0:00:04 > 0:00:06Hello and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Now, we do tend to think at this time of year that winter is coming
0:00:11 > 0:00:15and the garden is collapsing and it's all getting very autumnal.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17But if you stop and have a look, the garden is looking great.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Full of colour.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22And that colour is all coming from a group of plants that
0:00:22 > 0:00:26tend to come from nearer the equator, that don't respond to the
0:00:26 > 0:00:30fading light, but are really happy as long as it stays warm.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33And it's still really mild here at Longmeadow,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36so you've got Cannas, Zinnias, Dahlias,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41Cosmos, the Fuchsias are having a really enthusiastic
0:00:41 > 0:00:43second flush of flower.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And they'll go on flowering until we get the frost.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50So on today's programme we're going to celebrate what's looking great
0:00:50 > 0:00:53about the garden, as well as getting on with jobs to keep it
0:00:53 > 0:00:56looking good right through into next spring.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02This week, Joe visits the eminent furniture designer John Makepeace,
0:01:02 > 0:01:08who has created his very first garden and has used only grasses.
0:01:08 > 0:01:09Wow!
0:01:09 > 0:01:13What I really like is the graphic way you've used these plants, you know,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15big bands of them and drifts of them and blocks of them,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18a real designer's eye coming through there.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22And Carol goes to RHS Wisley to celebrate a '60s classic.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Heathers have long fallen out of fashion,
0:01:25 > 0:01:30but as she discovers, can still look fantastic.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33I think the thing that people really forget is these are so versatile,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37they are completely hardy, we've normally got flowers from autumn
0:01:37 > 0:01:42right through to spring, and they're a great foil for other plants.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44And as well as clearing my greenhouse
0:01:44 > 0:01:47and planting some crops for winter salads, I'm going to be moving
0:01:47 > 0:01:50some plants around so that they will look at their very best.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Come on.
0:02:02 > 0:02:08The Lime Walk is one of the key parts of Longmeadow.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13It's the first piece we made, and is the link, the main link,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15from the house and the garden.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17So it's always been very important.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It changes across the seasons of course.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24It starts off quite open and then you get the bulbs coming through.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Particularly tulips look great.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29And then as the foliage grows on the limes
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and the hornbeam hedges underneath them, it gets darker, and darker.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36But over the 20 years since we first made it, what's interesting is
0:02:36 > 0:02:39the roots have grown, and it's not only got darker
0:02:39 > 0:02:43because everything's got bigger, but also it's got much, much drier.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46So the planting has changed. We've started by putting ferns in,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48and we've got two types of Dryopteris -
0:02:48 > 0:02:51filix-mas and affinis, they've been in about a month,
0:02:51 > 0:02:52and they're looking great.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55The next phase is to add to that planting.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57And at the moment, a bit bitty.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01So I want to simplify it, move some plants, add a few others,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05but adapt it to the way that it is, rather than what it used to be.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Now, Cyclamens adapt well to shady places.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13They're Mediterranean plants,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17but in the Mediterranean, their natural home, they tend to grow
0:03:17 > 0:03:21down in the valleys, in slightly moister, more shady areas.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27And what they like is really well drained soil,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30but also, they don't mind quite high rainfall.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34And they're certainly going to get that here at Longmeadow.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36What I'm doing is moving the white Cyclamens
0:03:36 > 0:03:40to the Writing Garden, and I'm going to be planting more pink,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44just to simplify it down, and relish what the pink Cyclamen are doing.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Now, these are Cyclamen hederifolium.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51And they're good and hardy. Not all Cyclamen are.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53So if in doubt, go for them.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Cyclamen coum, which flower a little bit later in the winter,
0:03:57 > 0:04:02will also survive anything that the weather can throw at them.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06And now is a really good time to plant Cyclamen.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08You can grow them from the dry tubers,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10but it's difficult, and can be very slow.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Much better to get a plant in leaf or in flower
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and put it into the ground.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17And you can move them at the same time.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21The idea is not to damage the tubers but just dig them up -
0:04:21 > 0:04:24which is why I am fiddling around a bit here -
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and transplant the whole thing.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Right in amongst the roots of the tree.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33There she comes. There we go. Out you come, there we are.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37And look at the way you get these coiled stems, there.
0:04:37 > 0:04:44Really beautiful, bent-back petals. Like arms flung back.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46And, of course, open to pollination.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Get in under that.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58There we are. That's got a nice root system.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Cyclamens spread really fast. They spread by seed.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And you put a few plants in, spread them a couple of feet apart,
0:05:04 > 0:05:09quite quickly they will form a solid display.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Another very good reason for delaying till this time of year is
0:05:12 > 0:05:16I had to wait and see what colours the flowers were.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Because the foliage of a white-flowered Cyclamen hederifolium
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and a pink-flowered one looks identical.
0:05:23 > 0:05:29And the ones I'm going to plant have got a really strong,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33slightly magenta touch to the pink that will shine out of the dark.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Now, a plant like that costs a couple of quid.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40It's the price of a cup of coffee. So they're good value.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42They will last for years and years.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47They will spread really easily and they will give you colour
0:05:47 > 0:05:51at a time of year when a lot of other things are starting to fail.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56And also they will thrive in a position where a lot of other things
0:05:56 > 0:05:58simply won't like it at all.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15There's another plant I want to move now which won't flower
0:06:15 > 0:06:17until next spring, if it flowers at all.
0:06:19 > 0:06:26Now, the reason why this may not flower is because it's not happy.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29It's a Camellia. It's called Cornish Snow.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31And it has real charm,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34and if it had flowered well here it would have fitted in very nicely.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38But the problem is it is too dry.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39The shade from the trees,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42the moisture is being sucked up by their roots,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44the rain isn't getting through,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and for a Camellia to form its buds properly in late summer
0:06:47 > 0:06:51it needs plenty of moisture there, August, September and October.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Now, this little plant has hardly grown in the couple of years
0:06:55 > 0:06:58it's been here, so it shouldn't have too big a root system.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01If it was really big, I'd have to cut it down.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Now, this is a good time to plant evergreens.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11With deciduous plants, you wait till they're dormant.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14The leaves fall off, then you move them.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16But evergreen plants are never dormant.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19October is about the nearest they ever get to dormancy.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22They're not growing, but not producing flowers,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26so by moving them now you've got the safest time.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32That has got a very small root wall.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34The roots have gone down, and it's bone-dry.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38The top layer isn't too bad.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41And you've got fresh roots coming through.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42I want more moisture than that.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46So I'll move this from the Spring Garden here, to the Writing Garden.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50And, of course, the theme of the plants there is white and frothy.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53So when it gets established, when it gets happy,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56the white, frothy flowers will be perfectly at home.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09When I was a child, heathers were very fashionable.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11They were planted everywhere,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13and particularly as a labour-saving plant.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15And then they went out of fashion,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and I guess they've never really come back in.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But Carol has been out to celebrate them,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and see them at their very best.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Despite the wholesale urbanisation of our islands,
0:08:38 > 0:08:43there are still wild places to be found.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Heathland and moorland.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51And more than anything else, one plant in particular personifies
0:08:51 > 0:08:55this sort of place, and creates that special magic.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04Here on Chatley Heath in Surrey, our native heather,
0:09:04 > 0:09:09Calluna vulgaris, stretches as far as the eye can see.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14The poor, sandy, acid conditions here suit it down to the ground.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Mankind has always had a close association with heather.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25It's been used for thatching, fuel, bedding, and for making brooms.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28In fact, the Greek word "Calluna"
0:09:28 > 0:09:29means to brush or clean.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36But just a stone's throw from here is a wondrous collection
0:09:36 > 0:09:38of all sorts of different heathers.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46RHS Wisley holds the national collection of heathers.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51The work here helps preserve this fascinating group of plants.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54I think the thing that people really forget is these are so versatile.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56They are completely hardy.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59They will give you a long season of interest.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02You've normally got flowers from autumn right through to spring.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04They hug the ground, so minimum weeding.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07And they're a great foil for other plants.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I mean, I suppose so many people, me included,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13associate them with that kind of era.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16You know, where they were used so extensively
0:10:16 > 0:10:19and were just an excuse for doing no work.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Shove in a few conifers, and that was it! Yeah, maybe so.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I don't remember that era... Of course you don't!
0:10:25 > 0:10:29All I see now is something like this, Daboecia.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Huge flowers, really good, clean leaves there.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35So how many different heathers have you got in the collection?
0:10:35 > 0:10:37The collection is massive.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39We've got just under 1,000 different heathers,
0:10:39 > 0:10:44made up of three different groups, Callunas, Ericas, and Daboecia.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56I just love the way the sunlight plays with this Calamagrostis,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and it just rises up out of your heathers.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59You're not expecting it, are you?
0:10:59 > 0:11:02No, I mean, it's quite an unusual association,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05you wouldn't always expect to have grasses through heathers,
0:11:05 > 0:11:06in the wild it does actually happen.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12And you've got more of it over here too. That's a beautiful planting.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13It's really nice.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16It just shows we're doing something a bit different,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19with the grass seed heads, and I just love those dwarf pines,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22they're like heads of broccoli, they're absolutely fantastic.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Look at the variety in here! This is a perfect example,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29one of the Callunas in front of us, this is Helen Gill,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32really nice, frozen grey foliage,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and it keeps that colour throughout the year as well.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38I think it looks very, sort of, misty, especially now,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40covered in these white flowers,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I mean, when do most of them flower, the Callunas?
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Kind of late summer, early autumn time. It's quite a long period.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50And is this one of the ones that must have acid soil?
0:11:50 > 0:11:51They do better on acidic soil,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53and that's similar for the Daboecia as well.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56They are better with a slightly lower pH.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00I think, to really illustrate this, that I really love,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03is you can see... I mean, this has been in flower for weeks already,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07and you can see the flowering spike, as it extends with more flowers.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12There's a score of flowers on that little piece. Just wonderful.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Third group is the Ericas. They kind of take us late winter into spring.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18And they've got a much more needle-like leaf,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20just give them plenty of water when they first go in,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22and they should give you a good show.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Now, heathers are some of the easiest plants to propagate.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37You can take little tip cuttings, and they will root within weeks.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41But if you want a lot of plants, fast, why not try this?
0:12:41 > 0:12:44This is drop-layering.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48This is a plant that Matthew was going to do this to anyway,
0:12:48 > 0:12:49but I've beaten him to it.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56This heather is old and leggy. But rather than risk cutting it back,
0:12:56 > 0:13:01it's perfect material for a very particular method of propagation.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08I've just got to make a much deeper hole, to replant the heather.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21So I'm making sure that each of these shoots
0:13:21 > 0:13:24is in close and intimate contact with the soil.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25You mustn't leave air pockets.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27And within a matter of months
0:13:27 > 0:13:32these shoots will have produced new little roots close to the surface.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Wait till the spring and you'll see bright new growth coming up.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40And that's your sign to move some of the soil aside,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43get in with your secateurs, sever those little pieces,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47and you're going to have dozens of new heather plants.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57What the heather garden here at RHS Wisley demonstrates
0:13:57 > 0:14:00is that heathers are no longer stuck in the '60s.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07Providing you use them creatively, they are plants with a bright future.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Even if I wanted to grow heathers here, I couldn't.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Or at least not easily, because this soil is pretty neutral.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Which, of course, is perfect for Cyclamens,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26because Cyclamens will grow
0:14:26 > 0:14:29in slightly acidic, slightly alkaline soil,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32with great happiness, as long as they've got good drainage.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36So I'm adding drainage to the planting hole here.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38And remember that they are tubers,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41so they do need to sit a couple of inches below the surface
0:14:41 > 0:14:44of the soil, and then the leaves and the stems will go up through.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Of course, I'm being really careful with this plant,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48because I don't want to damage the flowers.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Now, I've brought the Camellia here.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Camellias, like heathers, like an acidic soil.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09But my soil, which is neutral, means that I can grow Camellias -
0:15:09 > 0:15:13I just need to treat it with a little bit of special attention.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15The first thing to do is dig a generous hole.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23And I'm taking out more soil than I need to
0:15:23 > 0:15:29because adding leaf mould will help the plant.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Camellias like a nice, loose root run.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Leaf mould is the perfect material.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40And if you can't get any, then use something to lighten the soil
0:15:40 > 0:15:41but not feed it too much.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43So definitely not manure.
0:15:43 > 0:15:44Maybe some garden compost.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50And I'm going to plant that not too deep.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53If anything, I want it to be slightly proud of the soil,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57so if I lift it up a little bit
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and then fill back under it...
0:16:00 > 0:16:02That will do.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Well, let's hope that it's happier here in its new home
0:16:15 > 0:16:17than it was in the Spring Garden.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20I've still got one really important job to do,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23which I'll do sometime between now and next March,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27of giving it a generous mulch of the ericaceous compost.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But here are some jobs you can do right now.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43Any cuttings that you took in summer will have established roots by now.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48However, they will need potting on, into a richer compost.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Put them individually, and put them somewhere protected,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and then leave them there over winter.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Next spring they'll be ready to grow again strongly and plant out.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08By planting spring cabbages now,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12their roots will get established while the soil is still warm.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16You won't see a lot of top growth before next spring, but when
0:17:16 > 0:17:20they do grow, they'll grow fast, and be ready to harvest in April or May.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Now is the time to move alpines growing in terracotta pots or pans.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35They don't mind cold weather, but they hate wet.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40So put them somewhere dry, with as much light as possible,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and lots of ventilation.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I've got a letter here from Chris Goodwin at Stoke-on-Trent
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and he says, "Will it do any harm in moving some perennial plants
0:17:53 > 0:17:55"at this time of year?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58"I'd like to move some in a border that I planted up earlier this year
0:17:58 > 0:18:00"to make space for bulbs next spring
0:18:00 > 0:18:03"and they include Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm',
0:18:03 > 0:18:06"Miscanthus 'Zebrinus', daylilies and Monarda."
0:18:06 > 0:18:10The fact that they're young plants and haven't got too established is good.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13It means that they will move more easily,
0:18:13 > 0:18:18and as a rule, any herbaceous perennials can be moved in autumn.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Not a bad thing to do at all.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25However, you also mention Miscanthus
0:18:25 > 0:18:30and it is a really bad idea to move grasses in autumn.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Wait till spring, otherwise there's a real risk -
0:18:32 > 0:18:35not only will they not do well, but they may well die on you.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Anyway, this is the season to relish grasses.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40I think they're amongst the loveliest thing
0:18:40 > 0:18:42in the autumnal garden.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47'And it seems that I'm not alone.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50'Joe went to visit the world-famous furniture designer
0:18:50 > 0:18:54'John Makepeace, who shares my passion for grasses.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57'He and his wife Jenny have his-and-hers gardens
0:18:57 > 0:18:59'that reflect their very different styles.'
0:19:03 > 0:19:06'Jenny's gardened for years and on her side of the garden,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'the style is typical country cottage, but John -
0:19:10 > 0:19:13'a relative newcomer to the joys of gardening - has other ideas.'
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Your collection of plots are great. It's quite fun, isn't it?
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Is this your sort of thing, John, gardening-wise? Eh...no!
0:19:20 > 0:19:23HE LAUGHS
0:19:23 > 0:19:28No, Jen is such a plants person and I'm not.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29Do you appreciate them?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I am appreciative, I can admire it, yes.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34So, Jenny, what do you think of John's garden next door, then?
0:19:34 > 0:19:38I think it's brilliant. I mean, I really mean that.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41There was a moment when I thought I'd kill him
0:19:41 > 0:19:46because I wanted that space and then he really got into it
0:19:46 > 0:19:48and I thought, "No, this is a very determined man,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51"I'd better go with this," but, no, I think it's...
0:19:51 > 0:19:53I think it's a triumph, really.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56For somebody who doesn't garden, it's a triumph.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Jenny's cottage garden is a riot of blooms,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02but John takes a very different approach.
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Wow, this is...
0:20:07 > 0:20:12This is very, very designed and it looks very smart, I have to say.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15It wasn't what I was expecting at all. Why grasses?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Well, I think I like their purity
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and I'm not fond of seeing grasses mixed in with other plants.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22You know, Jenny tries to get me to plant other things in here,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24or has tried and I've said,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27"No, no, no, I actually want to see these forms
0:20:27 > 0:20:28"without that compromise."
0:20:28 > 0:20:32What I really like about them is their architectural quality,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34and so in selecting grasses
0:20:34 > 0:20:36everything had to have a very distinctive form.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Most of these plants came into the garden in tiny pots.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42They are beginning to mature now, they are becoming stronger,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46they are spreading, and, of course, there's going to come a point at which I'm going to have to thin.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49I'm not looking forward to that. That's called gardening!
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Yeah, I know!
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Cos there are other plants in this garden and you've got the evergreen structure.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I mean, you've got a pretty good...
0:20:55 > 0:20:58This topiary, I mean, it sets the tone, doesn't it? Doesn't it?
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Yes, yes.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05# Why do you whisper, green grass?
0:21:05 > 0:21:09# Why tell the trees what ain't so?
0:21:09 > 0:21:11# Whispering grass... #
0:21:11 > 0:21:14What I really like is the graphic way you've used these plants.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16You know, big bands of them and drifts of them,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and blocks of them, a real designer's eye coming through there.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Which are your favourites? This is a delight.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24It's Molinia arundinacea 'Transparent'.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26But the way you see through it,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28it's absolutely stunning, isn't it?
0:21:28 > 0:21:32I mean, it's just so beautiful. Yeah, it's gorgeous.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34The Poa has a very strong form and I like that.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37It starts the season very clipped and tight
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and then it springs these shoots
0:21:40 > 0:21:43so that over the summer it becomes a really big spreading plant.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46And then the Miscanthus, of course, so wonderful structurally,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50as is the Stipa gigantea, which forms the avenue against the wall.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52A whole hedge of them, really...
0:21:52 > 0:21:55creating the seclusion as well.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00# Whispering grass, don't tell the trees
0:22:00 > 0:22:03# Cos the trees don't have to know... #
0:22:03 > 0:22:06This fantastic bridge, which...
0:22:06 > 0:22:10This is your forte when it comes to design, this sort of thing, isn't it?
0:22:10 > 0:22:11It's beautiful.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13And what I like about it is right at the sort of hump,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17the high point, we are looking down, it gives you a whole new perspective
0:22:17 > 0:22:22on the garden, cos we're looking down on the planting, into the pond area.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23The tenuissima look lovely from above.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25And that's the way it should be planted in my opinion -
0:22:25 > 0:22:27a big block like that.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29It creates that texture, doesn't it?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32The fluffiness. It's always alive, it's never still.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Can we cross your bridge? Is that all right? If you dare, if you dare.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38There's no handrails!
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Is this a summer house, or studio?
0:22:41 > 0:22:43No, it's not a studio,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46it's a place for switching off rather than working.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Yeah, it's fantastic from here as well,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50just looking at the banks of the grasses
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and the variation of height, and feeling like you are really
0:22:53 > 0:22:55in amongst the planting here, it's gorgeous.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Yes, one of the benefits of having a clear foreground is,
0:22:57 > 0:22:59of course, you can get so much more background.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01The water enables you to see
0:23:01 > 0:23:04so much more of the surrounds without any break.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06And if someone asked you to design their garden
0:23:06 > 0:23:09and you being the garden designer, would you take that on board?
0:23:10 > 0:23:14I'm not sure. They'd be very brave to do it!
0:23:14 > 0:23:16THEY LAUGH
0:23:16 > 0:23:18And it'd have to have grasses in it, right? Yeah!
0:23:20 > 0:23:24By planting only grasses, John's made a very bold move.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27What he's achieved here with his limited choice of plants
0:23:27 > 0:23:29is truly inspiring.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34It is hard to believe that this is his first garden,
0:23:34 > 0:23:39but John's strong eye for design shows in every detail.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46Overall, it creates a textural tapestry and a very strong mood.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Grasses don't have to play a supporting role in the garden,
0:23:49 > 0:23:50they can be the stars themselves.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09Now, the tomatoes are still ripening, but very slowly.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13And the chances are that any tomato like this one that's still
0:24:13 > 0:24:17completely green is not going to ripen this year.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20So what I do every October, and I'm going to do now, is say,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24"OK, this lot have done their stuff, they've been fantastic,
0:24:24 > 0:24:25"but it's over."
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Clear them out the way then use the bed to plant up
0:24:29 > 0:24:32some salad crops which I've been raising since midsummer.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The first thing to do is to pick what tomatoes we've got
0:24:37 > 0:24:41and I will eat the ripe ones and put most of the green ones
0:24:41 > 0:24:45to ripen in a drawer or make green chutney out of them.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Now, cut them all free.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Now, I've been walking all over this.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06As we've picked the tomatoes and tied them,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08we've trod on the bed, it's compacted.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12So although ideally you don't stand on a raised bed at all,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14if you do, you've still got to dig it over
0:25:14 > 0:25:16to get rid of the compaction.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Right, that's dealt with the compaction
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and helped the soil's structure,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34but this bed has worked really hard, it's produced pounds and
0:25:34 > 0:25:40pounds of tomatoes, great big tomato plants and it needs some nutrition.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42The best thing you can do to reinvigorate a soil,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45give it new life, is give it a dressing of compost.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05I have here some salad rocket, which was sown at the end of July,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07the beginning of August.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Rocket's really good for a winter salad,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12it doesn't mind cool weather and it will grow in low light levels.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15It stops growing round about the beginning of December
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and then starts growing again at the beginning of February.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22So it's a good idea to get it established in October in good time.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I have some endive - a type of chicory -
0:26:25 > 0:26:28which you just eat like a salad crop, that will
0:26:28 > 0:26:31grow well throughout winter, and a lettuce here called
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Deer's Tongue, which I like to eat very much.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37It's not particularly hardy, but it does well.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42You can also... buy, essentially, summer lettuce,
0:26:42 > 0:26:47these are Cos grown in plugs, which won't grow a lot over
0:26:47 > 0:26:50the winter, but will give you a picking of salad crops.
0:26:50 > 0:26:57The other good tip is to simply buy cut-and-come-again lettuce,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00like this, which you can get from a supermarket
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and if you take them out of the tray,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04they are not designed to be replanted
0:27:04 > 0:27:06but they will perfectly well -
0:27:06 > 0:27:10you can break them up and plant them in groups
0:27:10 > 0:27:12and they will grow away.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15So, whatever you choose, use the space,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17that's the important thing.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Don't waste any of the space, and give yourself
0:27:20 > 0:27:25some fresh salad material even on the darkest days of winter.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30And you would much rather have a fresh ball than a fresh salad, wouldn't you?
0:27:32 > 0:27:33In the wheelbarrow.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Out the wheelbarrow.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38In the wheelbarrow.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Out the wheelbarrow.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45The fun goes on and on.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Now, I would stress that this is something to get on with.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Try and do it this weekend if you can
0:28:08 > 0:28:10because the longer the plants have to grow,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13and get a better root system,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15the more you will be able to harvest from them,
0:28:15 > 0:28:20and that growth rate will slow down dramatically over the next month.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Well, the rain is still falling. It's nice and dry here in the greenhouse,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31so I know what I'm going to be doing for the next hour or so.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35I'll see you back here at Longmeadow next week. Till then, bye-bye.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd