0:00:08 > 0:00:10Hello, welcome to Gardener's World.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I do love primroses.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19To me they are the archetypal spring flower.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23And on a cold, miserable spring like this, you need them more than ever.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25In fact, I always associate them with Easter.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29When I was a child we would pick great baskets of primroses
0:00:29 > 0:00:31and take them to the church to decorate it.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And on a good year, we would have enough not
0:00:34 > 0:00:37just for the inside of the church but for the graveyard, too.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40And every grave would have a little posy of primroses
0:00:40 > 0:00:42for Easter Sunday at the foot or the head of the grave.
0:00:42 > 0:00:48And they are a plant above all else that are a symbol of hope.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53On tonight's programme, Easter is the first weekend
0:00:53 > 0:00:56when many gardens open, and Carol is in Cornwall,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00visiting the spring garden to learn the secrets of its success.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06As soon as you see those first shoots bursting through the ground
0:01:06 > 0:01:11and the leaves beginning to unfold, you are just filled with excitement.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15We will be going behind the scenes at a specialist grower to get
0:01:15 > 0:01:19a preview of the bedding plants that we can buy this year.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23The thing that really excites me about this plant, Osteospermum 'Voltage Yellow',
0:01:23 > 0:01:25is that it is going to flower all the way from the
0:01:25 > 0:01:29very early season, from April right the way through the first frost.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And Joe continues his series of masterclasses on planting design.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37This week, he shares ideas on how to create a naturalistic garden.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Easter is always a really special time for gardeners.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Because it signals, regardless of weather, the end of winter
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and the beginning of a new season.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00And this year, not only have we got Easter, but we have more time
0:02:00 > 0:02:03because the clocks go forward on Sunday morning, which gives us that
0:02:03 > 0:02:07precious extra hour when we want it, when we can get out in the garden.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36These four grass borders are actually
0:02:36 > 0:02:38the newest part of Longmeadow.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41I am told that 18 months ago, 2 years ago
0:02:41 > 0:02:43they were all part and parcel of the Jewel Garden
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and planted up accordingly.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48And then in the summer of 2011, everything was taken out
0:02:48 > 0:02:52and replanted with grasses.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55And I have to say, as far as I'm concerned,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57they have been triumphant.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00And not least because they are so easy to manage.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Once you have planted them there is really nothing to do except for once a year give them a tidy through,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08clear away the old material and give them light and air.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12It doesn't matter if you're growing one grass in a pot or
0:03:12 > 0:03:16a couple in a border, the same rules apply.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18There is just one thing to be clear of,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22the difference between an evergreen grass and a deciduous grass.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24If you have a Stipa like this Stipa gigantea here,
0:03:24 > 0:03:29this is evergreen. You can see it is, it's got green leaves.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32All you have to do is run your fingers through it
0:03:32 > 0:03:34and take out all the dead material.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38It is the simplest and most practical way. Just comb it.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40That can go down there.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44When you have a deciduous grass, you need to cut it back.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48You can see that already, down the base, the new growth
0:03:48 > 0:03:55is coming up. I don't want to cut that off. Choose the cutting point.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Just about there, I'd say. Get in there and hack.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08Now, these grasses don't really come into their own until midsummer.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10And then they take off.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14And by the end of July, they are fantastic
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and their real prime season, August, September, October,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20when you get these plumes of flower and the seed heads
0:04:20 > 0:04:25and you have a structure, they catch the wind and there is movement
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and its sound, and just fabulous.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44And before I have a proper tidy up,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I will clear some of this away to the compost heap.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Now, these borders are dominated by grasses and everything else works
0:04:50 > 0:04:55around them, but in his final of a four-part masterclass that Joe has been giving us, he looks at
0:04:55 > 0:05:01the way you can make a naturalistic garden using grasses as part of it.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08A successful naturalistic garden takes the best from nature
0:05:08 > 0:05:11and adds just a touch of design.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Swathes of plans are carefully chosen and combined
0:05:14 > 0:05:19but left to find their own order, mimicking what happens in the wild.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24This week, again, I am looking at the design elements of structure,
0:05:24 > 0:05:31texture, colour and seasonal interests to help explain how
0:05:31 > 0:05:34to create a naturalistic garden.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41This is a fantastic naturalistic border. It is very stylised,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and you wouldn't actually see these plants together in nature.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49But the effect they have together in the suburban garden is powerful,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53because this border is just linked together beautifully by the grasses.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56There are no real showstoppers, nothing competing for your
0:05:56 > 0:06:00attention and no evergreen shrubs punctuating the space, either.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05That creates a lovely fluid effect and a nice relaxed feel.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14In a traditional border, you would have the taller plants
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and the lower plans at the front, but with this style of planting you
0:06:17 > 0:06:22can throw that rule book out of the window to get the naturalistic feel
0:06:22 > 0:06:25and these plants lend themselves to being brought to the front of the border.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Something like this Stipa gigantea is perfect because you can
0:06:29 > 0:06:34see through it, so it creates a lovely depth of feel to the planting behind.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39And combined with this Verbena bonariensis, well, it is a classic combination.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42And it even looks good on a blustery day like this.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47In these gardens the plants are grouped in blocks with strong
0:06:47 > 0:06:49contrast between their shapes and forms.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Texture is also used to link the whole garden together.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59There are bold blocks of different textures, like the flat-headed Sedum,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02the soft grasses and spiky Echinops.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06But it is repeating these blocks that helps hold the garden together and draw the eye.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12You don't have to stick to a colour scheme, but creating
0:07:12 > 0:07:15compositions using two or three plants
0:07:15 > 0:07:17can help create a coherent space.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23This is a fantastic combination, you have this lovely fluffy
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Sedum at the front and the Echinacea in the middle with
0:07:26 > 0:07:30its downward drooping petals and fantastic cones at the centre of the flower.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Towards the back this upright different form,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36different shape of this Persicaria, quite an intense pink.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39And the colour that links them all together
0:07:39 > 0:07:43is this reddish pink just dotted all the way through.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46So the eye moves beautifully through these three.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Gardens like this look fabulous over the summer
0:07:50 > 0:07:53and really come into their own in the autumn and winter,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55when there is still plenty to be seen.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58In nature, plants decay at different rates and there is
0:07:58 > 0:08:02so much beauty to be had in those fading blooms.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Look at this composition, we have a good combination of the vertical accent
0:08:06 > 0:08:09of the Verbascum at the front, the pom-poms
0:08:09 > 0:08:15of the Phlomis, that lovely rounded seedhead and the flatter seedhead of these Achilleas at the back.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Together they make a wonderful composition so don't be tempted
0:08:18 > 0:08:22to grab the secateurs and cut them back, leave them on all the way through the winter,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25because they will only look better when frosted.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29So here is my plan for a naturalistic garden.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34The first thing I will do is draw some swathes through
0:08:34 > 0:08:38the planting area, and get a nice flow through it.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41And then start filling in some blocks of planting.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45I will start with something nice and tall, something like Verbascum.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50Then I will plant a drift in front, something more medium height.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54These Rudbekia are stunning at this time of year.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56A shot of yellow colour would be great.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I think the Echinacea here are absolutely beautiful,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03it will be a nice contrast in colour and shape of flower head as well.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Just a little block of those, a cluster.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Behind them I should get some grasses
0:09:08 > 0:09:13in because the grass will help link all the borders together.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Something like a Calamagrostis.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19And to one side I need something with a good seedheads,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23so some Phlomis would be perfect.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26You can see them here again, a good really low plant,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28always combine well with the grasses.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Now I'm on to the front of the border plant here and I think Stipa tenuissima,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35this, absolutely fantastic.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38In front of this Phlomis I have a nice gap between the Phlomis
0:09:38 > 0:09:42and the grasses at the front. Persicaria would be perfect.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47And then a band of, I think Allium, the little
0:09:47 > 0:09:52white seedheads, are gorgeous. That will bring colour earlier in the year as well.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I am going to take inspiration from this garden and put in some of these
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Stipa gigantea so I can see through their wispiness
0:09:59 > 0:10:05and go for the classic combination of some Verbena bonariensis growing through them.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10And I will add in some Eupatoriums to frame the composition at the back.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15That will fill in over time to make a really striking naturalistic garden.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Another real bonus of wild gardens is that not only do
0:10:37 > 0:10:40they look really good but they are fantastic for wildlife,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43so the whole thing works well together.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Now I have put those on the compost heap ready to be shredded.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Most compost heaps tend to be a bit high in nitrogen,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52too much green material like grass cuttings.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53If you can add lots of carbon,
0:10:53 > 0:10:57which you get in the dried-out stems of grasses,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00that will get the balance better and the texture better
0:11:00 > 0:11:04and the whole thing will work beautifully.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I have been preparing vegetables ready to plant,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19but it's not something you can do in a rush.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Because if you're sowing seed at the end of winter it is far too
0:11:22 > 0:11:25cold to plant them out. Particularly this spring, which has been icy.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28So I sow them and propagate them in the greenhouse,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31then they go into a cold frame and gradually grow
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and get more robust and then they are hardening off.
0:11:34 > 0:11:40It is really important when you're sowing seed undercover,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44before planting it out, to give them the chance to acclimatise. Which is all hardening off is.
0:11:44 > 0:11:50I have rocket here which is ready for planting out, as well as some beans.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Come on, come on, come on, come on.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Easter is traditionally the time when people planted their potatoes,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10but I don't imagine anybody in the British Isles is going to be planting potatoes this weekend,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12it is too cold.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16There is no point in putting anything into cold, wet soil.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22Because it won't grow. What I've done is to protect soil and warm it up,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25protection is against rain so it dries out,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29and anything which keeps the heat and will help.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Put down the soil for a few, or even one week before planting out
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and then you can get cracking.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38These raised beds have been designed to try
0:12:38 > 0:12:44and alleviate the problem of this very wet, heavy soil we have down here.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49That is quite dry, it will drain well, it is
0:12:49 > 0:12:53not warm but for what I am putting in, I think it will be fine.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56That is why I am planting out rocket.
0:12:56 > 0:13:02These are nice plants that were sown, let me look at the date, on the fifth of February.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07You can see they have grown up good and strong
0:13:07 > 0:13:11and the secret of getting plants away from plugs is to have good
0:13:11 > 0:13:14individual plants with a nice root system.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Just make a hole and pop it in. Don't force it.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Because then you will damage the roots. Gently ease around it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26And the other thing, when you're sowing any salad crop,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28don't be tempted to put them too close together.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30I use the span of my hand.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35And if you haven't sown your rocket or any seeds yet, don't worry.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38There's plenty of time. I would sow them now.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42But because it is such a cold spring I would not sow direct.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46I would sow them undercover, raise the plants and then plant them up
0:13:46 > 0:13:48when things warm up.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Go with the conditions as they are, that is good gardening.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Feel the soil. Is it warm? Is it cold?
0:13:54 > 0:13:56If it is cold, then that is the reality,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00not what the calendars or books or people like me say.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Use your own judgement.
0:14:02 > 0:14:08because it is likely to be much, much more helpful than going by the book.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I think all of us have felt that this winter
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and spring has been a pretty long, hard slog.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19At times it has been miserable.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22And that is the moment when you need to get out,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25visit someone else's garden and get some inspiration.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And Carol has been down to Cornwall doing just that.
0:14:34 > 0:14:40Bosvigo in Truro, Cornwall, is one of my favourite gardens ever.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44One of Cornwall's claims to fame is that spring arrives here first,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48thanks to the benign influence of the Gulf Stream.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59As soon as you see those first shoots bursting through the ground
0:14:59 > 0:15:04and the leaves beginning to unfurl, you're just filled with excitement.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Look at this Stachyurus praecox, praecox means "early."
0:15:08 > 0:15:12With its delightful dripping lanterns of flowers,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15it's just beginning to do its thing here,
0:15:15 > 0:15:20but if you are a Mancunian, it won't happen for you for a few weeks
0:15:20 > 0:15:22and if you're an Aberdonian,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25you may well have to wait until the end of April.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30But however long you've got to wait, it's SO worth waiting for.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34It's just such a wonderful season.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42And here at Bosvigo, it's the spring light shining through the bare branches
0:15:42 > 0:15:47that illuminates the woodland floor and brings everything to life.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50The plants that personify this time of year, for me,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53are what I call Cinderella plants.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58They're all those woodland wonders that shoot to stardom,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01get everything done before the clock strikes 12.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06They flower, set seed and then retire for the season
0:16:06 > 0:16:10until they reappear in the following spring.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13This wood anemone is a perfect example.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18This is Anemone nemorosa, it's a rather large form
0:16:18 > 0:16:19of native wood anemone
0:16:19 > 0:16:24and it LOVES this sort of setting where it rambles around.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29It spreads by these little tuberous roots, these little rhizomes,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33just under the surface of the soil and then up it comes,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35so there's a whole thicket of it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37It just goes to prove
0:16:37 > 0:16:41that far from shade being a problematic sort of place,
0:16:41 > 0:16:46in fact, it offers you all sorts of wonderful opportunities.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52Wendy Perry seizes every opportunity her garden gives her.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54She's a mistress of the art of combining Cinderellas
0:16:54 > 0:17:00with spring classics to roll out the colour, right across the season.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05Your garden is just THICK with ideas about combining plants together.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08I mean, this as an individual, this Corylopsis is just...
0:17:08 > 0:17:10- Isn't it pretty?- ..delightful.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14And also, I've picked up or contrasted the colour with
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign' underneath, which is a very sharp, sharp blue,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22which as that fades is going to then be followed by Scilla siberica.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- Right, so all the time you're thinking about...- It's layers.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29It's layers and layers, each one coming on as the other fades.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31And that classic combination of yellow and blue...
0:17:31 > 0:17:34You can't beat it. In the spring, to me,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37lemon, yellow and blue are the most wonderful combinations.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- I never get tired of them.- Lemon, yellow, blue and green!- Yeah, great.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- Go for it.- And the whole garden is verdant, isn't it?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Absolutely, each day something happens.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51This lovely partnership of Chionodoxa and fritillary
0:17:51 > 0:17:55typifies the way Wendy weaves her magic.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56They are exquisite.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59If you look up closely at them,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02I mean all the chequered patterns of the purple and cream,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04it's endlessly fascinating.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07The very first time I saw one of those,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10I think it was in Kew Gardens, and I thought it was a joke,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13- I thought somebody had hand-painted it.- They probably had! THEY LAUGH
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- But it looks like that, doesn't it? - It does, it is exquisite.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- And then you look... This little...Scilla, is it? - Yes, a Scilla.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Almost had its time, this is taking over, that's looking beautiful
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and then behind it are going to be things like this...
0:18:27 > 0:18:30This pink cow parsley, which is so exquisite.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32It comes up three feet, lacy pink blooms
0:18:32 > 0:18:36and then I've got black Queen of the Night tulips, which rise up to it.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Oh, ah!- So it's something worth coming to see in late April.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- It's something worth drooling over! - It is, I love it.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Look at the perfection of that.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55The thing about your garden is it's a "down on your knees" garden, isn't it?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57I bet people never look up here.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01I spend my whole life on my hands and knees, up close and personal with them
0:19:01 > 0:19:05and I recommend it, that's the way I garden.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09I hope that people coming will look closely at the beautiful plants,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11you know, at the Epimediums...
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Then going on to the Helleborus,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- which has got golden yellow nectar. - Oh, look at that!
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Isn't it exquisite? It's very, very popular.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Yeah, and just this combination...
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Everything flows together, doesn't it? It's so lovely.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27They link up, they link up.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30It's a labour of love. It is intense, isn't it?
0:19:30 > 0:19:32How long do you spend out here?
0:19:32 > 0:19:35More hours than I would care to confess, actually.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40Probably I work six months of the year to have that spring rush.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44I often say I peak on a Thursday afternoon in mid-April,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48there is that moment when everything is perfect, when everything,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52all the connections, all the plants that you planted join together.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09I'm just clearing this. Obviously, Easter is when most gardens open up.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12If you want to see a list of suggestions of gardens to visit
0:20:12 > 0:20:15you can go to our website where, of course, you can get information
0:20:15 > 0:20:17about all kinds of things on tonight's programme.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19I'm just taking off the cover
0:20:19 > 0:20:22because I want to put broad beans into here...
0:20:22 > 0:20:23And to be honest,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27I've never grown broad beans in a raised bed before.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Normally, you grow them in rows with a gap between the rows
0:20:30 > 0:20:32where you can walk down and pick the beans.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35So, as an experiment I am going to grow them in a block
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and reach in and maybe have to support them from the middle.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43But the technique for sowing them is identical.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48You've got big seeds, take them and just pop 'em in.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Like that, push it underground.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56Each bean should be at least nine inches apart
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and could be a little bit more.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02These are big plants, big root system and they need room to grow.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07The nice thing about a raised bed is you can sit on it.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10You can eat broad beans when they're really quite small and tender
0:21:10 > 0:21:15and tasty and they're completely delicious either on their own
0:21:15 > 0:21:18or in a risotto...
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Broad beans are probably the easiest vegetable of the lot to grow -
0:21:22 > 0:21:26they are easy to handle, they grow in almost all conditions,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29they're tough, they'll take any amount of weather -
0:21:29 > 0:21:32there's very little else that's going to cause them any harm.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Once they're in the ground, nothing to do at all but stake them as they grow bigger.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39So a really, really good vegetable, not just to eat,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42but also for the soil because the roots open the ground up
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and obviously they're legumes so they add nitrogen.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Now, if you're not sowing broad beans here are some other things
0:21:49 > 0:21:52that you can be doing this weekend.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Just as it's breaking into leaf,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02now is the perfect moment to prune back dogwood.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05By cutting it back hard you will stimulate new vigorous growth
0:22:05 > 0:22:08and this will give you the best colour next winter.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11You can cut the whole plant right-back or
0:22:11 > 0:22:14if it is a big plant and you want to keep some of it,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16cut half this year and half next year
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and while you're about it, it takes very easily as cuttings,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23so put some of the cut material into the ground
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and you will get new plants for free.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Summer might seem a long way away, but now is the moment to sow tomatoes.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36I like to use a seed tray,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41sprinkling the seed thinly on the compost and then cover them lightly.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48You can water them direct or you can place the seed tray
0:22:48 > 0:22:51in a container of water and let it soak up from the bottom.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54This avoids disturbing the seeds.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Leave it for about five minutes
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and then place it in a warm place to germinate.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02A windowsill above a radiator will do fine
0:23:02 > 0:23:04or in a greenhouse, on a heated bench.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08Over the next few weeks,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11garden centres will be selling millions of bedding plants.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14But many of these are tender
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and it's much too early to be planting these outside.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19However, the plugs are very good value for money
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and if you buy them now and then pot them on
0:23:22 > 0:23:26into a three-inch pot using normal potting compost,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28by the time that spring does come and it warms up,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31you'll have a much larger plant for your money.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36There's a tendency to think of bedding plants
0:23:36 > 0:23:37as a very municipal thing.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40But actually, you can use them in lots of different ways,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42from hanging baskets to a mixed border.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45We use them here all the time, particularly in the Jewel Garden
0:23:45 > 0:23:49because they do give a real intensity of colour
0:23:49 > 0:23:52in a very short time span and that's very, very useful.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Last summer we went along to the trial ground of a nursery
0:23:56 > 0:24:01that grows bedding for the trade to see what would be available
0:24:01 > 0:24:03in the garden centres this spring.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14I think we all need a little stimulation in our lives...
0:24:14 > 0:24:17With bedding plants you have just about every colour imaginable.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20They bring lots of excitement, impact,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23a bit of wow and a feeling of well-being.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28We have four acres of trial grounds
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and plants in all sorts of different displays -
0:24:31 > 0:24:36baskets, containers, out in trial beds, display gardens.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40This is our living catalogue.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44New varieties, existing varieties, plus new plants
0:24:44 > 0:24:48which perhaps are two years away from introduction into the UK market.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02What's new for 2013 are these wonderful colours of Calibrachoa.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06This series called Cabaret has been developed to create a lovely
0:25:06 > 0:25:09basket-hugging shape,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12but the beautiful colours of this Deep Yellow
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and this Bright Red, the colours don't bleach in full sun
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and they will go in almost any aspect in the garden - full sun, semi-shade.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21What I really like about the plant
0:25:21 > 0:25:25is that you don't need to pick them over like petunias.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Even more exciting is this lovely Deep Purple
0:25:27 > 0:25:32and this is Can Can Deep Purple with it's almost black-like flowers.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44What we have here is a new begonia called Cherry Bon Bon.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47A beautiful patio begonia, semi-double flowers,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49really loaded with colour all summer long.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51It comes from the same plant breeder
0:25:51 > 0:25:53as the Million Kisses trailing begonia,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57which has been bred to withstand wet through to hot-dry conditions
0:25:57 > 0:26:00and I think we've got a real winner here.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Well, given the past two seasons - the really wet summers,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16cool conditions - just look how resilient these bedding plants are.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19The marigolds will go through the worst of weathers
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and used in particular with the Rudbeckias with different forms
0:26:22 > 0:26:25and heights, incredible show of colour.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32The thing that really excites me about this plant -
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Osteospermum 'Voltage Yellow' -
0:26:34 > 0:26:37is it's going to flower all the way from the very early season,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40from April right the way through to the first frosts.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42It's one of the earliest and latest flowering Osteospermums,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45intense colour, marigold even under very wet conditions
0:26:45 > 0:26:49and we've had an absolute downpour today, but look at it.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59It is possible to get a bit overwhelmed
0:26:59 > 0:27:01by the amount of choice of bedding.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04What I try and do is to work out what colours I want
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and the effects I want before choosing the actual plants
0:27:07 > 0:27:10and then when I know pretty much what I'm after,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12choose the plants to do the job.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16It doesn't matter what you choose, you do need to protect them all
0:27:16 > 0:27:17until the weather warms up.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20And it's not just from frost, but wind is important too,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22so if you don't have a cold frame or a greenhouse,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25put them somewhere where they are out of the wind.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Right, keep those nice and tucked up.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Give them a little bit of a water.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45And they can grow on, nice and snug.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Now, it's a good job we've got a long weekend
0:27:48 > 0:27:50because I've got a long job ahead of me.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03These limes are pleached,
0:28:03 > 0:28:08which effectively means that they're trained to have a very, very simple shape
0:28:08 > 0:28:10and every spring I prune them back hard.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15It's a long old job, but I rather like it because it's easy
0:28:15 > 0:28:17and it's got a rhythm.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21And you just feel that it's one of those jobs that mark
0:28:21 > 0:28:23the entrance to spring.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25So have a really good Easter.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Don't forget - the clocks go forward on Sunday morning
0:28:28 > 0:28:31and I'll see you back here at Longmeadow next week.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32Bye-bye.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd