0:00:02 > 0:00:05BIRDSONG
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21I'm just supporting this lovely white buddleia.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24It's flowering fantastically well.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28But it's grown so lushly that it's falling all over
0:00:28 > 0:00:33the plants around it, because, this year, I think I pruned it wrong.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35I just cut them back by half, thinking there would be
0:00:35 > 0:00:39a framework and then they'd grow out towards the light and flower better.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43In fact, what's happened is they've grown early and fast
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and the water hasn't ripened and hardened off properly,
0:00:46 > 0:00:47hence the floppiness.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50So next year, I'll cut it back really hard
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and give it a chance to establish a woody framework.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56However, I'll try and get some things right
0:00:56 > 0:00:58for the rest of today's programme.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06This week, Carol meets one of our gardening heroes,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08who's singing the praises of an often-overlooked plant.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Just look at these. They're sunny, they're smiley flowers.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16They make you feel happy.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And Joe starts a series of visits to some remarkable allotments.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25This is absolutely beautiful. You've obviously got a very keen eye.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I try to combine things the way I feel looks good.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30It's like painting a picture, for me.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42The white garden is only in its second year, so it's new.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44But on the whole, it is a joy.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Mm, it's lovely and fragrant.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57The Agapanthus, the Pelargoniums, the snapdragons, the Ammi majus.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01All have got that light, frothy profusion
0:02:01 > 0:02:04of white flowers that I wanted from it.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07However, there is an intruder.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11This pink hollyhock is part of a batch
0:02:11 > 0:02:15of rather delicate white and pink ones that are doing well,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19but this is either a rogue seed that's got in the batch
0:02:19 > 0:02:22or has reverted. Nothing wrong with it at all, in context.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25In fact. it would be brilliant in the cottage garden,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28but it jars with everything else, so it's coming out.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34That can go in a vase and the plant will be dug out.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I want to start collecting seed from the plants that
0:02:37 > 0:02:42I do want to keep in here, so that I've got lots of new plants
0:02:42 > 0:02:44that I can create without spending money.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Collecting seed at this time of year is dead easy.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55For example, this Astrantia has got flowers that have gone to seed.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Now is a really good time to collect seed,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02because we know these plants are happy and healthy,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04we can see what they look like,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06whereas, if you leave it to autumn, they're faded,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09the seeds are falling and you won't be able to control
0:03:09 > 0:03:10the situation so well.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15There is no better way of raising plants cheaply,
0:03:15 > 0:03:20successfully from your garden than by growing them from seed.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Now, what you do need to have are either some paper bags
0:03:24 > 0:03:26or paper envelopes.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30Really important that they're paper, because if you use plastic,
0:03:30 > 0:03:35the moisture in the seed head or the stem or even the seed itself
0:03:35 > 0:03:38will evaporate, collect on the inside of the plastic.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Then, you can rot the seeds or trigger germination,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and they don't store at all well if they're wet.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46That's it. It's as simple as that.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I could store these till next spring,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52as long as I keep them somewhere cool and dark.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55You can do this for the whole range of plants.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Poppies, for example, once the seed heads are dry and you shake it
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and you can hear the seeds inside rattle,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03they're good for collecting, too.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21Foxglove seeds are tiny. There will be thousands in there.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24These, I will sew straightaway, because they are biannual
0:04:24 > 0:04:28and they develop their roots and foliage the first year
0:04:28 > 0:04:32and then develop a flower spike the second and sometimes the third year.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Now this year, Carol has been visiting people
0:04:39 > 0:04:43who have given their lives to either collecting or growing
0:04:43 > 0:04:48those plants that have become icons in our gardens.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52This week, she's meeting perhaps the greatest plant guru
0:04:52 > 0:04:54of them all - Roy Lancaster.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59Between them, they're looking at one of our most familiar garden shrubs.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10The bright yellow flowers of Hypericum shine out
0:05:10 > 0:05:11for many of our gardens.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Yet for all their joy, these humble blooms
0:05:14 > 0:05:17are often overlooked and undervalued.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21This group of plants have a lot more to them than might meet the eye.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Roy Lancaster is one of the most influential plantsmen
0:05:28 > 0:05:33of our time and he has a deep passion for all that grows.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Hypericum is one genus he holds especially dear.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Roy, during your life you've hardly ever been at home, have you?
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- You've been travelling the world. - ROY LAUGHS
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Well, I love travelling. That's for certain.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51It's amazing, you know, how many native plants
0:05:51 > 0:05:57I first got to know when I was a boy, I've seen later on travels abroad.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01How important do you think it is to find out about plants
0:06:01 > 0:06:03and where they grow, where they come from?
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Well, I think for a gardener, it's all about growing a plant -
0:06:07 > 0:06:11what does it need, what kind of soil, what company does it like?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13There's no better way of finding that out than to see where
0:06:13 > 0:06:19the plants choose to grow, as against where we would like them to grow.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24So why Hypericums, Roy? When did you first get interested in them?
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Just look at these. They're sunny, they're smiley flowers.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30They make you feel happy.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Hypericums are found almost all around the world,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37but especially the shrubby ones that we grow in our gardens
0:06:37 > 0:06:40in the mountains of the Himalayas and China.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45My first expedition in 1971, to Nepal, to me was a revelation.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47It changed my life for ever.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I saw several different species
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and we were able to collect seeds of them.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53They're still in gardens
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and there are many of them in the hillier gardens here.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Fantastic.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01This is thought to be Hypericum. This is probably the most popular,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05widely planted of all the shrubby Hypericum Hidcote.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09It's named after Hidcote Manor Gardens, where this plant was found.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11It's an absolutely brilliant garden plant.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Grow in any soil, sun or shade.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17But this is only one of so many good Hypericums.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19There are so many others in the world
0:07:19 > 0:07:21that are worth growing in cultivation.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36This is one of the best, one of the most spectacular.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38It has the largest flowers of any
0:07:38 > 0:07:41of the shrubby Hypericums in cultivation, certainly.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It's called Rowallane, Hypericum Rowallane.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Sadly, it's not the hardiest one.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Hidcote will grow anywhere, no problem,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51but this needs nice, sheltered, mild areas.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54If you look at this one here, it's the perfect flower.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Nice cup-shaped, or bull-shaped.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Turn it over, you see the five sepals there.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02In this case, they're spoon-shaped, almost.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Then you get the five petals curving in there at the mouth.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Then you get the bundles of stamens. - Tiny little antlers.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11- They make this powder puff, don't they?- That's right.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Then here's the ovary, the green ovary in the centre,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and the styles, five styles, which form a column.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21These are green now, but eventually when they're ripened,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23they end up brown and dry.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Like a dry capsule packed with seeds.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Possibly some of those seeds are fertile.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30It'd be worth having a try, wouldn't it?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- Well, I wouldn't mind. - See if we can make a new Hypericum.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35As long as you give me a plant, if you're successful and I'm not.
0:08:45 > 0:08:51- What a beauty!- Isn't this something? - It really is. It's lovely.- Yeah.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52The first thing you notice, I think,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55quite apart from its lovely spreading habit,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57is how red-tinged it is.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- That's right.- Everything - the stems, the buds, the new shoots.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Yeah. And look how well it goes with that Geranium Rozanne.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06I mean to find one that isn't just an individual shrub,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10but that you can mix and mingle with other things is just wonderful.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- What a combination that blue and yellow is.- It's a winner, isn't it?
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Absolutely lovely.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24I had no idea what an enormously diverse
0:09:24 > 0:09:26group of plants Hypericums were.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33What a treat. I'm in the flowerbed with two Lancasters.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34THEY LAUGH
0:09:34 > 0:09:39- This is Hypericum lancasteri.- That's right. Obviously very special to me.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44In 1980, I took a group of really enthusiastic garden lovers
0:09:44 > 0:09:47to Yunnan in China.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Above the city accompanying the capital,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54known as the City of Eternal Spring. Right place to be.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58All manner of wonderful plants that I recognised from cultivation
0:09:58 > 0:09:59and others I didn't recognise.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01This was one of them.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- It's just coming into flower, isn't it?- Mm.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- So these are the calyces? - That's right.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10- You get this just gorgeous starry effect.- Indeed.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Of course, this plant is cut down in late winter.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18This is a crop of young growth which is flowering this year.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20So you'd advise anybody to go out and do that.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23The shrubby Hypericums, if they're getting old and twisted,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26you can cut them hard, and they will regrow.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29They'll repay you with this wonderful show.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42The whole world of Hypericums is waiting out there for gardeners
0:10:42 > 0:10:45to discover, because so many of them are available now.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Really, let's not forget that they are sunny flowers,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50happy flowers, I think.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52I think a lot of people get very serious about gardening,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54especially about plants.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57But I've always believed that behind every tree, there's a laugh,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01or at least a chuckle, or maybe a new Hypericum.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02Oh, that's a thought.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19I confess that, for years, I thought of Hypericum as being
0:11:19 > 0:11:22a little bit dull, but that's changed my mind.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24I shall get some.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Now this, which we call the cricket pitch,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29is essentially a wildflower meadow.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33The flowers are bulbs - crocuses start in February,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36then you get a lovely flush of Narcissi,
0:11:36 > 0:11:37followed by fritillaries.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41That takes us through from late April into May.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46After that, as the foliage of the bulbs starts to die back
0:11:46 > 0:11:50and the flowers turn to seed, the grass itself grows up.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We've been making this for about ten years,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57so we've got a regime established, whereby the grass isn't too strong.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01It gives the flowers a chance to do their things without being swamped.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04It's absolutely critical that we don't cut the grass
0:12:04 > 0:12:08until the foliage of the flowers has died right back.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09It looks lovely in that time.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14This is not a question of untidy ground that we're tolerating.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15It all looks good.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I love, for example, the seed heads of the clover,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22the buttercup foliage, the plantains.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Nothing extraordinary, these are very, very ordinary plants...
0:12:25 > 0:12:29but they're beautiful. Beautiful, and fantastic for insects.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Second to a pond, nothing is better for the ecology
0:12:34 > 0:12:37and the wildlife in your garden than some long grass.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40But to ensure that it stays looking good,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43both in flower and with the grass and what we might call
0:12:43 > 0:12:47the weeds, it's important to cut it and take it all away.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52Now, the timing of this is dependent upon the flowers you're growing.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Don't cut it until they've set seed.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56In this case, because they're early spring bulbs,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58any time after midsummer is fine.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Now we've reached the end of July, beginning of August,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07this is the time to do it.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Then it will stay cut right through till the end of the mowing season,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13which here, is about October.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Well, that's the easy bit. Now I've got to rake it all up.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27As you rake it up, of course, you expose the fact that
0:13:27 > 0:13:33a lot of the grass is flat and will need cutting again and raking again.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38But it is essential that you remove as much of the grass as possible.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44If you leave grass on the ground, it decomposes
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and adds nutrients to the soil,
0:13:47 > 0:13:48and the grass will grow lushly
0:13:48 > 0:13:54and strongly at the expense of the other plants I want to keep.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Now, I keep saying you must take the grass away,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01but where do you take it to?
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Compost heap, of course.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24For most people, the content of their compost heap
0:14:24 > 0:14:28is a mixture of grass mowing and kitchen waste.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32And grass mowing, in particular, can be difficult to compost.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I've got a barrel-load of grass that was mown yesterday,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and if I just rummage around in there, already, you can see,
0:14:39 > 0:14:45in the course of one day, if I pull it out, if I start to smear it,
0:14:45 > 0:14:51it's getting that familiar, sticky, horrible green, puttyish sludge.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It smells bad already and that's because it's anaerobic -
0:14:54 > 0:14:56there's far too much nitrogen.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02All compost needs to be made up of green nitrogen material
0:15:02 > 0:15:03and brown carbon.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Grass, for example, has got a high level of nitrogen.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11But long grass, grass that I've cut from the cricket pitch,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13is very high in carbon.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16And to make that compost properly, I need to add green.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18It's a question of getting the balance.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21If you've got a lot of kitchen waste and grass clippings,
0:15:21 > 0:15:27add straw, cardboard - cardboard is fantastic, by the way -
0:15:27 > 0:15:29any brown material from the garden.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32If you've got a lot of brown material, like long grass,
0:15:32 > 0:15:37you need to add grass clippings, fresh leaves, kitchen waste -
0:15:37 > 0:15:39anything that's high in nitrogen.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43And if you keep that mix well mixed up, it'll compost.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46You can see in here, where we have got a good mix -
0:15:46 > 0:15:52and this is a fairly fresh heap - if I dig in there and pull back...
0:15:52 > 0:15:55that's generating... I can feel the heat now.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58That's generating a lot of heat.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01There's a bit of everything in there, but it's really hot.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04It's breaking down, most of that heat is coming from
0:16:04 > 0:16:07bacterial activity, rather than decomposition.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09And the way that we encourage the bacterial activity
0:16:09 > 0:16:13to keep going is to turn it and get oxygen in there.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15But the most important thing is to get the mix right,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17particularly if you've got a lot of grass.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22So I will put this barrel-load on the compost heap...
0:16:22 > 0:16:23..like that.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27And spread it about.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39And obviously, these are big bays, but if you've got
0:16:39 > 0:16:43a small tumbler or container, the principle is exactly the same.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Don't load it up with brown material, like long grass,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50or green material, like grass clippings.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Mix them up and mix them up well.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56And then I want to add some green grass on top of that.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Mix that up.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11And that's enough for a while.
0:17:11 > 0:17:17So, that's the key - compost your long grass, but do it gradually,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19mixing it in with plenty of green material.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Now, this is a big job, and it's an ongoing one,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25but here are some other jobs you can be
0:17:25 > 0:17:27getting on with this weekend.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Mint is turning to flower rapidly,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34and the leaves are losing their savour.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41Cut half your mint, pared down to the ground, and water it well.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Then, when it regrows with fresh leaves, cut the other half
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and treat it in the same way.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51You'll have a supply of lovely fresh mint right through into autumn.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01It's time to get winter cabbages, such as these January King,
0:18:01 > 0:18:02into the ground.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Ideally they'll follow a legume crop, such as broad beans or peas.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11In a raised bed, I space them about 12 inches apart,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13but put them a little wider in open ground.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Firm them well and then give them a good soak.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And it's a good idea to cover them with a fine mesh netting, so that
0:18:25 > 0:18:29the cabbage white butterfly can't land on them and lay their eggs.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Although plants and the soil are very dry at this time of year,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41resist using a sprinkler, if at all possible.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44If you must, only use it at night.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47This is because water will evaporate off the foliage
0:18:47 > 0:18:49quicker than it can reach the ground.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55So, water directly onto the soil around the roots of plants.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00And don't just do this lightly every day or so, but far better,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04once a week, to give a plant a really good soak.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14This cottage garden used to be just vegetables, and gradually more
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and more flowers have come in and it's got more and more ornate.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's something that gardeners everywhere are doing -
0:19:22 > 0:19:24breaking the mould of traditional rows of vegetables
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and adding a splash of colour.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Not just in gardens, but allotments too, as Joe's been finding out
0:19:29 > 0:19:33in the first of his visits to some unique plots.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39If you want a bit of peace and quiet, there's nothing better than
0:19:39 > 0:19:43heading down to the allotment and doing a spot of gardening.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48And they're still incredibly popular, with more than 300,000 in the UK.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52But I'm on the hunt for some of the more unusual ones.
0:20:00 > 0:20:06I'm looking for number 94. There's 90 there...not down there.
0:20:06 > 0:20:0794!
0:20:08 > 0:20:10This an allotment?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21This really is different.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Aww, I've never seen an allotment like this before.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- Hi, Chris.- Hi, Joe.- This is absolutely beautiful!- Thank you.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44I would never expect to see it here,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46but it's not an allotment, is it?
0:20:46 > 0:20:49A lot of people say that, it's very unusual.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Basically, I wanted to create a garden for myself,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53cos I never had a garden,
0:20:53 > 0:20:58and I just wanted to create a nice space for myself to come and enjoy.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00It draws you in, doesn't it?
0:21:00 > 0:21:03The door's great, but actually, when you get to the front of the garden,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07you just see ornamental planting and it makes you want to explore.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Is that the whole idea, that you really want to get in amongst it?
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Exactly, I wanted people to be seduced by the garden really.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- So you built the boundaries up. - Yes, I did.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19I had the benefit of having a wall on the other side,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23which created protection from the elements, and I put a fence
0:21:23 > 0:21:28on the other side to put my climbers up and also create that seclusion.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Yeah, and you've got a wonderful selection of plants.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36You have got a very keen eye - and a real plantsman, at the same time.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38- Yeah, I try to be! - HE LAUGHS
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I do know my plants, but I know what I like and don't like,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45and I try to combine things the way I feel looks good, cos I've
0:21:45 > 0:21:49got an artistic background, so it's like painting a picture for me.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I think I've always liked the Mediterranean look,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58so I try to put elements within the garden that remind me of home
0:21:58 > 0:22:01and the Mediterranean and the sunshine.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- Where are you from originally?- I'm Greek-Cypriot, so I'm from Cyprus.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- That's where my roots are. - And where you born in Cyprus?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Yes, I was. I came here from the age of six.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Do you grow any edibles here? I can see a couple fruit trees...
0:22:16 > 0:22:20The whole idea was this was to be my ornamental part,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23but then when you go through my arch here, it totally changes
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and I've got all my edible stuff up there.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- Lead on, let's go and have a look.- Follow me.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I do like the way you've divided it up,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33and it just goes on for ever, doesn't it?
0:22:33 > 0:22:36We've got some fantastic figs smothered in fruit,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- really big fruit, as well. - I know, really good cropper.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- Shows what a microclimate you've got in here.- Definitely.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44They have a lot of figs in Cyprus?
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Figs are the main fruit in Cyprus. We love our figs.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- We eat them straight from the tree.- Yeah.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53And this thing here is my Sharon fruit,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55which not a lot of people know about.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58They think, being a tropical fruit, it needs to be in a
0:22:58 > 0:23:02tropical climate, but they're hardy down to minus 15 in this country.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05So, as you can see, it's quite prolific.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18That's spot-on.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- You don't mind, do you, Chris? - No, of course not.- Good.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32There seems to be quite a big Cypriot community on the allotments.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- That's what I've noticed, anyway. - Yes, there is.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39They tend to choose to have allotments in this country
0:23:39 > 0:23:42because they've got restrictions with garden space, so they tend
0:23:42 > 0:23:46to go for allotments, so they can grow more variety of things.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Is it because they want to grow stuff that you can't
0:23:49 > 0:23:51get in the shops, necessarily?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Well, you can get them in the shops, but it's more expensive,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56so if you can grow your own, and it's always nicer
0:23:56 > 0:24:00when it's fresh out of your garden. It tastes better.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04- You must produce so much here, more than you can eat.- Definitely.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08- What do you do with it all? - Well, most of it I give away.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I give it to family, friends and also some of the plotholders here.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25You really have packed plants in,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28every square inch is filled with an ornamental or an edible.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31You got any room for more?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33I always have room for more, I'm a bit of a plant addict,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37so if I see anything unusual, I always find space for it.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39- You got to have it.- Definitely.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41It feels like a magical space you've created here,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and to think there's a community just outside the front door there,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47but when you come in here, it's so tranquil and secluded
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- and absolutely beautiful. Thanks for showing me around.- You're welcome.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I love sharing my garden with people.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09It is one of the most extraordinary allotments I've ever seen.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12You can see it too, because it's open, as part of the
0:25:12 > 0:25:17National Gardens Scheme, on the afternoon of Sunday, August 10.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21And my guess is, there'll be quite a lot of people there to enjoy it.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Now, it's summer pruning time for fruit
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and I know that this can confuse people.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30"Why'd you do it, when'd you do it, how'd you do it?"
0:25:30 > 0:25:33But actually, it's very basic and simple.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38If you think that pruning in winter promotes growth - prune hard
0:25:38 > 0:25:43in winter and it'll be followed by lots of water shoots, new growth -
0:25:43 > 0:25:48pruning in summer restricts growth and stops it.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Which is why summer pruning tends to be restricted to trained fruit
0:25:53 > 0:25:58- espaliers, cordons, fan shapes or, as I've got there, step-over apples.
0:25:58 > 0:25:59These are very simple,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03but if I left them unpruned now, they would quickly lose their shape.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07So, the first thing I want to do is get rid of this year's
0:26:07 > 0:26:12new growth that isn't part of the very basic structure, which is
0:26:12 > 0:26:16one stem and then two side arms, if you like,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18growing out along the width of the bed.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22So, I'll remove that, not taking it right back down,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24but leaving a couple of leaves.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Cut that there.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32And the reason why I'm leaving a little bit
0:26:32 > 0:26:34is because I want a spur to form.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37I want fruit to form and, by cutting it back, that'll encourage
0:26:37 > 0:26:39side-shooting, which will be spurs.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47Good example here of strong spurs coming off and plenty of fruit.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49And these are quite young,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51but in time they can be absolutely laden with fruit.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55It's a very good way of growing apples with hardly any space
0:26:55 > 0:26:57taken up at all, and they look decorative.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11That's got the basic shape.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16You can see here at the end, I've left that untied,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19it's sticking slightly up in the air,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23and the reason for that is the tree - and this is a tree,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27it's only trained to be small - wants to grow upwards.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29That's where its energy is going.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33But fruit forms best when it grows horizontally, which is why when you
0:27:33 > 0:27:37have step-over apples or cordons, you get lots of fruit off them.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42But to encourage that side-shoot to grown strongly,
0:27:42 > 0:27:47I want to make it think it's going upwards, so I'm leaving it untied.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51It's going up at an angle until it reaches its full length,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54then I tie it down and that will help curtail its growth.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59Come on.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12That what you want? Nope.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Could it be that?
0:28:18 > 0:28:20That's it for this week.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23We'll be back next week, of course, here at Longmeadow,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25but at a new time.
0:28:25 > 0:28:31For the rest of this series we shall be coming on an hour later, at 9.30.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34So, I'll see you then.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Bye-bye.