0:00:02 > 0:00:04BUZZING
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Well, having been to shows and been away,
0:00:15 > 0:00:20it's nice to get back here and spend some time in my own garden.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23While I've been away, of course, the garden's been busy.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25It's all changed.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32We all inherit garden features that we have to work with.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35But this week, Joe visits a fashion designer
0:00:35 > 0:00:38whose Somerset garden incorporates a whopper.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Boom! That's a big, big viaduct.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44When you have a garden, what are the things you dream of?
0:00:44 > 0:00:47"Well, could I have a river through it?" But a viaduct?
0:00:47 > 0:00:51And Carol is in Kent meeting a lavender expert
0:00:51 > 0:00:56whose walled garden is exclusively devoted to this essential plant.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00To be honest, whatever lavender you grow, it's great for the garden,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03brilliant for the body and superb for the soul.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06It's just such a brilliant garden plant.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25The Jewel Garden colour theme
0:01:25 > 0:01:29is one that we try and keep going from early spring
0:01:29 > 0:01:32on into May and June,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36high summer, and on into autumn.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38And although we put a lot of effort and energy
0:01:38 > 0:01:41into maximising the intensity of colour,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43it's always surprising,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47even though we've been doing this now for about 16, 17 years,
0:01:47 > 0:01:52just how it takes off once you get to mid-July.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54It really starts to explode.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03It used to be said that August was a low time for gardens.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07People went away on holiday because the garden didn't look up to much.
0:02:07 > 0:02:08It was tired.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Well, I think that's baloney.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12There's no need for that at all. In fact,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15August here in the Jewel Garden is the best month of all.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But you do have to tweak the garden a bit to get that effect
0:02:18 > 0:02:23because some plants finish their performance in June and July,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and then they do slump. So the secret is to cut them back,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and cut them back hard.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32For example, this geranium finished flowering middle of June,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I cut it right back to the ground. It looked terrible.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Really stark and bare for a few weeks,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40but now you can see there's regrowth. It's even flowering,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and it will go on flowering right through into autumn.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And the point is, this new growth is fresh and it's vibrant.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49So as well as adding in plants,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53you do need to cut back where it's appropriate.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Now, if I get in here...
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Here's a delphinium.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Which was looking fantastic.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Intense sapphire colour.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12But that's done its stuff.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17However, if I cut this back to the ground, taking everything off,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21there's a real chance that it will regrow and reflower
0:03:21 > 0:03:23in late August, September.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Not guaranteed, but there's a high probability.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And even if it doesn't flower, there'll be fresh growth,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and that's how you keep August going.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Adding a few bits and pieces in, but also cutting back
0:03:34 > 0:03:38to allow a sense of renewal and freshness
0:03:38 > 0:03:41rather than everything getting a little bit faded.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43So, down to the ground...
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Cutting back will definitely help.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54But sometimes you can add something to the garden
0:03:54 > 0:03:57which really transforms it
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and gives it a whole new life and energy.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Now this is some plant.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20This is Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'. It's a banana.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23The Abyssinian banana, and the Maurelii
0:04:23 > 0:04:27is the variety that gives us this fabulous plum colour
0:04:27 > 0:04:31to the ribs of the leaves and along the edges and the veins.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35I saw it on the Britain In Bloom garden at Hampton Court,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and thought this is exactly what I need for this particular spot
0:04:39 > 0:04:40here in the Jewel Garden
0:04:40 > 0:04:43where I cut down a weeping pear last year.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And of course the colour is ideal because we use purple a lot anyway,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48and it'll pick up the canna leaves.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52So you get that rhythm of repeated shape and colour.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Now, it is big and it was expensive.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57This cost £90.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00But it should last for years, it was my birthday,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and if I was planting this in June,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07I could get one that cost about £30,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09which would grow just as big.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12So it's to do with timing as much as anything else.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Ensete is a particularly tender banana.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16If you grow a Musa - Musa basjoo is the most common one -
0:05:16 > 0:05:19they are hardier, they'll take some frost,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and if you live in a sheltered area, you can overwinter them.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26The danger we have here at Longmeadow is not so much the cold,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29cos you can wrap them with straw and fleece, it's the wet.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32The cold and the wet can rot them, and that's happened to me before.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36So before the first frost, I will have to dig it up
0:05:36 > 0:05:38and bring it in and keep it undercover.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41I could grow it in a pot, but by putting it in the ground
0:05:41 > 0:05:44the roots will spread and it'll grow bigger.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Right, that hole is deeper than it need be
0:06:07 > 0:06:08cos I'm going to add some compost.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14I would stress that this is rich, heavy clay loam.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Perfect for bananas.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18So I don't need a huge amount of extra compost.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22If you've got light soil - chalky, sandy, whatever -
0:06:22 > 0:06:26add as much compost or manure as you possibly can.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28The banana will appreciate it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37This is good Longmeadow compost.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Right.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I hope I've got the hole the right depth,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51because this is heavy.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Oh, that's not bad.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55How about that?!
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Now what I'm going to do, because it's dry,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03is I'm going to fill the hole full of water,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06let it soak in, backfill it,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08and then water it again.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12So much of real-life gardening is tinkering.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14You're just adjusting this and adjusting that.
0:07:14 > 0:07:20So when occasionally you do add something which is really dramatic,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and really stops you in your tracks,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25then that's a red-letter day.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28That's really good fun.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Now, years ago, I worked in the fashion business,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and kept coming across this man called Roger Saul.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Very successful, very nice man.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Ran a company called Mulberry.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45And I'm delighted to say that Roger has become a gardener.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48And Joe went down to see his garden.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57When you take over a garden,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59you often inherit a structure or feature
0:07:59 > 0:08:03that you have to embrace and incorporate into the design.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07But very few of us are confronted with something as large as this.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10A Grade II listed viaduct.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18When Roger Saul moved here nearly 20 years ago,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20he not only had to incorporate
0:08:20 > 0:08:22this disused railway into the garden layout,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26he also set himself the challenge of creating structure within the garden
0:08:26 > 0:08:29which would work throughout the year.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32So, Roger, what did you think
0:08:32 > 0:08:35when you first saw this incredibly dominant viaduct?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I literally came round the corner
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and then it was "boom!"
0:08:40 > 0:08:42That's a big, big viaduct,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and it's a huge lake.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48When you have a garden, what are the things you dream of?
0:08:48 > 0:08:50"Can I have a river through it?" But...a viaduct?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53And that is, it's such a dominant structure
0:08:53 > 0:08:55that in a way you can't soften it too much.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57It's there to stay.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Anything softening would have to be about 30m tall to have any effect.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Yeah! But actually you don't want to soften it, do you,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07because it draws the eye through the arches really nicely,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09to the beautiful countryside beyond,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12but it is almost like a brick wall at the same time.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14It creates more of a sense of enclosure
0:09:14 > 0:09:16than I would have thought.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18- But on a vast scale.- Yeah.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19I think I've probably got
0:09:19 > 0:09:22one of the biggest sculptures in any garden in the world.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The current garden design is based around a very ornate rockery
0:09:33 > 0:09:37which dates back to the 1960s. The then-owner was so enthused
0:09:37 > 0:09:40by a gold-medal-winning garden he saw at the Chelsea Flower Show
0:09:40 > 0:09:43that he commissioned a grander version
0:09:43 > 0:09:44to be planted at Kilver Court.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51It is absolutely classic, but to some, it must feel very dated.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Wearing my fashion design hat, obviously every season's got to
0:09:54 > 0:09:57move on and last season is rubbish and you've got to keep moving on.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- There's a lot of fashion in gardening too.- Exactly.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04To me, the rockery garden here, Chelsea gold medal-winning,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07point in time in 1960.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09It is probably one of the most important gardens,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13I would think, left in the country that still has its shape and form.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Have you ever been tempted to really meddle with it at all?
0:10:16 > 0:10:20I mean, "Let's get rid of it, let's do something modern and different"?
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Only when a Sunday Times journalist once said to me,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26"Oh, this is boring, it's out of date", and I was trying to go,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29"No, but it's a beautiful thing in its own right, why change it?"
0:10:29 > 0:10:31You've convinced me, completely.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34I can see that it is a design classic.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36The structure of the planting, for a start -
0:10:36 > 0:10:39we've got the lovely upright junipers and the yews
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and the form of the plants and the contrasts -
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- in the winter it must really look fantastic, too.- It does.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Because, of course, you've got all the shape of the rocks
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and the conifers. It's slightly starker, but it's still exciting.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55With the Ceratostigma just cascading down over the front of that rock,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58that is absolutely beautiful planting.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02But you really play on scale, and you CAN play on scale here,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04cos you've got the huge viaduct in the background
0:11:04 > 0:11:06which sets the tone of the scale.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Probably if you had this rock garden without the viaduct,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13it would seem massive. But the viaduct takes it back into context.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29So, Joe, this is probably my little imprint on the garden.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32This is the bit that you've actually got your hands on,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35that you could change. This lovely formal parterre.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37It's absolutely beautiful, actually.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46So where did the inspiration for this parterre garden come from?
0:11:46 > 0:11:48As a fashion designer, I spent a lot of time
0:11:48 > 0:11:51in the '80s and the '90s over in Paris.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55That's where I first saw this amazing Army Museum gardens,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57which is called, I think, Musee de l'Armee,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01and they had these amazing huge shell shapes
0:12:01 > 0:12:04of box and yew hedging, and topiary.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06And I just thought, "I'd love to do that one day."
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And that just sprang back in mind when I first came here
0:12:09 > 0:12:13and I thought, "What could I do to give this a formal entrance?"
0:12:13 > 0:12:16So I tried to make a very simple, two roses only...
0:12:16 > 0:12:19They're beautiful roses, aren't they?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- Is that Gertrude Jekyll, the pink one?- Exactly, Gertrude Jekyll,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- and it's a very fragrant rose. - It smells absolutely gorgeous.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- And the blue one?- The blue one's called 'Blue for You',
0:12:28 > 0:12:31and I had meant it to be slightly bluer, or purpler if you like,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33but it's fine.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37You've got the viaduct, you've got the lake, you've got the rock garden,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- and now your stamp. - You've got different bits
0:12:40 > 0:12:44that really chart the history of this site.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Then along comes little Rog
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and says, "What am I going to do to make my fashion imprint?"
0:12:49 > 0:12:54So I just really thought this part here, it's not a huge great thing,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56but it's a very important part of the whole,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and I must say I felt terribly relieved having done it,
0:12:59 > 0:13:00that it worked.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14When I first came into this garden this morning I honestly didn't know
0:13:14 > 0:13:17how I felt about it. Did I like it or didn't I?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19It felt a bit dated to me.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22But having spent a day here and talking to Roger,
0:13:22 > 0:13:23I now completely get it.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27I realise that as a garden designer - and many gardeners -
0:13:27 > 0:13:31we go in sometimes too early and rip elements out of a garden
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and we want to stamp our mark on it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35So hold back, think about it,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38because you might be getting rid of a design classic.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Roger's garden is open all year round.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00It's an RHS Partner Garden - there are actually over 140 of these.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02And if you're a member of the RHS,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05you can get in to see them on certain dates for free.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08And details of where they are, which ones they are,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and when they're open, along with anything else in the programme,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13is available on our website.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Now, I'm harvesting shallots.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18And you'll notice I'm not just yanking them out the ground,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I'm lifting them with a fork.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25That's important, because I don't want to damage the basal plate,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28that goes from the bulb to the root.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31So essentially, keep the roots attached,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and they will store a lot better.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36So ease them out of the ground with a fork,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39which is not difficult. They're not in securely.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41You can see that these shallots
0:14:41 > 0:14:44have still got some green in the leaves.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47So they're still growing a little bit,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49but the leaves are dying back.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52And that's a pretty good sign that the bulb is ready.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54You could leave it until the foliage has completely died back,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57and in fact this is exactly the same as if you're growing daffodils.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The foliage dies back, which means all the goodness
0:15:00 > 0:15:01has gone into the bulb.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04But I don't think they're going to grow much more, I don't mind
0:15:04 > 0:15:07if they're small, and I want to use the bed for something else.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11So I've chosen this moment as being an acceptable compromise
0:15:11 > 0:15:14between losing a little bit of growth,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16but they're pretty much ready.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17I'm a fan of shallots.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20They're tasty, there are lots of different varieties.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23They store much better than onions...
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and they're just as easy to grow.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And these look small, but they're fine, they're good.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Now, this gives me a free bed and I am going to plant
0:15:35 > 0:15:41these French beans that I've grown in a seed tray into this bed.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45But it's a very hot day today and at this time of year
0:15:45 > 0:15:50it's a bad idea to plant anything out until late afternoon.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52In the midday you're just going to put it in there
0:15:52 > 0:15:56and it's going to really suffer under the sun.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58So I would suggest planting everything if at all possible
0:15:58 > 0:16:00after four o'clock in the afternoon.
0:16:00 > 0:16:06You've got a long stretch of about 12 to 18 hours of cool weather
0:16:06 > 0:16:07before the heat picks up again the next day
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and that gives them a fighting chance.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13So I'm going to put those to one side and plant them this evening.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25I've got here some of last year's shallots...
0:16:26 > 0:16:28..which are still very edible.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31When they're properly dry and the skin is all papery and brown,
0:16:31 > 0:16:36just put them in baskets in a cool, dark place
0:16:36 > 0:16:38and they store really well.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43I've also got here the elephant garlic that
0:16:43 > 0:16:45I harvested a few weeks ago.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49You can see that they are a fantastic size.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53What's interesting about elephant garlic is
0:16:53 > 0:16:56although it's so big, it's actually quite subtle.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01It makes fantastic pesto, you can roast the heads whole
0:17:01 > 0:17:04and you can see the skin on these is beginning to get papery,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and if you are using garlic of any kind,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11you can dig it and keep it in the fridge for two to three weeks
0:17:11 > 0:17:12and use it fresh.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16If you are going to store it at all, you do need to dry it until
0:17:16 > 0:17:20the outside skin is dry and papery,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and that can take six to eight weeks.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27These will last for about four or five months.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Not as long as some conventional garlic
0:17:30 > 0:17:33and certainly not as long as any shallot.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37And the way I'm going to dry these is outside,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40but with a special bit of kit.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47It couldn't be more home-made if you tried,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50but all I've got is an old sieve,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52a few bits of stick banged in the ground...
0:17:54 > 0:17:57..rested on it reasonably level, reasonably secure
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and the beauty of this is that they're in the sun,
0:18:00 > 0:18:06they'll dry, but if it rains, they will drain very, very fast
0:18:06 > 0:18:10and they won't remain wet and the airflow is under and around them.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14And I've done this in the past with chicken wire and onions
0:18:14 > 0:18:16and they can sit on that for weeks
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and it doesn't matter what the weather is.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23Oh, I'll put the label in. Like that, and that's it.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Now, the lavender here in the dry garden is very nice,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38but it's not representative of the garden at all.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41It's the only place that we can get lavender to grow at all well,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43here at Longmeadow.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45It doesn't like our wet, heavy soil.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49But, Carol has been to visit a garden in Kent
0:18:49 > 0:18:51where it not only grows well,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56but it completely fills the whole of a large walled garden.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Lavender has been cultivated
0:19:02 > 0:19:05for more than two and a half thousand years.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11For centuries in many households,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14it was THE essential flower
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and recently it's really come to the forefront in our gardens.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Simon Charlesworth is the country's leading lavender expert.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30His extensive knowledge of this genus has placed him
0:19:30 > 0:19:33at the forefront of lavender breeding worldwide,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37creating plants that have revolutionised the market.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41His work has been central in putting lavenders
0:19:41 > 0:19:44back into our hearts, minds and gardens.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It seems like a daft question, but why lavender?
0:19:50 > 0:19:54I think it's just a wonderful quintessentially English plant.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Brilliant scent, great for humans, great antiseptic
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and anaesthetic properties.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Brilliant for wildlife, of course.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06- Bees love lavender.- But doesn't it put some insects off too?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Moths and midges don't like the camphoraceous scent of lavender,
0:20:10 > 0:20:15so pop some lavender grains in a bag and into your wardrobe, squeeze it
0:20:15 > 0:20:18every couple of months and you'll find that it'll ward off the moths.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Yeah, and you'll enjoy it too.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24But I think the main reason has to be it's just such a brilliant
0:20:24 > 0:20:26garden plant.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28It's cracking.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38I suppose this is what you call English lavender, isn't it?
0:20:38 > 0:20:40This is what you think of.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Yeah, this is an angustifolia,
0:20:42 > 0:20:43or "true lavender"
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and this particular variety is Folgate,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and at dusk and dawn, the colour of this
0:20:49 > 0:20:53is almost ultraviolet, it leaps off the plant.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57They would naturally grow very high up in the mountains of Provence.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Very, very poor soil.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04Very resilient, they'll withstand minus 15 easily.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07This one's beautiful too but it's only just coming out.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Yeah, this is an intermedia called Sussex.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13So this flowers about three weeks after the shorter angustifolias
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and it's a hybrid between an angustifolia
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and one called latifolia or "spike lavender".
0:21:19 > 0:21:23So you get the colour and the habit from the angustifolia,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27but you get the long stems, the branching on the stem
0:21:27 > 0:21:32and most importantly, the beautiful, heavy scent from the latifolia,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and most of those taller ones are sterile,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38so it's our job as a grower and a breeder
0:21:38 > 0:21:40to introduce some fertility in.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52This is an increasingly popular lavender,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54the stoechas or French lavender.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57They're not quite as tough as the angustifolias -
0:21:57 > 0:22:02minus five - so frost hardy and it's the first to flower in the season
0:22:02 > 0:22:06and it'll repeat flower if you just keep deadheading it.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Oh, this one's quite different, look at this!
0:22:15 > 0:22:19Yes, this is the beautiful canariensis from the Canary Islands,
0:22:19 > 0:22:20with filigree foliage,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24these long stems with trident flowers on the top -
0:22:24 > 0:22:26unfortunately not very tough -
0:22:26 > 0:22:30but you can shake seed out and pop that where you want it
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and sometimes it will just seed itself all over the bed.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Right, so in actual fact, you can have it year after year,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- but only one year at a time? - That's right.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52I love this informal hedge here.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Yeah, they look beautiful, with all those pastel shades, or,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59of course, if you want those two pristine rows
0:22:59 > 0:23:02either side of a path, just one variety looks beautiful.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06But the most important bit is brushing against it, isn't it?
0:23:06 > 0:23:10It is. That releases the vapour from the glands that cover the plant,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13so there's some in the stem, the foliage,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16but most importantly are the calyces,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19these are the little pockets that the flowers pop out of
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and they're ribbed vertically and in between the ribs are thousands
0:23:23 > 0:23:25of glands like little jewels.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Although you love all sorts of lavenders,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42your REAL passion is to breed new varieties, isn't it?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45It is, there is nothing more exciting than coming up with something
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- new and revolutionary. - And how do you go about it?
0:23:48 > 0:23:50So you'd have an angustifolia here
0:23:50 > 0:23:54and just before the flowers pop out fully, you'd either just remove them
0:23:54 > 0:23:57or take the tips off the calyces,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- that allows the female to pop out... - Shoots out from there...
0:24:00 > 0:24:03She shoots out and then you rush over and get your male,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06which has got the pollen in.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Just tickle him on the end and that'll be your new hybrid.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13What is it you're after at the moment?
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Well, I think the Holy Grail of breeding, really, is to get
0:24:15 > 0:24:20a short, dark, late-flowering lavender
0:24:20 > 0:24:23that still carries brilliant scent.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28To be honest, whatever lavender you grow,
0:24:28 > 0:24:33it's great for the garden, brilliant for the body and superb for the soul.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34And once you've smelt a lavender,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37you just simply have to grow it in your garden.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39You do, yes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54We have to grow most of our lavender in pots here,
0:24:54 > 0:24:55except in the dry garden.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58And you can see that this one, although not a particularly
0:24:58 > 0:25:03impressive example, is flowering nicely and doing perfectly OK.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05And I wouldn't want to prune that at this point,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10but this one here is a perfect example of being ready to prune.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14Flowers have gone over, it's not yet setting seed.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16You don't want to wait until the flowers have turned brown.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Just as soon as they are past their best, cut it back.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24And you can cut as hard as you like as long as you leave
0:25:24 > 0:25:27some new growth beneath the cutting point.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30So, for example, you can see there is new growth here and here,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32so I'd want to cut above that.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36If you cut just down to bare wood, sometimes they don't regrow at all
0:25:36 > 0:25:38and that is it, you lose them.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41So, we'll just take that, cut into it,
0:25:41 > 0:25:46and the idea is to establish a nice, compact shape without
0:25:46 > 0:25:49any of that legginess that you often get on lavenders.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Right, that is now in a good state to put on a fresh flush of growth,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03an inch or two more,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07and that will provide a protective layer over winter
0:26:07 > 0:26:11and then next spring, it will be ready to form its flower buds
0:26:11 > 0:26:15coming out of a nice well-shaped shrub.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17That's the pruning done,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20but here are some other jobs you can do this weekend.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28To preserve the health and fruiting vigour of your strawberry plants,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32it's a good idea to renew them every few years.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35The easiest way to do this is to propagate runners.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Choose the first plantlet on each runner
0:26:38 > 0:26:42and peg it either into the soil or into a pot filled with compost
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and the easiest way to peg it is with a piece of bent wire.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Leave it for about three to four weeks
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and then you can cut it free from the parent and grow it on.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01It's easy to forget that a buddleja is a shrub that can be pruned
0:27:01 > 0:27:03to encourage repeat flowering just like any other.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07As soon as the flowers are over, cut back to a side shoot
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and this will encourage more flowers and therefore more butterflies
0:27:11 > 0:27:14to come into your garden right through into autumn.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Tomatoes have grown well this summer,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26but to speed up the ripening of the fruit,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30take off all the leaves in the lower third of every plant
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and this will let light in directly onto the fruits and it will
0:27:33 > 0:27:37also improve ventilation and thus reduce the risk of tomato blight.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54The rest of the garden is a busy place now.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57It's changing, it's moving, it's growing...
0:27:57 > 0:28:03But here in this long walk, it's calm. Very simple.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06It's just box and Acanthus.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08This is Acanthus spinosus and we do nothing to it, really,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11all year we just wait for this moment when the Acanthus
0:28:11 > 0:28:15comes into flower and they'll last for a month or so.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18It's strong, simple and I think, really lovely.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20And by the way,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23all the Acanthus plants were grown from just a couple of plants
0:28:23 > 0:28:27that we lifted from the Jewel Garden and took rooted cuttings from.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Well, that's it for this week.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Until next week, at the same time, bye-bye.