0:00:04 > 0:00:07'Gardeners' World has been extended to an hour,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'and over the next seven weeks,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13'we shall be exploring traditional ideas with a surprising twist...'
0:00:13 > 0:00:17I like a rockery where the rocks take centre stage.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19'..taking it to the extreme...'
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Never before have I used a winch to get a shrub up.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25'..getting a feel for the exotic...'
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I'm instantly getting the impression we're in for a treat.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29'..looking for inspiration...'
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Gardening is grown-ups going outside to play.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34That, to me, is exactly what it is.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'..and offering tips and advice...'
0:00:36 > 0:00:38So there's some real challenges in this border
0:00:38 > 0:00:42but, in fact, there's some really, really easy solutions.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45'..to help you get the best from your garden.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05Now, this time of year has all kinds of riches.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10But I guess above all, it is the season of fruit.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Fruit of every kind from apples and pears and plums and gages,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18there are fruits of every kind.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22But amongst my favourite at this point are the crab apples.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25I planted this tree about 25 years ago, it's never got very big,
0:01:25 > 0:01:31but it does carry a lovely burden of bejewelled fruits.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Small, getting richer in colour as the month progresses,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and then they make delicious crab apple jelly.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Someone said to me the other day
0:01:39 > 0:01:41that they'd never eaten crab apple jelly.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Well, there's a treat in store.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44It is beautiful.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49On tonight's programme,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53we join Carol as she visits RHS Rosemoor in Devon,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55where she is celebrating the rose family.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00It's absolutely fascinating to see the diversity of different flowers
0:02:00 > 0:02:02and different leaves.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Adam is sketching plans for his country garden.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08That sort of idea of maybe using architecture
0:02:08 > 0:02:11initially to inspire the shapes of the garden.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14And Flo Headlam has got a few tricks
0:02:14 > 0:02:17to help transform a small urban garden.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19So I'm not going to plant at ground level,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23I'm going to plant up, and I've got a cunning solution.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27And I'm going to be planting my very first mulberry in the orchard,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31as well as pruning roses and we've got the rest of the team
0:02:31 > 0:02:35visiting a wide range of gardens around the country.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53I've got a whole load of wallflowers, grown from seed,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56which are doing very nicely in plugs, but I want to plant them out,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00because if you have a plant in a plug,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03there's always a moment at which it can only get worse.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And if you have a plug like that,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11you've got a nice filigree of roots on the outside
0:03:11 > 0:03:14but it's not wrapping around, it hasn't exhausted the nutrients,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16so that's a very healthy young plant.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19But I'd like to be at least twice as big when I plant it out
0:03:19 > 0:03:22sometime around the middle or end of October.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Now, the only way to do that is either pot it on into a pot
0:03:26 > 0:03:31or, much easier, plant it out into the garden where it can grow on
0:03:31 > 0:03:33until I'm ready to put it in its final position.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38And the only place in the veg garden which is suitable is here.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Now, this was a brassica bed.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Nellie, why do you always have to fight?
0:03:42 > 0:03:44We were peaceful, we were calm. PLAYFUL GROWLING
0:03:44 > 0:03:47You're not listening. There we go.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51And wallflowers are brassicas.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Now, you don't normally follow in the rotation
0:03:53 > 0:03:56of the vegetable garden brassica with brassica.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59It normally goes legume, brassica, roots.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03So, next year, I'd expect to grow carrots and parsnips in here
0:04:03 > 0:04:06but there'll be no harm in just popping the wallflowers in
0:04:06 > 0:04:08for a month, six weeks.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11They're visiting, they're lodgers in this piece of ground.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12Right, it's hot.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15If I put my jacket down, Nel, will you lie quietly?
0:04:15 > 0:04:16Go on, lie down.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22So we'll take the net off, and this has been here against the pigeons.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Pigeon population has either increased dramatically
0:04:28 > 0:04:31or else they've discovered that I grow nice food for them
0:04:31 > 0:04:33and they've all latched onto it.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Now, these are summer cabbages, but some of them are still good.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Nothing wrong with that at all.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55That's cleared the ground,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I just now need to fork it over lightly.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I'm not digging it as such, I'm just loosening it.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04There's no question that brassicas do respond well
0:05:04 > 0:05:08to a good dressing of compost when you plant them,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13which means that these wallflowers would also respond as a brassica,
0:05:13 > 0:05:19so I'm going to get a little bit of garden compost
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and work it into the soil just to give them a boost,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26because what I'm looking for is maximum size.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29And although the small ones will grow and survive
0:05:29 > 0:05:31and get bigger in time,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34you always get a better display simply on the size of plant.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49It wouldn't be a compost heap without bottle tops
0:05:49 > 0:05:51and bits of wrapping and packaging.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55I'm surprised we haven't got a teaspoon, kitchen knife.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57That ring you lost three years ago
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and suddenly, mysteriously pops up on the compost heap.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10If you don't want to, there's no need to dig that in.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12That will work very effectively as a mulch
0:06:12 > 0:06:16because the bacteria in the fungi will get into the soil
0:06:16 > 0:06:18without any help from you whatsoever.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20You can see there are worms wriggling in there,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23they will work it in, the rain will wash it in.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26That will very quickly incorporate into the soil,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29so I'll just leave that and plant through them.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Right, we can start planting.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34I've got two types of wallflower,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38I've got Cloth of Gold, which, as the name suggests, is gold,
0:06:38 > 0:06:39and Blood Red.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43These are Blood Red.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44So...
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Blood Red is a lovely rich carmine,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and in spring, in April, you get that intensity of colour,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57looks really good with orange tulips,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01with yellow and, of course, on top of that, if that wasn't enough,
0:07:01 > 0:07:06there's the most beautiful, sweet honey fragrance.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I remember one year, the first year I did it,
0:07:09 > 0:07:11I grew them in The Long Walk and they were going down
0:07:11 > 0:07:13and you couldn't really smell them from distance,
0:07:13 > 0:07:14but as you crossed it,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18it was like diving into a fragrant pool.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21You were suddenly bathed in this wonderful scent.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26And as you left, it remained just like a memory.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Lovely experience.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Now, it's time to join Carol
0:07:43 > 0:07:46as she returns with her series on plant families
0:07:46 > 0:07:49at RHS Rosemoor in Devon.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53And this week, she's looking at the rose family.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58There are over 400 plant families, with more than 300,000 species.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Family Rosaceae contains more than 2,500 species.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11When you gather together members of the rose family,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15it's absolutely fascinating to see the diversity
0:08:15 > 0:08:17of different flowers and different leaves.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21But there are striking similarities too.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23If you look at a typical rose,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26it's got five petals.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Go onto the strawberry, five petals too.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31The potentilla,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33this gorgeous gillenia too,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35although they're a completely different shape
0:08:35 > 0:08:38but it's still got five petals.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41And another characteristic that a lot of them have in common
0:08:41 > 0:08:45is when you look at these flowers, inside is a cluster,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48a positive pompom of these stamens,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53each of them with an anther and each anther loaded with pollen.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57All the rose family make masses of pollen
0:08:57 > 0:08:59but they make no nectar at all.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01So it's these big, bright flowers
0:09:01 > 0:09:05that bring in the insects in the first place.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Another way to garner clues about who belongs to the rose family
0:09:08 > 0:09:10is to look at the leaves.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13They're almost always alternate.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15In other words, instead of being opposite one another,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19they're on the other side of the stem and a bit further up.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22And if you look at the leaves of this physocarpus,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25you can see another factor that lots of members of the rose family
0:09:25 > 0:09:27have in common.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31They've got this serrated, toothed edge to them.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32That's true of this
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and most of these other examples here.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39You'd hardly believe that this was a member of the rose family,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41but it is.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46The Rosaceae family includes many shrubs,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51such as potentilla, prunus and pyracantha,
0:09:51 > 0:09:56and several valuable herbaceous perennials, including geums.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Geum is a real garden stalwart
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and they're a huge boon in any garden that can offer them
0:10:04 > 0:10:08moist, fertile soil and shade from strong sun.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17The family Rosaceae is blessed with all manner of really special,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21exquisite trees, like this gorgeous example here.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22This is a hawthorn,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24but it doesn't look at all like the hawthorns
0:10:24 > 0:10:27we're used to seeing in our hedgerows.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30It's got these big, shiny leaves, and the berries are big
0:10:30 > 0:10:32and there are lots and lots of them.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37And in autumn, they're going to become the most delightful colour,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39pink and crimson.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43And this is yet another member of the same family.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44It's a crab apple.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47At first sight it looks nothing like one.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50We're used to crab apples being big fruit, but here,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54they're tiny, and they're preceded in the spring
0:10:54 > 0:10:55by dainty white flowers
0:10:55 > 0:10:58that absolutely smother the branches.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03All these trees are fully mature, so you can imagine being able to
0:11:03 > 0:11:05accommodate them in any small garden.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15The Rosaceae family takes its name from one
0:11:15 > 0:11:19of our most familiar plants - the rose.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Every year, all around the world,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27millions of roses are propagated, usually from budding or grafting,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31but you can make your own new roses just from taking stem cuttings.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Grab some material.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41The top shoots are the very best and the best time of year is right now,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43although you can take cuttings right the way through
0:11:43 > 0:11:47from late spring into the autumn.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51But at this moment, they're bendy but they're not soft,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54so they're ideal. Sort of semi-ripe wood.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59Take your cutting, cut very carefully with a knife or secateurs
0:11:59 > 0:12:03right under a leaf and remove these bottom leaves.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09This is a bit tall but I'm going to take out this apical growth anyway,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11just that top little shoot.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15That means that when the cutting roots, it will tend to grow sideways
0:12:15 > 0:12:19and that's just what you want, a nice bushy plant.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21And then, you can use anything to do this,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24but round the side of a...
0:12:24 > 0:12:26a clay pot for preference.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Clay pots are great because they're porous,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32so the cutting is never sitting in soggy compost.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Push your cutting down, right to the side,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40until that bottom leaf is actually level with the soil.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43You want to make sure that the cuttings don't touch each other
0:12:43 > 0:12:44if possible.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50And again, insert it so that that is parallel.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54So three in that pot, I think, it's fine, it's adequate.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58And then once I've done that, I'm going to cover the top of this
0:12:58 > 0:13:01with grit to retain moisture,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05to ensure that weeds don't grow on the top
0:13:05 > 0:13:07and to make sure that it doesn't rot.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Water it really well and then put it into a nice bright place,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13but out of direct sun.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15After a matter of weeks,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17if you take them at this time of year,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21you should get decent rooted cuttings like this
0:13:21 > 0:13:26and it's at that stage that you can pot them on individually.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28And then, this time next year,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31you can put your new roses out into the garden.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53I started planting roses here in the cottage garden a few years ago,
0:13:53 > 0:13:58and in particular, two years ago, I planted 32 new roses.
0:13:58 > 0:13:59Now, last year they were very small.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01This year, they've throw up like this one
0:14:01 > 0:14:03This is William Lobb, a moss rose,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07a huge great shoot and then the ones on the left,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09which are about three or four years older, are now very vigorous.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14And it's quite common when you plant new roses to have
0:14:14 > 0:14:15erratic, irregular growth.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21And now, in September, is a really good time to both prune new roses
0:14:21 > 0:14:26so they get into some sort of shape, and also establish shrub roses.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Don't worry about summer pruning or winter pruning
0:14:29 > 0:14:33or provoking growth of restricting growth or anything like that,
0:14:33 > 0:14:34just get it into shape.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37So if we take that stem there of this rose
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and just cut that back,
0:14:39 > 0:14:44immediately the bush is starting to feel roughly
0:14:44 > 0:14:47the sort of shape I want. So likewise...
0:14:47 > 0:14:52back here, we've got some that are getting a little bit tall
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and I want them to spread a little bit more so we can just...
0:14:55 > 0:14:57tip them back.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00This is a gallica,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04one of my favourite roses of all, called Charles de Mills,
0:15:04 > 0:15:10which has a flower that is a lovely cherry, rich pinky red.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13And it looks as though a knife has cleanly sliced it in half,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15like cutting an orange in half,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18so the petals are completely open and exposed.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19It's a fabulous rose.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24So I want it to be in as good shape as possible
0:15:24 > 0:15:25to bear its flowers next year.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31This one can be cut right back...
0:15:31 > 0:15:33to there.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35And...
0:15:35 > 0:15:38I'm holding that as gently as a man can hold a thorn
0:15:38 > 0:15:41without it sinking deep into his flesh.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44That couldn't be more bristly if it tried.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47If you've got more established roses, like the ones in these beds
0:15:47 > 0:15:51which are now four years old, this time of year,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53the best way to treat them is get a pair of shears
0:15:53 > 0:15:57or even some hedge cutters and just trim them evenly.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Just clip it over neatly
0:16:01 > 0:16:02so it's a neat shape.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17This is an alba called cuisse de nymphe.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20A nymph's thigh.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23It's a glorious flower and tough too.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26This plant will take a lot of hacking about.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31This is all the pruning it needs in order to give you
0:16:31 > 0:16:32a really good display.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Whereas most roses do their flowering in summer,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59there are some that are remontant, they come back,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02and the English roses are particularly good for that.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04They flower gloriously in June and July
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and then take a bit of a break in August, but now,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10in September, they're coming back with a second flush
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and will go on flowering well into autumn.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I've got three here I particularly like.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18This is Crown Princess Margareta
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and it's as near to apricot as I've got in this garden.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25These beautiful flowers. But my absolute favourite is this one.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It's called the Pilgrim.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32It's flush with touches of raspberry before it opens out
0:17:32 > 0:17:37into this beautiful, tightly crinkled display
0:17:37 > 0:17:40of delicate pale lemon.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42And...
0:17:42 > 0:17:43also has a glorious scent.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46It's a really good rose and this will go on flowering
0:17:46 > 0:17:49for at least another month, if not two.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Most of the fruits at this time of year are members of the rose family,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06apples and pears, but also plums and greengages
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and damsons, some of my favourite fruits.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13And whilst a lot of us have these trees as individuals in our garden,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16plum orchards are becoming increasingly rare,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18whereas they used to be very common,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23particularly in the area around Worcester and Worcestershire.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28And we went to visit one of the few surviving ones
0:18:28 > 0:18:33which is being conserved by a group of volunteers and experts.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41This orchard is mainly centred around Pershore Yellow Egg
0:18:41 > 0:18:42and Purple Pershores.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46They were probably planted early 1950s
0:18:46 > 0:18:48when there was still a call for plums,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51particularly in the Birmingham markets
0:18:51 > 0:18:52and down to London,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56but sadly, the plum industry here was on the wane by then.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59The heyday was really late 1800s,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01beginning of the 1900s.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04I was always interested in growing crops
0:19:04 > 0:19:09because my father was in farming, he was a farm foreman in Essex
0:19:09 > 0:19:13and his family had been involved in fruit growing in Suffolk,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16but since retirement and getting involved with conservation,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18bringing the two together is something quite new for me
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and quite fascinating as well.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25'Gary Farmer is the project manager
0:19:25 > 0:19:27'for the Vale Landscape Heritage Trust.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30'We often meet up to discuss fruit projects
0:19:30 > 0:19:34'because the trust as a whole has nearly 100 acres of old orchards,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36'one way or another.'
0:19:36 > 0:19:39So with this tree in particular then, John,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41what sort of pruning are we going for?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The ideal shape really for the amateur to do from now on really
0:19:44 > 0:19:49is this A-shape or Christmas tree-shaped tree.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55It's easier to manage and doesn't take up so much space either.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58In this situation, because our pickers have to pick from the floor,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01we're going to have to go for the open-centre tree shape
0:20:01 > 0:20:03that traditionally has been grown on here.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06One of the problems with the open centre tree,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09if it's got a lot of growth in the centre, very little light
0:20:09 > 0:20:13gets in to initiate the flowers and so the only flowers that we find
0:20:13 > 0:20:17and fruit eventually are on the end of the branches.
0:20:17 > 0:20:23Right, we use a saw that has been sterilised before using and cleaned.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I'm going to cut out this very strong one up the centre first.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30OK.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36Now, I'm cutting at a slight angle
0:20:36 > 0:20:40so that we get run-off of water if necessary in the future.
0:20:44 > 0:20:45Now at this point,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48people are undecided whether they should paint the cut or not.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52If you suddenly find rain is threatening, then it's worthwhile
0:20:52 > 0:20:55painting that cut, particularly as it's quite a large one.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00You can use a proprietary pruning paint to stop the ingress of things
0:21:00 > 0:21:03like bacterial canker, but you do need to do the painting
0:21:03 > 0:21:06within half an hour of making the cut
0:21:06 > 0:21:08so that you actually keep the spores out.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20So we're here today picking plums.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23The people you see round about are volunteers
0:21:23 > 0:21:26and they've been picking all day.
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Quite a hot day.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29But this is a reasonable crop here.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31We're getting a good-sized plum.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34We're picking something like
0:21:34 > 0:21:3660, 80 trays.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40It's quite a fruity smelling house at this time of year.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Well, I think any household that's fruity is a good household.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00At this time of year, there's so much to choose from,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03but my guess is that not many people will be harvesting these.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05This is a mulberry.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Oh!
0:22:08 > 0:22:11It's a really intense taste.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Fabulous fruit. Makes fantastic jam, and also the tree
0:22:15 > 0:22:18is one of the most beautiful garden trees you can grow.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20The one thing I would say about this fruit,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23is nothing stains like a mulberry.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26And probably my lips are all red having eaten that one there.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28So I want to plant one here in the orchard
0:22:28 > 0:22:32and it's the first mulberry tree I will ever have grown.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35I've often sat beneath them, I've coveted the fruit,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37but always in other people's gardens.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39They are very typical of Jacobean gardens,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42because James I wanted to start the silk industry,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44so ordered a million mulberry trees
0:22:44 > 0:22:47to be planted in every county town in the land.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50An edict went out to his lord lieutenants.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54One slight problem was that the mulberry trees that they planted
0:22:54 > 0:22:56were this - Morus nigra.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Not Morus alba.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02And Morus alba is the one that the silk worm eats
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and this just produces the berries,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08hence the demise of the British silk industry before it even began.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10But never mind! The legacy are beautiful trees.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Now, any tree that you're planting, whether it's in a pot like that
0:23:13 > 0:23:18or bare root, you need a nice big, bare space around it.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23The best way to help a young tree on its way is to remove
0:23:23 > 0:23:26all competition for moisture and nutrients.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And grass and weeds will always
0:23:29 > 0:23:32take the available water and food first
0:23:32 > 0:23:35and then the tree will struggle.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Then, when the tree is mature, you let the grass
0:23:37 > 0:23:39come up round it again and that slows it down.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46This is a variety called Chelsea, sometimes known as King James.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And traditionally, mulberry trees weren't planted by digging
0:23:49 > 0:23:53big holes and loosening the soil and anything like that.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57They simply took a branch the thickness of an ankle
0:23:57 > 0:23:59and five foot tall,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03and hammered it like a post into moist ground in winter.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05And the tree grew.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Now, I'm going to add a little bit of biochar.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13This is mycorrhizal fungi mixed up with charcoal.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Really good for giving trees and shrubs a start in life.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20So we take that out. It's a nice healthy plant.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22And we'll put that in there.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Yeah, that's about the right height. That's good.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28And when you're adding mycorrhizae or biochar,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31you do need to spread it directly onto the roots.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Place that there, nice in the centre.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Now I'm going around now firming this in really well.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01And that is absolutely vital.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Starting from the outside.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08And I'll stake it.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16You can either put it upright like that or - and it's better -
0:25:16 > 0:25:20at an angle pointing into the prevailing wind.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Now, the prevailing wind here comes from over there, so westerly,
0:25:24 > 0:25:25and it blows this way.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28So I want to put the stake in about like that.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38That's pretty secure.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Now, when you tie a tree in,
0:25:45 > 0:25:51be sure to keep the trunk away from the stake so it doesn't rub.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Don't tie it too tight.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Movement like that is absolutely fine because that will
0:25:55 > 0:26:01strengthen the trunk and give it more flexibility, and always,
0:26:01 > 0:26:06even if it's wet, give a new tree a good soak.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07Two or three gallons.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16So you water it and then finally mulch it.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20And mulch it well.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23So you put all the goodness on top of the soil, not underneath it.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32You don't need to mulch with your very best compost.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Anything that's going to keep in the moisture and suppress the weeds
0:26:35 > 0:26:40is worth doing, so bark chips, even gravel is better than nothing.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Still to come...
0:26:44 > 0:26:49..Nick Macer is in London visiting a hidden exotic treasure...
0:26:49 > 0:26:50Oh, my goodness!
0:26:50 > 0:26:53So this is the tropical oasis I've heard so much about. This is it.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56..and we pay a visit to Torquay,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58where a combination of a kind Devon climate
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and a quirky use of space has transformed a suburban garden.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06And we're into another part of the garden again.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Yes, we are heading towards the Italianate area now. Blimey!
0:27:09 > 0:27:10This place is a TARDIS, isn't it?
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Now, this tree is a very welcome addition to what is becoming
0:27:25 > 0:27:27an established orchard.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29But 25 years ago, when we first came here, there was nothing.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31There was just an empty field.
0:27:31 > 0:27:37So I know exactly that mixture of excitement and slight trepidation
0:27:37 > 0:27:40that Adam Frost is feeling
0:27:40 > 0:27:42as he tackles his new garden in Lincolnshire.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46He introduced us to the plot last week, and now,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48he presents some of his plans.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55May is that wonderful time of year when the garden really starts
0:27:55 > 0:27:58to come to life and our gardens feel fresh and renewed.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03It's just a few weeks since we moved in
0:28:03 > 0:28:07and so things feel really exciting, like a brand-new beginning.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11So I just want to give you some idea
0:28:11 > 0:28:14of how the house sits within the garden.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19I suppose where I'm standing now, I'd call the main family garden.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21It wraps itself around the house
0:28:21 > 0:28:23and has a south and a west-facing aspect.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29In this garden area, I've got a formal bed of roses
0:28:29 > 0:28:30and a wonderful old pergola
0:28:30 > 0:28:33that's covered in rambling and climbing roses.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38There's a large lawn and also a small west-facing terrace,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41and the wall is covered in scented climbers.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44And, of course, I've got that beautiful old wisteria.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47So adjacent to the family garden,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49I have what every gardener
0:28:49 > 0:28:51dreams of - a walled garden.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53And its boundaries run all the way
0:28:53 > 0:28:54along the front drive.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59This wonderful space has two borders -
0:28:59 > 0:29:00one facing west
0:29:00 > 0:29:02and one facing south.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04It also features a large lawn
0:29:04 > 0:29:05and a small orchard.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10And then the other side has this fantastic woodland
0:29:10 > 0:29:14that more or less wraps its way all the way round the property.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Then just on the other side of the drive as you approach the house,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21I've got another lovely little walled space
0:29:21 > 0:29:25which is going to be my veg garden.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28We've still only been in our new home for a matter of weeks,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31so it's early days for the veg garden, but work has begun.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36We've scraped the weeds and the top growth and cleared the site,
0:29:36 > 0:29:39and my next job is to come up with a detailed design.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52One big thing when you stand down the sort of bottom end
0:29:52 > 0:29:55of this garden is actually you look back at the house,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58at these lovely little Georgian detail windows.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03This sort of idea of maybe using architecture initially to inspire
0:30:03 > 0:30:05the shapes of the garden.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08And remember, everything that designs off the house,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11all those first set of hard materials and pathways,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14that's your sort of last connection with the architecture of your house,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17and that really sort of sets the platforms and the connection
0:30:17 > 0:30:20with your wider garden, so a great place to start.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22And as I said, this is not to scale at the moment,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25so this is just pouring out ideas on a piece of paper. So what do I want?
0:30:25 > 0:30:29I want a greenhouse because actually I want somewhere that I can
0:30:29 > 0:30:32grow veggies all the way through and I want to put that maybe
0:30:32 > 0:30:33in the centre of the garden
0:30:33 > 0:30:36so that that gets really good light levels.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38So I know that actually down here...
0:30:40 > 0:30:44..is the east, and up the top there is west, which is really important,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46you know, where that sun rises, where it sets.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Greenhouse is going to get good light all day long.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Maybe the cooking area sits in up here.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55So that sits next to the greenhouse.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Cold frames is another thing that I want.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00You know, to sort of harden stuff off, grow seeds...
0:31:00 > 0:31:02Get stuff ready for the next year.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04So what else do I want from this space?
0:31:04 > 0:31:06I like the idea of actually building some hotbeds, you know.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10The idea that I can grow veggies sort of going into the back end
0:31:10 > 0:31:12of the year, or even, you know, after Christmas.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Even maybe next year, we might grow some melons,
0:31:14 > 0:31:16so that would be a nice big raised bed.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Maybe I need some height somewhere else.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21At Barnsdale, Geoff used to grow asparagus, you know, in raised beds
0:31:21 > 0:31:24because you're on a clay soil and they love that free draining soil,
0:31:24 > 0:31:29so maybe it would be lovely to have a raised asparagus bed.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33So I'm sort of keeping the ideas nice and free and following.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Maybe there's some planting up above the greenhouse.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38And there you go.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Look down on it, you know, it's a series of simple shapes.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44All right, you can talk about design in much more detail,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47but in its simplest form, looking down,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50garden design is about space, but it's about shapes.
0:31:50 > 0:31:51Just have some fun.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57But there is one feature in my garden that definitely
0:31:57 > 0:31:59doesn't need redesigning.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05This wisteria did not disappoint.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08The flowers were absolutely stunning.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10I mean, the scent was fantastic.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12It's like I've had to be drawn here every day just to have
0:32:12 > 0:32:14five minutes and actually just enjoy it.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17And maybe that's what we don't do enough of sometimes
0:32:17 > 0:32:19is just enjoy our gardens.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21I think it's the whole season with wisteria.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25You know, now it's gone onto that really sort of lush green growth
0:32:25 > 0:32:27that looks beautiful.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28It just gives you a warm feeling.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40Just trying to keep these beautiful old yew domes going.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Actually brought them from the other house,
0:32:43 > 0:32:44but just giving them a bit of liquid feed.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48I moved them a bit late and they're really starting to suffer,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51but I think, if I get them through the summer, they'll be all right.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53The thing that's really bugging me is this front garden.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57I was coming home from work, pulling in, and there was like this
0:32:57 > 0:32:59sea of gravel that went all the way up to the house.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03This beautiful old house and it looks sort of slightly uncared for,
0:33:03 > 0:33:07which is actually how I feel about a lot of front gardens in the UK.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09I just feel like they are a missed opportunity.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12So much of this country has covered up its front gardens
0:33:12 > 0:33:14with cars and paving.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17And actually, do you know what? When you arrive at somebody's house,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20the first thing you see, even before you go in their front door,
0:33:20 > 0:33:23is their front garden, and what an opportunity,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26not only for us, but for the streetscape, for wildlife.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28You know, you could really do something amazing
0:33:28 > 0:33:31in your front gardens. Anyway, rant over!
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Back to my front garden which has ended up really being
0:33:35 > 0:33:37designed around the taxus domes.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Every single Chelsea garden that I've ever built,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41I've always wanted to take something home,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44just a little memento and they become memories.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48And these become like members of the family.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50And actually, it's not normally the way that I design.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Normally, everything goes on paper, but because these little beauties
0:33:54 > 0:33:58had to go in the ground, these have started to drive the other ideas
0:33:58 > 0:34:02for the design, which now is really starting to formulate in my head.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18Whilst Adam is developing his beautiful country garden,
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Flo Headlam has been visiting urban spaces in her series
0:34:23 > 0:34:24on greening Great Britain.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Today, I'm in the heart of Bristol in Bedminster to visit a surprising
0:34:30 > 0:34:35and inspiring inner-city space that undergone a dramatic transformation.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Hi, Steve. Hi, I'm Flo. Hi, Flo. Hi.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Welcome to Windmill Hill City Farm car park.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48It's not a car park now. What's the transformation?
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Well, I started work here about five years ago as chief exec
0:34:51 > 0:34:53and got a little bit fed up walking through
0:34:53 > 0:34:56a flat tarmac expanse to get to what should be a city farm.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59And so I had a chat with local people and some trustees and said,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01"How about we green this space up?"
0:35:01 > 0:35:02So tell me, how did you build the garden?
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Well, we started with some big ideas
0:35:04 > 0:35:06about what we wanted the space to be.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09So we had the staff team involved and then loads and loads
0:35:09 > 0:35:11of volunteers, and there were so many people from the community
0:35:11 > 0:35:14that came in to help us make this space. Fantastic.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16And it's such a pleasure to see it every day,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18evolving with all that help.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24The garden makes the most of the different conditions
0:35:24 > 0:35:26the old car park has to offer.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Under the canopy of two beautiful old cherry trees is a shady scheme.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34On the other sunnier side, there is a rock garden
0:35:34 > 0:35:37full of small plants all chosen to attract pollinators.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44So, in here, you can see we've sempervivum there.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Yes. We've got some thyme...
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Ooh, yes, just let me...
0:35:48 > 0:35:51That's what you want to. Just smell it. Yeah, gorgeous.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Really nice kind of sensory kind of aspects to, it and then
0:35:53 > 0:35:56we've got edible bits as well, so you can see the strawberries...
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Wild strawberries. ..that we've got round the edge.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01There's one here. May I? Please do, help yourself.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03It's very much a people's garden, this.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07You know, we want people to come and get into it and be involved in it.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11What I really like about this garden
0:36:11 > 0:36:13is that everyone's worked really hard
0:36:13 > 0:36:17to transform what was a big, tarmac car park
0:36:17 > 0:36:19into a thing of beauty.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28The solution here was to build raised beds using railway sleepers.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30That's fine if you've got a car park,
0:36:30 > 0:36:34but what if you've got a tiny grey space that's aching for some green?
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47This is a small urban garden where space is a premium,
0:36:47 > 0:36:51so I'm not going to plant at ground level, I'm going to plant up.
0:36:51 > 0:36:52And I've got a cunning solution.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I've got these funky vertical planters, and the great thing
0:36:55 > 0:36:57about these planters is you can hang them on walls,
0:36:57 > 0:37:00you can hang them on trellises. So I've got two.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02I'm going to put the first one here.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08And then the second one I think I'll stagger.
0:37:10 > 0:37:11That looks good.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13I'm happy with that.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15And now I'm ready to plant up.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21So what I like to do, and I'm sure many of you do as well,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25is to mock up your composition before you make your final decision,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29so I'm just going to pop the plants in and just move them around
0:37:29 > 0:37:31to see what I'm happy with.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37So the plants I'm using here, they are loving full sun.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39They'll thrive really well here.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41I particularly love this acaena.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44It's called copper carpet and just that beautiful sort of dark
0:37:44 > 0:37:49purple brown against this vibrant yellow I think is just wonderful.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52We've got ivy, which as it grows is going to trail, and dianthus
0:37:52 > 0:37:55which, you know, are alpine flowers and just love,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58love sun and free draining soil.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Look at that shocking pink against that shocking yellow. Fantastic.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03I love that combination.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Yes, that's it.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26It's time to add the compost.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33I'm adding water-retaining granules to help conserve moisture.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46And as a final stage, give them a good old watering.
0:38:49 > 0:38:50There, job done.
0:39:10 > 0:39:16There's no question that just a little bit of colour and life
0:39:16 > 0:39:18improves the quality of everybody's lives.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23Passers-by, people who live there, everybody benefits.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28Now, I don't know if my herbs, Mediterranean herbs,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30are benefiting from our wet weather.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Remember, last winter was phenomenally wet.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38It rained here all winter, and although these raised beds
0:39:38 > 0:39:42have got very good drainage, my rosemary has suffered.
0:39:42 > 0:39:43And there's a dieback here.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45This is very familiar.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47It's probably a kind of phytophthora,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49a fungal problem caused by damp.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Not just damp in the soil, which rosemaries hate,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54but also damp in the atmosphere.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58These plans are wet day-in, day-out.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01They store the damp, and of course, the fungus loves that.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03So what I've got in the habit of doing is taking rosemary cuttings
0:40:03 > 0:40:07regularly and growing new plants and just accepting
0:40:07 > 0:40:10I'm going to have to replace plants most years.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Luckily, rosemary cuttings are very simple
0:40:13 > 0:40:16and now is the perfect time to take them.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20Now, what you're looking for is nice, straight new growth.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22It's got a little bit of bendiness
0:40:22 > 0:40:25but also firm enough so that it's not going
0:40:25 > 0:40:28to just flop as soon as you cut it.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30So we're looking for growth like that. That's perfect.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43This time of year, September, is perfect for box cuttings,
0:40:43 > 0:40:48for rosemary, lavender, you can take thyme cuttings...
0:40:48 > 0:40:51But it doesn't matter what they are, it doesn't matter how tough they are
0:40:51 > 0:40:54or how easy they are to take as cuttings, treat them with respect.
0:40:54 > 0:40:59So have a polythene bag, pop them in, and that will mean that
0:40:59 > 0:41:04the moisture loss is reduced. Fold it over and then don't hang about.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Once you've cut your material,
0:41:06 > 0:41:11try and convert that into a cutting in a pot as quickly as you can.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Now, before you open the polythene bag,
0:41:27 > 0:41:34prepare a really good, gritty cutting mix with a compost.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Mix 50-50 either with horticultural grit
0:41:38 > 0:41:40or something like perlite and vermiculite.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44What you're looking for is very free drainage indeed.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47This is particularly the case for a Mediterranean herb like rosemary,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51but all cuttings take better if the drainage is free.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00And if you take out a suitable cutting...
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Now what you don't want is all that foliage.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Because having cut this plant, it is essentially dying.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11So we need to put it on life resuscitation.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13So we strip off these lower leaves.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16It's reducing the demands that are made upon it, and cut it
0:42:16 > 0:42:21ideally just below a leaf node, but don't be too precious about that.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29And then put it in the edge of the pot, right down.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Very similar to the way Carol took her rose cuttings.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34And you put them round the edge of the pot
0:42:34 > 0:42:39because it loses moisture less quickly.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41It just makes them dry out less
0:42:41 > 0:42:44and that really is what the race is about.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49If you can develop roots before the plants dries out, it'll survive.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Put a bit of grit on there.
0:43:07 > 0:43:14Water that, put it somewhere where it is light but not burning hot,
0:43:14 > 0:43:18keep it reasonably moist, keep the air moist,
0:43:18 > 0:43:20but don't have to soak it.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Those will root in about a month's time.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25What I do is leave them in this over winter
0:43:25 > 0:43:28and then pop them on next spring,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31and by this time next year, they're nice healthy plants.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34And there you are.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Cuttings that everybody can take.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39And here are some other jobs that everybody can do too.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47The worst pest for vegetable growers across the land
0:43:47 > 0:43:50at this time of year is the cabbage white butterfly.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52The butterfly itself is charming,
0:43:52 > 0:43:56but it's caterpillars can devastate
0:43:56 > 0:43:59any member of the brassica family.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02The best way to deal with them is to check each plant,
0:44:02 > 0:44:04turning over the leaves
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and simply remove any caterpillars that you find.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14If, like me, you sowed root vegetables about a month ago,
0:44:14 > 0:44:15it's important to thin them carefully,
0:44:15 > 0:44:18leaving an inch or two between each plant,
0:44:18 > 0:44:22to give them a chance to grow nice and strong before winter comes.
0:44:27 > 0:44:32This is not a new job, but it is very timely and that is to deadhead.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37If you deadhead now any flowers that are faded or spent,
0:44:37 > 0:44:42you will extend your flowering season well into autumn.
0:44:51 > 0:44:52Now, inevitably,
0:44:52 > 0:44:58the plants we choose to grow and our gardens say a lot about ourselves.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Head gardener Jane Moore has been to a distinctly quirky garden
0:45:03 > 0:45:06in Torquay with a very creative use of space.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11Goodness me, Graham, I can hardly find you, in this jungle!
0:45:11 > 0:45:12Hello, Jane.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16Graham left his native Lancashire and came south seeking the sunshine
0:45:16 > 0:45:19when he was 21, and he's never looked back.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22His garden's changed beyond all recognition
0:45:22 > 0:45:24since he bought the house in 1980.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27You've got so many plants packed in here, haven't you?
0:45:27 > 0:45:29Hundreds of tropical plants, as well.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Hundreds and hundreds, I should think, yeah.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34This is a lantana. It's a subtropical plant.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36I believe it is from the southern hemisphere.
0:45:36 > 0:45:38We grow lots of them in the garden.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41That's a cracking abutilon over your shoulder, there.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43Yes. Look at that one. It's called Tiger Eye.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45Oh, isn't it lovely? Yes.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46What a little beauty.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48Here we are.
0:45:48 > 0:45:49This is the blue iochroma.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Oh, they just dropped... Oh, there's one. Yes.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Beautiful blue bells, yes.
0:45:56 > 0:45:57Really nice, sort of, lavender blue.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00I love this solanum, the variegation,
0:46:00 > 0:46:01and big blue flowers.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04Yes, it's a fabulous variety.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06I love the way you let them just scramble around,
0:46:06 > 0:46:09cos they really don't like being trained, do they? No.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11They like to scramble.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14Oh, gosh, you've got some very interesting things, haven't you?
0:46:14 > 0:46:16It's a proper jungle out here. Yes.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18How did you get interested in gardening?
0:46:18 > 0:46:20Cos you've got some very interesting plants, here.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23A real plantaholic's garden, you've got, here.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26Well, when I left school, I did two years' horticulture
0:46:26 > 0:46:28and then I went into engineering.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Right. And then I came to Torquay in the early '70s,
0:46:31 > 0:46:33fell in love with Torbay.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35Yeah - well, it is a bit of a plantsman's area,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37actually, this, as well, isn't it?
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Because of the lovely, balmy temperatures that you get here, yes.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Got a lovely microclimate I've created
0:46:42 > 0:46:44by letting the hedges grow very tall.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47But what's fuelled your interest in the tropical plants?
0:46:47 > 0:46:48Because you could?
0:46:48 > 0:46:50Because you could, here? That's right.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52So you open for the Yellow Book, don't you,
0:46:52 > 0:46:53the National Garden scheme?
0:46:53 > 0:46:58Yes, and this year, we had 123 guests on our best day.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00That is a lot of tea and cake! It's a lot of tea and cake.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05As well as 6 water features, 14 seating areas
0:47:05 > 0:47:07and countless home-made sculptures,
0:47:07 > 0:47:09there are two greenhouses, two compost heaps,
0:47:09 > 0:47:1426 water butts, and a duck pen, concealed amongst the foliage.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16And we're into another part of the garden, again!
0:47:16 > 0:47:18We are heading towards the Italianate area, now.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21Blimey - this place is a TARDIS, isn't it?
0:47:21 > 0:47:23It is - going past a very productive fig.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26Oh, yes. Is that...? And a kiwi fruit.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28We had 600 in the best year.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30My goodness! And we've got photographs to prove it.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33Wow! What on earth do you do with 600 kiwi fruit?
0:47:33 > 0:47:34We store them in the garage
0:47:34 > 0:47:38and we eat them from November through to April.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Follow the winding path. Lead the way, lead the way.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49Graham, I just love this garden. It is such a plantsman's paradise.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52But it's also got a great sense of humour.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56Yes. I think gardening should be fun. I agree.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58We've just come through the African area, there,
0:47:58 > 0:48:00past the bog and under the plum tree.
0:48:01 > 0:48:02And here we are.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08I think this is the most spectacular piece of our garden.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11It's lovely. Yes. Golden bamboos.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13This garden is less a garden tour -
0:48:13 > 0:48:16it's more of an adventure, really, isn't it? Yes.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19It's such a different mood to elsewhere in the garden, isn't it?
0:48:19 > 0:48:20Yes. Fantastic.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22Here, we have a topiary swan.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Oh, that lovely - this one's in flight, isn't it?
0:48:24 > 0:48:26Yes, yes. Really nice.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29And here, we have the teahouse. A lovely area.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34Got to try this out for size. Yes. I feel more serene.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36I'll tell you what is missing, though -
0:48:36 > 0:48:38a Japanese cherry, of course.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40I think one of the lovely, arching Japanese cherries
0:48:40 > 0:48:42would really lend itself.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44Right. That is a very good idea.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47If you can find a space for it, that is, cos I'm not sure you can!
0:48:47 > 0:48:50Yes, well, I guess where there's a will, there's a way. Yes.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07In the second part of this series on exotic Britain,
0:49:07 > 0:49:11Nick Macer is in London, visiting a garden
0:49:11 > 0:49:14that is as far removed from the hurly-burly of city life
0:49:14 > 0:49:16as could be imagined.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19I'm in Islington, north London,
0:49:19 > 0:49:22deep within the heart of the urban heat island.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25This is something created by people, buildings, traffic.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28It raises the temperature of London
0:49:28 > 0:49:31to a few degrees above the surrounding countryside,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34and it allows all manner of things to be grown here
0:49:34 > 0:49:35that you couldn't otherwise grow.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38I have come to see an exotic courtyard
0:49:38 > 0:49:41and, I hear, a Mexican-themed roof garden.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Hi. Hi, Nick. Hi, David.
0:49:51 > 0:49:52Good to see you. Nice to see you, too.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54Wow! Oh, my goodness.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56So, this is the tropical oasis
0:49:56 > 0:49:58I've heard so much about. This is it.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09I am loving this view down here - such a tropical feel.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Yes - the idea is for it to be as little like London as possible.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Bananas overhead?
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Yes - there are two bananas that are cold-hardy enough
0:50:25 > 0:50:27to grow in London, and I've got both of them.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29This is... These are basjoo,
0:50:29 > 0:50:31and this is Musa sikkimensis.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34I used to grow these in the ground, here,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36but they need an enormous amount of water,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39and this garden has an issue with drought
0:50:39 > 0:50:41and I have found that, every few years,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43they'd need to be moved because they are exhausting the soil.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47So now I keep them in pots and if it gets super, super cold,
0:50:47 > 0:50:49I can just cut them down a bit and pull them indoors,
0:50:49 > 0:50:51until the freeze ends.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54You can just sort of see, as the leaf turns up,
0:50:54 > 0:50:57gradually, the most extraordinary colour of pale red violet.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59I've managed to get some photos of that,
0:50:59 > 0:51:01when the leaf is just unfurling,
0:51:01 > 0:51:03and it's almost purple with the sun behind it.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05It looks absolutely amazing. Mm... Beautiful.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08What I love, David, what I really love,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11is that you haven't just used classic exotic plants,
0:51:11 > 0:51:13like trachycarpus, musa,
0:51:13 > 0:51:15but you are using equally good foliage plants,
0:51:15 > 0:51:19like hellebores, pulmonarias, and they look great.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Well, I tend to use my eyes for these things,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24rather than take, sort of, rigid positions
0:51:24 > 0:51:26about what is exotic and what's not.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28I find there are quite a lot of traditional plants,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32particularly the hellebores, and some varieties of Persicaria,
0:51:32 > 0:51:35that look good with the architecturally exotic
0:51:35 > 0:51:37and if they look right, I don't mind.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43So, David, this looks like a shadier, drier end of the garden.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Well, it is now. When I started,
0:51:45 > 0:51:48this was actually the sunny end of the garden
0:51:48 > 0:51:51and I planted a Phoenix date palm.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54It was originally intended as a space filler,
0:51:54 > 0:51:56cos I didn't think it would be hardy.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59But it rapidly turned into a, sort of, six-metre wide,
0:51:59 > 0:52:02nearly five-metre tall monster, with a half-metre trunk.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04I mean, I wouldn't be without it,
0:52:04 > 0:52:06but it's completely changed the microclimate
0:52:06 > 0:52:07down at this end of the garden.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09So it is clearly a tough site. What have you got growing?
0:52:09 > 0:52:12Well, there are a few different types of Persicaria,
0:52:12 > 0:52:14which is quite invasive.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16But in this kind of level of dryness,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19invasive starts to be a bit welcome - it survives.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Behind us, we have got a totally different look of plant.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25This is Begonia luxurians, which...
0:52:25 > 0:52:30Arguably, might be hardy in London, if I were to pile a huge heap
0:52:30 > 0:52:33of mulch on it, but I keep that in pots,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36I plunge the pots in spring, lift them and take them indoors
0:52:36 > 0:52:39for frosty periods, because I like to keep the framework
0:52:39 > 0:52:40and keep it growing.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43It is great to see such a wide diversity of plants
0:52:43 > 0:52:45growing in such...what would appear to be such a difficult habitat
0:52:45 > 0:52:47at this end of the garden.
0:52:47 > 0:52:48I just keep trying different stuff
0:52:48 > 0:52:50and the stuff that works and looks right,
0:52:50 > 0:52:51I do more of, basically.
0:53:05 > 0:53:06Wow! The roof.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10That is considerably different, isn't it?
0:53:15 > 0:53:19What a contrast from down below, the tropical jungle,
0:53:19 > 0:53:23up to this sunny, rocky, open hillside.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26You have Mexico, here, with the Agaves.
0:53:26 > 0:53:27Rosemary, Cistus, from the Mediterranean.
0:53:27 > 0:53:28A lot of Mediterranean.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31Aloes from South Africa. That's right.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34What do you put your success down to? Um...
0:53:34 > 0:53:36Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen, I think.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40A lot of the plants on this roof are selected
0:53:40 > 0:53:44because they actually quite like growing in very shallow soil,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46restricted conditions.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49Not only the Agaves, but things like rosemary,
0:53:49 > 0:53:52which seem to pick the most free-draining, gravelly
0:53:52 > 0:53:54and least hospitable parts of the roof.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56The advantage of having the very shallow soil
0:53:56 > 0:53:58is that plants that don't like winter wet,
0:53:58 > 0:54:00they might get wet for a while in winter,
0:54:00 > 0:54:03but because there is so little soil, they dry out quickly
0:54:03 > 0:54:05and because this bit of the garden, this bit of the green roof,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08is on the quite a steep slope and is the sunniest bit,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11this is where I have tended to concentrate the xerophytes,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14the plants that like dry conditions and dry soil.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16This is Agave filifera.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19This has been up here for about 15 years, I think.
0:54:19 > 0:54:20I trial different types
0:54:20 > 0:54:21of Agave up here.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25And then we had a huge, long freeze,
0:54:25 > 0:54:27that many gardeners will remember, in 2010.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29It taught me which three of them were hardy,
0:54:29 > 0:54:31cos I lost all the rest.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33The Mediterranean shrubs, particularly,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36I've discovered that this family, this tribe of cistus,
0:54:36 > 0:54:37they just love it up here.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40I think it's not dissimilar to where they grow in habitat,
0:54:40 > 0:54:43which is, sort of, cracks in the sides of mountains,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46fighting their roots into the rocks and things.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49The biggest and, probably, most successful one is this one,
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Cistus x dansereaui Decumbens.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54It is forming itself into a very large shrub
0:54:54 > 0:54:56and just starting to block my path, now.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58I think I'm going to have to relocate my path,
0:54:58 > 0:55:01because the cistus comes first.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04I have been deeply inspired by your roof garden, especially, David.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06I love what you have created, here.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08I'd love to create one myself, one day.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10I will come down and help you with it. Thank you.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30I do think that the key to inner-city gardens is fantasy.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Something that you go in
0:55:32 > 0:55:35and then you are transported to another world.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44As well as fruitfulness, September is the month of leaving,
0:55:44 > 0:55:48and there is no departure that saddens me more every year
0:55:48 > 0:55:50than the swallows.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55They're there, massing, swirling around -
0:55:55 > 0:55:57sometimes hundreds at a time.
0:55:57 > 0:55:58I know what they are doing -
0:55:58 > 0:56:01they're fattening themselves up, getting ready to go.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04And some time in the next week or so,
0:56:04 > 0:56:06suddenly, there will be an absence.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09And that's it, and then you just have to wait
0:56:09 > 0:56:10until that fabulous day,
0:56:10 > 0:56:13sometimes around the second week of April,
0:56:13 > 0:56:16when the first one, tired, comes back.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26The mound is still blooming.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31The sweet peas are still in absolute full flow.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34I pick them every week, and they just keep coming back and,
0:56:34 > 0:56:36of course, tobacco plants are getting bigger and bigger.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40The crucial thing at this time of year is the pears are ripening.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43Pears have to be picked before they are properly ripe,
0:56:43 > 0:56:45so you need to test them every day.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48I'm keeping an eye on them - they're not ready yet,
0:56:48 > 0:56:49but they will be soon.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51But not today, because that's it,
0:56:51 > 0:56:54and we will be back here at Longmeadow
0:56:54 > 0:56:56for another one-hour programme next week.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58Until then, bye-bye.
0:56:58 > 0:57:03Now, who is going to have the ball? Is it going to be Nellie, or Nige?
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Go on... You go! Go on, there's a good girl.
0:57:07 > 0:57:08Come on.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40Unparalleled talent, unprecedented access.