0:00:02 > 0:00:05Come on, in you come. Come on. You come through. Come on.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14One of the things I really like about this time of year are all the happy
0:00:14 > 0:00:19accidents that start to manifest themselves with real aplomb.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21So, for example, here in the dry garden,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24we did plant a few fennel some years ago.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27They've seeded themselves everywhere and now they've taken over.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32And it shows that if a plant WANTS to be somewhere, it'll grow happily,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34it'll do better than anywhere else.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38And it means that for a few weeks at this time of year,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42the dry garden effectively becomes a fennel garden.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51This week, Alan Power goes to Croome Court in Worcestershire,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54which was Capability Brown's first landscape garden.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57That really is fantastic, isn't it?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59That's just perfect.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Yeah. Yeah. Beautiful landscape.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02It's the wow moment.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06And we'll also be visiting Monmouthshire,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and a garden that is given over to grasses.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I just love the noise that they make,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14it's quite soothing and they feel gorgeous.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17It's very hard to resist running your hands through them.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24And I'm going to be potting up a beautiful little Kniphofia
0:01:24 > 0:01:26for a really good autumn display,
0:01:26 > 0:01:31as well as harvesting cut flowers from my cut-flower beds.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55It's hedge-cutting time.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56The birds have left their nests,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00the hedges have got all shaggy and now is the time to give them what is
0:02:00 > 0:02:05effectively a summer prune, which will hold them crisp and trim
0:02:05 > 0:02:10not just for the rest of this growing season, but also into winter.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13You won't have to cut them again until next year.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Now, it doesn't matter whether you have an evergreen hedge,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23a deciduous hedge, small leaf, broadleaf, low, tall like this,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27there are certain principles that apply to all hedges
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and one of them is what machines you use.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40I've really grown to like battery machines because nowadays, battery
0:02:40 > 0:02:43technology is so good. This is a great big battery that you carry
0:02:43 > 0:02:46on your back and, of course, will last all day.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48You charge it up overnight.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51But you can get much smaller ones, much cheaper,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53which are very good.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Last, but absolutely not least,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59ear protection and eye protection is a must.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20You always start cutting a hedge from the bottom
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and work up in nice sweeping movements.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27And what you need to establish on every hedge is a batter.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Now, a batter is a slope,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31which means we want it to be wider at the ground than the top
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and the reason for that is very simple,
0:03:33 > 0:03:34because if you cut it dead straight...
0:03:36 > 0:03:40..the plant will have more sunlight at the top,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43even if it's a low hedge, but particularly on a tall one,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45and therefore, it will grow stronger.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Because it grows stronger, it shades out the bottom and that grows weaker,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51and that becomes a vicious circle.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57And what you end up with is bare stems at the base of the plant.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01The truth is, sooner or later,
0:04:01 > 0:04:06if you use a hedge cutter attached to a wire, you WILL cut through it.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07We've all done it.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13If you're using mains electricity, do get an RCD
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and attach it, because that could turn out to be a life-saver.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22And a little tip that I used to do when I used a mains hedge cutter
0:04:22 > 0:04:27is to get a length of about three foot of old hosepipe, split it,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30wrap it round the first three foot of the wire,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32which is the bit you're most likely to cut,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36tape it on and then if it DOES get between the teeth,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40it jams the machine, rather than cutting through it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43But that is not INSTEAD of an RCD, that's as well as.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53When you're happy with all that, you can cut from the ground,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56then you need to get higher up to cut a tall hedge.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Now, don't use a wonky stepladder.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24It doesn't matter whether you've got a boundary hedge,
0:05:24 > 0:05:25or it's an internal hedge in the garden,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28the top is always the last bit you do.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Get the sides right and then just clean off the top.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34And when it's cut to your satisfaction,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37one little tip is the next day, go over and just clean it up,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40because there are always bits you missed.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And, of course, your hedge trimmings, once they're mown,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45make brilliant compost.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Now, what hedges do, as well as providing protection for the garden,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54is shape it. And on a big scale, of course you can do that with trees,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58you can do that with woods. And shaping landscape really arose
0:05:58 > 0:06:01out of the great tradition of landscape gardens
0:06:01 > 0:06:06of the 18th century, and the greatest landscape gardener of all
0:06:06 > 0:06:08was Lancelot Capability Brown,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12and this year is the 300th anniversary of his birth
0:06:12 > 0:06:18and Alan Power went along to one of his great gardens, Croome.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Today, we know Capability Brown as the man whose landscaping visions
0:06:25 > 0:06:27changed the face of 18th-century England.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31He's thought to have designed over 200 estates across the country.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35But there was a time when he was relatively unknown
0:06:35 > 0:06:39and he was setting out on his first big commission.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46In his mid-30s and looking to develop his business,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Brown was invited to a sprawling rural estate in Worcestershire,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53owned by the flamboyant sixth Earl of Coventry.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Luckily for him, the Earl was keen to give unknown, young talent a chance
0:06:56 > 0:06:59and Brown was hired to redesign Croome Court and its grounds.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Over the last 20 years, the estate's been restored by the National Trust.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08The garden and park manager is Katherine Alker.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12That gamble the Earl took on Brown really paid off, didn't it?
0:07:12 > 0:07:16It certainly did. It was probably one of the best decisions he'd made,
0:07:16 > 0:07:21because Brown became the designer to have and it was the height of fashion
0:07:21 > 0:07:24at the time to have this very naturalistic landscape.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25I mean, it's so exciting.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29It must be brilliant for you to be involved now at this stage,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32with the legacy that was left behind by the Earl and Brown's relationship.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34That's right. It's an incredible place to work.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37And as we restore the landscape and it comes to life,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40it's like we're seeing it through Brown's eyes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44So, this dark evergreen kind of tunnel-effect planting,
0:07:44 > 0:07:45is this all intentional here, then?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Oh, yes, it certainly is.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48It's all part of the design
0:07:48 > 0:07:52and it's to contrast with this magnificent view we're about to see.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58And that really is fantastic, isn't it?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00That's just perfect.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Yeah, yeah. Beautiful landscape.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03It's the wow moment.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08And I suppose for me,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10what makes the wow factor even greater
0:08:10 > 0:08:14is trying to picture what the landscape was like
0:08:14 > 0:08:16when Brown first turned up.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- And what WAS it like? - It was completely different to what we see now.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25- The area was known as Saggy Mere... - Nice!- ..it was a real marshy area
0:08:25 > 0:08:27and what Brown did was to create this very,
0:08:27 > 0:08:32very natural-looking landscape, but with actually a huge amount of work.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36We can see various little spots to draw the eye out.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40So, we can see just how massive the estate was here.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41So, plane trees.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43The Chinese bridge down there.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Cedar trees in the distance.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49All with the backdrop of the beautiful Malvern hills in the background.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52The Earl, I think, was a show-off and he wanted everyone to know
0:08:52 > 0:08:54how much land he owned.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56So that's why you've got eye-catchers a mile away.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- It's gardening on a massive scale. - It is, it really is.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05I came here with great excitement 20 years ago, when the National Trust
0:09:05 > 0:09:09first bought Croome, but when I came, it looked more like a farm.
0:09:09 > 0:09:10Well, yes, that's absolutely true.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Yes. The past 20 years has been hard work,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17but also we've created really something that hopefully Brown would
0:09:17 > 0:09:18recognise now.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25That view is a beautiful view.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29He was somebody who kind of loved landscapes like this,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31but it's full of curiosity.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34You know, there's corners, there's bends, there's an island
0:09:34 > 0:09:35and there's hints at a lot more.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37There's hints at a bridge.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40And it's just stunning, this area, isn't it?
0:09:40 > 0:09:41It's really cleverly designed,
0:09:41 > 0:09:46and it's all part of Brown's way of concealing and revealing certain
0:09:46 > 0:09:48things at certain points. So, as you come under the bridge,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50you've got no idea there's a lake here.
0:09:50 > 0:09:56- Yeah.- And then, wow, there's this beautiful view just laid before you,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58with the path just winding round, enticing you on,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02encouraging you to go and explore and see what else is round there.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15This is stunning, Katherine, isn't it?
0:10:15 > 0:10:20But for me, when I think of Capability Brown, this isn't what I think of.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21I think of something very different.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I think you're right, a lot of people think of a Brownian landscape
0:10:24 > 0:10:28as rolling hills and a few trees in a park.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31But actually, we've got loads of evidence here to show that there was
0:10:31 > 0:10:33a really big plant collection.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Herbaceous planting, perennial planting.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38You look through the borders, you see the hemerocallis
0:10:38 > 0:10:40shining in the foreground,
0:10:40 > 0:10:41but it's repeated in the back
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and the blue of the aconites is really stunning.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47But when you start looking at the detail, you see the cardoons
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and that's really an architectural plant, isn't it?
0:10:49 > 0:10:51You know, the way the temples are in the landscape,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53truly architectural.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55What did you build that whole design on?
0:10:55 > 0:11:00So, we were able to look through plant lists and plant bills and choose
0:11:00 > 0:11:04just the right plants that were here in the 18th century and develop the
0:11:04 > 0:11:07structure from that. So, we know that there were cardoons here,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10we know there were certain geraniums here
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and we were able to really be as accurate as possible in our restoration
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- of the garden.- Brown must have just felt in heaven,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20you know, as a great gardener, great landscape designer,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24having a relationship with an earl who had the money to fulfil his dreams
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and Brown's dreams. I mean, I can only dream of that.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Yeah. What a fantastic opportunity.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34And the Earl wasn't worried about spending huge amounts of money on
0:11:34 > 0:11:37individual plants, individual specimens.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40And the landscape, as a whole, cost, in today's terms,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42- millions of pounds. - Yeah, but it's worth it.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Oh, yeah, definitely.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Brown's friendship with the Earl of Coventry lasted his whole life.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54In fact, he died in 1783 after dining with the Earl in London.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I like to think that they were planning the next big spectacle for Croome
0:12:00 > 0:12:04at that dinner, but it's been really nice for me to come here and see some
0:12:04 > 0:12:07of what Brown might have seen in his early years.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Young trees and shrubs have been planted,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12buildings are almost complete
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and I'm sure he would have loved the idea that his work was being
0:12:15 > 0:12:17celebrated 300 years later.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33I visited Croome 18 years ago, when they were just starting the restoration,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and then spent some time there a couple of years ago,
0:12:36 > 0:12:37and the difference was fabulous.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41And if you go to our website, you'll get all the details of opening and
0:12:41 > 0:12:44how to get there. Now, one thing that Capability Brown
0:12:44 > 0:12:46was NOT known for was his cut-flower
0:12:46 > 0:12:50gardens. And this year, I've made a cut-flower border.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54And the whole point about that is to grow flowers for the house without
0:12:54 > 0:12:57robbing the garden of its display.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59And now they're ready to go.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02So, I can start here with these Bells of Ireland,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05which actually, to be honest, are flopping a bit.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07This is very rich soil and...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11..I've got them a bit too closely together.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Next year, I'll be more ruthless about my spacing,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17because you can see they're bending over. I want them nice and upright.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22But this is the first time I've grown cut flowers, especially in a border.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26I'll pick a couple like that and I can always cut these down.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Now, this is Ammi.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33Ammi visnaga. These lovely rounded umbels of flower.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39And always with cut flowers, cut as low as you possibly can.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41And give yourself the option of leaving them long
0:13:41 > 0:13:44or you can shorten them later.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51What I am learning is to be brave about cutting.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Don't leave them because you think they're looking good.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56They want to look good indoors.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58And the more you cut, the more you'll have,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01so don't hold back.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02Cut with a will. Now,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06I want some tobacco plants to add into that colour mix.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10So, I can cut that down there.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15And there.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16And that, too.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23And what I have
0:14:23 > 0:14:26is the potential for an arrangement
0:14:26 > 0:14:30of the same kind of harmonious colours.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32These are obviously greens and yellows and whites,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35but I could have purples and rich reds or whatever.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37But I'm roughly putting them together.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40And when you're cutting flowers, always,
0:14:40 > 0:14:45always bring some water with you in a bucket or a container
0:14:45 > 0:14:46to pop them in.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Just give them a drink instantly.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51You then take them somewhere where you can sort them out,
0:14:51 > 0:14:52so they'll look good.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Now, I can't pretend to be a great flower arranger,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19but I do love cut flowers.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22And if you have a cut-flower bed, you don't have to be precious.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Strip off any foliage that's going to be underwater.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29And in a vase like that, where they're going in,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31that means pretty much everything below that line.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34And re-cut it.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37And if you cut it at a good angle, like that,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41you increase the surface area, to increase the water uptake.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43So, I'll pop that in, like that.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46A bit of Bells of Ireland.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08There we go.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11The whole point about an arrangement like this is that it's a celebration
0:16:11 > 0:16:14of what YOU like to grow in your garden.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It's not aimed at showing off or impressing people,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19let alone winning any kinds of prizes.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22And then, when you're fed up with it or it begins to fade, it goes to the
0:16:22 > 0:16:24compost heap, and you go and pick more,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26because that's what a cutting garden lets you do.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30It lets you be really generous with the plants that you have in your
0:16:30 > 0:16:33garden. Now, of course we all want colour and we want flowers,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36but foliage can look superb too.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41Even foliage without any flowers in it at all.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46And we went to visit a couple near Chepstow who have filled their garden
0:16:46 > 0:16:48with grasses. It's all foliage
0:16:48 > 0:16:50and it's all beautiful.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I just love the noise that they make.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08It's quite soothing and I think quite evocative, as well.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11And the way the light catches the leaves introduces
0:17:11 > 0:17:13an element of light and brightness.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Lifts your spirits.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16And they feel gorgeous.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And it's very hard to resist running your hands through them.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22I love the movement of them,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25especially when they're planted in masses.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28The wind catches them it's almost like an ocean wave.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Well, we lived in Southeast Asia for several years and were surrounded by
0:17:34 > 0:17:38bamboos, which are just big grasses,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40and grew them on our balcony in Bangkok.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44When we were travelling, we saw a lot of grasses just growing wild
0:17:44 > 0:17:48and we thought, "Actually, they look fabulous and would be great to grow."
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Well, we moved in in 2006
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and started on the garden in 2007.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00But that first year was all about a lot of stour, a lot of rubble,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03diggers, before we could get soil on top.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08When you buy grasses, they're very small.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13They take a long time, some of them, two or three years to mature.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16And it's very easy for them to get swamped by their neighbours
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and look a bit sad. I think if you've got room,
0:18:19 > 0:18:25one of the most exciting things you can do is to mass them and use them as hedges and screens,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29or a sort of large matrix planting.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31They look fantastic.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39They're much more versatile, I think, than people think.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41This one is a Hakonechloa macra.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43It's just brilliant for
0:18:43 > 0:18:46softening the edges of hard landscaping.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50We've got a very scruffy patio, circa 1981,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and the less we can see of it, the better.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06I like to grow the grasses in pots.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Some of the exotic ones suit pot life because they've got to come in
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and out of the greenhouse.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16The Pennisetum villosum, that's quite tender,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20in this area. I think you can grow it in the south of England,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24but I put mine into the greenhouse over winter.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Other things like the Phalaris, which is just going over here,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30would run in the garden, it would be an awful thug,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34to the point where some people might call it invasive, even.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36But in a pot, you've confined it,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39so it's a good way of getting the effect
0:19:39 > 0:19:41of these sort of white, toothpaste-y flower leaves
0:19:41 > 0:19:44without risking it overtaking its neighbours.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56This is vivax, this bamboo.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00It's my passion and my pride.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04We grew it really to remind us of what we did in Thailand.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09We take out the side shoots when they come out very early,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13so that you get this wonderful display of golden-yellow stems.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19People are afraid sometimes of bamboo and it running,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23but this has been contained with two levels of railway sleepers,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26builders' damp-proof coarse plastic behind it.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29That keeps the roots within that containment
0:20:29 > 0:20:31and the roots are really just the first two feet,
0:20:31 > 0:20:3524 inches. If you can contain it there, you've done a good job.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Grasses work very well with a lot of flowering perennials.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50I think the traditional ones are always daisy-shaped flowers.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55So, you can use Chocolate cosmos, which will give you a nice,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57extended period of flower.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Asters work very well in planted borders,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04especially with some of the taller grasses.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06I like to use quite a lot of Persicaria.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Anything really that you might imagine would grow naturally
0:21:10 > 0:21:13with the grass in the field, is often a good way to look at it.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Personally, I love self-seeders.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I wouldn't be without them and I wouldn't have the garden that I've got
0:21:19 > 0:21:22without them. I can understand they might be a nuisance for some people
0:21:22 > 0:21:28and if they are, then perhaps they should look to either grasses that are sterile, the Calamagrostis,
0:21:28 > 0:21:34or go for something like Miscanthus sinensus, which is a warm-season grass
0:21:34 > 0:21:38that won't actually be able to develop the seed and ripen the seed,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41because our growing season is so much shorter.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44So, I think there are other ways of dealing with the problem
0:21:44 > 0:21:45than not growing them at all.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51All the Calamagrostis and Miscanthus here has been subdivided,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54so the plants have been grown for over two or three years.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57We started with about tens of each of them,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59but we needed hundreds to do the planting.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03You can get ten, 20 plants out of each plant.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Grass is a great value.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13They don't have sort of one look.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16They go through four seasons of interest
0:22:16 > 0:22:21and then they thin to an ethereal sort of ghostly skeleton
0:22:21 > 0:22:23of their summer self.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48I have to say that I find the grass borders here at Longmeadow
0:22:48 > 0:22:53give me as much pleasure as any of the more colourful parts of the garden
0:22:53 > 0:22:55and I think that's because grasses,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59especially when they get mature and interweave like this,
0:22:59 > 0:23:06give you such a complicated set of lines and textures,
0:23:06 > 0:23:11and yet remain a very simple, calm place.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14And that combination is very satisfying.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Here on the mound,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35all the plants have been chosen primarily for their fragrance
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and none have been sweeter smelling than these regal lilies.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42But they're over now, the flowers are setting seed.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45The thing to do is to leave them to slowly die back
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and that will feed into the bulb for next year's flower.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50That's fine. But they don't look very good
0:23:50 > 0:23:54and also, they're tying up a really nice terracotta pot.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58So, what I like to do, and I do this with nearly all the bulbs we have in pots,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02is to transplant them into a cheap, plastic pot
0:24:02 > 0:24:04where they can do their dying-back thing
0:24:04 > 0:24:08and that frees up the good pot for something else.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13So, if I take them out as carefully as I can...
0:24:15 > 0:24:18..and sometimes it can be quite tricky.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21There it comes.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26And this will spend the winter in the plastic pot.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33And then I can re-pot it into the terracotta pot in spring...
0:24:33 > 0:24:35before it starts to grow again.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38Right.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43And it is worth stressing, do not cut it back at all.
0:24:43 > 0:24:48It needs all that to feed into next year's flowers.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And you don't cut it back until early next year,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55when they're completely dried and not giving any goodness to the bulb.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59So, we have here a perfectly nice terracotta pot
0:24:59 > 0:25:03and I have a very nice plant to put inside it.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06This is a new Kniphofia.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08It's called Mango Popsicle.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12What I like about it, other than the intensity of the colour,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14is it's elegant.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18We think of red-hot pokers as being a crass plant,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21whereas, actually, Kniphofias have a huge range.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25It's a big family and they go from the great big red-hot pokers to very
0:25:25 > 0:25:26delicate small ones.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31You can have them almost white, you can have yellow, orange, red,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and I love them. The great thing about Mango Popsicle
0:25:34 > 0:25:36is it's exceptionally long-flowering.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It will flower from June through to September
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and that is unusual for a Kniphofia.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44So, if I plant this up, this is going to give me a late burst of
0:25:44 > 0:25:48brilliant colour. And Kniphofias come from South Africa.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53They like fairly moist conditions
0:25:53 > 0:25:56and as with all plants, just tease the roots a little bit.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57That's absolutely fine.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59You don't need to untangle it or anything like that.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03With a pot that size, I can afford to add a decent bit of compost.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05I've taken a potting compost
0:26:05 > 0:26:09and I've added quite a lot of grit and garden compost.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13So, good drainage, but lots of feed.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16So, that will go in there, like that.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20And then we will...go around it.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23Firm it in.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28Water it.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Now, that will look really good
0:26:38 > 0:26:43and give an extra-late burst of colour for weeks to come.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46But let's just think about THIS weekend.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Here are some jobs that you can do right now.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59French beans, dwarf, and climbing and runner beans are
0:26:59 > 0:27:02hitting their most productive period now.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05But keep picking them, even if you can't eat them all,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09because that will provoke fresh new pods
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and any excess are very easy to store by freezing.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Raising herbaceous perennials from seed is easy
0:27:17 > 0:27:19and saves a lot of money.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22And if you sow them now, they will germinate,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24can be stored over winter
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and then the young plants have a head start
0:27:27 > 0:27:29before they begin their growth next spring.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36At this time of year, as flowering perennials finish
0:27:36 > 0:27:39their performance, some, like these Campanulas, can
0:27:39 > 0:27:42look shabby and they won't get any better,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45so have the courage to cut them back hard.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47This will tidy the garden up
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and also create space in which you can plant
0:27:50 > 0:27:52spring bulbs.
0:28:00 > 0:28:06The turnips that I sowed a few weeks ago only have germinated well.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11It is important to thin, because if you don't thin them,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14you get lots of rather weedy turnips.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Whereas, they'll get to a better size
0:28:16 > 0:28:21and they'll be healthier if you give each individual one a bit of room.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25And ideally, if there's an inch or two between each plant,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27you'll have a better crop all round.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29It looks like it might rain,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33but that's all we've got time for anyway today.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35So, I'll see you back here at Longmeadow at the same time
0:28:35 > 0:28:38next week. Until then, bye-bye.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Has she got your ball?
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Go and get it. Go on.