0:00:10 > 0:00:12Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Now, it's Easter weekend
0:00:14 > 0:00:18and for many of us, this is our first venture out into the garden,
0:00:18 > 0:00:24where we can take stock, start buying plants, planning, gardening
0:00:24 > 0:00:27so that the garden will look as good as it possibly can
0:00:27 > 0:00:29in the months to come.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30Here in the damp garden at Longmeadow,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32I have done some work over winter.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35A bit of pruning, a bit of clearing and digging.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40But now is the time to start moving plants around, dividing some,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42putting in new ones,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46giving this part of Longmeadow a new burst of energy.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51This week, Rachel visits a garden centre to find out
0:00:51 > 0:00:54what are the trends this Easter.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55Viburnums!
0:00:55 > 0:00:58There's been a trend very much for planting herbaceous perennials
0:00:58 > 0:01:01and wild flowers and the more naturalistic look.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05We get a masterclass in looking after one of our most popular
0:01:05 > 0:01:07house plants, the orchid.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Probably where people go wrong the most
0:01:09 > 0:01:11is getting the watering balance right.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And Joe goes behind the scenes
0:01:13 > 0:01:17at one of the biggest growers of bedding plants in the country.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21The thing about bedding is it's fun, it's not very expensive
0:01:21 > 0:01:23and you can do anything you want with it.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36The pond is coming into life in more ways than one.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38There's a little bit of growth coming in.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40It'd be nice to get in there with my waders
0:01:40 > 0:01:43and start to clean out, cut back the old foliage,
0:01:43 > 0:01:49and I was planning to do that but I was halted by a sound.
0:01:49 > 0:01:55And that sound was the rumbling croak of scores of mating frogs.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Music to somebody's ears, probably other mating frogs, but it
0:01:58 > 0:02:03means that if I get in there, splash about, I'm going to disturb them.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07And you do have to take on board that if you're going to have a pond
0:02:07 > 0:02:09that's occupied by wildlife, it does mean
0:02:09 > 0:02:12that you have to work around them, rather than them working around you.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15From the edge, I can start to take out leaves and things
0:02:15 > 0:02:16and it's important to do that
0:02:16 > 0:02:20because if you have rotting vegetation in the water,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22that will decompose, that will enrich the water
0:02:22 > 0:02:25and that will encourage algae later on in the year.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29In this border in the front and you can see the camassias
0:02:29 > 0:02:33are growing well, I've got, just appearing, hostas.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I've got three main types.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Sieboldiana, Sum And Substance and Snowdon.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41And all three have got really big leaves.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45And, over the last couple of years, they've suppressed other things
0:02:45 > 0:02:49like primulas that were planted in there, so what I want to do
0:02:49 > 0:02:54today is to move some, divide some and actually start planting hostas
0:02:54 > 0:02:58around the back of the pond, so we pick up that rhythm of foliage.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00And the time to do it is now.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Any time when you start to see these bullet-like shoots appear and this
0:03:05 > 0:03:10is also a very good time to divide and move any herbaceous perennial.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15And they are very easy to do. Right, out you come.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18There we go.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Now, I have done this with an axe before
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and you can do it with a bread knife, by the way.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28An old bread knife is probably more accurate,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30but I'm just going to chop, like that.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32There we go.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39And you can see the roots are cut clean.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42If I replant that, I will get a big, healthy plant.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I could divide that easily into two again,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48if I wanted to space them out more.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And I've got some compost in here and take them to their new home.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I'm digging a much bigger hole than I need for the hosta itself,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09because I want to put plenty of compost underneath it.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Hostas are greedy, thirsty plants.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15So I'm going to give it every chance.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19This is garden compost, but manure will do.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Anything that is rich and strong
0:04:21 > 0:04:23will hold moisture and feed the plant.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Now we'll plant this at the same level it was in the ground
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and we can backfill around it.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Last, but absolutely not least, give it a really good drink
0:04:36 > 0:04:37and I mean a proper soak.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Although I haven't had to go shopping for these plants,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54the truth is that most of us will go shopping for plants at Easter time.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Garden centres do a huge trade at this time of year.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01It's by far and away their biggest commercial period.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And Rachel's been to a garden centre in the Cotswolds to see
0:05:04 > 0:05:07exactly what people looking for this year.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I don't know about you, but I love the Easter weekend.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22The chance to spend time with family,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26the warm spring days...mostly.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32And the gardening season starting in earnest, which of course,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35for most of us, means a trip to the garden centre.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Every year, over two thirds of British adults
0:05:41 > 0:05:43visit a garden centre.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48That's around 160 million visits, spending nearly £3 billion
0:05:48 > 0:05:53and the Easter weekend is when it really all kicks off.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57But what I want to know is what exactly we're all going to be
0:05:57 > 0:06:01buying this year and how our gardens are going to look as a result.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06I've come to one of the country's most successful garden centres.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Glenn Sheldrake is the horticultural director,
0:06:09 > 0:06:14responsible for filling the place chock-full with irresistible plants.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18So this is the first thing I'd like to show you.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- Viburnums!- Yes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24So, there's been a trend over the last few years, very much
0:06:24 > 0:06:27for planting herbaceous perennials and wild flowers
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and the more naturalistic look.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31And what we're seeing is a tandem trend springing up for people
0:06:31 > 0:06:35that now realise that you also need structure and form in the garden.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39We love viburnum because there are so many different types
0:06:39 > 0:06:41and I particularly wanted to show you this one.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45This is Viburnum Mariesii Great Star.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49It has a great architectural form where you get layers of branches
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- which are smothered in flowers. - Horizontal.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Absolutely smothered in flowers in the spring
0:06:54 > 0:06:55and then incredible autumn colour.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57You know, I'm so pleased that you said this.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Because for me, this is what's been missing for the last few years.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04In fact, even longer than that, and I remember, as a child, my father
0:07:04 > 0:07:06had lots of shrubs, philadelphus, viburnums and so on.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I'm so pleased. It's high time.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15So, what's coming next?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18This is a trend that we've seen becoming more and more prevalent,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21for using your garden as an extra room.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23And a lot of people have patios or decks
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and that gives a lot of extra planting opportunities.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29So, particularly for planting pots, we've got a lovely rose here.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31This rose is Highgrove which is a climber,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33so if you've got a pergola over your outdoor space,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36it grows to about eight feet, with beautiful depth
0:07:36 > 0:07:40and intensity of colour. It's a red and it's a really strong grower.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44I'm so glad you said rose as well. Always my top trend.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Well, roses come and go but they're very back in fashion at the moment.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50It's using your garden as another room.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53You can bring plants into that and you can make those plants
0:07:53 > 0:07:57- the central feature of your outdoor space.- I love that idea.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- Whether you're out or in, it's all plants.- Absolutely.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08On to top trend number three. A magnolia.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14So, again, sort of quite large, structural plants.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18There's no denying that the real joy of being a gardener is taking
0:08:18 > 0:08:22a seed or a tiny cutting and growing it into a large plant in your garden
0:08:22 > 0:08:24over a period of 10 to 20 years.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27But we see more and more people going for instant gardening,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31for buying large plants that give impact in the garden straightaway.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Take this Magnolia Susan as an example,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37you could wait a very large number of years for a magnolia
0:08:37 > 0:08:41to grow that size, but by putting that into your garden straightaway,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45you've got something instant and it has great colour, great form.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49I can see why that's so appealing, but then how much is this?
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- That's £115.- It is. That's quite a big investment, isn't it?
0:08:53 > 0:08:55It is, but of course we sell,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58as all other garden centres do, much smaller versions of the same.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00So there's something to fit everybody's budget.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03I can see that it's certainly very seductive.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I'm so glad that Glenn said that he thought shrubs
0:09:08 > 0:09:10were due for a resurgence.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14And they've certainly given this group of lilacs a really prominent
0:09:14 > 0:09:16place here on the nursery.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18We got a Souvenir de Louis Spaeth over there
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and that's the one I think that's really caught my eye.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Glenn's final tip for what he thinks is going to be really big this year
0:09:32 > 0:09:35is for plants with instant impact
0:09:35 > 0:09:38and just walking around the nursery, it occurred to me
0:09:38 > 0:09:42that I think the instant impact is also here in these conifers.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44I love this, for example, this Cryptomeria,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46and this is £35 and I think that
0:09:46 > 0:09:50definitely creates instant impact.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I'd be happy to have any of these in my garden.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14Whether you're planning to buy an instant-effect, expensive plant or
0:10:14 > 0:10:18just a tray of bedding, do remember that garden centres are not open on
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Easter Sunday, except in Scotland, or at least most of them aren't.
0:10:22 > 0:10:28Now, Easter is traditionally the time when people planted potatoes.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31But it's very early this year and the ground is very cold
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and I shan't be planting my potatoes for a while yet.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38There's no point, unless the ground is warm to touch.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42However, you can start by growing some in a container
0:10:42 > 0:10:44and if you don't have a garden or an allotment,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45it's a good way to grow potatoes
0:10:45 > 0:10:50and be able to have that delicious taste that you just cannot buy
0:10:50 > 0:10:53of new potatoes freshly harvested.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Grow them in any kind of container.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58You can buy specialist ones like this
0:10:58 > 0:11:02and the important thing is it's got drainage holes in the bottom.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05If you use a bag, it's got to be strong enough
0:11:05 > 0:11:08to be able to lift it up without tearing full of soil.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09You can grow them in a dustbin,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11you can grow them in a big flowerpot,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13you can have any kind of bag or container
0:11:13 > 0:11:15and it will do the job just as well.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Open it out. Potatoes like really rich soil,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23so a general-purpose compost will do the job,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26but if you can improve it with some soil improver
0:11:26 > 0:11:29or if you have got some garden compost of your own,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31that definitely will improve the crop.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37So, that is no more than one third full of nice, rich compost.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39You need some seed potatoes
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and I've got here some first earlies.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43This is Duke of York.
0:11:43 > 0:11:50Good, reliable grower and you can see that they have a shoot on it.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51But if it hasn't got any shoots,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53that doesn't matter either. You can still plant it.
0:11:53 > 0:11:59In a bag that size, I only need one or two seed potatoes.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03If I grow it with one, I'll get bigger spuds as a result.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06If I put two in, I will get more smaller ones,
0:12:06 > 0:12:07so you can... depending what you want.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10In fact, I'm going to bag up two, one with one and one with two
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and we'll compare the results when we come to harvest time.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18And simply pop it in, in the centre of the bag.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20So we will cover that up with soil...
0:12:22 > 0:12:23..like that.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26So the seed is covered,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30but there's plenty of room to put more soil in, because what
0:12:30 > 0:12:34we will do is, as it grows, we'll keep topping the soil up
0:12:34 > 0:12:37until the soil level is nearly at the top of the bag
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and then the foliage will come out at the top,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42which means there's a nice, deep area of goodness
0:12:42 > 0:12:46for the roots to get to and we'll get more tubers as a result.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50So all we need to do now is to put this somewhere sheltered.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53If you've got a greenhouse, that's brilliant, but anywhere where
0:12:53 > 0:12:56it's out of cold wind and it's a little bit warmer
0:12:56 > 0:12:58than if it's grown in the soil.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Water it, not so it's sodden, but so it never dries out
0:13:00 > 0:13:04and, by the way, as it grows, it will need quite a lot of water.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12That's a single one. I'm now going to do one with two potatoes.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17So we'll pop them in, spaced evenly.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Cover them up.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37I'll just pop those there for the moment.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Give them each a little bit of water.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51Easter time, time to plant potatoes, time to go shopping for plants
0:13:51 > 0:13:56and most people, this weekend, will be buying bedding.
0:13:56 > 0:14:02Millions of bedding plants are sold over the Easter holiday weeks.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06You may wonder where they all come from. Joe has been to find out.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13This is one of the UK's largest growers of plants.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17They are located on the Chichester plain,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21where the quality and quantity of sunshine are the highest in the UK.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27And that means that top-notch, sun-loving plants can be grown
0:14:27 > 0:14:29quickly and with maximum energy efficiency.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34I've been given a chance to look behind the scenes at this
0:14:34 > 0:14:39huge operation that supplies nurseries, garden centres
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and DIY stores with a constant supply
0:14:42 > 0:14:44of ornamental protected plants.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Full-on, bright, colourful, in-your-face bedding.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56The glasshouses cover thousands of square metres in excess
0:14:56 > 0:15:01of 65 million plants, 5.5 million bedding packs
0:15:01 > 0:15:05and another 4.5 million individual pots are produced annually.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Alex Newey is the managing director
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and has an overview of the whole business.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Alex, this is a very impressive operation you've got here
0:15:15 > 0:15:18but what I'm really interested in
0:15:18 > 0:15:21is who calls the shots about what you are growing.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Ultimately, it's the consumer.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25The consumer decides what they want to buy.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28I think you got perhaps two different types of garden.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30You got the very experienced gardener who might go out
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and buy what they've always bought
0:15:32 > 0:15:34but equally they're not afraid to experiment either.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38And then you've got the newer gardener, or novice gardener.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42They are looking for a new things. There are not so set in their ways.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45They can buy new plants and have tremendous success with them
0:15:45 > 0:15:49and over time, that may reshape what we're selling.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53When we put something in the market and it's a new product,
0:15:53 > 0:15:54it's got to be brilliant.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57It's got to look fantastic and it's got to be trendy.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00It's got to be trendy. Now, hang on a minute, what do you call trendy?
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Buying a blend of products that looks interesting
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and different, might be a mix of bedding
0:16:06 > 0:16:08and some other things as well.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Might be a mix of bedding with some herbaceous or a bit of tropical
0:16:11 > 0:16:14or whatever it might be. That is trendy.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16There is no set way of doing it.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Feel free to go out and do it the way you want to do it.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Now, I'll have to admit,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33I'm not the biggest fan of bright pink polyanthus.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35They are a bit lairy, aren't they?
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Perhaps a bit too traditional, but they do a great job of greening up
0:16:39 > 0:16:43our cities and we'd certainly miss them if they weren't there.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Now, of course, these guys want you to buy as much bedding as possible,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56but my advice is when you go to the garden centre,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58just try and stay focused.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Don't run around like a kid in a sweet shop,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05picking every single colour out. For me, this is a little bit too much.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Lots of different colours, clashing together, and in fact,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13they're fighting with each other rather than being complementary.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Now, this is my sort of thing.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23It's cool, whites and blues and purples,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26all working together in quite an understated way.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28And they're complementing each other.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32It's a restricted palette which produces a strong colour theme.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I know, I know. Everyone loves bright colours, though,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51and I am not the style police.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54But my tip to get the most out of them
0:17:54 > 0:17:58is to pick two opposite colours and keep it quite simple.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03I mean, look at this blue and the yellow. They intensify each other.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And the great thing about bedding is it's fun,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10it's not very expensive, you can personalise your garden and,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13if you don't like it, change it as the season comes on.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Well, there's no question that whatever you think about
0:18:31 > 0:18:35mass production of plants, it is incredibly impressive
0:18:35 > 0:18:39and people do buy lots and lots of bedding.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43But not all of it is ready to be put in the garden now, even though
0:18:43 > 0:18:45it's on sale at the garden centres.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Some of the tender plants really will suffer terribly
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and may even die if they go out, even if there isn't a frost.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Now, I've got a couple here.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56I've got some surfinias and some calibrachoas
0:18:56 > 0:19:01And you can see that they're sold in trays, that sort of size,
0:19:01 > 0:19:06small plants, perfectly healthy but that will struggle in our wet,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09cold soil, particularly if we have some frost.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11So I'm going to pot them on.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17And I've got a potting mix which is just general-purpose compost.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22A little bit of our own compost and sieved leaf mould in it.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And I just take it out of the container like that,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29and this is the calibrachoa which has got really dark,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32almost black petals, which will be brilliant for the Jewel Garden,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36particularly in the pots, and just pop it in like that.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Now, with some protection, all I have to do is just keep them
0:19:39 > 0:19:42watered and they should grow perfectly happily.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50So I'm going to pop these in the greenhouse.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Now, these don't need any extra heat,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00over and above the protection of the greenhouse.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05I'll water them in and keep them reasonably watered...
0:20:05 > 0:20:09and, before planting them out, I will make sure that I harden them
0:20:09 > 0:20:11off for a couple of weeks.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15These won't be planted out until May at the earliest.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Now, even if you don't grow bedding plants,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23here are some other jobs you can do this weekend.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Although it's a good idea to leave the dried stems
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and seed heads of herbaceous perennials over winter,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37because that provides cover and food for insects and birds,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39it's now time to cut them back
0:20:39 > 0:20:44and remove everything, exposing the new shoots of this year's growth.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Dahlia tubers are on sale now but they do sell out quickly
0:20:51 > 0:20:53so it's worth buying them now
0:20:53 > 0:20:57and making sure that you get nice, plump, firm tubers.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02Put them into a pot with plenty of potting compost, water them well
0:21:02 > 0:21:06and put them somewhere protected to grow into young plants
0:21:06 > 0:21:11which can then be put into their final position after the last frost.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Easter is when many of us get the mower out
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and cut the grass for the first time.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26Resist the temptation to cut too hard too soon.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Lift up the blades on your mower and just give it a light trim.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32And repeat this for the next few weeks,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34until the grass is growing strongly.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Of all the flowers that are appearing in the garden this spring,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44none are more exotic than the snake's head fritillary,
0:21:44 > 0:21:45but it is a native!
0:21:45 > 0:21:48This is a of plant of damp meadows
0:21:48 > 0:21:52and it loves this part of the Spring Garden, because it floods.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And it's called snake's head because,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57you can see, before the flower head opens,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01it has the shape of a snake's head and then when it does open,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05it reveals this amazing chequerboard pattern.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Occasionally, you get white ones
0:22:07 > 0:22:09and, of course, they don't have that same pattern.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14I much prefer the traditional, straightforward fritillary
0:22:14 > 0:22:17But, if you want real exotica, particularly at this
0:22:17 > 0:22:20time of year when it still can be pretty cold, then you need to
0:22:20 > 0:22:23look at plants that come from the other side of the world.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28And we went to Burnham Nurseries in Newton Abbot in Devon to see
0:22:28 > 0:22:30a wonderful collection of orchids.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41What draws people is their huge diversity.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46There's so many different shapes and sizes, colours and patterns.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Really, there's something for everybody within the orchid family.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55My grandfather started growing orchids back in the '20s
0:22:55 > 0:22:59and '30s and our nursery really grew from there.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03We're now in our third-generation of our family to grow the orchids.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08And we're certainly very passionate about it as a family, yes.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Many years ago, the Victorians were growing orchids
0:23:13 > 0:23:18in their stove houses, on big estates with their gardeners.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Modern hybrids are many generations now removed from the original
0:23:22 > 0:23:26species and the more you breed with these orchids,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30you get more hybrid vigour and that just makes a stronger,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32easier plant and more free-flowering
0:23:32 > 0:23:36and more colours and more varieties available.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Generation after generation, they get that little bit easier to grow.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44People get bitten by the orchid bug very easily these days.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47They're perhaps given a gift of a beautiful orchid,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50like a phalaenopsis that will flower all the year round
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and like to live like we do, nice and warm and cosy.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00So the phalaenopsis, or moth orchids,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04are probably the most popular orchids grown as a house plant
0:24:04 > 0:24:07in the world today, but probably where people go wrong the most
0:24:07 > 0:24:09is getting the watering balance right.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13You should always water them from the top and let them drain through,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15give them a good soak and then allow them
0:24:15 > 0:24:19to dry out well before you water them the next time.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22The roots should be a kind of silvery grey colour when they're dry
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and then they turn green as you water them
0:24:25 > 0:24:26and if they've gone brown,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29then that's too wet for too long and they've rotted.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32We've actually got some plants here today
0:24:32 > 0:24:35which have got similar sort of watering balance problems.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39The first thing we're going to do is to remove the cane
0:24:39 > 0:24:41and the clips from the dead flower stem.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45And we're just going to trim the flower stem right to the bottom.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Pull it out of the pot.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53We can see this plant has not got a very good root system.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56It's lost most of the roots because it's been kept too wet.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59So we're going to trim these back,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01just to leave a nice anchor of roots.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06You want to either clean your pots and sterilise them or use a new pot.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11It just needs new compost to make new roots.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14We're going to add just a handful of polystyrene chips
0:25:14 > 0:25:17in the bottom which just helps to give a little extra drainage,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21a nice layer of air in the base to allow the roots to dry out.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Then we're going to take a nice handful of bark,
0:25:24 > 0:25:25pop that in the pot,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29and then centre the plant in the middle of the pot,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32position it so it's upright,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34pushing it gently but firmly,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37top it up with a little bit more
0:25:37 > 0:25:40and now we've ended up with the plant just sitting
0:25:40 > 0:25:44on the surface of the compost, which is just below the rim of the pot.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46We want to give this a good water now.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49We also want to spray the plant, to encourage new roots to grow
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and that humidity is really important.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Phalaenopsis are really warm growing but there's lots of other orchids
0:25:59 > 0:26:02that you can grow that like it really cool,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05like, for instance, the dendrobiums.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Or the cymbidiums, liking to drop down
0:26:09 > 0:26:11to about 8 or 10 degrees on a winter's night.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14That cool drop in the winter helps them to grow well
0:26:14 > 0:26:18and helps them to come into flower well year after year.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21They love to stand outdoors in the summer, somewhere shady,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24somewhere sheltered, out of the bright sun,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27so their leaves don't get burnt and they will grow their new leaves
0:26:27 > 0:26:31all throughout the summer months and then flower again in the winter.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34These orchids are a little bit different to phalaenopsis.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38They have a type of bulb which we call a pseudobulb.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40The dendrobium has tall, narrow ones.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42The cymbidium has short, fat, round ones
0:26:42 > 0:26:45but they're full of water and food,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48supporting the plant and giving it the energy
0:26:48 > 0:26:49to grow more year after year.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Each year, they make new ones.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54This one has got new shoots coming in here which is going to make
0:26:54 > 0:26:57the new tall bulbs which are going to be the ones
0:26:57 > 0:26:59that produce next year's flowers.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01The old ones never flower again
0:27:01 > 0:27:04but they stay on the plant as a food support system,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06giving the plant the energy to do more growing
0:27:06 > 0:27:08and more flowering in the future.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16People don't realise that the orchid family is actually huge.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19It's the largest group of flowering plants in the world.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24There's about 30,000 species. Orchids are great survivors.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27They will cope with all sorts of conditions
0:27:27 > 0:27:29in their own natural habitats.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32And the modern hybrids have been bred to cope
0:27:32 > 0:27:35with our natural habitat, our homes.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Just follow a few simple rules and you'll get so much enjoyment.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52My father always grew an orchid or two on the mantelpiece, I remember,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55this exotic plant in our house.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58In fact, I went once to the National Botanic Garden in Singapore,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00which of course is famously full
0:28:00 > 0:28:03of thousands of orchids, an amazing sight.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06But, do you know, at this time of year,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11I think nothing captures the spirit of the season better than a daffodil
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and, my favourite of all those
0:28:14 > 0:28:16is the wild native daffodil,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18narcissus pseudonarcissus.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21I planted the bulbs about 15, 20 years ago and it's just beginning
0:28:21 > 0:28:26to mass up and it looks delicate and yet filled with light.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Talking about light, don't forget that the clocks go forward
0:28:30 > 0:28:33this weekend so as well as Easter, with the extra day off,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36we've got extra light to enjoy as well.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Have a great time and I'll see you back here at Longmeadow next week.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Till then, bye-bye. Come on, dogs.