0:00:09 > 0:00:11Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World
0:00:11 > 0:00:15on another glorious summer's day here at Longmeadow.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17And I love the opium poppies,
0:00:17 > 0:00:22their beautiful tall stems topped by these wonderful
0:00:22 > 0:00:28flowers that range from relatively simple petals to great ruffles.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30However, there is one slight problem, which is that the
0:00:30 > 0:00:34colour scheme here on the mound is meant to be whites,
0:00:34 > 0:00:41pale lemon yellows, pale blues and absolutely no reds or pinks at all.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Poppies don't fit in to our plan.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47The best laid plans of gardeners oft go astray
0:00:47 > 0:00:49because these are self-sown.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Poppy seeds can lie dormant in the soil for years and years
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and then when you dig it over, which happened last year,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59they get the light and up they pop and they are no respecter of colour.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05They look fantastic but what I will do is let the beautiful
0:01:05 > 0:01:08seed heads stay until they start to turn brown
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and then I will cut them off before the seeds can disperse
0:01:11 > 0:01:14and that way, next year, the chances are there will be fewer
0:01:14 > 0:01:16flowers of the wrong colour.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22But, of course, there is nothing in the world wrong with these
0:01:22 > 0:01:23lovely poppies.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30And they symbolise for me long, hot summer days in the garden.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37On today's programme, I visit a local garden in Herefordshire
0:01:37 > 0:01:40to look at a national collection of Siberian iris.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47Carol is in Somerset, home of one of her horticultural heroes,
0:01:47 > 0:01:48Margery Fish.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53We celebrate a plant that never fails to delight us -
0:01:53 > 0:01:55clematis montana.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00And Rachel will be joining me here at Longmeadow.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18As the month comes to an end,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21the harvest in the vegetable garden increases and increases.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26And the broad beans are reaching their absolute peak.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I was brought up where we ate broad beans when they were in season,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34almost every meal, and they would grow as big as pebbles and be
0:02:34 > 0:02:39floury and have to be swimming in white sauce to be edible.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42But I have since learned that the secret to broad beans
0:02:42 > 0:02:45is to eat them small, and to do that you want to keep picking.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48So if you have a bean like that...
0:02:48 > 0:02:50By the way, it is much easier to use a knife to cut them
0:02:50 > 0:02:52because if you try and pull them off, you can
0:02:52 > 0:02:55sort of damage the stem of the plant but if you open them out,
0:02:55 > 0:03:00that is as big a bean as I want to eat.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03They are sweet and fresh and delicious.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20My peas are almost ready for picking.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23This is a variety called Blauwschokker
0:03:23 > 0:03:27and you can see the "Blau" refers to the deep, almost chocolaty purple.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Nigel comes up here and eats them straight off the plant.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Don't you? Too hot now. Do you want a pea?
0:03:39 > 0:03:42So those I am not actually going to pick at the moment, I'm going
0:03:42 > 0:03:44to keep an eye on them. Just a few more beans.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49And by the way, we have a case here of blackfly.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51It's nothing to worry about.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55At this time of year you have the young feeding on the soft,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57new growth. So if you are worried about it -
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and it is not going to damage the plant particularly -
0:04:00 > 0:04:05just simply pinch it off and that removes the soft,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07new material that they feed off,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09and they won't attack the old growth.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14So if you see blackfly, just pinch off the tips - solves the problem.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21Well, that is the beginning of what should make a delicious meal.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24But not yet - there's more harvest to come.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Come on.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35At this time of year, it is
0:04:35 > 0:04:39inevitable that some of your vegetables are going to go to seed,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41and bolt.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44And bolting is an evolutionary response
0:04:44 > 0:04:48to a change of circumstances, either if they are too hot, too dry,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50sometimes too cold, even.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52They can feel, "We are in trouble,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55"we need to produce seed and produce it fast."
0:04:55 > 0:04:58So, for example, this chard, which has been in here all winter,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02we've been harvesting it all that time, now every plant is trying to
0:05:02 > 0:05:06form flowers, seed, and therefore new plants
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and really it's over, it's run its course.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Likewise with rocket.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15However, between these two bolting plants that need to come out,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20I've got a perfectly healthy and happy crop ready to be harvested.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22This is elephant garlic.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24When you're harvesting any kind of garlic,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27let alone elephant garlic, always use a fork, don't yank at it.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Because if you're going to store them, you need the roots attached.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33You don't want to damage the basal plate.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44Lift it out with as much root as possible - and this is quite deep.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46It's not just below the surface.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50There we go. And that...
0:05:53 > 0:05:54That's a good size.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Not exceptional for elephant garlic.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00If I break this open, I can take off a clove.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Although this is much bigger - and they can be twice this size -
0:06:05 > 0:06:08than a normal clove of garlic, you use it in the same ratio.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11So if it says a couple of cloves, you use two of these.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15And because it is so much milder, it doesn't overwhelm a dish.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18It's absolutely delicious, and very good for you, too.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Now, this is in the green,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24which means that it is fresh garlic
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and we're going to eat it fresh and not look to store it.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30If you want to store garlic, probably leave it
0:06:30 > 0:06:33until the leaves are dying back a bit more.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37What you'd do is, as soon as they start to turn, stop watering,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40leave it, let the leaves die back,
0:06:40 > 0:06:41and then dig it up.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45But when they are green like this, I think they're at their very best.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47It is an absolute treat.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54Now, we'll finish this particular harvest with a crop
0:06:54 > 0:06:56that is a first, or at least a first for these plants.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01These are globe artichokes.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05I sewed them last year and I didn't take any harvest from them
0:07:05 > 0:07:08because I wanted to develop nice strong plants.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Now they're in their second year, they're ready to produce
0:07:11 > 0:07:15and perform and they'll go on doing so for another three or four years.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18And when you buy an artichoke, or order one in a restaurant,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20it's a great big thing,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24the size of at least an orange if not a grapefruit.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27But if you grow them yourself and you have access to lots,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29they are delicious eaten much smaller.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38This particular variety, violetta di Chioggia, is quite prickly.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41That doesn't matter cos you're not going to eat these outer leaves.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45And, in fact, if you cut through it, just cut off all the outside,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49that way you can quarter them, fry them gently, you don't
0:07:49 > 0:07:52just have to pick off a leaf at a time and sort of scrape it off
0:07:52 > 0:07:53with the end of your teeth.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Now although I love growing vegetables, you can't avoid the fact
0:08:12 > 0:08:16that at this time of year the garden is just awash with colour.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Colour of every shade and hue and tone.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24One of the joys of gardening is finding new plants,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26finding ways of combining them.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30The other day I went to visit a nursery that grows
0:08:30 > 0:08:35one of my favourite plants, with a lovely range of intense colour.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Aulden Farm nurseries is very conveniently close to
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Longmeadow but I would have travelled miles to come here,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03because it's got the National Collection of Siberian irises.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Now, bearded irises get all the headlines, those are the flashy
0:09:07 > 0:09:11catwalk models of the iris world and they are gorgeous.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15But the Siberian irises are exquisitely beautiful
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and much more adaptable and if you want to see them at their
0:09:18 > 0:09:24very best with the widest selection possible, this is the place to be.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The iris beds serve as a vital horticultural resource.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38They are a living library for iris lovers all over the country.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44The garden is the work of Alan and Jill Whitehead,
0:09:44 > 0:09:49and together they have collected over 150 different
0:09:49 > 0:09:51varieties of Siberian Iris.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54Hello.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Tell me how the National Collection came about.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01We felt as a nursery we ought to specialise in something.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03We started looking at the Siberian irises but there was
0:10:03 > 0:10:05a National Collection five miles up the road
0:10:05 > 0:10:07so there's no point having a second collection so close.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10But when that nursery closed about five years later,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12nobody else came forward. So, about two years again after that,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14we purchased any remaining stock they had
0:10:14 > 0:10:16and tried to re-establish it here.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19And was there a risk of that National Collection disappearing?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Absolutely. If we hadn't rescued it
0:10:21 > 0:10:25then it probably would have just been ploughed in or just neglected.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28You know, it was that sense of history and bringing it back
0:10:28 > 0:10:30here and keeping it in the area that was important to us.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33You've saved this collection for the nation?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35For us as well.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36- And for you.- Yeah.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's a reference collection for people as well.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42So people contact you and they can check out different varieties
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- and compare?- And if they're doing any breeding of irises it gives them
0:10:45 > 0:10:48the opportunity to actually come and see and compare.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Otherwise if they have bred an iris,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52how do they know if there's not one exactly the same?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55So you have the National Collection, you have the nursery to run,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57and the garden is open, too, isn't it?
0:10:57 > 0:11:00It's open by appointment for groups or individuals.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02We always say, if we are here, you are welcome.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05And I've got a group coming now, which I just need to go and see to.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08They'll be expecting tea and biscuits and so forth.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- Oh, good, do we get tea and coffee and biscuits?- If you're good.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14So we'll have the garden to ourselves just for a little while
0:11:14 > 0:11:15- before they get in?- Absolutely.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- Come on, let's have a look. See you later.- I'll put the kettle on.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34Oh, I see goodness.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Goodness, goodness, goodness.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Look at this.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41A field of irises.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Very beautiful.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Unlike bearded iris, which I think most people who grow them know
0:11:49 > 0:11:52need to full sun, good drainage,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55what do Siberian irises really like?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Are they a marginal aquatic plant?
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Are they a border plant? Do they need lots of water?
0:12:01 > 0:12:03What's the best way to grow them?
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Basically, they are very adaptable.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07You don't want to put them below the waterline
0:12:07 > 0:12:10but they will cope with damp soil.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13But they will also grow in a normal flowerbed with reasonable drainage.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16You need to water them until they're established, growing away,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20but once they're doing that, they should look after themselves.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24It's very unusual to find a garden where you can't grow them.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27They need a sunny aspect but partial shade they'll also cope with.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30What you're describing is a very easy plant.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- That's what we think!- Right, OK.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Most of the Siberian iris that we grow in our gardens today
0:12:41 > 0:12:46are actually a cross between iris sibirica and iris sanguinea.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49This is showing a lot of the iris sibirica characteristics.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Principally small flowers, quite a few to a stem
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and held well above the foliage.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57If I show you a plant over there,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00that will give you some of the iris sanguinea characteristics.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Right.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09It's very beautiful, isn't it?
0:13:09 > 0:13:10It's gorgeous, it's Ellesmere.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13So this is showing more of the characteristics of iris sanguinea.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18Principally two flowers to a stem, it's held just on the top
0:13:18 > 0:13:21of the foliage, but it does show the bracts hasn't dried back
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- at flowering time.- That's lovely,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and I can of course see the bracts are tight in on there.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28And they can be very attractive in themselves.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Before the flower opens,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34you've got these snakes coming up which can actually look beautiful.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40It is very beautiful.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41It's an absolute joy.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Lovely.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49I guess this is one of the very few places that you can see all
0:13:49 > 0:13:50this variation.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53This is pretty well a unique opportunity, I'm afraid.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Fantastic opportunity.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57And a real education.
0:14:03 > 0:14:10Well, I have been dazzled by all the different shades of Siberian Iris.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13And it just whets my appetite to grow more in my own garden.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Surely that is the greatest accolade you can give any garden
0:14:20 > 0:14:21or collection -
0:14:21 > 0:14:24it makes you want to partake of it even more.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I thought that was a fascinating trip
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and I can't recommend it more highly.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53If you are near Aulden, do go in.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54You'll see the National Collection,
0:14:54 > 0:14:59more Siberian irises than you will see anywhere else,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01and I've brought back Ellesmere,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03this beautiful, intense colour
0:15:03 > 0:15:06which will be perfect for the Jewel Garden.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07The flowers of course are faded now.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11That doesn't matter, I'll plant it now and next spring
0:15:11 > 0:15:13it will hit its full stride.
0:15:15 > 0:15:22Right, I'll add a little bit of compost and leaf mould.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28Because for iris sibirica, the more moisture-retentive soil is,
0:15:28 > 0:15:29the happier they'll be.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Just work that in.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Like that.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45I'm going to plant the three in a group.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48I want a nice, big strong clump.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Nice root system.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Healthy plant.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57That can come in there.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Like that.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04And then the other big one.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07That can go in there.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13So what I have is a loose group that will thicken out,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15and to help the process of thickening up,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19I am actually going to take the flowering stems off.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21And that means that none of the plants'
0:16:21 > 0:16:24energy will be going into making seeds.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29I could have just cut the seed head off like that but then you're
0:16:29 > 0:16:32left with a sharp spike and I think it just looks better
0:16:32 > 0:16:34with the foliage.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40If it gets really dry like it has been here for the last
0:16:40 > 0:16:42couple of weeks,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47these will benefit from a good soak every couple of weeks or so.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54By the way, when you are watering in any plant at this time of year,
0:16:54 > 0:16:55do give it a really good soak.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59A full watering can or a bucket is not excessive.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02And then the soil will soak up the moisture
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and the roots will find it days, even weeks later.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09If you just sprinkle on the surface, the roots have to go to the surface
0:17:09 > 0:17:13to find it and then they are much more exposed if there is a drought.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16These iris won't flower now until next May
0:17:16 > 0:17:18so I've got to think what will be flowering at the same time.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23Of course, there are early clematis that will come through.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28And the queen of those early clematis is clematis montana.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And to see the very best of clematis montana,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34we visited the National Collection in Salisbury,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36held by Val Le May Neville-Parry.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I started off wanting a clematis in flower the whole year round.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And when I'd got about 70 clematis, I thought,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49"Right, I've done it now, I'm there."
0:17:49 > 0:17:50And then somebody said,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53"Well, there's no National Collection of montanas."
0:17:53 > 0:17:55And I thought there can't be very many,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58most people just say, "I've got the pink one or the white one."
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I thought there couldn't be more than about 20.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03And I said, "Yes, I'll do it."
0:18:03 > 0:18:08And then another friend e-mailed me and said, "Val, there are 75
0:18:08 > 0:18:10"in the international clematis register."
0:18:12 > 0:18:16When I arrived here there was one montana outside the lounge window.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22And the blackbirds used to nest in that every spring
0:18:22 > 0:18:24and it was such a thrill for me.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32The lovely thing about the montanas is that if you are careful with your
0:18:32 > 0:18:38selection, you can have a montana in flower for up to three months,
0:18:38 > 0:18:39which is fantastic.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45The characteristics of montanas are quite diverse.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50There is single and double, pink and white and lemon.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53The largest is about 12cm in diameter
0:18:53 > 0:18:57and the smallest is about 5cm.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02Most of them have the most fabulous perfume - vanilla, hyacinth.
0:19:02 > 0:19:08Absolutely glorious perfume pervades the garden in the spring sunshine,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11which is a tremendous bonus.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17This is one of my all-time favourites,
0:19:17 > 0:19:23I gather that the original came from John Betjeman's garden,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27and its name is clematis continuity, and as you might expect from that
0:19:27 > 0:19:32name, it flowers right up until mid to late October.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33When you're buying a plant,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37one of the things you need to look out for is multi-stems.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42When I bought this in 2004, it had two stems,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46and after about three or four years, I noticed that there were another
0:19:46 > 0:19:49two stems coming up from ground level.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53So if I was to lose one, I would still have the others there.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57A lot of clematis that are sold nowadays are just one stem
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and, really, if you lose that, you've had it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13The only other one that reliably repeat flowers
0:20:13 > 0:20:15is this Sir Eric Savill.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20Fabulous perfume, very large flower, beautiful colour.
0:20:20 > 0:20:26And it will flower, on and off, until late October, November.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28If you can have a look at the flower,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32it's mainly one colour on the front, but on the back,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37you can see it still retains the bud, deep pink.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Now, this is a really lovely plant called Giant Star.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48A botanical artist favourite.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52And the lovely thing is the different shapes
0:20:52 > 0:20:53you've got on the one plant.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57The bud just starting to open, then half open,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and then almost fully open.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06This plant has been in the ground for about 13 years now.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12And it's planted on the east side of this massive cherry tree.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16It's a beautiful double cherry, absolutely gorgeous.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20When you're planting, plant a metre away from your host.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Basically, I dig my hole, so... About that circumference.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26And about that deep.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29And then you can lay your montana in with the roots
0:21:29 > 0:21:33away from the trunk, or the wall, or the fence.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Backfill with soil and a little bit of compost and leaf mould.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40The leaf mould won't feed the soil,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44but it will actually keep the soil nice and open.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50When I've had what looks like a really good seedling,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I've named it after a friend.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57This one at the back, on the pillar, has been named Mary,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01after the mother of one of my godsons.
0:22:01 > 0:22:07It's a really lovely plant, very vigorous, covered with flowers,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10a cloak of white within the next couple of weeks.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It's beautiful to have plants all round me that remind me
0:22:17 > 0:22:20not only of the original person, but their families.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25I can just think of all my lovely friends as I walk round the garden.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31BEE BUZZES
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I love this delicate clematis.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40There is something about this that is really special.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42And I was going to tell you what it is.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Went to look at the label, because I've forgotten,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and I couldn't read it, cos it's completely gone blank.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51The moral of the story is if you're going to label plants -
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and it's a good idea - use something that lasts.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57And if any of you know of a labelling system that is
0:22:57 > 0:23:00absolutely cast iron and works for years,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02well, I'd be very glad to hear of it.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06But this clematis is very different from montana,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08because it's group three,
0:23:08 > 0:23:13which means that it produces all its flowers on current season's growth.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16So in late February, early March,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18this is pruned right down to the ground,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20and everything you can see has grown since then.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Whereas clematis montana
0:23:22 > 0:23:25produces its flowers on the previous year's growth,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28so everything that is growing now
0:23:28 > 0:23:31and for the rest of the summer will carry next year's flowers,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33so if you prune that off in March, you'd have nothing.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37If it's really unruly, cut it hard back down to the ground
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and if you haven't done so, do it now, do it this weekend,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42and then you get flowers next year.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Now, clematis works perfectly
0:23:44 > 0:23:49in this kind of loose, cottage-garden style.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55And that style can be laid, really, at the door of one woman.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And she is one of Carol Klein's gardening heroes.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14I can't believe that I'm back in this beautiful garden again.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16East Lambrook Manor.
0:24:16 > 0:24:22The garden was created by one of my all-time heroines, Margery Fish.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26She was one of the people who got me gardening in the first place.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Her words, her knowledge,
0:24:28 > 0:24:33her love of plants have always been an inspiration to me.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Born in London in 1892,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Margery worked as personal assistant to six different Fleet Street
0:24:44 > 0:24:49editors, before marrying the last of them, Walter Fish.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53It was then that her foray into gardening began.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01In 1937, with war on the horizon, they bought 15th century
0:25:01 > 0:25:06East Lambrook Manor, complete with a large, derelict garden.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11Despite her lack of any kind of formal horticultural training,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Margery Fish was a natural when it came to gardening.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18And this is typical of the wonderful panoply of plants that she'd
0:25:18 > 0:25:23put together, all sorts of things jostling with one another,
0:25:23 > 0:25:28cheek by jowl, but perfectly happy in this gay profusion.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30White potentillas.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Blue geraniums.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Margery Fish once said, "If in doubt, plant a geranium."
0:25:37 > 0:25:42And these spikes of baptisia, brilliant blue in the background.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And here, in the foreground, tumbling over the path,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47an astrantia.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50And these sort of plants, and this kind of way of putting them
0:25:50 > 0:25:55together, is what's come to be known today as cottage gardening.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Head gardener Mark Stainer didn't know Margery, but he's dedicated
0:26:05 > 0:26:11a large part of his life to staying true to her cottage garden ethos.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13What I love about her gardening
0:26:13 > 0:26:18and about all those ideas that she's given us, is it got right away
0:26:18 > 0:26:23from that whole idea of control that you find in so much urban gardening.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26She really allowed the plants to do their own thing and she used to
0:26:26 > 0:26:29spend time looking at other gardens in the surrounding villages,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32cos it was these surrounding cottage gardens that inspired her.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35And it's this cottage garden style we associate with Margery Fish,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39with its very dense, very natural, almost wild planting.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42And the borders were true mixed plantings, with trees, shrubs,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45roses, herbaceous plants, bulbs, and she was always encouraging
0:26:45 > 0:26:48self-seedlings, so as soon as you put a few plants in,
0:26:48 > 0:26:49they'd always look very formal.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52In no time, the self-seedlings would come up
0:26:52 > 0:26:53and the whole bed's filled in.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56And it looks like Mrs Fish is watching over the whole thing.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00I love the way the garden actually looks like it's just...happened.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Margery gave names to each piece of her garden.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13And this one, she called the Lido.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16It's very, very damp down here.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20And I think this piece perfectly illustrates
0:27:20 > 0:27:24three of her most important principles. First of all,
0:27:24 > 0:27:29she chose plants which a lot of people would've neglected.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32They would've thought them not garden worthy,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36but she knew the possibilities that they offered.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Who would've thought of putting iris foetidissima?
0:27:39 > 0:27:45Our own native iris, which will have huge masses of orange berries
0:27:45 > 0:27:47all through the winter.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52At the foot of this tree, almost nothing else would grow there.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Secondly, she was informed by one guiding principle,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59and that was choose the right plant for the right place.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02So, deep down in the bottom of the ditch
0:28:02 > 0:28:05there are all sorts of astilboides,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09which really relish that damp sort of place,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12and, thirdly, it was the way that she combined plants.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15You look at this, and it all looks
0:28:15 > 0:28:20as though it just happened to be here - but not a bit of it.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Although it includes all sorts of wonderful self-seeded plants,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27the whole basis of this design
0:28:27 > 0:28:30is very carefully thought out and put together.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43During her gardening lifetime, Margery wrote several books,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45and this is the first -
0:28:45 > 0:28:47We Made A Garden.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50That's what it's about, how she made this garden
0:28:50 > 0:28:51with her husband Walter -
0:28:51 > 0:28:54but it wasn't all plain sailing.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Margery's nephew, Henry Boyd-Carpenter,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04remembers visiting them as a young boy.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08- Was their attitude to gardening the same?- Not at all.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15Walter came from a very formal gardening background,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19and he liked straight lines, red-hot pokers,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21many of the things which, for Margery,
0:29:21 > 0:29:25subsequently became anathema.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29He objected to her small, precious little plants
0:29:29 > 0:29:31which she dug into the walls.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35He dug them out, and she dug them back in, and after his death,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38she really went on a spree of informality.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45Don't you think it was just a rejection of control
0:29:45 > 0:29:47that Walter personified?
0:29:47 > 0:29:51And producing the joy back into what she thought was gardening,
0:29:51 > 0:29:55discovering new plants, telling people about them,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59collecting them and then, of course, writing about them
0:29:59 > 0:30:01until her death in 1969.
0:30:01 > 0:30:02So, she made up for it.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06She made up for it, she wrote feverishly,
0:30:06 > 0:30:12she wrote late at night with pop music resounding round the village.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15What did people in the village think of her?
0:30:15 > 0:30:17I'm sure they thought she was very obsessive
0:30:17 > 0:30:18and probably pretty eccentric.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23There is a wonderful story - Margery in a long dress
0:30:23 > 0:30:26going to a very smart cocktail party
0:30:26 > 0:30:31and being caught on her way home out of her car in a wood
0:30:31 > 0:30:36with a spade digging for leaf mould for the garden.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37SHE LAUGHS
0:30:37 > 0:30:39I would love to have known her!
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- You lucky boy. - It was a great privilege.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44And a great joy.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Margery taught us many lessons,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59but probably one of the most important things
0:30:59 > 0:31:01we can learn from her
0:31:01 > 0:31:05is to celebrate the triumph of freedom over formality -
0:31:05 > 0:31:07to enjoy our gardens,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11because, after all, that's what they are -
0:31:11 > 0:31:15places of joy and places to have fun.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32I love the way that gardening seems to nurture real characters -
0:31:32 > 0:31:35and, of course, these are people with immense knowledge
0:31:35 > 0:31:38that is handed down through the generations -
0:31:38 > 0:31:40and my own garden, here, look around you.
0:31:40 > 0:31:45The influence goes right back 50 years or more to Margery Fish.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48East Lambrook Manor is open to the public,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51so if you want to see Margery's garden for yourself,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54go to our website for all the details.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Now, we've still got lots to come on tonight's programme.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Nick Bailey is showing us how to design
0:32:04 > 0:32:10and create borders that will transform any long, narrow garden...
0:32:11 > 0:32:14..and Rachel will be joining me here at Longmeadow.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18But before that, she goes to the National Botanic Garden of Wales,
0:32:18 > 0:32:24where she discovers how they are using the honey from their bees
0:32:24 > 0:32:26as part of their plant research.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37The buzzing of the honey bee -
0:32:37 > 0:32:39once a seminal sound in our gardens,
0:32:39 > 0:32:41but these vital pollinators
0:32:41 > 0:32:45are now more under threat than they've ever been,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47and it's here, in the rolling hills
0:32:47 > 0:32:49above the Towy Valley in Carmarthenshire
0:32:49 > 0:32:54that the battle to protect them is being fought in earnest.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59The National Botanic Garden of Wales
0:32:59 > 0:33:03is a blend of formal gardens, lakes and woodland,
0:33:03 > 0:33:08and home to more than 8,000 plant species.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12It's also a centre for botanical research.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16PhD student Laura Jones is leading a team
0:33:16 > 0:33:21investigating the habits of the honey bee in order to help save it.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Pollinators and honey bees are under decline.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27This is due to a variety of interacting factors -
0:33:27 > 0:33:29so, there's a loss and fragmentation of habitat,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33pests and diseases, and all these things are interacting
0:33:33 > 0:33:36to create a problem for our pollinators.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39So, if we can find out the plants that are most important to the bees,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43and what they're foraging on, we can help to give them forage
0:33:43 > 0:33:45and give them what they need to survive.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49So, how exactly are you finding out what the bees are foraging on?
0:33:49 > 0:33:53We're looking at what they're foraging on throughout the season,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55and to do that, we sample honey from our hives
0:33:55 > 0:33:57here at the Botanic Garden.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59One of the amazing resources that we have
0:33:59 > 0:34:02is that we've DNA barcoded all the native plants of the UK,
0:34:02 > 0:34:04and we can use these DNA barcodes
0:34:04 > 0:34:08- to identify the plants that are in the honey.- Sounds wonderful.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10- Shall we go see our hives? - I'd love to see the hives!
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Lynda Christie runs the apiary,
0:34:21 > 0:34:24and works closely with Laura on the research.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27There you are, and then...
0:34:30 > 0:34:32We've chosen this one
0:34:32 > 0:34:35because I know that there's some good-quality nectar there
0:34:35 > 0:34:37that Laura could take a sample from.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42- And, you see, all the bees...- Wow! - ..are very busy up in the super,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46where they've been bringing in nectar and stores.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50That's amazing. I mean, I'm tempted to say "busy bee",
0:34:50 > 0:34:52- but that would really be... - Yeah, that...
0:34:52 > 0:34:55- It's very apt.- ..too much of a cliche. It's VERY apt!
0:34:55 > 0:34:57I see why, now.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00So, how many bees, roughly, do you think there are in your apiary?
0:35:00 > 0:35:06There's roughly 250,000. There are several active hives at the moment.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10- Oh, yes.- There's a nice lot of capped, sealed honey,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12which is fresh, and fresh nectar.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Now, before we take the frame over, I just shake the bees down...
0:35:16 > 0:35:20- Right.- So, we just give them... They won't want to come off here, but...
0:35:20 > 0:35:22- No!- We'll give it a little shake...
0:35:22 > 0:35:25- You literally just shake them off! - Shake them off.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- And then I'll just pass that to you, Rachel...- Oh, good!
0:35:28 > 0:35:32- ..to take over to the table... - OK.- ..for Laura to take a sample.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36So, Laura, what now?
0:35:36 > 0:35:38So, I'm going to try and get some of this nectar,
0:35:38 > 0:35:40and some of the capped honey, as well.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Oh, look at that!
0:35:43 > 0:35:44Beautiful.
0:35:47 > 0:35:48So, now that we've got this honey sample,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51we'll take this back to the lab, here at the garden.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55This contains a lot of pollen that we can centrifuge out,
0:35:55 > 0:35:58so we can extract the DNA from, so we can sequence it.
0:35:58 > 0:35:59Once we sequence it,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01then we'll be able to compare those unknown sequences
0:36:01 > 0:36:04with our known sequences in our database,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06to be able to say what they are.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11- So, you'll know exactly where these bees have been.- Yeah, exactly.
0:36:11 > 0:36:12Oh, I think it's fantastic.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Look at that one, it's just trying to dip in there, I think.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25The results from this year's samples won't be ready until autumn,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29but last year's have already thrown up some surprising results
0:36:29 > 0:36:33that could influence what we plant in our own gardens.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35What we're finding is, the bees,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38the plants that they're foraging on the most
0:36:38 > 0:36:41were the native sort of woodland hedgerow species,
0:36:41 > 0:36:46that's what it tended to be - so, things like hawthorn, willow,
0:36:46 > 0:36:49gorse is another species,
0:36:49 > 0:36:54and then bluebells, dandelions, are really important forage for bees.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57At last, a reason not to do the weeding! Fantastic.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59That's really interesting, isn't it?
0:36:59 > 0:37:03You're offering them this platter of wonderful cultivated plants,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05but, in fact, they're going back to things that are native.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07We offer them this sort of rich resource,
0:37:07 > 0:37:11they're right next door to our horticultural plantings,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14and they are travelling further to get those native plants.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18We recorded 437 different plant genera in flower for April and May,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22and they're only using 11% of what's available to them.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27But cultivated plants aren't off the menu completely -
0:37:27 > 0:37:31the DNA research uncovered that honeybees have definite favourites,
0:37:31 > 0:37:33such as peonies...
0:37:34 > 0:37:36..muscari...
0:37:40 > 0:37:41..viburnum...
0:37:44 > 0:37:46..and skimmia, to name a few.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52Obviously, you're doing this wonderful research here in Wales,
0:37:52 > 0:37:55but how is it applicable across the country?
0:37:55 > 0:37:59We're opening up honey sampling to beekeepers around the UK,
0:37:59 > 0:38:01so, if you can send in 30g of honey,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04we can sequence the plants that are in your honey
0:38:04 > 0:38:08and find out what's in them, and get an idea of what's happening
0:38:08 > 0:38:10with bees in lots of different habitats.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16This potentially ground-breaking study
0:38:16 > 0:38:18will run for the next two years,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22and when it's done, the hope is that, as gardeners and beekeepers,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25we'll have an in-depth idea of what to plant
0:38:25 > 0:38:29to give our much-loved and needed pollinators
0:38:29 > 0:38:33the best chance possible, no matter what else they're facing.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44- Ah!- Hello!- I saw the hat first!
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- You found me. - I thought you must be there.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49- Lovely to see you. - Lovely to be back.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Well, you've never come in summer before, have you?
0:38:51 > 0:38:53- No, it was October...- Yeah.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56..last visit, and I must say, it's just looking breathtaking.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58How was the National Botanic Garden of Wales?
0:38:58 > 0:39:01It was such a good day, and when I was there,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04I thought, "Monty is going to want to get the honey tested from here."
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- Yeah.- Straight away.- Without any question at all. But I also want you
0:39:07 > 0:39:10- to do some planting with me. - Lovely.- If you will.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12- Absolutely.- Let's have a look around.- Oh, yes, please.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14A tour, I think, is what's called for.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17Gorgeous.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26- Big changes here since your last time.- Wow.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28- All the box taken out, right the way through...- Yeah.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32- ..and then, here...- Oh! - ..it's our new culinary herb garden.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33I love this.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36It's good things coming out of difficult situations, and you adapt.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39- Exactly. Change is part of gardening...- Exactly.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42..and you either accept it, or you suffer!
0:39:51 > 0:39:53These new beds are coming on. They're only in their second year.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55- They look like they've been here forever.- Well...!
0:39:55 > 0:39:57They're being added to all the time -
0:39:57 > 0:39:58in fact, I want to add to them now,
0:39:58 > 0:40:01and what I'm really keen on is adding plants
0:40:01 > 0:40:05- that will attract bees, but still do well in shade.- Mm-hm.
0:40:06 > 0:40:07I've got a few plants here.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09I don't know if they're going to be right or not,
0:40:09 > 0:40:11but I think a lot of people feel
0:40:11 > 0:40:13- that shade is tricky in that respect.- Yeah.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15- Can be - it's a more restricted choice of plants...- Exactly.
0:40:15 > 0:40:16- ..for sure.- So, choose -
0:40:16 > 0:40:18if you plant a couple and I plant a couple...
0:40:18 > 0:40:20I'm happy on this side, I'll do these two -
0:40:20 > 0:40:23this lovely veronicastrum, cos I love that height,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25and these whirls just going down in tiers.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28- And the colour just fits in. You can see the palette...- Yes.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31..of the foxgloves and the roses, and what I'm really looking for,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- particularly in there, is plants rising up through.- Perfect.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37So, I think they'll do that job, and I think they'll still be -
0:40:37 > 0:40:39I'd like on these borders...
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Cos if you look at the pinks and the whites...
0:40:41 > 0:40:43With the rose there, as well.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45- Yeah, exactly - I think they'll work in for that.- Yeah.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48The only point that is worth pointing out with astilbe -
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- these are no good if you've got really dry soil.- Yeah.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55- If you've got sand or chalk. Heavy clay, absolutely fine.- Good plan.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58- You start...- OK.- ..I'll start, and we'll meet in the middle somewhere.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01I don't think these want to make a group.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03I think I'm going to dot these.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09That's nice, because it mirrors the very pale pink of the rose.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11- I think I'll put these together, though, Monty...- OK.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14..rather than dot these.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17- I don't want to give them too much shade...- OK.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20..cos otherwise they'll lean over, searching for the light.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29Can I persuade you to have these geraniums here? What do you think?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- That's good.- OK.- Now, I've got these Japanese anemones,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35and this is a variety called September Charm.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39With that blush of rosy sort of mauvey pink, very nice.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42- OK, if we're happy where everything is...- Mm-hm.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45- ..then I think we can plant.- Given that I'm only here for the day,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48- I think we should crack on.- Come on, let's crack on. Yeah, let's go.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54So, these veronicastrums, I was just thinking,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58once the foxgloves have gone over, these will still be going.
0:42:00 > 0:42:01What I love here, as well,
0:42:01 > 0:42:05the colour of the plants you've got, Monty, because bees are attracted
0:42:05 > 0:42:09- to that sort of mauve, pinky-blue spectrum, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12So, this is going to work well for them.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18This one is Geranium Lilac Ice, and I love this colour,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21this sort of soft mauve, it's going to be perfect in here,
0:42:21 > 0:42:23and it's a sport of Rozanne,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26and Rozanne is extremely floriferous over a long period of time.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29Masses and masses of flowers, and is justly very popular,
0:42:29 > 0:42:34and I think it's a perfect example of this flower shape -
0:42:34 > 0:42:36this kind of lovely open disk,
0:42:36 > 0:42:38so that bees and other pollinating insects
0:42:38 > 0:42:42can just get right in there without any obstructions.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46Things with very complicated flower shapes - not good for them.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49Of course, the alternative to that open shape is a tubular flower,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51and that particularly suits bumblebees,
0:42:51 > 0:42:55who have a longer tongue and can get down there -
0:42:55 > 0:42:57but this will be loved by all of them.
0:42:57 > 0:43:02The thing about Japanese anemones is that they are really tough,
0:43:02 > 0:43:06and once they get established, you try stopping them grow and flower.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Those will flower August, September, October,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12and obviously what any garden should try and achieve
0:43:12 > 0:43:15is have some flowers for the bees
0:43:15 > 0:43:19from February through till November, if you can.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21There we go.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24I think that's good - but I think this is all part of the pattern.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27When you're building up big borders like this,
0:43:27 > 0:43:29it's going to happen in degrees.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31- You're never going to do it all in one go.- Yeah.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35What I like is the idea of pollinating insects,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37not just honey bees, having access and shade.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39- Mm.- I think that's good -
0:43:39 > 0:43:43and I think that this sort of flow of colour is very nice.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45- It's a win-win all round. - Everybody's happy.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49- Come on, any planting of plants is always great.- That is true.
0:43:49 > 0:43:54If you've got a long, narrow garden, that can be quite daunting,
0:43:54 > 0:43:56I think, for people, on how to get the most of it -
0:43:56 > 0:44:00but Nick Bailey is about to show us
0:44:00 > 0:44:03that, with a bit of judicious planting and clever design,
0:44:03 > 0:44:08you can transform even a very long, narrow garden.
0:44:15 > 0:44:16Lots of gardens in the UK,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19particularly terraced properties like this,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21have long and skinny gardens,
0:44:21 > 0:44:23and that's often emphasised by the fact
0:44:23 > 0:44:26that they've got narrow strip plantings either side -
0:44:26 > 0:44:30but, with some clever design tricks, planting and landscaping,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33it's possible to change the way this place feels,
0:44:33 > 0:44:36to make it broader and more dynamic,
0:44:36 > 0:44:39and to add that sense of mystery and discovery.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52There are so many ways of tackling a small, narrow garden like this.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54So, to start with,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57I'm going to mark out three different geometric designs
0:44:57 > 0:44:59using canes and some key plants
0:44:59 > 0:45:01to help me visualise which one will work best.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07I'm going to create a slightly wider bed here,
0:45:07 > 0:45:11so it sits in with the format, or layout, of the garden as it is.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17I'm putting another bed back here. It breaks up that long view.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21I think this birch needs to come right to the front over here.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26So, I'm going to introduce a smaller square bed just here -
0:45:26 > 0:45:28so, I've got birch, birch and robinia,
0:45:28 > 0:45:32and that works all the way through, gives a nice continuity.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Placing a few more shrubs in.
0:45:34 > 0:45:39We get a sense of the spatial division that's possible.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43Down at the end here, it's going to break up this view completely,
0:45:43 > 0:45:46so you won't be able to see into the garden - and so, by doing this,
0:45:46 > 0:45:50it creates that sense of mystery as you walk around the garden.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52So, this is the layout I'm going to go for.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56In order to create the new, larger border,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58I'm removing the existing plants...
0:46:01 > 0:46:04..then marking out the area with string and canes.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08The edges are then cut,
0:46:08 > 0:46:10and the turf removed with a spade.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Now, to make this garden really sing,
0:46:16 > 0:46:19I want to get a real unity and repetition
0:46:19 > 0:46:21running through all three of these beds,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24so I'm going to repeat the key plants. The best thing to do
0:46:24 > 0:46:27is to get the largest, the most structural plants in first,
0:46:27 > 0:46:28so, the trees...
0:46:30 > 0:46:33..then the evergreens and the big shrubs...
0:46:33 > 0:46:35and then transition down to the smaller plants,
0:46:35 > 0:46:38and then you can play around, get them in the perfect positions.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Next thing to think about is the bulkier shrubs,
0:46:40 > 0:46:45and I'm using these hydrangeas to do that.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48They'll give some of the visual division between the beds.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53For evergreen structure, I'm planting Euphorbia wulfenii,
0:46:53 > 0:46:55for its lovely chartreuse colour,
0:46:55 > 0:47:00and Hebe rakaiensis, which will form a neat hummock in the border.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02I'm also adding foxgloves,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04which will complement the colour of the silver birch,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06and the polemonium Jacob's Ladder,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08which has lovely blue flowers
0:47:08 > 0:47:10and will fill out at the base of the bed.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14The next plant is going to be this geum,
0:47:14 > 0:47:16because it's a really bright, vibrant colour.
0:47:16 > 0:47:17If you place it in a garden,
0:47:17 > 0:47:20it always seems to be closer to you than it really is,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23so putting it at that position in this bed,
0:47:23 > 0:47:26it foreshortens the garden, it makes it feel wider.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29It's a great design trick - and you can use it the other way round,
0:47:29 > 0:47:31you can use pale colours in the distance,
0:47:31 > 0:47:33and they appear to be further away.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37I'm completing my planting scheme with the grass hakonechloa
0:47:37 > 0:47:40for continuity through the beds,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44and Galium odoratum, which is a wonderful ground cover plant
0:47:44 > 0:47:48producing starry white flowers from late spring.
0:47:48 > 0:47:49Now, it's quite important
0:47:49 > 0:47:52when you're establishing new plants in the ground
0:47:52 > 0:47:55to introduce some good organic matter
0:47:55 > 0:47:57that they'll want to grow into.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59Of course, a plant like this polemonium
0:47:59 > 0:48:02has been growing away in lovely compost in its pot -
0:48:02 > 0:48:04if you put it into heavy garden soil
0:48:04 > 0:48:07it's not going to be tempted to put its roots out,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11so, really important you mix some good quality compost into the ground
0:48:11 > 0:48:14to encourage those roots to grow away.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Don't be tempted to push on the top of the root ball -
0:48:17 > 0:48:21you'll split the roots down below. Firm in around the sides.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23That will secure the plant -
0:48:23 > 0:48:26and make sure there's good contact with the soil and the compost
0:48:26 > 0:48:29so the roots will be encouraged to grow back out again,
0:48:29 > 0:48:31and the plant will establish more quickly.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Now, the next thing is to create a little soil moat around the plant,
0:48:35 > 0:48:38and that means that when you do your watering,
0:48:38 > 0:48:42the soil doesn't run away across the surface of the bed.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58Now, tree-planting is a little bit different, of course,
0:48:58 > 0:49:00from shrub planting and herbaceous planting.
0:49:01 > 0:49:06Fundamental to establishing trees is good staking.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Now, the old-fashioned way of staking
0:49:11 > 0:49:14was to use a really long stake
0:49:14 > 0:49:17that stuck about six foot out of the ground,
0:49:17 > 0:49:20but various studies over the years
0:49:20 > 0:49:23have shown that actually slows establishment.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27If the tree is staked lower down, and it can move a bit...
0:49:29 > 0:49:34..then it establishes much better, has stronger roots,
0:49:34 > 0:49:36and is generally healthier.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41So, just going to settle this in.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44Now, the way to place a stake
0:49:44 > 0:49:46is to figure out where your prevailing wind is coming from.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Normally from the south-west.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52So, you want to put the stake on the south-westerly side of the tree,
0:49:52 > 0:49:56so it's blowing away, not bashing back into the stake -
0:49:56 > 0:49:58and you can see it's not going in straight,
0:49:58 > 0:49:59it's going in at 45 degrees.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01So, give this a good bash...
0:50:03 > 0:50:06This, again, really helps with stability.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11And, to finish off, I'm tying the birch to the stake with a tree belt.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23Well, that's the project complete,
0:50:23 > 0:50:26and it's already starting to do some of the things I'm hoping for.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28There is a natural rhythm and repetition
0:50:28 > 0:50:31running through the garden with the colours and forms,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34and then, over the next couple of years, as these shrubs fill out,
0:50:34 > 0:50:37they'll create natural screens and divisions,
0:50:37 > 0:50:39and create new spaces in the garden,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42so that nasty corridor feeling is lost.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45There is, of course, now a sense of adventure and allure,
0:50:45 > 0:50:47because you won't be able to see the garden all at once -
0:50:47 > 0:50:50and also, it feels much wider,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52and there are better spaces for the family to enjoy.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07There's no question, if you have a long, thin garden,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10or even a long, thin space within a garden,
0:51:10 > 0:51:14that you want to break up, putting anything across it
0:51:14 > 0:51:18doesn't make it seem smaller, it makes it seem bigger.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21Now, here at Longmeadow, we've had very dry and, at times,
0:51:21 > 0:51:26very hot weather, and even with our heavy soil,
0:51:26 > 0:51:28things are beginning to suffer a bit.
0:51:28 > 0:51:29So, let's see what the weather
0:51:29 > 0:51:31is going to bring us gardeners this weekend.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Now, while Rachel is making sure the dogs are out of the way
0:52:16 > 0:52:18and looking after them - at least, that's her excuse -
0:52:18 > 0:52:23my own personal bee mentor, Gareth, here, has been guiding me.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25He brought the bees here a couple of years ago -
0:52:25 > 0:52:28- was it two years ago, Gareth? - Second season.- Yeah, second season,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30and we've been through all the stages of beekeeping -
0:52:30 > 0:52:34and I have to stress, if you want to keep bees, don't go it alone.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Join your local beekeeping association,
0:52:36 > 0:52:38and they will find somebody locally
0:52:38 > 0:52:41who will guide you through the first few years.
0:52:41 > 0:52:42Why are you not wearing gloves?
0:52:42 > 0:52:44I haven't for awhile.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47I find that I can feel my way around the hive a bit better,
0:52:47 > 0:52:49and I find that I'm a lot gentler with the bees.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52- OK. We want to take this sample... - Yeah.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54..send it to the National Botanic Garden of Wales
0:52:54 > 0:52:58so they can then do an analysis of the DNA of the pollen,
0:52:58 > 0:53:02and we'll find out what these bees have been feeding on.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04So, will that be enough, do you think?
0:53:04 > 0:53:07- This will be ample.- OK, fine. Well, let's do that now.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10- If you hold it, shall I scrape it off?- Yeah.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14It always surprises me, actually, how firmly it sticks on there.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16There we go.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19How would you say these bees are, as a hive?
0:53:19 > 0:53:22I've been astounded at the strength and vigour of these bees here,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25- Monty. They produce both a bit of honey...- Yeah.
0:53:25 > 0:53:26..and an awful lot of bees.
0:53:26 > 0:53:32In terms of quantity, how much honey would you reasonably expect...
0:53:32 > 0:53:33to gather before winter?
0:53:33 > 0:53:36You know, Monty, if this weather keeps up -
0:53:36 > 0:53:39- it's not great for the beekeepers, it's brilliant for the bees.- Yeah.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43- I could see 20, possibly even 30 pounds...- Really?
0:53:43 > 0:53:47..and that's leaving the bees with 30, 40, 50 pounds for themselves.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50So, a hive like this, you're saying, is going to be producing
0:53:50 > 0:53:53somewhere between about 60 and 100 pounds of honey.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Yeah - and it's just amazing, the volume of nectar,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59it's a sixth of the weight - so, if you've got 100 pounds of honey,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02- that's 600 pounds of nectar. - 600 pounds of nectar!
0:54:02 > 0:54:04- It's mind-boggling.- Yeah, it is.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08Well, that's a very - both impressive and exciting thought.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Thanks very much. We'll leave them in peace -
0:54:10 > 0:54:12I'm very aware that we're disturbing them.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23I'm going to be so interested to know what plants they are.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26- Thank you so much, as ever. - Always a pleasure.- It's fascinating.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28All right, see you soon. Bye-bye.
0:54:39 > 0:54:44We'll get a sample of this sent off to the Botanic Gardens,
0:54:44 > 0:54:48and I'll be fascinated to see what it reveals.
0:54:49 > 0:54:50Now, you may not have bees,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54but here are some jobs you can be doing this weekend.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07To prevent plants from burning up in the heat,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10it's important to keep your greenhouse cool
0:55:10 > 0:55:12when the weather turns hot -
0:55:12 > 0:55:14so, before you do anything else in the morning,
0:55:14 > 0:55:18remember to open all the doors and windows possible,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21to allow cool air to flow through.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Whilst it is tempting to allow masses of young apples
0:55:32 > 0:55:35to develop on a tree, the overall quality of your crop
0:55:35 > 0:55:38will be greatly improved if you thin them.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41I leave just two fruits per cluster,
0:55:41 > 0:55:45which gives them more light and air, as well as more room to grow.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54To keep grass paths looking neat,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57and also to stop the grass invading into a border,
0:55:57 > 0:56:00you do need to regularly trim them.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04A pair of long-handled shears is invaluable for this job,
0:56:04 > 0:56:08but you can do them with hand shears just as well.
0:56:16 > 0:56:21- Mm!- I have to say, this feels very good.- Mm!
0:56:21 > 0:56:26- This is a lavender sponge - so, a herb cake...- Delicious.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31- ..and accompanied by a beautifully coloured...- Thank you.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32..lemon verbena tea,
0:56:32 > 0:56:35- which, hopefully, will calm you down, Rachel.- Oh!
0:56:35 > 0:56:37- After all the excitement... - After all this!
0:56:37 > 0:56:40..of seeing Nellie again, of coming to Longmeadow.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42I was going to say, it's lovely seeing you,
0:56:42 > 0:56:43it's lovely seeing the garden,
0:56:43 > 0:56:47but I've really come for you two, haven't I?
0:56:47 > 0:56:49Now, this smells delicious.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55- It is very fresh and lemony. - Oh, fragrant and lovely.- Lovely.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59Well, that's it for this week,
0:56:59 > 0:57:03and both Rachel and I will be at Hampton Court next week,
0:57:03 > 0:57:05so that's where we'll see you.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07- Till then, bye-bye.- Bye.