:00:00. > :00:00.Gardeners' World is now running for a full hour.
:00:07. > :00:24.So we have time to give you even more of what you love.
:00:25. > :00:26.Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
:00:27. > :00:31.when you get warm days and cool nights
:00:32. > :00:36.and we've had torrential rain here at Longmeadow
:00:37. > :00:42.you get the most wonderful misty mornings.
:00:43. > :00:46.And the garden slowly reveals itself out of that mist.
:00:47. > :00:52.And then, as the light lifts and sifts through the haze,
:00:53. > :00:55.you realise that amongst all the hedges,
:00:56. > :01:01.are thousands and thousands of cobwebs,
:01:02. > :01:06.as though mist has been trapped and spun and decorated.
:01:07. > :01:12.And then autumn progresses and that dies away.
:01:13. > :01:21.are an absolute measure of the season.
:01:22. > :01:26.This week, Carol continues to look at plant families.
:01:27. > :01:31.It's beautiful, and I'm pretty sure that it belongs to
:01:32. > :01:36.a family called apiaceae, otherwise known...
:01:37. > :01:43.Adam has been hard at work in his veg garden.
:01:44. > :01:50.And Nick Macer is on the west coast of Ireland,
:01:51. > :01:54.visiting an extraordinary forest of ferns.
:01:55. > :01:57.I'm at Kells Bay, Kerry, where the local climate and
:01:58. > :02:02.conditions come together to create a very special garden.
:02:03. > :02:06.And I shall be adding umbellifers to the garden,
:02:07. > :02:24.as well as planting bulbs for colour next spring.
:02:25. > :02:29.We've got lots of grass here at Longmeadow.
:02:30. > :02:36.I like grass as a green filler between spaces,
:02:37. > :02:40.and sometimes it's lovely to walk on and sometimes it's
:02:41. > :02:46.but whether you are a fanatical greenkeeper or whether,
:02:47. > :02:48.like me, you're fairly carefree about it,
:02:49. > :02:51.every now and then you do have to repair grass,
:02:52. > :02:54.and now is the perfect moment to do that.
:02:55. > :02:57.I'm just talking about repairing the bare patches
:02:58. > :03:03.The thing to do is to take a bare area like this and
:03:04. > :03:08.then just start by cleaning out any weeds.
:03:09. > :03:13.What is it, Nige? Oh, it's gone back in.
:03:14. > :03:17.The first thing to do is just remove any obvious weeds.
:03:18. > :03:22.I've got a little dandelion there, that can come out.
:03:23. > :03:27.or I do actually...and this is toys for boys...
:03:28. > :03:30.This is a Japanese weeding knife, and it's made of
:03:31. > :03:34.very soft metal, so you could never get a sharp edge onto it,
:03:35. > :03:36.but it's brilliant for this type of thing,
:03:37. > :03:42.so you just cut in there like that, and take it out.
:03:43. > :03:46.What do you want? Go on, off you go. Move.
:03:47. > :03:55.The next stage is to either fork it over, if it's very,
:03:56. > :03:59.very compacted and heavy, or if it's reasonably light soil
:04:00. > :04:05.you can just use a scratch rake and just rake like that.
:04:06. > :04:10.that's going to quite do the job.
:04:11. > :04:14.I'm going to just ramp it up a bit.
:04:15. > :04:18.Yeah. You see, that's making more of an impression.
:04:19. > :04:21.It's very dry underneath the tree.
:04:22. > :04:38.I've mixed up a bucket which is half sharp sand,
:04:39. > :04:43.So if we just sprinkle some of that on,
:04:44. > :04:46.the compost is going to give a little bit of goodness and
:04:47. > :04:51.the sand is going to help the drainage.
:04:52. > :05:03.And then rake it so it's a little level.
:05:04. > :05:07.That is now ready to sprinkle grass seed onto.
:05:08. > :05:10.And at this time of year, when the air is warm,
:05:11. > :05:14.the ground is warm and the nights aren't too cold,
:05:15. > :05:19.So by about next April you'll be mowing this and you won't
:05:20. > :05:27.So we'll sprinkle a little bit of seed onto that.
:05:28. > :05:29.When you buy a packet of grass seed,
:05:30. > :05:33.always give it a good shake before using it, because all
:05:34. > :05:37.grass seed will be a mixture of different types of grasses.
:05:38. > :05:39.So by shaking them it means that when you sow them
:05:40. > :05:45.And then, whatever type of grass you're sowing
:05:46. > :05:48.and wherever you're sowing it, sow it thinly.
:05:49. > :05:52.You can buy grass-seed mixes now for fine lawns,
:05:53. > :05:55.for hard-wearing football pitches, for shade.
:05:56. > :05:57.So just take stock and choose the right seed,
:05:58. > :06:02.but in general you won't go wrong if it's mainly rye-grass.
:06:03. > :06:08.And then... lightly rake it over.
:06:09. > :06:13.What I do then is just firm it in to get contact.
:06:14. > :06:15.So the seed has got good contact with the soil, but if
:06:16. > :06:18.it doesn't rain by the end of the day, certainly water it in,
:06:19. > :06:22.because you don't want to push the seeds out.
:06:23. > :06:26.And that's a very simple job, but it is a good one to do
:06:27. > :06:29.and particularly a good one to do now.
:06:30. > :06:32.Now, most of us grow shrubs of some kind in our gardens and
:06:33. > :06:38.I bet most of us have one or two that have become
:06:39. > :06:41.a bit unruly, we don't quite know how to prune them,
:06:42. > :06:49.And Nick Bailey has been to a garden filled with shrubs
:06:50. > :07:00.Today I've come to Windsor to look at a garden beset with
:07:01. > :07:03.a challenge that many gardeners face.
:07:04. > :07:06.This is the case of the overgrown shrubs
:07:07. > :07:15.Gardens often start out with the best-laid plans.
:07:16. > :07:18.You buy plants, get them into the garden,
:07:19. > :07:21.get them established, and then life takes over.
:07:22. > :07:29.And those little plants we've put in turn into monsters.
:07:30. > :07:32.This climbing hydrangea, Hydrangea anomala petiolaris,
:07:33. > :07:36.so it needs a serious pruning job.
:07:37. > :07:39.And this kerria has virtually been treated like a hedge,
:07:40. > :07:42.it's been clipped on the front but hasn't had the kind of
:07:43. > :07:44.thinning it needs so it's not flowering very well.
:07:45. > :07:49.Then, over on the other side of the garden here,
:07:50. > :07:51.there's a group of phormiums which are looking a bit sad,
:07:52. > :07:55.so I need to move them through the whole border.
:07:56. > :07:58.And then some of these tired old shrubs that aren't
:07:59. > :08:00.performing very well can come out and we can add some
:08:01. > :08:11.There's lots to do so I'd better crack on.
:08:12. > :08:14.Climbing hydrangeas are normally pruned in spring,
:08:15. > :08:17.where you take the old flower buds off and then it allows
:08:18. > :08:19.these new shoots to produce during the year,
:08:20. > :08:21.which will give next year's flowers.
:08:22. > :08:23.However, this one is totally out of control.
:08:24. > :08:26.You can see it's come nearly a metre away from the fence,
:08:27. > :08:31.and so we need to do a really radical prune.
:08:32. > :08:34.This hydrangea won't necessarily rejuvenate
:08:35. > :08:38.Now, if you're not sure, one of the easiest ways
:08:39. > :08:40.is to make a little scrape on the surface of the stem
:08:41. > :08:42.to see if there's any green underneath.
:08:43. > :08:45.Or you can just make little cuts until you hit live growth,
:08:46. > :08:49.so the three Ds - dead, diseased and damaged wood -
:08:50. > :08:55.So each cut I'm making I'm ensuring is about
:08:56. > :08:59.a centimetre ahead of a fresh bud or a fresh leaf.
:09:00. > :09:02.next year we'll have a whole wall of foliage
:09:03. > :09:05.and then the following year a wall of flower.
:09:06. > :09:08.What I've decided to do over here is to leave this part of
:09:09. > :09:11.the plant unpruned to let Hydrangea petiolaris
:09:12. > :09:23.do what it does best, which is disguise things.
:09:24. > :09:26.With a young kerria I would do a prune in spring,
:09:27. > :09:29.after flowering, but this one is old and overgrown and
:09:30. > :09:36.needs some serious work, so I'm going to do it now.
:09:37. > :09:39.Lots of the tips of this kerria have been chopped off,
:09:40. > :09:41.almost turning it into a hedge, and that's really not
:09:42. > :09:44.the ideal way to grow it if you want lots of flower.
:09:45. > :09:47.So I'm just tracing these back to the base and removing them.
:09:48. > :09:49.And then once the framework is clear,
:09:50. > :09:57.a third of the older stems, also right down to the base.
:09:58. > :10:01.the best way to deal with a shrub like this kerria,
:10:02. > :10:08.is to give it a thin every spring after it's flowered.
:10:09. > :10:10.With the last bits of dead removed,
:10:11. > :10:20.that's the rejuvenation complete.
:10:21. > :10:25.but this one is on the rampage and needs a bit of
:10:26. > :10:27.a gentle prune to bring it back under control.
:10:28. > :10:30.In front of it is a hypericum and a hebe,
:10:31. > :10:33.both of which are slightly past their sell-by date,
:10:34. > :10:45.so I'm going to take them out and replace them.
:10:46. > :10:48.Now I've cleared a bed, it's time to tackle the phormiums.
:10:49. > :10:50.There's two different forms growing here.
:10:51. > :10:53.with very straight sword-like leaves,
:10:54. > :10:55.and back here is Phormium cookianum,
:10:56. > :10:58.with these slightly softer, more lax leaves.
:10:59. > :11:04.Just taking out some of the dead leaves from the base here.
:11:05. > :11:07.You won't be able to pull them out, they're so, so tough,
:11:08. > :11:14.So I'm holding the leaves back so I can get to the base.
:11:15. > :11:20.It's a little bit like sheep shearing.
:11:21. > :11:23.Luckily, this Phormium cookianum is in a pot,
:11:24. > :11:26.so I'm going to move it further down the bed.
:11:27. > :11:31.This position is so much sunnier that it will produce
:11:32. > :11:33.a wonderful dome of foliage now and it will flower as well.
:11:34. > :11:36.Where it was previously, tucked behind the other phormiums,
:11:37. > :11:48.Don't be afraid to use your boot
:11:49. > :11:51.if you're planting larger, stocky shrubs like this.
:11:52. > :11:53.It will just make sure that the soil firms in
:11:54. > :11:56.and the plant can start to absorb moisture
:11:57. > :12:02.Don't be tempted to wait till the end
:12:03. > :12:04.and squash it all down the sides.
:12:05. > :12:08.I'm going to add some extra plants into the bed
:12:09. > :12:13.to contrast and compliment with its form and foliage.
:12:14. > :12:15.I've gone for Gaura Pink Panache.
:12:16. > :12:17.It's brilliant for late colour -
:12:18. > :12:21.Behind, we've got Melianthus major,
:12:22. > :12:26.Coming a bit further forward, the Russian sage or Perovskia,
:12:27. > :12:34.a Sedum and Anemone Honorine Joubert.
:12:35. > :12:39.So, having moved the phormium up to here,
:12:40. > :12:41.we've now got a lovely repetition or continuity
:12:42. > :12:44.through the border and then with the mix of plants
:12:45. > :12:46.that I've introduced, there'll be great colour,
:12:47. > :13:00.form and contrast for many years to come.
:13:01. > :13:06.Carol has been visiting RHS Rosemoor in Devon
:13:07. > :13:12.within different plant families.
:13:13. > :13:17.It's beautiful and I'm pretty sure that it belongs
:13:18. > :13:22.to a family called Apiaceae, otherwise known...
:13:23. > :13:32.Apiaceae are mainly annuals, biannuals or perennials.
:13:33. > :13:36.Some are surprising, like the eryngium or sea holly,
:13:37. > :13:39.where the tiny flowers are arranged in a cone,
:13:40. > :13:42.often protected by spiky bracts.
:13:43. > :13:46.The family that we now call Apiaceae
:13:47. > :13:51.That's because of the shape of its flower heads.
:13:52. > :13:53."Umber" is the Latin for "shadow"
:13:54. > :13:58.and each of these forms is sort of umbrella, if you like,
:13:59. > :14:02.this plateau and each one is composed of lots and lots
:14:03. > :14:06.of tiny flowers, which are gathered together in florets,
:14:07. > :14:11.and all those stems emanate from one place on the stalk,
:14:12. > :14:15.making this flower head really delightful
:14:16. > :14:30.as there always are with plant families, to this rule,
:14:31. > :14:32.but when it comes to their seeds,
:14:33. > :14:35.they've all got the same sort of structure,
:14:36. > :14:41.whether it's parsnips, astrantia,
:14:42. > :14:48.each seed is in two parts and each seed
:14:49. > :14:57.as you can see when I break this parsnip seed apart.
:14:58. > :15:00.So, whether we eat the seed itself or the vegetables
:15:01. > :15:06.this family contains lots of really important foods,
:15:07. > :15:10.but beware - there are a few really nasty poisons
:15:11. > :15:13.which also are members of the family.
:15:14. > :15:18.Hemlock is one of them and we all know how poisonous that is.
:15:19. > :15:22.The Astrantia is also a member of this intriguing family.
:15:23. > :15:25.Its flower heads are comprised of a pin cushion
:15:26. > :15:32.of scores of minuscule flowers and circled by papery bracts.
:15:33. > :15:36.Ranging from deepest, darkest crimson through soft pinks
:15:37. > :15:40.to whites, they're perfect for all but the driest garden.
:15:41. > :15:46.Plant them in moist, fertile soil, in sun or partial shade
:15:47. > :15:51.and keep deadheading to prolong flowering.
:15:52. > :15:55.Of all the members of the Apiaceae family,
:15:56. > :15:58.surely Selinum must be the godfather.
:15:59. > :16:02.From the word go in the spring, it's magnificent.
:16:03. > :16:07.Great, green doilies of finely cut foliage and, from them,
:16:08. > :16:11.thrusting up these huge, purply stems.
:16:12. > :16:17.these great umbels of beautiful creamy white flowers.
:16:18. > :16:35.in this family are propagated from their seeds.
:16:36. > :16:42.and if you've collected the seed yourself,
:16:43. > :16:47.So I've got this lovely dry coriander seed now
:16:48. > :16:52.and it's just about coming off those stems.
:16:53. > :16:55.And it's at that stage, it's just perfect for sowing.
:16:56. > :17:00.It's unusual, coriander seed, because it's big and round.
:17:01. > :17:05.Most umbel seed is quite flat and skinny and what you can do
:17:06. > :17:08.with big seed like this is to station sow it.
:17:09. > :17:11.That simply means that you actually place the seed
:17:12. > :17:14.where you want it to grow. It's a bit of a fiddle,
:17:15. > :17:19.and you just work out this little matrix of the seeds,
:17:20. > :17:23.right across the surface of your tray.
:17:24. > :17:26.That means you won't get any damping off.
:17:27. > :17:28.Those seedlings won't be close to one another.
:17:29. > :17:31.They'll actually have their own sort of independence,
:17:32. > :17:33.their own little space to grow on.
:17:34. > :17:39.these sort of twin leaves that all seedlings produce,
:17:40. > :17:44.but then you'll see the proper sort of ferny leaf of coriander
:17:45. > :17:48.and it's at that stage you can actually separate these
:17:49. > :17:52.and put them into separate little pots.
:17:53. > :17:58.but the growing conditions are a bit different,
:17:59. > :18:00.according to what you want to get out of it.
:18:01. > :18:03.If you want it for seed, grow it in a hot, dry, sunny place,
:18:04. > :18:07.starve it a bit so it flowers and produces seed.
:18:08. > :18:17.then grow it in really lush conditions.
:18:18. > :18:20.And then, rather than watering from above,
:18:21. > :18:25.you just put this into a tray of water, just an inch or so.
:18:26. > :18:41.but also lots of ornamentals, too.
:18:42. > :18:45.Of all the culinary plants, many of them are herbs
:18:46. > :18:50.and this is my very favourite herb of all. It's dill.
:18:51. > :18:53.I love these fine, feathery leaves.
:18:54. > :18:58.They just make these lovely soft sort of shapes
:18:59. > :19:01.and the flower heads are just so beautiful -
:19:02. > :19:04.absolutely symmetrical and covered
:19:05. > :19:06.with these tiny bright yellow flowers.
:19:07. > :19:09.But whether you grow them because they're decorative
:19:10. > :19:13.or downright delicious, it's for sure
:19:14. > :19:35.I have to say that I do like an umbellifer, too.
:19:36. > :19:39.Fennel is always a star in the garden at this time of year
:19:40. > :19:44.They attract butterflies and bees.
:19:45. > :19:48.One of the things I like about fennel is if you get the seed
:19:49. > :19:53.and chew them, you get that lovely aniseedy flavour
:19:54. > :19:56.and it's a great stomach settler.
:19:57. > :20:02.and will stay looking beautiful right into the new year.
:20:03. > :20:07.These become skeletons - bony memories of what they were
:20:08. > :20:17.but it comes and goes. It's called Angelica gigas.
:20:18. > :20:21.This is one of my favourite umbellifers of all
:20:22. > :20:29.it's this fantastic, rich plum colour that it has.
:20:30. > :20:32.The other reason that it's so good in the garden is that,
:20:33. > :20:39.almost no other plant is so addictive for bees
:20:40. > :20:44.so fantastic for improving the wildlife in the garden
:20:45. > :21:02.But it has one little quirky habit.
:21:03. > :21:15.usually, once it's flowered and set seed, it dies.
:21:16. > :21:18.Its sole purpose in life is to create seed,
:21:19. > :21:23.this might take as long as three years to do it,
:21:24. > :21:26.but once it happens, there's no road back.
:21:27. > :21:36.So if I wanted to have this colour next year,
:21:37. > :21:45.than this which does and this is more or less guaranteed
:21:46. > :21:55.It's always a joy to plant into the Jewel Garden
:21:56. > :22:01.because the soil is like fruitcake.
:22:02. > :22:07.It's rich and crumbly and yet holds moisture.
:22:08. > :22:09.Now, if you're a gardener and you love soil,
:22:10. > :22:12.that's a very, very beautiful thing.
:22:13. > :22:17.you'll be thinking I'm as daft as a brush, but there you go.
:22:18. > :22:27.If I pop this in, that will go there.
:22:28. > :22:31.Another problem with planting a mature angelica
:22:32. > :22:35.is that they have a taproot and like all plants with a taproot,
:22:36. > :22:38.once that grows, they do NOT like disturbance
:22:39. > :22:41.so the taproot is not being disturbed,
:22:42. > :22:44.A rather better root system than there was
:22:45. > :23:04.is going to be overshadowed by these bananas in full glory
:23:05. > :23:09.and they are unbelievably exotic and dramatic,
:23:10. > :23:12.but Nick Macer has been to see exotic plants
:23:13. > :23:25.and what he found really, truly is breathtaking.
:23:26. > :23:29.where the local climate and conditions come together
:23:30. > :23:32.to create a very special garden.
:23:33. > :23:34.A few weeks ago, I promised you a rainforest.
:23:35. > :23:40.Well, that's what I've come here to see.
:23:41. > :23:42.Kells Bay Garden is on the extreme southwestern
:23:43. > :23:45.tip of Ireland, and covers 18 hectares.
:23:46. > :23:48.It's very naturalistic in style,
:23:49. > :23:51.thanks to a late Victorian craze for wild-looking gardens.
:23:52. > :23:55.They mixed native and exotic plants together informally
:23:56. > :24:01.The garden lies in a coastal valley
:24:02. > :24:03.which follows the course of a beautiful river
:24:04. > :24:13.Even the river looks like it's flowing with Guinness!
:24:14. > :24:15.The water stained brown by peat,
:24:16. > :24:23.which lies on the rain-drenched mountains that lie inland.
:24:24. > :24:26.With up to two metres of rain falling every year,
:24:27. > :24:28.the climate here just about qualifies
:24:29. > :24:35.And parts of the garden really do look like a jungle.
:24:36. > :24:40.plants here don't just grow on the ground.
:24:41. > :24:46.jostle for position as epiphytes.
:24:47. > :24:50.Epiphytes are adapted for an aerial lifestyle.
:24:51. > :24:52.They perch on the branches of trees and shrubs,
:24:53. > :24:56.They absorb moisture from humid air
:24:57. > :25:02.and often send their roots into damp moss instead of soil.
:25:03. > :25:05.Mosses and ferns blanket the trees and rocks here,
:25:06. > :25:07.creating a living emerald carpet,
:25:08. > :25:13.just as they do in the forests of Costa Rica or New Zealand.
:25:14. > :25:16.For me, of all the plants that hail from rainforests,
:25:17. > :25:21.the most evocative and spectacular are tree ferns.
:25:22. > :25:24.And here at Kells Bay, they thrive in a way
:25:25. > :25:30.almost unequalled in the British Isles.
:25:31. > :25:33.But through the gates to this walled garden lies something
:25:34. > :25:42.I think most of you have never seen before.
:25:43. > :25:49.is a tree fern that is growing out of the wall.
:25:50. > :25:54.This has come here from a spore, a minuscule spore.
:25:55. > :25:56.It has germinated within the wall,
:25:57. > :26:01.that this trunk is not made of wood.
:26:02. > :26:09.This is something you just do not see
:26:10. > :26:13.in garden centre-bought tree fern trunks.
:26:14. > :26:16.This is thriving, absolutely thriving,
:26:17. > :26:24.in this perfect atmosphere for the growth of such beauties.
:26:25. > :26:29.Here is something quite extraordinary.
:26:30. > :26:38.Over 600 tree ferns, all over a century old.
:26:39. > :26:53.This is a sight you would only really see
:26:54. > :26:57.south-east Australia and Tasmania.
:26:58. > :27:04.In the British Isles, remarkable.
:27:05. > :27:06.These are all the species Dicksonia antarctica,
:27:07. > :27:08.the tree fern you are most likely to see
:27:09. > :27:15.It's hardy down to around -10 Celsius for short periods,
:27:16. > :27:18.and needs sheltered, humid and dappled shade
:27:19. > :27:26.Billy Alexander is the garden's owner. Lucky man!
:27:27. > :27:29.So, what got you so interested in tree ferns?
:27:30. > :27:32.Well, I bought a small tree fern at a plant fair in Dublin
:27:33. > :27:35.around the mid-'90s, and it just captured my imagination
:27:36. > :27:38.as a plant, and a few years later,
:27:39. > :27:41.this property came on the market in the early 2000s,
:27:42. > :27:45.and I'm now the proud custodian of probably the biggest
:27:46. > :27:48.tree fern forest in the northern hemisphere.
:27:49. > :27:49.Of all the gardens I've been to,
:27:50. > :27:55.I have never seen tree ferns planted to this sort of extent.
:27:56. > :28:00.Well, my understanding is, this tree fern here is
:28:01. > :28:03.about 120 years old, planted in the 1890s.
:28:04. > :28:05.And we believe that this is the mother plant
:28:06. > :28:07.of the tree fern forest outside there,
:28:08. > :28:12.of hundreds and hundreds of mature tree ferns,
:28:13. > :28:18.So you're telling me that the entire garden and estate
:28:19. > :28:20.has been populated by this one tree fern?
:28:21. > :28:29.Who would have thought one tree fern could spawn 1,000
:28:30. > :28:53.I love that cathedral stained glass impression
:28:54. > :28:58.And there's one thing for certain I'm going to get -
:28:59. > :29:03.a tree fern or two here for long weather. They are lovely.
:29:04. > :29:19.Jane Moore visits a small garden
:29:20. > :29:23.by the sea that is full of character.
:29:24. > :29:25.I have a picture of what I want to create,
:29:26. > :29:27.and what I want to do, and it's got to be there tomorrow.
:29:28. > :29:30.We've got carrots with character too.
:29:31. > :29:43.as he continues his odyssey of creating
:29:44. > :30:00.a garden around his beautiful house in Lincolnshire.
:30:01. > :30:02.Here we are at the end of July, and do you know what,
:30:03. > :30:04.this garden just gets better and better.
:30:05. > :30:06.It's the light levels in the morning
:30:07. > :30:08.and the light levels in the evening.
:30:09. > :30:15.And it makes the greens just sort of shine.
:30:16. > :30:18.I get here and I more or less have to stop for five minutes
:30:19. > :30:22.to actually enjoy, I suppose, just peace.
:30:23. > :30:28.This orchard is absolutely full of atmosphere.
:30:29. > :30:30.There's over 40 known local varieties down here
:30:31. > :30:33.in South Lincolnshire, and I'm really, really hoping
:30:34. > :30:35.that I've got one of them in behind me.
:30:36. > :30:37.What I'm going to do now, though, actually is,
:30:38. > :30:41.have a really good feast off them.
:30:42. > :30:52.and then we'll give them a really good prune in winter.
:30:53. > :30:54.You lot have probably already worked out by now
:30:55. > :30:57.that I'm completely and utterly in love with this wisteria.
:30:58. > :30:59.And it's pruning time. And guess what?
:31:00. > :31:04.It looks stunning, so I haven't got the heart to prune it.
:31:05. > :31:06.I'm going to have to leave it another couple of weeks.
:31:07. > :31:09.But you look at it now, it looks completely different
:31:10. > :31:11.with the flowers and the foliage,
:31:12. > :31:15.but also, there's a beautiful bronze tinge to the tips.
:31:16. > :31:38.The sets are all in, really pleased
:31:39. > :31:41.how this terrace has come together.
:31:42. > :31:44.All I've got left to do now is brush the kiln-dried sand in,
:31:45. > :31:46.and I don't want to actually add mortar and cement them,
:31:47. > :31:49.because I'm happy actually for plants to seed themselves
:31:50. > :31:52.into the gaps. Also, you'll see that I've left the gaps
:31:53. > :31:56.and we'll plant that up as well.
:31:57. > :31:58.But you can really start to understand
:31:59. > :32:02.that this sits in a much wider area.
:32:03. > :32:05.If you remember rightly, I was having a good old rant
:32:06. > :32:07.about front gardens and what they meant to me,
:32:08. > :32:11.and actually about this sheer gravel that washed right up
:32:12. > :32:14.to this beautiful old house and was doing it no justice at all.
:32:15. > :32:17.But now, you can start to see the borders have gone in,
:32:18. > :32:19.and I can really feel that there's going to be
:32:20. > :32:23.Talking about plants, look at the Taxus.
:32:24. > :32:26.That's had so much sort of foliar feed
:32:27. > :32:32.but it's responded really, really well.
:32:33. > :32:38.I'm using a soft broom to gently brush the sand
:32:39. > :32:44.into the gaps in all different directions across the paving.
:32:45. > :32:46.It's worth topping up here and there,
:32:47. > :32:53.to ensure you fill all the gaps.
:32:54. > :32:56.The soil I'm going to use to fill the planting pockets
:32:57. > :33:01.It's a perfect soil mix for the plants
:33:02. > :33:04.that I hope are naturally going to seed themselves
:33:05. > :33:10.In the veg garden, I've been cracking on
:33:11. > :33:14.with the hard landscaping. I've dug out for levels,
:33:15. > :33:17.and a low retaining wall is now in place.
:33:18. > :33:19.I'm now at the stage to build the different beds
:33:20. > :33:24.and borders in which I'm going to grow all sorts of goodies.
:33:25. > :33:28.Raised beds really are a fantastic way to grow
:33:29. > :33:31.vegetables in any garden, but especially in a small garden.
:33:32. > :33:33.It doesn't matter about your soil,
:33:34. > :33:34.because you're raising everything up.
:33:35. > :33:36.You can constantly improve the soil.
:33:37. > :33:38.You can get more crop into the space,
:33:39. > :33:42.so for me, they're absolutely brilliant.
:33:43. > :33:45.So what I've used here is what they've described online
:33:46. > :33:48.as half-sleepers, so good, sturdy piece of timber,
:33:49. > :33:50.but the most important fact for me
:33:51. > :33:54.so that means actually they're good for outside.
:33:55. > :33:55.They're going to see that test of time
:33:56. > :33:57.and they're not going to rot away quickly.
:33:58. > :34:01.Sizes I've used - really, about 200 deep, which is six inches,
:34:02. > :34:04.but you can use whatever you want.
:34:05. > :34:08.For me, what this does, it's not as wide as a main sleeper,
:34:09. > :34:13.so it gives me a little bit more planting space inside.
:34:14. > :34:16.And in here in the corner, I've used these posts.
:34:17. > :34:19.You might be wondering why they're sticking up in the air.
:34:20. > :34:22.They're working three- or fourfold, really.
:34:23. > :34:23.One is, they're fixed into the ground,
:34:24. > :34:27.so they give you sort of sturdiness in the corners,
:34:28. > :34:29.and what I've done is, actually,
:34:30. > :34:31.I've drilled each corner to hold everything together.
:34:32. > :34:34.But I've drilled through them as well,
:34:35. > :34:37.and you'll see what I can do is put a rope through each post.
:34:38. > :34:40.It means I can put a net or a fleece over the top,
:34:41. > :34:43.and one thing that really annoys me in the garden
:34:44. > :34:45.is when you're dragging the hosepipe around,
:34:46. > :34:47.and all of a sudden, it's gone up the edge,
:34:48. > :34:51.So actually, this will stop that happening.
:34:52. > :34:53.And last but not least, you know when you're
:34:54. > :34:55.getting on a bit, and actually, you've been weeding all day,
:34:56. > :34:59.and you might just need a hand to get up.
:35:00. > :35:01.So what I've done here is, I've concreted then in,
:35:02. > :35:05.so that's a ballast and cement mix, about 8 to 1.
:35:06. > :35:07.That'll hold them in nice and firm.
:35:08. > :35:10.a wonderful sort of deep grey colour,
:35:11. > :35:12.which will be a fantastic contrast
:35:13. > :35:18.So, the veg garden's not the only place
:35:19. > :35:20.I'm going to be growing edibles.
:35:21. > :35:22.I've got this idea for this wonderful big old border here
:35:23. > :35:30.meets a taste of the unexpected.
:35:31. > :35:33.My plan is to plant a border that connects the veg garden
:35:34. > :35:40.with the breakfast terrace and continues that edible theme.
:35:41. > :35:42.I want to play with that whole idea of food that you can
:35:43. > :35:46.forage from the wild, but not just from this country.
:35:47. > :35:49.I want to use plants from across the world
:35:50. > :35:52.and take advantage of the warm microclimate on this
:35:53. > :35:57.By using food here, not only will it have that lovely
:35:58. > :35:59.relationship with the veg garden,
:36:00. > :36:01.but I can use that idea and then wrap it
:36:02. > :36:04.all the way up and round the breakfast terrace and along
:36:05. > :36:08.But I'm not going to rip this lavender out at the moment,
:36:09. > :36:22.I'm just going to let the bees enjoy that wonderful nectar.
:36:23. > :36:26.Jane Moore has been across Britain looking at inspiring
:36:27. > :36:29.planting and design in small gardens.
:36:30. > :36:34.This week, she's near Seaford in East Sussex.
:36:35. > :36:36.With the sea only a stone's throw away,
:36:37. > :36:39.it's easy to see where this gardener got his inspiration.
:36:40. > :36:41.But I bet there have been a few battles with the elements
:36:42. > :36:56.'creating this garden for 12 years.'
:36:57. > :36:58.My goodness, what a little wonderland you've got here!
:36:59. > :37:01.That's the reaction when people walk round that corner.
:37:02. > :37:03.Either their jaw drops or they say, "Wow!"
:37:04. > :37:06.So you get the gold star. A combination of both, actually!
:37:07. > :37:09.Even though it's a lovely, balmy day we're seeing today,
:37:10. > :37:11.I can't imagine it's always like this, Geoff.
:37:12. > :37:13.We had 64mph winds over the weekend.
:37:14. > :37:17.Right, which most gardens would not handle at all well. No, no.
:37:18. > :37:21.Well, this didn't, but, yeah, we've worked some magic on it.
:37:22. > :37:23.Absolutely! You certainly have! Well, it looks a picture.
:37:24. > :37:26.Many people that live on the coast come and visit the garden
:37:27. > :37:28.and are interested to know what's growing here,
:37:29. > :37:30.and my answer to them nearly always is,
:37:31. > :37:33."You can grow anything by the sea if you look after it and
:37:34. > :37:35."create a sort of small microclimate for it.
:37:36. > :37:38.And you've got some very interesting plants.
:37:39. > :37:41.I'm guessing there's water, because I can see a gunnera.
:37:42. > :37:43.Well, the gunnera's actually in a pot. And people always say,
:37:44. > :37:45."Gunneras are huge things. You walk under them.
:37:46. > :37:47."How can you grow them in a pot?"
:37:48. > :37:50.But I desperately wanted one in this very small garden,
:37:51. > :37:52.and I went to Hampton Court a few years ago and the guy
:37:53. > :37:54.selling them said, "There'll grow according to the
:37:55. > :37:58."so put it in a pot and it will grow accordingly."
:37:59. > :38:00.I'm really keen to start exploring the garden.
:38:01. > :38:03.Can we go and have a look? We can indeed, yes.
:38:04. > :38:10.It might be small, but there's a lot in it.
:38:11. > :38:13.One of my favourite areas along there. Quite stunning.
:38:14. > :38:16.It seems like your garden's always got two sides.
:38:17. > :38:18.You've got the riot of colour down there and then up here
:38:19. > :38:23.The logic behind that is because in essence there's
:38:24. > :38:25.a degree of shelter from the winds
:38:26. > :38:28.from the sea in that corner behind the house,
:38:29. > :38:30.whereas, because the garden slopes upward,
:38:31. > :38:33.this area here is a little bit more exposed.
:38:34. > :38:35.I planted 800 annuals in this garden this year,
:38:36. > :38:38.and I've probably only got about 500 of them left,
:38:39. > :38:40.because, again, it is survival of the fittest.
:38:41. > :38:44.But to get the effect, you need to densely plant and help them.
:38:45. > :38:47.I love how you've used the sculptures to kind of tie up
:38:48. > :38:51.I found that when we first came here, because the garden was
:38:52. > :38:54.so exposed, I had great difficulty getting height.
:38:55. > :38:57.as you looked out from the kitchen.
:38:58. > :39:00.So the sculpture is there to get the height in the garden.
:39:01. > :39:03.I mean, behind you we've got this umbrella.
:39:04. > :39:05.People look at that and wonder what it is,
:39:06. > :39:07.but it's actually a genuine Victorian topiary frame.
:39:08. > :39:18.Now, fortunately, the two really complement each other.
:39:19. > :39:21.I love all these little corners that you've developed.
:39:22. > :39:25.This is particularly nice, with aeoniums and the echeverias.
:39:26. > :39:27.Yeah, I mean, it's one part of the garden that I think you
:39:28. > :39:31.because it's perfect for a small courtyard garden,
:39:32. > :39:33.for a patio or even a balcony, to be honest.
:39:34. > :39:36.And they're always great in a small pot, aren't they?
:39:37. > :39:38.Yeah, I mean, there's lots of small pots here with
:39:39. > :39:40.different things in, particularly in that tray.
:39:41. > :39:42.But another nice addition is this chair,
:39:43. > :39:44.which cost me ?1 from the local tip.
:39:45. > :39:47.Took the seat out, put some pond liner in it with a hole in
:39:48. > :39:49.the bottom and every year I put something different in it.
:39:50. > :39:52.This year, we put this display of echeverias in here and this
:39:53. > :39:54.beautiful Sagina Lime Moss in the centre.
:39:55. > :39:57.And it's amazing how many people remark on it.
:39:58. > :40:00.It makes a really jolly little feature, doesn't it? It does.
:40:01. > :40:02.Of course, the great thing about using succulents is you
:40:03. > :40:14.don't need to worry about the watering, either! That's true.
:40:15. > :40:17.Oh, I love this little framed area.
:40:18. > :40:19.But they all look like annual bedding plants.
:40:20. > :40:22.If you saw this area in May, you'd get a real surprise,
:40:23. > :40:24.because it's this beautiful set of steps that you can no
:40:25. > :40:27.longer see because I've just covered each side of it with
:40:28. > :40:31.There are about ten large pots that line these steps,
:40:32. > :40:35.I have a picture of what I want to create and what I
:40:36. > :40:37.want to do, and it's got to be there tomorrow.
:40:38. > :40:40.So that's why I use these pots and the annuals, because, OK,
:40:41. > :40:43.it takes time for them to grow but I can see what I want and
:40:44. > :40:45.it turns out pretty spectacularly.
:40:46. > :40:53.It's pretty spectacular, as you say.
:40:54. > :40:55.Usually, a small garden is more about what you leave out,
:40:56. > :40:57.but Geoff hasn't worried about that.
:40:58. > :41:01.Instead, he's packed everything he likes in and tied it all
:41:02. > :41:07.together with sculpture and art.
:41:08. > :41:13.Come on. Oh, come on, bring it here. Good girl.
:41:14. > :41:18.Good girl. Good girl, bring it to me.
:41:19. > :41:25.I love the way that behind the seemingly ordinary front
:41:26. > :41:30.doors of so many houses in this country are gardens that are
:41:31. > :41:36.And what's great about Geoff's garden is that you can see it.
:41:37. > :41:38.It's part of the National Gardens Scheme.
:41:39. > :41:43.you can get details of when he opens it up.
:41:44. > :41:48.I've been planting bulbs into pots over the last month,
:41:49. > :41:53.but bulbs in grass or open ground is a much looser affair.
:41:54. > :41:58.I have a crocus here, Crocus tommasinianus.
:41:59. > :42:03.It comes from the area round Bulgaria and Romania,
:42:04. > :42:08.and it will grow perfectly well in deciduous woodland.
:42:09. > :42:10.Now, bearing in mind this is deciduous woodland,
:42:11. > :42:13.and that means that the leaves all fall and there is nothing
:42:14. > :42:17.to stop the light coming through in early spring other
:42:18. > :42:20.than the branches themselves, and they flower
:42:21. > :42:22.as soon as there's a little bit of winter sunshine.
:42:23. > :42:25.It has a kind of very simple sort of shout of joy,
:42:26. > :42:29.it just opens like that in this silvery lilac colour, and
:42:30. > :42:33.the great thing is that they seed very freely.
:42:34. > :42:39.I'm going to plant this batch here in the copse around the
:42:40. > :42:43.This is a dog I had called Beaufort,
:42:44. > :42:47.who was buried here in '99, and this is Poppy's grave,
:42:48. > :42:51.and I think she was about 2003, 2004.
:42:52. > :42:56.And to have them flowering in spring will be a good thing.
:42:57. > :43:02.Now, it doesn't work if you plant bulbs in rough grass or
:43:03. > :43:06.trying to select the right spot.
:43:07. > :43:09.And the easiest and best way to do it is simply throw them
:43:10. > :43:11.on the ground and plant them where they land.
:43:12. > :43:15.And if that means planting them in odd batches and lumps and
:43:16. > :43:18.groups, it doesn't matter, because they will look natural.
:43:19. > :43:24.So, like that. And then another batch there.
:43:25. > :43:36.And because the corms are so small,
:43:37. > :43:39.it's not worth having a bulb planter of any type.
:43:40. > :43:43.Just a sharp trowel does the job fine.
:43:44. > :43:46.If you can plant them a few inches deep,
:43:47. > :43:49.so much the better. And you see this?
:43:50. > :43:51.I'm not worrying about putting them the right way up or
:43:52. > :44:01.anything like that, I'm just sticking 'em in.
:44:02. > :44:05.Of course, what you think is if I planted this...
:44:06. > :44:11...we'd have a tennis-ball plant. Good boy.
:44:12. > :44:15.When you're planting any bulb into rough grass,
:44:16. > :44:20.and that is not to cut the grass until the foliage of
:44:21. > :44:24.the bulb, whatever it might be, has fully died back.
:44:25. > :44:27.And the reason for that is that if you cut off the foliage
:44:28. > :44:30.too soon, the bulb won't be fed properly, so next year's
:44:31. > :44:34.flowers won't be so good or even not show at all.
:44:35. > :44:36.But the good thing about crocus generally
:44:37. > :44:38.and Crocus tommasinianus in particular
:44:39. > :44:41.is very often these have completely disappeared
:44:42. > :44:45.by mid-May and you can cut the grass back if you want to
:44:46. > :44:48.and keep it mown and treat it as lawn.
:44:49. > :45:12.The whole point of this kind of planting is it takes you to
:45:13. > :45:15.that space where the tightly controlled world of
:45:16. > :45:19.horticulture meets the looseness of the natural world.
:45:20. > :45:21.And somewhere between the two of them
:45:22. > :45:25.you get really beautiful, interesting things.
:45:26. > :45:29.However, sometimes the tightly controlled world of
:45:30. > :45:33.horticulture is something to be celebrated.
:45:34. > :45:35.And in Newark in Nottinghamshire,
:45:36. > :45:44.delightfully bonkers vegetables.
:45:45. > :45:46.I've been growing giant vegetables as
:45:47. > :45:51.a hobby for 25 years, at least.
:45:52. > :45:54.I currently hold the record for the heaviest carrot,
:45:55. > :45:59.and that was in 2014, and it weighed exactly 20 pounds.
:46:00. > :46:02.And that broke the previous record,
:46:03. > :46:05.which had stood for well over 20 years.
:46:06. > :46:10.And so far I've held it, more importantly!
:46:11. > :46:13.I always say growing giant vegetables is a fun hobby,
:46:14. > :46:19.but it's serious to me to actually grow the stuff.
:46:20. > :46:25.I try to research the best methods, keep records,
:46:26. > :46:28.ask other growers, go to seminars on growing,
:46:29. > :46:35.I'm quite pleased with this. It's, erm...
:46:36. > :46:40.a very dense beetroot. They weigh heavy.
:46:41. > :46:43.'Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to hold quite
:46:44. > :46:48.'I think the first world record I had was for a cucumber,
:46:49. > :46:54.'something like 15 world records.
:46:55. > :46:56.'I've done reasonably well over the years
:46:57. > :47:01.'I think, going back a long time,
:47:02. > :47:04.'I think I did have the record for the heaviest parsnip,
:47:05. > :47:06.'but that's been well beaten since then.
:47:07. > :47:09.'I don't seem to be any good at it any more.'
:47:10. > :47:11.Not a good one, no. No.
:47:12. > :47:17.National Giant Vegetable Competition round the country,
:47:18. > :47:20.so we've travelled a lot up and down the country,
:47:21. > :47:24.showing vegetables! Lots of people who grow marrows, er,
:47:25. > :47:30.so they can have a bit of luck and have a big marrow.
:47:31. > :47:34.Not everybody wants to be perhaps dedicated enough
:47:35. > :47:38.I'll be talking to someone and they'll say,
:47:39. > :47:41."Well, I've just come back from a couple of weeks in Spain,"
:47:42. > :47:45."so I don't think you're going to win much."
:47:46. > :47:47.I wouldn't like to be away for a couple of weeks in summer.
:47:48. > :47:52.If you're not there, well, everything's lost, isn't it?
:47:53. > :47:56.Carrots, I've never done really well until the last few years
:47:57. > :48:00.and since then I've come to the fore with them.
:48:01. > :48:03.I don't know whether it's just having the right seed
:48:04. > :48:11.or changing my growing methods, but it's working, anyway.
:48:12. > :48:15.So I've got, basically, a normal deep plant pot.
:48:16. > :48:19.I'm going to turn it upside down
:48:20. > :48:21.so the carrot will actually grow up through there.
:48:22. > :48:25.You can really grow a big carrot from seed
:48:26. > :48:28.that you can buy from a dedicated seed merchant
:48:29. > :48:31.and if you can get a good strain of long carrot,
:48:32. > :48:34.really anybody could grow a big carrot.
:48:35. > :48:39.over the years with my weights by starting early
:48:40. > :48:44.in the greenhouse, so I'm sowing things like carrots
:48:45. > :48:51.with heat and once they've germinated,
:48:52. > :48:55.perhaps into February, put an artificial light on them.
:48:56. > :48:59.So that'll continue until obviously the weather,
:49:00. > :49:09.and I can plant out in the open ground in April.
:49:10. > :49:13.When I'm preparing the planting station in my half-barrels,
:49:14. > :49:18.I mix my own, you know, free-draining compost for that,
:49:19. > :49:20.but I incorporate a high-phosphate
:49:21. > :49:26.and a high-potash fertiliser in that at that time.
:49:27. > :49:31.for Harrogate Autumn Flower Show,
:49:32. > :49:35.which we have to stage overnight into Friday morning.
:49:36. > :49:37.It's a three-day show over the weekend.
:49:38. > :49:40.The main thing with carrots and parsnips is to look at what
:49:41. > :49:44.sort of a crown there is. It's a good start.
:49:45. > :49:46.Fingers crossed that it all comes out all right
:49:47. > :49:52.If not, I might just have to dig another one.
:49:53. > :49:58.Quite healthy foliage, isn't it?
:49:59. > :50:01.This is the most exciting bit, really.
:50:02. > :50:07.You're either really pleased with the result,
:50:08. > :50:11.what you've grown, or you're disappointed.
:50:12. > :50:15.But, I mean, either way, it's exciting. Yes, yes.
:50:16. > :50:19.We'll take that away and then we can see what we've got.
:50:20. > :50:24.I mean, the whole aim of lifting the carrot for the show
:50:25. > :50:27.is to enter it in the class for the heaviest carrot,
:50:28. > :50:30.so it's important to get every little bit of taproot
:50:31. > :50:32.and every part of the carrot we can out of the ground.
:50:33. > :50:35.It might just be that difference between winning
:50:36. > :50:40.and losing or coming second or not getting a prize at all.
:50:41. > :50:44.Now we're getting down to this bit and it's gone very thin,
:50:45. > :50:49.They haven't got those big strong heavy roots
:50:50. > :50:56.We might sort of get it if we can.
:50:57. > :51:05.Yeah. THEY GROAN
:51:06. > :51:09.It's a good lump of carrot, isn't it?
:51:10. > :51:13.It's all weight. There aren't any faults with it.
:51:14. > :51:19.I don't think this is going to break me own record.
:51:20. > :51:25.but until I get it finely trimmed, you never know really.
:51:26. > :51:31.I'm quite happy with it. It's a good one. It's a real solid...
:51:32. > :51:33.It's all solid all the way round, in't it?
:51:34. > :51:41.At the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, Peter swept the board
:51:42. > :51:52.with his giant veg, including his monster carrot.
:51:53. > :51:57.I don't think Peter is going to be troubled by my carrots.
:51:58. > :52:03.if not a disaster, it's a disgrace.
:52:04. > :52:07.There was very, very poor germination and those that
:52:08. > :52:10.never quite took off and, to be honest,
:52:11. > :52:16.because we had a very good carrot crop last year.
:52:17. > :52:28.Now, most of these are a fairly regular carrot shape,
:52:29. > :52:32.without any embarrassing or otherwise hilarious oddities.
:52:33. > :52:35.But we can all enjoy a funny carrot,
:52:36. > :52:37.so if you've got any vegetables -
:52:38. > :52:40.they don't have to be just carrots - that you think are
:52:41. > :52:44.side-splitting because of their oddities or rudeness,
:52:45. > :52:47.then you can e-mail us a picture or send them
:52:48. > :52:50.to our Facebook page and if we think they're fit
:52:51. > :52:53.for human consumption, we'll show them on the programme,
:52:54. > :52:55.although it might have to be after the watershed
:52:56. > :53:04.The turnips and the kohlrabi are doing very well.
:53:05. > :53:13.And you just take off the foliage, like that,
:53:14. > :53:17.and if you grate that, you can eat it raw.
:53:18. > :53:21.And then the turnips have grown really fast.
:53:22. > :53:27.and turnips are a treat with a bit of brown sugar,
:53:28. > :53:30.so the turnips are coated in this kind of caramel
:53:31. > :53:34.and you have a sweetness from that with a slight bitterness
:53:35. > :53:37.from the turnip and it's a very good taste indeed.
:53:38. > :53:40.And this is a whopper. This is too big, I think.
:53:41. > :53:45.I like my turnips smaller than that. Yeah, that's a good size.
:53:46. > :53:50.That's about the right size for a turnip for me.
:53:51. > :54:00.We've got the chicory here, which is absolutely
:54:01. > :54:03.a winter plant, and I'll be taking off the lower leaves.
:54:04. > :54:05.I like that at this time of year.
:54:06. > :54:07.There's a sense of two seasons coming together,
:54:08. > :54:11.one which you're leaving in a great sort of bounteous harvest
:54:12. > :54:14.and the other which you're entering and trying to manage
:54:15. > :54:18.so that in the months to come you'll have lots to pick.
:54:19. > :54:21.And you don't have to worry about months to come -
:54:22. > :54:26.just think about this weekend, because here are some jobs.
:54:27. > :54:30.If you buy prepared hyacinth bulbs, they can be planted
:54:31. > :54:35.so that they flower indoors by Christmas.
:54:36. > :54:39.Use a gritty compost and leave a half to a third
:54:40. > :54:44.Water them and then put them somewhere dark.
:54:45. > :54:52.and don't let them dry out completely.
:54:53. > :54:56.Yew hedges can be cut later in the year than most other kinds,
:54:57. > :55:02.A good cut now will keep it looking crisp and trim
:55:03. > :55:07.right through winter on into late spring.
:55:08. > :55:09.If you've got a young yew hedge like this one,
:55:10. > :55:17.just cut the sides and any extra-long shoots on the top.
:55:18. > :55:20.Inevitably, windfalls drop from apple trees
:55:21. > :55:25.I like to put a container under each tree
:55:26. > :55:30.and they can be used for juicing or cooking
:55:31. > :55:32.or eating raw if there's any ripeness to them,
:55:33. > :55:34.but to get the best from an apple,
:55:35. > :55:37.you need to pick it ripe and handle it with care.
:55:38. > :55:42.Twist each fruit carefully and it comes away in your hand.
:55:43. > :55:44.Store it somewhere cool and dark,
:55:45. > :55:50.taking real care not to damage the fruit.
:55:51. > :55:54.Now, it's turned out to be a lovely day here at Longmeadow,
:55:55. > :55:56.but at this time of year we can,
:55:57. > :56:02.extreme heat, extreme rain, extreme wind, just about
:56:03. > :56:22.everything, so let's see what's on offer for us this weekend.
:56:23. > :56:22.whoever that may be. means some getting off to a soggy
:56:23. > :57:17.The combination of the fake wasps' nest and the screens
:57:18. > :57:20.across the door seem to have kept the wasps at bay
:57:21. > :57:23.and it's looking good. It's looking a good harvest.
:57:24. > :57:28.I have tasted a few and this is Black Hamburg and we want
:57:29. > :57:31.the colour to be really quite rich,
:57:32. > :57:44.There we are. Isn't it wonderful?
:57:45. > :57:52.Well, I reckon that's a pretty good harvest and we should get
:57:53. > :57:55.at least a basket of ripe grapes every week
:57:56. > :57:58.for the next month, six weeks or so.
:57:59. > :58:01.And we need something to look forward to, because yesterday
:58:02. > :58:11.so now the days are losing the race with light.
:58:12. > :58:17.so let's treasure every moment of daylight that we have.
:58:18. > :58:20.No more daylight to share with you today, I'm afraid.
:58:21. > :58:25.But I'll be back here at Longmeadow
:58:26. > :58:28.and we will all be back next week at the same time
:58:29. > :58:33.with another full hour, so until then, bye-bye.