0:00:08 > 0:00:10Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Yesterday was the Spring Equinox and, of course,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17that means that we've now got more day than night.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Over the next few months,
0:00:19 > 0:00:23everything about spring just gets better and better.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27It's actually a very good time to be dividing snowdrops.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30They've finished flowering, but they're still in the green,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33they're still full of life and vigour. So when you lift a clump,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36just pull it apart like that and replant them.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Next January, they will flower better than they would have done
0:00:40 > 0:00:42if you'd left them where they were.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Come on.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Why, Nigel, is my ball in there?
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Nigel is working on the theory
0:00:54 > 0:00:58that if you plant a nice slimy little tennis ball,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00it may go forth and multiply!
0:01:00 > 0:01:02It hasn't worked yet, Nige!
0:01:05 > 0:01:10This week, Carol is starting a major new project,
0:01:10 > 0:01:16helping a young couple turn their empty patch into a beautiful garden.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18We've got a year, haven't we?
0:01:18 > 0:01:20You can do so much in there,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and I really feel we can transform the place.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Joe is in Northumberland,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28meeting a gardener who's made a stunning garden,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31despite having to deal with the extremes of hot, dry summers,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and bitterly cold winters.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37I think that you can make a garden anywhere, whatever the conditions,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41providing you look at the native plants that grow round about.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Yeah, I can see why you moved here and did it, it's absolutely stunning.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47We meet a Cotswold grower
0:01:47 > 0:01:50whose boyhood enthusiasm for bees and butterflies
0:01:50 > 0:01:55has led him to amass Buddleja in all their fabulous forms.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57When butterflies come into the garden,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59they're actually looking for a nectar source.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01They're sort of on a pub crawl.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03They come here for the beer festival!
0:02:19 > 0:02:21This pot should be giving me
0:02:21 > 0:02:22some spring colour,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24with tulips coming through
0:02:24 > 0:02:26which will flower in a few weeks' time
0:02:26 > 0:02:27and plenty of colour underneath.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29As you can see, there's absolutely nothing,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and the reason is, I forgot.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37I could, and should have planted tulips as late as January. I didn't.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39But the situation can be salvaged.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43You can still get spring colour into your containers as late as now.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48The basis of the best spring colour, I think, comes from violas.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Not a grand plant or fancy, but the colours can be so sumptuous.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Look at these beautiful rich velvety tones.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Because this display is only going to be here
0:03:04 > 0:03:06for about six to eight weeks,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10we don't need a lot of very rich soil.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I'm just propping up what was already in here,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15as much as anything else, to raise the level.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Then when it comes to the summer and autumn planting,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23all this soil will go and be replaced to give it new goodness.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28The centrepiece is the Euphorbia Amygdaloides,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30which is a variety called Efanthia,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32which I haven't grown before,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35but these are all fairly similar. What they have is this
0:03:35 > 0:03:38good, strong russet colour
0:03:38 > 0:03:40with the intensity of Euphorbia.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43No other plant gives you that electricity,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45particularly in April.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49So that can go in the middle, like that.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53It's not going to get much bigger over the next few weeks.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59I thought of adding Heuchera, entirely for the foliage.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01This is a variety called Mahogany.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03I think it's just purple-y,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07magenta-y enough to compliment the colours I want from the violas.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10We'll pop that in there.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15With large pots like this, threes work very well
0:04:15 > 0:04:18because it gives room for a variety of plants,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21but it also gives it a rhythm.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22That will go here.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Because I want an instant hit of colour,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I am going to cram every available space.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34There is no attempt to let plants grow into the space.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37This has got to work from the minute I plant it
0:04:37 > 0:04:40until the middle of May - by which time, it can be exhausted.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44It doesn't matter. It's a sprint, not a marathon.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50We'll just open that out...
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and we'll just start to plant them in and around.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03Violas and pansies - the same family, but pansies are bigger...
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and blousier, to an extent, but I'm not looking for subtlety.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09I want strength of colour and a little bit of drama.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Perfect for this mix.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I think that's looking good now.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It will get better over the next few weeks, but the truth is,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23this is instant gardening, and none the worse for it.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27But Carol is embarking on a project which is the exact opposite.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31She will be guiding a couple, over the next year,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34on the development of their garden.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38They know what they want, but they don't know how to get there.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Dan and Dominique bought their first home together three years ago.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50With internal renovations over, it's time to tackle the garden.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54It's north facing and there's 150 square metres.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58It's your average UK back garden.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01It's pretty much a blank canvas.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03This is the year we're going to try and sort out
0:06:03 > 0:06:04the mud plain, as we're calling it.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07This is it. This summer, we're going to get the garden fixed.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09The gardens I loved when I was little
0:06:09 > 0:06:12were the ones that were completely wild, like cottagey gardens.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It would be great if this was just a riot of colours,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17textures and height.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22We'd like some lawn, so we could sit out and have a picnic and play.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Dan and Dominique have made a start,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28with some raised beds and some chickens.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31But they've got no idea where to turn next.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33This is their first garden.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36They want it to be a place where they can grow food,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38enjoy beautiful flowers,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42relax with their daughter, and entertain.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44So I'm going to spend the year helping them out.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46We're hoping that Carol
0:06:46 > 0:06:50will bring knowledge of how we make the most of plants,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54which plants are going to work well together,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56so we would love to think we were up and running
0:06:56 > 0:06:58by the end of this season.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Their garden is already split into three main areas -
0:07:02 > 0:07:08a patio, an area perfect for a lawn, and a veg plot.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10I can't wait to get stuck in with them!
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Hello! I'm Carol.
0:07:14 > 0:07:20- Dan.- Hi.- And you're Dominique? - Yeah, Dom.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21Hiya...
0:07:21 > 0:07:24And this is your veg patch?
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Yeah. This is it at the moment.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30- Is that a big priority for you, growing your own food?- Absolutely.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31- Definitely.- We get eggs regularly,
0:07:31 > 0:07:36but we've never really utilised the raised beds all through the season.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38We have one hit in the summer and that's it,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40then it's like this for the rest of the time.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Raised beds are perfect for small spaces.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46I know that this summer, with careful planning,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50these veg beds will be much more productive.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53But the other areas will be more of a challenge.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Come and show me the rest of your garden.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08The middle section is where Dan and Dom want to create their lawn.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14It's also the place for them to indulge in flowers.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19The thing is, when you're taking on a new garden,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23you need to really find out about soil.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27It's always going to be a compromise and sometimes, if you're lucky,
0:08:27 > 0:08:32a joining together of what you can grow and what you want to grow.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35So you've got quite heavy clay soil, by the look of it.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37It's liable to be alkaline.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Does that push us down a certain type of plant?
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Well, if it is alkaline, you're not going to be able to grow
0:08:43 > 0:08:44masses of rhododendrons and azaleas,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and anyway, they wouldn't go here.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50They wouldn't look right, would they? As you look around,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52you've got this little green tapestry
0:08:52 > 0:08:57beginning to emerge, but a lot of it is weeds.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Their country name is Pilewort.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04You can see why it gets its name.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Every single one of these
0:09:08 > 0:09:10will make a totally fresh plant,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13so really, we need to get rid of them.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16That's true of any perennial weed,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and a perennial weed is one that will just come up
0:09:18 > 0:09:20year after year after year.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Dan and Dominique have their work cut out digging up those weeds
0:09:24 > 0:09:27if we're to lay a lawn next time I come.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31Meanwhile, I've spotted a plant that could be rejuvenated.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35At our wedding, we had our table names
0:09:35 > 0:09:37as herbs, and at the end,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39a good friend of ours gathered them up
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and gave them back as a wedding present in a lovely planter.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46I think you could resurrect it. Let's get rid of the moss first of all.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51You're going to bend these little branches down,
0:09:51 > 0:09:57but then if we pile some of this soil, which is loam-based,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and it's much more the sort of thing that this would love,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03so I've just got the ends of these protruding.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06But it's still going to try and fling itself up,
0:10:06 > 0:10:12so if we just weight those little branches down with a stone.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17And we can do it with all of them, actually, right the way round here.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22And you should get new plants growing on each of these branches.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27So that's your first bit of propagating. Your first new plants!
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- And I think you need a nursery bed. - Yeah?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Somewhere you can divide stuff, push it in, yeah?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Shall we go and have a look?
0:10:35 > 0:10:40I brought you some snowdrops, so we'd be able to do that too.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Because anything you get given, anything you want to divide,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47any seedlings you want to plant out,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50they'll just increase in size in here.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54This nursery bed will be a true investment
0:10:54 > 0:10:57for the future of Dan and Dom's garden.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01It's the first step for them to get growing.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12It'll be very interesting to see how their garden develops
0:11:12 > 0:11:14over the coming year.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21Well, let's see how the pond is looking after its winter.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25It's been full of frogs, so the wildlife is good.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27But at this stage of the year,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30the important thing is to do a bit of spring cleaning.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34The water is still cold, even if the days are warm,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37so it's a bit early to be planting anything.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Wait till the water doesn't feel cold to the touch.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44And believe you me, that feels freezing!
0:11:44 > 0:11:48The really important thing at this stage is to get rid of
0:11:48 > 0:11:52all the dead material, because it will rot down
0:11:52 > 0:11:57and make the nutrient levels in the water too rich.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02And that feeds the algae.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04And then there's a whole series of problems.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06I don't know if you can see, but we've got a lot of leaves
0:12:06 > 0:12:08on the bottom here.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Urgh, look at that gunk!
0:12:16 > 0:12:22That's exactly what you don't want in a pond - decomposing vegetation.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28It's fine to be cleaning them even if you've got frogspawn,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31because at the moment, it's in clumps and you can see it,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35and it doesn't mind being moved, as long as you're just gentle.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37I've got Water Mint
0:12:37 > 0:12:42and Water Forget-me-not, which is spreading very well,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and that's good for wildlife, but a little too well.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48So by weeding it back,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53I'm creating scope for more to grow
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and leaving some more open water.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Rather than take this to the compost heap, where it will eventually go,
0:13:15 > 0:13:21I'm going to tip it out by the side of the pond for a day or so,
0:13:21 > 0:13:26and that's to let all the little creatures go back into the water,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30and they will. And it is actually teeming with life.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31There's a dragonfly larvae.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39Now, you can have a garden pond of almost any size in any garden,
0:13:39 > 0:13:44and they add a kind of calmness and balance to a garden.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48But Joe has been visiting a series of gardens
0:13:48 > 0:13:50that are working with extremes.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54And this week, he's in Northumberland, looking at a garden
0:13:54 > 0:13:56facing huge challenges.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Hot, dry summers and bone-chilling winters.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Northumberland has the most extreme climate.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And here, in this hidden valley, the weather plays
0:14:11 > 0:14:13particularly harsh tricks,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16which makes gardening all the more challenging.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30But look at this - huge borders mainly built up of perennials
0:14:30 > 0:14:35in drifts and blocks, tiering up and combining beautifully together.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Now, this is a frost hollow.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It can get to more than ten degrees lower here than the surrounding area.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43It's a real geographical cold spot,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46which makes this garden even more impressive.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Garden writer Susie White and her husband, David Oakley,
0:14:52 > 0:14:57have been developing their garden here over the last three years.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59But the conditions have proved tough,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02even for an experienced plantswoman like Susie.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Susie, how extreme is the weather here? How cold does it get?
0:15:07 > 0:15:08It's pretty extreme.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12It can be minus 18, we've known it in the winter,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15and plus 30 in the summer, so that's almost
0:15:15 > 0:15:17- a 50-degree swing...- Yeah.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20..which really makes it difficult for plants.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- So do you get a lot of snow here? - Yes, we get quite a lot of snow.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25We've been snowed in for two weeks, that's the most.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Because we're in the bottom of the valley, the cold air runs down
0:15:29 > 0:15:32the hillsides and collects in the bottom,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34making it really icy in winter.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38- And did you know that before you started to garden here? - Well, I did have an idea,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42but actually, the amount took me by surprise.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- It looks great.- It's beautiful.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46You can plant on quite a big scale here.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48These borders are enormous.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51I wanted to have the feeling of an exploded meadow, so that
0:15:51 > 0:15:54it fits in with the local meadows and didn't look out of place.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I have to make sure it's meticulously weeded in March,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and then it's sort of set for the summer.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04And once the plants have grown up, it means that they prevent
0:16:04 > 0:16:06the light getting in to a lot of weed seeds.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- So you're actually planting really densely together.- Very.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Are there any other advantages of that?
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Well, it prevents water loss off the soil, so in a place that gets
0:16:15 > 0:16:19- so hot in the summer, that's very, very helpful.- Yeah.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22That's interesting that you pack the plants tighter to retain moisture.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25You'd have thought that they'll be taking all the moisture
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- out of the soil.- Well, I suppose they are feeding on the moisture,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32- but they're preventing water loss and evaporation from the soil.- Yeah.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34And they're shading,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37so they're actually keeping the soil a bit cooler.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Susie's also cleverly designed her planting
0:16:39 > 0:16:43to work almost like a calendar,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47moving through from early summer to late autumn.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53I had hot colours at the front, fading to cooler colours
0:16:53 > 0:16:55at the back, to increase the sense of space.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- Yeah, it's a good trick, that, isn't it?- To make it feel larger.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01So I literally just, you know, painted with the plants.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Yeah, you just had lots and lots of plants.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04That must have been really good fun.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09And very free, like painting on a canvas.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26How do you go about choosing the right plants? Is it trial and error?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29I looked at the plants that were growing in local meadows
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and then chose cultivated varieties of those,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34as well as lots of native plants, so they are tough.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- There's the Angel's fishing rods... - Yeah.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40..which I never thought I'd be able to grow in this frost hollow,
0:17:40 > 0:17:41but they're surviving happily.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I'm restricted by the amount of
0:17:43 > 0:17:45types of thyme I can grow. There's one thyme, though,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48that has done really well,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and that's Thymus longicaulis. I've put it on either side of
0:17:51 > 0:17:52the path to the greenhouse.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55And it's spread in this huge mat,
0:17:55 > 0:17:56so that's lovely.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05Now, what would your advice be to someone who faces challenges like this?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07You can't get away from the fact that you need to work hard,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10but I think that you can make a garden anywhere,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12whatever the conditions,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15providing you look at the native plants that grow round about
0:18:15 > 0:18:19and try not to force a square peg into a round hole.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23- Yeah, I can see why you moved here and did it. It's absolutely stunning. - Thank you.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36We've had some absolutely fantastic spring weather, and these warm days
0:18:36 > 0:18:40mean that these tender plants, that I've been protecting all winter,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42are growing well.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46And, of course, it's a good idea to put them outside.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49But a word of warning -
0:18:49 > 0:18:53if you get good weather at this time of year during the day,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56it tends to mean cold nights.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02And the difference in temperature can be about 20 degrees or more,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06and this poor tender growth is not yet hardened off.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10It's not equipped to deal with that kind of temperature shift.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14So if you're putting plants outside,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17have some protection to hand. Horticultural fleece is ideal.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18You could use old net curtains.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Anything that can breathe,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24but will form a layer of warm air around the plant.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26And all you have to do, if you feel the chill coming on
0:19:26 > 0:19:31in the evening, is just wrap around the plant, like this fuchsia.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34If it's going to be windy, just tie it loosely
0:19:34 > 0:19:37with a piece of twine. That's enough protection
0:19:37 > 0:19:40to allow that new growth to harden off
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and, in a few weeks' time, you won't have to worry about it.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Now, you may not have any tender plants to protect,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49but here are some jobs you can be doing this weekend.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Slugs love a juicy young seedling
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and can rip through a whole tray of them in a matter of hours.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07If you set beer traps by pouring beer into a container or two
0:20:07 > 0:20:09and setting these amongst the plants,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13the slugs will always go for the beer and drown.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19It's tempting to hang on to every last seedling,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23but now's the time to be ruthless and thin them,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25so that they are evenly spread,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29and each individual has plenty of room to develop.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And if you're growing in plugs or soil blocks,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35take them down to one healthy plant per unit.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38You'll get better plants as a result
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and save yourself a lot of time and trouble later on.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Although the ground is beginning to warm up, and you can start
0:20:50 > 0:20:55sowing salad crops now, they will germinate and develop slowly.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59But if you put out young plants -
0:20:59 > 0:21:03and if you haven't raised any yourself, you can buy these -
0:21:03 > 0:21:05they will develop more quickly.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Space them about six inches apart
0:21:07 > 0:21:11and then protect them from the cold with fleece or a cloche,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16and they'll give you a harvest while your seed-sown ones are developing.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I'm going to prune my Buddlejas.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31And the reason for doing this is not just to promote new flowers -
0:21:31 > 0:21:33because this is Buddleja davidii,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36which flowers on new growth -
0:21:36 > 0:21:38but also to keep the shape.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40If you leave it, it gets bigger and bigger
0:21:40 > 0:21:43and the flowers remain taller and taller, higher and higher up,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and down below, it's shaded out and you just get this rather woody,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49untidy, scrubby shape.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53So we keep a good shape and have new flowers.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56About ten years ago, I would have advised
0:21:56 > 0:21:59pruning it right down to the bottom buds
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and keeping it really compact so it was all new growth,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06but increasingly, I feel that it's better to just take off
0:22:06 > 0:22:10about a half, or a maximum of two thirds of Buddlejas.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12That keeps them bigger
0:22:12 > 0:22:17and also takes away competition for light from surrounding plants.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Now, when you're pruning, the same rules apply to Buddleja
0:22:19 > 0:22:25as anything else, which is that the weakest growth is cut hardest.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28So here, we've got a really weak stem next to a really strong one.
0:22:28 > 0:22:35So the strong one, I'll just take off there and there.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38But the weak one,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40I'll take off right down at the bottom.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46There we go.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Now, I've got quite a few Buddlejas here at Longmeadow,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53ranging in colour from pure white
0:22:53 > 0:22:56through to a lovely rich, intense purple.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02But Andrew Bullock, in The Cotswolds, has got hundreds of them.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12I think my sort of interest in Buddlejas goes back to
0:23:12 > 0:23:16when I was a child. Coming home from school, in my grandparents' garden,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19every July, August, this sort of plant would appear
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and then these wonderful creatures would land on it
0:23:22 > 0:23:25which, of course, were butterflies.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39For anyone who's interested in wildlife, then this plant
0:23:39 > 0:23:42is a bit of a must, really.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47When butterflies come in to the garden,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49they're actually looking for a nectar source.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52So you can think of it that they're sort of on a pub crawl.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Each butterfly's going looking for nectar
0:23:55 > 0:23:57and when they come in here, they can have a drink,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01they can go to another garden, get another drink, they can top up.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03So if you've all got Buddlejas in your garden, the butterflies
0:24:03 > 0:24:07can do the pub crawl, then they can come here for the beer festival.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10What they're trying to do, particularly in late summer,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12is build up for hibernation.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14We have all the hibernating British butterflies here.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18We have Peacock, Tortoiseshell,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Comma, butterflies that hibernate.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30We've got about 30 species, but over 100 cultivars.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32I think it's about 127.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40The spectrum of colours for Buddlejas is quite large.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43You can have white, all shades of blue, from a very pale blue,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46deep blue, into purple.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49There's some nice sort of pinks into maroon,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51and then the weyeriana Buddleja
0:24:51 > 0:24:52produces a lovely yellow plant
0:24:52 > 0:24:55later in the summer, and also,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57a creamy apricot colour.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59So there's quite a good pallet.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09This is one of my favourites. It's shire blue.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13It was one we bred here about ten years ago.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16I like it because it's got really large creamy blue panicles
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and really good grey foliage.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22It's a nice one to have the back of a border, as it can give you
0:25:22 > 0:25:25good height. Or you can prune it lower and bring it more forward.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28I tend to prune Buddlejas April time.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Some people like to do it at the end of winter, in February, March,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35but I find if you do that, then the Buddlejas bloom in July.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37By doing them a little bit later, say April,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40they then tend to bloom in August.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44That's the best time for attracting the butterflies.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45If you've got two or three Buddlejas,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47why not stagger the pruning?
0:25:52 > 0:25:56A good thing to keep the Buddleja blooming is to keep deadheading it.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02If you're very clever, you can keep Buddlejas flowering from July
0:26:02 > 0:26:04right through to October.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Where you've got a triangle of flowers
0:26:06 > 0:26:08and the two smaller ones either side haven't flowered yet
0:26:08 > 0:26:11or are just coming into flower and the one in the centre has gone over,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14take the centre one out, then the energy goes into the two side ones.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Or if the whole head has gone over, take the whole head off
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and then the plant will carry on flowering elsewhere.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34I feel that everybody should have at least one Buddleja in their garden.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36They're beautiful things,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38they're good to teach children about wildlife.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I mean, let's face it, if it wasn't for a Buddleja
0:26:41 > 0:26:43back when I was a child, I may not be here now.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46What we must do is fill our gardens with nectar-attracting plants,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49then we can do our bit for future generations, so they can enjoy
0:26:49 > 0:26:53these wonderful jewels of the air, which is what we have here today.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02If you want to see Andrew's collection,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04you can get the details of the opening times,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07as well as any other details of today's programme
0:27:07 > 0:27:09from our website.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12I really like that tip of leaving some pruning
0:27:12 > 0:27:14as late as mid April,
0:27:14 > 0:27:19to get the best flowering when the butterflies need it most.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Come on, you old softie. Come on. Let's move this.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41It's already been a fabulous year for rhubarb.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44We pick rhubarb and I eat it on Christmas Day.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49And what you see here is the third picking.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54When you're collecting rhubarb, don't use a knife, but pull it.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58You just take a stem, hold at the bottom and tear it off.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Rhubarb has a delicious astringency.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07There's no pudding better than a hot rhubarb crumble.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11The crumble itself - just slightly gooey, it's soaking up the juices.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Absolutely delicious, maybe with a little bit of cream.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Well, that is it for today.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22Next week, we're on half an hour later, at nine o'clock,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26after Lambing Live. So join me here at Longmeadow
0:28:26 > 0:28:29next Friday, at nine o'clock.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31See you then. Bye-bye.