0:00:03 > 0:00:04Come on.
0:00:04 > 0:00:11Hello, welcome to Gardeners' World on the most glorious spring day.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15It's as though winter was a distant memory
0:00:15 > 0:00:19and it's extraordinary how the garden is responding.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24There is this green energy that is growing almost in front of my eyes
0:00:24 > 0:00:27in the garden and it is sprinkled and spangled
0:00:27 > 0:00:34with lovely spring colours, so while this sun lasts, let's enjoy it.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39This week, Carol will be selecting the plant
0:00:39 > 0:00:44that she feels most typifies the month of March.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50And Frances Tophill is in Barbados,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54where she spent the winter brushing up on her botanical knowledge.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19One of the jobs that I do every spring is to mulch.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Mulching is one of my favourite words.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25It's one of those lovely, soft, squishy words
0:01:25 > 0:01:31which is onomatopoeic because you're spreading a layer on the ground.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32It doesn't matter what you use.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37Organic material is ideal, but you could use stone or slate
0:01:37 > 0:01:41if need be, because mulching has three functions -
0:01:41 > 0:01:43it suppresses weeds by blocking light,
0:01:43 > 0:01:48it keeps in moisture by stopping evaporation or at least reducing it,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and if you use an organic material - and, by organic,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53I mean just simply one that will rot down -
0:01:53 > 0:01:55it will improve soil structure
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and, depending what you use, soil fertility.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Now, mushroom compost is something I've used a lot of
0:02:02 > 0:02:04here at Longmeadow.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11It's fundamentally manure mixed with lime and that reacts
0:02:11 > 0:02:13and that breaks down the straw
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and obviously the lime means it is alkaline
0:02:16 > 0:02:19so if you're trying to grow plants that are ericaceous
0:02:19 > 0:02:21and need acid soil, it's not suitable.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26But on heavy clay like we have here, the lime breaks the soil down.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And what is important is to mulch thickly enough.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36I would say 2" minimum.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40If it's too thin, it won't suppress light
0:02:40 > 0:02:41so the weeds will grow through it
0:02:41 > 0:02:47and it won't keep the moisture in, so it's actually a waste of time.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51When you're mulching around a woody plant like this callicarpa,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55don't go right up round the base of the stems.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Leave a bit of space around it because there is a danger
0:02:59 > 0:03:03that you might rot... If they get too wet and they stay wet and cold,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05you could rot them a bit,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07but what you want to do is mulch the roots.
0:03:07 > 0:03:13On a herbaceous plant or these hellebores,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15you don't need to worry about that so much
0:03:15 > 0:03:19and if there are any bulbs coming up, they will grow through it.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28What I would say is if you haven't mulched before
0:03:28 > 0:03:30or you haven't got round to mulching this year,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33something to do in the next week or so.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Now, talking about timely,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Carol is starting a new series of films looking at plants
0:03:40 > 0:03:45that epitomise the qualities and characters of each month.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50And now in March, we find her in the West Country.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59As the calendar flips into March and we launch into spring,
0:03:59 > 0:04:04one of our most familiar and well-loved plants pops up
0:04:04 > 0:04:09all over the landscape in woodlands, parklands, churchyards
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and, of course, in our gardens.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16It's the Narcissus, or, as we all know it, the daffodil.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Native to western Europe,
0:04:22 > 0:04:27it's been around for more than 25 million years.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31The unmistakable daffodil really lets us know
0:04:31 > 0:04:33that spring has arrived.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37During the '50s,
0:04:37 > 0:04:42trains were organised called "daffodil specials" to carry people
0:04:42 > 0:04:46from the cities out to the fields in Gloucestershire
0:04:46 > 0:04:48and Herefordshire, the Golden Triangle,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50where they could feast their eyes
0:04:50 > 0:04:53on fields full of these beautiful flowers.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57The trains have gone,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00but the commercial growers are still going strong.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The daffodil is now the county plant of Gloucestershire
0:05:03 > 0:05:07and, of course, it's the national emblem of Wales.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12The daffodil or Narcissus
0:05:12 > 0:05:15belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae,
0:05:15 > 0:05:20along with alliums, snowdrops and agapanthus.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21It's a bulbous perennial.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26There's a single stem, usually with one flower at the top,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29although there are multi-headed daffodils, too.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32These outside petals, the perianth,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35are actually three sepals and three petals.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41The inside, the corona or trumpet, is where all the action takes place.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47In here is the stigma, the female bit which receives the pollen,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and the stamens arrange round its edge.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53At their tops are anthers full of pollen.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57At the back of the flower is the ovary, which eventually,
0:05:57 > 0:06:02when the flower has been pollinated, swells and is full of seeds.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09When it comes to growing your daffodils,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12nothing could be more straightforward.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16They're really easy. You plant them as dry bulbs during the autumn.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19They're not really fussy about soil.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22They'll grow in dappled shade or right out in the open,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26and when they finish flowering, take those old flowered stems
0:06:26 > 0:06:30right down to the base of the bulb and snap them off or cut them off.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34But when it comes to the leaves, leave them alone.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Those leaves need to photosynthesise and send all that goodness
0:06:38 > 0:06:43back down into the bulb to produce the flowers for next spring.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48The easiest way to increase stock is to dig up a clump
0:06:48 > 0:06:50once the flowers have finished.
0:06:50 > 0:06:56Remove any spent flower stems, separate the bulbs,
0:06:56 > 0:07:01plant them in nice deep holes - 4"-6" isn't too much.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05That way, you'll have a lovely clump by the next year.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Bulbs are fascinating organisms.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Within them, they have everything needed to produce roots,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17leaves and flowers. It's a tunicate bulb.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22It's got layer after layer, just like an onion,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26and each one of those layers will produce either a leaf
0:07:26 > 0:07:31or part of a flower in the centre here or part of the outside skin.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36There are so many exquisite daffodils
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and everybody has their own favourites,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41but here are some of mine.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45You don't have to be big to be beautiful.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48One of the most charming of all daffodils is...
0:07:53 > 0:07:56..and it often grows on acid soils.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It's a great bulb to naturalise
0:07:58 > 0:08:02because it has many more seeds than other daffodils -
0:08:02 > 0:08:06more seeds, more bulbs.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11Bath's Flame is a heritage variety, dating back to before World War I.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14It was a favourite in the Cornish cut-flower trade.
0:08:16 > 0:08:23Perhaps my all-time favourite has to be our own wild daffodil.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29It's a beautiful flower.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Such a wondrous plant is the daffodil.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It's a star that shines in March.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43CROAKING
0:08:44 > 0:08:52Of course, daffodils are the most potent symbol of March,
0:08:52 > 0:08:59but another less likely seasonal visitor
0:08:59 > 0:09:04are frogs, and this little pond that I made a couple of years ago -
0:09:04 > 0:09:06and it's really not much more than a scrape in the ground
0:09:06 > 0:09:10with a lining - has got dozens of frogs.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13That croaking can grow and swell
0:09:13 > 0:09:17and sometimes I can hear it from the house.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Right, then, we'd better go and do some serious pruning. Come on.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38The four purple hazels here
0:09:38 > 0:09:43in the centre of the Jewel Garden have looked fantastic.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45They're a hazel called...
0:09:48 > 0:09:52But they've got too big
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and they're shading out plants
0:09:54 > 0:09:57that need as much sunlight as they can get
0:09:57 > 0:10:00so the answer is to cut them back,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04but because they're hazels, they will respond to coppicing.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10Now, the whole point of coppicing is you don't just cut back halfway up
0:10:10 > 0:10:13or take the top few feet off or whatever.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16You reduce the plant right down to the ground,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20and hazels lend themselves to this brilliantly.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23So does willow, so does dogwood - you can do this with shrubs,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27you can do it with quite large tree-like plants like this,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31and that suddenly floods the area with light,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34the flowers around them grow much better, and they will regrow.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36That's the crucial thing.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Well, the first thing I want to do is to get a sharp saw,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41and, in this day and age,
0:10:41 > 0:10:47sharp saws are one of the delights of the garden and, come on,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52be honest, who is not going to LOVE using a bit of kit like this?
0:10:52 > 0:10:57Right, let's take this one out here.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04You can do this with a chainsaw and just cut right across
0:11:04 > 0:11:09and it will regrow perfectly well, but if you're cutting by hand,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11it's actually better to cut each one individually
0:11:11 > 0:11:15at a bit of an angle so water doesn't collect on it,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19leaving a stump or what's actually called a stool with coppice
0:11:19 > 0:11:22and then from below the cut mark, you'll get new shoots.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27You don't need to seal it. That won't do any good at all.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30But it is important to leave a clean cut so you've got
0:11:30 > 0:11:35a nice smooth surface and that will heal over in its own good time.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39Now to manage the new.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42The first thing to do is to take out any damaged or weak
0:11:42 > 0:11:45or crossing growth, so things like this,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50straight away I know it's going to be no good, so that can come out.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54I can take that out and that out and that out
0:11:54 > 0:11:56and I'm going to take that out.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Well, that's left me eight stems.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01Some are a little thicker than others,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03but I'm going to leave those.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I might reduce them down a bit in a year or two.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10And of course these will become the great thick branches
0:12:10 > 0:12:14in very short time, literally two or three years.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19The one thing I would say is do do it now if you can
0:12:19 > 0:12:24because to prune a plant like this so radically is stressful
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and if it's trying to put on leaves or even flowers at the same time,
0:12:27 > 0:12:32that's a double whammy, so this is a job that can be done any time
0:12:32 > 0:12:36between Christmas and Easter, but, to be honest,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38the nearer to the new year it is, the better,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40so crack on with it if you're going to do it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46Now, I'm sure you are aware that this is the 50th year
0:12:46 > 0:12:50of Gardeners' World and to celebrate our golden jubilee,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54we are looking for our golden jubilee plant -
0:12:54 > 0:12:57that's the plant that has had the most impact on gardens
0:12:57 > 0:13:00in the last 50 years. It may not be anyone's favourite,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02it's just got to be really significant,
0:13:02 > 0:13:08and all the Gardeners' World presenters are picking one plant
0:13:08 > 0:13:13that they think is the one that has changed the world most,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17and then we will be asking you to vote and at Gardeners' World Live,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20we'll be having a big party to celebrate our 50th birthday.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25We will announce the one that you think most fits that bill.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Remember, it's not a favourite, it's the one that's had the most impact.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Now, last week, I put forward the case for bedding.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34This week, it's the turn of Nick Bailey.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Dahlias are fantastic garden plants.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44They've been around in Europe in common cultivation
0:13:44 > 0:13:47for about 200 years, but, in the last 50,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49they've made an incredible transition.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52They've gone from being strictly the preserve of the allotmenteer
0:13:52 > 0:13:56growing them for cut flowers to being mainstream border plants.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Now, these plants, of course,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01are amazing in their range and diversity -
0:14:01 > 0:14:06all sorts of flower forms and every colour you can imagine, except blue.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12There are now these short, squat forms which work brilliantly
0:14:12 > 0:14:14at the front of borders and also in containers.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16People used to lift them in winter.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Now, with warmer soils and changing climate,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22they can be left in the ground as they're incredibly easy to grow.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26They'll flower all the way through from July to November.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Some people might think of them as being retro.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I think they're absolutely now.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33What's not to love about dahlias?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Nick is absolutely right
0:14:43 > 0:14:47that the way that we view dahlias and use them in our gardens
0:14:47 > 0:14:50has changed so much - not just in the last 50 years, actually,
0:14:50 > 0:14:51in the last 20 years.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I can remember at the end of the '80s, beginning of the '90s,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56they were very unfashionable,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and perhaps the Bishop of Llandaff
0:14:59 > 0:15:02was considered suitable for a garden.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06So it's really good that more and more of us are growing dahlias.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08But whether they're the most important plants
0:15:08 > 0:15:10in the last 50 years, with the most impact,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14that's something that you'll have a chance to vote on and decide
0:15:14 > 0:15:17when you've seen all the potential plants
0:15:17 > 0:15:19that we here at Gardeners' World are putting forward.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23But dahlias are something I'm going to be growing here at Longmeadow
0:15:23 > 0:15:25with a vengeance, because I love them.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And where I disagree with Nick
0:15:28 > 0:15:31is that it may be fine in London to leave them in the ground,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34but here in the wet West Country and the West Midlands,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37you lose too many. It's too risky.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40And they hate sitting in cold, wet ground,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and it got to -9 here in January.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Much safer to store them, and this is how we do it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48We put them into crates, we lift them
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and pack them in old potting compost,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55and if you carefully take each one out like that,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59and what I want to check is that they haven't dried up,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01and they're shrivelled, and they haven't rotted.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04So when you feel the tubers, they should be nice and firm,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and if you're buying dahlias at this time of year,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10you want big, firm tubers.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Look at that.
0:16:13 > 0:16:19A nice, lovely, healthy, strong set of tubers.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21That is going to flower beautifully.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25And now we'll pot these up.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27So if we've got a large one like this,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29we need a large-ish pot.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33And the idea is to put them in a plastic pot at this stage,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35which is just big enough.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37They don't need much room to grow,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39we just want a root system to develop
0:16:39 > 0:16:42so they start to come out into the light,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44a little bit of protection,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and then when the top growth is about a foot high
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and we get to mid-May, they can go out into the garden.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54So I've got some good-quality compost.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Dahlias are greedy plants.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00That can go on there.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03And then I'll just put some soil around it.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09This will start to grow straight away.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Put it somewhere sheltered, water it, and keep it moist.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Water it once a week, don't let it dry out.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19You'll very quickly see new shoots, and just keep an eye on them.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23If it turns really cold, you might have to put some fleece over them.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29Of course, however much dahlias feel part of our very English gardens,
0:17:29 > 0:17:30they are exotic.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35They were introduced in the 16th century from Mexico.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38And they're one of many plants from that region
0:17:38 > 0:17:44which have enriched and delighted our gardens ever since.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48And Frances Tophill has been spending her winter
0:17:48 > 0:17:50in that part of the world.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Only 21 miles long and 14 miles wide,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59with the roaring Atlantic Ocean to the east
0:17:59 > 0:18:03and the serene Caribbean sea to the west.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06This is Barbados.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Thank you.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17With its perfect tropical climate, it's a gardener's paradise,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and home to some really remarkable yams,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23christophines, and even locally grown bananas.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25And some spectacular gardens, too.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Which is why I'm here. This is my walk to work in the morning.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38Quite incredible, isn't it?
0:18:38 > 0:18:41I've studied gardening and botany back in the UK
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and botanical conservation is one of my passions.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46So when the chance came up to work as a volunteer
0:18:46 > 0:18:48at the famous Andromeda Botanic Gardens,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50I jumped at it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58The Andromeda Botanic Gardens cling to the rocky cliffs
0:18:58 > 0:19:01of the wild and rugged east coast.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The six acres of stunning botanic gardens
0:19:04 > 0:19:06were created by plantswoman Iris Bannochie,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09who started the garden way back in 1954.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Iris was born in Grenada, but spent most of her life here in Barbados.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24She collected and nurtured hundreds of plant species
0:19:24 > 0:19:27from all around the world, some of them very rare,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29and brought them back here to Andromeda.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31When Iris died in 1988,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34she left this garden to the Barbados National Trust,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36of which she was a founding member,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38for all the public to visit and learn from.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Andromeda is a place that I've dreamed about coming to for years.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I've only been here a week, and already I've fallen in love
0:19:51 > 0:19:53with the island, and with this garden.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I'm volunteering here for a month,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59so that I can learn as much as I can about the flora, and the people,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and their gardens.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09As a gardener, I find I'm very busy in the spring and summer,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12but I love to spend my winters travelling around
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and learning about horticulture and conservation
0:20:14 > 0:20:16in different countries around the world.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19And it's amazing the similarities that you see.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Here at Andromeda, one of the first things I did was working down here
0:20:22 > 0:20:25in what will become a very beautiful White Garden.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28And I was planting begonias and busy lizzies,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31which are two plants I know very well as bedding plants back home,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33but here, they grow much, much bigger
0:20:33 > 0:20:35and they live for much, much longer.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45This is a big garden, and is now looked after,
0:20:45 > 0:20:46along with her small team,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49by head gardener, and my mentor, Sharon Cooke.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57So, this is the Palm Garden. Yeah. It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It's absolutely magnificent.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03What people assume about palms is "a palm is a palm is a palm",
0:21:03 > 0:21:06but they're not. They are so uniquely different.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07Some will have a smooth trunk,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10others will have leaf scars on the trunk.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Different fruit, different leaf shape.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16And quite difficult to identify, of course. Yeah. And you have
0:21:16 > 0:21:18the help of this, which is amazing.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Yeah! This is Iris Bannochie's accession book,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23where she wrote down basically everything that she collected.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26But there's one in here in particular,
0:21:26 > 0:21:27the lipstick palm,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30collected on 14 November 1983.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Sealing wax? Yes. Is that a name for it?
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Yeah, so some people call it lipstick palm,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37other people call it sealing wax palm,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and basically the colour of the red crown shaft
0:21:40 > 0:21:43is very similar to the wax that they would have used...
0:21:43 > 0:21:45On letters and things!
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Exactly. Yeah. And we have a wonderful native plant
0:21:47 > 0:21:50called the macaw palm. Which is lethal.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53That's the spiky one. Exactly. Yes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57You don't want to get too close to it. No, no.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03There are hundreds of fantastic plants in this garden.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07A couple of my favourites are the enormous bearded fig tree,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09the national tree of Barbados,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12with aerial roots that dangle down from the canopy.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15And the ghost cactus,
0:22:15 > 0:22:16which is actually a euphorbia.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21So Sharon, is this a cultivar
0:22:21 > 0:22:23that you really want to keep going in the garden?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Oh, definitely. It's Heliconia stricta Iris,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29named after the curator of this garden,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31which is such a wonderful honour to have.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36So we are taking out some of the weaker plants that are growing
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and we're also cutting off some of the leaves,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41just to expose the flowers.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45And these are actually modified leaves called bracts,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47and the flowers are the things that sit inside.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51So those are where the hummingbirds go to, those little things in there.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Amazing, isn't it? Hummingbirds in the garden.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57I recognise the flower from, like, bouquets and things like that.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Yeah, and they're quite stunning.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Yep. That looks wonderful. Cool.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Yay! Another job done. Yes. Moving on to the other 500...!
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I mean, it doesn't really need saying, does it,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22that Andromeda is in such a beautiful setting. It is.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24But not without its problems,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27which I can see here.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29I mean, we have pests and diseases in the UK,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33but nothing like this. Unfortunately, monkeys.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36I mean, that's a lovely fruit - it's a mammee apple,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38from the mammee apple tree.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Tastes of peach and apricot, absolutely delicious. If we ever
0:23:41 > 0:23:45got a chance to eat them ourselves, because the monkeys love them.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50And this is the national flower of Barbados.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It's the pride of Barbados. It's so beautiful.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56We have things like this in the UK with that kind of mimosa,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59that kind of leaf, but usually with the little yellow pompom flowers.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Nothing like this with the beautiful red flowers.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I love this. It's absolutely lovely.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07You love it, I love it, and the butterflies love it too.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20You come and take this. To here?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22You have that.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Oh, look.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26She's got it, not you.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29You've got it, haven't you? Yeah. You've got it.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31You're clever.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35It's been mild today, but we could do with some of that sunshine.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40Anyway, let's see what weather is in store for us gardeners this weekend.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42There you go.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Well, whatever the weather this weekend,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01there will be an opportunity to get out and do things in the garden,
0:26:01 > 0:26:05so here are some jobs that you can be getting on with.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18It's a good time to prune roses.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21But don't be precious about this. These are tough plants.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Concentrate on removing any deadwood,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28any branches that are crossing and rubbing,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32and cut back hard all weak and spindly growth.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38Finally, reduce all the remaining stems by about a quarter to a third.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40That'll do the job fine.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49An early sowing of peas now should give you a crop in June,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53and then you can sow successive crops thereafter.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Either sow them in double or triple rows,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59leaving room between the rows either to walk and harvest them
0:26:59 > 0:27:01or reach in on a raised bed.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Push them into the soil,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06rake them over, label them, and leave them to grow.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Although ornamental grasses look wonderful in winter,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17their decorative time is over.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21They need to be cut back to allow the new growth to come through.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Deciduous varieties like miscanthus can be cut,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28whereas evergreen ones, like stipas,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30shouldn't be cut, but combed through,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32using your fingers, removing dead material.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46All this material will compost, but very slowly on its own.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48What you have to do is put it to one side, chop it up if possible,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51then mix it in with very green material
0:27:51 > 0:27:55like lawn-mowings or maybe kitchen waste.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58That way you get a balance of brown and green, carbon and nitrogen,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00and it will all bulk out the compost heap.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Clear it all, tidy it, mulch it, weed it,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09add plants if you want, but don't move any grasses yet.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11They really won't like it.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Wait until you see them growing vigorously -
0:28:14 > 0:28:16here at Longmeadow that can be well into May -
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and then that's the time to move them.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21But we'll come to that sooner or later.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24But I'm afraid that's all we've got time for today.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27I'll see you back here next time. Till then, bye-bye.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01He believes himself to be your equal.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04We would have no quarrel with Aelfric.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I need 200 Christian men of Bebbanburg.
0:29:06 > 0:29:07200 spears.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11In return, I shall require the head...