0:00:05 > 0:00:07Come on, in you go, there's a good boy.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17This is the dry garden and we call it dry not because
0:00:17 > 0:00:20it gets any less rain, it's still a wet old garden,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23but because it drains really fast and, in fact, it's the only
0:00:23 > 0:00:25bit of Longmeadow that does have good drainage.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28And there's hardly any soil but things grow,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32they grow well if you choose the right plants and, in fact,
0:00:32 > 0:00:33last year, we gave it an overhaul.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Everything came out, freshened up the soil,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39weeded it through and then replanted.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43So, here we are, this is one year's growth.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46A little bit lower than the rest of the garden but I love that sort
0:00:46 > 0:00:52of undulating tapestry of varying greens just touched with colour.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55The irises coming through, little bit of comfrey, daisies
0:00:55 > 0:00:58and, of course, that rose - Madame Gregoire Staechelin -
0:00:58 > 0:01:00on the wall which is just coming into flower.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03In fact, I was looking at it a day or two ago
0:01:03 > 0:01:06and I saw a bluetit pop in a hole and, on closer look,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10I could see there's a little nest inside the wall behind the rose.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15So it's a gentle part of the garden but with its own real charm.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Now, on tonight's programme, I will be planting out my
0:01:24 > 0:01:26blight-resistant outdoor tomatoes
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and also planting out the giant sunflowers.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33This week, we're visiting two very different gardens,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38both are open this weekend as part of the National Gardens Festival.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42One is a very wet garden in Cumbria...
0:01:42 > 0:01:46You work in an area and when you leave it, it shouldn't look as
0:01:46 > 0:01:47though you've worked in it.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52That's really the fundamental thing behind our style of gardening.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58..and Carol visits a very steep, dry garden near Bedford.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02- Do you have to abseil?- Not quite. - It obviously keeps you fit.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Yes, walking up and down the slope with a few barrows of soil.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Who needs the gym?
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Three weeks ago, I installed a top-bar beehive in my orchard
0:02:18 > 0:02:23and now it's swarming season and a local beekeeper, Gareth Baker,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25has arrived with a swarm for me.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28So Nigel's been told to stay inside for the time being.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35All right, so fill me in, Gareth, on what we're going to do.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Well, we've got the skep there, swarm of bees,
0:02:37 > 0:02:42we have got an amazing amount of bees in here. 5,000, 10,000...
0:02:42 > 0:02:46- Oh, look at them.- ..maybe more. - How dangerous is that?
0:02:46 > 0:02:50These bees have got nothing to protect, no point to prove,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52they're just looking to move house
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and the sooner they're ensconced somewhere nice, warm and dry...
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Well, I've got a nice warm, dry top-bar hive, so what do we do?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01You're tipping them out.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Yeah, we just gently tip them out on the ramp
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and the bees will just gently run up the ramp.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Look at that, how extraordinary is that?
0:03:10 > 0:03:15What an amazing thing. And you collected that swarm, did you?
0:03:15 > 0:03:16That was a beautiful swarm of bees
0:03:16 > 0:03:20hanging in the tree, put the skep underneath, shook the branch,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23they all dropped in and away they went.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26And in terms of beekeeping, what do we need to do?
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Because if you come with a swarm and put it on there,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32what's the next step in terms of management?
0:03:32 > 0:03:37The one thing that's...brilliant about Britain is we've got a vast
0:03:37 > 0:03:40array of beekeeping associations and groups,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42so there's all that information,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44mentoring and assistance
0:03:44 > 0:03:48as to what you can get done with your bees, where to put them...
0:03:48 > 0:03:49So if anybody wants to do this,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53contact your local beekeepers association and they will guide you
0:03:53 > 0:03:56and instruct you and maybe give you courses that you can follow.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Yeah, there's a vast array of all sorts of courses.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00So is it best now just to leave them
0:04:00 > 0:04:03or do we have to stand and guide them until they're all in?
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- It's one of the things we leave the bees to get on with.- All right.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08What bees get on with best.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12And if they're flying around like this, how likely are they to sting?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- Because a lot of people are worried about that.- No.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17With a swarm, they're exceptionally gentle.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20However, if you've got a swarm of bees in your garden,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22get a hold of the local beekeeping association,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25the British Beekeeping Association have actually got a swarm line
0:04:25 > 0:04:28that... You can get hold of somebody that will then come round
0:04:28 > 0:04:32and remove the swarm and rehouse it somewhere else.
0:04:32 > 0:04:38What I'm fascinated by...is how they are organising themselves.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40You know, you can see this drift up.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Look, they're beginning to collect around the mouth.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Yeah, here we go, they're starting to go in now.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Look at that, there they go.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51It's like sand going through an egg timer, isn't it?
0:04:51 > 0:04:57They can't get in quick enough, can they? These are worker bees?
0:04:57 > 0:05:01All the workers are females, all unfertilised females.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03There's a few drones in here which are the male bees,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07which are larger, fatter bees. And the drones don't sting.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11The queen is about a third longer than a worker bee.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16- And there is one queen per swarm? - That's it.- Right.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Oh, I see, there's the queen.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21She's a bit shy and cold, so she's just burrowing under the bees.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26One of the amazing things about gardens
0:05:26 > 0:05:28is when you look at the countryside, it's green.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31When you look at aerial views of gardens,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33they are just awash with forage.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39If we were in an urban or even suburban back garden,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42we could have 50 different households
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- within the bee's range or more.- Yes.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47How does that change things?
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Urban beekeeping is obviously not quite as straightforward
0:05:50 > 0:05:55as rural beekeeping, but bees have existed in towns and cities
0:05:55 > 0:05:57for years, whether it be in your back garden
0:05:57 > 0:06:00or in the church steeple.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04You have to be aware of people.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08If you're a bit concerned, get hold of local associations because
0:06:08 > 0:06:11none of us want bees to be in the press for the wrong reasons.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Right. So gardens and bees make very good companions.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Well, we'll let those do their thing for a bit,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20we're going to have a cup of tea.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Gareth, thank you very much indeed for coming and helping me out,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26I shall probably be on the phone asking for more advice.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- I'm always there, but this will go according to plan.- Brilliant.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Now, we went to visit a garden in the Lake District
0:06:34 > 0:06:37made by David Kinsman and Diane Hewitt
0:06:37 > 0:06:41where not only is extreme skill shown by the gardeners,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43but, at every opportunity,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47they've encouraged nature to play just as active a part.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58We moved here in 1981.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02It was pretty well derelict and we gradually
0:07:02 > 0:07:05worked our way through, up the hill, round the land.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07We planted a few plants,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11but apart from that, we've not really interfered with it very much.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17That's part of our gardening philosophy. You work in an area
0:07:17 > 0:07:22and when you leave it, it shouldn't look as though you've worked in it.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Let the plants tell you the story,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28let the mosses tell you the story. That's really, I think,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32the fundamental thing behind our style of gardening.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39We knew the quarry was here
0:07:39 > 0:07:44and we knew it'd been a garbage tip for 200 or 300 years.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49It had been filled up with old refrigerators and washing machines.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53We'd been to Japan, we'd seen Japanese gardens
0:07:53 > 0:07:59and we liked the idea of that being a Japanese-influenced area
0:07:59 > 0:08:04but we let it go, we let the mosses and everything else take over.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Japanese gardeners dominate the landscape,
0:08:07 > 0:08:11but we've done very little, so it's a very different approach
0:08:11 > 0:08:14giving, in some ways, a rather similar end product.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30The north-west of England, Lakeland, has a very wet climate
0:08:30 > 0:08:34and here we get about 70 inches of rain a year.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40We're surrounded by plants that thrive under those
0:08:40 > 0:08:43temperate rainforest conditions.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Many different types of rhododendron, for example,
0:08:46 > 0:08:52Enkianthus just by us here, many different sorts of camellias.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57All these plants are able to withstand the rainfall,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00in fact, enjoy the rainfall.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Most of them are rather shallow rooted,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06which is good because we have very little soil here on this hillside.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13We've done, really, very little except stand back and watch.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16The area is predominantly, now,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19populated by one of our native mosses.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22The common one in this garden, Polytrichum formosum,
0:09:22 > 0:09:27it just will slowly cover any horizontal surface
0:09:27 > 0:09:30or anywhere with just a little bit of soil.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34And the Polytrichum, from about now onwards,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39will develop these little spore capsules which are a golden colour.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42It's really beautiful and very different
0:09:42 > 0:09:43from what it looked like a month ago.
0:09:45 > 0:09:51We've not moved or planted any ferns or mosses or lichens,
0:09:51 > 0:09:56we've looked at what's arrived and then we've tweaked it.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59What we do is to clear leaves and fallen twigs
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and so on off the surface
0:10:01 > 0:10:04because these plants still need light.
0:10:04 > 0:10:11And otherwise sit back on a seat and enjoy what has arrived.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24This is the most formal part of the garden
0:10:24 > 0:10:29and it's the last part of the garden that we actually did anything with.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33We knew from the 1910 OS map that there was a spring here,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35so David built this grotto
0:10:35 > 0:10:42and then we realised that the grotto area was being colonised by this.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43It's a British native.
0:10:44 > 0:10:50Started off as a small patch, has spread. We like them, they like us.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53If they want to live and we want them,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56then we just have it and they go for it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11The moss part started life as an access route down between
0:11:11 > 0:11:13some birch trees but over time,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17the mosses built up into these beautiful mounds
0:11:17 > 0:11:19and then about ten years ago,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21we thought it would look good with a little bit of gravel
0:11:21 > 0:11:25down the middle. Slightly narrower at the top, wider lower down,
0:11:25 > 0:11:31so it gave you the sense of a river increasing in volume down the hill.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34We pass it every time we go up into the woods
0:11:34 > 0:11:38and your head always swings round to check the moss part is still there.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51We are only custodians, all of us on earth just occupy a small
0:11:51 > 0:11:54amount of space and we're not going to be here for very long.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00It's not a legacy. In 30 years' time, it should just go back...
0:12:00 > 0:12:06- Like us, it should decay slowly and gracefully.- Or disgracefully.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Please.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Windy Hall is just one of the gardens you can visit this weekend.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21I love that garden and certainly,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24if I'm up in that part of the world, I want to go and visit it.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35I sowed a number of giant sunflowers
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and I'm going to plant one in each of the four beds in this
0:12:38 > 0:12:42sunny side of the cottage garden and I will monitor their growth
0:12:42 > 0:12:44and we'll see which one does the best.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46So, planting them is easy enough.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Sunflowers will grow in most soils,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57they don't need any special treatment but they do need sunshine.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59So don't expect them to grow so well in shade.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03You can see, nice plant, good root system on the outside.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Funnily enough these were watered this morning and they're dry.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Now, the crucial thing is not so much the soil
0:13:09 > 0:13:13because this is good soil with plenty of organic matter added
0:13:13 > 0:13:17over the years, but they must be staked properly from the beginning.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Keep them watered, water them once a week
0:13:20 > 0:13:22and if you really want to go for maximum height,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26you could feed them with a general-purpose sort of tomato feed
0:13:26 > 0:13:28once a week or once a fortnight.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Now, to start with,
0:13:30 > 0:13:35I've got a cane but I'm expecting this to be a giant,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38so I have a giant stake for it and, in fact,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41I've bet the director on tonight's programme
0:13:41 > 0:13:45that my sunflowers will be taller than these Irish yews.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Be prepared for more than a cane,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51a cane will not support a giant sunflower, it does need to be
0:13:51 > 0:13:54a stake of some kind but we'll start with a cane like this.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Plant it in nice and firmly...
0:13:59 > 0:14:03..like that and I've got some twine and it's really important
0:14:03 > 0:14:07to tie it as it grows because it's going to be big,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09it'll be top-heavy and there's a real risk of it
0:14:09 > 0:14:13bending and flopping, if not breaking.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17And if you want maximum height, it's got to grow as straight as possible.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24So that's Pike's Peak and our Mongolian Giant Kong
0:14:24 > 0:14:28and Giant Yellow will go in the other four beds
0:14:28 > 0:14:31at this end of the cottage garden and we can monitor their progress,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33but the planting of them will be exactly the same and,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36of course, I will water that in really well.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50This is sweet rocket and we always feel that it belongs here
0:14:50 > 0:14:55because it pops up in the garden and was one of the very first plants
0:14:55 > 0:14:59that appeared as a self-sown seedling.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01And I love it for
0:15:01 > 0:15:03its exuberant, light touch.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07It is a plant of May and early June,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09and it blesses us for a few weeks
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and then moves on, and you get these lovely seed heads.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16But I can't imagine Longmeadow being without it.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Now, Windy Hall, which is open this weekend as part of the
0:15:20 > 0:15:25National Gardens Scheme Festival, is an exceptionally wet place.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30But Carol has been to see a garden near Bedford that is also
0:15:30 > 0:15:33open this weekend that is exceptionally dry.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43The thing about going to any National Gardens Scheme garden is,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46you never know quite what to expect.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51It is always so exciting, and this looks pretty promising, doesn't it?
0:15:57 > 0:16:02Stop that and show me your lovely garden. It's beautiful!
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- It's phenomenal.- Thank you.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07It's designed to take effect of the slope and the fact that it's
0:16:07 > 0:16:10a dry garden, even though it's actually raining today.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Greensand is basically what this sandstone is,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and we are halfway along the Greensand Ridge Walk
0:16:15 > 0:16:17that goes from Leighton Buzzard to Gamlingay.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20So, what does that mean, in terms of gardening?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22- Dry, very sandy.- Free draining?
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Incredibly free draining, and lots of...almost builder's sand.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28So, who's constructed these walls?
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Partly my husband. We tried to keep it in keeping with the local area.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36- So, did the slope come right down here first of all?- Yes.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41The hill followed the line of that wall, so we had to dig out
0:16:41 > 0:16:43about 40 lorry loads of soil
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- before we could even start building the house.- Wow.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- And the garden has taken us about 20 years.- I mean, it's spectacular.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54It's exciting when you come round the corner. It's dramatic, isn't it?
0:16:54 > 0:16:57It is. And we do find, when we have people that haven't been
0:16:57 > 0:17:00to the garden before, initially, it looks like this is the garden.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02It looks like a courtyard space.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04And then they suddenly realise that, actually,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07"Oh, there's a set of steps and there is a footpath."
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- There's more than this? - There's more than this.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- Can we go and have a look, then? - Let's go and see.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Mind your step.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24These are what you call difficult conditions, aren't they?
0:17:24 > 0:17:27How do you actually, physically garden here, Kate?
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- Well... - Do you have to abseil?- Not quite,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33but when we built the garden, we tried to put plants in so they
0:17:33 > 0:17:36gave you a natural space to walk through, and then you've got
0:17:36 > 0:17:39natural areas where you can stand on the root ball at the back.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Then we've got stones that are flat that give you that space to work,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45and when it's been raining very heavily,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48it has a tendency to move and it runs down the bank.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50It erodes.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53So, it was really important that one of the things we had to think about
0:17:53 > 0:17:55when we were planting was putting plants in
0:17:55 > 0:17:57which will act as an anchor.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00I think it's interesting that at the bottom of the bank you've
0:18:00 > 0:18:03got things that actually love moisture -
0:18:03 > 0:18:05astrantias and hellebores -
0:18:05 > 0:18:08so quite a lot of that moisture must come down, too.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12If you were to do a soil test through, it's very dry at the top,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14and yet still quite moist at the bottom,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17so we tried to use that in the way that we've put the plants in.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19- Can we go on the bridge?- Yeah.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Wow.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27I mean, in a dry garden, to hear water all the time...
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Wildlife needs water,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and this is just such a fantastic place.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36You sit and watch the birds, you watch the dragonflies
0:18:36 > 0:18:39in the summer, and that lovely sound of water, you get that all day.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Very, very therapeutic.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55CAROL GASPS AND LAUGHS
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Look at this!
0:18:56 > 0:18:59It's another garden, it's another place!
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- You are in a different place altogether, aren't you?- I know.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06It's not what you probably expect from the bottom.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10An elliptical lawn with an elliptical retaining wall.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11Which you do notice!
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- Yes.- When you come in.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Not many people have a pink wall in their garden.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19No, it's as much a piece of artwork as it is a retaining structure,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23but it just forms the perfect foil for these fantastic plants.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25I love the way you've picked up the colour of this
0:19:25 > 0:19:27in your planting, too -
0:19:27 > 0:19:29your pink poppies and even this,
0:19:29 > 0:19:34these pretty little fringe flowers of tellima, too.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37And stuff like this libertia, which we have seen all around your garden,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40is the perfect kind of plant for this kind of soil.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44This is one plant that obviously likes it here,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46because it has just self-seeded everywhere.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48It's a sure sign, isn't it?
0:19:48 > 0:19:50If something's really happy,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53it will seed absolutely throughout your garden.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- And it's lovely, then, because it's a link, too, isn't it?- It is.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- It ties everything together.- Yeah.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01I want to see what's up there, though. There's even more.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03- There is more.- Come on!
0:20:14 > 0:20:18And into the herbaceous section. Isn't it splendid?
0:20:18 > 0:20:22I get the feeling this is what you really, really like.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24This is my style of gardening.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26I love herbaceous borders.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Why did you decide that you wanted to share your garden
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and open it for the NGS?
0:20:31 > 0:20:33I get such a buzz from gardening.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35It is my sort of default setting.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38When I come in from work, come out here, cup of tea,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41little bit of weeding, sit and watch the space,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44so I want to share that with other people.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I want to encourage young people to want to come into this space
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and, also, I'm not a runner, I'm not a baker, but I garden,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55- so, yeah, this is my marathon. - It obviously keeps you fit.- Yes.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Walking up and down the slope with a few barrows of soil -
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- who needs the gym?- Exactly.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- Nothing better, is there? - Not a thing.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05It's a fantastic thing to do.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19The National Gardens Scheme has got a special gardening festival
0:21:19 > 0:21:23this weekend, with over 400 gardens in England and Wales
0:21:23 > 0:21:26open to the public, and very often, there is
0:21:26 > 0:21:30a group of them, so you can visit two, three or even four in one trip.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Do try and get out and see some because the best way to get
0:21:33 > 0:21:38inspiration for your own garden is to see what other people are doing.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43Now, these are some of the outdoor tomatoes that I'm testing to see
0:21:43 > 0:21:47if they are as blight resistant as some of them claim to be,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49or as blight resistant as possible,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51so now I'm going to plant them out in the garden.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06Knowing the right time to plant out outdoor tomatoes is very,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10very weather dependent, and will vary from place to place,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and what you're looking for is not the days to heat up but the nights.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I've got two different types here.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I've got a bush type and cordon type.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23This one, Lizzano, is a bush.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Now, essentially, bush tomatoes have lots of side shoots,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and they all bear fruit, and they make a bush.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33You don't try and train them in any way because they resist training.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37You can see that what looks like it might be a leader,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39in fact is a truss.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43There's no single stem that you can train up into a cordon,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45whereas if I get a cordon one...
0:22:47 > 0:22:49..like this,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53which is a Fandango, you can see there is a nice,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56straight stem - I haven't trained or pinched it out in any way -
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and it wants to grow up tall and straight.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Most tomatoes are cordon, but it's very good to grow bush ones outside,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06because they don't need training. They don't need to have support.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08You can grow them in a pot, you can grow them in a window box,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and you can grow them in a hanging basket,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and it worked perfectly well. So, I'm going to grow both here.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Whatever type you grow, planting them out is much the same.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18You want a fairly sunny site,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21because you going to need sun to ripen the tomatoes, and you want to
0:23:21 > 0:23:24plant the tomatoes deeply -
0:23:24 > 0:23:27at least up to the first pair of leaves.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31What happens is, the stem then grows roots,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33you get more feed going into the plant and therefore
0:23:33 > 0:23:38better growth and better fruit, and it rocks less in the wind.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41So it's double gain.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43This bed has had lots of compost added to it.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Tomatoes are quite greedy plants.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Now, because this is a bush variety, I'm only going to put
0:23:50 > 0:23:53two in this space here, giving them room to develop.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56When I plant the cordons out, I'll get three in this space
0:23:56 > 0:23:59because, bearing in mind, they grow upwards,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02and they can be planted as close together as about 15 inches.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Bushes - more like two or even three foot, if you've got lots of space.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I am now going to put a couple of Lizzano,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12which is another bush type.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Again, leaving a reasonable amount of space in between them.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23It would be tempting to add more, but one of the actions of blight,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27which is a fungus, is lack of airflow,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30so you need space between plants to let ventilation through.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Cordons, on the other hand, can grow a little bit closer together.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39This is Fandango.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43There is the leader. We can train that on up.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46So, a nice, deep hole...
0:24:48 > 0:24:50..and look how deep that is going in.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53And I can get three in this space where
0:24:53 > 0:24:54I could only get two bush varieties,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58so the third one's going there, that one can go in the middle...
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Because cordons grow tall, they get floppy,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and they MUST have support.
0:25:09 > 0:25:10And at this stage,
0:25:10 > 0:25:16all I need to do is pop a cane in next to each one,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18good and firm.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23As they grow, I'll put cross struts to support them,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26but just for the moment, that's OK.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Water your tomatoes in really well,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and they won't need watering more than once a week.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38I don't begin to feed mine for at least another month or two,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40not till the fruit starts to set.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45And now we have to wait and see, A, if they give us good fruit
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and, B, if they are sufficiently blight-resistant to last out
0:25:48 > 0:25:51the summer so that fruit can ripen.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Well, that's the tomatoes planted.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Here are some other jobs you can be getting on with this weekend.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It's time to plant out any pumpkins, squashes or courgettes.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09They like really rich soil,
0:26:09 > 0:26:14so add any compost unless your ground has been well prepared.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17I like to plant them in a shallow depression,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20which means that you can give them extra water,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23because they are hungry, thirsty plants.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30This is only a small job, but it is important.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34If you've planted any trees or shrubs this spring,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36do remember to give them
0:26:36 > 0:26:40the really good water once a week for the rest of the summer.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43This is because the roots won't be established enough to provide
0:26:43 > 0:26:48enough moisture for the new foliage that will appear over the summer.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54You can go on picking rhubarb for another month or so at least,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57but if you see any flowering stems,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01which tend to be circular rather than the flattened, edible ones,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04cut them off at the base so all the energy
0:27:04 > 0:27:09is going into producing new delicious shoots.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The house martins are building their nests in the eaves,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and they've done this every year since we've been here,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23so there's every reason to expect that the nest will be built,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25the eggs laid, the young hatched,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and we might even get a second brood,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30but it's something the progress of the summer
0:27:30 > 0:27:33is measured in their activity.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Let's see how these bees are doing.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56I've got a bee swarm in my hive. How about that?
0:27:56 > 0:28:00And I love that idea of growing plants that the bees like,
0:28:00 > 0:28:06and then the bees pollinating the plants and maybe giving me honey.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11And this way that our gardens can work with nature and foster it,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and we benefit, and so do they.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19I could watch them for hours. However, we've run out of time.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Don't forget that this weekend
0:28:21 > 0:28:25the National Gardens Scheme has a festival with over 400 gardens.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Do try and get to visit some of them,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30and you can get all the details from our website.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Carol and Joe will be reporting from Gardeners' World Live next week,
0:28:35 > 0:28:40but I will be back here at Longmeadow,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43with my bees, so I'll see you then.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Come on, Nigel.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56HE WHISTLES