Episode 9 Gardeners' World

Hello. Welcome to the RHS Malvern Spring Festival.

Now, for me, whatever the weather,

and it's certainly getting better by the hour,

Malvern is a celebration of spring.

It's a show that is packed with wonderful plants.

There are stimulating show gardens

and, of course, you can shop all day long.

We'll be taking you around the show

and also showing you behind the scenes.

I'll be seeking out some of the head-turners in the floral marquee

and hunting down some of the best plants that grace the stands.

And I'll be exploring the show gardens, and looking

at the unusual, yet achievable, design elements within them.

Malvern is my local show.

It's just down the road from Longmeadow.

And I've been coming here for years and every time,

I get the same thrill from the diversity of plants

that you find here.

They don't just cover spring in all its glory

but also take you into summer.

I've already been indulging in a spot of window shopping

for Longmeadow.

Yesterday I had a preview as the stands were going up

in the floral marquee.

Amongst all the incredible range of plants,

I was looking for something particular for my new greenhouse.

Over the winter at Longmeadow,

we stored a lot of tender flowering plants

in the top new wooden greenhouse

and it became a treat on a winter's day

to go in there and just bathe in the scent and colour.

Many of these have gone outside now that the weather has warmed up,

but I want to continue that theme of using the greenhouse

almost as a conservatory and look here at the show

for plants that need the protection

and will give me colour throughout the summer.

I really like this Streptocarpus 'White Butterfly'.

And yet I wasn't really convinced before

that I liked Streptocarpus at all.

But that's one of the great things about shows.

They broaden the possibilities.

You see a fabulously wide range of plants.

You know, looking at Black Panther,

I think I could include that in the greenhouse.

'Crystal Ice', you see, there's three.

I never thought I would have any before today.

One thing that I know I want is a climber.

Hello. That's beautiful.

-That's extraordinary.

-Yes.

-How tender is it?

-Quite tender.

-It's really best grown in the greenhouse.

-Oh, well. That's good.

And its flowering season is how long?

Normally starts about this time of year if the weather is warm enough

and will go through quite well until the middle of September.

And its winter regime - do you keep it dry or do you water it?

Keep it very much on the dry side. Almost droughted.

And then when it starts to warm up in the spring and the light levels

improve, then start watering... increase the watering.

You are recreating the situation it would have in the wilds of Zimbabwe.

-Zimbabwe is where it comes from?

-Yes, it's the national flower.

It's very nice. If I come back tomorrow night, can I pick up a plant?

-Of course you can. We'll have one here for you.

-Brilliant.

-Look forward to it.

-Thank you very much.

If I wanted to summon up memories of hot holidays,

I could do no better than to choose a bougainvillea for my greenhouse.

And certainly, set against a bright blue sky, they are fantastic.

I think against a grey Herefordshire sky,

they wouldn't work so well, so I'll probably pass on them.

However, if you are growing bougainvillea,

then here's a little tip.

Because when they get cold, they can drop all their foliage

and their bracts and look as though they have died.

But as long as they don't get too cold, don't discard the plant.

Because as they warm up, they'll regrow perfectly healthily.

Carnivorous plants are fascinating but I've never really grown them.

I do know, however, that this Drosera,

as well as being curiously fascinating to look at,

performs a very useful function in a greenhouse because it will

catch and consume things like whitefly that can be a pest.

A fly lands on it and then tries to get away

and you can see it's just...

Look at that.

And it'll gobble it up.

And I can see myself adding carnivorous plants as part of this new move.

What I want wanted to find in the show was a range of plants

that I haven't hitherto grown,

that can live permanently in the greenhouse, which will flower

and grow and perform in midsummer.

Therefore I am enlarging the whole range of possibilities of plants

that I've never really tried before.

There are not only new plants to discover,

but also once the show is open and all the gardens

are finished there are loads of new design ideas to explore.

One of the many good things about shows like Malvern is that

it gives younger designers

and designers with less experience the chance to cut their teeth.

One of the things that I particularly like about this

garden, called Shears And Chardonnay, is the split log wall

running round the back.

It doesn't matter how experienced you are.

To create any kind of show garden takes a huge amount of work

and a lot of skill.

A few weeks ago Joe met up with one of the designers to see

how their big idea was formed.

The beautiful picturesque Cotswolds

have inspired generations of artistic minds.

Laurie Lee, Gustav Holst and William Morris are just

a few who have created some of their finest works here.

The landscape is still working its magic today.

Mark Draper is a local contemporary garden designer who, when seeking

an idea for his Malvern garden this year, found it practically on his doorstep.

I do a lot of running in the Cotswolds and I was really

taken by the beauty of the natural wild flowers that you

see in the hedgerows.

That's my starting point this year.

Particularly with the cow parsley, I'm keen to use that.

It's lovely, very delicate in its form.

Feathery foliage, which is

great to soften the whole thing down really and give that sort of 3D

and bring it out from the lower canopy of the deadnettles and bluebells.

I'm going to try and get some of the red campion to give a bit

of ping, a bit of interest, and lift the colour palette.

Nature's got a lovely way of putting things together. It's beautiful.

Is this the sort of thing that you're going to create?

I didn't want to do the classic recreation of the hedgerow,

so this year I thought I'd try a different tangent

and come up with quite a modern contemporary feel to the

design itself, but then use wild flowers to create a soft

naturalistic type planting.

It's a real mesh between the two.

-This is your yard. This is where all the action is.

-Yes.

How are you going to turn this concept into a garden?

The bottom end of the garden, this is a more naturalistic end.

I've got a little mown grass path running through which then

bleeds out into the wildflower meadow.

The middle are of the garden is where I'm going to start to

introduce the varieties and then from that it goes more garden-esque.

And you've got a nursery here.

-Have you got some of the plants that you're going to use?

-Yes.

-You're growing them on?

-Yes.

-Shall we have a look?

-Sure.

Fantastic. It must be great having a nursery on-site, to be able to

monitor all your plants and see if they're going to flower in time?

Yes, what you see here is hopefully going to get used in the garden.

This is a variety of cow parsley. We saw the native one in the hedgerow.

This is a garden variety. It's got the purple-like foliage.

Then we have Brunnera, "Jack Frost".

This one flowers very similar to the forget-me-not.

I've got the forget-me-not in the wild part of the garden.

This one can be used as a substitute,

rather than having the forget-me-not, which is short lived.

-What about the Angelica? That is a stunning plant.

-Yes.

I've been nurturing it.

I have permission from my wife to dig them out of the garden

so I've got them in flower at the moment.

My only concern now is getting them to the showground in one piece.

-Drive carefully and slowly.

-Yes.

-Good luck. It's getting exciting.

-It is.

-It's quite close now.

-It is. Very close.

-Hey, this is looking good, isn't it?

-It is.

-This is fantastic.

-It's starting to look really nice now.

-Yes.

-This is wildflower meadow turf.

-Yes.

We've had it in here about six, seven weeks now.

It rolls out and there's not much to see straightaway.

There's three grass types.

There's about 20, 25 types of wildflower within it.

These meadow mats are the first plants to go to Mark's show garden.

They'll simply be laid like a carpet.

-Shall we go this way?

-Here we go.

I seem to remember you did pretty well in your last show garden at Malvern.

Two Golds and two Best In Shows.

OK.

-So this year?

-We're doing everything we can, so fingers crossed.

-The very best of luck. Better get these to the show.

-Thank you.

And I'll see you there.

So two Golds, two Best In Shows. Has Mark got the hat-trick? Wow.

This looks fantastic,

this planting, this wildflower meadow with the red campion.

I'd like to think I played a part in that - loading onto the van.

-Mark.

-Hi, Joe.

-How are you doing?

-Very good, thank you.

-The garden looks brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-How did you do?

All right. Gold in Best In Show, so delighted. Good team effort.

That's the hat-trick in the bag?

It is, yeah. Three in a row. So, really, really pleased.

The whole concept came together, didn't it?

The idea of the wildflowers blending into more contemporary space.

Yeah, I've done what I wanted to do.

The wildflowers merging with cultivar species

into the more garden-esque planting.

It's really pulled together.

The whole thing's soft and flowing, so I'm delighted.

The plant quality is top notch, and the screens are really nice.

The Angelica looks good.

Yeah. They came up and flopped on me on the first day.

And then lots of water, they have perked up

and they look really great against the back wall. Delighted.

Are they getting plenty of rain now?

-Certainly are!

-Congratulations, well done.

-Thank you.

It is possible to bring a touch of show garden magic to your own garden.

There are ideas here for everyone.

A Fruity Story is the size of a small urban garden,

and it's got everything in it.

The seating area is at its core, and something that everyone wants.

What I particularly like about the design is that the planting

adds real depth,

incorporating a fabulous blend of ornamentals and edibles.

Salad leaves are used like bedding plants, bordering the path,

whereas fruit bushes act as the shrubs,

making it feel like somewhere to garden in

and not just an outdoor room.

The RHS love to see a lot of effort going into a garden.

They call it "endeavour," and on the judging sheet you get extra marks for it.

And this garden got a gold medal, unsurprisingly,

because it's an incredible amount of work.

It is based on a Balearic holiday home and it's a coastal garden.

So we see plants like Rosemaries and Callistemon that we are familiar with,

but then other plants like the Opuntias and Agaves

that wouldn't survive a British winter.

And this architectural palm holds this corner here and feels

like it's been planted forever, the way it's lying on its side, there.

The attention to detail is absolutely stunning,

and after all, this is a piece of theatre.

The garden looks great with the Malvern Hills behind.

It sits as if it's on an island,

and all this garden really needs is a bit of sunshine.

Joe, this garden doesn't read very easily. Talk me through it.

Well, it's meant to be awkward. It's meant to be an awkward journey,

which is why we've got this path

-with these steps that aren't really necessary.

-Jolly awkward!

And really sort of strange heights and distances apart, as well,

because it's for Parkinson's, this garden, so it's meant to be frustrating.

So does it simulate the experience of having Parkinson's?

Yes, yes. And you're not quite sure the journey you are on,

and there are dead ends, and that sense of awkwardness,

and that's what it's all about, really.

And then you come to this wall, this green wall.

Which looks a bit like a hedge, a bit like a lawn on its edge, a wall.

-Yeah. But actually...

-Yeah?

-It's a door.

-Ah!

-There is a doorway through here, and then behind it and other door,

so, again, that sense of frustration.

But as you come through here,

you're into a completely different space,

and you're into a squeeze space.

from a design point of view, I think it's really interesting, as well,

cos it draws the eye right down.

So, you know, it does play with squeezing space.

It's nice to have the height, isn't it? You can do this in a small garden.

You can get that sense of seclusion, and, as you say, vista.

-And there's another doorway.

-Another way out. Yeah.

Through here to another door,

-a double door.

-Yeah.

-And into this space over here.

The whole thing is quite demanding and almost stressful,

which, I guess, is deliberate.

But, you know, I do like, at the end of that long alleyway,

as you say, squeezing the space, is a calm centre.

I love the planting of the Dryopteris ferns and the Hostas.

Very ordinary, nothing special,

but it's a sort of still point

in this confusing, deliberately so, garden, isn't it?

Yeah. I think it works on many levels, this garden.

Do come along to Malvern if you possibly can.

The show has got so much to see and to inspire your own garden.

But if you can't and you're going to be spending

the weekend in your garden, here are some jobs to be getting on with.

Sometimes there are just no shortcuts in gardening,

and now is a perfect time to do some hand weeding in your borders.

This means getting right down

and individually pulling out the weeds don't want.

If you're not sure whether it is

a little treasure that is going on to delight you or a weed,

leave them both and come back later.

And if this seems a little tedious, then just give into it.

And personally, I find it very therapeutic.

It's important to support peas before they get all tangled up.

Traditionally, brushwood has been used,

but any twiggy prunings will do the job.

And failing that, netting works well,

as long as you have plenty of material

for the growing tendrils to entwine

and therefore support themselves.

Although tulips and daffodils are fading fast,

it's important to leave the foliage and stems

to wither back naturally over the next few weeks.

Gradually, energy will flow back down into the bulb

to produce next year's flower.

However, it is a good idea to snap off the seed heads.

This will mean that none of that energy

will be wasted in producing seeds.

One of the most exciting things about coming to Malvern

is seeing plants that are here for the very first time.

Debutantes. And this Lunaria annua 'Chedglow' is a perfect example.

It's a gorgeous dark-leaved Honesty, with these deep purple leaves

and stems combined with

these glorious, rich purple flowers.

It couldn't be better.

The lovely people on the stand tell me that it seeds true,

and like all forms of Lunaria annua,

in its first year, it will make a rosette.

In its second, a flowering plant.

It's a true biennial.

But once you've taken your seeds,

don't take those seed heads off the plants.

Just leave them there. These glorious, glistening moons

will adorn your garden all through the winter.

If you love Geums, and I certainly do,

then this is the stand for you.

There are all manner of different hybrids gathered together here,

but there's one of them that really stand out from the rest,

and it's brand-new.

It's called Roger's Rebellion.

And what makes it so different is the fact that its flowers are large,

they're upward-facing, and they're very frilly around the edges.

It's got gorgeous tapestry colours.

This is a plant that loves moisture.

It would have coped really well with the floods this year.

It's not just good new plants that we celebrate at Malvern.

There are so many marvellous old varieties too,

and on this stand, which mainly consists of penstemons,

the two ladies who are in charge here are on the lookout

to reintroduce lots of the old varieties of penstemon

that have been lost to cultivation.

This one is one called Evelyn. She dates from the 1930s.

She's got these glorious fine leaves and small, dainty flowers,

and that's always the sign

that a penstemon is going to be really hardy.

Malvern is a great place to buy penstemons too,

and whether they're old varieties or new,

it's the ideal time to take cuttings.

They'll have rooted in a few weeks.

It takes months of careful work and dedication

to bring these plants to the peak of perfection.

But it's not just nursery people who've been busy.

One garden has timed their opening

to coincide with the Malvern Spring festival,

and this year, the bluebells have obliged.

I saw the house in 1967. I bought it on the spot.

Angela hadn't even seen it, and I have to say, it was probably...

I can't say the best,

but certainly the second best decision I've ever made.

I knew this area well, and I knew all the woods we look over,

and I just thought, "This is it."

I have to say, probably,

-we didn't really think we would still be here in 45 years.

-No.

I wasn't a gardener, and my wife wasn't a gardener,

but she's been responsible for developing a garden ever since.

I just put a few trees in, thought, "That looks nice."

"I'll put more trees in."

And it just evolved. There's no grand plan.

The top part of the garden is what you might call the formal garden,

if this is a formal garden,

which is full of several colour-themed beds.

I like it to flow, my garden, if possible,

going on down into the wood,

getting less and less formal as it goes on.

I suppose ever since we've been here, my wife has changed enormously.

When she arrived, she was happy to sleep until lunchtime.

Now, she's up with the dawn,

and I frequently look out and see her in her nightie and bare feet,

walking around in the dew,

mumbling to herself, planning what she's going to plant in the borders.

It's early in the morning, in the spring, in June,

that I go out like that,

when the first roses come out down the bottom, the single roses,

and the ones with a wonderful scent.

The whole area is just under 30 acres, of which 20 is woodland.

We employed a man with a digger.

I'd put my stick on a great hazel, and up...he'd dig up this hazel

and, of course, where you did that, the next year,

there were all these wonderful bluebells,

and I think that, you know,

you didn't realise till you really cleared things

how wonderful the bluebells could be.

The bluebells have naturally increased,

but I do try and make other areas by collecting the seed,

and I go and throw that down in other places, which does work.

I think if you create the right situation,

that is what makes them increase.

You can't really do it by digging them up and putting them somewhere.

The bluebells are wonderful,

but they don't have that long a season,

so I planted all the trees that I like

and, of course, they enhance everything that you grow,

so it doesn't matter whether they're azaleas or rhododendrons.

The blue bluebells set off anything

that I think you can grow in the garden

and make the season last so much longer.

It's so exciting,

because they're really only there for two or three weeks.

I don't think anything can beat that carpet of flowers.

If you'd like to visit Angela and David's beautiful garden

and enjoy those gorgeous bluebells, they're open this weekend,

Saturday and Sunday afternoon, under the National Gardens Scheme.

Full details are on our website.

And it's only just a few miles away from the Showground.

The whole of the show is packed with plants.

And I'm on the lookout for stalwarts.

You know, the kind of thing that we all need in our gardens.

Plants that are really dependable.

And immediately, my eyes lighted

on this gorgeous polemonium.

I love that combination

of the blue flowers and the purple leaves,

and its wonderful scent.

Smells like new-mown hay.

It's the sort of plant that we all need.

Most of us have got shady corners,

and when you're looking for something

that's perfect for that sort of place

and will come up year after year, what better than a woodland plant?

And this is a beauty.

It's Anemone sylvestris, with its pure white flowers.

It's absolutely perfect.

Nearly all of us

have got different kinds of situations within our gardens.

Sometimes it's shade, might be an open border or, occasionally,

it's a hot, dry, sunny place, perhaps with poor soil.

I've got exactly that kind of place

at the end of a raised bed in my own garden,

and these Geranium cinereums are exactly the right sort of plants

for just that situation.

It's a high alpine,

and it'll put up with any amount of cold in the winter

and hot, baking sun in the summer.

We should be so lucky!

I love this particular colour. I've never seen anything like it before.

It's one called Melody, and I'm going to take three plants.

I love this thing. Hello.

-Fancy stumbling across you two on a beach like this!

-Monty!

-Yeah, on a beach, on a day like this.

-Oh, it's nice. It's good.

Now, tell me, what have you seen in particular that's caught your fancy?

Well, all sorts of new things,

cos there always are at Malvern, but this is my star of the show.

I think it's beautiful.

It's a little Geranium cinereum, and it's called Melody.

It's beautiful, isn't it? Amazing colour.

It took me ages to find a plant that would go with this bag!

THEY LAUGH

I was just so pleased to see Mark get Gold and Best in Show,

-so he's got a hat-trick now. Fantastic.

-Very impressive.

Well, I saw lots of nice things.

I've really enjoyed this year's show, but for me,

the biggest thing was branching out and buying plants

that I've never grown before,

that's going to expand experience and range and colour,

so a new beginning.

-You got your wallet out, then, Monty?

-Yes. And, in fact...

The serious point from that is,

is you can buy really exotic, interesting plants

and they're not that expensive.

Well, all the plants here are always reasonable,

and what's more, you always get such brilliant advice, don't you?

-I might have to get my wallet out, then.

-I think you will.

Well, that's it from us at Malvern, but you can come along.

If you go to our website, you'll get the details of the opening time,

and it's open till Sunday night.

And we'll be back at our normal time next week.

So, till then, bye-bye.