0:00:13 > 0:00:16Hello, welcome to Gardner's World.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Well, spring is just romping its way through the garden
0:00:19 > 0:00:20here at Longmeadow,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25but no plant is more operatic at the moment than this crown imperial
0:00:25 > 0:00:29and I love the way that it stands up like this gorgeous pineapple,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33this top knot of hair and these intense colours.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36But the colours are all part of the changing scheme
0:00:36 > 0:00:38you get at this time of year.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41The spring garden here starts off with snowdrops
0:00:41 > 0:00:42and then you get the hellebores
0:00:42 > 0:00:46and you get these particular points of colours, with lots of purples.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51But by now, really focusing on the yellows and the lime greens,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and it doesn't matter if it's the smallest Erythronium
0:00:54 > 0:00:57or a great big plant like the crown imperials,
0:00:57 > 0:01:01they all work together to create this incredibly
0:01:01 > 0:01:06vibrant tapestry which is changing every single day.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09And as well as celebrating the very best of Longmeadow at this
0:01:09 > 0:01:13time of year, we are returning to South Africa to find out
0:01:13 > 0:01:16where red hot pokers grow in the wild.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22- Carol pays another visit to Sally and Geoff in Somerset...- Wow.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25..and discovers a range of perennials
0:01:25 > 0:01:26they've inherited in their garden
0:01:26 > 0:01:31which are perfect material to create new herbaceous borders.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34This is a plant to fall in love with. It's such a good plant.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Ah, good.- And it will last just years and years.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The grass borders have been mulched with pine bark.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55I've not used pine bark as a mulch before,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59but the plan is to have something that does
0:01:59 > 0:02:02the job of suppressing weeds and keeping in moisture,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06but also is slightly lower in nutrients than the normal
0:02:06 > 0:02:09mushroom compost or garden compost I use,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11because you don't want things growing too exuberantly.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14If we have a warm, wet summer,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17we can get all kinds of fungal problems.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20You can see here that the new shoots are appearing
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and within a month or so, they'll be about three foot tall.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26By midsummer, they'll be up here and by late summer,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29six foot, eight foot, ten foot tall.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33So now is the moment to get in and plant in amongst them,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36to plan ahead so that the display isn't just grasses,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39but it is interwoven with colour.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I've got some Verbena bonariensis here.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47I sowed this last spring intending to plant it out in midsummer.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51But by then, there was too much cover and Verbena bonariensis
0:02:51 > 0:02:54comes from the Pampas of South America,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57so they need light and air.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59The plan is to weave these
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and other plants in amongst the grasses
0:03:02 > 0:03:05so they get established and by the time the grasses grow up and
0:03:05 > 0:03:09start to dominate, the accompaniment can cope with it and hold their own.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14When you are planting in annuals or new young perennials
0:03:14 > 0:03:17into an established border at this time of year,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21try and think of the picture in July, August and September
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and what they are going to be like and how they will all work together.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29I'm going to be putting in quite a few things over the next few weeks,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34some of them annuals and also some more perennials,
0:03:34 > 0:03:39because one of the plants that I got very fond of recently is Kniphofia.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I never really grew it very much and I think it's
0:03:42 > 0:03:44because I didn't understand it, I didn't quite know how it worked -
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I just thought of it as red hot pokers.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49There is a lot more to Kniphofia than that
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and if you want to learn about a plant and you want to get
0:03:52 > 0:03:56engaged with it, you need to find out where it comes from.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00We went to South Africa to see kniphofias growing in the wild.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09The vast and varied landscapes of South Africa have given
0:04:09 > 0:04:13British gardeners some of our best-loved plants
0:04:13 > 0:04:17and of these, red hot pokers are probably the most striking.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Kniphofia is a large genus of about 70 species.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Its magnificent flower heads are perfectly adapted to attract
0:04:28 > 0:04:32a wide range of South Africa's pollinators.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Kniphofia uvaria, which grows in the fynbos region of the Cape,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40was first encountered by Europeans in the 17th century.
0:04:40 > 0:04:46It is adapted to the hot, dry climate and sandy, acidic soils -
0:04:46 > 0:04:50conditions that are virtually impossible to replicate in Britain.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53But over the next few centuries, a few hardier species were
0:04:53 > 0:04:58discovered and European gardeners soon fell for their exotic flowers.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The hardiest and still one of the most impressive was found
0:05:06 > 0:05:11growing high in the Drakensberg Mountains.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Robyn Simmons is an expert in indigenous plants
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and she lives in the area.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Wow.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Kniphofia caulescens,
0:05:27 > 0:05:33beautiful in its natural habitat in the mountains of Lesotho.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35The colours are just...
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Wow, almost torches of colour.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42There is not much topsoil here.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46It's basalt underneath - serious rock -
0:05:46 > 0:05:48so the soils are very, very shallow.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Soil... Look at the water.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Very thick, very heavy.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00Soil with a lot of humus in it.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04It's got to get its food from somewhere.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07It is always wet up here, it never dries,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09so well-drained means nothing.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15We are at an altitude of 2,800, 2,900 metres above sea level.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21It would get down to, I would imagine, minus 18, minus 20.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27To survive in these conditions, you are really special.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30REALLY special.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Caulescens was one of only a handful of Kniphofia species to make
0:06:37 > 0:06:39the perilous voyage to Europe.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Gardeners fell in love with these unusual plants
0:06:44 > 0:06:48and extensive breeding programmes quickly got underway.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52And from only four or five species, breeders set about creating
0:06:52 > 0:06:56every single garden hybrid that's available today.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Because of this early triumph
0:06:58 > 0:07:00in breeding from a small number of plants,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02the majority of Kniphofia species
0:07:02 > 0:07:05remained undiscovered in the wild until recently.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10With the aim of conservation rather than cultivation,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13a new generation of South African botanists have been
0:07:13 > 0:07:17documenting these little-known Kniphofia populations
0:07:17 > 0:07:21and they've found an incredible wealth of beautiful plants,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24ideal for growing in the UK.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Robyn knows these plants intimately.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Normally, pokers are quite bold plants,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34the leaves are quite stripy and they all kind of make a statement.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38The only statement it makes are these beautiful,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41delicate little flowers, a bit like a fairy plant.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It's Kniphofia buchananii.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45Very well-drained soils,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47if you look at the soils around here.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49It grows in grassland.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53It will get down to minus 12, minus 15,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55so it's a really, really hardy plant.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Normally, the white red hot pokers have either got stripes of yellow
0:07:59 > 0:08:02or green on the actual flowers.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06But this here, it's got a little pink blush on the top
0:08:06 > 0:08:11and as the flowers open, the pink blush actually disappears.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14A pure white red hot poker.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17This little poker has got a beautiful scent.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22It's such a spring scent,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26sort of Freesia, which is also really unusual in red hot pokers
0:08:26 > 0:08:29because normally they don't have scents at all.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Here we have Kniphofia ichopensis.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Different to the buchananii,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47it actually grows in wetland and marshy areas.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Let's see if we can find some.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Little mud ball.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56And you can see how wet it is.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Not really friable.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03The flowers are quite long, tubular flowers.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08This area here also gets down to the minus 12s, minus 13s.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11It will stay damp all the way through the year.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15If you've got a really wet patch in your garden,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16this is the ideal plant.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Here we have Kniphofia laxiflora.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31It looks like a little... like a hedgehog.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Kind of versatile, which is actually really special.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36From here in this area,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40minus five, minus six in winter all the way through to the Burg,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44where it is minus 15.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46And they cope with it.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48The flower head is actually really long
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and it takes a long time for it to flower, to work all the way up.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55They are found in a variety of colours in the wild,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59from deep orange to the much softer salmony orange.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01It's one of my favourite Kniphofias.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06It is through the dedication of people like Robyn
0:10:06 > 0:10:10that we are learning more about how best to grow this fascinating
0:10:10 > 0:10:15group of plants and discovering new species perfect for British gardens.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I suspect the Kniphofia are set to delight and surprise us
0:10:18 > 0:10:20for generations to come.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34In fact, new varieties of Kniphofia are coming out all the time.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37They are very easy to hybridise, they grow well from seed,
0:10:37 > 0:10:41so we can expect that there will be an increasing amount for us to use.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Now, I'm going to add a few here into the grass borders.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I've got here a Kniphofia called Tawny King
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and it will grow to about four feet tall.
0:10:50 > 0:10:51It's got apricot tones.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Apricot is one of those colours that you are always
0:10:54 > 0:10:57looking for in a garden and don't often find.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59It's really hard to get a good apricot.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03It will grow best in slightly heavy soil, you can see nice,
0:11:03 > 0:11:04fleshy roots in there.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I like the fact that Kniphofia, which is an awkward word,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13not an easy word to say, in fact is mispronounced.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15We should pronounce it Knip-hofia,
0:11:15 > 0:11:20because it was named by Johann Hieronymus Kniphof,
0:11:20 > 0:11:25and we've managed to conflate that, so there's a "ph" in the middle.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32Plant it not too deep, just at the level it is in the pot.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37Close enough to the front so I can see through, but set back so it will
0:11:37 > 0:11:40give some height and I'm looking for a final height about right there,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43flowering in late summer.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Next, I want to plant a smaller Kniphofia,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and this is Wrexham Buttercup.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57It's got the most fantastic, brilliant yellow tinged with
0:11:57 > 0:12:00green and it's that green that you get in Kniphofia flowers
0:12:00 > 0:12:02that I love.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06If you've got very light soil, if it's sandy or chalky,
0:12:06 > 0:12:11you do need to beef it up with some well-rotted manure or compost.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13These are plants that like some moisture.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17They won't thank you if they are too sharp draining.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Having said that, my third Kniphofia I'm going to plant,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24which is called Little Maid,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26which has got ivory,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29sort of cream flowers and is only a couple of feet tall.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32This one does like drainage - it's an exception to the rule.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I'm going to put this in front, and that's why I've got some grit,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39cos I'm going to put some grit underneath it.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42So I'll pop that there on top of the grit,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44soil back around it.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Kniphofias do like sunshine,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51so make sure that they get full sun for at least half the day.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55And we should be seeing these flower from July
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and then on through into early autumn.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Come on, Nigel, want a bisc? Come on.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Come on. Come on, Nige.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19Last autumn, I planted these Narcissi flanking the path,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22which is this long walk that splits the garden down the middle.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25There are two varieties - there's Martinette,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27which has got the orangey centre
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and there's Trevithian, which is a pure buttercup yellow.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34But they are very tall - I chose them for their height.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36They've got a fragrance and because they are tall
0:13:36 > 0:13:38and the heads are quite small, there is a certain
0:13:38 > 0:13:42amount of elegance that goes with this big hit of yellow colour.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I grow sunflowers every year, mainly for the Jewel Garden,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55but it's quite a long time since I've grown a giant sunflower -
0:13:55 > 0:13:58a sunflower grown solely to see how big you can grow it
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and this year, I'm going to grow giant sunflowers again.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I've got four varieties here.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08I'm going to grow all four and see which of them is tallest.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11I've got Giant Yellow, which I've grown before,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Kong, which I haven't,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Pike's Peak, which claims to be
0:14:15 > 0:14:18the sunflower that others look up to
0:14:18 > 0:14:19and Mongolian Giant.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Now, it doesn't matter what kind of sunflower you're growing,
0:14:21 > 0:14:26whether it is a perfect, sophisticated mixture of colours
0:14:26 > 0:14:28or just the most enormous plant
0:14:28 > 0:14:31that you can conceive of, you sow them in the same way.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36A normal peat-free potting mix will do the job fine.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And I just put two to each plug,
0:14:42 > 0:14:48and I will weed out the smallest of the two once they've germinated.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54Cover them over lightly and of course, label them.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56This is Giant Yellow.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02That's all good fun and hopefully by the end of summer,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05we will have some real giants to celebrate.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08But Sally and Geoff Davis have tackled an altogether more
0:15:08 > 0:15:13tricky problem, which is how do you convert an overgrown,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17rambling garden into a space that feels like your own?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Well, who better to help them than Carol?
0:15:20 > 0:15:23And this week, she's gone along to assist them
0:15:23 > 0:15:25make a herbaceous border.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Sally and Geoff have begun the process of transforming
0:15:29 > 0:15:31the garden that surrounds their new home.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Last time, we started clearing the beds,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40moving some precious shrubs and tackling some pruning.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Since then, with their confidence growing and friends
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and family lending a hand, they have moved on apace.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Now their garden is starting to take shape,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54it's time to take stock of their herbaceous perennials.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Wow.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Just look at this! I mean, what a huge difference it's made.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- Don't you feel happier with it? - Much happier, yeah.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05The way you've taken these things away, you can see
0:16:05 > 0:16:08all sorts of things that have been growing up underneath them, too.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10- Shall we go and explore?- Oh, yeah.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Do you know what this is?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Well, I thought it was a weed to start with
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- because there's so much of it. - It's a lovely plant.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Its common name is Jerusalem sage.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23And then over here... Look, look, look.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27It's a plant called Persicaria bistorta.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- Again, I thought it was a weed, actually.- Can you see these?
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- Oh, yes.- Little pink flowers.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37You can see all sorts of things starting to emerge.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I think that these plants are going to make the basis of your
0:16:40 > 0:16:41new herbaceous borders.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45What we want to do with them is dig them up,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49move them across and actually design with these plants.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52So the plan is, when you have made your steps,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55you are going to have two herbaceous borders up there
0:16:55 > 0:16:59and then this third one complementing it here.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02But first of all, I want to talk to you about your soil.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Look at that, very free-draining,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06but very little nutrient.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10- But that's where this comes in.- OK.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14And this is the very best stuff of all - it's old, rotted muck.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- Have a sniff. - Can't smell anything, really.- No.
0:17:17 > 0:17:18It doesn't smell of anything at all.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22It's really packed full of good stuff.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27What it does have is this ability to improve the texture of your soil.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33It looks brilliant. It's all ready and waiting, but now the fun bit.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Come on, let's go and grab some plants.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41So, this is Centaurea montana, perennial cornflower.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49That's a good lump of phlox.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- Can you see what, sort of, wiry roots it's got?- Yeah.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57So all the more reason to dig as much soil out as we possibly can.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- So we've got a nice lot, haven't we?- We have.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Are we able to make more than one plant?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I hope we are going to make at least half a dozen.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13So how do we do that?
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Two forks about the same size back-to-back,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and just use them as a kind of fulcrum.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21They'll come apart like that.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25When you are doing... dividing perennials,
0:18:25 > 0:18:30you've got to make sure that they're weed-free when you replant them.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- There's the old root, can you see? - Oh, yes.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34You can discard that.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38What you're interested in is all these little fine fibrous roots,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40cos they are all feeding roots.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42There we go.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Now, the exception to all these things is this iris.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50They'll make a great big rhizome down the middle
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- and then all these little ones, these baby ones off it.- OK.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56And these are the pieces you want.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01But this is old now and unproductive, so you can just snap,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05because this is the bit you are interested in with these new roots.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Oh, I see, with the roots.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14I didn't realise you could be so rough with these plants.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17So, let's leave the weeds behind
0:19:17 > 0:19:20and move our ingredients onto the path...
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- Right.- ..and then we can get planting and designing.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Now, this is the exciting part.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29So rather than lots of separate blobs and one of this and one
0:19:29 > 0:19:32of that and one... Let's plant them so they make
0:19:32 > 0:19:34great big sort of swathes.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Now this, because it likes sunshine, your iris...
0:19:37 > 0:19:38That's south, isn't it?
0:19:38 > 0:19:42- It is, yeah.- So I think these really ought to go here.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55You've got to make sure that this is absolutely exposed to the sun
0:19:55 > 0:19:59and what you do is dig two little trenches
0:19:59 > 0:20:03so in between them is a ridge,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05and you face your whole rhizome south
0:20:05 > 0:20:10and then you put your roots down on either side.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- You want to think about contrasting foliage, too.- Right.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15How about phlox?
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Think about the way you're planting, not just a row of something
0:20:19 > 0:20:23or a blob, it's quite nice to use wavy lines here.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Shall we do Astrantia?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28This is a plant to fall in love with, it's such a good plant.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33- Oh, good.- It will last just years and years.- Yeah.- Right, what's next?
0:20:33 > 0:20:35What could be better than Alchemilla?
0:20:35 > 0:20:37So these are quite short, aren't they?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Yeah, not so high that it blocks your view.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- They are very see-through, too.- Oh, lovely.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Whenever you are planting something with big roots like that,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50whatever you do, don't wrap them up like that
0:20:50 > 0:20:53or like that because they'll die.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57A better alternative is just to chop them and that will actually
0:20:57 > 0:21:00encourage them to make lots of little fibrous roots.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Shall we have some of that Centaurea in?
0:21:03 > 0:21:04It's great that it's already here
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- and we haven't had to buy any of these, isn't it?- Exactly.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13'Using these simple principles, Sally and Geoff should be able to
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'carry on creating their flowerbeds ready for summer.'
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I'd never have thought we'd have got so many plants
0:21:19 > 0:21:21just out of the garden.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25- Yeah, superb, isn't it?- All it has cost is a bit of effort.- Yeah.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29'Next time I'm here, we will tackle the jewel in the garden's crown -
0:21:29 > 0:21:31'the pond.'
0:21:36 > 0:21:39We all want to have gardens that are mature and magnificent,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41but I'll tell you, the most exciting part
0:21:41 > 0:21:43is when you are making a garden.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Just that thrill of seeing it come into being slowly is fantastic,
0:21:46 > 0:21:47I envy them.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Now, my garden, which is mature - it's 25 years old now - you would
0:21:51 > 0:21:54think that I'd got used to doing the jobs when they needed doing.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Well, you couldn't be further from the truth.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Like everybody else, I've got bits of the garden
0:21:59 > 0:22:01which are completely chaotic and out of control.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03There's a good example here.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07This rose is a climber called Madame Gregoire Staechelin.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09This one, for no good reason at all,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I haven't touched for a couple of years.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15I can't really think why. No excuses, I just haven't done it.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19However, if you've got a climbing rose that's out of control,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22it's not too late to do something about it now.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26What I want to try and create is a system where you have three
0:22:26 > 0:22:29arching stems going out and then the side shoots,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33which bear the flowers, growing as vertically as possible.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Actually, you can see it on this one very clearly.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I'm going to put some gloves on because I'm fed up of being
0:22:38 > 0:22:39spiked by the thorns.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44There we go. OK.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Vertical growth is stronger than horizontal growth,
0:22:48 > 0:22:54so the idea is to train your main structural growth at 45 degrees
0:22:54 > 0:23:00and horizontally and let these side shoots be as upright as possible.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01You'll get more of them,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04they'll grow stronger and you'll have more flowers as a result.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06So that's the basic principle.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08So at this stage of the year,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10we don't want to do any radical pruning -
0:23:10 > 0:23:12that can happen later in autumn.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17What we can do is train it in, so we get nice horizontal strong
0:23:17 > 0:23:21sections and then cut away anything that won't fit that pattern.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22What I want to do is try
0:23:22 > 0:23:27and get this as horizontal as I can without damaging the side shoots.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- MUFFLED SPEECH:- You can see that what I'm doing now is I'm cutting...
0:23:35 > 0:23:37HE MUMBLES
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Have you got that? OK.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44Argh!
0:23:53 > 0:23:57So we've got that slightly under control.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01At this stage, I can start removing stuff that's in the way.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05So this, for example, is never going to train up,
0:24:05 > 0:24:06I don't want it coming outwards,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09so I'm going to cut that back quite hard.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Likewise, this one can go back to there and this can go back to there.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So we are starting to get the more familiar structure
0:24:16 > 0:24:19of a rose with a horizontal main stem
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and these shoots that will bear flowers,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and new shoots will come up too.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25This will give Madame Gregoire Staechelin
0:24:25 > 0:24:28every chance to shine all summer long.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Now, as well as looking after roses,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35here are some other jobs to be doing this weekend.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40You shouldn't cut back any of the foliage of daffodils
0:24:40 > 0:24:42until they die naturally.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45However, it is a good idea to remove the seed heads
0:24:45 > 0:24:49because seed production takes a lot of energy from the plant
0:24:49 > 0:24:53and will reduce the number and quality of next year's flowers.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Although I put up my supports for climbing beans a few weeks ago,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02the ground is too cold for them to germinate and grow well.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07But if you sow your beans into pots or plugs
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and then give them some protection,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12either from a window sill or a greenhouse to germinate,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16they will grow on strongly and by the time the weather
0:25:16 > 0:25:20is warm enough, you will have healthy young plants to put outside.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Over the winter, Mediterranean herbs like marjoram,
0:25:26 > 0:25:31oregano or sage become very woody and have lots of old growth.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36So cut this back to the ground, let light and air into them
0:25:36 > 0:25:40and the new shoots can grow strong and tender
0:25:40 > 0:25:42and perfect for cooking.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59This is the first outdoor batch of salad leaves -
0:25:59 > 0:26:02I've had it growing in the greenhouse all winter.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04But what's exciting is now the weather is warming up,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06we're starting to harvest them,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10so you get this cycle of fresh salads every day
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and as I'm harvesting these, I have sown more,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16so throughout the year, succession is the key.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20There's as much pleasure from seeing these come through with all their
0:26:20 > 0:26:24different colours and shapes and tastes, of course, as anything else.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27No pleasure from the box hedges which are looking pretty sad,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29and that's to do with box blight.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31But what's inside them I'm very happy with.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43This is the great white cherry or Tai-haku.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It actually is probably as good as it's ever been
0:26:46 > 0:26:49because what often happens is just as the flowers come out,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51you get heavy rain or you get winds
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and they just get battered to pieces.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57It only lasts at its best for about four or five days,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00so you are lucky - this is just perfect.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03And I love the story about it. You probably know it.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05It's how it was revered in Japan,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08but it disappeared in the 18th century. And there were pictures
0:27:08 > 0:27:12of it and people spoke about it, but there were none to be found.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15And then it popped up in a Sussex garden.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19A man called Captain Ingram, Cherry Ingram, discovered it,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22took some to Japan, said, "Is this it?
0:27:22 > 0:27:25"Is this the plant you've been talking about and got pictures of?"
0:27:25 > 0:27:27It was.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32From that, it spread through all our gardens and it is this glorious,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35fulsome, almost voluptuous blossom.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39It doesn't last long, but while it does - fantastic.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43If you've got a plant in your garden that you feel captures
0:27:43 > 0:27:46the spirit of the moment, take a picture and send it to us.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Thank you for all the pictures you have already sent,
0:27:48 > 0:27:49and keep them coming.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We do like to see what is looking particularly good
0:27:52 > 0:27:54at this moment in your garden.