0:00:08 > 0:00:12Now, the thing about putting up bean sticks or sweet pea support
0:00:12 > 0:00:15is to get a brace that way as well as that way.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19I'm sorry. I've got a mouthful of string. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23I'm putting up my sweet pea support because not only do I like
0:00:23 > 0:00:28the architecture - I like the process of crafting it together,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31and you have this sort of naked hull that's going to be clothed
0:00:31 > 0:00:33with the flowers later in the year,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36but also because it's a statement of intent.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39It's really saying, "OK, spring's being miserable,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41"but we shall have sweet peas."
0:00:42 > 0:00:46This week, Carol is looking at Wordsworth's favourite flower,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48and that's not daffodils but celandines,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51and as well as growing wild throughout the countryside,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55she's discovering some marvellous garden varieties.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Look at that one there. Is that not lovely?
0:00:58 > 0:01:01It's truly beautiful.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03I love agapanthus but have some problems growing them here
0:01:03 > 0:01:07at Longmeadow, but we visit an expert grower in Essex,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11who shares the secrets and tips of his success.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16They're at their best in the sunshine and they seem to follow it,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18which just makes me feel good.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26And I shall be planting my potatoes at last,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and also planting up my new herb garden.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Last week at Wisley, I saw the Alpine House.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I confess I've never been terribly interested in alpines. I've always
0:01:48 > 0:01:52thought of them as a little bit over-fussy and prissy and outdated.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57Well, I was wrong. I was so wrong, because they're fascinating.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59They're jewel-like and intense.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03You can use just a small pot. You've got sempervivums like this
0:02:03 > 0:02:06which are completely happy, and of course they'll grow
0:02:06 > 0:02:09on a roof, they'll grow anywhere... So that's a really easy way, good
0:02:09 > 0:02:11way to start, or you can get an alpine pan.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15You can find a sink. This is simply an old sink that we've had
0:02:15 > 0:02:17lying around for years. I'll plant that up.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22Or if you're really going to town, you can get a stone trough.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Now, I intend to do them all. I want to build up a modest collection
0:02:26 > 0:02:30of alpines, and really get into them, but I'm going to start
0:02:30 > 0:02:34with the alpine pan, and this, of course, has a great advantage -
0:02:34 > 0:02:38you can move it around. You can put it in the sun, you can protect it
0:02:38 > 0:02:42in winter, because alpines really don't like winter wet.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45To get the conditions they like, you must first of all get the drainage,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47so cover those drainage holes with some crocks,
0:02:47 > 0:02:53and then create the right compost, so equal parts grit and compost.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54So one,
0:02:56 > 0:02:57two,
0:02:58 > 0:02:59three,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01four.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08And then this is our normal potting mix that we mix up ourselves,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12but you can use any potting compost that is peat-free.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15So we'll have four handfuls of that. One,
0:03:15 > 0:03:16two,
0:03:17 > 0:03:18three,
0:03:19 > 0:03:20four.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Mix it up.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28And, really, grit is the answer for this.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33If you think of the scree, and those mountainous slopes,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36the water just runs straight through.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I will put some in.
0:03:40 > 0:03:46Now, these plants are modest insomuch that they're relatively
0:03:46 > 0:03:47easy to grow.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50But beautiful. Of course, one of the nice things about alpines
0:03:50 > 0:03:54is though they feel very precious, they're actually relatively cheap
0:03:54 > 0:03:58to buy, so you can make a little garden for very little money.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02This is a saxifrage. This is apiculata 'Alba'.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05You can see these lovely, white flowers, flowering in spring,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10on a little cushion. As the flowers die back, the cushion will spread
0:04:10 > 0:04:14a bit and next spring there'll be more flowers, I hope.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Standing a little bit proud but that won't matter,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19because I'm going to top it up with grit.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Although these are tiny plants, remember they're really tough.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26They're really strong. Can take any amount of cold or wind.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Won't bother them at all.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30It's wet that they really hate most.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33And then another saxifrage.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37This is 'Kaspar Maria Sternberg'.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42And again, delicate, little white flowers. The pincushion
0:04:42 > 0:04:47is almost like moss. And even I, with a terrible eyesight,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49can see the intricacies of that.
0:04:49 > 0:04:55And when you're thinking of placing it, the pan or the trough
0:04:55 > 0:04:58or whatever it is needs to be up, raised up,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01so you can look in and enjoy them for what they are.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04So we'll pop this in there.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Not too close.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Give them room to grow. And room to breathe.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Now, I want to add in a couple of sedums.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17One factor all sedums share
0:05:17 > 0:05:20is sharp drainage and full sun. Otherwise they get too floppy.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25This is Sedum acre, which is a really minuscule version.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29It's got little, bright, intense yellow flowers,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32almost like a tiny little euphorbia.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40And that yellow and green of the foliage will pick up on the flowers
0:05:40 > 0:05:41around it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And I've got another type of sedum,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49with purple and slightly glaucous foliage.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51This is 'Cape Blanco'.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56I like the back story of alpines
0:05:56 > 0:05:58in British horticulture.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01It really stems from the Victorian age, when you would get
0:06:01 > 0:06:05reading parties, and well-educated, vigorous young men used to go
0:06:05 > 0:06:09for long walks in the Alps, and came across these amazing plants.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13It's directly connected to a discovery of the Alps themselves,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and that's really why they're called alpines,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17because they come from many, many different regions.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Finally, I'm putting in a sempervivum.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22This is arachnoideum and it's called that
0:06:22 > 0:06:25because there are little filaments...
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Can you see the little spidery filaments,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30in between the petals?
0:06:30 > 0:06:37And this will pick up the colour of that purply hue.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38We'll pop this in here.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43And that can slowly spread, and tip round the edge.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46It looks a bit sparse at the moment but that's plenty,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and I'll top-dress that with grit to round it off.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Now, I don't want to cover up the mounds.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Now, all these plants will cope with full sun,
0:07:05 > 0:07:11but not necessarily baking sun, so if by any freakish bit of good luck
0:07:11 > 0:07:15we get a really hot summer, I can move this pan into a slightly
0:07:15 > 0:07:17more shaded area.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20And that's why it's quite good to start growing alpines
0:07:20 > 0:07:23with a relatively small container that you can move.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Well, there we are. It's a modest beginning of this new phase
0:07:28 > 0:07:32of alpine-growing that I'm just entering into, but it's exciting.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33It's really good.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38Now, these are all small, delicate plants that we're nurturing
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and treating with kid gloves, but Carol is looking
0:07:42 > 0:07:45at a small, beautiful plant
0:07:45 > 0:07:49that doesn't need treating with kid gloves at all. It's rampant.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12This is the celandine - Ranunculus ficaria.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It's a member of the buttercup family.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18It has to have the most brilliant yellow petals
0:08:18 > 0:08:21of any of our wild flowers.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27When the sun shines, it opens up, showing this beautiful, lustre
0:08:27 > 0:08:34and polish. It really has to be the very smiliest of all plants.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45You see celandines all over the show.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48They love damp ditches and hedgerows.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51But you never see them individually, on their own.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54They're always in great carpets,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58huge swathes, as they are in this churchyard.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01When the sun shines, the whole ground is aglow
0:09:01 > 0:09:03with their brilliant yellow flowers,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08but when it goes behind the cloud, the petals close together,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12protecting the inner workings of the flower.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Celandines look right at home in the wild,
0:09:17 > 0:09:22but many gardeners see them as an unwelcome invader.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24I've been digging up celandines -
0:09:24 > 0:09:27with the vicar's permission, of course -
0:09:27 > 0:09:30but you're hardly going to notice, because there are just so many
0:09:30 > 0:09:34of them here. That's the thing about celandines - they're just so good
0:09:34 > 0:09:39at making more. They do it in two ways. First of all by, setting seed,
0:09:39 > 0:09:45but also by the distribution of these little roots, these rhizomes.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48These are storage organs for the plant,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53and each one is capable of making a brand-new plant.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59Well, none of us would really want to introduce the wild celandine
0:09:59 > 0:10:05into our plots, but I love the lustre and that gorgeous shininess
0:10:05 > 0:10:08that they bring to the early spring garden.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11And, fortunately, there are lots of cultivated cousins
0:10:11 > 0:10:15that all of us would welcome into our gardens.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Bob Brown of Cotswold Garden Flowers has spent
0:10:29 > 0:10:32more than 20 years collecting and growing plants
0:10:32 > 0:10:35from all over the world.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40He's gathered together over 10,000 plants, and amongst his collection
0:10:40 > 0:10:43is a dazzling array of celandines.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- So have you always loved celandines, Bob?- Yeah, I think so.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52Even as a kid, I remember thinking they were fantastic plants,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55and then when you become a gardener, they're so good
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- because they just look after themselves.- Yeah.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01They're not robbing some plant of light or air or water,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and they just do their thing, cheer us up, and then they're gone,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05so what's the problem?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09This one's lovely. I mean, which one is it, Bob?
0:11:09 > 0:11:13This is 'Flore Pleno' and it's more or less where it is,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17where I planted it, because it's the double one,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and the thing about the double one is all the stamens and the stigma,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23all the sexual bits, have turned into petals,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26so it can't reproduce itself.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I love the way they sparkle everywhere.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- Don't they just...?- Yeah. Anything that's showing fresh
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- and colourful is just amazing. - Full of optimism.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- Full of optimism.- They're wonderful in the ground but even if
0:11:39 > 0:11:43you haven't got a garden, you can still grow them in pots, can't you,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- and enjoy them?- You can. This is 'Hyde Hall'.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51I like this one because it has these dark leaves,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54but just look at the colour
0:11:54 > 0:11:58on the back of the mature flowers, because they're actually blue.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02They start by being grey and then they turn this wonderful blue.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And it is so attractive.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09I think that this is my favourite,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- for foliage.- For foliage. - For foliage.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15They're all slightly different. I think... They all seedlings,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- so I think you could call them a swarm.- A swarm!- A swarm.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21- A swarm of celandines.- A swarm of celandines.- A new collective noun.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25That's right. Look at that one there. Is that not lovely?
0:12:25 > 0:12:28It's truly beautiful.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I think this has to be my favourite of all these special celandines.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It's Ranunculus ficaria 'Brazen Hussy'
0:12:39 > 0:12:44and it was found by Christopher Lloyd - famous gardener -
0:12:44 > 0:12:48in the woods surrounding Great Dixter, where he lived and gardened.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51He brought it back home, and since then it's been
0:12:51 > 0:12:54an extremely popular plant amongst gardeners.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But you might say, "It's still a celandine,"
0:12:57 > 0:13:02but why not try this? What I do is to dig a hole and put in the plant,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04pot and all.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08If it's single, I need to deadhead it when it's finished flowering,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10so it doesn't set seed,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12but afterwards, I can either let it die down there
0:13:12 > 0:13:16or take out the pot and substitute it for something else.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29For most people, the yellow flower of spring is the daffodil,
0:13:29 > 0:13:35but for me, the exquisite glossy, little stars of our wild celandine
0:13:35 > 0:13:40simply can't be surpassed. It's easy to see
0:13:40 > 0:13:44why this beautiful little gem was William Wordsworth's
0:13:44 > 0:13:46favourite wildflower.
0:13:54 > 0:14:01Funnily enough, I've had a letter about celandines just this week.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04It's from Maurice Packham in Horsham.
0:14:04 > 0:14:10Now, Maurice says, "I'm completely baffled as to how it proliferates.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13"How did it get from our front garden, over the roof bungalow,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16"and into the back?" Well, you might well ask, Maurice, because
0:14:16 > 0:14:19I know from this garden it does spread everywhere.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22When I started making this garden, I didn't see lesser celandine
0:14:22 > 0:14:27anywhere at all, and now it has run right through the garden,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30mainly borne by the flooding, and where the flooding is worst,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33you can see it. If you look here under the hedge,
0:14:33 > 0:14:39you can see a really healthy, vigorous clump of celandine,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43and that's because the floodwater has brought in debris, and this has
0:14:43 > 0:14:46collected up around the trunks of the hedging plants.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I haven't been able to get at it.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Obviously, we mow the rest of the area and we weed
0:14:52 > 0:14:54the borders where we've got the strawberries growing,
0:14:54 > 0:14:55and that keeps it under control,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58but I can't get in there. The thing to remember about celandine
0:14:58 > 0:15:05is it is a plant that does well in damp, slightly shady conditions.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09So if you can moderate your conditions and expose it to full sun
0:15:09 > 0:15:11and really good drainage, that will do a lot of good.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15It doesn't like that at all. It likes the wet.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19But if you can't control that, and I can't in this garden, then I think
0:15:19 > 0:15:21all you can do is keep on top of it,
0:15:21 > 0:15:26keep it where it's not doing most damage, enjoy the good things
0:15:26 > 0:15:29about it, and tolerate the worst.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Now, you may not be worrying about celandine, but here are some jobs
0:15:33 > 0:15:35you can be doing in your garden this weekend.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45This is the time of year when slugs and snails really can get
0:15:45 > 0:15:48into their stride and cause havoc.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Now, I prefer prevention rather than cure,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54by keeping all my most vulnerable plants in one area.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Aha!
0:15:56 > 0:16:01Then I make sure the slugs can't get into that spot.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Check through your plants daily. Especially go through all pots,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07trays and plugs, collecting up any slugs you find,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and then destroy them as you see fit.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24If you sow any member of the cucurbit family now,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27they'll be ready to plant out when the nights are getting warmer
0:16:27 > 0:16:31at the beginning of June, and the cucurbit family includes courgettes
0:16:31 > 0:16:34melons, cucumbers, squashes and pumpkins.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41These are all flat seeds, so sow them on-edge,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44either one to a large plug or two for a three-inch pot,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48and then remove the weaker of the two once they're both established.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53They will need some warmth in order to germinate,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57so put them somewhere where it's reliably 20 degrees or above.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10If your soil doesn't feel cold to touch, then you can plant
0:17:10 > 0:17:13your potatoes.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Make a trench six to nine inches deep, adding a layer of compost
0:17:16 > 0:17:17to the bottom of it.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Place the seed potatoes about a foot apart in this trench.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Draw the soil back to create a ridge over the tubers.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Allow at least three foot between ridges so there's plenty of room
0:17:34 > 0:17:37for earthing up over the coming months.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41And hopefully you'll be celebrating with your first dish of new potatoes
0:17:41 > 0:17:43at some stage in July.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Well, I guess along with anyone else who's got a greenhouse, it's still
0:17:54 > 0:17:58crammed with tender plants - you haven't risked putting them out -
0:17:58 > 0:18:01but I'm just starting to go through them and hardening them off,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and the agapanthus are amongst the first to brave the weather.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08You can see this here. Label long lost - I can't remember
0:18:08 > 0:18:12which variety it is. Still, it's a good blue, that I do know,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16and the new growth is just beginning to appear.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Now, popping it out here on a west-facing, sheltered spot
0:18:22 > 0:18:26should be protection enough, but I can put it back in the greenhouse
0:18:26 > 0:18:29if it gets really nasty, and just a bit of a water.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Don't need to feed it at this stage because the water will trigger
0:18:32 > 0:18:35it into growth, and of course the growth is spectacular -
0:18:35 > 0:18:39that burst of blue which is perfect for the Jewel Garden,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and that's where it'll end up,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44but if I try and grow them in the borders, it's hopeless.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49Our soil is far too wet, heavy and cold, and it just will rot away,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and comes to nothing. But over in Essex, Michael Dedman
0:18:53 > 0:18:55has got much better growing conditions,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57and a fabulous collection of agapanthus.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02Last summer, we went along to see them in their full glory.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09I go for blue. It's the blue of the sky, which I like.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Blue's my favourite colour.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16They're at their best in the sunshine, and they seem to follow it.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It's a lovely, structured plant,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21which just makes me feel good.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Bearing in mind we're in a dry area of England -
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Essex being the driest county -
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Shoeburyness here is probably one of the driest places,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40so we thought the agapanthus would be an ideal plant.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45It gives the colour that I like, and our ground conditions here
0:19:45 > 0:19:49are not clay. It's mainly sandy subsoil.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Heavy soil will often kill agapanthus if they're waterlogged.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And those that we do have in the ground come up every year,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01even some of them being evergreen, which are less hardy
0:20:01 > 0:20:03than the deciduous varieties.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17One or two have been developed in recent years.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'Queen Mum', for example. It's got that whiteness.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22And you've got this hint of blue
0:20:22 > 0:20:26coming through from the start of the trumpet.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34'Mood Indigo' is quite new to my collection.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39As it opens, it opens from one side only, and then just springs open,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43and it isn't too bold, but the colour itself does it all.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46And as I said to my wife, we need more of these darker shades.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50People who come and visit our garden under the National Gardens Scheme
0:20:50 > 0:20:52like the darker varieties.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56'Phantom' is very interesting.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01It has a delicate colour, and I think it's one of the varieties that really
0:21:01 > 0:21:04wouldn't withstand a very cold winter,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07but they've been in the garden, in the north-east corner of the garden,
0:21:07 > 0:21:12for about four or five years, because the wind and sun direction
0:21:12 > 0:21:16is mainly from the south-west in that particular part of the garden
0:21:16 > 0:21:17and it keeps them warm.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24It's not that stressful. They're all locked up in the greenhouse,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29so to speak, in the winter months, but I still tend to them.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I give them a little water every now and again.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36The feeding really starts in the springtime,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39and I feed roughly once a month if they're in a pot,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44and then I go round occasionally where we've agapanthus in the garden
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and just give them a dressing of chicken manure.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52The slow-release granules are very handy to use, especially in pots.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57The watering is important, and I think more water they do have
0:21:57 > 0:22:00in the growing season is quite important.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04If you don't water them, I just feel they hold back
0:22:04 > 0:22:06and they won't produce successive flowers.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18We've been successful having our garden open days and we've
0:22:18 > 0:22:24raised good money for local charities through the National Garden Scheme.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27That really stimulates me more and more.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30This year, for the first time,
0:22:30 > 0:22:36I've got my own hybrids, just self seeded in a rose bed.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39I want to see how they develop over the next year or two,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43but by growing more and more and then selling some of these on,
0:22:43 > 0:22:48I am sharing my desire and delight at growing these plants,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51so hopefully I'll be growing them for a good number of years
0:22:51 > 0:22:53and we'll have more in the collection.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Oh, it's so nice to see some summer colour.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11And if you want to see any details about Michael's garden
0:23:11 > 0:23:13or his agapanthus, go to our website.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Now, we've grown herbs here at Longmeadow from day one
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and with some success, but it's never really gone to plan and that's
0:23:21 > 0:23:25a combination of two things - one, the situation, and two, the soil.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30This is really heavy, fertile soil and herbs don't like that.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35So four new beds specifically for herbs, and I've tailored them
0:23:35 > 0:23:39to adapt different kinds of herbs. So you can see here I've left this
0:23:39 > 0:23:43to show you a bed that is designed for Mediterranean herbs.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47I'm talking about thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram,
0:23:47 > 0:23:52and I've got stones, we've got crocks, really, really stony subsoil
0:23:52 > 0:23:57and then the topsoil on top has got masses of grit.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01This is about as poor a soil can be and still be a bed
0:24:01 > 0:24:03and that's the same underneath there,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08so two beds side-by-side, expressly for Mediterranean, culinary herbs.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15And knowing I was going to do this, last year, I took some
0:24:15 > 0:24:18cuttings, which I over-wintered in the other greenhouse.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40There's a good boy.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45These are fairly large plants now, really healthy
0:24:45 > 0:24:47and the smell is just lovely.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Lovely. So...
0:24:51 > 0:24:54you can hear the grittiness of it.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59There we go.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Of course, really soft, fresh thyme
0:25:09 > 0:25:13is wonderful in any dish
0:25:13 > 0:25:18that you cook with tomato, oil.
0:25:18 > 0:25:25That oily Mediterranean taste needs thyme to come to fruition.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34The thing you have to remember with thyme more than any other herb
0:25:34 > 0:25:38is it will not tolerate shade at all,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42so even shade from the neighbouring plant is not very good for it,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45so what I'll do with the next layer is stagger them.
0:25:45 > 0:25:51So I'll get one in here, like that,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53and then one here.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03So the next ones I'm going to put in are little rosemary cuttings
0:26:03 > 0:26:06that I took. You can see it's nice and healthy.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10And these, of course, will grow up a little bit taller but they won't be
0:26:10 > 0:26:14great big bushy plants because I'll keep cutting them for the kitchen.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20But like thyme, rosemary will grow in remarkably poor
0:26:20 > 0:26:23conditions as long as it's got sunshine.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33Right.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Now I'm going to put in the sage plants,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42also taken as cuttings at the same point.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46This narrow leaf sage, which I think is the best for cooking with.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48There are lots of different types of sage
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and I will be adding some more,
0:26:50 > 0:26:55but narrow leaf seems to have the most intense taste without being
0:26:55 > 0:27:00overpowering and one of my favourite dishes is simply pasta with
0:27:00 > 0:27:04butter and sage, and you just stir the butter into the cooked pasta
0:27:04 > 0:27:09with a generous quantity of these fairly small sage leaves,
0:27:09 > 0:27:14mix it up with some pepper and maybe a little bit of Parmesan cheese
0:27:14 > 0:27:18and it's absolutely delicious. It's so easy to grow really.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41Well, that's my home-grown herbs planted, which is a start
0:27:41 > 0:27:44and I'll get the rest in. Of course I will add to them -
0:27:44 > 0:27:48buy more, sow more, take more cuttings and build up a really
0:27:48 > 0:27:52good working culinary herb garden in the ideal situation.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Don't forget one thing,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58that if you have any plants that need really good drainage, be
0:27:58 > 0:28:02they Mediterranean herbs or alpines in the pot, they still need water.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05It's just that they hate the water sitting in the soil. They like
0:28:05 > 0:28:09it to pass through, so don't forget to water these plants in.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Well, that's good and exciting.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15I've started growing alpines, I started a new herb garden
0:28:15 > 0:28:18and the sun is shining. Let's hope it lasts till next week.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21See you then. Bye-bye.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd