0:00:08 > 0:00:10Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15Well, in amongst the grass borders, I've got some bindweed.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19Now, bindweed is bad news because every little scrap of root
0:00:19 > 0:00:21will develop a new plant,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23and that can choke a border.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25And there is a feeling at this time of year
0:00:25 > 0:00:28that the borders are running away with it anyway,
0:00:28 > 0:00:30and if you've got weeds to boot,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32that can be daunting.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33The secret is, just take control.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36When it comes to the bindweed, pull it up, cos that will weaken it,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38but you do need to dig the roots out.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40If you can't get at it now, you can do so later in the year,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42but mark the spot.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45And in terms of the borders themselves, plan.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48You can see here a good example. We've got this aster.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50This is Aster umbellatus.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52I gave it a Chelsea chop about six weeks ago,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and it's a good example of how a Chelsea chop works,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58because that has staggered the flowering
0:00:58 > 0:01:00and just adds a level of interest
0:01:00 > 0:01:06which would otherwise be part of the overwhelming mass of planting.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13On tonight's programme,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16we make our first visit to a garden in Wiltshire being
0:01:16 > 0:01:18created by a whole community,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21with a little bit of help from Flo and Joe.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Carol travels to the Isle of Wight
0:01:23 > 0:01:28to meet one of her horticultural heroes, Roy Lancaster.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Nick Bailey uncovers some insect invaders that we should all
0:01:32 > 0:01:35be on the lookout for in our gardens.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And I visit a large garden in Hampshire
0:01:38 > 0:01:42that has been created entirely in the last five years.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The Jewel Garden is really beginning to kick in
0:02:07 > 0:02:09with these intense colours,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13which, obviously, is something that we have to renew and refresh
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and manage year after year.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18So I need to replenish my stocks,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23and very few of the late-summer flowers are richer
0:02:23 > 0:02:26or indeed better than heleniums.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27The best-known helenium,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and the one that we've all grown for years,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33is Moerheim Beauty, but another really good one is this.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35It's Sahin's Early Flowerer.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Now, don't be misled by the name -
0:02:38 > 0:02:41"early" simply means it starts to flower early,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45but it actually goes on flowering as long as any helenium you can buy,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47well into September.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52And this one, which I chose because it's got lovely rich colour.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54This is rightly called Vivace,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and vivacious it certainly is.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00I'm going to plant a group.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I need to make a little bit of room...
0:03:03 > 0:03:06..and fill the gap with Vivace.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13All heleniums come from North America,
0:03:13 > 0:03:18and they tend to grow on the banks of rivers.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21They like damp feet and sunny heads.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23One, two...
0:03:25 > 0:03:26..three.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32If I plant a clump like that, I get an instant hit.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Now, obviously, that's three times as expensive as planting just one,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39but there is a little bit of method in this extravagance
0:03:39 > 0:03:43because it's going to give me real drama for the rest of this summer,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and next spring, I can take half of it out
0:03:46 > 0:03:50and divide that up into as many as 20 or even 30 plants.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53So, if you like, this is an investment.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Obviously, when you plant anything in midsummer,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07in full flower, it needs a really good soak.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11And don't let them dry out for the rest of the summer.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Once a week, if it hasn't rained,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17then give them a good watering-can full of water,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and that will establish the roots,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and the stronger the roots are when they go into autumn,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25the more likely they are to survive for winter.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30Now, if you didn't know already, this is our golden jubilee year.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Gardeners' World is 50 years old,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35and as part of our celebrations, which are ongoing,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39we've teamed up with the local news programme Points West,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42they have a 60th anniversary,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46and we wanted to do something that involved a local community.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51So we asked people to get in touch if they needed help
0:04:51 > 0:04:54transforming a community space.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58We set up a panel that included Joe Swift and Flo Headlam,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and Potterne, a village in Wiltshire, was chosen.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06The local youth worker, Steve Dewar, submitted ideas
0:05:06 > 0:05:08on behalf of the community.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- Hi, Steve.- Congratulations. - Thank you very much.- Hi.- Well done.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14- So, you've been chosen, which is wonderful.- Yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17What motivated you to put Potterne forward in the first place?
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It's a very diverse community.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23We've got social housing and private housing, and different age groups
0:05:23 > 0:05:26as well, but we have minimal facilities and resources,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29and so the opportunity just to see things change,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and look after the space that we have
0:05:32 > 0:05:35and make it more beautiful than it is.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38So what do you think this garden will actually give to the community?
0:05:38 > 0:05:42One, it's the opportunity just to come together and just chat.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44We've got people that have never met each other
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and yet probably live 100 metres from each other,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and have lived here for years.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51It's really exciting. Let's go and see the garden.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- We haven't seen it yet. - It's over here.- Let's go.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59You would never know there was a garden here.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02It's a secret spot hidden down a little lane,
0:06:02 > 0:06:03with a big surprise.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- Here we are.- Oh, my gosh!
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Wow!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- It's a brilliant space, isn't it? - Isn't it great?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17This willow tunnel is... It's grown a lot!
0:06:17 > 0:06:19So, this went in about four years ago.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22We created it with Wiltshire Wildlife,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- they came in and helped us. It needs managing.- Yes.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27It needs cutting and pruning, basically,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29but it's a great structure to have. It's really nice.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31It's a lovely shape.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34It just brings you in and takes you on this journey.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37There's also a collection of apple trees,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40a rather weather-beaten polytunnel
0:06:40 > 0:06:44and a big lack of anywhere to just sit down and have a cup of tea.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48A few of us kind of put in some seeds
0:06:48 > 0:06:50and just waited,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53and we're still waiting to then do something with it.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55We've got the potential here to do quite a lot.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58There's plenty of opportunity for learning for kids
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and for the whole community.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02You grow your own stuff. You put it in the ground...
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- You take it from the flower bed to the plate.- Yes.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Flo and I are only here to offer some help.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13The whole project is to be guided by Steve and the local community.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Now, they've had lots of ideas and, based on that,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I've come up with a design.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21So my thoughts are probably sort of starting
0:07:21 > 0:07:23with a sort of circular theme.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26This actually sort of creates a heart to the space,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and I also think it's very important to create
0:07:28 > 0:07:30a lot of planting areas,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32and a sense of division within the garden,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and that can be done with hedging, tall grasses, perennials.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39It can be done with planting, rather than structures,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and it's cheaper, and much more wildlife friendly, anyway.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46So, sort of around the perimeter, creating these areas for growing.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50So, you know, here we could start thinking about putting, maybe,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- a potting shed.- Yep.- This could be either a play area here...
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Wildflowers and things as well?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Yeah. I think this is all to be planted up,
0:07:58 > 0:07:59like a proper garden.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02There's loads of opportunities to create...
0:08:02 > 0:08:03you know, pollinators.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06This could maybe be a slightly jungly area,
0:08:06 > 0:08:07over where the kids are,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10bamboos and things like that, just for a bit of drama.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13And the central hub becomes this seating area.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- I just feel that the centre of it should be the social space.- Yeah.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Otherwise, you're going to get stuck in a corner.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I like the idea that you've already got here -
0:08:22 > 0:08:24you've got some basic zones.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29While Joe and Steve start to mark out the new seating area,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I'm meeting with some of the community
0:08:31 > 0:08:34that, crucially, include members of the local gardening club,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37to create a plan to galvanise their neighbours.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40If you want to do gardening, you've got to make it fun.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- You really have got to make it fun. - Yes.- And there has to be a reward.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45We've got a very active gardening club,
0:08:45 > 0:08:50and hopefully they will want to get involved and pass on knowledge.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Sometimes I get a bit stuck, and just knowing,
0:08:53 > 0:08:54every Saturday morning,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57there's going to be a group of experts up there
0:08:57 > 0:09:00that I could take my cucumber and, "Look, it's all yellow..."
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Cos that's the problem I've got at the moment! I would love that.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07It'll galvanise the whole community to see what they can offer.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09From my experience of community gardens,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12the way to bring it together, make it cohesive,
0:09:12 > 0:09:17is to have particular days when people know things are happening.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It gives people a structure to know that, actually, do you know what,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22there's a focus every single week.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25But thinking more long-term about the garden,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28just think about how you can use that space throughout the year.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Make people want to be there.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Well, the weather's taken a turn for the worse,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34but we haven't got time to waste
0:09:34 > 0:09:39so I'm going to start work with this rather overgrown willow tunnel.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I'm going to get a bit serious with it.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46And if you could just keep pulling them out.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- So be quite ruthless with it? - Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52You can get very ruthless with this stuff.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56And word has got out fast because, despite the weather,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58the community is already starting
0:09:58 > 0:10:02the big job of weeding the raised beds.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So, this time round, what do you think you need to do differently
0:10:05 > 0:10:08in order to keep the momentum and keep the interest?
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Awareness, I think, to be fair with you.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14To make everyone aware that we're not just here for just 24 hours.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18We're here long-term, to try and see if we can get the children involved,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22try to make them understand how we can grow vegetables
0:10:22 > 0:10:24so they can take it home.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- Hmm.- So that they've got something that belongs to them.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30We've taken the roof off this section completely.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33But it has to be done. This is quite drastic work
0:10:33 > 0:10:36but now we're ready to weave in the side bits.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39If you just keep bending it in and out.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Do you remember your basket-weaving evening classes, Steve?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44I'm sure you've done a few of those.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46- I've got a badge. - You've got a badge?!
0:10:46 > 0:10:48It's just so flexible as well, isn't it?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Yeah. It's nice when it's this bendy.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53So that'll continue to thicken up?
0:10:53 > 0:10:55That'll thicken up and then it'll start growing out again,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and then you just have to keep clipping it back.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Trust me, Steve, trust me.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- We've done a lot today. - We have.- A cracking day.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07How are you feeling about it all?
0:11:07 > 0:11:09It's just great seeing things starting to work,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11and people getting involved
0:11:11 > 0:11:13and, yeah, people who we weren't even expecting to turn up
0:11:13 > 0:11:15just came along and mucked in.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17So, in the next few weeks, moving it on,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20I would look at getting some of the infrastructure in first,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22like the covered area,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25maybe digging out for the surfacing to go in,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27and maybe the archway over the door,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29and then it should all start coming together,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- and then you've got bite-sized projects after that.- Yeah.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Having a plan of, like, on the days you want them to come down,
0:11:36 > 0:11:37having tasks laid out,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40so they know there's something to do on those days.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- It's a family thing, as well.- Yeah. Yeah. Give them some refreshment,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- a cup of tea and cake. - We all like that.- Yeah.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48If anyone could do it, Steve...
0:11:48 > 0:11:50- You're the man!- Exactly!
0:12:01 > 0:12:05Flo and Joe will be returning to Potterne a number of times
0:12:05 > 0:12:06in the weeks to come,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09hopefully with a little bit of better weather,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12just to see the project through to the next phase.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Glorious day here today at Longmeadow,
0:12:15 > 0:12:20and I'm going to train my pumpkins up tripods.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23But you do need really strong supports.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26And then I'll tie them at the top
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and then train the tendrils up the sticks.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Now, that's good and robust.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I know a lot of us either don't grow pumpkins at all
0:12:38 > 0:12:41or don't grow as many as we would like
0:12:41 > 0:12:43because we're simply short of space.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Well, if you can't go sideways, go up!
0:12:45 > 0:12:47As long as the support is strong enough,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50the plant will love it. The fruits will ripen better
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and, obviously, it means you can't grow the enormous pumpkins
0:12:54 > 0:12:59but any that grow as big as a large melon will be perfectly happy.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Now, talking about going up,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05the very top of the gardening tree is occupied by one man.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08He's a hero to many of us,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10those of us who have had the privilege of working with him,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13those who have read his books or been to his lectures.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15It is, of course, Roy Lancaster,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18who, amongst many other things, was a long-term
0:13:18 > 0:13:23and highly respected presenter of Gardeners' World.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27And last week, Carol met Roy on the Isle of Wight,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and they went for a very special botanical stroll.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43I've met Roy Lancaster on quite a lot of occasions,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and listened to him speak.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48He's hugely inspiring.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52He's made my knowledge and my love for plants
0:13:52 > 0:13:55so much greater than it could otherwise have been.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00And today, I've actually got the whole day with him,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02walking on the Isle of Wight.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14So, why did you choose the Isle of Wight for our meeting?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Well, it's very special to me for all kinds of reasons.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I first heard of it years ago.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23When I was a boy growing up in the '40s, growing up in Bolton,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26and when we used to go with our parents to Blackpool,
0:14:26 > 0:14:27the wakes week,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29there was one boy who used to go with his parents
0:14:29 > 0:14:32to the Isle of Wight, and we used to be thinking,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34"Where's the Isle of Wight?!"
0:14:34 > 0:14:37But it wasn't until I came to live in the south in '62
0:14:37 > 0:14:39that I started visiting,
0:14:39 > 0:14:44and my first visits of course told me about this wonderful flora,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48for a start, and all these different habitats,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and you never know what you're going to see here.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56The great thing about these shorelines
0:14:56 > 0:14:59is that they are full of curious plants.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Have a look at... Three different kinds here.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03But are they different? So, this is the obvious one,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- the sea holly.- Sea holly. The prickliest plant ever.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09One of your favourites, I think.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- I love it. - And this lovely bloomy colour.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13That reduces the transpiration -
0:15:13 > 0:15:15all the strong winds blowing
0:15:15 > 0:15:19and it stops the water from disappearing too quickly.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- And it protects it from the salt too, I suppose, doesn't it?- It does.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25A very strong root, but it helps keep the shingle and sand together,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- it helps to bind it. - And this wild carrot.- Yeah.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Oh, look at that. Isn't that smashing?
0:15:31 > 0:15:33It's a really exciting place, this.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Isn't it fabulous, just looking?
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Roy's been showered with accolades and awards.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45He's a vice-president of the RHS,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48president of the Hardy Plants Society,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52and he's been made both an OBE and a CBE.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56It's all a long way from his beginnings.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00It all started when, coming back from a bird ramble,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and I found a strange plant in an allotment.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- It turned out to be a Mexican tobacco plant.- Wow!
0:16:05 > 0:16:06SHE LAUGHS
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And I took it to the museum, and my local curator said,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11"I don't know what it is.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15"I'm going to send it to the British Museum in London."
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- Ohh!- Well, three weeks later,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20I had a letter back from a boffin saying,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23"Congratulations. It's the first record for Lancashire."
0:16:23 > 0:16:26And I thought, "Well, I wasn't even looking for rare plants.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28"If it's that easy, I want to find more.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30"I must know more about plants."
0:16:30 > 0:16:32So that really kick-started the whole thing?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34And then, later on,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36you actually got a job to do with plants.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39I became the nipper on the parks department,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and I had two foremen there who took me in hand and said,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46"Right, we're going to teach you about proper names,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48"Latin names, OK?
0:16:48 > 0:16:51"And we'll not only teach you what the names...how to pronounce them,
0:16:51 > 0:16:55"but what they mean and where they come from, the stories."
0:16:55 > 0:16:58I realised then that the names were keys to unlock
0:16:58 > 0:17:02these histories of plants. The world came alive for me
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- through the names of plants.- Yeah. Where are you going to take me next?
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- I've got a special place I want to show you.- Where is it?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Ah-ha. You wait and see.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20In 1957, Roy was sent to Malaya for his National Service.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23It was an eye-opener.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27I wanted to bring you to this what, to me, is a really special place
0:17:27 > 0:17:31on the island. It's the nearest I've found
0:17:31 > 0:17:33in the south of England
0:17:33 > 0:17:35to a rainforest, as in Malaya.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39I mean, the darkness, the tall tree, high canopy,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42but most of all the thing I remember were the ferns,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- the giant ferns. - So, you arrive in Malaya.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50What did you think when you saw these totally different plants
0:17:50 > 0:17:53that, as you say, you'd only seen growing in parks departments
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- in a glasshouse?- Well, you're suddenly in a situation
0:17:57 > 0:18:01where every plant is different, every plant is new,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and, of course, my reaction was to collect a piece -
0:18:04 > 0:18:07a bit of a frond, a flower, a leaf -
0:18:07 > 0:18:10and because I had a Bren gun,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- I had these large ammunition pouches...- Ideal!
0:18:14 > 0:18:16SHE LAUGHS
0:18:16 > 0:18:19..I used these ammunition pouches to put specimens in.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22It might be a fern, a plant, but equally,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24it could be a snake or a spider,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27a bird-eating spider on one occasion.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I would send all the specimens, plants,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32to the Singapore Botanic Gardens,
0:18:32 > 0:18:33sometimes to Kew...
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Just to identify them?
0:18:35 > 0:18:37I wanted to get names for them.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39- Still the same curiosity?- Oh, yes.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Different plants, different creatures,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- but still the same curiosity.- Yes. It was wonderful.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53He went on to do two years at Cambridge Botanic Gardens
0:18:53 > 0:18:55and, from there, won a position
0:18:55 > 0:18:58at the prestigious Hillier Nurseries and Gardens.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Eventually, he became the first curator of their arboretum.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07But, for me, Roy's greatest gift to us gardeners
0:19:07 > 0:19:10is his pure love for plants.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14- I always believe that plant exploration starts at home.- Yeah.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18You look at the plants on your own doorstep that you see every day,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and you find out about them.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Where do they come from? What are they?
0:19:22 > 0:19:23Why are they here?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26And then, you move outwards, and gradually,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29the whole world becomes almost like your backyard.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Yeah.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33When I think of Roy Lancaster,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36above all else, I think of a communicator.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40I've always thought that knowledge of plants or anything,
0:19:40 > 0:19:47really, is only of use when you pass it on.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Treat knowledge like a hot potato. Pass it on quick. Don't keep it.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Share it quickly, as fast as you can. With young people especially.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59And they get something of the magic of plants, the plant world,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03and the world at large, in which plants are a part, of course.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18I can personally testify to Roy's generosity
0:20:18 > 0:20:20because when I started working with him
0:20:20 > 0:20:22for the first time about 20 years ago, I was in awe of him,
0:20:22 > 0:20:27and he could not have made me feel more welcome or at ease.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29He is a wonderful inspiration to us all.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35Now, talking of exotic plants, you can hardly get something that is
0:20:35 > 0:20:38performing more spectacularly than agapanthus at the moment.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40This, of course, comes from South Africa,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and we see it when we go on holiday in Spain and Portugal,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45anywhere you have a Mediterranean climate.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49But I do get quite a few letters of people saying they've either moved
0:20:49 > 0:20:51an agapanthus or bought one and potted it up,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and they get lots of foliage but no flowers.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58And the reason for that is that agapanthus flower best
0:20:58 > 0:21:02when their roots are tightly constrained.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03So, when you pot it up,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07only give it at most about an inch of space around the roots.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Don't put it into too big a pot.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13And let it grow until it is just one solid mass of root.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15It will then flower spectacularly.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20But, even though it doesn't like too much compost around it,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22it does need watering and feeding.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27I water these weekly
0:21:27 > 0:21:30and once a fortnight give them a feed of liquid seaweed.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33And that helps the flowering keep going.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And don't stop the watering and feeding after the flowering is over
0:21:36 > 0:21:38because next year's flower buds
0:21:38 > 0:21:40are formed in late summer and early autumn.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42So, keep on watering,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and then take them in out of the frost
0:21:45 > 0:21:47round about the middle of October.
0:21:48 > 0:21:49Now, the agapanthus here on the mound
0:21:49 > 0:21:51are looking fairly established.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54In fact, the whole garden feels mature.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58But when I came here, this was a bare, empty field,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00and over the last 25 years,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04we've slowly created a garden.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06But last week, I went down to Hampshire
0:22:06 > 0:22:08to visit a large garden
0:22:08 > 0:22:12that has been created in its entirety
0:22:12 > 0:22:14in just the last five years.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25I have to confess that I'd never heard of Malverleys,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29but that's not wholly surprising, because this is a brand-new garden.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31It's only five years old.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36And the interesting thing is that from the outset, it was conceived on
0:22:36 > 0:22:43a heroic scale, a new garden that was going to be truly magnificent.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48The head gardener Mat Reece and his team
0:22:48 > 0:22:52were behind the transformation of ten acres of grounds.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55And it began with a whole year of planning.
0:22:55 > 0:23:01You are always champing at the bit to make your mark, to get stuck in.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04But it's important to get to know what the soil is like,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06where the prevailing weather comes from.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And, also, what you want out of the garden takes a while to decide.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13For example, those first ideas,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16sometimes you need to sit on them, and there can be
0:23:16 > 0:23:20moments of inspiration, but often, they are just kind of novelties.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Mat spent six years working for the late Christopher Lloyd at
0:23:26 > 0:23:30one of the best known of all English gardens, Great Dixter.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36- That must've been a really strong influence.- A huge influence.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40- I mean, pivotal.- Yeah.- And it influenced this garden directly.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The design itself is relatively simple.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47We split the garden up into rooms, similar to Great Dixter.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50We've used new hedging to create the walls, if you like.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Ewell is a perfect canvas to paint your flowers against.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Did you have any trepidation?
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I think, yeah. I mean, I think I found it, um...
0:24:02 > 0:24:03incredibly daunting.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It was a huge space.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It's really important, I think, when you are designing any space,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12whether you are a gardener or a landscape designer,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15to make sure you know it intimately, and to peg things out.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19It sounds archaic and a bit sort of amateurish but it works,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21it really does.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27As I understand it, there was the intention to make a big,
0:24:27 > 0:24:28for want of a better word, grand garden.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31In some ways, we've made a rod for our own back.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34You know, there is a lot of work to keep this garden looking good.
0:24:34 > 0:24:40It is a large garden. But I think it was just born out of enthusiasm.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41So, do you think it will get grander?
0:24:41 > 0:24:47Well, I hope it will get nicer, uh, as it gets older.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59This is the white garden.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05On its day, it has such a beautiful atmosphere.
0:25:05 > 0:25:06And quite quickly,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09I became aware of how difficult it is to garden with white.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11You only need something to start going over.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13It is like the dark speck on the white shirt.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- And it becomes a stain.- Yeah.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Your eye is drawn to it immediately.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20You've got to go in and edit the whole time.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24What are your absolute go-to plants for a white garden?
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Ammi majus and Eryngium giganteum.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29I mean, I could keep going.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35The terrace is one of Mat's most recent additions,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39and yet it gives the appearance of having been there forever.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41It's fantastic.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Did you have this in mind from day one or has this emerged
0:25:44 > 0:25:46out of the ground?
0:25:46 > 0:25:50I had this idea of introducing self-sowers
0:25:50 > 0:25:53and these willowy, wispy type plants,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56and just letting them do their own thing.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59It is quite experimental in many ways.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02You've allowed all these lovely little things to appear in
0:26:02 > 0:26:05the middle of the path and you have to go around them when you walk.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08That really goes against the whole idea of
0:26:08 > 0:26:11a big terrace in front of a big house, stretching out.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I mean, that inverts the whole order of things.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16I feel the house sits comfortably with this garden
0:26:16 > 0:26:18because we have climbers on the house and they sort of
0:26:18 > 0:26:22drip down into the borders around, and then, you know...
0:26:22 > 0:26:25You've got fragments of the border self-sowing into the path,
0:26:25 > 0:26:30so everything kind of feels nice and comfortable
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and there is a togetherness.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34It's a controlled freedom.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43The last five years have created this extraordinary garden
0:26:43 > 0:26:46with a massive amount achieved.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Are you nearly where you are aiming at?
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Or is this part of a much longer-term project?
0:26:52 > 0:26:56And what is that? What does the future hold?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Erm, I think, you know...
0:26:58 > 0:27:00we're not going to extend the gardens much more,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02but we will continue to work on the borders.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04I mean, we will see where the plants take us.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Come back and see us in five years.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09I will take you up on that.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18I do know that when you visit a really big garden, there is
0:27:18 > 0:27:20a tendency to feel overwhelmed.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25But there is always something that you can find that really relates
0:27:25 > 0:27:28to your garden at home. This is the cool garden.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33And it circles around this amazing great big bowl,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36hiding the fact that it is a very odd shape.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38It's not rectangular and it is not coordinated.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41So, by creating this circular rhythm to it,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45and these big, deep borders, you close in on the shape,
0:27:45 > 0:27:46you look inwards.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51You could do this in a small garden with a lovely basin of water.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55The idea of having water ON water is a really nice idea.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57You can use this sort of thing.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02These ideas plus plant associations are something that you can
0:28:02 > 0:28:06find and use and apply to your garden at home.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31I have to say that was a lovely garden but the terrace was
0:28:31 > 0:28:34the best thing of its kind that I have ever seen.
0:28:34 > 0:28:40That loose abandon so carefully orchestrated is a masterpiece.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44Now, I can't pretend that this part of the damp garden
0:28:44 > 0:28:47is as carefully orchestrated as Malverleys,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52but I do let plants seed and spread and then just try
0:28:52 > 0:28:53and control them a little bit.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55These ostrich ferns, the Matteuccia,
0:28:55 > 0:28:59have got a bit burnt in the hot dry weather, but all you have to do
0:28:59 > 0:29:01is cut off the frazzled ferns, and they will regrow.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05But that has spread all over this area, and in amongst it,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07that Lysimachia ciliata Firecracker,
0:29:07 > 0:29:08that puts runners out
0:29:08 > 0:29:11and actually can become very invasive, if you let it.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13But all these plants can be weeded,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15they can be transplanted,
0:29:15 > 0:29:20but they form a matrix, and you can plant into that, and that idea is
0:29:20 > 0:29:23something I try and spread right across the whole of this garden.
0:29:26 > 0:29:27Coming up on the programme,
0:29:27 > 0:29:33we meet a chef who is growing all his own veg for his restaurant.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37And Rachel goes to RHS Wisley to see how gardening has changed
0:29:37 > 0:29:41and evolved over the past 50 years.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43But first, Nick Bailey goes to Oxfordshire,
0:29:43 > 0:29:47to visit the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50to find out more about the alien insect invaders
0:29:50 > 0:29:54that are becoming increasingly common in our gardens.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02Our gardens and allotments are complex ecological worlds.
0:30:04 > 0:30:05Finely balanced ecosystems
0:30:05 > 0:30:09where native insects mix with new arrivals.
0:30:12 > 0:30:13For the last 50 years,
0:30:13 > 0:30:17the number of non-native species has been increasing dramatically.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Several of them are unwelcome insects,
0:30:20 > 0:30:24and left to their own devices, they can cause havoc in the garden.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Professor Helen Roy is from the Centre of Ecology
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and Hydrology and it is down to her and her team
0:30:32 > 0:30:35that gardeners know what to look out for.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38She is going to guide me through some of their current concerns -
0:30:38 > 0:30:41those that are established across the country,
0:30:41 > 0:30:43and those that we need to be on our guard for.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48This problem with non-native invasive species coming in
0:30:48 > 0:30:53to the UK, why does it present such a problem to gardeners and growers?
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Well, a number of them will be pest insects, for instance,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59that might reduce yields of the crops people are trying to
0:30:59 > 0:31:01grow in their allotment or garden, but in other cases,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05they might be predators that will disrupt some of what is happening
0:31:05 > 0:31:09in terms of the way other predators are feeding on those pest insects.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13There's about 2,000 non-native species in Britain.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16Only 15 percent of those cause any problem at all,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19but that small number can be economically quite costly,
0:31:19 > 0:31:24but also can be costly in terms of the threat to biodiversity.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27In fact, they are the major cause of biodiversity loss on islands.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29OK. So, let's go bug hunting.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35So, this is one of the invasive non-native species
0:31:35 > 0:31:37that we have been talking about.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40This is the immature stage of the harlequin ladybird,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42so it is called a larva.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44You can see it's a little grub-like creature,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47it has got these orange bands down either side.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49If we get a closer look,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53you will see that it is really very, very spiky.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56It doesn't just feed on aphids, it will feed on other insects
0:31:56 > 0:31:58as well, so it will feed on the other ladybirds,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02it will feed on lacewings, and also hoverflies as well.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05So it is both taking away our native ladybirds' food,
0:32:05 > 0:32:09- and also eating our native ladybirds.- Oh, yeah, absolutely.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12And we've really seen dramatic declines in the two-spot ladybird.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15So, this is the adult form,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19and this is the most common colour form of the harlequin ladybird.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22This bright orange with lots and lots of black spots,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25and those two white markings on either side of the head.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30The other colour form is black with either two or four red spots.
0:32:30 > 0:32:31We have a combinations of features -
0:32:31 > 0:32:35the pale legs, very round, quite a large ladybird.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40They are native to Asia, they were introduced to mainland Europe
0:32:40 > 0:32:41as a biological control agent,
0:32:41 > 0:32:44but they have arrived here both by flying across the Channel,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and also with humans and produce, for instance.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50And what's quite spectacular is that the first record
0:32:50 > 0:32:55was in 2004 in Essex, they spread at 100 kilometres per year,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and now they are all the way across England and into Wales,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00and even into southern Scotland.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03There is nothing we can do about the harlequin ladybird now -
0:33:03 > 0:33:04it is here and it is here to stay.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07So, please don't kill them anyway, because you could affect
0:33:07 > 0:33:09the other ladybirds as well.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11- So, you could misidentify them very easily.- Absolutely.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14But what we can do is learn some valuable lessons
0:33:14 > 0:33:17from the harlequin ladybird, and we have done that.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20So, improving biosecurity, better surveillance, preventing the arrival
0:33:20 > 0:33:24of the species in the first place, that is what we need to be doing.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29Some non-native invasive insects may be past control,
0:33:29 > 0:33:30but there is one species
0:33:30 > 0:33:34that Helen and her team are determined to stop spreading here.
0:33:39 > 0:33:40This is a Queen Asian hornet,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43so this is pretty much as big as the Asian hornet gets.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45It has got quite an orange face,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48and you can see a distinctive orange band.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Our main concerns about the Asian hornet are that it feeds
0:33:52 > 0:33:53on pollinating insects,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56and it really has a like for honeybees, for instance.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58So, it will hang around beehives,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00it will pick off the honeybees in the air,
0:34:00 > 0:34:04so there is hawking behaviour, and then it will mash them up
0:34:04 > 0:34:07into a little pellet that it takes back to its larvae to feed
0:34:07 > 0:34:09back in its own colony.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11And its own colony might be about 6,000 individuals,
0:34:11 > 0:34:14so huge potential for population growth.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19So, how did the hornet get to be in Europe and the UK?
0:34:19 > 0:34:23So, it arrived in France in 2004 in a pottery consignment.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25And there was just one queen, but she had been mated,
0:34:25 > 0:34:29and she was able to establish a colony after she arrived.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Are we aware of how many are in the UK?
0:34:31 > 0:34:33So, last September,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35we had the first sightings of the Asian hornet in Gloucestershire.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38It was only a couple of records, and they were eradicated.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40If there were any queens that overwintered,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43and we very much hope there weren't, then they would be waking up
0:34:43 > 0:34:46- and they would be setting up their colonies.- Why now?
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Why is it coming potentially over here at this time,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50rather than 500 years ago?
0:34:50 > 0:34:51So, we are moving around more,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55we are going on holiday to far-flung lands, we're bringing in commodities
0:34:55 > 0:34:58from all over the world, and with these commodities,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01and in our luggage, come some of these hitchhiking species.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03So, is there a potential that climate change
0:35:03 > 0:35:06or rising temperatures or changes in precipitation
0:35:06 > 0:35:08might be supporting that movement?
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Certainly, we know that climate warming is making
0:35:11 > 0:35:14some of our habitats more suitable for some of the insects,
0:35:14 > 0:35:16for instance, that wouldn't have otherwise settled in the UK.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19But it is the species that have been moved by humans specifically
0:35:19 > 0:35:21that are the ones we are concerned about
0:35:21 > 0:35:23and the ones that we can do something about.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26People can make a really big difference to this problem.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40If you think you've seen an Asian hornet in your garden,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology would like to hear from you.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47You can get details on how you do that from our website.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55It's time to start summer pruning,
0:35:55 > 0:36:00and that particularly applies to trained fruit trees like these.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04These are espaliers grown in horizontal rows,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07and any trained shape needs pruning in summer
0:36:07 > 0:36:10because summer pruning restricts growth,
0:36:10 > 0:36:14whereas winter pruning, which you do when all the leaves are down,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16encourages regrowth,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20and that tends to be just for established fruit trees.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24The first thing to do is to take off any unwanted vertical shoots.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27You can see, they are very strong, very clear.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Don't take them right down,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32but leave two or three leaves or pairs of leaves
0:36:32 > 0:36:36because what you want to establish are fruiting spurs -
0:36:36 > 0:36:39all the fruit comes off a spur.
0:36:40 > 0:36:41So we'll cut that back.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44And that back.
0:36:45 > 0:36:46And that.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50The other really important purpose is to let light and air
0:36:50 > 0:36:54into the growing fruits, and this means they will ripen much better,
0:36:54 > 0:36:59whereas if they are shaded, that can stop them ripening at all.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03And remember with all pruning, you can always take off a bit more,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06but you can't stick it back on, so go steady.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12When you've removed the obvious excess growth,
0:37:12 > 0:37:14then you want to start tying in and training.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24This one at the end,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27although it looks like it is a vertical growth,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30is actually the end of the horizontal.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Now, what we do is train that down, but not the whole branch.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37Espaliers want to grow upwards,
0:37:37 > 0:37:39that is where their greatest vigour is,
0:37:39 > 0:37:43and you need that extra vigour to make it go horizontally.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46So we'll just tie that in like that there.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49And the end will very quickly...
0:37:50 > 0:37:52..start to go upwards again.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58So, that is now pruned, trained, and ready.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02And you can apply this to any kind of trained fruit tree.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05And if you've got an overgrown big apple tree,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08of course, you can prune that in summer, too,
0:38:08 > 0:38:11and that'll create a new shape.
0:38:11 > 0:38:17Now, all this may look nice but it's geared towards the pears, the fruit,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20and a ripe pear from the garden is so good.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23And you really can't buy that
0:38:23 > 0:38:25because the timing has to be exact.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29In fact, anybody who grows fruit or vegetables in their garden,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33or allotment, knows that the pleasure that they give,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37not just in the growing but on the table, cannot be matched.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40And earlier in spring, we went to West Wales to visit a chef
0:38:40 > 0:38:44who has been bitten by the grow-your-own bug.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57My name is Sahish. Shaish Alam. I'm 43.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00I live in Newcastle Emlyn in West Wales.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05I originally came from Bangladesh.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09I was born in Bangladesh, but I came here at a very young age.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11My dad used to work for the British High Commission.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15I have a lot of passions and a lot of things.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18My food, it's been a part of me for a long, long time.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Of course, many years ago I opened a restaurant.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23Just a normal Indian, your local Indian restaurant.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31I decided, you know what, with a bit of space, bit of knowledge,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33bit of love, I'm sure I could grow.
0:39:37 > 0:39:38Couple of years ago,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41got myself a little garden at the back of the restaurant.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43I turned it into a beautiful productive garden.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Then I got myself this three and a half acres of garden to do
0:39:49 > 0:39:52and here, I could do a vast amount of veg.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57I have the two fields.
0:39:57 > 0:39:58The one at the back,
0:39:58 > 0:40:01this is where I rear the chickens for the restaurant,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04and I keep bees right at the far corner.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06They help me pollinate the area around here.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09They do what they do the best. You know, they are busy bees.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Of course, this was just a field.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Nothing on it but grass that had been growing for 30-40 years.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18First thing I had to develop is water source.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22Anywhere it rains on this field, it comes straight down to this part.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Helped me irrigate the whole garden.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31I started all this when I started thinking about sustainability.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33You know, I have all my travels and things like that,
0:40:33 > 0:40:36I have tasted beautiful organic food
0:40:36 > 0:40:38and it's... The difference is vast.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42And, of course, I would love that for my children and my family
0:40:42 > 0:40:44and, at the same time, I would love it for my restaurant.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50This is where the first vegetable of the seasons will be going in.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54A lot of the brassicas. Cauliflower, broccolis, and things like that.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58So, all these four beds will be full of them and that's going in today.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Everything is ready. This is the time to plant.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Beautiful day, we'll be planting away now.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07There you go. Next to the polytunnel.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Well, put them in the polytunnel for now. Tomatoes.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11For the fourth bed. Yeah?
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Today, I've got my boys from the restaurant
0:41:15 > 0:41:16and they've been helping me.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18I've got a few friends come from London.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20Courgettes.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Put these in that one.
0:41:22 > 0:41:23Thank you.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25There's a lot of planting to do so they come down
0:41:25 > 0:41:28and help me straightaway. In one day, everything done.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31It gives me the rest of the summer to relax.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37These brassicas need a lot of space, roughly two foot.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Put it here - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43On the seventh one.
0:41:43 > 0:41:44So, here.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Before I started my gardening, I actually didn't know much.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I knew, you know, plants. My mom had chilli trees.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54I never actually planted anything.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56When I came down to it, I thought, you know what, I'm going to do it.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59And, as soon as I started, it was actually easy.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03It's not bad. It actually looks really straight.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11This bed is actually created, it hasn't got the ground cover
0:42:11 > 0:42:15because my Bengali red spinach is going to go.
0:42:15 > 0:42:16It's completely different
0:42:16 > 0:42:19to what most people will have in this country.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22I use spinach as decorations, garnish.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25The colour on them is so beautiful, and I love things like that.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28This was part of my culture, my ways,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30so I'm bringing it to Wales, really.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Hitting it, so, moving the ground
0:42:34 > 0:42:37will just let the seeds behind fall straight in.
0:42:37 > 0:42:42Just enough, because I do want them not on the surface, just underneath.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48In this polytunnel, first of all, from the beginning
0:42:48 > 0:42:52of the summer, in January, February, I put a lot of coriander in.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54OK, maybe this year I've put a little bit too much
0:42:54 > 0:42:56because I've got so much.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Also, the hot humid temperatures that create
0:42:59 > 0:43:05for being in a polytunnel is ideal for my Indian, Bengali veg.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09My chillies are the key to everything.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11This I have the most love of.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16Got these purple chillies. It's very desirable back home.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20But these are my babies. These are Bengali Naga.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24With plants like these, the more branches, the more fruits.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26To get branches, you take out the top.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Every time you take out a top on chilli plants,
0:43:29 > 0:43:32or pepper plants, it branches out.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36Now, you see, the top part of it is here
0:43:36 > 0:43:38and I'll be taking this one out
0:43:38 > 0:43:39just like that, straight out.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Then, now, because it hasn't got two side shoots,
0:43:42 > 0:43:44it will give out two more branches from each side.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48Like all chillies, especially Naga Morich, they like a hard life.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51They come from a barren land in Bangladesh,
0:43:51 > 0:43:52where it's really really hot.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54You got to water them
0:43:54 > 0:43:55as least as possible.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58You let it, literally, near enough, wilt out and then you give it
0:43:58 > 0:44:02a bit of water and then it spruces up and it gets hotter.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05My expertise in gardening will show on the heat of my chillies.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Hopefully, with my hard work and the right information
0:44:09 > 0:44:12and the right plant, I am going to beat the world record
0:44:12 > 0:44:16of having the hottest chilli on this planet grown by me,
0:44:16 > 0:44:18in Wales.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26I've always been dreaming big, but I like being the best,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29I don't go half-hearted.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34It makes me happy. So, I carry on doing it.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37- Ah, man!- That looks delicious!
0:44:40 > 0:44:44Coriander, a few ingredients from the garden made a paste,
0:44:44 > 0:44:46put it on top, straight on the barbecue then.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51I think one of the reasons they come here is for this.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55You put a few plants in, they take out the nutrients
0:44:55 > 0:44:59from the ground and, in return, you get beautiful healthy food.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03And this healthy food is the key for happiness.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06And good life, and good skin, and good everything. Yeah?
0:45:08 > 0:45:09I think.
0:45:23 > 0:45:24I couldn't agree more.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Your own food doesn't only taste better,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29I'm sure it's better for you, too.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Where I do differ from Shaish is that
0:45:37 > 0:45:41I'm not really interested in growing chillies for extreme heat.
0:45:41 > 0:45:47Bangladeshi chillies are famous for being really fiery.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51But, in principle, I like a fruity chilli with just enough heat
0:45:51 > 0:45:54just to add a frisson to the palate.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56Now, to get really good chilli fruit,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59you need decent-sized plants, and I have to say straight away
0:45:59 > 0:46:03that my chillies are much too small for this time of year.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05I'd like them to be twice as big.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08However, I'm not bothered, because they will go on growing,
0:46:08 > 0:46:10flowering, and producing fruit
0:46:10 > 0:46:12well into November or Christmas time.
0:46:12 > 0:46:17So, there's plenty of time for the plants to bulk up, get nice and big
0:46:17 > 0:46:21and, of course, the bigger the plant is, the more fruits it will have.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23But the key thing to do is to keep feeding them.
0:46:26 > 0:46:31I feed mine weekly with a liquid seaweed mix.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Proprietary tomato feed would be just as good.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36What you want is nice steady growth
0:46:36 > 0:46:40to support the production of flowers and, therefore, fruit
0:46:40 > 0:46:43over the coming three or four months.
0:46:45 > 0:46:46Perfect.
0:46:49 > 0:46:50One final tip.
0:46:51 > 0:46:55Don't water chillies after four or five o'clock.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57They shouldn't go to bed damp.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01Your biggest problems are going to be fungal,
0:47:01 > 0:47:05and if they dry out by the time that it gets cool and dark
0:47:05 > 0:47:08you're much less likely to have fungal problems.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11And that's one of the reasons why I use a very gritty mix,
0:47:11 > 0:47:13so they drain.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15So, keep dry at bedtime.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22You can be sure that 50 years ago, when Gardeners' World started,
0:47:22 > 0:47:25practically no-one was growing chillies.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28In fact, practically no-one was eating chillies back then.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32And earlier this spring, Rachel visited RHS Wisley in Surrey
0:47:32 > 0:47:36to look at the ways that plants were used in our gardens
0:47:36 > 0:47:38and our gardening techniques
0:47:38 > 0:47:42have changed and evolved over the last 50 years.
0:47:51 > 0:47:56It's been 50 years since Percy Thrower launched Gardeners' World.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59In fact, it was one of the first BBC programmes
0:47:59 > 0:48:01to be shot in glorious colour.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10And it's not stretching the point too far to suggest
0:48:10 > 0:48:14that it kick-started five decades of change
0:48:14 > 0:48:17and incredible innovation in British gardening.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25And somebody who knows all about that change
0:48:25 > 0:48:29is the head of the Lindley Library, Fiona Davison.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Fiona, the sheer pace of change in the last 50 years,
0:48:34 > 0:48:36it's been really quite phenomenal.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Why do you think that is?
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Since the war, I think people in general have got a lot more affluent
0:48:41 > 0:48:44so they've been able to buy colour tellies
0:48:44 > 0:48:46to watch Gardeners' World in colour.
0:48:46 > 0:48:47And car ownership
0:48:47 > 0:48:50so they've been able to travel around the country.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53Garden visiting has really boomed in the last 50 years.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55Foreign holidays is another thing that brought
0:48:55 > 0:48:58people into contact with a much wider palette of plants.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Until that point, I think,
0:49:00 > 0:49:04gardens for most people were a set menu of ingredients.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08So, you'd have your lawn and your border and your rockery
0:49:08 > 0:49:10and your roses.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13But you didn't really deviate that much from that model.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Whereas, now, I think people have got a much broader
0:49:15 > 0:49:18palette of plants and styles to choose from.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25The last 50 years has also seen
0:49:25 > 0:49:29an explosion of new horticultural technologies
0:49:29 > 0:49:32which has changed the way we garden.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34And Fiona is showing me a few treasures
0:49:34 > 0:49:37from the library's collection.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40It's often the little things that make the biggest difference
0:49:40 > 0:49:41and if I had to plump for one technology
0:49:41 > 0:49:44that really transformed gardening in the last 50 years,
0:49:44 > 0:49:46I would go with plastic plant pots.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Now, these are little foldy polythene plant pots,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50I think, from the late '60s.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55But it's the plastic pot that led to a big shift in how we buy plants.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57That's had such an effect on our gardening.
0:49:57 > 0:50:02If you think back aways to how we used to buy plants,
0:50:02 > 0:50:04we had to buy plants while they were dormant
0:50:04 > 0:50:08and you would get them by mail order and then you'd plant them.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11So, this one's from a firm in Kent in the '50s,
0:50:11 > 0:50:14but it's just a plant list.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Without pictures, it does make it very difficult.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18You have to know your stuff.
0:50:18 > 0:50:19I can't imagine, now,
0:50:19 > 0:50:23buying something without at least having some visual reference.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26The plastic pot meant that you could go to somewhere
0:50:26 > 0:50:28and buy a pot in flower.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33And the idea that you could watch Gardeners' World on the weekend,
0:50:33 > 0:50:37see a plant in full colour, hie over to the garden centre,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40put it in the back of your car and have it in your garden that weekend.
0:50:40 > 0:50:42It's just a gardening revolution, really,
0:50:42 > 0:50:44and all down to plastic pots.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Whilst plastic pots are very much in use, Gardeners' World
0:50:49 > 0:50:52has covered the rise and fall of a different technology -
0:50:52 > 0:50:55chemical treatments.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59Lindane to control the sucking insects and the caterpillars
0:50:59 > 0:51:03and Kaptan to control the pear scab.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08There was a long period where not using chemicals
0:51:08 > 0:51:10was seen as slightly eccentric.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13Because with the Second World War and the Dig For Victory drive,
0:51:13 > 0:51:16it was all about productivity in the garden and you would use
0:51:16 > 0:51:21the latest technology to kill any pests and grow as much as you could.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23Yes, I remember, my father certainly
0:51:23 > 0:51:25would have sprayed anything that moved
0:51:25 > 0:51:27and probably most things that didn't, just to be sure.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30But in the 1980s,
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Geoff Hamilton pioneered a move away from chemicals.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38We can't use slug pellets because it's an organic plot
0:51:38 > 0:51:41so I'm going to try a new method.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44This is very coarse bark.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55But perhaps Britain's biggest obsession for the last 50 years
0:51:55 > 0:51:57has been its lawns.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01Barely a series has gone by without us tackling our turf.
0:52:02 > 0:52:03Spiking all over...
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Push it in for about four inches and wiggle it about.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11Press down on it and the soil is pushed down.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13Now, isn't this the greenest lawn you've ever seen?
0:52:15 > 0:52:18So, I thought I'd show you some slightly larger things
0:52:18 > 0:52:20from the collection.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Gosh! It's beautiful.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25This is probably late 19th century.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29- Little tiny mower for mowing between beds.- That's gorgeous.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32- This is kind of 1920s.- Prewar.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35- So, rotary mowers that give you a nice stripe.- Yes.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39But then you'd get to the late 1960s, early 1970s.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41So, this is the Lawnderette.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44- Would that be aimed at women, do you think?- Unfortunately, yes.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Slightly bad pun.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49This is reasonably early electric mower from
0:52:49 > 0:52:51kind of the early 1970s.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53This is all about saving time.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55I mean, it's virtually an outdoor hoover.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59And it's one of a whole plethora of electric gizmos
0:52:59 > 0:53:01that would have come into our garden.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04Strimmers, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and, of course,
0:53:04 > 0:53:07lawnmowers in all their various forms.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20There's no doubt that there have been enormous changes
0:53:20 > 0:53:23in the way we garden over the last five decades.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27We've certainly got far more choice than we've ever had,
0:53:27 > 0:53:31but I think the fundamentals remain the same.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Whether it's the rhythm of the seasons,
0:53:33 > 0:53:37the beauty of a plant, or the joy of getting your hands in the soil,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40those things really don't change.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46The RHS is celebrating our 50th anniversary
0:53:46 > 0:53:49with a special exhibition at the Lindley Library in London.
0:53:49 > 0:53:50If you want to go and see it,
0:53:50 > 0:53:52check our website for details.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04I don't think it matters what you grow.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07That essential, very elemental pleasure...
0:54:09 > 0:54:11..of nurturing plants in the soil
0:54:11 > 0:54:15can't be dictated to by fashion or time.
0:54:15 > 0:54:20And that intense physical and spiritual pleasure
0:54:20 > 0:54:23of the soil in your hands, of sowing a seed
0:54:23 > 0:54:27and raising a plant, of seeing it grow to beauty
0:54:27 > 0:54:31and sharing that has never changed and never will change.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33That is why we garden.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37But it doesn't mean to say that there isn't work to do.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39So here are some jobs for the weekend.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53Biennials such as foxgloves are setting seed fast.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55If you're going away, it's a good idea to collect some now,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57in case they ripen in your absence.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Simply cut the flowering stem and put it into an envelope
0:55:00 > 0:55:03and then, when you're ready,
0:55:03 > 0:55:05they can be sorted out and sown.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15As August approaches, more and more tomatoes are appearing.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17Remove the lower leaves from your from your cordons.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20This will expose green fruit to sun and increase ripening
0:55:20 > 0:55:23and also increase airflow,
0:55:23 > 0:55:26and this reduces the chances of blight.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35It is time to sow salad leaves for autumn harvest.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39I like to sow them in small batches over a couple of weeks.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53Certainly, a job that is always relevant at this time of year
0:55:53 > 0:55:54is deadheading.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57If you deadhead, you're guaranteeing more and more flowers.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00These kangaroo paws plants from Australia,
0:56:00 > 0:56:04they can be cut right back down, like that.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07And this stem can go down there,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11and this one, and if I cut the first spikes off regularly
0:56:11 > 0:56:15it'll keep producing new flowers until it gets too cold,
0:56:15 > 0:56:17which will be round about the beginning of October.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20Talking about too cold, let's see what the weather is going to be like
0:56:20 > 0:56:22for us gardeners this weekend.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10Well, all I hope is that tomorrow
0:57:10 > 0:57:13we have as fine a day as we have done today,
0:57:13 > 0:57:16because tomorrow is my son's wedding day.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20And all the flowers that we've been growing since last September,
0:57:20 > 0:57:22cos that's when the ammi was sown,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25will be picked tonight for decorating the church.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29And I'll be back here next Friday,
0:57:29 > 0:57:31so until then, bye-bye.