0:00:06 > 0:00:09Off we go, come on. Through you go. Come on, Nell.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Good girl.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17We haven't really had a look at the Dry Garden this year,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21but at this moment - and it only lasts for a week or so -
0:00:21 > 0:00:24it's got a lovely, easy flow.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28And the colours pick up from the honesty, to the Recreado tulips,
0:00:28 > 0:00:33and that incredible, electric lime-green of the euphorbias.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And then the other greens, which, of course, as May progresses,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38everything is filling out,
0:00:38 > 0:00:43growing with the textures from the greys to the deep, rich greens.
0:00:43 > 0:00:48And when you bear in mind that this bit of garden has by far
0:00:48 > 0:00:53the worst soil in the whole of Longmeadow, it shows that
0:00:53 > 0:00:57sometimes you don't have to do very much to make a garden lovely.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01You can just stand back and enjoy it doing its thing.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09This week, we pay our second visit to probably the most
0:01:09 > 0:01:12famous of all British gardens - Sissinghurst, in Kent -
0:01:12 > 0:01:16to find out how the team is getting on as they work to reconnect
0:01:16 > 0:01:18the garden with the original vision
0:01:18 > 0:01:21of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I think Sissinghurst really was one of the gardens,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28post-war, that really taught people how to garden again.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29How nice they could be,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32how they could be part of and enhance your life.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35And in the first of a new series of films,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Carol looks at finding the right plant for the right place.
0:01:39 > 0:01:45I've come to deepest Devon to have a look at hedges, banks,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49to give us lots of clues about what we can grow around our boundaries.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55And I shall be planting out my sweet peas in the Cottage Garden,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59and my purple podded peas in the new Vegetable Garden.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16This is the Mound.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21And we call it the Mound because, over the years,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23we've mounded up all our spoil.
0:02:23 > 0:02:29Building rubble, hardcore, the soil from the pond and,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33a few years ago, we shaped it and formed it and, very slowly,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36we've worked out what we want to do with it.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Now, this level is all about containers,
0:02:39 > 0:02:44and everything is chosen, primarily, for its fragrance.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48So, for example, these are scented-leaf pelargoniums.
0:02:48 > 0:02:49The lemon verbena.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Just touch the leaf as you go by, and that intense lemony smell.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Of course, this is somewhere to come and sit.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58And actually it's where I'll put the clematis
0:02:58 > 0:03:00that I bought at Malvern.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06This Lunar Lass comes from New Zealand, has got fragrant flowers.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07It doesn't grow very fast.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10So what I'm going to do is pot it up, put it up on a block
0:03:10 > 0:03:12and have it hanging down.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14And by the way, if you do buy one of these,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17it likes a little better drainage than most clematis.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21This needs good compost, but also added grit,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23so it doesn't get too wet. And also, because it's in a pot,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I'll be able to protect it in winter if I have to.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29It's not as hardy as some clematis.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32So much for this level.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33But then, when we go up...
0:03:35 > 0:03:39..we come to the temple of scent.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Just done this in the last few weeks.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Chestnut posts sunk two feet in the ground,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51a few bean sticks over the top for shade, and then the idea is
0:03:51 > 0:03:55to have climbers climbing up each of the posts, that will smother it all.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58So we'll be able to sit here, surrounded by scent.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I want all of these to be evening scents.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02So the colour scheme reflects that.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06White, creams, pale yellows.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09These are colours that are more visible at night,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11so therefore they attract evening pollinators,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14so the plant is pulsing out scent to bring them in.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Hopefully, we can have the benefit of that.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Right, let's get planting.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I've got a really good honeysuckle.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26This is a variety that's new to me - it's called Scentsation,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29with exceptionally good fragrance.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36I'm going to plant this round the back of the support,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38so it just has a little bit of shade.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41But it is important, if you're making a scented garden of any kind,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44not to get carried away with scent.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46You need to focus - just the same as if you were doing colour.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Whereas if you just have a mass of scents, it's like emptying
0:04:49 > 0:04:53perfume bottles all into a pot and saying, "Well, smell that."
0:04:53 > 0:04:56So try and select what you like, and limit your choices.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59You don't want to be bombarded by conflicting fragrance.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04But we will pop this chap in the ground.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Nice roots.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And plant it very simply. This soil is good.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I've added a little bit of garden compost, and
0:05:16 > 0:05:20when it's all planted up, I'm going to mulch it with mushroom compost.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25So that's the time when it'll have a little bit of feed.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28But no need to do any more than just plonk it in the ground
0:05:28 > 0:05:31and, obviously, give it a really good soak.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34So that'll be trained up, and I'll tie that in,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and it'll quickly grow up that post.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43And the next thing I want to put in is a peony.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46And she's more than any old peony, she's a Duchesse.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Duchesse is a lovely, white, strong peony.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56When you're planting peonies, herbaceous peonies, that is,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59the important thing is to give them good soil...
0:06:01 > 0:06:04..and to make sure they don't dry out.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08And you want to plant them a little bit deep, but not too deep.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Gently take it out the pot...
0:06:12 > 0:06:15In we go, little one. There you are.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19So I've got the top of the plant about an inch below the soil.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20And I'll mulch this,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24which will both keep the moisture in and also cover it over.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26We pull that round.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28I've firmed it down.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30And I'm going to give that a good soak.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Peonies, to get a good start, mustn't dry out.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38And if you mulch it, don't mulch over the crown.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Mulch around it, but don't bury that crown.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45And not only do they look good, but they can smell wonderful too.
0:06:45 > 0:06:51Now it's time to return for our second visit to Sissinghurst,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54and the head gardener, Troy Scott Smith,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57is returning it to the true spirit that was
0:06:57 > 0:07:00created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson
0:07:00 > 0:07:04when they made the garden in the middle of the 20th century.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I think Sissinghurst really was one of the gardens, post-war,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12that really taught people how to garden again.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15What gardens could be.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18How nice they could be, how they could be part of
0:07:18 > 0:07:19and enhance your life.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24It was the combination of their two talents as well
0:07:24 > 0:07:26which made the garden, their two characters,
0:07:26 > 0:07:31so Harold, the classicist and the more logical thinker,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35versus the Bohemian life force of Vita
0:07:35 > 0:07:37really made this garden what it was.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42The formal lines and the soft planting very easily go together.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44It feels effortless.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49We've been working on this Revitalising Vita project
0:07:49 > 0:07:52for two or three years now.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Sissinghurst is a very successful, popular garden -
0:07:55 > 0:07:58we have 200,000 visitors - but at its heart,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02I just felt there was something that wasn't quite right at Sissinghurst.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I think, for me, it's not a single thing that has happened,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09it's a series of interventions, of changes,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13mostly as a result of increasing visitor numbers.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16And so, where we used to have grass paths in Vita's time,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19now those paths are paved with York stone.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Where roses hung over paths and sprawled down from trees,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26they've now slightly been pruned back off the paths.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30So it's those kind of changes which we're now trying to address.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42So here we are, within the Nuttery at Sissinghurst,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and when you compare it with the White Garden or the Rose Garden,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49it's not so obvious as a set-piece room.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53But it's really important in the story of the creation of the garden,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56because when Harold writes in his diary,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59he writes about walking around Sissinghurst, and feeling really,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03is this the right space, the right place for them to buy?
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Then they walked outside and around a corner, they stumbled across
0:09:07 > 0:09:09what they call this Nut Plat,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and then Harold writes, "That settled it."
0:09:11 > 0:09:14It was also quite important, because it was one of the first
0:09:14 > 0:09:16spaces that they started to plant out.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20They went out into the woods, they saw the wild primroses growing.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24They selected some of the more cultivated forms, the polyanthus,
0:09:24 > 0:09:29and they started slowly to plant them through the Nuttery here.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32So this whole area very quickly became carpeted with great
0:09:32 > 0:09:35swathes of polyanthus, looking amazing.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Here, she let her colour sensibilities just rip.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50So then, the polyanthus, after around 30 years, it became obvious,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52I think, to Vita and to Harold,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56that they weren't as happy or as healthy as they used to be.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59It's common with many plants, really,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03where you just grow one plant in the same soil for a long time -
0:10:03 > 0:10:06the soil just gets a bit fed up.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09It means it's a struggle for that plant to grow.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13It was actually a number of years later that the Trust finally
0:10:13 > 0:10:15decided to just do without them
0:10:15 > 0:10:19in a big decision at Sissinghurst, to take away something that many
0:10:19 > 0:10:22people had loved, and that Vita and Harold had put in.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Last year, we planted some little areas of polyanthus back here,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29just really to give them a chance to see if they thrive
0:10:29 > 0:10:32or to see if they still turn up their noses.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35And so far, you can see here, they seem very happy.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45So, of all Sissinghurst's garden rooms,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48the White Garden was the last one that Vita and Harold created.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50And it was their idea to do something really special
0:10:50 > 0:10:52for the Festival of Britain.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Here in the White Garden, they created this space,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I think, really, of magical, epic triumph.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04It's so easy to just call it the White Garden here but, actually,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Vita and Harold called it the Grey, Green and White Garden.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11And that's much more interesting, actually,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14because white is quite a simple colour,
0:11:14 > 0:11:20and much nicer to use it in reference with the greys
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and the greens of the foliage. We understand that, actually,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27the colour white, for Vita, was quite a significant colour.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29She loved the idea of a barn owl,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32this white bird floating across the garden.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35It's a colour she actually excluded in other parts of the garden.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38And she didn't choose to use it
0:11:38 > 0:11:42until they started to make the White Garden here.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47She talks a lot about soft mounds of grey, of artemisia,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50with the spikes coming through, perhaps eremurus,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and also flower colours which are just off-white,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57so it could be very soft yellow or maybe just a hint of pink,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59and that actually makes the garden
0:11:59 > 0:12:02that much more interesting and multilayered.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It's important just to do as much of the research as
0:12:06 > 0:12:11we can to understand, really, what was the garden like?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15These box hedges, these were all, a couple of years ago,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19all the same height. We've started to reduce the hedges here.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21So we've cut the hedges shorter.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26We reference the structural hedges of the garden's past.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34This is the last of the quince trees that we're planting.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38We're putting these in as a substitute to the almond trees.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I think the almonds struggled here in the White Garden.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45It's quite a cold garden, north facing,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48so there's quite a cold draught which comes through.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53And I think, ultimately, that, with our cold, heavy clay soil,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55was just too much for them.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57So we think the quince will be a better,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00more longer-lasting tree, really,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03but give a similar effect to the almonds.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Simply try and backfill with this improved soil,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08with a little bit of compost.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I will, of course, be staking this tree later as well.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21We often think, my colleagues, what would Vita have planted?
0:13:21 > 0:13:22And it's very difficult to say.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Would she have arrived at the same decision?
0:13:25 > 0:13:29I think you would, as a gardener. You adapt to the garden.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31I'm pretty confident that Vita would approve.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42I like the fact that Troy referred to the White Garden as being
0:13:42 > 0:13:46a White, Green and Grey Garden, because that's the secret.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48White flowers can be really quite hard.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50They don't give a lot, they're difficult.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Whereas as soon as you add as much green as possible -
0:13:53 > 0:13:56in all its various shades and hues -
0:13:56 > 0:13:58then the white flowers come alive.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01The Writing Garden - which is a white garden -
0:14:01 > 0:14:03wasn't, in fact, based on Sissinghurst.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05It was inspired by cow parsley.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09But I've learned so much from the White Garden at Sissinghurst.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12I would say, if you visit a garden that you like,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14try and deconstruct it.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Try and work out what they've done and how they've done it,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and then you can use that in your own garden.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Come on.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Nigel.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44Although we've had some really hot weather over the last week,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47April was really cold and wet here.
0:14:47 > 0:14:53And I made these beds, but the soil was nowhere near ready.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57However, I think now these beds are ready for planting.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08These are purple podded peas.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10A variety called Blauwschokker.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Rich purple pods and then green peas inside.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17I've grown them in root trainers,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19because all legumes have nice, long roots,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23and the longer and straighter the roots can be, the happier they are.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26They're ready to go - they're growing down through the cracks.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Put that in there.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34And space them out, about six inches apart.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Peas like a sunny, cool position.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45That's the reason why they're grown in spring and early summer.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49By July, August, it's got too hot and too dry for them,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52although there's plenty of time to sow them now.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55You don't really sow peas after midsummer.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Once you've planted peas, or if you've sown them as soon
0:16:01 > 0:16:04as they appear - it is important to stake them
0:16:04 > 0:16:08and to provide them some support, because they've got tendrils
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and they climb and they twine, and if you don't provide support,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14they'll do all that amongst each other
0:16:14 > 0:16:18and they get horribly tangled. Traditionally, you use pea sticks.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22So any good, strong prunings that you have that are nice
0:16:22 > 0:16:25and bushy... Or, failing that, chicken wire does very well,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27supported by posts, or netting of any kind.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Just something that's strong enough to take the weight of the peas and
0:16:31 > 0:16:34have lots of nooks and crannies and twiggy bits
0:16:34 > 0:16:36that they can climb into.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49The only tip, really, when you're putting these in is
0:16:49 > 0:16:52angle them inwards, so that they meet at the top.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55And that way, they both support each other,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and also, the peas find it easier to grow up.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10My soil is pretty wet, and those peas were well watered,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12so I probably don't need to water those in.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14But if you have any doubt, give them a good soak
0:17:14 > 0:17:15when you plant or sow them.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Then you shouldn't need to water them until they flower.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Then it is important to give them a really good soak,
0:17:20 > 0:17:21so they form good pods.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Peas are easy to grow as long as it doesn't get too hot
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and they've got plenty of light.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30But we all have places in the garden which are awkward.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35Carol is beginning a new series - identifying those problem places
0:17:35 > 0:17:38and coming up with perfect plant solutions.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42And this week, she starts out with those borders, banks and boundaries
0:17:42 > 0:17:46that can be really hard to find the best plants for.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Most of our gardens have shade.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Full sun.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55They can be wet,
0:17:55 > 0:17:56dry,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58windy,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01which means we have the opportunity
0:18:01 > 0:18:04to grow a wide variety of beautiful plants.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10But if we want our plants to thrive and flourish,
0:18:10 > 0:18:15we need to choose the right plant for the right place.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Almost all of us have boundaries in our gardens.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Sometimes they're fences, hedges, walls.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30But what to grow in and around them and, very often, up them?
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Often, the area at the base of hedges, walls,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36fences in our gardens can cause problems.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41It can be wet, dry, it can be sunny or shady.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44And sometimes it's really awkward to think about which plants
0:18:44 > 0:18:46are going to grow there.
0:18:46 > 0:18:52I've come to deepest Devon to have a look at hedges, banks,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56to see what kind of plants really love living here
0:18:56 > 0:19:01to give us lots of clues about what WE can grow around our boundaries.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13Although these plants share the same conditions, each of them
0:19:13 > 0:19:16has evolved in its individual way to cope with them.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Just imagine you're a plant living in this sort of situation.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23What do you have to put up with?
0:19:23 > 0:19:28Well, sometimes you're bathed in hot sunshine
0:19:28 > 0:19:34but on the very same day, you might be plunged into dense shade.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38In the winter, these banks will be running with water.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39And yet, later on in the summer -
0:19:39 > 0:19:43especially when the canopy comes out overhead -
0:19:43 > 0:19:45you'll be in drought conditions.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50But these parts can cope with all of that. How do they do it?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52They all have different strategies.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Look at this little plant.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56This is...
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It's one of our native cranesbills,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and it makes these dense mats of leaves.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05If you could see underneath this plant,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08you'd find that the roots are tiny, fibrous.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12They can spread themselves out under the leaf litter
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and gather in enough nutrients to support the whole plant.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21It would be unthinkable to be looking at Devon hedgerows
0:20:21 > 0:20:24without talking about primroses.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And here they are, in all their glory.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30They seed themselves right down the bank.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34And then, when each one turns into a really big clump,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36they just spread outwards from the centre,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40leaving the old, woody bits right in the middle.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43In our gardens, we have to help them along.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46We need to dig them up and divide them.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50But in nature, they can do it for themselves.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56If these plants are happy growing here in the wild,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00then there's a good chance that plants with similar characteristics
0:21:00 > 0:21:05will grow happily in the same sort of conditions in our gardens.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13How about this for a boundary and a half?
0:21:13 > 0:21:16They're not the same plants that we saw in the hedgerow,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19but they've got lots and lots of similarities.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Around the edge of the path, you've got periwinkle.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25You can put periwinkle anywhere at all and it'll thrive.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32If you're looking for plants for your boundaries,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34there are loads to choose from.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Devon's famous for its ferns.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41But this one's from Japan.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43It's...
0:21:45 > 0:21:48All ferns make a fibrous root mat,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50so they're very accommodating.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53You can grow them even in really thin soil.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59If you've got a hotspot,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02why not go for one of the perennial wallflowers?
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The most popular is...
0:22:10 > 0:22:15Here in the lee of these walls, there are these big beds.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17The soil is really poor.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Sometimes, in the winter, it might be wet through.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25And then, when the leaves come out in the canopy overhead,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29the whole place is plunged into dense shade.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34But they can tolerate it. Not only tolerate it, they can thrive in it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38I love this mixture of the dicentra and the forget-me-not.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41The dicentra is from the States,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45and here it is with a European plant, this little myosotis,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49which has flung itself out everywhere.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53The dicentra grows by sending runners and colonising the ground.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And the forget-me-not has this beautiful touch.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00You can always be certain that when a plant seeds itself,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04it's the right plant in the right place.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Of course, plants do have a habit of seeding themselves
0:23:16 > 0:23:18where you don't want them,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21growing perfectly in the cracks of the paving or out of a wall,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23or in a bed that's the wrong colour.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28And then here, in the Wildlife Garden, I let things seed.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34This bed is full of self-seeded plants, half of them weeds,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38but perfect for wildlife. And to be honest, I like the way it looks.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Come on, dogs.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Ferns might be very common.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57This is Dryopteris filix-mas, which you see all over the place.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02But have you ever really seen anything look more exotic than that?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05You feel that this could be on a coral reef
0:24:05 > 0:24:08or a deep seabed or in a jungle in Borneo.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10What do you think, Nell?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And I love the combination of a sort of
0:24:13 > 0:24:16seahorse head with octopus tentacles.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18It's absolutely exquisite.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20Come on.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44It's time to plant out sweet peas.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Sweet peas are not truly tender.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48They can take some frost.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51But I find if you plant them out too early, they don't grow.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56If they don't grow, they become easy bait for slugs.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00And what we really want is nice, fast growth so that...
0:25:02 > 0:25:05..they become strong, healthy plants.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08This is a variety called Painted Lady,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11one of the really old, original sweet peas.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Goes back to the early 18th century.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17When you're planting sweet peas, you need some sort of support,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21and they really do like moisture-retentive soil.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24So if you've got very sandy or thin soil,
0:25:24 > 0:25:30dig a hole in between the supports and put in a bucket of manure
0:25:30 > 0:25:35or compost or soil-improver, and then mix your soil back in.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41Other than that, having sowed these two or three to a pot,
0:25:41 > 0:25:46I just plant them out, one pot per supporting stick.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51If you're buying sweet peas, sometimes you find as many
0:25:51 > 0:25:55as a dozen different plants growing in a single pot.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59If that's the case, I like to take them out the pot and break them up,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02because if you have 12 weedy little plants,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05you won't get 12 times as many flowers.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11Good, strong plants will produce more flowers than lots of weak ones.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15As they grow, they will need tying in for about the first six weeks.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Thereafter they're strong enough to support themselves.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21But what is essential - unlike the peas -
0:26:21 > 0:26:24is to give them a really good watering in.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Even if you've already planted your sweet peas
0:26:36 > 0:26:41or, for some strange reason, you don't want to plant sweet peas,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44there is some jobs you CAN do this weekend.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Few of us have time to keep on top of the garden all the time,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53but a good trick is to focus on the edges.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58Clip the verges of your paths or lawns,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and immediately everything all around them looks more cared for.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08It's not too late to sow pumpkins and squashes,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10although it's something you should get on with.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14If you have already sowed them, don't be tempted to plant them out.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16But you can pot of them on.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Put them in a larger part with a nice, rich compost,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and keep them warm and well watered
0:27:22 > 0:27:26until the nights are warm enough to put them in their growing position.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Tulips are dying back fast.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32But don't cut back the stems or the foliage,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36let them die back slowly so the goodness goes into the bulb.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40However, you should nip off the seedheads, they break very easily,
0:27:40 > 0:27:44and this stops the energy going into new plants,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48so it all goes back into the bulb for next year's flower.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03Of course, this is the blossomiest time of year,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06just when the flowers on the trees
0:28:06 > 0:28:10are matching the foliage as it appears,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12and it only takes a strong wind
0:28:12 > 0:28:14or a really hot day or a really wet day,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and it all comes tumbling and spattering down.
0:28:17 > 0:28:22We wait all winter for these few bright, brief days,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25so don't waste a precious second of it.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Don't be too busy to stop and just relish the moment.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33And I'll see you back here at Longmeadow, same time next week.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Till then, bye-bye.