up out of the soil.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08And that is all you need to do, as far as planting.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13Give that some water. And the key to provoke that into flower is heat.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16So, initially, put it somewhere as warm as possible.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18An airing cupboard will do fine.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23And once you start to get an inch or two of decent growth,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26then it can have some light. But don't take away the heat.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29And the more heat you give it, the quicker it will flower.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31And it will flower for about a month.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34OK. Now, this is a hyacinth bulb.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36It's actually a lovely one called 'Delft Blue'
0:25:36 > 0:25:40and it's got that wonderful blue - the colour of Delft pottery.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Where you have drainage holes, it's a good idea to put some
0:25:44 > 0:25:49crocks in, if nothing else, to stop the compost falling through.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51You don't need to do too many.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Just a few in the bottom like that.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Compost on top of them.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58These hyacinths,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03I want to leave at least half above the surface of the soil.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Now, I'm just going to push that in for the moment.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10And what we'll do...
0:26:10 > 0:26:12I can get quite a few - I want a really good show.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Now, we'll just put some around the bulbs.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Now, to trigger those hyacinths into growth,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36I need to give them some cold and I need to give them some dark.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38And what that will do, of course, is make them
0:26:38 > 0:26:40behave as though they were underground.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43And that will trigger root growth.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46And then, when it's got some established roots,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49then you'll start to see some shoots appear.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52And that could take anything between four and ten weeks,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56according to the type of hyacinth.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00It's worth pointing out now, it will only happen
0:27:00 > 0:27:01if these hyacinths have been prepared.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04So if you want to grow them like this, as opposed
0:27:04 > 0:27:09to in the garden, then make sure you buy prepared hyacinth bulbs.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15Check them once a week, then when you see nice, strong shoots growing,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18they can come out of the dark into the light.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Unheated greenhouse is fine, or a cool windowsill.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25And when they're flowering, if you put them into a really hot, steamy
0:27:25 > 0:27:29living room over Christmas, those flowers will go over very quickly.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Whereas, a nice cool windowsill,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35they will go on flowering for a surprisingly long time.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38OK, and my final bulbs are paper-white daffodils.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43These are the Christmas favourites - fabulous scent, really strong.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46So plant the bulbs round the outside. Now these can be buried,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50but you don't need to worry about burying them any particular depth.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53And...
0:27:53 > 0:27:55One in the middle.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00I put these into the greenhouse, where they're frost-free,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04but no special treatment, they can go on a windowsill
0:28:04 > 0:28:09and they are entirely primed to flower after six weeks in winter.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12And if you want to give somebody some that will flower just
0:28:12 > 0:28:15after Christmas, I would plant your paper-white daffodils
0:28:15 > 0:28:19at the very beginning of November.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20That's it. Easy-peasy.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Now, these can stay in this greenhouse, actually.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28It'd be perfect for them, to bring them on.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31The amaryllis, I'm good to go and put in an airing cupboard,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and these will go in a nice cool, dark shed.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Well, that's it for his week, I'll be back before Christmas,
0:28:37 > 0:28:39in fact, I'll be back next week.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40See you then. Bye-bye.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd