0:00:02 > 0:00:04BIRDS SINGING
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14They say that for those born when the sun is in Cancer,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17they are always home-loving.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And there's no doubt about it, that home at this time of year,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24if you have a garden, is where you want to be.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28And here, in the cottage garden, it's reached new heights -
0:00:28 > 0:00:34all these pinks and mauves and lilacs sifting and dancing
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and weaving together are a complete joy.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41This week we're paying our final visit to Sissinghurst Castle
0:00:41 > 0:00:45in Kent, to find out how the team are getting on
0:00:45 > 0:00:48as they work to reconnect the garden
0:00:48 > 0:00:50with Vita Sackville-West's original vision.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53We recently unearthed this really amazing photograph,
0:00:53 > 0:00:55in Vita and Harold's time,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57of this vista in the rose garden.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01For me, it just instantly says beauty and romance.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And, in the fourth and last film of Carol's series,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07finding the right plant for the right place,
0:01:07 > 0:01:08she's been to East Sussex
0:01:08 > 0:01:12to look at plants that thrive in coastal gardens.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14This is a sea holly.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18It can withstand any amount of hot sun and driving wind.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20It's perfectly at home here.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25And I shall be harvesting garlic, new potatoes, lettuce,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27broad beans, beetroot...
0:01:27 > 0:01:29all for a birthday feast.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47It's sad, but the Oriental poppies have come to an end.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Now, obviously, the annual poppies,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51the opium poppies,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54are just kicking in and they're fantastic.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56But...
0:01:56 > 0:01:58the Oriental poppies, which are herbaceous
0:01:58 > 0:02:02and come back year after year, have done their stuff,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04and it's taking up space without any flowers.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08And they can be cajoled into a second performance.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10If I take that stake out...
0:02:12 > 0:02:14..and cut this back,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16that will regrow
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and there's a real chance of re-flowering in September.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21So, the thing to do is to cut back hard.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28And I'm going to go right down to the base,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30and cut there.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40Now, having created some space, I need plants to fill it.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43I've got some annuals that I've grown from seed.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Come on.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53And if you haven't grown any from seed yourself,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56you can go and buy small plants or plugs from a garden centre
0:02:56 > 0:02:58that will do the job just as well.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The advantage of seed, of course,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03is you've got a wider range of choice, and it's much cheaper.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And what I have is two types of Cosmos.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11I've got Cosmos bipinnatus, Click Cranberries.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13I've got Cosmos sulphureus,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16or, as I call it, Cosmos "furious".
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And I've got some Tithonia.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Tithonia is a Mexican plant,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22and I love it.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It adds an intensity of orange
0:03:24 > 0:03:26that is bright and brash,
0:03:26 > 0:03:27but somehow really works
0:03:27 > 0:03:28in the jewel garden.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32Now...
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I want a really vibrant display but, on the other hand,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40you've got to give plants a chance to breathe
0:03:40 > 0:03:41and have a decent root system.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45And the healthier the plant is, the better it will grow
0:03:45 > 0:03:47and the less trouble it will have with slugs and aphids
0:03:47 > 0:03:51and all the slings and arrows of outrageous nature.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55So, we've got space in here to plant in.
0:03:55 > 0:04:03So if I put a little group of this sulphureus in there, like that,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07and I definitely could get a tithonia or two in the back
0:04:07 > 0:04:10so it will grow up, reach about three, four foot tall,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12and then it will get the sun.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15I probably could get one in there too, and then I've got
0:04:15 > 0:04:20space to pop the Cosmos bipinnatus,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22which is quite tall, around it.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Cosmos too comes from South America,
0:04:25 > 0:04:30so we've got a distinctly Southern American feel, here.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35And you can see I'm planting quite close to the poppy,
0:04:35 > 0:04:36cos I can do that,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40because when the poppy grows back it won't grow back so big.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42And these plants will have established by then,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44and be able to compete for themselves.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And these are annuals - they will flower
0:04:47 > 0:04:49until the cold stops them.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And that's it - then they come out.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Whereas the poppy is about three or four years old,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and will come back next year
0:04:56 > 0:05:00in full, glorious, silky, flamboyant colour.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Right, let's get this tithonia set in.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Other plants that I use for exactly this purpose
0:05:26 > 0:05:29are zinnias, dahlias, cannas...
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Now, these are all plants that are tender,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33that come from near the equator, and will grow
0:05:33 > 0:05:39and flower really vibrantly right up until it gets too cold.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42So, although it looks a bit bare now, go with it -
0:05:42 > 0:05:46plant up and then the garden will look so much better for it,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49towards the end of summer and into autumn.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Right, I don't need to do anything else to those at all.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06They will look after themselves and, hopefully,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09look really good, very soon.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Now, a garden which I reckon
0:06:10 > 0:06:13looks really good all the time is Sissinghurst.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16It's one of the great gardens of the world.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20And, over the last few months, we've been visiting the head gardener,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Troy Scott Smith, to see how he's subtly changing it -
0:06:23 > 0:06:26nothing radical, but he's trying to return it to being
0:06:26 > 0:06:30nearer to the original spirit of Vita Sackville-West
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and Harold Nicolson, who originally made it.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36And today, we make our final visit.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46The garden's changed in small parts over the last 30, 40 years
0:06:46 > 0:06:50but, accumulatively, it threatens to overwhelm Vita's garden,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53and it's just really now trying to look at all those changes
0:06:53 > 0:06:56that have occurred and say, "Well, can we do it differently now?
0:06:56 > 0:06:58"Can we do it better?"
0:06:58 > 0:07:00And I think in many cases, actually, we can.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Essentially, Sissinghurst is a garden in the country, actually,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10and the views out of the garden were very important
0:07:10 > 0:07:12to Vita and to Harold.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15And so we're starting to work, actually, outside the garden.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Here, we've sown wildflower meadows where it was just short grass
0:07:19 > 0:07:20and hopefully very soon
0:07:20 > 0:07:23we will be bringing cows back to graze right at the garden gate.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Here, within the rose garden,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28we want to create opportunities for people
0:07:28 > 0:07:31to leave the rose garden, into the wider landscape,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and then come back into the garden.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35So this artificial boundary that surrounds the garden
0:07:35 > 0:07:37is almost just dissolved,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39and so people can, very naturally, walk from one space to the next.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45What we're also trying to do is just to soften the planting,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48so the planting becomes more this idea of fine carelessness
0:07:48 > 0:07:49towards the garden peripheries.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52And then you quite naturally move from this kind of
0:07:52 > 0:07:55treasure box of flowers that Vita had in the heart of the rose garden
0:07:55 > 0:07:59to very much more naturalistic kind of plants on the edges.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03And we've also recreated the farm pond,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05which was right at the garden gate.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10So it really just suggests that this was once a farm and, actually,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13those qualities are still very important to us today.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30The rose garden really is quite an integral part of Sissinghurst.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33It only flowers for a brief, spectacular moment,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36but, boy, isn't it good when it does flower?
0:08:36 > 0:08:37And Vita wasn't afraid of that -
0:08:37 > 0:08:41to really, really enjoy that moment.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Sissinghurst wasn't about wealth or power, for Harold and Vita.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46It was about much more subtle things -
0:08:46 > 0:08:49things like emotion and intimacy and romance,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52and so I think the roses, more than any other flower,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55really sum those qualities up perfectly.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02We did find that, of Vita's nearly 300 roses that she grew here,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06we only really had about 100 of her collection, still.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09We really set about trying to bring them back to Sissinghurst.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11So, you know, we're bringing in lots of old roses,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13but we're also bringing in new roses.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16This is called Eglantyne, and it just has the appearance
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and the look of an old rose,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22and it just fits in quite well with the old roses around it.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27We recently unearthed this really amazing photograph,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30in Vita and Harold's time, of this vista in the rose garden.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34For me it just instantly says beauty and romance.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37There's an avenue of cherry trees, actually, down either side.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41And the path that we're walking on was a turf path.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45So here, I'm really very tempted to want to recreate
0:09:45 > 0:09:49the idea of the dappled lights through the canopy of trees
0:09:49 > 0:09:52onto this grass would be just a magical experience.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The bearded iris are really the shooting stars of the plant world.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15And very much like the old roses here at Sissinghurst,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18they arrive in one brief but glorious moment.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19And Vita loved them.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22She loved their intricate beauty,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25she loved their historical connections,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27and she loved their intense colouring.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30And she amassed about 100 bearded iris,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33which we now have only about 60 of,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36so we're on the hunt for around 40 missing irises.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Now three years into the project, it's tangible, actually,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00I think, not just the support we're getting from visitors and volunteers
0:11:00 > 0:11:04but actually, people seem to be kind of in a state of excitement
0:11:04 > 0:11:08that there's changes here, there's improvements in planting there...
0:11:08 > 0:11:11there's a whole batch of new roses flowering there.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15I think that excites people because, you know,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18sentimental though we all are about gardens and plants,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21we also like to see change and we like to understand how
0:11:21 > 0:11:24gardens grow and evolve and I think for too long, actually,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Sissinghurst hasn't changed in the ways that it had to do
0:11:27 > 0:11:30to really keep going and remain relevant.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34We need to grow and develop, and so people are really enjoying this.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48I've been to Sissinghurst many times, but seeing that
0:11:48 > 0:11:51makes me realise that I'm desperate to go back again.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56I can't wait to see what Troy has done, and be inspired once again
0:11:56 > 0:12:00by what is truly one of the great gardens of the world.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Right. First, the good news...
0:12:13 > 0:12:16It's time to harvest garlic.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Garlic planted in September or early October
0:12:20 > 0:12:22is normally ready for harvesting by midsummer.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26And home-grown garlic is a lovely thing.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29The bad news is that last year, when I was harvesting the garlic,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I found onion white rot,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35and that is a disaster for all allium crops
0:12:35 > 0:12:38cos it stays in the soil, it rots the neck,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and you can end up with a mushy, rotten bulb,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44whether it be a leek, a shallot, a garlic - any of the allium family.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50So, what I did was sow my garlic this year - or plant it, rather -
0:12:50 > 0:12:53in a container. This is an old cattle trough,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and I used a mixture of garden compost,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58bought peat-free compost,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and lots of grit to give it good drainage.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Now, these are new varieties I've never grown before.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05This is Red Duke...
0:13:07 > 0:13:11..which is supposed to be a little bit spicier than a lot of garlic.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Never ever pull garlic up by the stem -
0:13:19 > 0:13:21always dig it up. And that's true for onions too,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24because you want as much root on it as possible.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26And then you dry it with the roots on, and that stops
0:13:26 > 0:13:29any damage to the basal plate, which the roots attach to.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Then you can trim the roots, when it's properly dry.
0:13:32 > 0:13:33Shake that off.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And keep all top growth on it.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41When you store it, you want to store it with as much on it as possible,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43and then dry it.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46And, if you want to know when to harvest your garlic -
0:13:46 > 0:13:50as a rule of thumb, when the foliage starts to yellow naturally,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52it's time to lift it.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55But you can see, that's a perfectly good garlic.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Now, here we are. Have a look at this.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06You can see the fungal spores on there - the white rot.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10The roots are broken and not growing properly.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14The top is starting to rot and look bad.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And what happens is, you get this slimy, rotten outer layer.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22If you just found one like this,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24you would burn it,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26dig the soil out,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28get rid of that, bring fresh soil in,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and you MIGHT be able to stop it.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32The fact is it's endemic
0:14:32 > 0:14:34in this garden, now.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35But we can eat that fresh.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39So we'll put that to one side.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42It is disappointing that this garlic has become infected
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and, as onion white rot is soil-borne, it is possible that it
0:14:46 > 0:14:50came in on the garden compost that I added to the trough.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53OK. Those are Red Duke,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56of which only one seems to have been afflicted.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59However, it's very likely the spores are on all of them.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04So just because there's no sign of it, it doesn't mean to say
0:15:04 > 0:15:08that it might not appear later during their storage period.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11But this other variety, the other side of the central bar -
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Extra Early Wight - clearly is in not such good shape.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Now this one, you can see, the top has rotted right back
0:15:30 > 0:15:35and the clove has opened out and is a little bit slimy.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Onion white rot and the fungal problems that the allium family get
0:15:40 > 0:15:43don't transfer to other families.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46So, now, for example, I could top this up with a little bit of
0:15:46 > 0:15:51compost, plant some lettuce, some French beans, parsley, basil,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55and they will all grow well and crop well for the rest of the summer.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58And I have to say, although they may not store as well,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02I will eat all those and they will taste delicious, I'm sure.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Now, as well as being the season for lifting garlic,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10here are other jobs that are timely this weekend.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14At this time of year, with lush growth being battered
0:16:14 > 0:16:15by wind and rain,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18plants can fall all over the place,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and they certainly need rescuing.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23But the trick is to make it look as natural as possible.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26So get your support in place and then,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28like putting flowers into a vase,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31let them fall a bit so that they look natural.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40It is tempting to leave masses of young fruit, particularly apples,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42developing on the tree.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45But to maximise your harvest, it's important to thin them now,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49leaving just two fruits to each spur.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54This way, you get a good crop of high-quality apples
0:16:54 > 0:16:56rather than a mass of low-quality fruit.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01We all know that we should be deadheading roses,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05but actually, almost any flowers can usefully be deadheaded,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07particularly if they've been spent
0:17:07 > 0:17:08or they've been damaged by the weather.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Cut back to a side shoot and they'll quickly regrow,
0:17:12 > 0:17:13carrying fresh, new blooms.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18These fuchsias I bought three, four years ago,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20to plant exactly on this spot,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and they didn't work at all well.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27However, this year, because it's been mild and it's been damp,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28they've loved it.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32There will be a plant that likes whatever weather we're having,
0:17:32 > 0:17:37even if we don't like it, and fuchsias love moist air,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40light shade and mild temperatures,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and it's just finding the right spot for a plant.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Now, Carol has been going round the country,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50looking at different situations where plants can thrive
0:17:50 > 0:17:52whatever the given conditions.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55This time she's gone to the seaside.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01If we want our plants to thrive and flourish, we need to choose
0:18:01 > 0:18:05plants that will enjoy the conditions we can offer them.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09A happy plant is the right plant growing in the right place.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17For plants that live within sight and sound of the waves,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20there are lots of difficult conditions to contend with.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24There are howling gales.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27There are high light levels and really hot, beating sun.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30But there's one unique problem, too.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31And that is salt.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Any plant, with very, very few exceptions,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40needs fresh water to survive.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44This sea kale, Crambe maritima, has long, questing roots -
0:18:44 > 0:18:47sometimes they're metres and metres long -
0:18:47 > 0:18:52and it delves down until it finds fresh water and brings it up.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55But it's got another way of collecting water, too.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58Watch this.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02When it rains, and the rain runs onto these leaves...
0:19:05 > 0:19:07..it's channelled right down the leaf
0:19:07 > 0:19:09and into the crown of the plant.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13So it makes use of every bit of fresh water there is.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17These leaves are really splendid.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20They've got this heavy, glaucous covering,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23which reflects light and heat.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29And these lovely green seed capsules which are on the plant now,
0:19:29 > 0:19:34almost like little beads, were preceded by dainty white flowers
0:19:34 > 0:19:37with the most exquisite perfume.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38And if you're a plant living here
0:19:38 > 0:19:41and you want to attract pollinating insects,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45then that's one really good device for bringing them in.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Once the seeds are set they turn brown and they're distributed
0:19:49 > 0:19:53here and there, and the sea will very often wash them away
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and bring them up further down the beach,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58where they'll make brand-new colonies.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00What a wonderful plant.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22Most of the plants that live by the seaside have tiny little flowers.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24But this is an exception.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27This is Glaucium flavum, the horned poppy.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32It gets its name from these great long seed pods.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35But you look at these flowers and you think,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39"How can that flower possibly withstand these belting winds
0:20:39 > 0:20:42"and this hot, burning sun?"
0:20:42 > 0:20:46But unlike most poppies, which have very papery-textured flowers,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49if you feel these petals, they're satiny -
0:20:49 > 0:20:51they've got a real sheen to them -
0:20:51 > 0:20:53and it's that that protects them.
0:20:53 > 0:21:00And, like the crambe, it's also got these undulating glaucous leaves.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04But in this case, instead of being solid and smooth,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07they're covered in fine hairs, which is another way of
0:21:07 > 0:21:12protecting the leaf against the wind and the baking sun.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14It's all about water loss, really,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16and just hanging on to whatever water they can.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Few gardens are right on the beach,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25but there are thousands around the country
0:21:25 > 0:21:29that are close enough to the sea to still be under its influence.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36At first sight, this might not look like a garden,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38but it decidedly is.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41This is the promenade at Bexhill-on-Sea,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46and this garden was put in by the local council, just a few years ago.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49And it's a revolutionary success.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53When you look at this lovely, silvery planting here,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57your eye's drawn immediately to the blue Eryngium.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01This is a sea holly, but it doesn't come from the seaside.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05It actually comes from way up in the mountains
0:22:05 > 0:22:07of the Pyrenees and the Alps.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09But it loves the same conditions
0:22:09 > 0:22:11as these plants that grow by the sea.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15It likes thin soil, really well-drained.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17It loves hot, baking sun.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Its leaves have this thick cuticle,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24so it can withstand any amount of hot sun and driving wind.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26It's perfectly at home here.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35Rosa rugosa and its many varieties are widely used and well loved.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38It does particularly well at the seaside.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42There are a large single flowers with masses of pollen for bees,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and they're followed by squat, orange hips.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54If you want to make your own coastal garden, perhaps a raised bed,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57with really well-drained soil -
0:22:57 > 0:22:59or maybe your soil's like that anyway,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02sandy or gravelly, full of stones -
0:23:02 > 0:23:05then this is the plant to go for.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07It comes from the eastern Mediterranean.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11It's a beautiful architectural plant,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and it's ideal for that kind of planting.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17It has whorls of these lovely, creamy coloured flowers,
0:23:17 > 0:23:22one after another up the stem, which give it a strong structure.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26And the leaves too are soft, felty and aromatic.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29It's a real touch of the Mediterranean.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32A real touch of the seaside in your very own garden.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33And you know what?
0:23:33 > 0:23:36It's the right plant in the right place.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45The great thing about a plant that feels at home
0:23:45 > 0:23:47is it will always be more healthy.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50It's extraordinary how a plant that is in exactly the right spot
0:23:50 > 0:23:55will be more resilient for every kind of pest and disease.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And sometimes they tell you where they want to be in your garden,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03rather than you selecting that perfect spot.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05These primulas, this is Primula florindae,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08which I intended to put in the damp garden
0:24:08 > 0:24:10because they like damp conditions and that would suit.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13But there was no space - it was the wrong time of year.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15So I lined them out along the edge, here,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17intending to grow them on and then move them.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21And ever since then they have just flourished.
0:24:21 > 0:24:22They are completely at home here.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25They do not want to go to the damp garden,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27even though I would like them in there.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30So, they've chosen their home, not me.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31And that's where they'll stay.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Today's my birthday,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54and one of the traditions that's evolved over the years is that
0:24:54 > 0:24:58I harvest my first early potatoes on my birthday.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00And some years I have a bumper crop,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03and some years a few little marble-sized spuds
0:25:03 > 0:25:05to celebrate with.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Now, this year, I planted some in a bag
0:25:07 > 0:25:11at Easter, which is the traditional time to plant potatoes,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and I put two in one bag and one in the other.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15Now, because it was Easter,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17it was cold, I kept them both in the greenhouse.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21But after about a month, one bag I put outside.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22And that was this one, here.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25But we'll see how they've got on.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29So let's start with this one, which was in the greenhouse.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31So we can pull that up...
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And then what I'll do is tip it out into the barrow.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Now, there's a lot of compost in here,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43because I topped it up as I went along, instead of earthing it up.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46There we go.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Right.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49Let's have a look.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Well, I shan't go hungry tonight, at least.
0:25:58 > 0:25:59So...
0:26:02 > 0:26:05..that's new potatoes, Duke of York, fairly good size.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Exhibit A.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Now for exhibit B which, remember, was put outside
0:26:13 > 0:26:16about sort of the end of April, early May,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18after the last risk of frost went.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22Tip it out.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29If I put these...
0:26:31 > 0:26:32..at this end...
0:26:36 > 0:26:39..if we lift that up we can see...
0:26:39 > 0:26:43there is a bigger harvest from exhibit A,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48which was grown indoors and had two seed potatoes.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Exhibit B, which was largely grown outside and only had one...
0:26:52 > 0:26:55..is less, but not that much less.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00So what I would deduce from that, and this is not a serious trial,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02is that as long as they're protected from frost,
0:27:02 > 0:27:07there's not much advantage in growing them in a greenhouse.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Put them outside,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12earth them up so that the tubers don't get frosted,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and the tops are slightly protected,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and you'll get a perfectly good harvest.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Well, that's the result of my effort to grow spuds in a bag.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I know many of you have tried it too,
0:27:23 > 0:27:24so do let us know how you got on.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27If you go to our website, you can either drop us an e-mail
0:27:27 > 0:27:29or go to our Facebook page.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32And if you can send a picture, so much the better.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Now, it's good to have some potatoes, this day of all days,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38but not enough -
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I want to see what else I can have for my birthday treat.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42Come on, Nell.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Nelly!
0:27:44 > 0:27:45Don't need that basket.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52I love broad beans when they're young and sweet.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Now, let's have some beetroot.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Small but delicious.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Well, that's the main course sorted.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Now let's get some pudding. Come on, Nelly - now's your chance.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Come on. Good girl.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12There's a good girl. Thank you.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15That's really good, cos I can put raspberries in that, now.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16Good girl!
0:28:17 > 0:28:20I know everybody loves strawberries and cream,
0:28:20 > 0:28:21and sees it as a big treat,
0:28:21 > 0:28:26but for me raspberries are the real treat.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28And they're just beginning to ripen.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31Mmm...
0:28:31 > 0:28:32That's so good.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39Now, that's it for today, and next week we're back on Wednesday,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41not Friday - a couple of days earlier -
0:28:41 > 0:28:45but we are on at our normal time of 8.30.
0:28:45 > 0:28:46So, see you next Wednesday.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Till then, bye-bye.