0:00:08 > 0:00:10Hello, and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12This time of year,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I always spend some time every day deadheading,
0:00:14 > 0:00:19because not only does it enable the plant to regenerate better
0:00:19 > 0:00:20than anything else,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24keep deadheading any flowers that are past their best,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26and new ones will keep coming.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Also, it is a way of getting close to your garden.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31Of becoming intimate.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Of looking at detail rather than just thinking about the
0:00:34 > 0:00:38bigger picture all the time, and I really enjoy that.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40And thirdly, nothing is wasted.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42It all goes on the compost heap.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48This week, we meet Jenny Morgan,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52who started entering her sweet peas into competition just last year,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56and we have been to find out how she prepares for a big show.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00What they will be looking for
0:01:00 > 0:01:03is having four blooms very close together.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06They like the petals presented all forward.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09I call it just dressing them up a bit.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13It's 20 years now since the death of Geoff Hamilton,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17the great and much-loved presenter of Gardeners' World.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Adam Frost began his horticultural career working with Geoff
0:01:22 > 0:01:25at his garden at Barnsdale,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29so we asked him to go back there to celebrate Geoff's legacy.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34If there was one thing that I really remember Geoff for,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37it was the way that he used to go off, get inspiration and then come
0:01:37 > 0:01:40home and show you how to do something on the cheap.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And this, for me, the Artisan's Cottage Garden,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46encapsulates everything that he was about.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49And I shall be celebrating cannas,
0:01:49 > 0:01:54and giving you the secrets of how to make perfect garden compost.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Come along.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16This is a rambler rose, Felicite et Perpetue,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20and it's coming to the end of what was a lovely display,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and ramblers, as opposed to climbers,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27tend to have masses of small flowers that only flower once,
0:02:27 > 0:02:32very often June through to the end of July, and then that's it.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37And the other differential from climbers is that they produce
0:02:37 > 0:02:39their flowers on last year's growth.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43So what is growing now will produce next year's flowers,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47whereas most climbers you prune in spring
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and the new growth bears the blooms.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Now, if you're growing it up into a tree, I would leave it.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Don't try and prune it. It doesn't need it.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58But if, like here, you're scrambling it up a wall or a shed,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01this clearly is getting in the way. It's a bit thorny.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05So the first thing I need to do is to tidy it up for human access,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and then I need to think about what's best for the plant.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Now, when you do prune a rambler,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13it's a good idea to go right
0:03:13 > 0:03:17down to the base of the plant and remove the whole stem.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So, come in here and cut that. Right, that's gone.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26And by cutting it hard, you will stimulate new shoots.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Agh! I should have worn gloves.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Now, already, I've got a bit more space here,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42so that... Ow! ..is going to be trained underneath...
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I don't like wearing gloves, actually. I feel clumsy.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I'm pretty clumsy at the best of times, but if I wear gloves,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55it feels like I'm wearing diving boots on my hands.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01If you are training a rambler up a pergola, or a support,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05what you tend to do is train it in spirals, to get as
0:04:05 > 0:04:09much growth as possible in, and then prune away all the excess.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11With this, I want it to look natural.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I want it to look as though it's just scrambling and falling
0:04:14 > 0:04:16all over the hut.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Right, that we may want to keep, so we're keeping that in control,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21I'm going up.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38With a rambling rose, in particular, what you're looking for is
0:04:38 > 0:04:43a tracery covering the support, or the surface that you want to hide.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48And what you want to avoid is an overlap of whippy branches,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and sometimes you can have a layer of two, three, four
0:04:51 > 0:04:54or five branches almost on top of each other.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57So, the idea up here is to space them out as best as possible,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and if I can't space them out, prune them out.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03And as for the dead flowers, they do look
0:05:03 > 0:05:08a bit unsightly at this stage, but they will be followed by hips,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12so I would advise, don't be tempted to prune off the spent flowers.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15They will fall very quickly and be replaced by hips
0:05:15 > 0:05:19that will look glorious come September and October.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23So it's a question now of doing a bit of untangling.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42I think that's enough.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46It is always a trade-off between making something look natural
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and artless, and yet controlling it so that it doesn't scratch you
0:05:50 > 0:05:55as you walk past, or overwhelm the support that it is on.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Now, you will see wonderful rambling roses at flower shows,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02but they don't attract that kind of obsessive,
0:06:02 > 0:06:07competitive showmanship that some plants do. Dahlias. Vegetables.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Sweet peas. Particularly sweet peas, for some reason.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15And we went to meet Jenny Morgan in Abergavenny, who started showing
0:06:15 > 0:06:19her sweet peas just a year ago and already is doing very well.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25My father always had a row of sweet peas
0:06:25 > 0:06:27in the vegetable garden at home.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31He always thought his runner beans pollinated better if he had
0:06:31 > 0:06:34a row of sweet peas for the bees. I just love them.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37I love the perfume, I love all the different colours,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41and somebody once told me that, "You're not growing flowers,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44"you're a growing bunches of smiles."
0:06:45 > 0:06:48In the garden, we've got seven rows of sweet peas, which are grown
0:06:48 > 0:06:51on the cordon method. There are six different colours.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54We've got some dwarf sweet peas and we've got some
0:06:54 > 0:06:58semi-dwarf sweet peas in pots, and we have got some annuals,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00which are grown up on an arch, like a hedge.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04I was talked into entering the Royal Welsh Show
0:07:04 > 0:07:06in the amateur section in 2012.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08I ended up, I won first prize,
0:07:08 > 0:07:13so I was very pleased with that and did it again last year
0:07:13 > 0:07:14in the open class,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18and I won the three-vase class and I won the bronze medal,
0:07:18 > 0:07:19so I was very pleased.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26We've got the Royal Welsh Show next week. I'll pick in the morning.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30I'll pick everything I've got and then do an elimination process,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35really. I'll start at the first class that I really want to go for
0:07:35 > 0:07:38and work my way down until I've got nothing left.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44The maintenance we do for cordon varieties is to take
0:07:44 > 0:07:46one single stem up the cane.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49It gives a lot of strength in a plant by taking the side
0:07:49 > 0:07:54shoot out and then this tendril that comes off, I'll snip that off,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56because if it goes too far,
0:07:56 > 0:08:02you will find that it will just tangle round the next bloom
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and probably make the stem a little bit crooked.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08They are fed once a week with, like, a tomato food.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11We don't need to water them on a daily basis.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13The preparation of the soil helps,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16because we get a lot of farmyard manure into it,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19which means that it does retain the water.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22To tie our sweet peas, I use a taping machine.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26It is so much easier than using all the wire clips.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29We just sort of bring the stem to the back of the cane,
0:08:29 > 0:08:33put the tape around and just clip it round.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36This stem wouldn't look very good in the vase because it
0:08:36 > 0:08:40wouldn't stand straight, so what we will do is, when we pick that,
0:08:40 > 0:08:41we'll straighten the stem.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45There is an art to that which Lewis is very good at, so then it would
0:08:45 > 0:08:48be a straight stem like that, which would look perfect in the vase.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52What they are looking for is having four blooms very close together.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55They like the petals presented all forward.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58I call it just dressing them up a bit.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Because the sweet peas took over more here,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07we decided that we would put our name down for an allotment.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10That has given us a chance to grow all our veg
0:09:10 > 0:09:13plus another four rows of sweet peas.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20The allotment gives us a backup and, obviously, it is different soil,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24so we're just sort of seeing how they do there, compared to here.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30I'm really pleased with the allotment sweet peas at the moment.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32They've really come into their own in the last fortnight,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35mainly because they were later, so they have not been through
0:09:35 > 0:09:39the bad weather that we've had early on in the season.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41This is Gardeners' Jubilee,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43the sweet pea that was bred by Andrew Bean.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I like it because it really is a pure white,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50and it's quite hard to get a pure white without any blemishes on it.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52It's all formed together,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and I think it looks nice with the dark green stem.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I think I will be taking these to the Royal Welsh.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03I've just find this, it is actually called Just Jenny.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05It's got five blooms on it,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08but it's had a little bit of damage on the petals,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11probably from the wind and the heavy shower we had the other day.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15The blemishes are just on the edge and, because of the dark colour,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19it'll just show the whiter edges, where the damage is.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31This is Apricot Queen. It's one of the perfect blooms,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33because it has no blemishes from the wind,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36the watermarks, and it is all facing forward.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40A long, thick stem. That should look good.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45I'm very pleased with the amount of blooms I've got here
0:10:45 > 0:10:47so, if the weather is kind to us,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51I think we're going to have a good week next week at the Royal Welsh.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Fingers crossed!
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Jenny did really well.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Again, she came second in four different categories at the
0:11:05 > 0:11:10Royal Welsh show. Now, if sweet peas are quintessentially
0:11:10 > 0:11:12gentle English plants,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16cannas are robust, not to say rumbustious,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18South American plants.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21If cannas could dance, they'd do the samba.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24And I love them and use them a lot here in the Jewel Garden,
0:11:24 > 0:11:29because they do give you this wonderfully intense foliage,
0:11:29 > 0:11:34but the canna, given a little bit of heat, will reliably flower.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44This canna is called Wyoming.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Really nice, rich foliage - that is reason enough to grow it -
0:11:48 > 0:11:50but the flowers are fantastic, too.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Can you see how the flowers are forming,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55almost on top of each other?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58A succession growing from the gap of the old one, with the stem,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01so that, as one fades, another will appear above it,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04which is a good reason never to deadhead them.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06You can pull the petals off, if you want.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Gently take that off, like that, to tidy it up, and to flower,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14they need at least five and often seven leaves per stem.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17If you haven't got enough leaves, you won't get flowers,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and they way to get more leaves is to feed them.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25Lots of compost - manure if you've got it, liquid, seaweed,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27a tomato feed - they'll love it,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and they'll grow nice and strongly,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and then they'll give you lots of flowers.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Now, you can grow these almost in any soil,
0:12:35 > 0:12:40but did you know that you can also grow a lot of cannas in water, too?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Whilst almost any canna can be potted up and put
0:12:50 > 0:12:54in four to six inches of water - and it will be quite happy for
0:12:54 > 0:12:58a summer - a few have evolved to thrive in water.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Water is their natural habitat, and they stem from one type,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05which is Canna glauca, and that's the clue to what they look like.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I've got one here, called Erebus.
0:13:07 > 0:13:13And they have these very grey-blue leaves with pink flowers,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and the flowers are distinctly spidery,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19compared to some of the other cannas.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22But, of course, they make fantastically dramatic plants
0:13:22 > 0:13:25for a pond, and they're very easy to grow.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28What you do need is an aquatic planter.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32You buy these and they have holes in the side,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36and that's because the roots need to get out into the water.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40And I've got here soil which is from our turf stack.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Heavy, clay-based garden soil is ideal.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Now, if you don't have heavy clay soil, and it's sandy or light,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51then use aquatic compost.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Now, if I open this up...
0:13:55 > 0:13:59..you can see I've got three plants there.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01And they are vigorous,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04so they need quite a lot of space. So we will just pop that there...
0:14:06 > 0:14:09..pack some soil around it,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and then the third one can go in at the end.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17If you've got fish in your pond,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21you should put a layer of pebbles or gravel on top, and that will stop
0:14:21 > 0:14:25the fish nosing in and disturbing the soil. Right...
0:14:28 > 0:14:32That's the plants dressed and ready to go. Now it's my turn.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Now, in theory, all I have to do is just plonk this in the water.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47In practice, this slopes a bit,
0:14:47 > 0:14:52so I want to go in and find myself a good spot first.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Here we go.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06When you are planting an aquatic canna,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09you don't want to bury it too deep.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14It wants to be about six inches, so that no leaves are below water,
0:15:14 > 0:15:15just the stem.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17There you go.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Now, this will grow nice and big, stand out above the hostas,
0:15:21 > 0:15:26and be completely at home here in the water.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30What you do have to do is bring it in once the first frosts come.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Once you see the leaves touched by frost, lift it out the water,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38keep it damp, because the rhizomes must be kept damp and,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42of course, they mustn't freeze, so in a frost-free place.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Now, if you're making an organic garden, a pond is essential,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49because it helps balance the wildlife.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53That's the whole secret of organics, is a really healthy,
0:15:53 > 0:15:58holistic garden, and one of the men who most influenced me
0:15:58 > 0:16:02about organics generally, and about gardening specifically,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05was the late, great Geoff Hamilton.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Now, Geoff died 20 years ago,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12and he was a great influence on so many of us
0:16:12 > 0:16:18but in particular on Adam Frost, because Adam had one of his first
0:16:18 > 0:16:23gardening jobs at Barnsdale, under Geoff's tutelage.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26So, on this 20th anniversary of his death,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Adam has gone back to where he started out
0:16:29 > 0:16:31his horticultural career.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Could you imagine at 21 years old getting a job for Geoff Hamilton -
0:16:46 > 0:16:49presenter on Gardeners' World - at Barnsdale Gardens?
0:16:49 > 0:16:52And I can remember the first day that I turned up for work,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54and I was actually shaking.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I was totally in awe of this man that I used to watch on
0:16:56 > 0:17:00a Friday night, and the way that he used to inspire a nation
0:17:00 > 0:17:02to garden and, looking back,
0:17:02 > 0:17:07to think the effect that he has had on my life is absolutely amazing.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I worked behind the scenes with Geoff and his team at Barnsdale
0:17:17 > 0:17:20during the years that he presented Gardeners' World, and he really
0:17:20 > 0:17:25encouraged me to pursue a career in horticulture and landscape design.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30If there was one thing that I really remember Geoff for,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34it was the way that he used to go off, get inspiration and then come
0:17:34 > 0:17:37home and show you how to do something on the cheap.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40For me, that's what gardening is all about - getting out,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43having a go and sometimes making something out of nothing.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47And this, you know, for me, the Artisan's Cottage Garden,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50encapsulates everything that he was about.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53We've got things in the corner, like his compost beehives.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55So many people remember those.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57And the thyme table - this lovely little table
0:17:57 > 0:17:59with thyme planted in it.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01But also, the plants that he loved.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04He'd see a space in a border and say, "Put something in there,"
0:18:04 > 0:18:06and you'd say, "I'm not sure it will go in there."
0:18:06 > 0:18:09"No, no, that'll be all right, that'll be all right!"
0:18:09 > 0:18:11And that's the way he gardened,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14so the borders more or less looked like they were exploding.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17And the plants that he loved were good-value plants.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18Hard-working plants.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Plants that maybe would grow in more than one condition.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24He always wanted to save you just those few quid.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26And those ideas, where did they come from?
0:18:26 > 0:18:30I mean, look at this. A ballcock on an obelisk.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33When would you look inside the top of your toilet and actually
0:18:33 > 0:18:36decide that that was going to look great on top of an obelisk?
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Fantastic idea.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43This garden really has got atmosphere. It has got a soul to it.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45You get this presence that, actually, you know,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Geoff could be around any corner.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Through my time working at Barnsdale,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I became close to the family, but especially
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Nick Hamilton, Geoff's son, who I have stayed mates with for years.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- Hello, mate.- Hello, Adam. - How are you? All right?- Yeah, great.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Just give me a hand finish planting these, could you?
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- So, cor, this takes me back, this garden.- Yeah, 20 years ago.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Yeah, the coir rock. Wow. I tell you what,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15these old rocks look good but don't you remember
0:19:15 > 0:19:17when he actually did it?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19We thought he had gone absolutely barking mad.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Well, he was of an age, wasn't he?
0:19:21 > 0:19:22For the past few months,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I've is being experimenting with artificial rock.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28To be fair, the first ones, when they came out,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30they looked more like cowpats, didn't they?
0:19:30 > 0:19:34They wouldn't have looked amiss in the field next door, would they?
0:19:34 > 0:19:37But, I mean, there was a serious side to why he did it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40This was all driven to basically stop limestone pavements
0:19:40 > 0:19:45getting ripped up and destroying acres and acres of natural habitat.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46That was the important thing.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50It wasn't so much the limestone, it was the habitat that that created.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53- Yeah, yeah.- He was so many years ahead of his time,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55and just a fantastic visionary.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I mean, looking back, I think, in reality,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01maybe I took a little bit of what we were doing for granted,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05but I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today if I hadn't had
0:20:05 > 0:20:06spent the time I spent here,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- so I've got to thank him for that, haven't I?- Yeah.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Geoff's influences and ideas are clear
0:20:16 > 0:20:18in all the different themed gardens,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21but there's one I'm particularly fond of.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Do you know, I'm really proud of this garden.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28This was actually the last garden I ever did with Geoff
0:20:28 > 0:20:30and it was in '96.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32It was a reclaimed garden for Gardeners' World Live.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35And he trusted me to design it.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39He came up with the concept of reclaim - typical Geoff, really -
0:20:39 > 0:20:41before reclaim was even trendy.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44So we went off to visit some yards and we found things like
0:20:44 > 0:20:46these old railings and a big old piece of timber
0:20:46 > 0:20:49that came out of the ship that we made into a seat.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51And then inside there, he heard about hot-water tanks
0:20:51 > 0:20:53and how maybe you could re-use those.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56And in the end we got an artist to come up with an idea
0:20:56 > 0:20:58using old copper tanks.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00He threw all those ideas in and just said,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02"Adam, get on with it, go and design it."
0:21:02 > 0:21:04And we did and we went to the show.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06And it won best design in show.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09And I remember him coming up to me and putting his arm around me
0:21:09 > 0:21:11and just saying, "Well done, boy."
0:21:11 > 0:21:15For someone in their early 20s, unbelievable feeling.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16And looking back -
0:21:16 > 0:21:18how he trusted me!
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Which is special, really - really, really special.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31My television debut was helping Geoff plant a big acer
0:21:31 > 0:21:33in the Town Paradise garden.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37And it's always a place at Barnsdale that I like to return to.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43I think, emotionally, today,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46this garden has taken me absolutely everywhere.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48And if you look up there,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51that's the acer that I planted 20 years ago.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53It's still here doing its thing.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57In the world we live today, we're looking for that moment of peace.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Everything's 300mph.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01And Geoff believed you could have
0:22:01 > 0:22:03that paradise outside your back door.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07And I agree, and I think that, not only that,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11but how we live with nature, how our grey spaces become greener
0:22:11 > 0:22:14and how we connect the next generation is incredibly important.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18And I suppose he's left me with that.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20I think Geoff would be, in a sense, looking down
0:22:20 > 0:22:23and be proud of the legacy he's left behind.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34You can visit Barnsdale.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It's open every day and if you're an RHS member, you'll get in free.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Now, I said that a pond is really important
0:22:42 > 0:22:45to a healthy organic garden.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47And if a pond is a good,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51then an effective compost heap is absolutely essential.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09I'll accept that this isn't the most glamorous or beautiful part
0:23:09 > 0:23:11of Longmeadow. But it is the most important.
0:23:12 > 0:23:18A good supply of compost is what keeps this garden going.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20It's the single most beneficial thing
0:23:20 > 0:23:22that you can add to your garden.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27And making it is really easy if you follow a few set of rules.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31The first thing is the raw material that you use.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And you can see this bay where we just chuck everything
0:23:34 > 0:23:36is largely, at the moment, garden waste,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39but we put all our kitchen waste in here,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42anything that has grown in the garden can come on here.
0:23:42 > 0:23:48We try and get a balance between what's called green waste -
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and the most perfect example of that are grass clippings -
0:23:51 > 0:23:55and brown, and the best example of that are dried stems.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59These are classic brown compostable materials. Very high in carbon.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01And they're very slow to rot down.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03But they're important.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08Cardboard is a really good source of brown material. Newspaper.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Egg boxes are brilliant for compost.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14If you've got any perennial weeds, like ground elder,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16cooch grass, bindweed,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19don't put the roots in your compost heap.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23And when you've got some together, you need to chop it up.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Now, that is an absolute key to good compost.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30You can use whatever you like. We've actually got a big shredder.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32But an old mower is brilliant.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Anything to try and break it up and increase the surface area.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39But then, when you've done that, you can go on to the next stage.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44The chopped material comes into this first bay and just mounds up.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49And it is important that it's all mixed up well.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52It hasn't become what we recognise as compost,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55but bacteria is eating it and digesting it.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59So this builds up, and when it's full,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02we turn all of that into here.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07Now, you can see, it's becoming wet and squidgy and horrible.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09For a lot of people - and smells pretty horrible too -
0:25:09 > 0:25:12a lot of people, that's the compost they make.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15And that's because it's anaerobic - it hasn't got enough air in there.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17And the bacteria can't work.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21So, turning that is going to be very, very important.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24And that will stay in there, at this time of year,
0:25:24 > 0:25:25for no more than five weeks.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28In winter, it could be as long as five months.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30So, when it's turned again,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32it's starting to look a bit more like compost.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36You could put this round trees and shrubs and it'll be fine,
0:25:36 > 0:25:37but that will stay.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41And before it gets turned again... to here.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44And what you have now...
0:25:44 > 0:25:50is lovely, sweet-smelling - and it does smell sweet - clean compost.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52It's nice to handle and it's ready for use.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55And if I firtle in there and pull it up,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I probably can find some worms
0:25:57 > 0:26:00that don't like to be too near the surface.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02If I come in here...
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Right, there they are.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07You see, these are the brandling worms
0:26:07 > 0:26:09that love this stage of the compost.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11They're particularly red.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13You only find them in the compost heap,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15you won't find them in the ground,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and again, they digest it, and that's how you make compost.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Now, we've got a lot of space and we make a lot of compost,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27and it's really important, but you can do it on a small scale.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31You need at least two containers. Bins will do fine.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35You need to mix up your material and chop it up as much as possible.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38And that will do the job perfectly well.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42And go on doing it until it feels nice.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Now, I hope that inspires you to start making compost
0:26:46 > 0:26:48or to turn your compost.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50But, as well as that,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53here are one two other things you can do this weekend.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00If, like me, you harvested your garlic about a month ago,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02they should now be ready for storage.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I find the easiest way is to cut off all the top growth,
0:27:06 > 0:27:07leaving just a stub.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Clean off the roots and any dirt that remains on them.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14And then store them in an open basket,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17somewhere with good ventilation,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20which is cool and rather dark.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23This way, they keep well into next year.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Keep an eye on your blackcurrants.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29And be sure to harvest them now
0:27:29 > 0:27:32before they ripen and fall, which can happen very quickly.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37And then, either simply reduce them to a rich, musky sauce
0:27:37 > 0:27:41that is perfect with ice cream or yoghurt,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43or as a central ingredient
0:27:43 > 0:27:47in the most wonderful dessert ever devised -
0:27:47 > 0:27:48summer pudding.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55Come on.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07My sweet peas are not prize-winning.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09But they give a huge amount of satisfaction,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12both in the garden and in a vase in the house.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14And of course, if you're going on holiday,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17pick them all and give them away.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Now, that is the end of today's programme.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24I'll see you back here at Longmeadow next Friday. Until then, bye-bye.