0:00:03 > 0:00:05Come on, here!
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18Well, the orchard is dominated by giant umbellifers -
0:00:18 > 0:00:20hemlock and hogweed.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21And they are both weeds,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24I don't really want them to get too invasive.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26But for the moment, they look fantastic,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30because they have these white umbels of flower,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32made up of tiny florets,
0:00:32 > 0:00:37which of course are fabulous for insects and look superb.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40But as soon as those flowers fade, I don't want them to set seed,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44so next week, the big mower is coming out and I will cut the lot.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50This week, we're looking at plants with a head for heights,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53as we visit an alpine grower in the Pennines.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Everybody likes little things in miniature, don't they?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Can't quite believe how small some of them are,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03and so perfectly formed as well.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And we visit an extraordinary Himalayan garden
0:01:06 > 0:01:09in the Scottish Borders that came about as the result
0:01:09 > 0:01:12of a life-changing experience in Nepal.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Well, later on, I'll be putting on my waders
0:01:25 > 0:01:27and getting into the pond to do some deep water planting.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29But first of all, just have a look at this.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Remember, some weeks ago,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34a swarm of bees was introduced into this top bar hive?
0:01:34 > 0:01:40Now, you can count one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43eight and nine natural combs.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And if they stay happy and stay busy, there is
0:01:46 > 0:01:50a real chance that I could collect some honey later this year.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Now, that does depend upon them having a source of food.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Just bees alone aren't going to make you honey,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59they've got to be able to forage constantly.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And so, the more bee-friendly plants,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06insect-friendly plants, in fact, not just bees, that we can get
0:02:06 > 0:02:11into our gardens, the better it is for us and for wildlife in general.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I'll close that up and leave them to it.
0:02:18 > 0:02:24BEES BUZZING
0:02:27 > 0:02:29The whole garden here at Longmeadow
0:02:29 > 0:02:33is filled with plants that insects like.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38But I have, this year, started to make this corner
0:02:38 > 0:02:42into one that is specifically geared
0:02:42 > 0:02:45to getting wildlife, so, that includes a pond, it includes lots of
0:02:45 > 0:02:50cover and I have also planted plants that are particularly good for bees.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55This agastache is Agastache Blackadder,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57beautifully tall, and that's why I've chosen it,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59because it gives some height,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and it's good to have different layers,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03so that bees can find them and get them,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and also, these tiny little flowers, which they'll just dip into.
0:03:07 > 0:03:13And honeybees have short tongues, so they don't like deep, long tubes.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Bumblebees, on the other hand, can cope much better.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17So, I'll plant these out.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18I've got three, because
0:03:18 > 0:03:21in principle, I like to plant in threes.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25But obviously, ones will do.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29This is a perennial and this will flower for weeks.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Let's pop that in there.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33And I'm not going to plant them in a clump,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37I like the idea of the bees just drifting from plant to plant,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40sipping a bit here, tasting a bit there.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42I'm not going to plant these for a moment,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44because I want to stand back and look at it.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46It is important when you are trying to attract as much
0:03:46 > 0:03:49wildlife as possible, you don't forget that it's a garden,
0:03:49 > 0:03:50and you have planted it
0:03:50 > 0:03:54and it must be beautiful for you, as well as the animals.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01I have this Salvia Caradonna, and salvias, again,
0:04:01 > 0:04:07have these small flowers with the basal plate and the curving petal
0:04:07 > 0:04:10over the top, which the insect lands on the bottom
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and that pulls the top down and brushes the pollen onto it.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17And the salvia, when it flowers, is blue,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21just with a touch of mauve, so there is a colour theme evolving here.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Finally, I've got some borage.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30Borage, which is an essential part of Pimm's, and is a really
0:04:30 > 0:04:37good example of a simple, open flower shape, which bees love.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Well, I'm happy, and I think the bees will be happy,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51so let's get them in the ground.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58Borage can become fairly invasive.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Now, I don't mind that and I certainly won't mind if we have
0:05:02 > 0:05:07too much here, because it's easy to pull up,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and a lovely, beautiful plant.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Of course, the art of mingling carefully chosen plants
0:05:14 > 0:05:16that you grow as well as possible,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and what effectively are weeds, like these nettles,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23is one that you have to make choices about.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25These nettles coming out of the hedge will be
0:05:25 > 0:05:28wonderful for caterpillars, and that applies throughout the garden.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31We've got comfrey spilling down into the water here.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I'm happy with that for the moment, because bees
0:05:34 > 0:05:38and bumblebees just love it and the bumblebees can get in those
0:05:38 > 0:05:43tubular flowers and just drink as much as they possibly can.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Actually, some bees have trouble with comfrey.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49These flowers are a little long for them.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52But they have a technique of getting in there.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56And what they do is that they nibble
0:05:56 > 0:06:00through the base of the flower,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02a bit of smash and grab,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05gets its nectar and it's away.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12BEE BUZZES
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Come on, Nige. Come on!
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Come on.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I'm a novice when it comes to growing alpines.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I get a lot of pleasure from them, but I've had some trouble,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36particularly with the two troughs here in the Cottage Garden.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41I suspect that the plughole in this trough has got blocked,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44so the water has built up and they have rotted, and the one thing
0:06:44 > 0:06:49with alpines you really must have is good drainage.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54Now, I'm very happy to confess my own lack of knowledge about alpines,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58I'm learning and I'm enjoying the learning process hugely.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03But we went to visit a real expert, Michael Mitchell,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07who gardens at altitude at Hebden Bridge.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18We are at Slack Top, which is 925 feet above sea level,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22right in the middle of the Pennines on a north-facing slope.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Not the ideal place, you would think, to grow plants at all.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Alpines are some of the toughest
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and easiest plants that you can grow in your garden.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37If you consider where they actually grow in the wild -
0:07:37 > 0:07:40in mountainous, cold, exposed places like
0:07:40 > 0:07:44the Alps and the Rocky Mountains, Himalayas - and if they can survive
0:07:44 > 0:07:49places like that where it's cold and wet and windy, then
0:07:49 > 0:07:52there should be no problem in being able to grow them in your own home.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58This little yellow daisy here,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00which is called Erigeron Canary Bird,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03I think it is possibly one of my favourite alpines.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05It flowers for ages.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07March, April is when it starts
0:08:07 > 0:08:09and then you get repeated flushes of flowers
0:08:09 > 0:08:12all through the season until October, November.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Likes a sunny spot and well-drained conditions, like most alpines.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18This one actually needs a bit of cleaning up.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21If I just... I'll just take a few of these spent flowers off.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Everybody likes little things in miniature, don't they?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Can't quite believe how small some of them are,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31and so perfectly formed as well.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33And the colours are really intense, really brilliant.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36They often don't look like they are going to be hardy
0:08:36 > 0:08:40and that you can actually grow them outside, but you certainly can.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49Stone alpine containers are either very expensive to buy,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52or you can't find them any more these days.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55I'm going to show you how to make a container
0:08:55 > 0:08:59out of just a sand and cement mixture.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02The first thing you need is some kind of a mould.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06It's just a plastic tub and I've cut it in half, as it were.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08I use two different kinds of sand.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12One is what they call a red sand, and then another sand,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15which is a grit sand, and then obviously, cement.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Put a little bit of grit or gravel in as well,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22it just helps add to the texture of it.
0:09:31 > 0:09:37I aim to put round about an inch and a half of mixture in the base.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Make sure there are no gaps around the edge of the trough mould.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45We need something with which to make the drainage hole in the trough,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48so I've just got some bits of polystyrene.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52We now need the inner mould. And then, simply start filling.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Bit by bit.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06So I think that's about finished. It's hopefully got all the air out.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08After about 24 hours, it's cured.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10In winter, you probably need to leave it two days.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24So, hopefully, once the trough has been finished,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27it looks something like this one does here.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Within a year or so, it should start to weather
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and look a lot more like a proper stone one.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34In order to stop the compost from falling in there
0:10:34 > 0:10:35and clogging the drainage hole up,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37we need to put something over it first.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39I just use the bottom of a plant pot
0:10:39 > 0:10:41that's got lots of drainage holes in.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46It's worth putting a layer of gravel or chippings on the top of that.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Compost is the next thing.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Try not to use multipurpose compost, use one that's got soil in it.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54So, three parts of John Innes No 2,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56one or two parts of grit,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58mix that together.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Bits of stone in there will help prevent
0:11:00 > 0:11:03one plant encroaching onto another.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07There are so many alpines you can choose from, some will be
0:11:07 > 0:11:10far too vigorous and completely fill the container,
0:11:10 > 0:11:11swamp everything else.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15So I put a campanula and a saxifrage in there.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Also, try and, if you can, spread the flowering season out as well.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I know most of the plants here are all in flower now,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26but that's because they tend to be really long-flowering ones.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31The centaurium here, Centaurium scilloides, starts flowering
0:11:31 > 0:11:36at the beginning or the middle of June, continues well on into August.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Got this wonderful little toadflax
0:11:38 > 0:11:41that's also really long-flowering,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and it will just grow over the edge of it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49The compost should usually last a couple of years, and then,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52if you find that perhaps they are not really growing as you
0:11:52 > 0:11:55would like, put on something like a tomato food,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and always half strength,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59half the recommended dose.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03It is a tiny little world on its own!
0:12:03 > 0:12:07The last thing to do before we water it is to put some gravel
0:12:07 > 0:12:11and some grit and chippings on the surface, which act like a mulch.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13So, we get the last bit of grit in
0:12:13 > 0:12:16and it's pretty much finished, really.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20It's a really fun, easy thing to do, making your own containers
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and planting up your own little alpine world.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Provided you get the basics right,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29we should have something that lasts many years, lots of pleasure.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34It really is a fascinating branch of plants to have a go at.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I've got some additions for the big pond.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58One is a deepwater plant,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00which is a water hawthorn.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04It comes from South Africa and flowers twice in the year,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06sort of May, early June.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08It then takes a rest during summer and flowers again
0:13:08 > 0:13:11in September and October.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15And it has got curious flowers that smell of vanilla.
0:13:15 > 0:13:21I've got two marginals. Next to me is the pickerel plant,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23and I like this for two reasons.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26One is because it's got a good flower, it's got a good shape
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and gives really good cover, it's just a handsome plant.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32And also because the name, the pickerel, always makes me smile.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35There was a pub when I was a student at university called
0:13:35 > 0:13:38The Pickerel, where occasionally - obviously, only for research -
0:13:38 > 0:13:40I used to go in and refresh myself,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and I remember some happy times there.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Finally, a flowering rush, butomus,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47which has got really good structure,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49and I need, towards this end of the pond,
0:13:49 > 0:13:54to get some height, and then that will flower and look really good.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03This butomas is planted in an aquatic basket,
0:14:03 > 0:14:08which is fundamentally a pot full of holes, like a mesh.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12And that lets water in and to a certain extent, lets roots out.
0:14:12 > 0:14:13And it is heavy.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17That's because it has been planted with aquatic compost,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20which acts as much as anything else as an anchor.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22It weighs it down.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27You can buy aquatic compost or you can use soil just as effectively.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31What you don't use is normal potting compost or any
0:14:31 > 0:14:34kind of improved soil because most of the nutrients are going
0:14:34 > 0:14:38to come from the water and the soil is really acting as ballast.
0:14:38 > 0:14:44And this is a marginal plant that really does like to stay wet,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46to have the roots in the water the whole time.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50So put it somewhere where it can stay submerged,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54but not completely to the top.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Now the pickerel plant, and I have put it over here,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01and this will go in a much shallower position.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06It needs to be wet, but does not need to be submerged all the time.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09And this side of the pond is shallower.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12There's a lot of weed in here.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15A lot of this is the hornwort,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19which I put in as an oxygenator and has multiplied hugely.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22In an ideal world, for the sake of the plants,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25you'd like half the water clear at any one time,
0:15:25 > 0:15:30but it is a good idea sort of once a week to scoop off
0:15:30 > 0:15:32as much of the duckweed and algae as you can and
0:15:32 > 0:15:37if you get too much of the oxygenator, like hornwort,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39have a clear out and compost it
0:15:39 > 0:15:44but only after you have left it on the side of the pond for a few days
0:15:44 > 0:15:47for any small creatures in there to crawl out
0:15:47 > 0:15:49and go back into the water.
0:15:53 > 0:15:59Now this is the rather sad looking water hawthorn and what it wants is
0:15:59 > 0:16:02to be submerged, so when you plant it,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05don't worry if it disappears out of sight.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08It will grow back to the surface.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13And that means me creeping round and going into the depths...
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Oh, big frog, can you see?
0:16:16 > 0:16:21There he goes. OK. It's very slippery under here.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22It seems rather drastic,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26but I'm just going to drop this down in here and let it
0:16:26 > 0:16:29work its way to the surface, but I will clear some of the weed.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Go on, then. May you grow well. There we are.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37And the leaves are just at the surface, which is perfect.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41And they will quickly grow to the light and hopefully,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44they should be flowering properly by the end of summer.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47The beautiful thing about all these plants,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50whether they're deepwater aquatics, marginal bog plants,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54is they've evolved over long periods of time to make the most
0:16:54 > 0:16:56out of very specific conditions.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59And Matthew Wilson has been to Craigieburn Gardens on the Borders
0:16:59 > 0:17:05of Scotland to see a garden that has been made to specifically
0:17:05 > 0:17:09recreate the environment of the Himalayas.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The moment you arrive here at Craigieburn, you know
0:17:26 > 0:17:29you are in for something pretty extraordinary.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32The garden is reminiscent of Nepal, it's swathed in prayer flags,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35but the story of how it came to be is just as extraordinary.
0:17:38 > 0:17:4120 years ago, Janet Wheatcroft was on a plant collecting expedition
0:17:41 > 0:17:42to Nepal.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Whilst crossing a river, she was caught in a landslide
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and would certainly have died,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51had it not been for the bravery of her guide and Sherpa, Dawa.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55The moving thing was not the fact that he had saved my life,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58which he did, but the fact that if he couldn't save my life,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00he was jolly well going to go down with me.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03He'd been told to look after me and that's what he was going to do.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Because of my job and my responsibility,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10I always want to do the best. I just want to do my duty, my job.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12So, you met in very dramatic circumstances.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16How did you end up here together, making this garden?
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Dawa came over on holiday because I thought I owed him something
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and he just started to help me a bit
0:18:22 > 0:18:27and I realised straight away that he had a real natural talent.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Having discovered a shared love of gardening,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34they formed an even greater bond
0:18:34 > 0:18:38and came up with the idea of making a Himalayan garden together.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42So Dawa and his family moved to Scotland.
0:18:42 > 0:18:4820 years later, Dawa's pride and joy is what he calls his Sherpa garden.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52He doesn't really like me having a lot to do with his Sherpa garden.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- Is that right?- Yes!
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Well, you must show me this Sherpa gorge.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00I really want to see the plants in there.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- Can we go and have a look? - OK.- You lead on.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07The gorge has similar micro-climatic conditions
0:19:07 > 0:19:09to Dawa's homeland in Nepal.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12And he immediately saw it was the perfect place to
0:19:12 > 0:19:13create his Himalayan garden.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16I always wanted to make one Sherpa garden.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19I said, I am going to make a Sherpa garden here,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I am going to get every single plant from my home.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I finished this in about four months,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28no machine, no any special tools.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- Four months?- Four months.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- Just using Sherpa power. - Yes. Using my power.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37I've grown food in the mountain, this is nothing for me.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Not only was it hard physical labour in a very tricky location,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43but some of the plants were notoriously difficult
0:19:43 > 0:19:46to grow in Britain.
0:19:46 > 0:19:52Every single plant I brought from home, I never lost one single plant.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56- The arisaemas are amazing, aren't they?- Amazing.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58They are coming very, very strongly.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01And they are just spreading by vegetation, are they?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- Sending out runners. - No, they are tuba.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10One jewel of the Sherpa garden is the meconopsis,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12the Himalayan big blue.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15It's notorious for being difficult to grow
0:20:15 > 0:20:17but in Dawa's garden it's prolific.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21There is no other colour like it in the flowering world.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Unsurprisingly, they are incredibly desirable plants and people
0:20:25 > 0:20:28want to grow them, but it does require quite specific conditions.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Moist atmosphere, so it's not just about the rainfall,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35it needs that moisture as well and I can feel that here in the gorge,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37coming off the stream.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43It also needs well-drained woodlandy soil and semi-shade as well,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46so as desirable as it is, if you don't have those conditions,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49it's possibly not the right thing for you.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Now, what do you think this is? A geranium?
0:20:53 > 0:20:55That's what I thought it was.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59It actually a primula and I've never seen this plant before.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01It's absolutely gorgeous.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05This wonderful, delicately cut foliage, beautiful pink flowers.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Great ground cover.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10You know, what's so lovely about Craigieburn is it's packed
0:21:10 > 0:21:13full of all these little treasures, every little nook
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and cranny seems to be full of something interesting
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and exciting and things that I haven't seen before.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23The gorge is unique, but you can't underplay the rest
0:21:23 > 0:21:26of the garden at Craigieburn, where Janet's love of plants is evident.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I love that paeonia emodi there.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Yeah, it's a beauty, isn't it? Lovely thing. Really beautiful.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39I've been really taken by the meconopsis
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and the arisaemas because you can't fail to be taken by...
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- They are supermodels, aren't they? - They ARE supermodels.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50But equally, I've been just as taken by the ground cover
0:21:50 > 0:21:54because it's so effortless, it all sort of merges together.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57There's a particularly glamorous blue clover, it's a
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- bit short of flowers. - The colour and the intensity...
0:22:00 > 0:22:01I mean, I've never seen a blue clover
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- and I can imagine very few people would have.- Parochetus communis.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- Amazing. - You see on river banks in Nepal..
0:22:08 > 0:22:12There is a very beautiful strawberry in the gorge with really
0:22:12 > 0:22:15glossy leaves and I just love the glossiness.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17I don't think anybody else in this country grows that.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20It's Fragaria daltoniana.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24And I think that came back as a passenger with some
0:22:24 > 0:22:27plants that we brought from Nepal because it's a little spreader,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30like most strawberries, and we didn't know we had it, I think,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33until we put the plants into quarantine when we got back
0:22:33 > 0:22:35and it sort of popped up.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40For me, the most interesting gardens are the ones that combine
0:22:40 > 0:22:43beautiful planting and a real sense of atmosphere
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and Craigieburn has both, but it's also shot through with
0:22:46 > 0:22:49the personalities of the people who made it.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51And the planting is exquisite.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02Good girl.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Got it?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Go on, then. You can have it and it's very nice, there we are.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17I do love meconopsis.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20I'm going to try growing some here in the new borders.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23We've got dappled shade, we've got plenty of rainfall, but the
0:23:23 > 0:23:26problem is not moisture in the ground, it's moisture in the air.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28That is the key to it.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Now, as a very successful grower of them once said that the ideal
0:23:32 > 0:23:36way to grow meconopsis is to plant them on a dead sheep.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37In lieu of a dead sheep,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41they are not that easy to buy down at the average garden centre,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44garden compost and leaf mould, absolutely perfect.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48And I'm going to fork in quite a lot into this area, here.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51You don't have to dig it in too deep, by the way.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Remember, the feeding roots tend to be relatively near the surface.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I grew these from seed,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03from the meconopsis sheldonii.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07In fact, these were a hybrid called lingholm and very likely,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11if you buy meconopsis sheldonii, it will be lingholm.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13It took quite a while to germinate
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and they were tiny plants for about eight months.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21In fact, I've got some here which are over a year old,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23so you have to be very patient.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25And then these, we have potted on
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and these are now two-year-old plants
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and they won't be ready to flower for at least another year and
0:24:31 > 0:24:35perhaps two, but they're precious and they are worth the trouble.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36So...
0:24:39 > 0:24:44I used to feel that the pH had to be ericaceous, below six, to
0:24:44 > 0:24:48grow meconopsis but it's generally reckoned that that isn't the case.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51I mean, if you're growing on chalk, probably not a good idea,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54but if your pH is around about neutral, there should be no problem.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56But if you are going to mulch them,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00and you should because that will help keep moisture into the soil,
0:25:00 > 0:25:06keep weeds down and also feed them, use a pine bark mulch.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13I will mollycoddle these plants,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16but not by giving them any extra heat or shelter.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20What they really want is moisture. Particularly in summer.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21And moisture to the air.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30You can see the leaves are bristly, they've got these hairs,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32and that will trap the moisture and hold it in.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Well, they are out in the world but I will look after these plants
0:25:39 > 0:25:42with all the care and anxiety of a mother
0:25:42 > 0:25:46watching her child go off to its first day at school.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50But here are some jobs that you can do at home,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53a little bit more easily, this weekend.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Although an apple tree will try
0:25:58 > 0:26:01and produce as much fruit as it can, for the gardener,
0:26:01 > 0:26:07what you're looking for is quality rather than sheer quantity and to
0:26:07 > 0:26:14achieve the best results reduce the number of fruits per spur to two.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19This will seem harsh but the result will be two fine apples
0:26:19 > 0:26:23that you can then pick and store and enjoy in winter.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31If you planted garlic last autumn, it should now be time to harvest
0:26:31 > 0:26:35them, especially if the foliage is starting to yellow and die back.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40Don't tug at them but ease them out of the ground with a fork.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Clean the soil off and leave them to dry out on the ground,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45although if heavy rain is forecast,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48bring them indoors where they can be completely dry
0:26:48 > 0:26:51and it's important to let them dry thoroughly before taking
0:26:51 > 0:26:55the foliage off at the roots and storing them.
0:26:55 > 0:27:01The time to prune plums and cherries is now in midsummer.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06And this is especially true if you're training them to shape,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10as I am these morello cherries, which I want to grow as fans.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Cut any outward facing growth
0:27:13 > 0:27:18and then tie in any shoots that will follow the pattern
0:27:18 > 0:27:22and establish a framework that you want to see in the finished plant.