0:00:03 > 0:00:08Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World on the most beautiful spring day,
0:00:08 > 0:00:09here at Long Meadow.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13These crocuses are not just looking really good, they are new.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15I have not seen them before.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19We planted them two years ago and last spring
0:00:19 > 0:00:21we had that terrible cold weather,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24and then the rabbits came in and ate the lot.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26So this year they've come as a gift.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29There is always that thing with bulbs.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34You know what you want from them but you plant them with a lot of hope,
0:00:34 > 0:00:35and by the time they grow,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39you have almost forgotten that they are there.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Nige, come on.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49This week, Carol continues her look at her favourite garden plants
0:00:49 > 0:00:52and the people who devote their lives to them,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54with a celebration of cyclamen.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59- Do you love them?- I don't know how I would live without them!
0:01:01 > 0:01:05We shall also be visiting a plantsman in Yorkshire,
0:01:05 > 0:01:11who has a passion for sweet peas, to see how he breeds new varieties.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Stick the stigma into there, and tap.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20Fold it all back together, and hey presto, we have got a cross.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Joe continues to explore gardens
0:01:27 > 0:01:29in the most challenging of locations,
0:01:29 > 0:01:34with a trip to the rocky, windswept coast of North Cornwall.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36If you were to take that hedge away
0:01:36 > 0:01:39the garden would disappear in 12 months.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41It would just be covered with salt, it would turn black
0:01:41 > 0:01:45and that would be the end of your garden.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50And I am going to have to take drastic action and say goodbye
0:01:50 > 0:01:55to old friends that have shaped this garden over the last 15 years.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10But before we look at disasters, let's do something positive,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12because it is time to sow sweet peas.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15You can sow them in tubes and root trainers,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17and various different ways.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But over the years I have found that getting small pots,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22these are three-inch pots,
0:02:22 > 0:02:27and sowing a batch in each pot that gets planted out whole, works ideal.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31And three is about right. These are hungry, thirsty plants.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Not seed compost, general-purpose compost is fine,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37but if you can add a little bit of sieved soil,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41or sieved garden compost, so much the better.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Because the roots will start to engage with the bacteria
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and the fungi in the soil from the very beginning
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and they will grow better when you transplant them.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Now, the sweet peas themselves.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57There are many, many different types
0:02:57 > 0:02:59of sweet peas you have to choose from,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and you grow them all the same.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I have got here Black Knight, Wonderful, rich, deep purple.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09There used to be a feeling that they had to be soaked,
0:03:09 > 0:03:10nicked with a pen knife,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14I have found that there is no need to do any of that at all.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18They will germinate perfectly well.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Just pop three per pot.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Those four pots are going to make a wigwam.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30So we push them in there, lightly sprinkle
0:03:30 > 0:03:33a little bit of soil over the top...
0:03:35 > 0:03:40..and now these go into a protective place to germinate.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41It does not have to have direct heat,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44a windowsill is absolutely fine, or a porch.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47And then as soon as the seedlings are established,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50put them outside in a sheltered place.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55They will grow harder and stronger and they will adapt quicker
0:03:55 > 0:03:57when you plant them out.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01There we are. The first batch of this year's sweet peas.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05It is one of those plants that stirs some people
0:04:05 > 0:04:07to a lifetime of devotion.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11I think Andrew Bean in Yorkshire would class himself as one.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Not only does he grow sweet peas but he breeds them.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I have always been interested in hybridising,
0:04:27 > 0:04:32I've got marbled sweet peas, striped sweet peas, flaked sweet peas,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and I have got one bi-colour tucked away somewhere as well.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40So, the whole aim is to get something different.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48When hybridising, what we want is a flower that is not pollinated.
0:04:48 > 0:04:54Well, this one here, pull this down, I think this one will be all right.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It's pollen sacs are intact. That is fine, that is OK.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03So, we need to cut those off. So, this is the hard bit. Right.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07I'm going to go, trim, nicely, we have exposed the stigma, right,
0:05:07 > 0:05:13now what we need is something to put onto that.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17We are aiming for a blue marble. So we want a marble flower or two.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22I'm going to have to go and get some flowers. Won't be a minute.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30So we want something that has got pollen already shattered,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33usually about three quarters.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35That'll do nicely.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38So we're going to take that one, so we take the pollen from here,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41don't say any marriage vows,
0:05:41 > 0:05:46we're just going to pull the wings back on that, like that,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and just stick the stigma into there, and tap.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Like that. A little bit of pollen on there.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Next, what we do is put it back together again.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Bring it back, this is the hard bit.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11Right, and then fold it all back together, like that,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14and hey presto, we have got a cross.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29I am the gardener of the family, right, so I do most of the gardening.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33I think my wife would have liked more a proper sort of garden
0:06:33 > 0:06:36with nice paths and things like that.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40We negotiated the patio, and she has now got a top patio,
0:06:40 > 0:06:45I have got my sweet pea pots, it is a merging of the two!
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Right, well, one way of saving seed,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04especially in a hybridiser's garden,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08is, you need to get the seed to dry off.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09And we use tights.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Tights are very good for drying off seed.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16I use different coloured ones as well,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19so that I don't get the seed mixed up.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22We just put the seed pods in here
0:07:22 > 0:07:25when they are ready for picking off,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28you then get a big amount of seed in here,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and as they dry out, you go along and you give them
0:07:32 > 0:07:36a little squeeze like this, on all these tights, the pods explode,
0:07:36 > 0:07:41the seed ends up in the toe, and when you want it, you cut the toe off,
0:07:41 > 0:07:46and drop it into a seed tray, here,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49and then we hand-sort the seed.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56The thing that really grabs me
0:07:56 > 0:07:58are the different colours that you can achieve.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00This is a flake.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04You very rarely get flakes on the market. There are stripes here.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08There is a mass of different colours that you can go at.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13You can go for red on cream. Nobody has got red on cream.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15The ultimate is the yellow.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19But I will leave that up to the genetic engineering
0:08:19 > 0:08:21to get that one, definitely!
0:08:33 > 0:08:36This sunshine has brought the frogs out.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40And the pond is heaving with them, I counted about 30 in here.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44It does show that if you can bring a pond into a garden,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46it does not matter how small,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49it attracts wildlife better than anything else.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Now, time to get on.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Here's some jobs you can do in your garden this weekend.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Epimediums are a charming but shy woodland flower.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31And to enjoy them at their best you cut away last year's foliage.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34This will let light and air in
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and reveal the flowers in all their glory.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43It is time to sow tomatoes.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I like to sow another batch later in the month.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48You can either use a seed tray,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52scattering the seed thinly onto the compost.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Or sow the seeds individually into plugs.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The advantage of the seed tray, it is quick but you will need to
0:09:58 > 0:10:02transplant the seedlings as soon as they are big enough to handle.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Whereas those in the plugs need less handling
0:10:04 > 0:10:08and develop a better root system before they are potted up.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13Either way, put your seeds in a warm place to germinate.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Broad beans can be delicious if picked young
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and are one of the easiest vegetables to grow.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29As soon as the ground can be worked, they can be sown direct.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34Either in double rows about 9-12 inches apart, leaving two-three
0:10:34 > 0:10:36feet between the rows so you can walk down and harvest them.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Or, if you're growing them in a raised bed like I do,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44they can be planted in a grid with each seed nine inches apart.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52I would expect to see those appear in about three weeks' time.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57But I did sow some last October. These are Aquadulce.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Aquadulce are by far the best for an autumn sowing.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04You can see they've grown well. The advantage of sowing
0:11:04 > 0:11:08in autumn is that you establish strong plants for the beginning
0:11:08 > 0:11:12of spring, so when the weather does warm up they are ahead
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and you get an earlier crop. The disadvantage is that they
0:11:16 > 0:11:19are prone to mice and slugs and to the vagaries of the weather.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24But it will be interesting to see which gives us the best harvest.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28To add to the mix, I did a sowing at the end of January
0:11:28 > 0:11:30and have grown these in the greenhouse.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33When they are hardened off in about a week's time,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I will plant them where this kale is.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39So I will have three lots and I can do a comparison between the three.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43The point, of course, is not so much the size of the harvest
0:11:43 > 0:11:46but the timing, which is going to give me
0:11:46 > 0:11:50those first delicious baby beans at the end of spring?
0:11:56 > 0:11:59One job that I must get on with here is to repair some wind
0:11:59 > 0:12:01damage to this Irish yew.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05You can see that it is leaning over and I need to straighten it up.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10And then put a couple of stakes either side and hold it nice
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and securely, probably with some hosepipe.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17That won't damage the plant in any way
0:12:17 > 0:12:19and will allow a little bit of movement.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22But it does need to be rigid because you can see that the
0:12:22 > 0:12:26roots have been ripped up quite close to the trunk.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29So hold it straight until the roots establish.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32That will be in three or four years.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35We get lots of wind here at Longmeadow
0:12:35 > 0:12:41but I know they are nothing compared to the winds that batter the garden
0:12:41 > 0:12:44that Joe has been visiting on the north Cornish coast.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53With its colourful, lush and very varied planting, it is
0:12:53 > 0:12:55hard to believe that this garden is perched on the top
0:12:55 > 0:12:58of a headland in north Cornwall.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00It is a very still day today
0:13:00 > 0:13:04but this spot would put the fear into the bravest of gardeners.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Gardening here at the mercy of the elements is a real test.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14Gale force, salt laden winds are not the gardener's friend.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19But it didn't discourage David Eyles.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21First impressions make it clear,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25he has managed to create a space on the edge of the Atlantic which
0:13:25 > 0:13:29encompasses an amazing array of planting styles.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33You've got separate areas, you've got pretty classic herbaceous
0:13:33 > 0:13:36borders, you've got your cottage garden and a dry garden.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38I don't like going into a garden and somebody opening a door
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and saying, here's the garden and you can see the whole thing.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44I think a garden invites you to go in
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and see what is round the next corner.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51And if you restrict yourself to just one type of gardening
0:13:51 > 0:13:53then that is all you do.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57This is my dry garden which we call the Beth Chatto Garden cos
0:13:57 > 0:13:59I read her book called The Dry Garden.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02It seemed to be the sort of thing that would
0:14:02 > 0:14:03suit our sort of conditions.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06A lot of people think of Cornwall as wet and damp conditions.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10This is unbelievably dry up here.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13If you stood here in the middle of November with a Cornish gale,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15you would agree with the former.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18But in the summer, because it is so light and sandy, because it
0:14:18 > 0:14:22is blown onshore over eons of time, the rain just goes straight through.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26I have to say, the combination of plants is great. I love the Crocosmia
0:14:26 > 0:14:29with the Achilleas over there.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33The upright forms of the Cordylines and the Stipa over there.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35You have got a real eye for putting plants together.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39I think the eye needs shape more than colour.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47There is one crucial design element,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51without which this entire garden would not be possible.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Someone once told me that if you live on the north
0:14:54 > 0:14:58coast of Cornwall, you can either have a view or a garden.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00So we decided on the garden.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05And if you're going to garden where we are, the first thing you
0:15:05 > 0:15:08have got to do is provide yourself with some shelter.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I heard that, in fact,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15one thing you must not do is put up a solid obstruction for the wind.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19We get winds up to 70 or 80mph in the wintertime and if you put
0:15:19 > 0:15:24up a wall, the wind will vortex over it and create more problems.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So you have got to filter the wind.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30That means you have got to find a hedge which will stand,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33not only the strength of the wind but also the salt.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38And so we did some research into various forms of hedging
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and we ended up with Olearia traversii, which is
0:15:41 > 0:15:47a New Zealand plant which has become adapted to the salt environment.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50That is tried and tested, the Olearia, isn't it?
0:15:50 > 0:15:55On a day like this, it's as if there is no wind,
0:15:55 > 0:15:56what are you talking about?!
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Only three days without wind and you have chosen one of them!
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Normally the wind would just sweep right through.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07if you were to take that hedge away,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09the garden would disappear in 12 months.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12It would just be covered with salt, it would
0:16:12 > 0:16:14turn black and that would be the end of your garden.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It is not a luxury, it is absolutely essential.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21As you say, it now creates a particular environment within to
0:16:21 > 0:16:26grow a much wider variety of plants and that is what it is all about.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34It is quite amazing and a testament to David's ingenuity,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38that even in a location as exposed as this, he has managed to create
0:16:38 > 0:16:40an exotic garden.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45This is incredible, it shows what a microclimate you have created
0:16:45 > 0:16:48here because you have some really exotic plants.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50We started with the rockery.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53It is the only time we have actually done any designing.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57We laid out on a piece of paper the sort of shape we would like
0:16:57 > 0:17:00and this is the result. It is a joy.
0:17:00 > 0:17:01A lot of people have tried
0:17:01 > 0:17:04and failed to create a garden in extreme conditions.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07What would your advice be to them?
0:17:07 > 0:17:09The most important thing is to do research.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13You really do need to first know what soil you have got,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16then you need to know from which direction the weather is coming
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and indeed where the sun is, if it ever shines.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The reason why most of the Cornish gardens are on the south
0:17:21 > 0:17:24coast is because they are sheltered from the Atlantic salt winds.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28I choose to live in a place where I have got the salt winds so I then
0:17:28 > 0:17:31had to take steps in order to create the right sort of environment.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- It didn't stop you.- It didn't stop me but then I am an awkward bugger!
0:17:49 > 0:17:51David Eyles' garden apparently withstood
0:17:51 > 0:17:55the ferocious storms that it was battered with earlier this year
0:17:55 > 0:17:56so the hedge was obviously
0:17:56 > 0:18:00doing its work. And you can go and see the garden for yourself.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02It is open under the National Garden Scheme
0:18:02 > 0:18:06and the details of times and dates can be found on our website.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22I am putting this down because I have got to perform some surgery.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Here at Longmeadow we have a really bad case of box blight.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34I mentioned this last year. In fact, we first noticed it two years ago.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37And I cut out the affected parts
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and hoped that it wouldn't reappear but it has.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41The weather we have had is
0:18:41 > 0:18:44ideal for the spreading of blight which is a fungus.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47You can notice it on your box by these chocolate brown
0:18:47 > 0:18:54splodges that appear on the leaves. And it can hit the plant in days.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56You see bare patches and you open it out
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and there is all this musty dead foliage.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04The news is not good, I am afraid. Box blight has no cure.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08There is nothing you can do short of cutting out the affected
0:19:08 > 0:19:12areas and hoping the regrowth doesn't get hit.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16If I did that to these hedges, they would just look ridiculous.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20All these hedges that I have had here for 14, 15 years which defined
0:19:20 > 0:19:26the garden, which were the heart and soul of the garden, now have to go.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29So this is the end of an era.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37I'll put that on the top one. You can see all these leaves
0:19:37 > 0:19:40could have spores on them that will spread.
0:19:53 > 0:19:54It's got really bad here
0:19:54 > 0:19:58and I think that we may well lose all the box in the garden.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02But I can't stress too highly the need for hygiene.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07So this saw is now infected with box blight, potentially.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10So before I use it on or near any other box
0:20:10 > 0:20:12I should sterilise it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15That goes for any cutting implements.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Gather up as much of the fallen foliage as you possibly can.
0:20:19 > 0:20:24Try and resist brushing past it with clothes or with dogs,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27this is why it's so difficult in a garden.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30In the UK, box blight is on the increase.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32but there are things that you can do
0:20:32 > 0:20:36to minimise the risk of infection in your garden.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Only trim box when you know there's a dry week ahead,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43because spores can be carried by the rain
0:20:43 > 0:20:45and open wounds are more easily infected.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Don't wet the leaves when watering, point the water at the roots,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and always keep plants well ventilated.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57I clearly remember the day I planted this hedge
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and put in these little cuttings that I'd grown.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05And, of course, in that 15 years, my children have grown up,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07our lives have changed
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and it's all bound up with this garden we've made.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14And so taking it out is not just removing a few plants,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17it's the end of a whole slice of my life.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22But you have to accept that everything changes,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24you can't hold things back,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and good gardening means going with it.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29And as I'm doing this I can see, for a start,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31the grass borders opening out look better,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35they're going to love that light and air coming in,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and I had planned to put in another hedge along here,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42I'm thinking actually it'd probably be a good idea to leave it open.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47So, immediately something positive is coming out of it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Of course, I'm just cutting these off
0:21:52 > 0:21:53flush with the ground at the moment,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55but if I leave them, they'll re-grow.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And the chances of them being re-infected
0:21:58 > 0:22:00are about 99%,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04because there'll be spores in the ground for up to five years.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07So the next stage will be to dig out the roots
0:22:07 > 0:22:10and then I can replant something if I want to.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Well, this is all very sad,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19but at this time of year there is so much to celebrate,
0:22:19 > 0:22:24and Carol is doing exactly that with cyclamen.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Across the British Isles
0:22:34 > 0:22:37there are dedicated plants people
0:22:37 > 0:22:41who've helped shape what we see and grow in our own gardens.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42People like Vic Aspland,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46who's a trustee of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50home to the most wonderful collection of hardy cyclamen.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59With their propeller-like flowers,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02from deepest magenta to brightest white,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05it's easy to see how these plants evoke deep passion in gardeners.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13Vic has been devoted to them for over 40 years.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It all began in 1972.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20I don't know why, but I ordered a couple of packets of cyclamen seed
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and the results were wonderful,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24so I started ordering more.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26And then in 1978
0:23:26 > 0:23:30I heard that a cyclamen society had been formed.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- Yeah.- And I immediately joined.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37And from there, well, shall we say, it was all downhill.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40All uphill, wasn't it?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44With more and more cyclamen, and so it's continued.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47And you're President, aren't you, of the Cyclamen Society?
0:23:47 > 0:23:52I am President, yeah. See, I'm always getting into trouble.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55As president of the society,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Vic has helped promote cyclamen research worldwide,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01affording us a better understanding
0:24:01 > 0:24:05of this much-loved plant in our UK gardens.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10I've now been on five expeditions
0:24:10 > 0:24:13with the Cyclamen Society
0:24:13 > 0:24:14to study plants in the wild.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17If you see the conditions in which a plant actually grows,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20that gives you a really good handle on how to grow it
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and cultivation in your own garden.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Let's have a look at your pictures.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30- This is a trip to Turkey in late February.- Oh!
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- Look at that! - The ground there is frozen
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and yet there are Cyclamen coum growing perfectly well.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40You wouldn't think any plant could survive at all,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and yet, remarkably, they do.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:24:44 > 0:24:49Although cyclamen do tend to grow in limestone areas in the wild,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51we found that in the garden
0:24:51 > 0:24:53the pH of your soil hardly matters at all.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56You give them soil, they'll grow in it.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Do you love them?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I don't know how I'd live without them.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05THEY LAUGH
0:25:14 > 0:25:16All those places that Vic visited,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19the Cyclamen coum would sow themselves around
0:25:19 > 0:25:22and there'd be infinite variation in them.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26All cyclamen open their seed pods at the same stage
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and at that stage the starch in those seeds turns to sugar
0:25:29 > 0:25:33and it brings in ants from miles around.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37In they come, and they carry off these seeds in every direction.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39It's a really good insurance policy
0:25:39 > 0:25:42to make sure that those seedlings come up
0:25:42 > 0:25:44way away from the mother plant
0:25:44 > 0:25:48so there's a wide distribution and everybody can survive.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50If you want to do it yourself,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53you don't want to wait for the ants, it's not reliable enough,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56but what you can do is get your own seed
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and you just get a pot of gritty compost
0:25:59 > 0:26:01and sow it onto the surface of that.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Then put some grit over the top,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06cos this just helps the drainage
0:26:06 > 0:26:10and ensures that the seeds are in intimate contact with that compost.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Water it well, stand it outside, and then forget about it,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17and eventually they'll come into flower
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and you'll see exactly what you've got.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Look at the variety there,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26the variation in the leaf and the flower colour,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and that's the huge joy of sowing cyclamen from seed.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32You put your seed in, but you have no idea what you're going to get
0:26:32 > 0:26:36until one day, finally, they flower.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Nigel Hopes cares for the cyclamen collection
0:26:42 > 0:26:44here at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Like Vic, he's been hit by cycla-mania.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51He's championing a rare new hybrid
0:26:51 > 0:26:54that's just come on to the market.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59I hear you're the next generation of cyclamen fanciers.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I suppose you could call me that, yeah.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03The thing I love about them is,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05it's so nice to have something flowering
0:27:05 > 0:27:07in January, February, March,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09when there's not all that else happening.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13- The flowers are like little nodding faces.- Yeah.- They're just beautiful.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16But there've been lots of new developments, haven't there?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- Lots of new selections made. - There have been. Erm...
0:27:19 > 0:27:22This one in particular's called 'Ashwood Snowflake'.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Pure white, dark stems,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and that leaf is just out of this world.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31It's absolutely fantastic, isn't it? I mean, you can imagine
0:27:31 > 0:27:33how well that will show up in the garden.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Yeah. So, new, exciting - love for cyclamen goes on and on.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Well, this box is not going on for ever,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58because the best way to get rid of box blight is to burn it.
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Now, of course, not everybody either wants or can have a bonfire.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08So, if you can't burn it...
0:28:08 > 0:28:13put it for collection by the council,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16or take it to them, so they can compost it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18By the way, don't try and compost it yourself,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22because council compost heaps develop a really hot centre
0:28:22 > 0:28:24and that will kill the spores,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27whereas a domestic compost heap never gets hot enough -
0:28:27 > 0:28:30don't risk it, because you'll just re-infect the garden again.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Well, that's the end of the box,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and the end of tonight's programme too.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40But, of course, unlike the box,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43we'll be back next week at the same time here at Longmeadow.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46So, join us then. Bye-bye.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53If you were watching last week,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56you may well have noticed that we had a technical hitch
0:28:56 > 0:28:58and that meant that you couldn't fully enjoy
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Joe Swift's visit to the beautiful Bog Garden in Wales.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03But if you'd like to view it, you can do so now,
0:29:03 > 0:29:08by going to: bbc.co.uk/gardenersworld