0:00:02 > 0:00:07Hello and welcome to Gardeners' World, and it does seem incredible
0:00:07 > 0:00:11that we have been bringing you the programme since the late 1960s,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15although I don't think we're looking too bad for our age.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19And what better place to celebrate our golden jubilee than here
0:00:19 > 0:00:21at Gardeners' World Live,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24surrounded by fabulous plants and inspirational gardens?
0:00:24 > 0:00:28So join us for our big birthday bash.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31CHEERING
0:00:33 > 0:00:36On tonight's programme, Joe is looking around a garden that might
0:00:36 > 0:00:40bring back a lot of memories, especially if you had crazy paving.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Alan Titchmarsh and I look back on five decades
0:00:50 > 0:00:51guiding the nation's gardeners.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58And we've all had our say, but you have made your decision.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Mary Berry reveals the winner of our Golden Jubilee Plant.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05We're having a bit of a party,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10so join us as we celebrate Gardeners' World's 50th anniversary.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20THEY PLAY GARDENERS' WORLD THEME
0:01:42 > 0:01:4650 years have passed and the world is a very different place than
0:01:46 > 0:01:49it was from those early programmes from Oxford Botanic Gardens.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54But, you know, the fundamentals of gardening have not changed so much.
0:01:55 > 0:02:01It still is basically about growing things and loving your garden.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05And every Friday, that's exactly what Percy helped us to do,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09and what we still try and do week in, week out.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13To inform, inspire and enthuse you
0:02:13 > 0:02:17to get out there and enjoy your own garden.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22And, of course, the same things apply here at Gardeners' World Live,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24which is why we're all here today.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58I'm in the very appropriately named Nostalgia Garden,
0:02:58 > 0:03:04because this is set entirely in the late '60s, from the petrol pumps,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07which are measured out in shillings and pence, the logos,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11every texture and feel of it brings back a flood of memories.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14And for me, even the little white Alison,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17just a small little bedding plant,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20has associations of the greenhouse that it was grown in,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24the fact that it was heated with an old Victorian solid fuel stove
0:03:24 > 0:03:28and we took those plants, grew them in a wooden seed box,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and then they would be wheeled up in a wooden wheelbarrow -
0:03:31 > 0:03:33I remember it well, it was painted green -
0:03:33 > 0:03:37and planted out along with pelargoniums, with that musty smell.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41I can smell the late '60s just looking at them.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Now, the person responsible for designing all this is
0:03:45 > 0:03:47the designer Paul Stone.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Was it a problem,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58putting all this together, finding all the elements?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01It was a fascinating project, Monty, because, you know,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04there was quite a bit of information out there.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I started with people who were nurserymen in that period.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10They gave me lots of advice, even lots of things to show.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12So, for example, you can see
0:04:12 > 0:04:15the metal cans that I'm showing the plants being sold in.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18That's where we were in those days.
0:04:18 > 0:04:2150 years ago, horticulture was going through a big change,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25and so was society, because the post-war austerity was ending.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29People were buying houses, they had gardens, and they were
0:04:29 > 0:04:33starting to look for things to put in them that weren't just food.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Aubrieta and mesembryanthemums, you know,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38you don't see many of those around these days.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41So all of a sudden, a whole new world was out there
0:04:41 > 0:04:44for people to stock their garden up with.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46And it does seem to me that there was a lot more colour
0:04:46 > 0:04:48that suddenly was introduced.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Primary colours were much more popular then than now,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55and we've got lots of comparative elements of interest in the garden,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57where we're looking at what people
0:04:57 > 0:05:00think of as popular roses in the 1960s
0:05:00 > 0:05:03against current ones.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Well, Paul, everybody is going to love it. Congratulations.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Thanks, Monty.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Now, here at Gardeners' World Live,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21a very contemporary exhibition is of beautiful borders,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25and this one here marks one of the rising stars of Gardeners' World.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Namely...
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Nigel the Dog.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32It's got the colours of his coat, it's got the rounds that represent
0:05:32 > 0:05:37his tennis balls, and the curved shape of a bone, and it's good fun.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39BARKING
0:05:49 > 0:05:54During the last 50 years, gardening fashions have changed,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57but there are some plants that have not only maintained
0:05:57 > 0:06:02their popularity, but in a lot of cases have increased it.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06This lovely stand, Barnsdale, with our
0:06:06 > 0:06:09perennial favourite, Geoff Hamilton, in the centre of it,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12is displaying all sorts of these plants.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16But the one that's most outstanding has to be these achilleas.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Nowadays, there are all sorts of exciting achilleas on offer.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23They have lots of different coloured flowers,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26and some of them even have different foliage.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Achillea Moonshine has silvery foliage,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33accompanied by the most gorgeous lemon flowers.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35If you look at the flowers, first of all,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39you're just aware of these flat heads, but look more closely.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43They're actually composed of a myriad of tiny little daisies.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47They belong to the family asteraceae, the daisy family,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50the biggest flowering family in the world.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54And each of these tiny daisies is full of pollen and nectar,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58making them incredibly attractive to butterflies
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and any pollinating insects.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04What makes them attractive to us is that they're so easy to grow.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Just give them a sunny site and decently drained soil,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and they'll go on and on for years.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Achilleas have probably become even more fashionable than
0:07:13 > 0:07:18they were 50 years ago, because they've really moved with the times,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22and they reflect our interest in naturalistic planting
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and prairie planting.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27They really do mix and mingle with other perennials and grasses
0:07:27 > 0:07:29beautifully well.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Everybody ought to have a go.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Once upon a time, for most of us, gardening was all about flowers.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48That was our main interest. That's what we wanted to do.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50But in recent years,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54foliage has become much more important to us gardeners,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57and this stand typifies that kind of interest.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01These are heucheras in their glory.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04At one time, this was the only kind of heuchera you could get,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08forms of Heuchera sanguinea with little dainty red flowers,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and even then, although the foliage was lovely,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14they were really grown for their flowers.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16And when you look at this stand, you can hardly believe
0:08:16 > 0:08:18they're all the same plant.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Some of them have big, bold leaves.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Some of them have different texture.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Lots of them have different shapes, and some of them have
0:08:27 > 0:08:32totally different colours, things that were unheard of 50 years ago.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35They all prefer to be grown in dappled shade,
0:08:35 > 0:08:40and they make wonderful ground cover between shrubs or under trees.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42As long as they're on the dryish side,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45during the winter they'll keep their leaves too, but it's in
0:08:45 > 0:08:47the full glory of summer's show
0:08:47 > 0:08:49that they really make their best display.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01From foliage to the most floriferous of flowers,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04foxgloves and hollyhocks.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Think of a cottage garden.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Immediately your mind springs to hollyhocks growing
0:09:10 > 0:09:11by the front door.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15They used to be immensely popular, but their popularity
0:09:15 > 0:09:19has waned in recent years because lots of them have had rust.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23It's very prevalent amongst almost all hollyhocks.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26But now along comes the halo series,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29which are far less likely to develop rust.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32They have lots of species, hollyhocks,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35in their genetic make-up, and this
0:09:35 > 0:09:38has made them less susceptible to the disease,
0:09:38 > 0:09:39and what a delight they are.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Just look at these colours.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46They almost remind you of toffees and sweeties of all descriptions.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49And each of them has this very dark centre.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I love the colours.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53I think they're really arty and they would be
0:09:53 > 0:09:57so easy to incorporate into a modern garden.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Although hollyhocks are a perennial favourite,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01they're actually biennials.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05That means in their first year from seed, they'll just make
0:10:05 > 0:10:07a big rosette, and in the second year,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10they'll produce these tall stems
0:10:10 > 0:10:12of beautiful flowers.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Sadly, after that, they'll die, but by then,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17you'll have planted your next batch of seed.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Because who wouldn't want to have hollyhocks in their garden?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24They've always been perennial favourites and I'm sure,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27like so many plants in the Floral Marquee,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31they're going to go on being just as popular for decades to come.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46David Stevens has been designing gardens for nearly as long
0:10:46 > 0:10:49as Gardeners' World's been on air and is the proud owner
0:10:49 > 0:10:53of 11 Chelsea gold medals, so he's the perfect man to design
0:10:53 > 0:10:58a space that reflects the changing trends in our own back gardens.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Well, I've been designing gardens now almost 50 years.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09I started in the mid-1960s, and I've designed all kinds of gardens.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Gardens for the rich and famous, gardens for people,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17because the majority of clients really are people that want
0:11:17 > 0:11:20a lovely garden created for them, but they may not have the expertise.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28The show organisers asked me to design this garden for the BBC
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and for Gardeners' World, obviously, with the 50-year timespan.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Well, that made me scratch my head a little, it really did.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37But I thought in the end, we'd come up with five vignettes,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40five miniature gardens that would trace the development from
0:11:40 > 0:11:42the '60s right the way through to the noughties.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44And the '60s gardens, people tend to forget,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48it was a time of austerity, and there were no garden centres,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50so people used materials that were very much to hand.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54They nearly always had a vegetable plot still growing from
0:11:54 > 0:11:57the war years. The classic shed was always there.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Annual plants dominated, bright colour,
0:12:01 > 0:12:02and really vibrant schemes.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09One of the great things about the early gardens in the 1960s
0:12:09 > 0:12:12was that wonderful material - crazy paving.
0:12:12 > 0:12:18And here it is, in all its glory. Now, it's not so easy to lay.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19It actually takes a lot of care.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21There are a lot of shapes to fit together.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Each one of those has got to be pointed in, so what may look
0:12:24 > 0:12:28like a pretty unassuming material really takes a bit of skill.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38In the '70s, things started to change.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Garden centres came along,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and with garden centres came a huge choice of materials,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44both of paving and the plants,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47and planting, that got a lot more diverse.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Heathers and conifers came in.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Hardy perennials started to come in, so you had a backbone of
0:12:52 > 0:12:55shrubs and the herbaceous plants started to soften that all up.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03And how about that wonderful material screen block walling?
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Now, again, people are pulling them down by the thousands these days,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10but in the '70s, wow, that was the thing to have.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21In the 1980s, there was change again.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25The outside room really came in, so the garden lost the grass,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28more hard landscaping, room for sitting and dining,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31built-in barbecues, soft planting,
0:13:31 > 0:13:36but very much somewhere to relax, entertain, and not work too hard.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43People often underestimate really what the contractor does.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45It's not just the designer.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48And Peter Dowle and I go back a long way.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49In fact, I worked with his dad before then.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56I think the '80s for me, it sums up the use of perhaps
0:13:56 > 0:14:00bolder plants, the strong purples of the Heuchera Palace Purple.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Having said that, towards the latter part of the decade,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06there was a definite resurgence in cottage gardens,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and this is reflected with this one here,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10with the mixture of delphiniums, the catmint,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12this lovely pink penstemon.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15All in all, I think the '80s was a really exciting decade.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24In the 1990s, the decking and gravel. Remember?
0:14:24 > 0:14:26So things are changing, things are moving on,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28and from the outside room,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32we move into something much more relaxed and much softer.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40One of the classics, of course, was the foxglove.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Fabulous to watch when the bees enter it.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45You can hear almost vibrating as they open the flower.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Another stalwart of the '90s, of course, was the lupin.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Great spires of white flowers, will always remain a classic.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53Towards the latter part of the '90s,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56it is loosely termed prairie planting,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59where you are using grasses for movements,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02the introduction of colour, and lots of forms.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05You've got this beautiful one here. This is the Stipa tenuissima.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07It's a very soft, floaty grass.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Always a popular group of plants,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and I think they will remain in our gardens for decades to come.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The 2000s really bring us up to date.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Gardens have become fashion statements.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Design is the order of the day.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27Hard, crisp materials, but very soft herbaceous planting around it,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29with grasses coming to the fore.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Again, something that wasn't used in the earlier days.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Show gardens, and I always call them ideas factories
0:15:37 > 0:15:39for the public, because the public are the people that really
0:15:39 > 0:15:42gain from the shows, and of course Gardeners' World
0:15:42 > 0:15:45has traced that development all the way through it's 50 years as well.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51So has it brought back memories,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54going through this process of designing and making these gardens?
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Not half, and it's lovely, people just walking past,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00saying, "I remember that decade." And it brings back specific times
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- in people's lives.- But for you? - Yes, it has.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04I started landscaping in the '60s and each decade's taken us into
0:16:04 > 0:16:07a different fashion or different materials or different plants.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10The first garden in the 1960s, it's so nostalgic.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13My next-door neighbour had exactly this garden.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15I remember. Crazy paving.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18They were just all broken paving slabs, basically.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20And, of course, it was always a riot of colour.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24- We've even got Norman down the back there.- Yeah, yeah, I can see that.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- But here we are in the '70s.- Yes. - This is the birth of garden design.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Exactly. In the '70s, the garden centres came in
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and all of these materials started to appear,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35and often too many materials, so gardens did get a bit busy.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37This wonderful block wall as well.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Californian screen block walls were the business, weren't they?
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- The preformed pond.- Little fibreglass pond.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43And you always saw the edge,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- cos you couldn't disguise the flipping thing.- Yeah, yeah, sure.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49OK, now, this is when I started landscaping professionally,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52laying Yorkstone and doing all these little brick patios,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55built-in seating, and railway sleepers.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59- Indeed.- Very popular material.- And you must have a built-in barbecue.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- Yeah, yeah, sure. OK, now, this is the '90s.- It is.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04And there was a huge explosion of television programmes,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Ground Force, Home Front in the Garden,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and design was really playing a big part in gardening.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13It was. Decking, gravel, clean lines, and more design,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15setting things at an angle. People hadn't thought of that.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18But in a little small garden, the diagonal is the longest line.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20- Makes the garden look bigger. - Here we are.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22This is the modern-day garden, pretty much,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24and it's gone back to rectilinear.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26- Very much so.- Working with the boundary.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Could be a little roof garden in the centre of Birmingham
0:17:29 > 0:17:30or Manchester or London. Perfect.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35So if there is one plant that has endured all 50 years
0:17:35 > 0:17:37of these gardens, what would it be?
0:17:37 > 0:17:39It's a good question, isn't it, really?
0:17:39 > 0:17:43But I think one of my favourites is this beautiful delphinium.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Spires that just come up,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47they'll look good in an architectural garden,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49they'll look good in a cottage garden,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52they'll even look good in a wild garden. We should grow them more.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54You know, we've looked back 50 years.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56What about looking forward 50 years?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58What do you think is going to happen to our gardens?
0:17:58 > 0:17:59Well, we're moving on, but I think...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01You know, I've seen that great film Avatar.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03I'm a freak for that sort of stuff.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05But think of the special effects in there.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07These wonderful fibreoptics and the lighting.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10The English are mad on plants and quite rightly so,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13but I think that's going to mix with technology, computer graphics,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15special effects, and I think that will bring
0:18:15 > 0:18:18a totally different dimension to the garden and take us on
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- through the next 50 years.- Exciting times. We're going to have
0:18:21 > 0:18:24to go back to garden design college for all of that stuff.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I've forgotten all that stuff already.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Still to come, Alan Titchmarsh and I will be discussing what
0:18:40 > 0:18:44it's like to have the best job in television.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Joe will be discovering the brightest new talent here at
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Gardeners' World Live, and we shall be announcing the winner of
0:18:52 > 0:18:55our Gardeners' World Golden Jubilee Plant.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Through changing horticultural fashions,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07there's been one constant on Gardeners' World.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09The role of head gardener.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15From plants women and vegetable experts
0:19:15 > 0:19:19to gold-winning designers, Gardeners' World has been presented
0:19:19 > 0:19:24by some of Britain's best-loved and most knowledgeable gardeners.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26But despite half a century on air,
0:19:26 > 0:19:31only a handful can claim to be the nation's head gardener.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Good afternoon and welcome once again to our gardening club.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Already a familiar face on the BBC's Gardening Club,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Percy Thrower was our first main presenter, and started
0:19:42 > 0:19:44the tradition of presenting the show
0:19:44 > 0:19:46from his own garden.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48September. The sun is still shining.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52He wanted to teach everyone the correct way to garden.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54One, two buds like that.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58When Percy left, Arthur Billet carried on.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02He was joined by Peter Seabrook and they became a presenting duo.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05I leave you, I think,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Arthur, to go and get ready for spraying roses,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09because I'm going to go into the greenhouse and have
0:20:09 > 0:20:12a look at one or two annuals that need to be sown.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15But just catch a sight of that. Isn't it magnificent?
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Next up was Geoff Hamilton, who was to hold the role for 17 years.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24My asparagus bed's really looking good, even at this time of the year.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Geoff wanted to be less of a teacher,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30more of a friend sharing tips and experiences.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33When you are digging, take it nice and easy
0:20:33 > 0:20:37and just as soon as you feel a little bit tired,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39go and have a cup of tea.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42And he also wasn't afraid to share his failures.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46But there's one lot of plants that are an unmitigated disaster
0:20:46 > 0:20:50in my garden, and that's the garden pinks.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53He was a true pioneer for the organic movement.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56The organic plot, well, it speaks for itself.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59So it certainly is a viable alternative.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02But if there's one thing Geoff will be remembered for,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05it's his penny-saving gardening tips.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10I saw one of these in an upmarket garden centre and just copied it,
0:21:10 > 0:21:15and that is the plastic ball from a lavatory cistern.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Alan Titchmarsh picked up the baton in the late 1990s.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22A new beginning, a new gardener and a new garden.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26This is Barleywood in Hampshire.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Alan had a keen eye for design.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32This is outside my writing pavilion and I've taken two hours a day
0:21:32 > 0:21:35every day this week to make this, and I'm dead chuffed with it.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38But he also started trends too.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Over this plank bridge to the deck area
0:21:41 > 0:21:45that we started last week by laying these joists.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49And that brings us to the current holder of the title, Monty Don.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53I'm very proud to be leading gardening's longest-running series.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Do you know, it's now in its 36th year.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00He was filled with ideas for his first garden at Berryfields.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03One of the things I would like to see is a really big pond in there
0:22:03 > 0:22:05which will pull in lots and lots of wildlife.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09When Monty fell ill, Toby Buckland stepped into his shoes
0:22:09 > 0:22:11in a new garden, Greenacre.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15I passionately believe that gardening is for everybody.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18There is no right or wrong way to do it and you don't need
0:22:18 > 0:22:20a lot of money or a lot of space to do it either.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22We're all born gardeners
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and we're all born good gardeners at that.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27When Monty returned, like his predecessors,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30he welcomed us into his own garden at Longmeadow.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33This is a new chapter for Gardeners' World
0:22:33 > 0:22:37but, obviously, it's my home, and we've been here 20 years
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and my wife Sarah and I have made this garden during that period.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45And, of course, we can't forget Monty's able assistants,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48his dogs Nigel and Nellie.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52MONTY DON: Being the nation's head gardener is a wonderful privilege
0:22:52 > 0:22:57but the opportunity to meet a predecessor is extremely rare.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02Alan, I didn't know about a meeting that Geoff had with Percy,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06which was actually captured on television, the only time
0:23:06 > 0:23:08that the two main presenters of Gardeners' World
0:23:08 > 0:23:10had actually talked about it over 30 years ago,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13so I think it's about time we shared our experiences.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15- We have an anniversary?- Yeah, we do.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- So you took over from Geoff?- Mmm.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20What was the job description to you?
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Well, it was just the anchor man of Gardener's World
0:23:22 > 0:23:24which was a great responsibility.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Having watched Percy Thrower when I was a boy, it was,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29"Crumbs, really? Me?" It was that.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32And the other sadness was, of course,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I was due to take over from Geoff the following Easter.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Geoff died in the previous August.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38I had to leap in and do the last six programmes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Aside from the fact that he was a friend and I'd lost a mate,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46to pick up the reigns of his programme was really difficult
0:23:46 > 0:23:48for that first section, which was autumn.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52I sort of managed to get through somehow and keep the viewers there.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I thought when I started the following February,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56"Right, it's got to be me now.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58"I can't pretend to be Geoff," and that was quite scary.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Sort of hold your nose and jump.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01You probably found it was the same.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Well, I was going to say,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06that obviously the circumstances in which you took over from Geoff
0:24:06 > 0:24:09were incredibly difficult,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12but taking over from you wasn't easy.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15You know, because half the audience at least doesn't want you.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18They want what they knew and they loved
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and so you do have to say, "Well, I can't be you. I've got to be me.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24"I'm not quite sure what that means or how I do it
0:24:24 > 0:24:25"but I'm going to try."
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- And you find your way, don't you? - Yes.- It's only by doing it...
0:24:28 > 0:24:32I remember every February when we'd start again, we'd turn up,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34tiny production crew, half a dozen of you,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36and say, "How do we do this?"
0:24:36 > 0:24:37Exactly.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39At the end of it you think,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41"Oh, yeah, probably can remember how to do this."
0:24:41 > 0:24:45- Of course, you and I do this from our own homes...- Mmm.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48..and we know that that's sort of an interesting set-up.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Well, it cuts two ways, doesn't it?
0:24:50 > 0:24:53One, it's yours and therefore you can be totally owning of it
0:24:53 > 0:24:56cos it is yours, but, of course, then the world and his wife,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00X million are coming in every week and you are sharing it.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02The great thing is they don't leave any footprints.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05No, I remember the story of Percy Thrower opening up his garden
0:25:05 > 0:25:08to the public for the church fete, that sort of thing,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and 10,000 cars came.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- In a day?- Yeah.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16The motorways were blocked and police were diverted
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- and so on and so forth.- But you still get that joy of sharing it.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21You must get pleasure.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I always used to start the programme with plant of the week,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26something that was flowering in my garden, and I'd go around
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and it's, "Come and look at this. Isn't this great?"
0:25:28 > 0:25:32That's the thing that you did brilliantly
0:25:32 > 0:25:34and I always try and do.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36When you and I go out in the morning,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- you're looking for that little gem that celebrates that day.- Mmm.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I'm always thinking, why don't we just go and look at that
0:25:42 > 0:25:45or just revel in it, just be there?
0:25:45 > 0:25:49But, of course, television is a great driver. It needs stories.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51And I think also what one has to be aware of
0:25:51 > 0:25:53is styles of television move on.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Percy was a tremendously good broadcaster.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- He had this way with him. He had this sort of ease.- Yes.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- AS PERCY THROWER:- Good evening.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04You couldn't do that now. People need it that bit faster.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07And yet gardening is, of its nature, not rapid.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08I guess all this leads to...
0:26:08 > 0:26:11The point is where do you think it's going?
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Do you think Gardeners' World will go on for another 50 years?
0:26:14 > 0:26:18I hope to goodness that Gardeners' World continues because
0:26:18 > 0:26:21a lot of fuss is made about climate change, global warming,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23looking after the planet.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Gardeners' World, along with other gardening programmes,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29is the figurehead leaning out the front of the ship,
0:26:29 > 0:26:30often rather scantily-clad...
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- Speak for yourself, Alan. - It's the vanguard movement.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Looking after that little bit outside your door
0:26:37 > 0:26:39is the best you can do.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41You think, "How can I make a difference?"
0:26:41 > 0:26:42You can make a difference here and there.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45It makes you feel good. You can eat it.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Yes, there are frustrations, but, for me,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51it's the stuff of life and it's desperately, desperately important.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- Thank you very much indeed. - Pleasure.- Thanks.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Nice to see you again.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11For 25 years, Gardeners' World Live
0:27:11 > 0:27:15has featured many experienced designers and exhibitors,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17but what's nice about this show
0:27:17 > 0:27:20is it encourages plenty of emerging talent too.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Now, there are ten beautiful borders here this year.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I like the way they've laid it out and there's real variety here,
0:27:31 > 0:27:32which is what we want,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36and this is where some recent graduates do their thing
0:27:36 > 0:27:38and they're quite experimental.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I was drawn to this one. This one is called 50 Years of Colour.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44What strikes me is that 50 years go,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I don't think you'd see colour combinations like this,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51but we've become more adventurous about putting colours together.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55So, here we've got fabulous oranges of things like the primulas.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56We've got the astilbes.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00A lovely dianthus here, this pink dianthus.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02And they are sort of melded together by the green
0:28:02 > 0:28:06and all those different foliage textures bringing them together.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Now, long-term, this planting wouldn't really work.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11We've got plants that like moisture
0:28:11 > 0:28:14next to plants that need a drier soil, but, as a bedding scheme
0:28:14 > 0:28:18and for a show like this, well, it feels as if it's of its time.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30All the gardens along this avenue are made by
0:28:30 > 0:28:33members of the Association of Professional Landscapers
0:28:33 > 0:28:35and their brief is to design
0:28:35 > 0:28:38ingenious solutions for small spaces.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Now, last year Martin Lyons won Best Beautiful Border
0:28:52 > 0:28:56and this year he's done a garden here, so he's really stepped up.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Now, his background is landscaping
0:28:58 > 0:29:00so he's a landscaper-turned-designer,
0:29:00 > 0:29:04a little bit like myself, and he's created a great little garden here.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07The finishing is immaculate, as you'd expect, and he's walked off
0:29:07 > 0:29:10with the Best Construction award, which is really nice.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12It's a classic outdoor room.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15We've got two seating areas, an outdoor kitchen in the middle,
0:29:15 > 0:29:21but I really like the Japanese moss wall art effect on the back.
0:29:21 > 0:29:22That's very, very successful.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Now, the planting has been beautifully put together.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27If you like purple and silver
0:29:27 > 0:29:29then it's definitely going to be a garden for you.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31I think Martin's got a wonderful future ahead of him.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34Maybe we'll see him at Chelsea one day.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36He's definitely an emerging talent.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Many of the exhibitors in the floral marquee
0:29:52 > 0:29:57have gone out of their way to help us celebrate our golden jubilee,
0:29:57 > 0:30:02but one exhibitor in particular has gone that extra mile
0:30:02 > 0:30:04to put the icing on the cake.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Peonies are amazing because of the sheer size and beauty of the flower
0:30:14 > 0:30:18and there are just so many colours, so many shapes, even,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21and, of course, they're fragrant too.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26In fact, I love peonies so much, I now have over 6,000 in my nursery.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30But the truth is, my love of gardening started a long time ago.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34My grandfather taught me an awful lot about horticulture
0:30:34 > 0:30:37and gardening and, in particular, exhibiting and showing,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40but he used to show me how to sow seeds,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42how to grow the vegetables with the chrysanthemums,
0:30:42 > 0:30:44how to pinch them out,
0:30:44 > 0:30:48how to curl the petals to get the perfect bloom just for showing.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53An awful lot of what I learned from him I use today with my peonies,
0:30:53 > 0:30:55but, of course, the biggest thing he left me with
0:30:55 > 0:30:58was his love of gardening and his passion.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01My after-school job was watering the hanging baskets
0:31:01 > 0:31:04at our local garden centre and I absolutely loved it,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07even though I got drenched every single day.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10But it meant that I got to spend time in the nursery with the plants
0:31:10 > 0:31:12and with people who loved the plants.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16So when the time came to choose A-levels, I really wanted to
0:31:16 > 0:31:20study horticulture and botany, but my careers advisors, teachers, said
0:31:20 > 0:31:23that really I needed to do something that was a bit more sensible
0:31:23 > 0:31:27in terms of a future career, so I ended up studying law
0:31:27 > 0:31:30but, fundamentally, it wasn't what I wanted to do.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34I was always looking for ways to grow plants and be outside and
0:31:34 > 0:31:36so I was delighted about ten years ago
0:31:36 > 0:31:40when I got the opportunity to buy this nursery.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51This is a peony Red Charm. I absolutely love it.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54It's got a really deep blood-red colour.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57When it gets older and more mature, the flower turns to deep purple,
0:31:57 > 0:31:58and it can get huge.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02This one's about to shatter, but you can see how big it really gets.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04It's quite early to flower,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08but it's definitely a stunner and definitely one for the garden.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11This is a patio peony called Madrid.
0:32:11 > 0:32:12It's one of my favourites.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It's a gorgeous soft pink with a crimson ruffle round the top
0:32:15 > 0:32:18and it's gorgeously scented.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20It's ideal for containers and pots.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Ideal for balconies even, because it doesn't get too big.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26It doesn't have a very big root ball,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29so you can keep it in a container much more successfully
0:32:29 > 0:32:31than some of other varieties, but they are covered in flower.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Masses of flower. Maybe 20, 30 heads on each plant.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36So if you've got a small patio and you really want to inject
0:32:36 > 0:32:40a bit of glamour, this is the peony to have.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42This is another firm favourite of mine.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44This is a peony Krinkled White.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47It's a really solid and reliable peony.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49It doesn't get too tall.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52With these lovely crinkled white flowers, very delicate.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57Flowers for a very long time in peony terms, a couple of weeks.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02So, here we have Lady Alexandra Duff in its soft bud form
0:33:02 > 0:33:05and that's really if you were going to pick it as a cut flower,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08that's when you'd want to pick it, when it's as soft as a marshmallow,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11because you've then got just a day or so before it opens.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15And then you have these huge semi-double flowers.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19Beautifully pink cerise colour on the outside
0:33:19 > 0:33:22with flairs of white petals in the centre.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32The first thing to think about when planting the peony
0:33:32 > 0:33:34is where are you going to put it
0:33:34 > 0:33:36and anywhere will do, provided it's in full sun.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39The other thing that you need to think about is the soil.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Any kind of soil will be fine.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Peonies are not too fussy, but it must be free draining.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47They just won't tolerate having wet feet over the winter.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50People often plant their peonies too deep.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53The thing to remember is to make sure it's not more than an inch,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55inch-and-a-half below the surface.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Any deeper and your peony will just never flower.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00One of the few things you'll have to do,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03certainly with some of the herbaceous peonies,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06is to make sure you put a plant support in or stake them.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Some of the heads are just so big they just fall over,
0:34:09 > 0:34:11so you will need to support some of them.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19To celebrate the golden jubilee of Gardeners' World,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22we've decided to build a big birthday cake.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26It's a three-tiered structure made out of peonies.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30One of the ideas is that the peony flowers, with all of the petals,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32is going to mimic the look of icing on the cake,
0:34:32 > 0:34:36so we're using over 3,000 peony heads in this cake,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39all different colours. It's going to be a riot.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41So, in order to pull off this idea of mine,
0:34:41 > 0:34:42I've enlisted the help of my dad.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Dad worked behind the scenes mostly, building most of the exhibits
0:34:46 > 0:34:49and he's here making up the basis of the cake.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51We've only got three days to build this exhibit
0:34:51 > 0:34:54that's seven feet tall and eight feet wide.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56I'm feeling a little bit nervous and apprehensive,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59but I know that we'll pull it off. We always do.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14So, Alec, did you pull it off?
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Well, Carol, I think we just about got away with it, didn't we?
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Well, I don't know about that. It looks magnificent.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22We're very pleased. We had a few hiccups on the way.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23We had to stabilise it.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25It was the leaning tower of cake at one point
0:35:25 > 0:35:27and the hot weather we've had the last couple of days
0:35:27 > 0:35:29has really put the peonies under pressure.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32But they've responded brilliantly well under your expert care.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I just want to say thank you on behalf of everybody.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38What a wonderful way to celebrate 50 years.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51So it's not just about looking back to the last 50 years of gardening.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Gardening is all about looking to the future as well
0:35:54 > 0:35:58and there are all sorts of newcomers around the floral marquee.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Here's one in plant form.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05It's an absolutely gorgeous triteleia called Foxy
0:36:05 > 0:36:08and it's brand-new, first time at the show.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12I just adore these beautifully disposed flowers,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15each on its own slender, wiry stem
0:36:15 > 0:36:18and I love the colour, don't you?
0:36:18 > 0:36:20They come from California,
0:36:20 > 0:36:23so you can imagine the sort of conditions they adore -
0:36:23 > 0:36:25hot, dry, sunny -
0:36:25 > 0:36:28but they're not tender. They'll go on from year to year.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Plant them in the spring, up they'll come with these glorious flowers.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Well, I'll tell you what, if this is the shape of the future,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38we've got lots to look forward to.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Well, Robert, you're hardly a newcomer, but over the years
0:36:47 > 0:36:50you've introduced me and loads of other people
0:36:50 > 0:36:54to all sorts of new plants. What's new here this year?
0:36:54 > 0:36:58We've got a pink snowbell tree - Styrax japonicus Pink Chimes
0:36:58 > 0:37:00from Japan and China, where it's a woodlander.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03It grows very much the same place you'd find a Japanese maple.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05A small tree.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08Tens of thousands of delicate pink flowers which are actually fragrant.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10I don't know if you can get that.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Ooh, it's exquisite. It's sort of orangery, isn't it?
0:37:13 > 0:37:17An established plant fills the whole area with perfume. A lovely thing.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21In the autumn, it's followed by really pretty fruits.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23They're like jade pearls, like the most lovely earrings.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26- They'd suit you actually. - Ooh, great!
0:37:26 > 0:37:29We've also got a chocolaty foliage form,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Styrax japonicus Purple Dress.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34That's out of this world.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Chocolaty foliage and the palest of palest pink, little white flowers
0:37:37 > 0:37:40which again have the really nice fruits in the autumn.
0:37:40 > 0:37:41It's so beautiful.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43Do you know what?
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Your whole stand is just packed with treasures and I'll tell you what,
0:37:46 > 0:37:48over the years to come,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51I hope you'll be introducing us to lots more new plants.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53I'm certainly planning to.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16This is one of the gardens designed by the members
0:38:16 > 0:38:18of the Association of Professional Landscapers
0:38:18 > 0:38:20and it is a really cool space.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23If you set the scene, it's for a couple that love their bars
0:38:23 > 0:38:27and trendy night clubs and they want to bring a little bit of that home.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30But they also love this passion for reclaimed materials
0:38:30 > 0:38:32and this angle that works all the way through,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36imagine that going into the house and this movement that's created.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40But above me is simple scaffold boards with scaffold poles
0:38:40 > 0:38:43and that, then, is picked up in this lovely table.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45And then you look at the deck, it's all reclaimed boards,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48but that runs all the way through and then, bang,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51you're down into another space, and the angle works well.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54But here's the bar. Lovely little element of surprise.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55Somewhere to cook.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Imagine that party and it all calms down at the end of the day
0:38:58 > 0:39:00and you move to the back of the garden.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05This big industrial steel holds up this deck that sits over planting.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09Talking about the planting, it's simple but it's clever.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12It's shrubs and it's herbaceous, but there's herbs in there
0:39:12 > 0:39:14and there's even some veggies in there.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16I love the way that they're growing veg in hessian sacks.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Even the thyme wall grows up.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Beautiful scent to walk past,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23but also you can pick that and use that in your cooking.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27Do you know, at the end of the day, I wouldn't mind coming home to this.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37From party animals to a garden for wildlife.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39This space is designed to provide
0:39:39 > 0:39:43both food and shelter for wildlife species.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45The plants have been very carefully selected to give
0:39:45 > 0:39:48a long run of pollen and nectar.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51One particularly useful plant is this,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55centranthus ruber, and it's absolutely loved by our native
0:39:55 > 0:39:57hummingbird hawk-moth.
0:39:57 > 0:39:58Over on this side of the garden
0:39:58 > 0:40:01are some nicely constructed wildlife hotels.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04This whole upcycling idea really reminds me
0:40:04 > 0:40:06of the late, great Geoff Hamilton
0:40:06 > 0:40:10and how he made do and mended everything he possibly could.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13I think the other great thing about this front garden is that
0:40:13 > 0:40:16it's gravelled, so it's free draining and gets away from
0:40:16 > 0:40:19all of those problems that so many urban front gardens have.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30This garden puts a real smile on my face.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33I feel like I've arrived in a fairy tale.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34It reminds me, I suppose,
0:40:34 > 0:40:36of my grandparents, and that's what the designer's done.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39He's took his inspiration from time spent with his grandfather
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and the lay-out's lovely.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43You've got the lupins, the delphiniums, geraniums,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46but also the lavender which comes up the path,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and that's quite a clever idea.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52As you walk up, you brush the edge and the scent comes up.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55I looked at the materials and first of all I thought,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58"Maybe he's over-egged it," but you look closer and no.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Because he's used the colour in the paving,
0:41:00 > 0:41:02picked it up in the paving detail in the front,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05and then you come in and I've got a brown in the stone,
0:41:05 > 0:41:06but it's picked up in the rock,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09so it actually starts to pull it all together,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11and he's even got a little tucked away space in the corner
0:41:11 > 0:41:15where you could just sit and enjoy a bit of time with the kids.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24This garden manages to cleverly put together modern design with
0:41:24 > 0:41:27plenty of wildlife plants, wildlife species.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Now, looking round the garden, there's a particular flow and
0:41:30 > 0:41:32continuity to the planting.
0:41:32 > 0:41:33There's umbels all over the place.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37One that I note over here is Angelica Vicar's Mead.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40You don't see it grown very often, but it's a lovely umbel
0:41:40 > 0:41:42and that theme runs across the site.
0:41:42 > 0:41:47And this works so well, this transition out of aquatic planting
0:41:47 > 0:41:49into more meadow planting over on the other side.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51The colours and textures pull it all together.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Now, this island in the centre of the garden
0:41:54 > 0:41:56is all about looking after people,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59but tucked away in the floor here
0:41:59 > 0:42:03are these cleverly designed recliners which simply pop up.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06What nicer way to relax on a summer's day,
0:42:06 > 0:42:08in a modern landscape,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11surrounded by plants suitable for wildlife?
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Now these gardens are of such a high standard,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16I'm sure in the next few years we'll be seeing these designers
0:42:16 > 0:42:19and these contractors at RHS Chelsea.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Let's step away from the celebrations for a moment
0:42:34 > 0:42:37and have a look at some good old garden design.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Claudia de Yong set out to create a romantic garden
0:42:40 > 0:42:43but she ended up with a bit of a ruin.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47Frances Tophill went off to meet her to find out how she got here.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Inspiration for a garden design can come from anywhere,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00whether it's literature or art or countries that you've visited.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Award-winning garden designer Claudia de Yong
0:43:02 > 0:43:05has a passion for ruins and castles.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16Beeston Castle stands on a rocky crag high over Cheshire.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20Its stone walls have lasted more than 700 years.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25So, we've come to Beeston Castle to get inspiration
0:43:25 > 0:43:28for your Gardeners' World Live Show Garden.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31But what is it about this place that means so much to you?
0:43:31 > 0:43:33This castle is absolutely stunning.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36The setting, the romance, the history.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40It's built upon this wonderful hill surrounded by trees, all around it.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44These round turrets we have here with this archway and the stone,
0:43:44 > 0:43:45if you look at the walls,
0:43:45 > 0:43:47- you've all got the same size stone in them...- Yeah.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50..and that's the sort of feeling I'm going to recreate
0:43:50 > 0:43:52in my turrets at the Show Garden.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00I mean, castles aren't places you typically think of
0:44:00 > 0:44:02as being particularly planty,
0:44:02 > 0:44:05especially Show Garden quality plants,
0:44:05 > 0:44:07so how are you getting the inspiration?
0:44:07 > 0:44:08No, exactly, I mean,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11not everybody will want to recreate this sort of look, obviously.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14I mean, it's very wild and things growing out from rocks
0:44:14 > 0:44:16and all the rest of it.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18But just looking at the plants we've got here,
0:44:18 > 0:44:19I mean, we've got some of the trees,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21I'm going to be using rowan tree, sorbus,
0:44:21 > 0:44:22which is down there in the middle,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25which has fantastic red berries for the birds.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28But also the red was apparently to ward off the witches
0:44:28 > 0:44:31so we've got that mystery again, that intrigue going on
0:44:31 > 0:44:34with all the sort of history of the castle.
0:44:34 > 0:44:35And then we've got some dog roses
0:44:35 > 0:44:38just jutting out over there on both sides.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40And we're going to have roses
0:44:40 > 0:44:41in our Show Garden as well.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45They won't be dog roses but they'll be beautifully scented roses
0:44:45 > 0:44:48which will give that sort of romantic feel again.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50So you're taking the species but using cultivars
0:44:50 > 0:44:54- and refined versions of those plants?- Exactly, exactly.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04- Wow, look at that view. - Isn't it stunning?
0:45:04 > 0:45:06360 degrees.
0:45:06 > 0:45:07It's just amazing.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10And then the whole thing's surrounded by this beautiful wall.
0:45:10 > 0:45:14I'm recreating something like this, to a degree.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19You know, it's that wonderful, mysterious sort of romantic feel.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23Yeah. And I can see those walls being reclaimed by nature.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34I always find it incredible how nature finds a way of coming in.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38You just would not expect to see a birch growing in the rock
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- up this high.- Isn't it wonderful?
0:45:40 > 0:45:42I'm going to have a birch in my garden
0:45:42 > 0:45:43a river birch next to the water,
0:45:43 > 0:45:46but just looking at that coming out of the crack.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48And all these ferns in all these little cracks here,
0:45:48 > 0:45:51- really delicate.- I know, and it just softens everything, doesn't it?
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Otherwise this would just be sterile.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55A very underrated plant, I think, the ivy,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58- which is fantastically... - It is.- ..good for wildlife.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00I'm going to be having ivy in my Show Garden,
0:46:00 > 0:46:02a lot of the walls will be covered in ivy.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06But I just think it's a wonderful underrated plant for wildlife.
0:46:06 > 0:46:07Is that a big passion of yours, then, wildlife?
0:46:07 > 0:46:10It is, I absolutely adore wildlife. I mean, if we can bring...
0:46:10 > 0:46:13The more and more wildlife into our gardens, the better.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15And I'm going to be growing a lot of plants
0:46:15 > 0:46:18which are absolutely wonderful for bees in the Show Garden
0:46:18 > 0:46:19to attract nature.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30So all this wonderful stuff that you've shown me
0:46:30 > 0:46:33- will be at Birmingham NEC, are you excited?- I'm so excited,
0:46:33 > 0:46:35all the months of planning have finally come to fruition.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38- I'm sure it will look lovely. - Thank you so much.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Well, here we are in Romance In The Ruins garden
0:46:49 > 0:46:50and, Claudia, I mean,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53you've really encapsulated that whole romance feeling.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54How did you go about it?
0:46:54 > 0:46:58I mean, you know, trying to recreate these tumbling stones and ruins,
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- that must have been some feat. - It was quite a feat,
0:47:01 > 0:47:04choosing the stone to start with was quite something.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06You know, finding the right stone to build the towers with.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Well, you've done it really, really well.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11And I also love the way that you've also planted
0:47:11 > 0:47:14- within the stone as well. - In the little pockets? Yes.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17That's it, you've put little ferns and then there's like a,
0:47:17 > 0:47:19is it a buddleia?
0:47:19 > 0:47:21A buddleia coming out of the top of the tower.
0:47:21 > 0:47:22When we went to Beeston Castle,
0:47:22 > 0:47:24we noticed that there were little trees,
0:47:24 > 0:47:26like, silver birches and things
0:47:26 > 0:47:29coming out of the top of the turrets. So I thought, "Why not?
0:47:29 > 0:47:30"Let's try a buddleia on the top."
0:47:30 > 0:47:33Absolutely, and then you've got all these plants
0:47:33 > 0:47:36- and wonderful ivy as well. - Little ivies, some big ivies,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39really trying to get that feel into this garden.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41And how have you sort of aged the stone?
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Well, that's quite interesting.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45A very good friend of mine, on this site,
0:47:45 > 0:47:49had a very nice recipe of cow manure, milk and water,
0:47:49 > 0:47:51so I wouldn't get too close to my towers.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53No, I'll stay this way where the scent is a lot better.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55- Especially when the wind blows. - Yes, exactly.- Yeah.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57And, of course, you've brought in wildlife, haven't you,
0:47:57 > 0:48:00- into this garden?- I have. I mean, wildlife is very important.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03It's important to everybody and especially to me.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06And this garden offers so much for wildlife, for bees,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09butterflies, there's everything here.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11I've even introduced a few little creatures around,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13which I'd like people to spot.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16- I can, I can see a few from where I'm sitting.- Yes.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19And then, of course, you've got the wonderful rowan tree as well.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Exactly, I mean, rowan is a very important tree,
0:48:21 > 0:48:26gets found a lot actually around the area of the castles I've visited
0:48:26 > 0:48:28and it offers so much for wildlife and we forget about that,
0:48:28 > 0:48:32we always think of plants and flowers for our insects
0:48:32 > 0:48:33but we forget about the trees.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36And, of course, rowan's got that wonderful magical,
0:48:36 > 0:48:38- mystical thing, hasn't it?- It has, yes.- About keeping the evil
0:48:38 > 0:48:40- and that sort of thing away. - Keeping evil away, yes.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Well, I mean, by doing that,
0:48:42 > 0:48:46you've already created this most beautiful, romantic stage.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49I mean, I just want to come here with someone who I love
0:48:49 > 0:48:52and just be surrounded by the romance,
0:48:52 > 0:48:56the sound of the water, the scent, the flowers.
0:48:56 > 0:48:57It's just a beautiful garden.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01That's lovely to hear because that's the feeling I wanted to create.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04I just had this vision of people even getting married in here,
0:49:04 > 0:49:07you know, walking down as if it was an aisle.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11I mean, there's even an old font in the middle of the walkway here,
0:49:11 > 0:49:13under the scented roses which would be lovely.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17Well, you've certainly created that and it is a beautiful garden.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Thank you so much. Thank you.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35A lot of Gardeners' World Live this year celebrates its history,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39but there's one section that's all about looking to the future.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50Meal In A Wheelbarrow challenges schoolchildren to get planting,
0:49:50 > 0:49:54and over 40 schools have put their favourite recipe in a barrow.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59This one's called Afternoon Tea.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03There's some strawberries there, there's some chamomile, some mint.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05I might make myself a cuppa.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07At Our Lady of Fatima School,
0:50:07 > 0:50:10they've created a Golden Anniversary Salad.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14You seem to have crammed this barrow full of food.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17Adele, what did you enjoy about this project?
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Well, everyone pitched in to help,
0:50:19 > 0:50:22each year did their bit planning
0:50:22 > 0:50:24and helping to water the wheelbarrow
0:50:24 > 0:50:27and make sure everything was OK with it.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Rhys, tell me about some of the things you've planted.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34- We have got carrots, mixed salad leaves...- Mm-hm.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36- ..courgettes...- Mm-hm.
0:50:36 > 0:50:37..dwarf sunflowers,
0:50:37 > 0:50:39nasturtiums,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42garlic and onion, and I think that's it.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Cesca, your recipe has a special name.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49It's the Golden Anniversary Salad of our school
0:50:49 > 0:50:53because we've had 50 years that our school has been opened.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55- Mm-hm.- And it's like Gardeners' World today
0:50:55 > 0:50:58because it's 50 years old as well.
0:50:58 > 0:51:0250 years, I think, is a real cause for celebration, don't you?
0:51:02 > 0:51:03- ALL:- Yes!
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Victoria School have concocted a barrow
0:51:10 > 0:51:13inspired by a pizza with toppings.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15Girls, we've got a wonderful display here
0:51:15 > 0:51:17of all these things that you've planted.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20I can see you've got some tomatoes, you've got some oregano,
0:51:20 > 0:51:23you've got some chillies, and these gorgeous little models of you all.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26Habiba, I can see a model of you there. Do you like pizza?
0:51:26 > 0:51:28- Yeah.- Great.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31And Becky, what did you enjoy?
0:51:31 > 0:51:33I like...
0:51:35 > 0:51:37..growing seeds.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40- You like growing the plants from seed, Becky?- Yeah!
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Kate, tell me, what have you and the students got out of this project?
0:51:43 > 0:51:46The children have really enjoyed learning about where our food
0:51:46 > 0:51:48comes from, and they can actually take the chillies
0:51:48 > 0:51:51and the oregano and actually put that on their pizza.
0:51:51 > 0:51:52So, that's our next thing,
0:51:52 > 0:51:54we can make some yummy pizzas, it's very exciting.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56I want to come and have pizza with you guys!
0:51:56 > 0:51:58- ALL:- Yay!
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Over the last few months,
0:52:20 > 0:52:24all the Gardeners' World presenters have put forward the one plant
0:52:24 > 0:52:27that they think has had the biggest impact on gardening
0:52:27 > 0:52:29over the last 50 years.
0:52:29 > 0:52:35Now, having seen all these ten plants, you have had a chance
0:52:35 > 0:52:40to vote on which single one you think is our Golden Jubilee Plant.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42Now, in a minute or two,
0:52:42 > 0:52:47Mary Berry is going to announce which one of those has been chosen,
0:52:47 > 0:52:50but before we start, here's a reminder
0:52:50 > 0:52:52of what these ten plants were.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57Back in March, I kicked things off by proposing bedding plants.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01Next was Nick Bailey, who championed dahlias.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05Rachel's favourite was aquilegia vulgaris,
0:53:05 > 0:53:10Whilst Mark Lane's choice was echinacea.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14Joe Swift nominated Stipa gigantia,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17and chillies were chosen by Frances Tophill.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Flo Headlam picked the climbing jasmine,
0:53:21 > 0:53:25whilst Alan Power plumped for the Japanese maple.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28Adam Frost chose the rose,
0:53:28 > 0:53:34and finally, Carol's Jubilee Plant was Geranium 'Rozanne'.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:53:39 > 0:53:40Hello!
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Well, I've got a very, very special guest here for you,
0:53:45 > 0:53:51who is going to announce the winner of our Golden Jubilee Plant.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55Which you have all voted for, and I can only hope you voted for
0:53:55 > 0:53:59the one I put forward, if you've got any sense! But we will find out.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02Before we do, Mary, we've got all ten plants here,
0:54:02 > 0:54:06chosen by a team over there, sitting waiting expectantly.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10If you had to choose three for your garden,
0:54:10 > 0:54:12which would you choose and why?
0:54:14 > 0:54:17Well, here are the ten in front of me.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20First of all, I would certainly choose the rose.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23I would go for smell, I would look at the foliage,
0:54:23 > 0:54:27so it's beautifully green and that means it's disease-free.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29So, the rose would be one.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33Geranium, that is called Rozanne,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36I just had such success with. I know it's new,
0:54:36 > 0:54:41but it flowers and it flowers until the frost comes again, and it
0:54:41 > 0:54:45covers a lot of space as well, and not too fussy about the ground.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49And then, of course, bedding plants, because you can put them anywhere.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52I mean, something like pelargoniums, you need a window box and it will
0:54:52 > 0:54:56fill it, and with care, they will flower and flower.
0:54:56 > 0:55:01OK, which plant has been chosen by the British people
0:55:01 > 0:55:05as the most influential plant of the last 50 years?
0:55:06 > 0:55:08Shall we see?
0:55:12 > 0:55:15I'm delighted to reveal that
0:55:15 > 0:55:20the winner of the Gardeners' World Golden Jubilee Plant is...
0:55:21 > 0:55:23..the rose.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26CHEERING
0:55:26 > 0:55:28And that was nominated by Adam Frost.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Adam, come up here, come on.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Here we go.
0:55:32 > 0:55:33Thank you!
0:55:33 > 0:55:36- Well...- Hang on a minute.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38Thank you.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41- I'm not going to congratulate you... - I was going to kiss you!
0:55:41 > 0:55:42Oh, well, we can...
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Tell me, what was it about the rose
0:55:46 > 0:55:48that you think has been so influential?
0:55:48 > 0:55:51I think in reality, it's come with us for the 50 years,
0:55:51 > 0:55:53it's dipped a couple of times in fashion, you know,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55but it's been there, it's been thereabouts,
0:55:55 > 0:55:59and also for me, it's the plant that we celebrate so much with,
0:55:59 > 0:56:03we mark so many important occasions in our lives with roses.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06And it's got me out of an awful lot of trouble with Mrs Frost
0:56:06 > 0:56:07over the years as well!
0:56:07 > 0:56:09So, you know, I think that's why, mate.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13I don't think I can say anything more after that, can I? No.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Well, listen, let's have a big round of applause,
0:56:16 > 0:56:21not so much for Adam, but for roses all over the country.
0:56:21 > 0:56:22Roses!
0:56:22 > 0:56:25CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Happy golden jubilee, Gardeners' World.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Happy 50th anniversary.
0:56:39 > 0:56:40Happy 50th birthday.
0:56:42 > 0:56:4450 years, who'd have thought it?
0:56:44 > 0:56:47I've learnt so much from watching Gardeners' World,
0:56:47 > 0:56:50in particular Monty Don, so happy birthday.
0:56:50 > 0:56:51Happy 50th birthday.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53You share it with some stellar company -
0:56:53 > 0:56:57Sgt Pepper, the Summer of Love, Radio 2!
0:56:57 > 0:56:59Happy 50th anniversary to Gardeners' World.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01I never have you off!
0:57:03 > 0:57:05With lots of love from me, Joanna Lumley.
0:57:05 > 0:57:06That nearly rhymed.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12A very happy golden jubilee.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15Thank you for inspiring me over the years, even as a very small child.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17Happy 50th anniversary.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23Happy golden jubilee to Gardeners' World.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25You don't need any pruning at all. Congratulations!
0:57:25 > 0:57:28Thank you, Gardeners' World, for being who you are.
0:57:34 > 0:57:39OVERLAPPING CHATTER
0:57:39 > 0:57:42Can I just say one thing?
0:57:42 > 0:57:45Personally, I feel incredibly proud to have been part of
0:57:45 > 0:57:49Gardeners' World, and as well as being passionate gardeners,
0:57:49 > 0:57:52I know that we love it and we are really lucky to take part in it.
0:57:52 > 0:57:57It creates this space in millions of people's lives
0:57:57 > 0:58:01that is true and decent and peaceful,
0:58:01 > 0:58:04and at times like this, that really matters.
0:58:04 > 0:58:05Long may it last.
0:58:05 > 0:58:06So, to the next 50 years!
0:58:06 > 0:58:09- ALL:- The next 50 years! Cheers!
0:58:13 > 0:58:16Well, that's it from Gardeners' World Live.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18I'll see you next week back at Longmeadow,
0:58:18 > 0:58:21but of course, the show still goes on.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23- Cheers!- Cheers, love!
0:58:23 > 0:58:25Cheers!
0:58:26 > 0:58:28Cheers, there we go.