0:00:06 > 0:00:11Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World. Well, we have reached the last
0:00:11 > 0:00:15programme of this year and it has been a good year in the garden.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19We did have that really cold spell in spring
0:00:19 > 0:00:22when the whole garden seemed to be locked still for weeks on end
0:00:22 > 0:00:27by that icy wind. But everything made up for lost time.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We had a fabulous flowering and fruiting year
0:00:30 > 0:00:35and things still are flowering really well here at Longmeadow.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41This week, Carol is taking a harvest from the hedgerows to
0:00:41 > 0:00:45propagate new trees for her own garden.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Fruits, nuts, berries fill our hedgerows.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52What a wonderful opportunity to avail yourself
0:00:52 > 0:00:53of some of this treasure.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59And Rachel is at Noel Coward's old garden in Kent, which is
0:00:59 > 0:01:01now the home of Julian Clary.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06This is a stunning peony. Do you know what this is?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Oh, I call it Geoffrey.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11And I shall be doing what I can to get as many
0:01:11 > 0:01:14birds into the garden next year as possible,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18but first, there has been a bit of a disaster in the Jewel Garden.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25Come on.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36Now...
0:01:38 > 0:01:43..this weeping pear is no more, it's died.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Not quite sure why it's died,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49but I want to remove it for two reasons - one because it looks ugly,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52and two, because now it's dying, it is bound to drop
0:01:52 > 0:01:57and blow over when it can do most damage to the plants underneath it.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02Now is a really good time for this type of major surgery
0:02:02 > 0:02:05because if I make a big mess, it can be repaired
0:02:05 > 0:02:08before next spring. So the first thing I am going to do
0:02:08 > 0:02:10is clear an area so I can work.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19You can cut back the top growth of herbaceous perennials any
0:02:19 > 0:02:23time from now on, even if it's still looking a little green.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26These plants are dying back for the winter and a haircut will
0:02:26 > 0:02:29encourage fresh new shoots from the base next spring.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37The first thing is you can see that there is something terribly
0:02:37 > 0:02:39wrong with the tree.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41The bark is peeling off and underneath
0:02:41 > 0:02:44it looks like it is dying back.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46The foliage has almost completely gone
0:02:46 > 0:02:48and that's not just autumnal leaf fall,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50because exactly the same tree,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53which I know I planted on the same day as a pear on the other
0:02:53 > 0:02:58side of the path, is still covered in leaves and is completely healthy.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02This was badly damaged by wind two Marches ago
0:03:02 > 0:03:07and it ripped off a branch and that left a big open wound,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and I think that is the problem. That infection of some kind,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12a fungus, has come in through the wound.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15I say that because if I look down at the base,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and this is the graft,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21and you can see that you've got a swollen base there and this top
0:03:21 > 0:03:25bit has been grafted onto the roots, that there's healthy re-growth.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30If that was being attacked by fungus from the roots up,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I don't think there would be such healthy re-growth.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37And, of course, the big dread is Armillaria, honey fungus,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41that can rip through a hedge or a big tree.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Honey fungus attacks the roots of trees and often proves to be
0:03:44 > 0:03:48fatal and will spread quickly from tree to tree.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51If this was honey fungus, I would have to cut the tree down
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and dig out as much of the roots as possible.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59However, what I think I'll do is cut it off at just about head
0:03:59 > 0:04:04height, use the stump to train a clematis up and then if, next
0:04:04 > 0:04:08year, I do need to take the roots out, I can do that next winter.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19When you are pruning anything large, two things you need to
0:04:19 > 0:04:24bear in mind - one, use a sharp saw or loppers.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29It's much safer and much easier. And two, do it by degrees.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Just take off pieces you can manage and take it down gradually
0:04:33 > 0:04:37and you'll be surprised at how really big things can be
0:04:37 > 0:04:40dramatically reduced with minimum of fuss.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47This now is good and secure and will certainly take
0:04:47 > 0:04:51the weight of a heavy clematis or a rose so, potentially,
0:04:51 > 0:04:57will create something else from the same material.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Now Carol isn't cutting down. She is making new plants,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05new trees, but this time, she is sourcing her raw
0:05:05 > 0:05:09material from the hedgerows around her home in Devon.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23What an extraordinary year it has been.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25First of all, we had that cold,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30shivery spring that went on and on and then, suddenly, the sun
0:05:30 > 0:05:33burst through and we've had a sizzling summer.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Now that autumn is here, it has come with a bounty.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45Fruits, nuts, berries fill our hedgerows, our gardens
0:05:45 > 0:05:50and even spill out onto the pavements of our city streets.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54What a wonderful opportunity to avail yourself of some of this
0:05:54 > 0:05:59treasure and to grow your own trees and shrubs from seed.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Even if you have only got a small garden,
0:06:02 > 0:06:07planting a bit of native hedge or a single tree is going to
0:06:07 > 0:06:11benefit the local wildlife immensely.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21This looks like a promising place. Just look at these rosehips!
0:06:21 > 0:06:22Masses of them.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24When you're collecting berries,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27it's really important not to take too many. You have got to leave
0:06:27 > 0:06:30most of them for the birds, but they're not going to miss a few.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I'm going to have some of these for definite.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35You have got to remember too that
0:06:35 > 0:06:38if you're picking on private land, you must have the landowner's
0:06:38 > 0:06:43permission and some nature reserves too have restrictions.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48The wonderful thing about hedgerows is that they are so diverse,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51they are so packed full of different kinds of shrubs and trees
0:06:51 > 0:06:55and climbers. The remnants, really, of ancient woodlands.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00There are rowan berries, acorns... Oh, there's hawthorn here.
0:07:00 > 0:07:01Look at this.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06Just a few are going to make me, with a bit of luck, a few trees.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17I love hawthorn because it makes a brilliant addition to a hedge,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20but it is also great as a freestanding tree.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24It's terribly underused and it's brilliant for wildlife.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Anyway, I could just sow these directly into the ground,
0:07:28 > 0:07:29but I'm not going to.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34What happens with most berries is that deep inside the berry, there's
0:07:34 > 0:07:39an inhibitor which actually prevents that seed from germinating.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44The whole idea is that it has got to go through a period of cold
0:07:44 > 0:07:47first of all and the seed will germinate in the spring,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50but I want mine to germinate really rapidly,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55so I'm going to try this lovely process called stratification.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Now, all it is is a way of deluding these seeds that they've been
0:07:59 > 0:08:03through that period of cold and it could not be simpler.
0:08:03 > 0:08:09All you need is some sieved leaf mould into a plastic bag
0:08:09 > 0:08:14and then all my berries in with it.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Mix them all around really well.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Now, this is going to go straight into the fridge.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27Leave it in there for a couple of weeks and then bring it out.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Then, I will take them outside,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33sow them in a little nursery bed at the edge of the veg garden,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37or into a seed tray. Wherever I put them, when they come up,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40when they germinate, it's such a thrill.
0:08:40 > 0:08:46It never ceases to amaze me that great oaks from little acorns grow.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54The real reason for all that foraging, all that collecting
0:08:54 > 0:08:58berries and sowing them, is to create something like this.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00This is my native hedge.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04What this hedge does is provide all sorts of food
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and shelter for all manner of wild creatures.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14Now, this hedge is on a big scale. But it needn't be.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19You can still tried the same idea even in a small garden.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24You can replace some monocultural, like privets
0:09:24 > 0:09:28or leylandii, with a whole selection of different native trees.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33This is Viburnum opulus,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35the guelder rose.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38I could easily propagate it from some of these berries,
0:09:38 > 0:09:43but I want to try another method too, which is pretty foolproof.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45It is hardwood cuttings and you can do it with
0:09:45 > 0:09:49lots of the constituents of this hedge, with elders, Cornus,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and lots of your garden shrubs too.
0:09:51 > 0:09:57And what I'm looking for is strong, this year's growth.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Snipping it off.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03The reason I want to do hardwood cuttings from this Viburnum is
0:10:03 > 0:10:05they will establish fairly rapidly.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Hardwood cuttings are so simple.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16By now, most of these leaves would have fallen in a normal year,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20but everything is late this year, so I'm just going to strip off these
0:10:20 > 0:10:25leaves because these cuttings don't need the goodness from the leaves.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29They are going to make new roots just on the stem.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33I have got a nice sort of terminal bud up there
0:10:33 > 0:10:37and I'm going to cut right under a bud here.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44That is the ideal sort of size really, 20 centimetres.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I'm going to make a little slit trench with a sharp
0:10:49 > 0:10:52spade in one part of the garden,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56preferably somewhere where they can stay there undisturbed.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Then, I am going to plunge those cuttings into the trench with
0:10:59 > 0:11:02just that little top bit protruding.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Whether you are growing from berries or from cuttings,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19the point is, it is not instant gratification.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21It takes some time and a bit of patience,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24but what results you will have.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Come on.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43It's nice to have somewhere to come to to get out of the rain.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Now, I've had a letter here regarding my grapevine.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50It is from Helen Bishop.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52"Earlier this year, Monty Don showed how to plant a grapevine
0:11:52 > 0:11:54"and fed it through into his greenhouse.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57"We thought it was a good idea and planted two grapevines."
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Huh, two, eh?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01"The vines have grown really well during the summer
0:12:01 > 0:12:04"and we'd be most grateful if you can do a follow-up
0:12:04 > 0:12:06"to show the best way to prune them.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10"We'd love to have them to cover the underside of our open conservatory."
0:12:10 > 0:12:14That is pretty similar to what we're trying to achieve in this greenhouse.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18I planted the vine outside and trained the stem through
0:12:18 > 0:12:22a gap that we had left in the wall, in the brick base of the greenhouse.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27This has grown this summer up here, got established, come up,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30moved up, then across the door
0:12:30 > 0:12:36and is a third of the way along the north side of the greenhouse.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38The reason why it is on the north side is
0:12:38 > 0:12:41because we don't want it to shade out the tomatoes
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and whatever else we may decide to grow over here on the south side.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48However, the fruit, when they hang down, will get the south light
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and, therefore, should ripen.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52But we're not there yet.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56This is a three-to-four-year plan so we have developed good growth,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58no grapes and, importantly,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01the roots will have established really well.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05As for pruning, now is not the time to do it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09The time to prune all vines is when they are dormant, which means
0:13:09 > 0:13:13December or January, and there are two ways you can prune it.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17You can either go back down to the base and cut down to a pair of buds.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20However, if you want a permanent structure, which is what
0:13:20 > 0:13:23I do here and I guess you do, Helen,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27you need to train a single cordon wherever you want it to go.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29To get that, the wood must be mature,
0:13:29 > 0:13:34so what I will do here is prune into the mature word.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37This is not mature, that has some green showing there
0:13:37 > 0:13:39and as we go up, it gets greener and greener.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44So all that has got to come off, but I could come down somewhere
0:13:44 > 0:13:47around about here, I won't be able to tell until all the leaves off.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51There are two stems there. I am going to remove one of them.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55So, one will come right out, we'll leave a single stem, prune back to
0:13:55 > 0:13:59a pair of buds and one of them will be the leader and that will grow on.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02And then, the next year, we prune back to the mature wood
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and, in about three years' time, you'll have your framework.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09And from that, the side shoots will produce the grapes.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11One final note of warning.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16To get really good grapes, you need a dormant period, which means cold,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19so if you're in a conservatory, or even a greenhouse,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22bear in mind that, for about three months in midwinter,
0:14:22 > 0:14:28it should not warm up, you want it five degrees, no hotter than that,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32and that may not be very comfortable for sitting in for humans.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33HE WHISTLES
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Come on.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Because we've got so many hedges in the garden,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48it means we have lots and lots of birds, and that's fantastic,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52but despite all the natural nesting places, there is
0:14:52 > 0:14:57always one or two that finds an unusual corner to make their home.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59TWEETING
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Now, it's all very well having lots of hedges and trees,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12but a lot of gardens are either complete blank canvas
0:15:12 > 0:15:16or have no mature and suitable places for birds to nest in
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and that's where a nesting box comes in.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23You can have birds in the garden by attracting them to a suitable site.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25And birds not only make the garden healthier,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27and they enrich the ecosystem,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31but they're hugely enjoyable for the gardener.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33I've got two types of box here.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37We've got one with a circular hole, which is perfect for tits.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41The tit thinks that this is essentially a tree trunk
0:15:41 > 0:15:43with a hole in and a hollow space
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and it will go in there and make its nest in this space underneath.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50So it can go in a relatively exposed site and it will use it.
0:15:50 > 0:15:58One slight thing to bear in mind with a tit box is that woodpeckers
0:15:58 > 0:16:02can bore in to get at the young, and you can see here's a box
0:16:02 > 0:16:04that has had a woodpecker do its best
0:16:04 > 0:16:06to get at those nice, juicy young birds.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10So, it's a good idea, if you're putting one up,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13to get a metal plate, which you can get with it,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and then just place around the hole,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19which adds as a protection against woodpeckers.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25This box is designed for robins and wrens and flycatchers, so it's got
0:16:25 > 0:16:29an open front and it wants to be in a rather different position.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33These birds tend to nest behind the back of sheds,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37behind a water butt, perhaps, or in the depths of a hedge,
0:16:37 > 0:16:42so you want to put it somewhere that is enclosed and protected,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45but the actual entrance to the nest is open.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08Now, tits like a secluded place, out of strong winds,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11and, importantly, out of direct sunlight,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15because, come a hot June or even early July day,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18it can really cook inside these boxes
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and get hot enough to kill the chicks.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24So what I've got here is a west facing,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28but very sheltered spot on the back gable end of my writing hut.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31So up under the gable should be absolutely perfect.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Now, having said that, there's no guarantee that they will nest
0:17:34 > 0:17:38this year, or ever, all you can do is put up a suitable home
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and hope that they take advantage of it.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57Right, if I was a bluetit in search of a home to raise a family,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01I'd look around this garden and would alight on this and I'd think,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03"This is a deluxe residence."
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Now, the nesting box with the open front,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20which is designed for robins, wrens, wagtails...
0:18:20 > 0:18:22needs to be in a completely different spot.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27These are the birds that you can find nesting in a shed.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32Sometimes on a post, or in an old shoe, or a watering can,
0:18:32 > 0:18:37somewhere that, to them, feels nice and secluded and hidden,
0:18:37 > 0:18:38but with good access.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41And this lean-to is perfect.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44If you've got a wall with a rose growing up it, or some ivy,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46you could put a box behind the rose.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49That would be ideal too. Not too open.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52So I'm going to put this up here.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56The hedge that will grow inwards a bit there, to protect them,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00but they can get around it, but it's protected from the weather.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Well, that is really solid.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13It is important to get nesting boxes up by midwinter,
0:19:13 > 0:19:17because that's when birds first start to look for suitable sites
0:19:17 > 0:19:19and stake their territories
0:19:19 > 0:19:24and then, in early spring, they can be laying eggs by mid-February.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Now, you may not be putting up nesting boxes,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30but here are some other jobs you can be getting on with this weekend.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39If you've gone to all the trouble of carefully picking and storing fruit,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42it's worth checking them regularly throughout the winter.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47Remove any that are damaged or bruised, as this will only spread.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Of course, you can eat any of the damaged fruit that you remove.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57The rhubarb season is now over.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00You can pick any upright stems and eat them,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03but clear away any that have fallen or died.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Weed between the plants and then mulch them generously.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12But be careful not to cover the crowns. This will feed them
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and ensure a good harvest for early spring.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17As we go into winter,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21there are fewer and fewer vegetables in the garden,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24but many of the brassicas are coming into their own
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and will last right through to spring.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29However, it's not just humans that like to eat them.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Pigeons love them, particularly when there's not much else around,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35so net them to protect them.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38That will do.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41It's not very secure, but the reason for that is
0:20:41 > 0:20:43it's secure enough to keep pigeons out
0:20:43 > 0:20:47and, if snow comes on it, it will collapse, but then,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50because it's easy to put back up again, there should be no damage.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Now, I'm very aware, with this garden,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54although I've made it from scratch, I'll leave,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56someone else will take it on and, the truth is,
0:20:56 > 0:21:01all of us are custodians of our gardens for a brief time
0:21:01 > 0:21:03and then, someone else takes over the mantle.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06And last summer, Rachel went to visit
0:21:06 > 0:21:10the garden of Julian Clary, which once belonged to one of his heroes.
0:21:21 > 0:21:27'Noel Coward bought this traditional Kent farmhouse back in the 1920s.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31'He wrote one of his best-loved songs here -
0:21:31 > 0:21:33'A Room With A View.'
0:21:35 > 0:21:40NOEL COWARD: # A room with a view and you
0:21:40 > 0:21:47# And no-one to worry us No-one to hurry us to... #
0:21:47 > 0:21:49JULIAN: Well, hello!
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Hello, Julian, it's really nice to see you.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55'Now, it's home to comedian and writer Julian Clary.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01'This self-confessed fan of Noel Coward's wit and wisdom
0:22:01 > 0:22:04'bought the house back in 2006.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09'And living here's helped him to discover a real love of the garden.'
0:22:10 > 0:22:14So what was it that you fell in love with when you first came here?
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I've always liked Noel Coward
0:22:17 > 0:22:19and it's got a sort of spirit of him here. Uh-huh.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21So... A "blithe spirit"?
0:22:21 > 0:22:22Blithe spirit! SHE LAUGHS
0:22:22 > 0:22:26One tries to live in the present, but it is all kind of seeping
0:22:26 > 0:22:28through the walls and that was all quite romantic.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31So, you came here, saw it, love at first sight?
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Well, I started digging in the garden the day we moved in
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and it was all Michaelmas daisies, Michaelmas daisies and daffodils!
0:22:38 > 0:22:41That was my lot! SHE LAUGHS
0:22:41 > 0:22:45There were one or two roses we discovered that we managed to revive.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Um, I thought I'd have a white flower bed and then...
0:22:47 > 0:22:49A la Sissinghurst? Yes, quite!
0:22:49 > 0:22:53This is iceberg? Iceberg, yes. Because I recognise this, cos my dad
0:22:53 > 0:22:55loved that rose as well. Very good, well, it just goes on and on.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Then I got distracted by pink things, so it's not really white.
0:22:58 > 0:23:04Lots of soft pastels, there's not a lot of strong, bright colours here.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Is that a conscious decision, is that your personal taste?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09That's my taste, yes, all a bit muted,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12because, you know, I don't want a shock of a morning.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16This is a stunning peony! It's absolutely beautiful.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17This looks like "bowl of beauty" definitely.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Do you know what this is? Oh, I call it Geoffrey.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22SHE LAUGHS If you want any proper answers,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24we'll have to get my gardener in.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27'And that's Andrew Ashton.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30'He's worked for Julian for more than five years.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35'Now, I'm curious to know just who does what around here.'
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Let's have the truth now, guys.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Who actually does the hands-on digging and so forth?
0:23:41 > 0:23:45I do nothing. Andrew does everything. I think, if we have a show of hands,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48mine are slightly different to his. He wouldn't want me interfering.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I mean... No, we have a good relationship, don't we?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I do the hard, the digging side of it,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and Julian gives the instructions.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58But, Julian, don't you feel that, actually, you would
0:23:58 > 0:24:02quite like to do a bit more of the practical hands-on stuff?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05You know, do some digging and pruning and get stuck in?
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I'm desperate to do it, but, you see, Andrew needs the work.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09LAUGHTER That's right!
0:24:09 > 0:24:14But if I started, you know, it would interfere with his hours.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16You do a little bit, though, don't you? You do a bit of watering?
0:24:16 > 0:24:19That's OK. That's a start. What about propagation?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Beg your pardon? SHE LAUGHS
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Well, I can see you're a bit of lupin man,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30or YOU'RE the lupin man? I'm a lupin man and a dahlia man.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33The dahlias are obviously not with us yet, they're coming up behind. Yeah.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36The plan with this garden is to have it flowering
0:24:36 > 0:24:38from, really, January, with the hellebores,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41right through to October with the asters, really.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46# The sun is shining Where clouds have been
0:24:46 > 0:24:49# Maybe it's something To do with spring... #
0:24:51 > 0:24:53So, tell me about this area here.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Well, this flat little bit here, this was the croquet lawn. Uh-huh.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00When Noel would play croquet with Joan Crawford...
0:25:00 > 0:25:02RACHEL GASPS ..or whoever was passing through.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06And I found the path hidden under the lawn. Andrew dug it out.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09LAUGHTER Yeah. It didn't lead anywhere.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13So I had the marvellous idea of a stone circle. Uh-huh.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15And so, you could sit there and look back at the house.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22'Look hard and you could even
0:25:22 > 0:25:25'find echoes of the garden Noel Coward would've known..'
0:25:25 > 0:25:29It's quite an interesting historic tree. It's a mulberry tree.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Well, it was, when it was alive.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Andrew estimates it's about 400 years old
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and Coward mentions it in his diaries.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40At some point, he refers to the fact that they were having a party...
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Uh-huh. ..and I believe they were dressed as women.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And they came out and they put...
0:25:45 > 0:25:47They picked the berries and rubbed them on their lips
0:25:47 > 0:25:51and went back inside and everyone was... In the 1920s,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54this was their idea of a good time. LAUGHTER
0:25:54 > 0:25:57But now, it's become a great thing to grow clematis up.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Yes, it's a perfect host, isn't it? That's a beautiful clematis as well.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Let's walk round and have a look. It's almost as if we stuck it in,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06ready for your arrival, but honestly... Stunning!
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Look at that. I mean, they're the size of plates, these flowers.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Would you say this is your own little tribute to Coward?
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Well, I don't think he'd be too horrified if he were to see it.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19You know, I think he would think it was cheerful.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39If you've got any diseased material,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41it's a great idea to burn it if you can.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43And that will kill the fungus,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46or the bacteria that's causing the harm,
0:26:46 > 0:26:47and then, you can put the ash on the garden,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49either directly or by the compost heap.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53And that applies to the roots of perennial weeds,
0:26:53 > 0:26:54like couch grass or bindweed.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Of course, one of the luxuries of living in the country is
0:26:57 > 0:27:00you can have bonfires. If you have neighbours, of course,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02you've got to think about them.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05So, if the wind is blowing in their way, or if you know it upsets them,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07then don't do it.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09However, if you've got a green bin for recycling,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12you can put material in there, or you can bag it up
0:27:12 > 0:27:16and take it along to the local council to deal with.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22But a fire on a grey November's evening cheers any spirits.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24And it's useful too.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26BIRDS CALL
0:27:47 > 0:27:51It's sad to see a plant that's been an old friend and a really...
0:27:51 > 0:27:56important feature in the garden for the last 15 years go up in smoke.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00But everything changes and all good things come to an end
0:28:00 > 0:28:05and this is the last programme of Gardeners' World this year.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08I hope you have a restful, restorative winter
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and I'll see you back here at Longmeadow
0:28:11 > 0:28:15bright-eyed and bushy-tailed next March. Till then,
0:28:15 > 0:28:16bye-bye.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd