0:00:02 > 0:00:03BIRDS TWEET
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Now, at this time of year, we all look for colour,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13and we celebrate it, quite rightly.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But actually, one of my favourite places in the garden
0:00:15 > 0:00:18on a hot summer's day are the grass borders.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21They're both cool, and, yet, they catch the light,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25and because they move very easily in the slightest breath of wind,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27they make it shift and dance, too.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29And it's a good place to be.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35And I love the height that you get at this time of year,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37and for the rest of the year here in the grass borders.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40There's a little bit of colour coming through,
0:00:40 > 0:00:41in the Kniphofias and the Heleniums,
0:00:41 > 0:00:45pushing towards the edge so that when it arrives
0:00:45 > 0:00:47on the shores of the Jewel Garden
0:00:47 > 0:00:51it can then just flame away into full summer glory.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58This week, we visit a Rothschild garden that maintains
0:00:58 > 0:01:01the old tradition of self-sufficiency
0:01:01 > 0:01:05in fruit and vegetables on a grand scale.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10The standards of fruit and veg, and food are very high.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14So everything is particularly delicious.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19Formal bedding really is not one of the most fashionable forms
0:01:19 > 0:01:20of garden design.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24But Joe has been in search of those giving
0:01:24 > 0:01:28a new twist to this very Victorian display.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Sometimes, you have to throw tradition out the window,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32do your own thing.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34And just enjoy it.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39And, today, I shall be doing summer pruning of my fruit
0:01:39 > 0:01:42as well as cutting the grass so that I can maximise
0:01:42 > 0:01:44next year's wild flowers.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05It's time to cut the long grass here on the cricket pitch.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08And, for about six weeks to eight weeks,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11the grass looks really pretty.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Different grasses, clovers, plantains.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19And, equally importantly, it's fantastic for wildlife.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22But to maintain it and to maintain wild flowers, if you want them
0:02:22 > 0:02:26in them, you must cut the grass and remove it.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29The best time to do that is midsummer.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31The end of June to the end of July.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32It's the rhythm of haymaking.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37MOTOR SPLUTTERS INTO LIFE
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Really long grass can be tough to cut,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45and will defeat almost all ordinary lawnmowers.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49You can hire heavy mowers, you can use a strimmer, a scythe,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53shears, anything that you've got to hand that will take
0:02:53 > 0:02:55the majority of the grass off.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59That's the first pass.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03What you have to do, and this really is essential, is rake it all up.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06If you leave any grass on the ground,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10it will decompose and feed nitrogen back into the soil,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13which, in turn, will encourage the grass to grow more vigorously,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and that will outcompete any wild flowers,
0:03:16 > 0:03:17which is not what we want.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Cut the grass again, ideally with a mower with a collector,
0:03:24 > 0:03:29as close and as tight as you can to expose patches of bare soil.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Now, if I just scratch that...
0:03:39 > 0:03:40..you can see...
0:03:41 > 0:03:42..it looks terrible.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Which is exactly what I want.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51The bare soil is ideal for seeds that will need to germinate.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57And these are the seeds of a plant called Yellow Rattle.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58It's a lovely little wild flower.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02When the seeds dry, they rattle in their pods.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05And it's partially parasitic on grass.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09So, it feeds off grassroots and also inhibits grass growth.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Doesn't stop it but just weakens it.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16And that's great because it means that wild flowers,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20which are always less robust than grass, have a chance.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25Most wild flower meadows fail because the grass gets too strong.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28This helps level the playing field.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Now, it needs bare soil, hence I don't mind having
0:04:31 > 0:04:33the bare patches on the grass,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and you need to sow them when they're fresh.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37So, if you're going to do this,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40buy the seed sometime in the next couple of months.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42They will not germinate till next spring,
0:04:42 > 0:04:43but they need to be on the ground.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Once you've got them, the seed will spread,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47so don't worry if it's a bit thin.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49So, when I sow them, I'm not going to try and do it evenly,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I'm just going to scatter a little bit of seed,
0:04:52 > 0:04:53and I'll do this all over the area.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But, here, I can just scatter the seed like that,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and the important thing is that they have contact with the soil.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01So, actually, step all over it.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Stamp them in.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07And, hopefully, some will germinate, and they will spread,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and that will all contribute to this lovely,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13interwoven tapestry of grass and wild flowers.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Now, some people don't grow any flowers at all.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19I know people who regard anything other than veg
0:05:19 > 0:05:20as not proper gardening.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Well, those of us who do grow some veg like to think we can
0:05:24 > 0:05:26be fairly self-sufficient sometimes.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30But we went to visit a garden that prides itself on being
0:05:30 > 0:05:33completely self-sufficient all of the time.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37And this is the creation
0:05:37 > 0:05:40of the renowned garden designer, Mary Keen.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47It's a private garden of Lord Rothschild and his family,
0:05:47 > 0:05:53growing vegetables, fruit, cut flowers, and it's wonderful.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I first got involved about 25 years ago.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01And it was all in quite a rundown state. I mean...
0:06:01 > 0:06:05It was kind of semi-market garden, collapsy greenhouses.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07It kind of felt...
0:06:07 > 0:06:09hopeless.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13And Paul, who grows the vegetables and has been here for 30 years,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16remembers a huge...one huge plot.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Oh, it's changed an enormous amount.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21We used to get the tractor and ploughing to do it.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Yeah, there's not much we don't grow.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Runner beans are coming in now. French beans.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28We've got the winter leeks planted.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32There's about four or five different savoys. Red cabbage.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Coleslaw cabbage. Summer cabbage.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Within the actual cabbage square, there's probably over 1,000 plants.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41You couldn't wish for a better place to work, really.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I wouldn't have been here 36 years otherwise!
0:06:43 > 0:06:44HE LAUGHS
0:06:50 > 0:06:54We thought the thing here was to make it much more gardener-focused.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Sue Dickinson, the head gardener,
0:06:56 > 0:07:01I met her working at the Old Rectory in Burghfield.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04And I knew then she was an absolutely amazing,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06world-class gardener.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11And, so, I've just counted there are nine on that thing there.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Why don't I get nine pears on my tree?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Well, I think this year the weather conditions were
0:07:16 > 0:07:20so good when the fruit was setting, but it's not necessarily
0:07:20 > 0:07:22a good thing to have so many fruit in a bunch.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25We should have probably come along and thinned them,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27but, sometimes, life is too short.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37We worked on the design together.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Lord Rothschild likes things quite over-scale,
0:07:40 > 0:07:46so the paths are HUGE so that seven people can walk down them.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51And it all seems quite grand, but it is a grand place,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53and you have to go with that.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59And, then, on the pruning, I know on the walls, the espaliers,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03you prune them in the summer to let the sun get to the fruit,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06but, here, where they're growing underneath, the sun can't reach.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Does that matter?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Mary, it's not like other tunnels,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13in the fact that you designed it to have these gaps in-between.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15- No, I like the gaps.- So...
0:08:15 > 0:08:17We designed it together, I seem to remember,
0:08:17 > 0:08:18on a stepladder with a chair.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20THEY LAUGH
0:08:20 > 0:08:24So often in pear and apple tunnels, the trees meet.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28And you said, "No, I'd like to see through."
0:08:28 > 0:08:35Sue was incredibly quick to see what the point,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38what the spirit of this place was.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I did suggest to her that it might be nice to grow the cut flowers
0:08:41 > 0:08:44among the vegetables, like a French garden.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46She was quite strict about that and said, "Certainly not."
0:08:57 > 0:08:58This is in the tomato house,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01this section is the experimental tomatoes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Ones that we haven't grown before that we're trying to find
0:09:05 > 0:09:07something with better flavour or texture.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10This yellow one's very good. Yellow Perfection.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14And then we've got this Italian, San Marzano, which is very good
0:09:14 > 0:09:18for cooking, makes very good pasta sauce and passata.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21We come into the large tomato house,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24which is a variety called Ferline.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26When they're potted up, at the end of May,
0:09:26 > 0:09:31they have a layer of horse manure at the bottom,
0:09:31 > 0:09:32then compost,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and then, once they've been growing about six weeks,
0:09:35 > 0:09:40they're fed with high nitrogen feed, which we give them until they
0:09:40 > 0:09:45reach the top of the cane, and then we change to a high potash feed.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47I like the little ones best, I think, actually.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51- They're the ones you can eat quickly.- Yes!
0:09:57 > 0:10:02The standards of fruit and veg and food are very high.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06So everything is particularly delicious.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08It's looking pretty good, Sue.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Well, it's such a treat for me,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12working in a place which goes on getting better.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15We are team of eight gardeners.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19All the gardeners have their own greenhouses to look after.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Paul looks after the veg garden.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23And everybody does a bit of digging?
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Yeah, in the winter, everybody goes where the work is.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32They don't buy any fruit, veg,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34flowers for the house.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38And that self-sufficiency, which all estates, I think,
0:10:38 > 0:10:43before the First World War, has simply ceased to exist.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46This is unique.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51I enjoy the design projects where I do have
0:10:51 > 0:10:55a continuing interest in a garden. But they have never,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59ever lasted as long or turned out as well as this one.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I think anybody who grows any veg
0:11:11 > 0:11:13at all is always going to feel some envy there.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18A greenhouse just devoted to different types of tomato,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and 1,000 cabbages.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Wonderful. Now, here on the mound,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26it's framed by espalier pears.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29And these form the structure, a kind of living fence.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34And now is absolutely the best time to summer prune any
0:11:34 > 0:11:36trained fruit, and that's espaliers, cordons, fans,
0:11:36 > 0:11:41any type of fruit that isn't growing naturally.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50These espalier pears were moved last year.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52They are semi-mature and they're growing quite slowly,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56but it's important, at every stage, to keep that training going.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Now, espalier, to make clear,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00is when you have a single stem coming up here,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05and then side lateral growths growing like that,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09and then, from that, the flowering spurs grow up,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11which will give the fruit.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15In terms of training, I could train this down like that,
0:12:15 > 0:12:20and that will grow on and grow out and become an extension.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21But you've got this kink in it,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25and that wouldn't look good. However, I have a growth here.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28I don't know if you can see, but we're growing well,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31so that will need tying in.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So this, I will cut-off like that there,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and I'll cut this one off here.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43And let's go to one where we've got more example of lots of
0:12:43 > 0:12:46growth that can be cut-off.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55You can see on this pear, we've got strong vertical growth
0:12:55 > 0:12:59coming up from last year's prune.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01And this is very vigorous.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It's ruining the shape, and also won't bear any fruit for
0:13:04 > 0:13:06a few years, because there are no spurs.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09And pears and apples and fruit on spurs,
0:13:09 > 0:13:13we can encourage that by pruning. Like that.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15And this one here, that can come off,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and I'm leaving just a stump.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19Which can form as a spur.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And what this is doing, as much as tidying and shaping it,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35is letting light and air in.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39So the fruit that have formed get the maximum sunshine and good
0:13:39 > 0:13:42ventilation so it can grow and ripen healthily.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It is really important to remember that basic rule of pruning:
0:13:46 > 0:13:48if you prune in summer, you restrict growth.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51If you prune hard in winter, you encourage growth.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Now, trained fruit in some form or other
0:13:57 > 0:13:59has been in fashion really from medieval times,
0:13:59 > 0:14:04and I think it will always remain fashionable to some extent.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07You certainly can't say that about summer bedding.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08The Victorians loved it,
0:14:08 > 0:14:14but it has been truly out of fashion for the last generation or so.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And perhaps now is the time for a resurgence,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20so Joe Swift has been
0:14:20 > 0:14:24along to see what some contemporary bedding might look like.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35If there's one group of plants that really pumps out the colour,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38can energise you and certainly let's you know that summer is here,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41even on a dull day like this, it is summer bedding.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51They have such a traditional tag that, well,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55reinventing them and incorporating them into modern gardens is tricky.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02This site is a summer showcase,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and the first thing that really hits me is, what's being displayed
0:15:05 > 0:15:08as summer bedding is a much broader range of plants than you
0:15:08 > 0:15:09would expect.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Now, I'm all for reinventing the way we use plants, and green walls,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23they are relatively new and there are lots of different systems now.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25So you can buy modules like this.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27They slot onto the wall,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30they've got built-in irrigation systems, which is absolutely
0:15:30 > 0:15:33crucial that these plants get watered regularly, or they will die.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35And then you can just plant them up.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40But these make it nice and simple, and they can be reused year-on-year.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43I've seen perennials planted up, I've seen herbs planted up.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47But bedding plants like this work just as well, too.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Now, this wall looks pretty impressive.
0:15:49 > 0:15:50It's done on quite a large scale.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53I think, at home, you'd probably do something a lot smaller.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56For me, contemporary gardens are a little bit more simple,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59so maybe just take the silver of the cineraria,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and the dark purpley black of the ipomoea,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and just use those two together.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09And over there, well, we've got a wall of proper bedding colour.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13But you can see, really, that this whole idea is what you want
0:16:13 > 0:16:17to make it. You know, what plants you want to grow in your garden,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21and treat it like a piece of artwork that changes every year.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Now, a well-known gardening presenter was, well,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34less than flattering, shall we say, about begonias.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Yeah, sure, they come in such a range of colours and they
0:16:38 > 0:16:42have that traditional tag, but I do think that some plants are
0:16:42 > 0:16:46worth revisiting, because they have lots of new varieties.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50You've got to really edit them down, look at these prices and what
0:16:50 > 0:16:52qualities it can give you in your garden.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56So, this one, Begonia gryphon, is all about the foliage.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00So we've got these deeply cut leaves that are sort of mottled and
0:17:00 > 0:17:04slightly variegated on the top, which gives a good texture.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Underneath, we've got a lovely mahogany, deep veining to them,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11and a glossiness as well. The combination works really well.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13It's a great foliage plant.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Now, this is a new one, Santa Barbara.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20What I like about this is the proportion of foliage to flower,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and the scale of them both as well. Begonias tend to have really,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27blousy flowers, but this is much more delicate, much more subtle.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31This one, on the other hand, is a really dramatic plant.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33It's a statement plant all by itself.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Dark foliage and those bright orange, fiery flowers
0:17:37 > 0:17:40shoot you off to the tropics.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42This is more traditional looking to me, visually,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45but this is a new introduction.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49And it's got scent, and it's got a very good scent, too.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52It's like a sort of light, fragrant rose,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56and altogether those blooms are really kicking it out,
0:17:56 > 0:18:01so always revisit, because there are new introductions and some of them
0:18:01 > 0:18:04are not what you expect from a begonia.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Now, when you go buying bedding plants,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16it's easy to get carried away and just start filling up your
0:18:16 > 0:18:20trolley and ending up with every colour under the sun.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23But here they've got these displays that really help you focus on
0:18:23 > 0:18:27colours and the moods that they create. So here, it's really simple.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Lots and lots of greens,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32the odd bit of white and yellow is splashed in there as well.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34And this is very relaxing.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38I could live with this cool colour theme all summer long.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Here, we've got something really cheery.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46We've got the yellow coreopsis
0:18:46 > 0:18:49working nicely with the velvety petunia here.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52There's the odd orange in there, just little shots of colour.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54But it's still a restricted palette,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57and those colours are working nicely together.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08I've been having a good look around,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and what's interesting to me is that we've got the usual suspects,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14things like marigolds, geraniums, snapdragons,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17but there's also lots of other plants, too.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22Things like lavenders, echinaceas, perennial salvias.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25So, you know, bedding isn't just about annual plants,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29it's pretty much anything that's going to create seasonal impact.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34I want to get a little bit more creative in how I plant
0:19:34 > 0:19:35and put a display together.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39I think, in terms of reinventing our summer bedding,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42maybe we need to catch up with an ever-increasing range of plants
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and some new varieties.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Now, I had a sort of light bulb moment with this bedding,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and I've really enjoyed putting it together.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I started thinking, "How can I reinvent it?
0:19:55 > 0:19:57"How can I do something different?"
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Because, here, it's all planted in blocks,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and I know they're showcasing different plants
0:20:01 > 0:20:03so you can see the difference between them,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06but by doing this and sort of liberating the plants,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10doing what I'd call a mini-prairie bedding scheme,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13they feel free and they feel fresh.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15So we've got things like these dull dahlias,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and they're going to get nice and tall and keep flowering
0:20:17 > 0:20:19through the summer. Sweet Williams,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22which I haven't used for years, and I have to say,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25coming up here, I've sort of fallen in love with them again.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28The argyranthemums, these lovely daisies,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and then the bright orange zinnias, too.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34And, as the summer progresses, this is just going to explode,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37it's going to get bigger and it's going to get wilder.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40I have so enjoyed putting this together,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and I think that's the thing about bedding - sometimes you have
0:20:43 > 0:20:48to throw tradition out the window, do your own thing and just enjoy it.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04Although the idea of bedding displays did go out of fashion,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07a lot of us use bedding without sort of even being aware
0:21:07 > 0:21:10that that's what we're doing.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13I use tender annuals, for example, like cosmos.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18Like sunflowers, like leonotis, like zinnias, to spot in colour.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20They only last for a few months,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and then they're put onto the compost heap.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26So it's the same idea, but just mixed in with
0:21:26 > 0:21:28a different style of planting.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Well, from lovely bedding plants
0:21:37 > 0:21:41to really very, very unlovely box blight.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Now, this is a running saga.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46It's been going on now for three years here at Longmeadow.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52Last year, we had the RHS expert here to advise us on the next step.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57And one of his points was to let air into any hedge.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01So, we halved most of our box hedges, including this one,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03so it was up here.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It looked terrible, but we've also fed all our boxes in the garden
0:22:07 > 0:22:09once a week with liquid seaweed,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and it is responding well.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15There is fresh regrowth from what looked like absolutely bare wood,
0:22:15 > 0:22:21and, so far, most of that regrowth is not affected, but some of it is.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33These smaller edges, which were also halved, have regrown,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36but the box blight has come back
0:22:36 > 0:22:38and come back very typically in these patches.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41And I'm often asked how do you recognise box blight.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Blight manifests itself as patches
0:22:45 > 0:22:49of brown, dead leaves, but it's very characteristically either like
0:22:49 > 0:22:52a scorch mark up the side of a hedge
0:22:52 > 0:22:54or an area in the middle of it.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57However, since we had the advice from the RHS,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01they are growing well and the big hedge is a particularly tough
0:23:01 > 0:23:05variety called Handsworthiensis, which has got really thick leaves.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07So, it's got quite good defence against blight.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11But really, what we want to see is if the new growth gets blight
0:23:11 > 0:23:12or it's just the old growth.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15So, that's for a continuing future.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17This is for your present.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19So, brace yourself.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20Here are some jobs for the weekend.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Courgettes are prone to powdery mildew if they get too dry.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29So, give them a really good drink,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32being sure to aim the water at the base of the plant,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35not over the fruits or the leaves.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And then if you have any fruits that are big enough to pick,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40do so, and keep picking them,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42because a small courgette can
0:23:42 > 0:23:45very quickly become a whopping great marrow.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48I know I've said this before,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50but it really is a good job to do
0:23:50 > 0:23:52and that is deadheading.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Any of your flowers that you want to continue all summer long,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59cut back as soon as they start to fade.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And don't just snip the flower head off,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05but go right back to the next bud or leaf axil,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08and this will provoke fresh new blooms very quickly.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14As the flowers of Mediterranean herbs like thyme and marjoram
0:24:14 > 0:24:17start to fade, trim some of the herbs back.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20This will stop the plants getting too leggy,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25as well as provoke new leaves that are fresh and good for cooking.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29And by only doing some of the herbs at anyone go, you're not denying
0:24:29 > 0:24:32yourself a constant supply of herbs for the kitchen.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Now, Mediterranean herbs love this hot weather, but they do have
0:24:43 > 0:24:44a tendency to get rather woody,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46so you get fewer leaves.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48But, basil is not Mediterranean.
0:24:48 > 0:24:54Basil comes from the Far East and it likes wet, warm weather.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57So, I've got some growing in the cold frame here,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59and what I do is just cut it off
0:24:59 > 0:25:02about three-quarters of the way down,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06and so you will get some regrowth, but it's an annual
0:25:06 > 0:25:10and has no tolerance for cold whatsoever,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13so it won't survive beyond about September.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17But the difference between these plants and the sort that you
0:25:17 > 0:25:21can buy where you get up to 20 little seedlings in a pot is huge.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I can get really good pickings
0:25:24 > 0:25:26over and over again from these.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Right, the best way to store basil is as pesto.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55It's a pity to waste herbs that are perfectly edible when you cut
0:25:55 > 0:25:58them off, but it's quite hard to keep some of them.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01A tip for keeping things like marjoram or thyme
0:26:01 > 0:26:05is just take the leaves off and pop them in an ice cube
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and freeze them, and then if you want to cook with them,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10you just pop the ice cube into the soup or the stew or whatever it is
0:26:10 > 0:26:12and that gives you the flavour.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15But, with basil, you need pesto.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Everybody needs pesto and it's so easy to make.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20What you need to do is strip the leaves and you can see these
0:26:20 > 0:26:23are wilting already. You need to be quick.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28We want nice, firm leaves that are uniform green.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31You don't want them thick, you don't want them yellowing,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and, if possible, not too limp.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42There are the leaves.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45I'm going to add a little bit of salt - and this is sea salt -
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and that acts as an abrasive.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51This is the garlic harvested a few weeks ago.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Pop that in and just grind that a bit,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and then start adding the leaves.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11If you're using a food processor,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14which we'd normally do for a larger amount,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16don't put it on continuous, put it on to pulse.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Just bomph, bomph, bomph - and all you want to do is just break it up.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24If you do it too much, it turns into a kind of green slurry.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25Right, we'll add the pine nuts.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Then, we'll add grated Parmesan, although pecorino's good, too,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32so sometimes we use half and half.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34So, add that in.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Now, at this point,
0:27:39 > 0:27:40I want to start to add the oil.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I got 100ml of olive oil.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44Dribble it in.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47It's smelling fantastic, really good.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49There you are.
0:27:50 > 0:27:51That's good.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55That is so rich and intense.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57You can't buy that,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00but you can grow it and it's dead easy to make.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03And you can make this just as well with rocket.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05You can do it with parsley.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09You can use walnuts with parsley, instead of the pine nuts.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11You can use goat's cheese, you can use cheddar.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16As long as you've got a green herb or a strong taste,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20with a nut and some cheese and some oil, it works.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22I'm afraid that's it for this week.
0:28:22 > 0:28:27Next week, we revert to our normal time, 8:30 on Friday nights.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30So, I'll see you then. Bye-bye.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31Come on, Nige. Come on.