0:00:02 > 0:00:04Gardeners' World is now an hour long.
0:00:04 > 0:00:09We can celebrate even more wonderful gardens and have more tips to
0:00:09 > 0:00:13keep your garden looking good throughout the whole year.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Hello and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Of course, this is the season of fruitfulness,
0:00:27 > 0:00:32and no fruit is more sumptuous than the quince.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Quinces are a fruit just full of mystery and magic, as well
0:00:37 > 0:00:39as being delicious.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42One of my favourite stories about it is the fact that in
0:00:42 > 0:00:49the 16th and 17th century, quinces were mashed up into a kind of paste
0:00:49 > 0:00:50for curing baldness.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Probably gained because many quinces are covered with a tiny
0:00:53 > 0:00:55little fluff.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00Bald men would take this quincey paste and slap it on their
0:01:00 > 0:01:05heads and leave it as a kind of quince mulch
0:01:05 > 0:01:07to encourage hair growth.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12I love the thought of all these Tudor and Jacobean men
0:01:12 > 0:01:16walking the streets of London with what amounted to
0:01:16 > 0:01:19a toupee made of jam on their heads.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29A quince has a kind of floral fragrance that you can just
0:01:29 > 0:01:32put in a room and it acts as a pomander.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Or if you add it to apples, one quince to about 20 apples,
0:01:36 > 0:01:41it just infuses them with a delicacy that no apple has ever had.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43And it makes marvellous jelly and membrillo,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46which is a kind of set jelly you eat with cheese.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50It is good eating, except for the fact that you have to cook it.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53You can never, ever eat quince raw.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01On tonight's programme, Frances Tophill is in Devon,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- where she has the results of her veg trial.- This is nice and fresh.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09- It is sweet, it is easy to eat.- This is definitely the winner for me.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11So everyone is agreed?
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Carol is exploring autumn colour.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Look at this, it's all fresh colour.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19It's like spring all over again, but it's autumn.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23And I am visiting the garden of Lord and Lady Heseltine.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Do you actually garden together?
0:02:25 > 0:02:28He is the master gardener, I am the slave labour.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32That is a very unrepresentative view of the truth, if I may say so.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39And I shall be planting strawberries and bringing in my bananas
0:02:39 > 0:02:43for protection because it was jolly cold here this morning.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Still a few roses flowering here in the Cottage Garden.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03The sunflower Vanilla Ice is going strong, no problem there at all.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06My new cut flower beds have been pretty good,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I'd say about six out of ten.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Plants like this dahlia, Grenadier, were put in here because we
0:03:12 > 0:03:15had lost the label, didn't know how it was going to flower.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17If I had known it was Grenadier, I would have put it in
0:03:17 > 0:03:19the Jewel Garden, because that is where it belongs.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22It won't be coming back in here next year.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23On this bed, we had more annuals.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Most of them have finished and been taken up.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30The distophylla is still going, a little bit more flowering in that.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34But I want to fill this empty space and I'll fill the whole bed
0:03:34 > 0:03:36eventually with some bulbs for next spring.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46The thing to bear in mind when you're making a cutting
0:03:46 > 0:03:51garden, or cutting bed or patch of any kind, is that this is a crop.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54This is not decorative in the garden in particular,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58it is designed to be at its most decorative when harvested and
0:03:58 > 0:04:01brought into the house.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Daffodils are easy-peasy.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11The basic rule of all bulbs is to plant it at least its own
0:04:11 > 0:04:14height below the soil.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16It would certainly do
0:04:16 > 0:04:19no harm to have twice its own height of soil above it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23So there, there and there. That will be the soil level.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25That is quite a deep hole.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Obviously any daffodil with a reasonably long stem can be
0:04:29 > 0:04:31grown as a cut flower.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33I have chosen Pheasant's Eye because not only
0:04:33 > 0:04:35do I like it, you've got this
0:04:35 > 0:04:38white petal with this intense golden middle,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40but also it is very fragrant.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Quite a few daffodils are fragrant so look out for them.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47So we'll just take that out.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52A decent-sized hole like that and pop it in.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55When you're planting for cut flowers,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59you want to plant closer together than you would normally.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04So I will dig another hole here.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Like that.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Daffodils are pretty adaptable.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23And pretty unfussy about where they grow.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27In principle, like all bulbs, they like fairly good drainage.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29They don't want to be too dry.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33In practice, they will grow in most places as long as they get
0:05:33 > 0:05:34some sunshine.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37We'll get one more at the back.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44Now, you can plant tulips in exactly the same way.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46But for cut flowers,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49there is another method which is very effective.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53It is quite early for tulip planting. There's no panic.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Normally you are advised not to begin until after Bonfire Night,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01till 6th November, and right through till Christmas is absolutely fine.
0:06:01 > 0:06:07But that is because you want to avoid the risk of tulip fire,
0:06:07 > 0:06:12and the fungi which causes tulip fire are killed off by cold.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13So the idea is,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15when you plant them in cold weather,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17as they start to grow there is much less risk of them being affected.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20But if you're not worried about that, and there has been
0:06:20 > 0:06:22no evidence of tulip fire in this part of the garden ever,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25then you can plant them in October.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I will start by digging a trench.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48The secret of getting tulips with nice, long,
0:06:48 > 0:06:53strong stems is to plant them as deep as you possibly can.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56So choose a type,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59like the Triumph series or the lily-flowered ones,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01that aren't too early flowering,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03because they tend to have shorter stems.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Nice, upright tulips with long, strong stems.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Then, in the bottom of the trench, add some grit.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22And by adding grit to the bottom, I am ensuring that they'll
0:07:22 > 0:07:26get good drainage and therefore will perform as well as they can.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41And then we plant the bulbs directly onto the grit.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46I've got a number here, I've got Queen of Night, got Ballerina.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I think Queen of Night makes the most fantastic cut flower.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59When you're planting in this method,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01you can plant much closer than you normally would.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06We can put that like that. And that like that.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Like that.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Queen of Night is a really dark, dark tulip.
0:08:18 > 0:08:24It's not black, because it's touched with hints of plum
0:08:24 > 0:08:29that shine through the deep, rich purple. It is very late, too.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33It won't start flowering until early-to-mid May.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37I have had this flowering into June, if the weather is a bit cold in May.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41So a late, very dramatic flower.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48Now I just need to backfill that. Fill in there.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57I do appreciate that growing cut flowers is not something that
0:08:57 > 0:09:00everybody has space or even the inclination for.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03But if you do, give it a go, because it is
0:09:03 > 0:09:10a great way of bringing the garden indoors throughout the season.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Nick Bailey has been going round the country over the last few weeks,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17giving more general help to gardens,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21using his experience and skill to transform them from slightly
0:09:21 > 0:09:27lost, unused spaces into an area that the whole family can enjoy.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29This week he is in London.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36I am here in Dulwich, my stamping ground.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I am visiting a little city garden which
0:09:39 > 0:09:43has a lot to deliver from a small and tricky space.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52This garden has been suppressed for years
0:09:52 > 0:09:54by the shade of a large tree,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58which has caused the turf to die out and all the plants to stretch.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01But the tree's gone and it presents a fantastic opportunity
0:10:01 > 0:10:03to bring the garden back to life.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06In this far corner, there's a kids' play area.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09It's looking a bit sad, it's quite dark as well, so I'm not going
0:10:09 > 0:10:11to be able to grow anything in there, but I'm going to
0:10:11 > 0:10:15put down a layer of mulch and improve the play space.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18This bed, which was previously shaded out,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21is now a great opportunity for growing fruit,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23so I'm going to put some whitecurrants and redcurrants
0:10:23 > 0:10:26in here, that the family can easily harvest.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30And I'm going to replace this patchy lawn with brand-new turf,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32refresh the whole area
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and make a lovely space that the family can sit out in.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Just get this out of the way.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Now, for this play area I'm going to do three different things.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I'm going to put down a timber retaining edge.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Then I'm going to put down a geotextile, and that will stop
0:10:50 > 0:10:53the weeds coming up. And then finally, some loose dry bark
0:10:53 > 0:10:55that the kids can play on.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Now, this stuff is incredibly useful, it's a complete
0:11:18 > 0:11:22barrier to weeds and it allows water to permeate through.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25It does have one slight issue, in as much as it tends to shred
0:11:25 > 0:11:27on the edges. So I tuck it underneath.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47With the play area finished, it's now time to set to
0:11:47 > 0:11:52on this newly light border, and it's the ideal place to grow fruit.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Now, this soil is surprisingly rich, given it's been under a tree,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04so I really don't need to improve it to get the tayberry growing,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07and it's quite rampant so it will quickly spread across
0:12:07 > 0:12:10the fence and give lots of harvesting opportunities.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21So that's the last of the fruit into this new fruit border,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24but I also put something else in here -
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Galium odoratum or woodruff. It's a fantastic little ground-cover
0:12:27 > 0:12:30plant, beautiful little white flowers in spring,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32and it doesn't mind growing in dappled shade.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36So it will work brilliantly, almost as a mulch underneath these
0:12:36 > 0:12:39berries just here. Now, the little alpine strawberries on the front
0:12:39 > 0:12:43are absolutely fantastic for kids cos they keep cropping
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and most of their fruit tends to be hidden by the foliage,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48so they are not always stolen by the birds.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56All of these plants have been really compromised by the shade in
0:12:56 > 0:12:59the garden in the past and they are really beyond redemption.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01So, this sad cherry is going to go.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I'm going to dig out the whole root of the tree here.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10The reason for that is, the root stock at the base of the cherry
0:13:10 > 0:13:13will start shooting up suckers if I leave it there
0:13:13 > 0:13:16or cut it flat with the ground, so I'm going to get the whole lot out.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And actually, that's not the healthiest root, also,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22it really wouldn't have been a good plant long-term.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37So, I've finished off digging over the whole area
0:13:37 > 0:13:41and there's two reasons for that. One - it makes the soil
0:13:41 > 0:13:44nice and loose, so that I can rake out and end up with a decent
0:13:44 > 0:13:46level surface to put the new turf on. And number two -
0:13:46 > 0:13:48it means that the soil will be open,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51so the new turf can root well into it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55So this not-so-fancy footwork is just a bit of a plot shuffle,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59so I'm just compressing the soil down. It allows you to get rid of
0:13:59 > 0:14:02any air pockets or divots in the soil, once you've done that initial
0:14:02 > 0:14:05fork and rake over, and then once I've done my plot shuffle,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I'll do a final rake over which will have it ready for the turf to
0:14:08 > 0:14:10go down.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Work backwards when you're raking, to ensure you have a level surface,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17but when it comes to laying turf, you need to work forwards.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19In other words, you are working on top of the turf
0:14:19 > 0:14:23you've just laid, on boards, which help settle it in
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and ensure a good connection with the turf roots and the soil.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32So, as you can see, I'm laying the turf in a tessellated pattern,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35a little bit like bricks. In other words, the turf is staggered
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and that helps it stabilise and stops it moving around.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44So, I'm just making sure that this turf is knitted together -
0:14:44 > 0:14:48in other words, the soil is connecting with the soil
0:14:48 > 0:14:51on the edge of the next piece of turf.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Well, that's not bad for a day's work.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01So, down at the bottom there's now a decent play area for the kids,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03lots of space and nice and safe down there.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Off to the side, the mini fruit garden is established
0:15:06 > 0:15:09with the currants and strawberries.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12And I've managed to get a decent patch of turf into the centre of
0:15:12 > 0:15:14the garden that the family will be able to enjoy.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Alan Power has been going behind the scenes
0:15:27 > 0:15:30with those managing our most prestigious gardens,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34and in the last of his films, he is in County Down.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Having been head gardener for three years
0:15:38 > 0:15:40here at Mount Stewart in Northern Ireland,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43it's a garden I truly fell in love with during my time
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and I'm back here today to team up with the current head gardener,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50Neil Porteous, to find out what happens behind the scenes
0:15:50 > 0:15:52to look after these stunning gardens.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Neil has access to a wonderful archive of original plans
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and designs, left by the garden's creator, Lady Londonderry,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04which inform his work here every day.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10There's just hints on the front of all of these books,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12you know, whether it's Ward's field notes,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15whether it's the little scribes on the back of the plans,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18but Mount Stewart House and Gardens Exterior -
0:16:18 > 0:16:22and I've spotted the Italian garden illuminated by night.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28It's brilliant. This was done in 1934 for George V's
0:16:28 > 0:16:31silver jubilee. These are beautiful, exotic flowering trees
0:16:31 > 0:16:34like the South African pea tree, Psoralea pinnata,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- or the Japanese Sophora. - Are you working towards this?
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- This is the pinnacle, isn't it? - This is what you're after, is it?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Yeah. These are her drawings, actually. She's the architect,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47these are scale drawings, she's annotated them to give some
0:16:47 > 0:16:51- of the hard landscaping details. - Even the style of brickwork that
0:16:51 > 0:16:55she was after. And it's just lovely to see the amount of information
0:16:55 > 0:16:58that you've got available, that you can actually
0:16:58 > 0:17:00put Edith back into the garden.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07One of the most original features in the garden is the topiary,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11inspired by Lady Londonderry's fascination with Irish mythology.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Jason up here is working on one of our more intricate pieces,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21this is The Huntress. Most of the formation of these pieces
0:17:21 > 0:17:25of topiary is actually tying the shoots of the yew and
0:17:25 > 0:17:27stopping it, to make it sort of bush up.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30And what you are really looking to do, eventually, is be able
0:17:30 > 0:17:32to cut about a quarter of an inch round the frame...
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- Right.- ..to get the basic shape. - So it's not a hedge-cutter job?
0:17:36 > 0:17:40No, no. Long-term, what we want for this is to put the figure,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43the head of the figure back to how she was.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And she had a bit of hair and she had a sort of Robin Hood kind of
0:17:46 > 0:17:49hat with a feather in it. So, eventually, you know,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52we want to be able to add all of that detail in as well as the
0:17:52 > 0:17:54bow and arrow and the quiver and all of that, you know.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- And have you told Jason this? - Not yet, no.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58No, better...better leave him.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Restoring the topiary to its former glory is just one
0:18:04 > 0:18:08way of bringing the garden closer to Lady Londonderry's original vision.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Mount Stewart benefits from a warm microclimate, which enabled her
0:18:13 > 0:18:17to include exotics from around the world in her planting schemes.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Staying faithful to her plans means Neil and his team have to
0:18:22 > 0:18:25raise many unusual plants from seed.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28So I've come up to the nursery at Mount Stewart to meet Alan,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31the head propagator. Having the ability, the skills
0:18:31 > 0:18:34and the facilities to propagate and look after the future
0:18:34 > 0:18:37of the collection is absolutely fundamental
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and I'm really excited to see it because none of it existed
0:18:40 > 0:18:42when I was here as head gardener.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51- This is where the magic happens. - This is where the magic happens.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53- The magic beach. - Yeah, we built these cabinets
0:18:53 > 0:18:57and it's all about generating a nice little microclimate.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01We have a sand bed and under that we have a soil cable buried
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- and they are about six inches apart. - And that's giving the bottom heat
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- to the plants? - Bottom heat - 18 to 20 degrees.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- Yeah.- The sand is important too, cos you can water that nicely
0:19:11 > 0:19:15and then you get this nice sort of humid atmosphere
0:19:15 > 0:19:17which is perfect for germinating seedlings.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20We've plants from all over the world. Currently we are
0:19:20 > 0:19:23working on a project growing plants from South Africa...
0:19:23 > 0:19:28You just cannot buy these plants out in the trade,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30so that's the importance of the nursery here,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33to grow all these rare plants,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37to build up the collection in Mount Stewart is really what we are about.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38That's brilliant.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46In this house,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49everything is just ready to go out into the garden here now.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51So this the final stage of what we've seen?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53This is the final stage of production
0:19:53 > 0:19:55and it's a lovely controlled environment here.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59It's really exciting, this metrosideros here.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- We're well pleased with that plant. - Nice.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05That's grown from seed and that's about two and a half,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07maybe three years' work, that.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Fantastic. Thank you for that.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11- No problem.- Right, I'm going to go and catch Neil, then.- Very good.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Thanks, Alan. Cheers, all the best. Take care.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Planting this tree is another step
0:20:19 > 0:20:21towards achieving Lady Londonderry's goal
0:20:21 > 0:20:24of conserving some of the world's rarest plants.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Cracking. Good.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34That's great. It's so nice to put something in the ground.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I know, and it's such a beautiful plant.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40This is the Metrosideros excelsa, New Zealand Christmas tree,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44and it's a beautiful, sheltered, sunny spot.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48In July it'll be covered in this filamentous, beautiful red flowers.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It'll be just a picture.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I've been on quite a journey with you and your team today.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58To see the records and the work that you've been doing,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01learning about Mount Stewart and Lady Edith to...
0:21:01 > 0:21:03The propagation is fantastic,
0:21:03 > 0:21:04knowing that the collection is secure
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and not just secure but developing rapidly for the future,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10so hopefully we'll enjoy it for many years to come.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Well, certainly the topiary
0:21:22 > 0:21:26puts my Nigel to shame. No, not you, this thing here, matey.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Haven't quite worked out how to get a bow and arrow in there,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33but I will and I fully intend to have a ball made out of yew
0:21:33 > 0:21:35inside the topiary Nigel's mouth
0:21:35 > 0:21:37because that's where it belongs, isn't it?
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Come on.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48It was almost frosty this morning here at Longmeadow
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and there was a real chill in the air.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Now, most plants can cope with that
0:21:53 > 0:21:56down to about minus two, three, or four,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59but there's one plant here in the Jewel Garden
0:21:59 > 0:22:03that absolutely will not tolerate any cold at all.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11This is the banana.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Ensete ventricosum Maurelii...
0:22:15 > 0:22:19..and by any name, it is simply splendid.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23But it just is not hardy,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26so I need to lift it and preserve it.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31And all this is this year's growth,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34which means that I can cut it all off
0:22:34 > 0:22:37in the knowledge that it will replace itself next year.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41I have to say, it feels very vandalistic,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43but I know I'm helping out.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46If I just cut across like that, I can work my way through it.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51This kind of destructive yet protective work is only necessary
0:22:51 > 0:22:55for the ensete bananas, which are completely tender.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59If you grow musa - Musa basjoo is the most common one -
0:22:59 > 0:23:00you can leave them outside.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02As long as you build some sort of protection,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05a wigwam wrapped with fleece or packed with straw,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08they should be OK, and of course the crucial thing,
0:23:08 > 0:23:09the absolutely crucial thing,
0:23:09 > 0:23:15is to remove it before it needs it, so when it isn't cold.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Isn't that just fantastic...
0:23:21 > 0:23:25..as a beautiful piece of design?
0:23:25 > 0:23:27That curve and line and the colour.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33It does feel very hard to destroy it.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36But then you just have to have faith
0:23:36 > 0:23:38that it can recreate and recreate for years to come.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47I could just cut across there and it would regrow,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51but the reason I want to keep the stem tall is that next year,
0:23:51 > 0:23:55new leaves will come from all the way up it,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58so I will get more height, and eventually,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00if the stem is up nice and high,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03we'll get a really tall, dramatic display.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07That one can come off. That's the top.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11Last one.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Right, now I've got to dig it up.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Given what an enormous plant it is,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25the roots are actually surprisingly small.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29They are exceptionally thirsty and hungry plants,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33so they like really rich soil, which is why they do well here.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36And as much water as you can give them, almost literally.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Right, up we come.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41There we go.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It's so wet. Come out now!
0:25:02 > 0:25:04You're going to have to move, Nige.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20They need to be stored
0:25:20 > 0:25:23packed in something to protect the roots
0:25:23 > 0:25:24and to allow them to grow,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27because although we don't want the leaves to grow,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29it will develop new roots over winter.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32If we pull this there...
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Stay there.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46This is a mixture of ordinary potting compost
0:25:46 > 0:25:49with 50% of leaf mould, and leaf mould is good
0:25:49 > 0:25:53because it's very low in nutrition
0:25:53 > 0:25:57but a really good texture for the roots to grow in
0:25:57 > 0:25:59and it holds moisture quite well.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I want it to go into hibernation, really,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13just to gently grow a little bit.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Ideally, if you can keep it between five and about 12 degrees,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21it'll be healthy, but it won't grow.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22Keep it fairly dry.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Just water it very lightly and check up on it,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27put your hand into the compost
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and if it feels dry, give it a little bit more water,
0:26:30 > 0:26:36then gradually you introduce it to heat and light in about April,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38so it's ready to plant out mid-May.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I'm going to put this in the tool shed,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42because last year I kept it in the greenhouse
0:26:42 > 0:26:44and it was too warm and it grew too much,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48whereas the tool shed, although it's in the way, is absolutely perfect.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50If I can lift it on my own.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Oi!
0:27:02 > 0:27:05That's my banana put to bed for the winter,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08but some gardens are just revving up now.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Carol has been to visit one of them.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Once upon a time, us gardeners would be thinking about tidying up,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24cutting everything back at this time of year, but not here.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29Here, it's all about plants reaching their peak.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Everything's a celebration.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34You really feel it's all saying to you, "Let's have a party."
0:27:38 > 0:27:40This place is a family affair.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Paul Picton's father came here after the Second World War
0:27:44 > 0:27:45to manage the nursery,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49which specialised in growing Michaelmas daisies.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Today, they're best known for housing the National Collection.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55But as well as their asters,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59they've got a wonderful array of herbaceous plants.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01So this whole garden, really,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04its emphasis is on this time of year, isn't it?
0:28:04 > 0:28:05Yes, it is, absolutely, Carol.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08It was originally designed to be a border
0:28:08 > 0:28:11full of nothing but Michaelmas daisies,
0:28:11 > 0:28:16but what we like to do now is to show people how they can associate
0:28:16 > 0:28:20their Michaelmas daisies with lots of other autumn-flowering plants.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23A lot of gardens are closing down now, aren't they?
0:28:23 > 0:28:25People are saying, "Oh, it's time to cut the plants down,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29"get indoors by the fire, put the crumpets on."
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- But out here, look at it, it's all fresh colour.- It is.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34It's like spring all over again, but it's autumn.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38If you've got a small garden, there are lots of lessons to learn here,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41aren't there, about how you can bring this fabulous colour?
0:28:41 > 0:28:42There are indeed.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45The smaller the garden, the more important it is to make sure
0:28:45 > 0:28:49- you have colour for every month of the year.- And anybody could do it.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Easy, straightforward plants to grow.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53The main thing to remember with them
0:28:53 > 0:28:55is to keep them in a sunny situation.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58- Very few like to grow in shady spots.- Yes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01But there are all manner of plants through here, aren't there,
0:29:01 > 0:29:02that people can use?
0:29:02 > 0:29:05You know, you've got these whacks of goldenrod.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Those are some of my favourite things, really,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11for mixing with the Michaelmas daisies in the autumn, goldenrods.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- Solidago.- Yeah.
0:29:14 > 0:29:15What's this one, Paul?
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- It's fascinating.- Believe it or not,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19I know it looks old, like me,
0:29:19 > 0:29:25but it's actually a new variety of autumn-flowering Michaelmas daisy.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28- Is it?- It's called Chilly Fingers.
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Chilly Fingers!
0:29:29 > 0:29:30It's a complete delight.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33And it does look like you, it's terribly elegant.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36And a bit ragged around the edges.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49And what a wealth of plants there are here.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53What wonderful texture and sculpture and scale.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56In the background up here there's an enormous Eupatorium
0:29:56 > 0:29:59looking down on the proceedings.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01And then the dainty, twiggy growth of this
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Althaea cannabina.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07Their pink bulbs suspended from its branches and it's really
0:30:07 > 0:30:08lovely and dainty.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12And then there are masses and masses of asters.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15And don't you just love the way this Ageratina altissima
0:30:15 > 0:30:19'Chocolate' flows through the planting?
0:30:19 > 0:30:24And this sweeps down to this wonderfully frivolous plant.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30You just have to touch it with these soft inflorescences.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32But in total contrast are these
0:30:32 > 0:30:35big round solid pom poms of the Dahlia,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38just finishing this piece of the border off.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40It's magnificent.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44What a kaleidoscope of colour.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48The rich gold of Rudbeckia, Kniphofias and Bidens.
0:30:48 > 0:30:54And the blues of Salvias and Aconites are so telling.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57And if vivid, vibrant colours aren't your thing,
0:30:57 > 0:31:01there are plenty of pretty pastels to choose from.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04This is a Japanese anemone, Lady Gilmour.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06And in the background,
0:31:06 > 0:31:12the dainty arching pose of this Nicotiana really define combination.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29So why do some plants leave it till now to come into flower?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32It's all down to a process called photoperiodism,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36which is simply the response that some organisms have
0:31:36 > 0:31:38to changes in day length.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42As nights get longer, it triggers these plants into flower,
0:31:42 > 0:31:47which significantly increases their chances of being pollinated.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51So just as we have been moaning the shorter days,
0:31:51 > 0:31:57these plants joyously burst into flower in all their glory.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06Whatever your taste, there are plants that can allow you to
0:32:06 > 0:32:10express yourself in your garden right the way through the autumn.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Well, certainly my asters that I planted in here about a month ago,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24specifically chosen for their ability
0:32:24 > 0:32:27to flower in some slight shade,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30are doing very nicely indeed.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31Now, coming up in the programme.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Zephaniah Lindo looks at the mysteries
0:32:34 > 0:32:37and the magic of fungi in the soil.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40And we can take each of those fungal strands and join them together,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42it would stretch all the way to the moon.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46Frances Tophill gives us the results of the vegetable trials
0:32:46 > 0:32:49that she's been conducting at RHS Rosemoor.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53But first of all, we have a visit that I made a couple of weeks ago
0:32:53 > 0:32:58to a garden that has been created from scratch over the last 40 years.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03And its maker is better known for his role in government
0:33:03 > 0:33:05than in the garden.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17I met Lord and Lady Heseltine at Chelsea Flower Show this year.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21Now, I knew that Lord Heseltine had created an arboretum,
0:33:21 > 0:33:26but I didn't know the extent and depth of his passion
0:33:26 > 0:33:28for gardening in general.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32So when they kindly offered to show me around the garden
0:33:32 > 0:33:35that they have both created over the last 40 years,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38of course I jumped at the opportunity.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Now, when did you start gardening?
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Well, I started... I suppose the first experience was when I went
0:33:58 > 0:34:01away to school and the headmaster gave every new boy
0:34:01 > 0:34:05a square yard of mud and a packet of Virginia stock seeds.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09And I methodically covered and six weeks later
0:34:09 > 0:34:11I had a sea of colour, and I was hooked.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13And when did you come here?
0:34:13 > 0:34:17Well, Ann and I came here in 1976 and when we came here we had
0:34:17 > 0:34:23a lot of land, but it had not been gardened or cultivated or anything
0:34:23 > 0:34:29like that and slowly we started trying to do something about it.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Over the past four decades, Lord Heseltine has created
0:34:33 > 0:34:37a number of gardens across 70 acres of his estate.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41They include several large expanses of water, a rill,
0:34:41 > 0:34:46a trough garden and a wall garden, but he hasn't done this all alone.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Along with his team of gardeners,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52all the work is a joint effort with his wife Lady Ann.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57Has the wall garden always been a productive garden, a decorative one?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00We wanted an aviary, we wanted a fruit garden,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04we wanted a seating area and we wanted a herb garden.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08So these four quartiles have got a central point.
0:35:08 > 0:35:09We went off to Villandry,
0:35:09 > 0:35:13which has to be one of the great world gardens, 12 acres.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15And we thought we could replicate it here.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19- Of course you could. - Hence all the green.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Tell me about these pavilions, I suppose they are.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- We call them kiosks.- OK.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Because that's what they call them in Turkey.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27They have those similar things.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- We saw them in Istanbul, do you remember?- Yeah.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33So the whole thing from the beginning has been
0:35:33 > 0:35:37a sort of hodgepodge of advice or inspiration from other gardeners.
0:35:37 > 0:35:38Don't forget the elephants.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43I went on a tour of India with the Furniture History Society
0:35:43 > 0:35:47and came back having bought two enormous marble elephants.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51And the problem is, they're much too big for the house,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54so in the winter, I'm afraid, they're swathed like mummies.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Do you actually garden together?
0:35:57 > 0:36:00- No.- A bit.- Sometimes.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04If there's a huge bit of slashing down, we do it together.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08He's the master gardener, I'm the slave labour.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12No, that's a very unrepresentative view of the truth, if I may say so.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Do you have any real difference in tastes at all?
0:36:16 > 0:36:20Is there a fault line which neither of you can really cross?
0:36:20 > 0:36:24No, I mean, I'm colour-blind, I can't see red against green.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Ann has got a very good colour appreciation.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Ann will say, "That's nice," or, "That's not nice," or,
0:36:31 > 0:36:33"You ought to do more of that," or whatever.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37And then it falls to me to get on and get it done.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49It sounds a silly question, but do you eat all your fruit and veg?
0:36:49 > 0:36:51No. We do lots of things.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55We do the bottling and freezing and chutney and jams and stuff,
0:36:55 > 0:36:58but, you know, it's far more than we can possibly consume.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00This is quite new.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04Using this form for the pear on this background.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06I mean, normally pears are on walls.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08- Yeah.- But they seem to be very happy with it.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11It certainly looks healthy.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21This is one enormous border.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23I know you've broken it up into different sections.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26How important are the borders to you?
0:37:26 > 0:37:28I think that they're very important
0:37:28 > 0:37:32because they are part of the changing pace.
0:37:32 > 0:37:37You move from the water areas to the open places with big trees
0:37:37 > 0:37:39and shrubberies.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43- But then you want something that's a bit tarty.- A bit of colour.
0:37:45 > 0:37:46A bit colourful.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49This guy, this Kniphofia is a star.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51It's as if he knew you were coming.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55So you are running a major garden on the scale with any of
0:37:55 > 0:37:58the largest gardens in the country, really.
0:37:58 > 0:37:59It's quite a thing, isn't it?
0:37:59 > 0:38:01It's crazy.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Absolutely mad.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08On an estate this size,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12his and hers golf buggies are the preferred mode of transport.
0:38:20 > 0:38:26We're off to the arboretum which contains over 3,000 different trees.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32It's when you start an arboretum and deliberately planting trees
0:38:32 > 0:38:34as a kind of collection...
0:38:34 > 0:38:36You need an awful lot of imagination.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40People think that and it goes with the same argument,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42"You're only doing it for the future."
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Of course future generations will benefit from it,
0:38:45 > 0:38:50but if you're in your mid-40s, when you start, by the time you reach
0:38:50 > 0:38:55your mature age, if we may be frank, you have got things you worship.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58It's been 40 years. What's given you most pleasure over that time?
0:38:58 > 0:39:05It must be just driving around and being surprised because
0:39:05 > 0:39:08you see changes, things grow into each other,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11they create a pattern that you didn't know existed,
0:39:11 > 0:39:15they create colour combinations that you hadn't imagined.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20And if you couple that with the incredible therapy
0:39:20 > 0:39:22of closing the door and you move
0:39:22 > 0:39:26into a world which is completely sort of...
0:39:26 > 0:39:30absorbing and therapeutic...
0:39:30 > 0:39:34But you know, it's ours, we do it.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37We did it, and it's a huge privilege.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49In the soil beneath our trees and woodlands and gardens
0:39:49 > 0:39:53lives one of the largest organisms in the world,
0:39:53 > 0:39:57and it is one of the gardener's best friends.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01And Zephaniah Lindo travelled to Bangor in North Wales to meet
0:40:01 > 0:40:05Professor Davey Jones to learn more about it.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Davey, you've brought us down to the woods today to show
0:40:09 > 0:40:10me something really exciting.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Do you want to tell me what it is that we're going to see?
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Yeah, so, today the plan is to look at some mycorrhizas.
0:40:16 > 0:40:21They are what I would consider the life force of this woodland, really.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23You know, we're quite used to seeing the trees,
0:40:23 > 0:40:26but actually, associated with all those trees,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29underneath the ground there's a massive network of this
0:40:29 > 0:40:31fungal hyphae, and that's really what's keeping these trees
0:40:31 > 0:40:34alive for most of the year, I think.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36The tree is providing the fungus with carbon,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38which allows it to grow.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41In return, the fungus is bringing back all of the nutrients and
0:40:41 > 0:40:44goodness from the decomposing organic matter and the litter
0:40:44 > 0:40:47that's fallen off the trees and taking it back to the tree.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50So in this environment, then, with there being so much of them,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53how easy are they to find? You know, can you see them with the naked eye?
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Well, why don't we just go and have a look now?
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- So, let's see what we can see. - OK. Yeah, cool.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11So, if we just scrape away the soil surface, we should be able to
0:41:11 > 0:41:17just see under here all of that dense, white mycorrhizal matter.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19I mean, this is a perfect example here.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21You can actually see the growing front.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Each of those little white strands,
0:41:23 > 0:41:27that's just a dense mycorrhizal network, because the tree,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29when it loses the leaves in the autumn,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31it can take back most of the nutrients but not all of them,
0:41:31 > 0:41:34so what the mycorrhiza does is basically takes the rest of
0:41:34 > 0:41:35them back to the tree.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38We can see the mycorrhiza in the patch there,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40but in this sort of area, how much will there be?
0:41:40 > 0:41:43So, if we, for example, take this area here,
0:41:43 > 0:41:47we could take each of those mycorrhizal fungal strands and
0:41:47 > 0:41:49join them together into, you know, a big rope.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54We could anchor it here and it would stretch all the way to the moon.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55Fascinating!
0:41:57 > 0:42:01'So, that explains mycorrhizal fungi with regards to trees,
0:42:01 > 0:42:04'but what about mycorrhiza in other garden plants?
0:42:05 > 0:42:09'These plantains often grow as garden weeds,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13'and their roots are packed with mycorrhizal fungi, but they're not
0:42:13 > 0:42:14'visible to the naked eye,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18'so we've taken a sample back to the lab to put under the microscope.'
0:42:20 > 0:42:24What we can see here is actually... This is the root here,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27the root surface, and these are the root hairs coming off,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30normally into the soil. And this is the mycorrhizal hyphae coming out.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32This is the one coming from the soil
0:42:32 > 0:42:34into the docking station inside the root.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38And then, when it finds a cell where it wants to exchange...
0:42:38 > 0:42:40the goods, essentially,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43it forms a hand-like structure inside the cell to exchange
0:42:43 > 0:42:47nutrients one way and to get the sugar coming in the other way.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49So it's not like a parasite.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Yeah, these organisms have evolved for millions of years to be
0:42:52 > 0:42:56together, and the root's actually inviting the fungus into it,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59because it knows that if it invites the right fungus into it,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03ie the mycorrhizal fungus, in return for the sugar that it feeds
0:43:03 > 0:43:06that fungus, it will get all of those nutrients back.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09So they have formed a very intimate relationship.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14'And it's a relationship we gardeners can take advantage of.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17'You can use the fungus already present in your soil to
0:43:17 > 0:43:21'benefit other plants in the garden.'
0:43:21 > 0:43:24We've already had a look in the lab at some of the plantago,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27the plantains, that we commonly find in the garden,
0:43:27 > 0:43:29and they're incredibly mycorrhizal.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33I mean, up to 90% of the root system is infected by the mycorrhiza.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36And if we just take one of those out of the ground,
0:43:36 > 0:43:40we can just chop up the soil and the roots that are contained in it...
0:43:40 > 0:43:45and then mix it with some potting compost, for example,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48with a slow-release fertiliser, preferably.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Something like bonemeal would be perfect for this,
0:43:50 > 0:43:51because, at the end of the day,
0:43:51 > 0:43:55what they want is somewhere nice to live, and it doesn't matter who...
0:43:56 > 0:43:58..they get into bed with, essentially.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00If they're getting carbon from the plants, or sugar,
0:44:00 > 0:44:04which is what they want, they will hook up to any plant,
0:44:04 > 0:44:06so it's all perfect for gardeners, really.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11'Who would have thought that adding the roots of
0:44:11 > 0:44:15'a weed to your compost could actually help the plants flourish?'
0:44:29 > 0:44:34This strawberry bed gave a really good crop this summer. It was great.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38And walking on it won't help, Nelly! But it's about three years old,
0:44:38 > 0:44:42and it's standard practice to replace strawberries when
0:44:42 > 0:44:44they reach three or four years.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46And ideally, you do it in a rolling way so you replace a third or
0:44:46 > 0:44:48a quarter of your stock every year.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52And chuck away the old plants, because they accumulate viruses.
0:44:52 > 0:44:58The slight complication is that you mustn't plant into ground that
0:44:58 > 0:45:01has grown strawberries for at least three years and ideally about four.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05So you need to have three or four different plots.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08So I'm going to plant some more here...
0:45:08 > 0:45:10which has never grown strawberries before.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12And I've bought some bare-root plants.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15You won't find these in most garden centres,
0:45:15 > 0:45:17but they're very easy to get online.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21And a bare-root strawberry doesn't look like much at all.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25There you are. That is the plant.
0:45:25 > 0:45:31Now, you want ground that is well drained but rich.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33And don't plant them too close together.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35These might be small plants,
0:45:35 > 0:45:39but they need spacing at least 12 inches apart.
0:45:39 > 0:45:44I will put three across a bed like this and then plant them in a grid.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46That gives them room to develop.
0:45:46 > 0:45:51One large plant will give you more fruit than two small ones.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55And I'm going to add a little bit of mycorrhizal fungi.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59I love the idea of chopping up the plantain roots.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02And if you've got plantains in your lawn, there you are -
0:46:02 > 0:46:04fabulous source of mycorrhiza.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06So, we'll make a planting hole.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11And, as with all mycorrhizal fungi, it's contact that is important.
0:46:11 > 0:46:18So, the fungi must actually touch the roots to work.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23So sprinkle some on the bottom of the hole and just
0:46:23 > 0:46:26a little bit on the roots themselves.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28So, direct contact, and then firm that round.
0:46:31 > 0:46:36It's a bit of a fiddle adding the mycorrhizal fungi under each one,
0:46:36 > 0:46:40but actually it does, apparently, especially with strawberries,
0:46:40 > 0:46:41make a big difference.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44And when you're planting them - obviously you've got nice roots -
0:46:44 > 0:46:47you don't want to scrunch the roots up,
0:46:47 > 0:46:51so make a deep enough hole for the roots to go in and try and
0:46:51 > 0:46:55plant it so that the crown, which is there, is above soil level.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58You don't want to expose the roots, so not too high,
0:46:58 > 0:47:04and it's not buried. But just pull it round so it's like that.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10This is Mara des Bois, which is a perpetual strawberry
0:47:10 > 0:47:16so will crop from midsummer right through till now, really.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19And the reason I've chosen Mara des Bois is because,
0:47:19 > 0:47:23having grown them before, I know that they really have good taste.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25And in the end, that's what counts
0:47:25 > 0:47:29if you're growing something like strawberries. It's all about taste.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34And Frances Tophill has been doing a test all summer on four
0:47:34 > 0:47:36different vegetables -
0:47:36 > 0:47:41beans, sweetcorn, cucumbers and tomatoes.
0:47:41 > 0:47:46And today, she brings us the result of these months of work.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54It's the final day of our trial here at RHS Rosemoor in Devon.
0:47:54 > 0:47:59We've been growing beans, sweetcorn, cucumbers and tomatoes.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02We've sown them all from seed, we've pricked them all out, we've planted
0:48:02 > 0:48:05them all out and we've watered and fed them throughout the season.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09And they've done exactly the same at RHS Harlow Carr in Yorkshire.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11And today is our final harvest.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13So we're going to compare them all for yield
0:48:13 > 0:48:15and, more importantly, for their taste.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20'It's been a good year for beans here at Rosemoor.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22'All the varieties have done very well.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25'Cobra is the best yielder down here,
0:48:25 > 0:48:28'and up north it's violet podded. But it's all about taste.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30'We've cooked the beans and drafted in the taste buds of
0:48:30 > 0:48:34'some local allotmenteers.'
0:48:34 > 0:48:37Sweet. I like the texture of that one. That's crunchy.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41- So you like violet podded.- Yes. - And you like cobra.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44- I think I would grow these. - So you're going for helda.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46I like this one.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49- It's got texture, hasn't it?- So you like the helda.- Yes, I like helda.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52- And I like that one. - Cobra for you.- Yes.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54- So, which one's your favourite, then?- This one.- That's helda.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57Interesting! Thank you very much!
0:48:57 > 0:49:01'The helda just edges it with our allotment growers, but what
0:49:01 > 0:49:06'do Francesco from RHS Harlow Carr and Pete from RHS Rosemoor think?'
0:49:06 > 0:49:09- I do prefer the helda, though. - I agree.- Yes.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11And actually speaking to other people,
0:49:11 > 0:49:13that's the general favourite on taste so...
0:49:13 > 0:49:17I'm going to be controversial and go with Cobra, I prefer Cobra.
0:49:17 > 0:49:18- You like that best?- Hm.- Yeah, yeah.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23The cucumbers in the colder conditions of Harlow Carr
0:49:23 > 0:49:26have done surprisingly well for a traditionally tender crop.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29But they've been outshone by the Rosemoor cucumbers
0:49:29 > 0:49:32which have produced significantly more.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35At both sites, Burpless Tasty Green are well ahead,
0:49:35 > 0:49:36Marketmore coming second
0:49:36 > 0:49:40and the unusual looking Crystal Apple bringing up the rear.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42When it comes to flavour,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45the heritage variety Marketmore is our clear favourite.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49Despite its prickly appearance, it was incredibly sweet and tasty.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Sadly, all of the tomatoes here at Rosemoor had blight
0:49:55 > 0:49:57and had to be destroyed.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00Luckily, Harlow Carr escaped the dreaded disease.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Their best cropping tomato is Tumbler,
0:50:02 > 0:50:04with Tumbling Tom Yellow second
0:50:04 > 0:50:06and Hundreds and Thousands third.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Thank you for bringing your tomatoes down, Francesco,
0:50:11 > 0:50:13cos of, you know, ours have got blight.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16But interestingly, even though we got blight,
0:50:16 > 0:50:19we actually had more weight here in Devon than you had in Yorkshire,
0:50:19 > 0:50:20- didn't you?- Yes.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24- Actually, today, I like the yellow flavour...- Mm-hm.- ..more.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26I think I agree with you, yeah.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29Yeah, I think the yellow one is the winner today.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32Agreed, I think Tumbling Tom Yellow, interestingly,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35from Yorkshire is tastier than the others.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Well, this is our last harvest, the sweetcorn.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47And, Pete, it looks like it's doing really well down here.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Yeah, it has, it's done really good this year.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51We've got lots of good cobs here
0:50:51 > 0:50:54and this Mirai Picnic here that I'm picking now
0:50:54 > 0:50:56has really picked up. If you remember when it was planted,
0:50:56 > 0:50:57they were small little plants,
0:50:57 > 0:50:59we didn't think they were going to do too well.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01And how about you, Francesco?
0:51:01 > 0:51:03- Sadly, we haven't had any yet.- OK.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05But I am confident we will get some in a couple of weeks' time.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07But two weeks isn't so bad, I guess.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10- No, I can wait that long. - Yeah, fair enough.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Once the sweetcorn is harvested, it is carefully counted and recorded.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16Mirai Picnic has come out tops,
0:51:16 > 0:51:17Swift is second,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19followed by Northern Extra Sweet.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21So Mirai Picnic is winning the yield race,
0:51:21 > 0:51:24let's see how it does in the taste test.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26Yes, this is nice and fresh.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28It's the sweetest, it's easiest to eat.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31It's nice and juicy and sweet. This is definitely the winner for me.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35So, a really clear winner, then? Everyone's agreed, Mirai Picnic?
0:51:35 > 0:51:37- Yes, definitely.- Definitely.- Yeah.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40I think that's everything sweetcorn should be.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43- That is just, you know, delicious. - Is there a winner?
0:51:44 > 0:51:47- I'm tempted with Mirai Picnic. - So am I.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49That's what everyone else said too!
0:51:51 > 0:51:54- It is delicious, isn't it?- It is.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58So, in terms of the north-south divide, what have you learned?
0:51:58 > 0:52:02The south, we are ahead, we've got a much sort of earlier cropping time.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04- Mm-hm.- I think it's to fair to say
0:52:04 > 0:52:07- we've probably got higher yields as well...- Yeah.- ..in the south.
0:52:07 > 0:52:08Completely agree with you,
0:52:08 > 0:52:11warmer temperatures means the crops grow bigger quicker
0:52:11 > 0:52:14and as a result, more productive.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17- So kind of what you'd expect, really.- Yes.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20After tasting all of our crops, Helda beans,
0:52:20 > 0:52:23Tumbling Tom Yellow tomatoes,
0:52:23 > 0:52:25Marketmore cucumbers
0:52:25 > 0:52:29and Mirai Picnic sweetcorn are the victors.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Well, it's not been the most scientific of experiments
0:52:31 > 0:52:33but I've had a lot of fun doing this
0:52:33 > 0:52:35and we'd love to know how you've got on too
0:52:35 > 0:52:37so please let us know through the Facebook page.
0:52:44 > 0:52:49There's no question that taste has got to be the arbiter
0:52:49 > 0:52:51of the best vegetables to grow.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54And with your strawberries, it is a good idea
0:52:54 > 0:52:58to have some means of covering them because frost can lift them
0:52:58 > 0:53:01and expose the roots.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05So if they can be kept frost-free, they will develop much better.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16I made this veg plot in April and it's been very productive
0:53:16 > 0:53:18and you can see that it's set up for winter.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21Nice chard growing, we've garlic growing on either side.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Broccoli, cabbages.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27These artichokes grown from seed, which I sowed in March,
0:53:27 > 0:53:30have grown strongly and will start cropping well next year.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33What didn't crop so well were my pumpkins and squashes
0:53:33 > 0:53:38but now is the time to pick them, however big they are.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42And when you pick pumpkins or squashes,
0:53:42 > 0:53:46you want to make sure that you don't damage the stem.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49So pick them in a T.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51So, if we take this Turk's Turban,
0:53:51 > 0:53:55we do a cut there and a cut there.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59So what you've got is a T-shape on top and we can take that off.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02And the reason for that is it means that we don't leave a wound,
0:54:02 > 0:54:07that will die back and leave a nice strong stem.
0:54:07 > 0:54:08And what I have to do with them,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11it's feeling nice and hard, it's just rather small,
0:54:11 > 0:54:13is ripen them as much as possible.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16So I put them in a sunny spot.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21The reason why these didn't do very well
0:54:21 > 0:54:25is because it was rather cold in July and August.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28And it didn't really heat up till the second part of August
0:54:28 > 0:54:30and September and that was too late.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35There we go.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38This one is a Green Hokkaido.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40And that is my rather meagre harvest.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46I can now take the foliage, put it on the compost heap,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49dig the ground over, because it's heavy I'll dig it with a spade,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52leave the clods nice and big and let the worms and the weather
0:54:52 > 0:54:55break it down slowly over winter.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57Now, I don't know about winter
0:54:57 > 0:55:01but if you're thinking of this weekend, here are some jobs for you.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Unless you live somewhere very warm,
0:55:07 > 0:55:12chances of your tomatoes ripening any more are minimal.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Better to cut your losses and harvest them.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18Red ones can be stored by making them into sauce and freezing them
0:55:18 > 0:55:23and green ones will ripen if you put them into a drawer with a banana.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26Pull up the top growth, dig the beds over
0:55:26 > 0:55:29and you can use the greenhouse either for storing tender plants
0:55:29 > 0:55:31or growing winter veg.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Whether you've grown them yourself from seed or you're buying them,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39now is the time to plant out wallflowers
0:55:39 > 0:55:42and then the roots can get established
0:55:42 > 0:55:46and they will grow away faster and stronger next spring.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47If they're a little straggly,
0:55:47 > 0:55:51pinch out the growing tips to create a nice strong, bushy plant.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54And by the way, if you're planting them with tulips,
0:55:54 > 0:55:56and they make a great combination,
0:55:56 > 0:56:00always plant the wallflowers first and then the tulips in between.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06Although most fig trees are still covered in fruit,
0:56:06 > 0:56:09none of them, unfortunately, will ripen.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11So you should remove all figs,
0:56:11 > 0:56:14except for those smaller than a pea
0:56:14 > 0:56:18because not only will the immature figs never ripen,
0:56:18 > 0:56:22they will also inhibit the development of next year's crop.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31It is important that after you've harvested your squashes
0:56:31 > 0:56:34that you put them somewhere to ripen and the best thing to do
0:56:34 > 0:56:36is simply put them on a table or a windowsill
0:56:36 > 0:56:39with as much sun as possible
0:56:39 > 0:56:42and leave them there until the weather turns.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45But, of course, as much sun is possible means
0:56:45 > 0:56:47there's got to be some sun in the first place.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50So we'd better find out what the weather's going to be like
0:56:50 > 0:56:51this weekend.
0:59:06 > 0:59:08Hello! Come on, snish-snosh.
0:59:13 > 0:59:17Well, that's it for today and also for this series.
0:59:17 > 0:59:20But I'll be back here at Longmeadow next March
0:59:20 > 0:59:26and most of our programmes next year will be a full hour long.
0:59:26 > 0:59:30So have a really good winter and I'll see you again next spring.
0:59:30 > 0:59:32Until then, bye-bye.
0:59:33 > 0:59:36Come on, you lot. Come on, down you get. There's a good girl.
0:59:36 > 0:59:39Come on, you. Down you go.
0:59:39 > 0:59:41Come on.