0:00:03 > 0:00:05- WHISTLES - Nige?
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16This is the moment in spring when we go from all the subtle,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20gentle colours, the primroses and the lemons of early spring,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23which are so beautiful in their own way,
0:00:23 > 0:00:28to an explosion of colour which comes from the tulips.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33It's as though the season just hits a conveyor belt and off we go.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Today, I will be continuing trying to rectify the tragedy
0:00:45 > 0:00:47of my blight-stricken box
0:00:47 > 0:00:50by planting a different kind of hedge...
0:00:52 > 0:00:56..and Rachel gets an exclusive look behind the scenes of one
0:00:56 > 0:00:59of the best alpine collections in the world...
0:00:59 > 0:01:04- Oh, wow, John! This is amazing! - It's quite impressive, isn't it?
0:01:04 > 0:01:08Not just all of that colour, it's the fragrance as well.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12..while Carol is in Devon, meeting a man who has devoted
0:01:12 > 0:01:15himself to the glories of the erythronium.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17These are special plants.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20All year, I wait for them to come up in the spring.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23If there's one plant that I would never want to be without,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25it is the erythroniums.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41I've kept these alpines under cover all winter,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43not to protect them from the cold at all -
0:01:43 > 0:01:46they're as tough as old boots, but from the rain.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48They have very special conditions.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51They like really good drainage, they can withstand any
0:01:51 > 0:01:58amount of cold, any amount of heat, but they just hate very wet winters.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02And you can see that they look good in terracotta.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04I love the delicacy,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08the way that each pot creates its own little garden.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12There's very little to do to look after them.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Once you've planted them, they're almost trouble free.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19What you do need to do at this time of year is just check them
0:02:19 > 0:02:23over, see if there are any dead pieces that need taking off,
0:02:23 > 0:02:28if the grit has washed off in the rain, perhaps, to replace it,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30and that's it.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34You can, of course, make new plants from the sempervivums.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Here, where it's very crowded,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38each one of these will make a new plant,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42so if I just pull off a rosette like that
0:02:42 > 0:02:47and just gently tease it out, there it comes.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52I could pot that up, it's got roots on it, and that would quickly make
0:02:52 > 0:02:57a new plant and you can see that's one that was potted up last autumn.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Now, of course, these are very common familiar types,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05they can take the hardship of an English summer and winter, but there
0:03:05 > 0:03:09are many different types of alpines, some of which need specialist care.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14And Rachel has been to the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh
0:03:14 > 0:03:17to see the huge collection of alpines.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Alpines may be tiny, but when it comes to adding colour
0:03:27 > 0:03:32and interest to your garden, they can certainly punch above their weight.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36I grew to love alpines when I was a child
0:03:36 > 0:03:39because my father had a passion for them
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and most weekends, we went to the local garden centre
0:03:43 > 0:03:47and would come back with these little child-sized pots of perfection,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49which we then planted in our rockery.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52That was wonderful, I have to say, but it was nothing like this -
0:03:52 > 0:03:56the Rock Garden at Edinburgh Botanic Garden.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59This is home to more than 5,000 plants
0:03:59 > 0:04:01and it's just the tip of the iceberg.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05In their natural home, above the tree line,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10alpines withstand extreme weather conditions, such as snow, ice,
0:04:10 > 0:04:15gale force winds and fierce sunshine. They're small, but mighty.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19But the one thing many of them really don't like is winter wet,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23so in the UK, some species can be difficult to grow unprotected.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27These alpine houses have been built specifically to accommodate
0:04:27 > 0:04:31the plants which can't easily live outdoors.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34John Mitchell heads up the alpine team.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38He's travelled the globe collecting wild specimens
0:04:38 > 0:04:41for their ever-evolving collection.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- Oh, wow, John! This is amazing! - It's quite impressive, isn't it?
0:04:45 > 0:04:47It's really impressive.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50The other thing is when you come in, it's not just all that colour,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52it's the fragrance as well.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55The scent is overpowering and it's usually from these narcissus.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57You get this very sweet scent coming across.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Absolutely beautiful, and one forgets how many small bulbs
0:05:01 > 0:05:04come into that sort of overall alpine umbrella.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10Yes, we have the narcissus, we have muscari. We have tulips.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Just now, the alpine house is at its best,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and the display is absolutely spectacular.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- Lovely primulas there at the end, as well.- The allionii are spectacular.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21They always flower really well with us in Edinburgh.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24So, roughly how many plants do you think are in here?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27There's about 200 plants in here, but what we do is,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30every Friday, we bring plants from the back area that are
0:05:30 > 0:05:33in flower into here so the public have something different to see.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Behind the scenes we have about four or five thousand.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38So I'm going to get an exclusive look at those?
0:05:38 > 0:05:41You are, yes. But before we do that, we need to maybe take some
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- of these plants into the back to replace them.- Right.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Oh, look in here. SHE GASPS
0:05:59 > 0:06:01This is our new bulb house.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04These are your understudies waiting for their moment in the spotlight?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Anything in flower here then gets moved to the front house
0:06:07 > 0:06:11if we've got space, so they all get their minute of fame.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Tell me about the plants you've got in here.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Where have you actually got them from?
0:06:15 > 0:06:18This one here, the Fritillaria imperialis,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- we collected this in 2005 in Iran. - It's absolutely beautiful.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And those leaves are really glossy, too.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26The leaves are lovely, this lovely dark stem,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29with the red flowers hanging quite tight to it is quite unusual.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31But an absolutely beautiful plant.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34So where else have your plant-hunting travels taken you to?
0:06:34 > 0:06:39I'm mainly concentrating in Central Asia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41We've done work in the Russian Altai,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and we're going to try to get to Kazakhstan at some point as well.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Because that term "alpine" suggests that they are
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- all European in origin, and of course they come from...- All over the world.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Where has it come from, this obvious love of alpines?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57I think I have to blame my father,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59because he was a student here way back in the '60s,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and then moved to St Andrews to build the botanic garden there.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04So from an early age,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08I was brought up in botanic gardens as my playground, and then I got
0:07:08 > 0:07:11the chance to come here 30-odd years ago, and I've never looked back.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- I absolutely love the place. - They won't let you go now, you know.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- Hopefully not!- I've seen bulbs. You've whetted my appetite.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- What else is there?- The other house I shall show you straightaway.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Now, this is like an alpine creche, all these tiny plants.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36This is where when plants,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38we take the cuttings and they've established,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41they come in here, and then we can grow them on, keep an eye on them.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Once they get bigger, we move them to another house.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45And you grow them in the sand because?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47The sand keeps the roots moist in the summertime,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and you can see everything in here is in clay pots,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52so the clay pot is porous, keep the sand moist,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56the moisture goes into the clay pot and keeps the roots moist.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Presumably there are alpines that are very rare to find in the wild.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Is that something that you're looking for in a botanic garden,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05to help save those plants?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08A botanic gardener is always looking for rare
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and unusual plants for conservation.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Here we have Dionysia afghanica,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15which just grows in certain parts of Afghanistan.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18This plant is probably very endangered in the wild.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22We also have this plant here, which is Hepatica falconeri,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25which was only known in Pakistan.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30And then in 2012, it was found in Kyrgyzstan.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32We managed to get permission to collect it, and now
0:08:32 > 0:08:35here it is growing in Edinburgh so we can do research on it.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36How exciting.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38I feel so privileged that I have been able to see
0:08:38 > 0:08:40some of these rare plants.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47I know they flower fleetingly, and they are small,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49but how can you not love alpines?
0:08:49 > 0:08:51I totally agree.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16My interest in alpines has only developed very recently,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21and it's as though I've suddenly realised how jewel-like they are.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22They are fantastic.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26So I must go back to Edinburgh, any excuse to go there is fantastic,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and see the collection that they've got.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30But they're very easy to grow at home,
0:09:30 > 0:09:36and I've got a nice old stone trough here, perfect for growing them in.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38If you can get hold of a trough, use it.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40If you can't, you can use a sink,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43any container as long as it's not plastic.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Stone or terracotta is ideal because it's porous,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48so you don't get water collecting.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Make sure there is a drainage hole, and make sure it's raised up
0:09:51 > 0:09:55so the water can actually run away rather than just sit underneath it.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00Put a crock over the hole so it doesn't get clogged up and blocked.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05And mix up a really, really gritty compost.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09I've got here a peat-free general-purpose compost
0:10:09 > 0:10:13mixed in equal volume with grit. Don't cheat on this.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16If anything, add more grit.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19That's the crucial thing, drainage.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Now, I've got a selection of plants here.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26And there are so many alpines to choose from, and they're cheap.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30You can buy plants like this extraordinary
0:10:30 > 0:10:36gypsophila from Pakistan for a couple of quid.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Now, I'm going to just put two or three together.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41We've got a little Androsace here, these flowers growing up
0:10:41 > 0:10:45almost like a little tiny primulas, which comes from Asia.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51And then, from the mountains of central Spain, an Armeria.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Little pincushion foliage,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57and these beautiful little pink flowers that appear above it.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00And they'll be happy blasted by icy winds,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03as long as they have light and aren't too wet.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10This sedum which I've grown last year in a separate pot,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I'd like to pot on into here.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17What I'm trying to get is glaucous greys and pinks mixing in.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27These plants are all sun-lovers,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31so you position the trough in maximum sunshine, facing south.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34This...
0:11:34 > 0:11:36actually is a saxifrage, cotyledon,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40which will flower with white flowers in summer,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42keeping our pink and white themes.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Now, you can see I've spaced it out, nothing crowding in on each other.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49We can always add. You've got room for them to grow.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53And then I'm going to dress this with grit,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56partly because it guarantees better drainage,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and also because it ties it all in together. It looks better.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11As long as you've got really good drainage, watering them
0:12:11 > 0:12:15won't harm them at all, and it's necessary to water plants in.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17It settles them into the compost.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19But they don't need much attention at all.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22As long as they've got the drainage and the sunshine,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24they'll look after themselves.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29And of course, you can have alpines in the very smallest of gardens,
0:12:29 > 0:12:30and they look good in a big garden.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Every garden should have them.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Now, Carol is continuing her journey round Britain
0:12:36 > 0:12:40looking at the plants that have shaped our gardens, and meeting
0:12:40 > 0:12:45the people who have devoted themselves to caring for them.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48This time, she's gone to Devon to meet Keith Wiley,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52who has a superb collection of erythroniums.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02With their gentle, charming flowers set amongst handsome,
0:13:02 > 0:13:07marbled leaves, few plants give as much pleasure as the erythronium.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14For me, these exquisite little flowers really epitomise
0:13:14 > 0:13:17the whole soul, the spirit of spring.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21But for all their beauty and refinement,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23you very seldom see erythroniums
0:13:23 > 0:13:25grown in gardens.
0:13:25 > 0:13:26It's as though people assume
0:13:26 > 0:13:28that something that looks
0:13:28 > 0:13:31so special must be difficult to grow.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36But one man in particular has spent many, many years of his life
0:13:36 > 0:13:39getting to know these plants intimately.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47For much of his life, Keith Wiley has been captivated by them.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54His work has expanded what this genus can offer all our UK gardens.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Have you always been in love with these plants?
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- I certainly have.- What is it about them that you love so much?
0:14:02 > 0:14:05I think it's partly the fact that they are actually
0:14:05 > 0:14:08only there in the spring. They are just so beautiful.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10I have never seen an ugly erythronium.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12To me, they are the epitome of grace.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16And each individual flower is like a sort of Chinese pagoda.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18It's a beautiful shape.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20There are a few Eurasian species,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23but the majority of them are American?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26I think there's about 30 species, and probably three quarters of them
0:14:26 > 0:14:29grow over on the Pacific Northwest of America.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32And how did you feel the first time you saw them growing in the wild?
0:14:32 > 0:14:34It was almost a religious moment for me
0:14:34 > 0:14:38when I saw erythroniums for the first time. Very, very special.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52I suppose that actually seeing them
0:14:52 > 0:14:56growing in the wild must inspire you to try different things yourself.
0:14:56 > 0:14:57Without doubt.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00There was one occasion where I came round in southern Oregon
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and saw a whole mountainside.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05There were some growing underneath the shrubs,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and the colour of the flowers was a perfect combination with
0:15:08 > 0:15:12the fading flowers above, and I took the same principle.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13It happens here, look.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15You can see these erythroniums here,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17they're all in their various shades of pink,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21and they're matched by the pink and white of the magnolia above.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- What species is this? - This one's Erythronium revolutum.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27What kind of conditions do they need?
0:15:27 > 0:15:30They want the same conditions as hostas or primroses.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- Woodsy kind of soil. - Exactly that, yes.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Moisture retentive, but reasonably well drained, but not waterlogged.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Look at that. That's exquisite.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49The way that most species proliferate is by seed.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51That's the way they do it in the wild.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I planted here at the top of the slope
0:15:54 > 0:15:58so that it would seed down the slope, and colonise this little bank here.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03If you look carefully, you can see tiny baby seedlings. How exciting!
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Just like little blades of grass. So easy to weed out.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12And some of them have still got their little seed pods on the top.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14So when you come across these plants in the wild,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17are there are lots of natural hybrids between them?
0:16:17 > 0:16:19No, they don't really naturally hybridise,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22because they grow at such widely spaced distances.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25They grow 50 or 60 miles apart, so they have got no chance,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29- unless you've got long-distance bees. - They don't fly that far!
0:16:29 > 0:16:3430, 40 years ago, there was only five or six species in our gardens.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36And then in the last 30 years, lots more species have come in,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and the bees have had a chance to actually do their business,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and we've got lots of different hybrids starting to arrive.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46The big difference between species and hybrids is that species basically
0:16:46 > 0:16:50will come from seed, whereas a hybrid, you have to divide them.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52And what are the sort of qualities you go for?
0:16:52 > 0:16:56I think the real beauty about hybrids is their flower power.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59They can make big, solid batches of colour.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04This one here right in front of me is one I named after my sister, Jenny.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It produces a lovely, quite late in the season patch of this lovely
0:17:08 > 0:17:09pink, with these really...
0:17:09 > 0:17:13inside this really quite delicate markings.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15It's one of the real beauties of erythroniums,
0:17:15 > 0:17:20- the beauty of turning their faces up. - How many have you grown?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I've probably named 15 or 20 so far,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and we are trialling another 100 or so to see.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36People are going to be so enamoured of this plant now they've
0:17:36 > 0:17:39seen it growing in your garden.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41But how do you get hold of erythroniums?
0:17:41 > 0:17:44They are not the most common things, are they,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47in garden centres and nurseries?
0:17:47 > 0:17:51They're not really lending themselves to mass production,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53so perhaps more realistically
0:17:53 > 0:17:56the best way is to order them from specialist
0:17:56 > 0:17:59or reputable firms who will send them, lift them at the right time,
0:17:59 > 0:18:04pack them in the right way and send them off to you at the correct time.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- Which is what, August, September? - Probably sometime in late summer,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11right through into very early autumn.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15If there's one plant that I would want to grow
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and would never want to be without it is the erythroniums.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21All year I wait for them to come up in the spring.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24They are so special and on a day like this, what could be better, really?
0:18:24 > 0:18:28- Yes. It was obviously meant to be, wasn't it?- It was.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Obviously, Keith's erythroniums are extraordinary,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44but I find even just having a few here and in the garden
0:18:44 > 0:18:45transforms it.
0:18:45 > 0:18:51Erythroniums have a mixture of genuine exotica, but also
0:18:51 > 0:18:55a kind of easy elegance that almost no other plant can provide.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11A month or so ago, we began the process of taking out box hedges
0:19:11 > 0:19:15that had been afflicted by box blight.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18This was a major change to the garden,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21and the box blight is still present.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It's killed back great lengths of hedge
0:19:23 > 0:19:25and we may well have to take it all out.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27But for the moment we are stopping where we are.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32I can't put box back in because the fungal spores that cause
0:19:32 > 0:19:35the blight can remain in the soil for five or even more years.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40So what I'm going to do is plant a yew hedge.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Now, yew, that's Taxus baccata,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46is normally used in a garden as a big backdrop.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49But what I want to do is grow it as a low hedge.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52So this is a fairly new development on how to use yew.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57It doesn't matter whether you want to grow a 20-foot yew hedge
0:19:57 > 0:20:00or a three-foot one, or any hedge.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03There are certain things you need to do to prepare it.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06This has had the roots of the old hedge taken out
0:20:06 > 0:20:10and it's been dug over thoroughly and grit added.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It is important when you're preparing a hedge
0:20:12 > 0:20:18to get a nice wide, clean area. Don't just dig one spade's width.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Clear the ground, if need be, a metre wide.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23There's plenty of room in the soil for this to grow into.
0:20:23 > 0:20:29Yew needs good drainage and it hates sitting in wet, cold soil.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32So on our fairly heavy soil in this wet part of the country,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36we always add grit for any kind of tree or shrubby planting.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38But particularly for yew,
0:20:38 > 0:20:43if your soil is wet and cold, you must add drainage.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45The next step is to make sure it's straight.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53Get or make a line, which is simply string attached to sticks,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57set it back from the edge of the path or the border,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01because any hedge will grow wide however much you cut it.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06Rule of thumb, you need to allow about three foot width for it.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11I've made myself a measuring stick.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12Plant that along there.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16If we put the first one just a little way from the edge, like that,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and plant along...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22I'm going to put these at 18-inch centres.
0:21:23 > 0:21:29If that looks frighteningly far apart, stick with it.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31These plants will grow nice and strong
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and very quickly meet to join a hedge.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Also, yew is quite expensive. These were a fiver each.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Plant them with enough room for the roots to develop
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and you'll get a much healthier, stronger hedge.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46So that's plenty close enough.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Tell you what, I'm going to take some clothes off.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Don't be tempted to plant in a saucer
0:22:00 > 0:22:04or, in terms of a hedge, a groove. Because the water will collect.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07If anything, plant them on a ridge.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12In fact, the soil here mounds up above ground level.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15So that, in effect, is a ridge.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18But if in doubt, mound the soil up
0:22:18 > 0:22:23and make sure the roots are never sitting in wet, cold water.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Yew takes the first year to establish,.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35so I wouldn't expect any significant growth on these in 2014,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39but next spring, next May, June,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42they will really start to put on new growth.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Most of that initially will be upwards,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48but they will start to thicken out, and you just keep sides
0:22:48 > 0:22:52this way trimmed and that will encourage lateral growth.
0:22:52 > 0:22:58And they will meet and join up in about the second or third year.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00And I would expect this to be a hedge
0:23:00 > 0:23:02that I can top off at three foot,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05because we won't cut the top until it reaches its ultimate height,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10after four or five years, because yew grows about six inches a year.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24Even though I said that yew hates sitting in water,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27that doesn't mean to say that they don't NEED water. They do.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31They need watering once a month, a really good soak once a month,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35unless it doesn't rain and if it doesn't rain for a week, water them.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38You do this for the first summer.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Take it through to October,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and thereafter they can look after themselves.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48When I've watered them thoroughly,
0:23:48 > 0:23:53they must be mulched to keep the moisture in and keep the weeds down.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55You may not be planting hedges this weekend,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59but here are some other things you can be getting on with.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10If you're raising your sweet peas from seed
0:24:10 > 0:24:12and they are now growing strongly, like these,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16which I sowed in March, it's time to pinch out the growing tips.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19This will encourage a bushier plant.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21And then when you plant it out next month, will give you
0:24:21 > 0:24:25more flowers throughout the growing season.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34At this time of year, herbaceous perennials are growing very fast,
0:24:34 > 0:24:39and this makes them vulnerable to damage from any bad weather.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43So it's important to stake them before they need it.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46I like to use home-made wire supports, but twine and canes
0:24:46 > 0:24:50or prunings from shrubs will do the job just as well.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Whatever you use, gently support and prop the plant up so it looks
0:24:54 > 0:24:56as natural as possible
0:24:56 > 0:25:00without lashing them into a harsh straitjacket.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Courgettes are one of my favourite summer vegetables
0:25:07 > 0:25:09and now is the time to sow them.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I use small pots and sow two seeds per pot
0:25:14 > 0:25:17and will weed out one of them if they both germinate.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Put them somewhere warm, water them and leave them to grow.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30If the weather stays cold, you may have to pot them on again.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35But don't plant them out until the nights have warmed up
0:25:35 > 0:25:37and then they will grow strongly.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I don't think I've ever known such a good year
0:25:46 > 0:25:48for purple sprouting broccoli, which is a treat -
0:25:48 > 0:25:54so much nicer than the great clumpy broccoli at you buy or get served.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56The delicacy of purple sprouting broccoli.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58And it's going to seed really fast.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00There's still another couple of pickings,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03but any warm weather and it's just shooting into flower.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06So those will come out over the next week
0:26:06 > 0:26:10and be followed in rotation by root crops - carrots, parsnips -
0:26:10 > 0:26:14and there's space here and I want to put some parsnips in there.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Loosen the soil, rake it over so it's a reasonable tilth.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27And then don't tread on the soil if you can help it.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Now, I just use the side of my hand to make a furrow.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Just run down either side...
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Now, the seeds are flat...
0:26:47 > 0:26:51and quite a good size, but they are very light,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54so it's easy to get too many in together.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58A decent sized parsnip wants to be spaced three or four inches apart.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00And there are two ways to do this.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Either sow them as thinly as you can
0:27:02 > 0:27:04and then thin them more later,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06or sow two or three seeds
0:27:06 > 0:27:10in little clumps about four inches apart.
0:27:12 > 0:27:18Parsnips are slow to germinate. This can mean you lose some.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20You get weeds growing up. You don't know where to weed
0:27:20 > 0:27:22because there's no sign of the parsnips
0:27:22 > 0:27:24for up to about five weeks.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28So what I do is sow radish in the same drill,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30and the radish germinate very quickly,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32in a couple of weeks at most.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35And they are ready to eat after about four weeks.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39So from four to eight weeks, you harvest the radish,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43by which time the parsnips have germinated and started to grow.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Clear the last of the radish away
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and you have a line of parsnips in their wake.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Neither affects the other's growth rate,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54but you use the space to twice the effect.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57And also, apart from anything else, it just marks the row.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00So, I've got Cherry Belle here.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Sprinkle the radish in...
0:28:11 > 0:28:14I'll fit another couple of rows of parsnip
0:28:14 > 0:28:16and radish in this little plot.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19But that's all we've got time for this week.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23And we're not here next week because there's snooker on instead.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27However, we will be with you in a fortnight's time at Malvern,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33So, I'll see you there in two weeks.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Till then, bye-bye.