0:00:07 > 0:00:10Hello, and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11It's that time of year
0:00:11 > 0:00:14when the tomatoes are ripening quicker than you can eat them.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I've got three varieties in this greenhouse.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22This one is an Italian variety - Costoluto Fiorentino.
0:00:22 > 0:00:28It's ribbed, beefsteak, very flat, absolutely delicious, it's a
0:00:28 > 0:00:33really good salad tomato. On this side, you've got Gardeners' Delight.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Very different. Very reliable, I always grow it,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41because it never let you down, and also grows well.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46It seems to resist a lot of the problems that other tomatoes
0:00:46 > 0:00:52might have. On this side, I've got a variety called Rose de Berne,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56and its skin is much pinker. You can see if I cut this one here.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00It's meaty and juicy.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05And...if I just taste it.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Mmm.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12It's lovely, it's got a bit of acidity, juicy flesh.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19And the pleasure of eating your own tomatoes, that you've grown
0:01:19 > 0:01:26yourself, is five times that of anything you can buy.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30This is why we garden. It doesn't matter if it's raining outside,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34when you're eating your own produce, the sun shines brightly.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41On tonight's programme, Nick Bailey visits a village in Essex to
0:01:41 > 0:01:45meet a community who have rediscovered some long lost roses.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Arit Anderson meets a garden designer who revels
0:01:51 > 0:01:56in recycling unlikely materials that would usually get thrown away.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59John, it really does look like a building site.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04- We've got crushed toilets and sinks here.- Really?- Yeah, of course.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07They have to do something with sinks and toilets.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12And Joe Swift explores a sloping garden in Sussex, designed to
0:02:12 > 0:02:14make the most of its glorious view.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22And I will be taking cuttings from a climbing rose,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26as well as dividing plants to build up my stocks, ready for next year.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Come on. Come on.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44HE WHISTLES
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Although it's still very much summer, and the garden is reaching
0:02:50 > 0:02:56maximum harvest, I am now planning and thinking of the winter months.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59And, of course, in winter you want earthy, warm vegetables,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02very different from the more glamorous summer kinds,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04but nonetheless delicious.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09So today, I'm going to plant some beetroot and sow some turnips
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and swede. Good root crops.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16I've sowed the beetroot into plugs.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18This system works very well,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21but what you don't want to do is handle them too much,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23so sow them directly into the plugs
0:03:23 > 0:03:27and then plant the whole plug out, rather than transplanting
0:03:27 > 0:03:29the seedlings, as you might do, say, with a lettuce.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33This variety of beetroot is one I haven't grown before, it's a
0:03:33 > 0:03:37heritage variety called Crosby's Egyptian.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43And it's important to try these unusual types of veg
0:03:43 > 0:03:45because otherwise they disappear.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48And if we want to keep that diversity, not just of taste,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51but genetic diversity, too, it's important that we all grow them
0:03:51 > 0:03:53in our gardens.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55So you can see each plug, if we extract it out,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59has got a nice network of roots.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00It holds well together,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04so I'm not in any way disturbing the roots by transplanting.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06I'll just pop them in the ground like that.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13And space them about three or four inches apart.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17You don't want enormous beetroot, but on the other hand,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20not so small that they're a fiddle.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I think anything between golf
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and cricket ball is about right for a beetroot.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And if the weather turns exceptionally cold,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30don't dig them up, leave them in.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37And the fresh growth from the tops in spring is delicious in a salad.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Of course, beetroot is a member of the beet family,
0:04:44 > 0:04:50so it will grow alongside spinach and chard, and they'll
0:04:50 > 0:04:53all like the same conditions, which is quite rich soil.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55But they also need fairly good drainage.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Right, that's a batch of beetroot planted.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I'll have to water them in at some point,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06but it's been raining today and looks like it's going to
0:05:06 > 0:05:09continue to be showery, so there's no urgency about that.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12But there is some urgency in sowing the rest of my roots
0:05:12 > 0:05:14before that rain comes and the ground gets too wet.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Just raking a fine tilth on this plot, where I'll put the turnips,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40and then I'll have the swede on the other side.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Turnips you can sow in spring, you can harvest in summer,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47and certainly they're best eaten young and tender,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51whereas swede are really tough and withstand a lot of cold weather,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and can be left in the ground and eaten right up until February, March.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00I'm sowing a variety of turnip called Milan Purple Top.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I've grown them before, they're delicious.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06They have that sweetness that good turnips have.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10And they're not a glamorous vegetable, but they are delicious.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Right, sprinkle them thinly.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17These are going to have to be thinned to
0:06:17 > 0:06:19spacing of about two to three inches apart.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25So you can see that there's a real risk of wasting seed.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Ideally they'd be spaced evenly.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32But basically the answer is, if in doubt,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34sow them thinner than you think you need,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37because that's always better than sowing too thickly.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Right, I'll just cover up these lightly.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45The easiest way to do that is just
0:06:45 > 0:06:50run your fingers down either side, and that closes the soil in over it.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Right, I won't let those dry out,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04but I know that because the soil is warm, they will grow really fast.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08And I want to encourage the speed of that growth, so perhaps
0:07:08 > 0:07:11cloche them if it gets really cold, maybe even cover them with fleece,
0:07:11 > 0:07:16because turnips grown quickly are tender and delicious,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20and should all be eaten up by about the end of November.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23The swedes are grown in the same way, but will grow bigger
0:07:23 > 0:07:28and slower and can be harvested right up until early next spring.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Now, these are two unfashionable, unglamorous vegetables,
0:07:31 > 0:07:36but I think they are delicious, and that's all that matters, really,
0:07:36 > 0:07:37because here at Longmeadow,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41we choose what we grow by the way that we choose what we eat.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45But a few weeks ago, we visited the chef Shaish Alam,
0:07:45 > 0:07:50who not only has to cater for a wide variety of customers,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55but also indulge in his real passion for growing superb veg.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58And we went back to visit him
0:07:58 > 0:08:01as he was gathering the best of his summer's harvest.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11Well, it's been three months
0:08:11 > 0:08:14since I started planting all the little baby plants,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17and three months on, I think today is the day, first time
0:08:17 > 0:08:21I get an opportunity to see how they taste.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23I've got my family.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29My child Yusuf is two years old, so I'm going to cook up some
0:08:29 > 0:08:32beautiful mixed veg and get him to try, really.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40I created this side for all the brassicas,
0:08:40 > 0:08:45put a bit of ground cover to stop the weed. That actually helped.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48On this bed I've put purple sprouting broccolis
0:08:48 > 0:08:52and the normal broccolis, and this time of the year, they're coming.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59My dad, from a young age, planted the idea of great food
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and produce into our family, and especially into me.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04When I was younger, they used to bring me
0:09:04 > 0:09:07every week to all different fruits and veg.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Over the years, these are the things that stayed with me.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15That real love and passion is from my dad.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Over in this bed, I have aubergines.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28And then halfway up, I've got peppers.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30And then at the end, I've got the sprouts,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33the second bed is Savoy cabbages.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38I did realise that the beginning of the plants, all on both sides,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42get attacked by slugs and bugs and things like that.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45So next year, I will keep an extra border on each of the beds,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- just for the animals to attack, so the rest of the veg- I- could attack.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And over here is the courgettes.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58These are perfect eating, perfect size for mixed veg and everything.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02But, of course, courgettes, they grow very, very fast, and you can turn...
0:10:02 > 0:10:04They turn into marrows.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07So both of them will give a little bit of different texture, different taste.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08But the same plant.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21I've created my own solution of feed.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Comfrey, mix it with stinging nettles.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25I add it to water
0:10:25 > 0:10:29and then I make a solution to sprinkle over the garden.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Some of the vegetables that's coming out,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34they look like when I leave this field, they start body-building.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42OK, done, this is a bed that I've made for red spinach.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46I think I planted too many, too much seeds, I got overexcited.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49The actual flavour of this is like, yeah, quite tarty,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52it's like light, bitter taste to it.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Also, you cook it up with chillies and coriander and it's beautiful.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04I think plants as my childrens.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07They really sustain my life.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I'm making a bed for them, it's got to be nice and clean,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I put them in, they get the right amount of food,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16it's not growing just, it's actually having a larger family.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Larger, tasty family, that's how it is.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Now these are my special little baby plants.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29They are called Poi Saag. They're from Bangladesh.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33The leaves, I use them for spinach dishes, decorations,
0:11:33 > 0:11:38to bring unique flavour. The texture of it is like...
0:11:38 > 0:11:42I know it sounds funny, like a little slimy taste to it.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45I know it sounds weird, but believe me, it's beautiful.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04First, hot pan, it's piping hot.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06A little bit of oil, just to help brown the garlic.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10You don't want to make it too brown because it goes bitter.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12And then next goes the onion.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I'm going to put the potatoes in with the onions.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22This blend of spice has haldi, a bit of jeera, a bit of cumin.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27And then it has bay leaf, elaichi and cardamom. But this is perfect.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Now goes the beans, the aubergines, they take a bit longer.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33So just adding a little bit of water...
0:12:35 > 0:12:37..will stop the spices and everything burning.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Now I'm going to add cucumbers.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44But you're thinking, "Why am I putting cucumber in a curry?"
0:12:44 > 0:12:46HE LAUGHS
0:12:46 > 0:12:48The cucumber gives a slight sweet,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53and then adding a couple of chillies to it, you get that natural balance.
0:12:53 > 0:12:59I'm just going to use my plate to cover.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Sit, enjoy the view.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Broccoli, tomatoes.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Again, trying to keep all the body of the veg,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12I don't want it to break down too much.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16This is the perfect timing for all our different spinach.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21It's nice and easy. The colour, the smell.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22It's phenomenal.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And the plate, ready.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Yusuf, look what Daddy got.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38- Wow.- Yes.- Look, Yusuf. Mmm!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41For a two-year-old boy to sit down,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45even look at the food what I've created, it's fantastic.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49I really do believe to everybody's heart is through food.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54I get to cook it, serve it and feed people. Fantastic.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I would have it no other way.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Mmm!
0:14:00 > 0:14:01Nice?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13I couldn't agree with Shaish more.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16And I'm really looking forward to going to visit him
0:14:16 > 0:14:18in a few weeks' time.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Now, this is National Allotment Week, so maybe now is the time for
0:14:23 > 0:14:27you to put your name down and start to think about taking an allotment.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30And if you have an allotment, or if you grow vegetables at home,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33you will know that that pleasure of cooking
0:14:33 > 0:14:39and eating your home-grown vegetables is really precious.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45Now, I've been growing my pumpkins and squashes vertically this year.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47I've put in really strong supports, which, I have to admit,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50felt a bit like overkill when I did it.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52But now they're growing strongly,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55they're going to need all the support they can get.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57But they can put too much growth on.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00And what you end up with is a mass of foliage
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and a mass of very small fruit.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05And you don't get a decent harvest come October.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07And you can affect that.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10The first thing to do is, especially if you're growing them vertically,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13is to keep tying them in, and that will help you see what you've got.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18And then you do need to prune a bit. And the pruning takes two forms.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21One, cutting off unnecessary shoots.
0:15:21 > 0:15:27And two, taking of what you might call unnecessary fruits.
0:15:27 > 0:15:33Because no plant, however vigorous, is going to be able to
0:15:33 > 0:15:39produce more than about half a dozen decent sized squashes or pumpkins.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42As soon as you have enough fruit,
0:15:42 > 0:15:47take off the flowers as they appear, cut back any excess shoots,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50water it really well, regularly, give it a good soak
0:15:50 > 0:15:54and feed it once a week, either with liquid seaweed or a tomato feed.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57These are hungry plants, you can't overfeed them.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Do that,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03and with any luck, come October, you'll be harvesting three or four
0:16:03 > 0:16:06spanking good pumpkins or squashes.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18This is the cricket pitch.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Once upon a time it was a very well-kept lawn that we played cricket on.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25And, over the years, we've let the grass grow,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and I've planted in bulbs - crocus, wild narcissi
0:16:29 > 0:16:34fritillaries, and then the grass comes up and it looks loose and free
0:16:34 > 0:16:39and great for wildlife, but the big problem I have here is that the soil
0:16:39 > 0:16:44is so fertile, it's really difficult to grow annual wild flowers.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46You need low fertility for that to work.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47I have a cunning plan.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51I'm going to grow some perennials. But that's to come.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Now, Arit Anderson has been looking at the extraordinary
0:16:57 > 0:17:01conditions in which people are creating beauty and, this week,
0:17:01 > 0:17:06she's been to Basildon in Essex to see a garden that is growing out of
0:17:06 > 0:17:09the most unlikely materials.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17As the population increases, there's going to be greater pressure put
0:17:17 > 0:17:19on our land and our gardens
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and we're going to have to really think about what matters
0:17:22 > 0:17:24in every space.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Now, there are some people out there who are coming up
0:17:26 > 0:17:30with some very clever ideas about how we can garden in the future.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39Today, I've come to a garden near Basildon where designer John Little
0:17:39 > 0:17:42has swapped compost for concrete, to create a garden
0:17:42 > 0:17:45using materials most garden designers would run a mile from.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- The garden looks absolutely stunning.- Thanks.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Where did you get the inspiration from?
0:17:52 > 0:17:56A lot of this stuff has come from our experience of brownfield sites.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Brownfield is an ex-industrial site
0:17:58 > 0:18:00that has a mixture of different materials.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I suppose the crucial thing is, they're all man-made.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06It's our waste, really, that we leave behind.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09It looks so vibrant. How have you achieved that?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Compost? Fertilisers?
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Well, to create this kind of diversity, you need no compost.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17You need to think completely counterintuitively
0:18:17 > 0:18:19as you would as a gardener.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20So take the nutrients out.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Use soils and substrates that are poor in nutrients.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24That's the key.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28We're basically growing plants in construction waste.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I'm intrigued. You need to show me some of this waste.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31Yes, of course. Come on.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42John, it really does look like a building site.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45This is going to be our next brownfield garden, the next bit of
0:18:45 > 0:18:48the garden that we're going to try to use brownfield materials for.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50So what exactly have we got here?
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Well, we've got fresh concrete at the far side.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Very poor nutrient. Virtually nothing grows on that.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01- That's a good thing.- OK.- Then we've got crushed toilets and sinks, here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- Really?- Yeah, of course!
0:19:04 > 0:19:06We have to do something with sinks in toilets!
0:19:06 > 0:19:08So they bring them to the centres, they crush them up,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11then they use them back into the construction industry, generally.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- OK.- But we're growing plants on them,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and it's fantastic for growing plants in.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Are they safe? Do we know they're not contaminated?
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Yeah. You wouldn't want to take them straight from a site, obviously.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22And they're sold by suppliers,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24so you need to check that the material you're buying
0:19:24 > 0:19:26is safe to use in the garden.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30In this garden we're going to mix the materials and see if we can't
0:19:30 > 0:19:33get a recipe that works best for wild plants.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35That's really interesting.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39I noticed that you've laid it all out onto a sort of landscape fabric.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Yeah. This is a good way that just separates the rich topsoil
0:19:42 > 0:19:44from underneath to these very nutrient-poor substrates.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47So you don't have to take all the topsoil away.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48So, you're good to go?
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Just lay it down and it goes straight on top.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55John's designs, using recycled building materials,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57have been used in public spaces,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00gardens on London housing estates,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02schools and even on roofs.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06But his new ideas all start here.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13It is incredible. I mean, you look at it and you think, the amount of
0:20:13 > 0:20:15different plants that are going on.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18We've got some wild marjoram.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21There's wild basil on here.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25There's Lady's bedstraw.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Really kind of classic chalk downland plants, I suppose,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32plants that love this kind of slight disturbance, very dry places.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Also, there just seems to be an incredible amount of insects here,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38and wildlife. What has this space brought in?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41We had an entomologist come in and have a look at it,
0:20:41 > 0:20:42and it turns out that
0:20:42 > 0:20:46there's 600 species of invertebrates in this garden.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49But most importantly, three times the amount that were on the rubble.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53So I like to think that we made it three times more important!
0:20:57 > 0:21:00There's no reason why you can't miniaturise this idea.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02No reason why you can't pull it into a domestic space.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03It would be easy.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14We built this in October last year,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and it was really an attempt to galvanise all the things we'd been
0:21:17 > 0:21:20banging on about, and how important all this stuff is.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23We tried to make it much more of a designed space.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25And it certainly feels designed.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28But, obviously, you've got that naturalistic feel.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30I'm loving the wild carrot.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Fennel, which is always one of my favourites.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Fennel's the best, yes.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34And it just goes to show,
0:21:34 > 0:21:35it's not all about roses.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37No, no! That's true.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41If you're designing, instead of raking everything level,
0:21:41 > 0:21:42plant around it,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45so you get pockets of damper soil,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47much drier soil on the top of these mounds,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49so, use the topography much more.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51This could be part of your garden.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53So this could be your sort of dry, recycled little space
0:21:53 > 0:21:56within maybe a more conventional garden.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07John, this garden's full of so many wonderful plants you've chosen,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09the biodiversity that I'm seeing,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13and you've really embraced using some very innovative ideas.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18We've made the flowers work because of the way we've used the soil.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19But you don't just need flowers, of course.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21If you're going to get wildlife,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23if you're going to get bees, especially,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25you need somewhere for them to breed, so we've given them
0:22:25 > 0:22:29bee posts to breed in and we have designed those
0:22:29 > 0:22:32with different sized holes, from 3mm to 9mm,
0:22:32 > 0:22:36because solitary bees need a wide variety of holes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39There's 250 species of these things.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Some of them are tiny, tiny things, and some of them are quite big.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45But there's another big group of solitary bees that like nesting
0:22:45 > 0:22:47in the ground.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50So we've tried, here, to create, basically, a pile of sand,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53but we've obviously got to contain that,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57so we've encased it in a perforated steel drum, in effect,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and that allows the bees to come in through the perforated steel
0:23:00 > 0:23:02from the side and nest, and the ones that like to nest
0:23:02 > 0:23:07on a horizontal surface, which some do, they can go in through the top.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10So if I want to create that, can I use any sand?
0:23:10 > 0:23:11Not any sand.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14You need to use building sand.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Definitely not sharp sand.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Sand that's got some sort of clay content
0:23:17 > 0:23:20so that it doesn't fall to pieces when they try to make a hole in it.
0:23:20 > 0:23:26I think the real key is to this is that our waste can become
0:23:26 > 0:23:29not only an aesthetic
0:23:29 > 0:23:31but actually a really important place for biodiversity
0:23:31 > 0:23:35and for plant growth. So thank you so much for that.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36No, thank you. Thanks for coming.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49It is very inspiring to see what can be done
0:23:49 > 0:23:52in the most unlikely of conditions.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57If you've got good, rich soil, then it's actually very difficult
0:23:57 > 0:23:58to impoverish it, and you wouldn't want to,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01unless you were making a wild flower meadow.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05But I want the cricket pitch to look full of colour,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08from the first crocus right through to this time of year,
0:24:08 > 0:24:13and the way to do it is to plant herbaceous perennials
0:24:13 > 0:24:14into the grass,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18and not have a wild flower meadow - have maybe a tame flower meadow.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Now, a good, cheap way to achieve that end
0:24:22 > 0:24:24is to propagate your own plants
0:24:24 > 0:24:26and you can do that really easily at this time of year,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30by buying large, herbaceous perennials
0:24:30 > 0:24:33which will be discounted because they've finished flowering,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35they're looking a bit sprawly.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36We've got this geum here,
0:24:36 > 0:24:42we've got this geranium, looking raggedy and not at its best,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45but they're nice and big and they will provide lots of material
0:24:45 > 0:24:47to make new plants for next year.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51But it really doesn't matter what the top looks like,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55as long as it's healthy, because all of that is going to be removed.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00It's what is happening underneath the surface of the potting compost
0:25:00 > 0:25:02that is really significant.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04So the first thing to do is remove it. Remove everything.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09And then we can get down to the serious business
0:25:09 > 0:25:11of dividing up the roots.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Now, a plant like this in full flow
0:25:15 > 0:25:18is likely to cost you about ten quid,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23but this was discounted down to less than half that,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27so if I can get ten plants from it
0:25:27 > 0:25:29you're looking at about 50p per plant,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33and each one will be as big as the parent by this time next year.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40This is a really good example...
0:25:42 > 0:25:45..of what you're looking for. Masses of root.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50That tiny little growing point - actually, that's fabulous,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53because it's the root that is the measure of the plant,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and if we have strong roots,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57inevitably we'll have strong top growth.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02And then the critical thing is to use a weak compost.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06If you use a normal potting compost or even try and enrich it,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11all you'll do is stimulate growth of the foliage much quicker
0:26:11 > 0:26:13than the roots can sustain them,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16whereas if you have a weak mix, it will grow more slowly
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and that way the plant will build its strength
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and then next spring, when you plant it out,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25it will be a good, strong, robust plant
0:26:25 > 0:26:27and give you masses of colour.
0:26:30 > 0:26:36Now, these are going to stay in these pots until I plant them out.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38They don't need any protection -
0:26:38 > 0:26:42these are hardy herbaceous perennials.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45I just water these in, put them to one side
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and let them get on with it.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51But sometimes gardens need a more dramatic intervention
0:26:51 > 0:26:55where they're transformed, and Joe has been looking at gardens
0:26:55 > 0:26:59where design has really reshaped them.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03This week, he's been to the Sussex Weald to see a garden
0:27:03 > 0:27:07that has made the most of its dramatic situation.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Just a mile from the coast,
0:27:16 > 0:27:21Fairlight End is an exposed and heavily sloping site,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25and it poses a unique set of challenges for a garden.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31The owners of this garden, Chris and Robin Hutt,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33started work on it back in 2005.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37But, as Chris found out, tackling the terrain proved quite a task.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45When I arrived here from a 40-year business career,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49I was a straight line, geometric kind of guy
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and this garden doesn't accept that kind of approach.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55I think that's very interesting.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59So did you find the size and the awkward site intimidating?
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Oddly enough, I didn't.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04I mean, it is a very odd and wonky site,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09it slopes all over the place and the slopes conflict with each other,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13but I thought that I could tackle that just as a gardener.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Yeah, why not?
0:28:15 > 0:28:18When I first arrived here, all I'd ever done was manage
0:28:18 > 0:28:22a little postage stamp of a garden behind a semidetached house.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25What made you think that you had the skills
0:28:25 > 0:28:26that were needed for the site?
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Sheer bloody ignorance...
0:28:28 > 0:28:30JOE LAUGHS
0:28:30 > 0:28:32..and over-optimism.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36And, anyway, I soldiered on for three or four years like that
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and then I could tell it wasn't going to work.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40So, at what point did you think,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42"I've got to do something about this"?
0:28:42 > 0:28:44That's my study there.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49It's 40 foot below the house, and it was a grassy bank
0:28:49 > 0:28:53between the two, and I'd overstay down there
0:28:53 > 0:28:58and, without a torch, I'd be clambering up this wet bank,
0:28:58 > 0:29:02slithery bank in November. I'd be falling over and swearing
0:29:02 > 0:29:06and I realised I'd got to do something about it.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Chris called upon landscape architect Ian Kitson.
0:29:09 > 0:29:17I saw the sinuous, curvaceous way that Ian deals with his gardens
0:29:17 > 0:29:21and instinctively, without being able to explain it,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24I felt that that would be the way forward for us.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28So when it comes to plants, how have you gone about choosing the palette?
0:29:28 > 0:29:32Is it yours or is it Ian's or is there a bit of crossover?
0:29:32 > 0:29:34One of the things that happened
0:29:34 > 0:29:40when we did this garden that we're sitting in four years ago,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43at that time the meadow was all on the far side of the hedge
0:29:43 > 0:29:47over there and I felt sad about the fact that the meadow
0:29:47 > 0:29:51didn't come into the garden, so we slashed a hole in the hedge
0:29:51 > 0:29:55- and we allowed the wild flowers to invade.- Yeah.
0:29:55 > 0:30:00The wilder it is, the happier I am.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Ian Kitson is the brains behind it all, and best known for creating
0:30:11 > 0:30:16contemporary gardens inspired by their surrounding landscapes.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19But how did you go about designing this space?
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Well, the brief was a delight, because I'd known Chris on-and-off
0:30:23 > 0:30:26for three years, designing bits around the garden,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and with this main space we'd got to the point where
0:30:29 > 0:30:34the brief actually was, "Ian, just do what you do."
0:30:34 > 0:30:37I could just be my creative self.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41And I remember standing on the grass slope, about this point,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44and taking in these views and thinking at some point,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47this is going to be a lovely place to be and sit and stop in,
0:30:47 > 0:30:51the obvious solution here is to create some terrace areas,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53either as a more level lawn or where we're sat now.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57So, what was important when tackling this space?
0:30:57 > 0:30:59The use of the Corten.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04It's actually exclusively to do with not having a coping detail,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07because when you look from the house at there on,
0:31:07 > 0:31:08most of the upper garden,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11all you have is this infinity edge of grass,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14and if that was a lumpy stone coping detail
0:31:14 > 0:31:17or a lumpy brick detail, it would just be too clunky,
0:31:17 > 0:31:23and it just felt like it wanted a hot knife slicing through the soil.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27I mean, in a way, you're scaling down the trees and the hedges
0:31:27 > 0:31:30on the landscape and bringing it down into a domestic level.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34I think you have to be sometimes in quite an intimate space
0:31:34 > 0:31:36to feel comfortable in a big landscape.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40So when you break it down, actually, there's not too many materials here.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44We've got the deck, we've got the Corten retaining wall -
0:31:44 > 0:31:46that's the structure of the garden
0:31:46 > 0:31:48and the rest is pretty much planting.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51It is. I think some of the planting that I've put in,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54like the topiary shapes - whilst they're not hard landscaping -
0:31:54 > 0:31:56they're dealt as quite static objects.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59And the deck, you know, at the moment we're being invaded
0:31:59 > 0:32:00with this meadow...
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Hang on, you don't sound too comfortable about that!
0:32:02 > 0:32:04This is Chris's meadow.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06No, no, this is part of the deal, that the garden changes
0:32:06 > 0:32:08so much throughout the year.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11You know, I'd like the meadow to ooze in to that point there
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- and then...- No further. - No further.- No further!
0:32:14 > 0:32:17Is this the point at which you said it could ooze in?
0:32:17 > 0:32:20No, that's actually slightly further than I find comfortable.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22- Back!- Yeah. - Get back, boy.- Exactly.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31What struck me, wandering around the garden,
0:32:31 > 0:32:35is it's a true collaboration, this garden,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39between designer and client, and I don't think either of them
0:32:39 > 0:32:42could have come up with this garden by themselves.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46But together they've reinvented and updated what sits between
0:32:46 > 0:32:51an 18th-century house and a beautiful landscape beyond.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Now, as a garden designer, that's not only interesting,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58but for me, I want to get out there and design more gardens.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01It's inspirational, and that's why I like it so much.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11Come on.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17Whenever you take on a new plot, there's always the inclination
0:33:17 > 0:33:20to impose yourself on it, to make a garden.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24But sometimes it's best just to let the garden come to you.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29Instead of making a garden, you receive a garden,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31and certainly, that seems to have worked there.
0:33:31 > 0:33:37A lovely combination of landscape and garden coming together.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Now, having said all that, I've been trying to impose myself
0:33:40 > 0:33:45on this site and make a herb garden, and it's coming along fine.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49We planted peppermint, spearmint and apple mint
0:33:49 > 0:33:52and it's doing what mint does best,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54which is growing like mad horizontally.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59You can see really clearly here these sideways shoots
0:33:59 > 0:34:02spreading across the path, and if that was soil,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06every one of that pair of leaves would have some roots down below it
0:34:06 > 0:34:10and it would layer itself and it would be rampant.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14So always plant mint either in a container or somewhere
0:34:14 > 0:34:16where you can keep it contained, and I'm going to contain this
0:34:16 > 0:34:19simply by cutting off all those side shoots.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Now, coming up on tonight's programme...
0:34:29 > 0:34:30Carol has been out and about,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33visiting people in their own gardens,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36helping them to solve their plant problems.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39It's slightly higgledy-piggledy, isn't it?
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Let's make a little recess into the middle of the bed.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48But first, Nick Bailey has been to Essex,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52where he's visited a community that's been working hard
0:34:52 > 0:34:55to celebrate a very special kind of rose.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04There's no doubt that here in the UK we love roses.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08We want glorious colours, beautiful scent,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11and of course, never-ending blooms.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15And this rose gives just that.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18It's a Pemberton rose
0:35:18 > 0:35:21with large clusters of delicately-coloured blooms,
0:35:21 > 0:35:26with an exquisite scent and flowers that repeat throughout the year.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32This unique collection of roses takes their name from creator
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Rev Joseph Pemberton,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38who was born here in the village of Havering-atte-Bower in 1852.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44He was taught to propagate roses by his father at a young age
0:35:44 > 0:35:49and for nearly half a century, he competed and exhibited every year.
0:35:49 > 0:35:50But that wasn't enough for Joseph.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59After becoming president of the National Rose Society in 1911,
0:35:59 > 0:36:04Joseph set about breeding a special set of roses here on his land
0:36:04 > 0:36:06which would flower all the way till Christmas
0:36:06 > 0:36:09when other roses had faded.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13He had up to 10,000 seedlings annually growing under glass
0:36:13 > 0:36:17and 4,000 of his own specimens.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Not bad for a man who had a day job as a reverend.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Sadly, from their heyday in the early 20th century,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29the Pemberton roses fell into obscurity and many were lost.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35But now, 100 years later,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38the village is back blooming with them.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40In fact, it holds the largest collection in the world.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45This is Saint Francis Hospice, Nick,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49and it's got a very special connection to the Pemberton roses
0:36:49 > 0:36:51because the Pemberton family once lived at the hall.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58Laura Hill, from the hospice, holds the key to this intriguing comeback.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03- The pink one in the middle is Nur Mahal...- Oh, yeah.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06..which was used by Pemberton to breed another one,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08whose variety's called Fortuna.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13This one's Althea, which is really beautiful.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15HE SNIFFS
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Oh, the scent's distinctly fruity, isn't it? What about this...?
0:37:18 > 0:37:20That's the beautiful Pink Fairy here.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26Such a variety of colour, of scent.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Really amazing collection of roses.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37How did you get the world's biggest collection
0:37:37 > 0:37:39back here in the village?
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Well, our gardener, Dave Collins, he had 35 years' experience
0:37:43 > 0:37:46as a rosarian, and because of the hospice connection
0:37:46 > 0:37:51with the Pemberton roses, he wanted to build up the collection.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54There are 69 varieties in total
0:37:54 > 0:37:57and Dave has managed to collect 49 of those varieties.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59How big a challenge was it for Dave
0:37:59 > 0:38:02to pull all these roses together again?
0:38:02 > 0:38:05The majority of these roses, they are no longer available commercially,
0:38:05 > 0:38:11so Dave had to contact a number of private collectors around the world.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Sadly, he was taken ill a couple of years back
0:38:13 > 0:38:16and he's not been able to continue the work.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23The roses Dave tracked down were propagated at a nursery in Lincoln.
0:38:23 > 0:38:271,600 plants were brought back here, not just for the hospice, but
0:38:27 > 0:38:30for all the people in the village to plant in their own gardens.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35So many people in the village turned out to collect the roses
0:38:35 > 0:38:38and it's created all these new rose enthusiasts,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42and we're already talking about having amateur propagation days.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45I'm so delighted.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49I think it's a tribute to the work that Dave has done.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52People will be swapping propagation material between themselves
0:38:52 > 0:38:54to help keep the collection going.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Now, I understand that there's some roses still missing
0:38:58 > 0:39:01from the collection. You're trying to track those down.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Yes, sadly there's 20 roses still missing,
0:39:04 > 0:39:07but we managed to find Pearl in France
0:39:07 > 0:39:09from a private collector there.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12It starts as a very pink bud and then goes white
0:39:12 > 0:39:15and we know it can grow into a large bush.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18There's so many still that we need to find.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21They could be in people's gardens, they could be in the local parks
0:39:21 > 0:39:24or cemeteries and just haven't been discovered yet.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31What's wonderful about this collection is knowing how much
0:39:31 > 0:39:33the community has taken it to its heart.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35And there's one local who has embraced
0:39:35 > 0:39:37saving this horticultural heritage.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Aleksy Michalak is growing every single rose
0:39:43 > 0:39:45in the revived collection.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Wow, this is really quite a house, isn't it?
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Welcome to The Round House.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55The Pemberton family lived here for quite a long time.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59And so, why did you get involved with growing the Pemberton roses?
0:39:59 > 0:40:02Well, I look after The Round House, and when I learnt about
0:40:02 > 0:40:06the Pemberton roses, I fell in love with the story and this place.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08How many have you got going now?
0:40:08 > 0:40:13I think we've planted about 150 of them all around the farm, actually.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16I notice there's one here looking absolutely beautiful. What is this?
0:40:16 > 0:40:19This is a Havering Rambler. We have quite a lot of them.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23We planted those I think two years ago now, so they grow quite fast.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26And if you look closely, they are really, really delicate.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30I think what's special to me about the Pembertons
0:40:30 > 0:40:33is about their history and this land and this house
0:40:33 > 0:40:36and the buildings around, the story of the village.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40And because the Pemberton family was much-loved in the neighbourhood,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and I think it's really nice to know that their roses are back
0:40:43 > 0:40:46where they belong and where they were created.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04Of course, Pemberton roses are known to a lot of us as Hybrid Musk,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06and I've got a few here at Longmeadow.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08I've grown them for years, actually.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11This is called Felicia, I've got another called Cornelia.
0:41:11 > 0:41:17But Laura is still missing 20 of those Pemberton varieties,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19so if perhaps you've got a rose in your garden
0:41:19 > 0:41:22and you're not sure what it is but it does have these
0:41:22 > 0:41:27clusters of fairly small flowers, is fragrant and goes on flowering
0:41:27 > 0:41:31well into autumn, that might just be one of them.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34And if you think that could be the case, go to our website
0:41:34 > 0:41:37and you can get the details of how to contact Laura, and who knows?
0:41:37 > 0:41:39You could add to the collection.
0:41:45 > 0:41:50I know that there is a certain mystique around rose propagation,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53but you can take rose cuttings
0:41:53 > 0:41:56and they are pretty reliable.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57There's a fairly low success rate,
0:41:57 > 0:42:01but because they're so easy to do, you can take lots
0:42:01 > 0:42:05and certainly make yourself quite a few roses for free.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07And because they're cuttings, they will flower true
0:42:07 > 0:42:11and they should start flowering in a couple of years from taking them.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15Now is the earliest that you would start to take hardwood cuttings
0:42:15 > 0:42:18and you can go on doing it right through almost till Christmas.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22This rambler, really vigorous, growing up into the apple tree,
0:42:22 > 0:42:27it's called Rosa multiflora Carnea. It's a species rose.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30It's on its own root stock, so if I take a cutting from it,
0:42:30 > 0:42:32it will not only have exactly the same flowers
0:42:32 > 0:42:34but also the same growth pattern.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37So a really good one for growing up into apple trees
0:42:37 > 0:42:39or on a north wall.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45This arching stem, this side shoot, is ideal for cut material,
0:42:45 > 0:42:48because I'm looking for new growth
0:42:48 > 0:42:50that's about the thickness of a pencil
0:42:50 > 0:42:51and I've certainly got it here.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54What I'll do is, rather than cutting off individual pieces,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57I'm going to cut one long stem and then divide it up.
0:42:57 > 0:43:03So I'm going to cut this off just below that bud there, like that.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06And just so I don't get confused about which is the top
0:43:06 > 0:43:10and which is the bottom, I'm going to cut the bottom straight
0:43:10 > 0:43:12and the top at an angle.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16So I'm just going to straighten that one up so I don't get confused,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20and then we'll cut always just below a leaf.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28Remove the foliage, except for perhaps the top one.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Cuttings cost nothing, and if you're prepared to be a little patient,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36because these will take a year or two to get going,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39well, you can have an awful lot of climbing roses
0:43:39 > 0:43:41for absolutely nothing.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Come on, Nigel, come on!
0:43:46 > 0:43:48HE WHISTLES
0:43:50 > 0:43:51Come on, Nige.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04I've often taken rose cuttings in a container, using potting compost
0:44:04 > 0:44:09mixed 50-50 with grit or perlite and that works perfectly well.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12But you need a pot, you need the perlite, you need all the grit
0:44:12 > 0:44:15and you need the compost and you need to put it somewhere.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19They will also take just as well outside, directly into the ground.
0:44:25 > 0:44:29So, having made a very slim trench with one straight side
0:44:29 > 0:44:32and one angled, I'm going to fill the bottom with grit,
0:44:32 > 0:44:33and this is really important.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38Grit, sharp sand, anything with really good drainage.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49That means that the cutting will not sit in cold, wet soil,
0:44:49 > 0:44:51because that is the kiss of death.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55If it's got free drainage, it is much more likely to root.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57And you take the cuttings, remember,
0:44:57 > 0:45:01with the slanting end at the top, and just push them in
0:45:01 > 0:45:03so that they are going to be buried...
0:45:05 > 0:45:07..right up to their necks.
0:45:07 > 0:45:08There we go.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12Push the soil back around them.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18Don't expect to see anything till at least next spring,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21and you won't know if they've rooted until you see fresh new growth,
0:45:21 > 0:45:24and that probably will be next summer.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27Now, whilst we do do our best to cover as wide a range
0:45:27 > 0:45:30of horticultural topics as we can here at Longmeadow,
0:45:30 > 0:45:32we're never going to cover it all.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35We visit other gardens, and some of them are grand and great
0:45:35 > 0:45:39and some inspirational, and quite a few are downright quirky.
0:45:39 > 0:45:44But Carol is on the road visiting your gardens
0:45:44 > 0:45:48and she's going to be doing her best to solve your plant problems.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01We've had an amazing response on social media
0:46:01 > 0:46:04about all your planting problems, and it's clear -
0:46:04 > 0:46:07whether your gardens are big or small,
0:46:07 > 0:46:10a lot of you would appreciate some help.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14Well, I've got my gardening boots on and I'm ready to go.
0:46:19 > 0:46:20My port of call is Hampshire,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24and this lovely home that belongs to Jill Meech and her family.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27Keen gardener Jill has a problem
0:46:27 > 0:46:30most of us will probably identify with -
0:46:30 > 0:46:34she loves plants so much that her borders are chock-full of them.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Wow, lots and lots and lots of plants.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Do you think I'm a plantoholic?
0:46:43 > 0:46:46I think you're inveterate, by the look of it.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Oh, wow. And which is the bit you want help with?
0:46:49 > 0:46:52- Mainly this bit here, Carol.- Right.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Because as you can see, I just love plants,
0:46:55 > 0:46:59so I just buy a lot and then, where I see gap, I stick it in.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02It's slightly higgledy-piggledy, isn't it?
0:47:03 > 0:47:05From hostas to hellebores,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08everything is living on top of one another
0:47:08 > 0:47:11and there's just no room for plants to shine.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13But that's not Jill's only problem -
0:47:13 > 0:47:16she has a degenerative eye condition
0:47:16 > 0:47:19that means she will eventually go blind.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23I've got an eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26It's a bit of a mouthful, so we call it RP for short.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30But it means that my peripheral vision isn't too good.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33It's progressive and it's hereditary.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36Some of my family members who are older
0:47:36 > 0:47:38and have it have lost their sight.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42The point is to try and maximise what you can see.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45It's clear that the garden is jam-packed,
0:47:45 > 0:47:47so I want to show Jill a way of transforming
0:47:47 > 0:47:52a section of the borders so she can replicate it in the future.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56I think if we just choose one chunk.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59- Maybe these lupins could be our goalposts, yeah?- Yes.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01We'll see what we can save,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04take out anything that's perhaps not suitable,
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and then add some more things
0:48:06 > 0:48:10which establish this sort of planting principle
0:48:10 > 0:48:11that's going to help, you know.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14- That's going to help me in the future.- Yeah.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18With limited time, it's really important that Jill
0:48:18 > 0:48:22makes the most of her garden while she still has her sight.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25We're going to make a start by taking everything out of this part
0:48:25 > 0:48:29of the border, leaving us with a blank canvas.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32- Here we go, Carol. - Oh, great.
0:48:32 > 0:48:37I'm just making a nice crisp edge so we know where we're working to.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40- Yeah.- Right the way along our allotted plot.
0:48:40 > 0:48:44You've got violets here, you've got primroses.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46There's these little hellebores here.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51- What gorgeous soil! - It's nice, isn't it?
0:48:51 > 0:48:55- It's light, it's really sandy. It just...- Crumbles.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58- It crumbles through your fingers.- Yes, it does.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01There's a lovely hosta here.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03You've a hosta there?
0:49:03 > 0:49:04There's a gorgeous one here
0:49:04 > 0:49:07and I've seen a third one just down there.
0:49:07 > 0:49:12So instead of having them dot, dot, dot, let's try putting them
0:49:12 > 0:49:16all together and make a little recess into the middle of the bed.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20- Yes, yes.- You know, so you can see through to the back.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23By replanting in this way, it'll open up the border
0:49:23 > 0:49:27and allow plants to fulfil their potential.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31And plants not suitable for this spot can be relocated elsewhere.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33We're certainly not going to waste anything here.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36- Wonderful.- Here we go.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38We've got a load of this.
0:49:38 > 0:49:39Do you know what colour it is?
0:49:39 > 0:49:42It's a lovely orangey, sort of peachy colour.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44- Sounds delicious.- Yes.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48- And I think it would be a great idea to plant that back in here.- Yes.
0:49:53 > 0:49:58I think that Jill, and any gardener with failing or poor sight,
0:49:58 > 0:50:00could learn lots of lessons
0:50:00 > 0:50:03from the famous woman gardener Gertrude Jekyll.
0:50:04 > 0:50:09Gertrude's sight got increasingly worse as she got older.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12She planted in great big blocks of colour
0:50:12 > 0:50:16and the kind of colours that she really went for were
0:50:16 > 0:50:20brilliant colours, things like yellows, blues and whites.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24They became more and more dominant in her designs.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29In fact, all those bright, saturated colours are much easier
0:50:29 > 0:50:33for people with visual handicaps to actually perceive.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38There are other pointers too that you might like to follow.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41For a start, indulge your other senses.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45It's important to include as many different textures
0:50:45 > 0:50:49so you can feel your way round the garden.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Don't get confused with too many different kinds of perfumes,
0:50:52 > 0:50:55you don't want scents confusing your nose,
0:50:55 > 0:50:59but choose two or three which are really strong,
0:50:59 > 0:51:01really powerful and which you love.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07I've brought along just a few plants that I think exemplify
0:51:07 > 0:51:10the kind of principles we're talking about.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14So, the first plant I have chosen for you is this achillea.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18It's one called Moonshine.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20So these big, solid heads,
0:51:20 > 0:51:22plateaus of brilliant colour.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26Shall we have that stachys next?
0:51:26 > 0:51:29I think it's got to be one of the most tactile of plants.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31- It has, like bunny ears.- Yeah.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37- You just feel like rubbing it on your nose.- You do.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40And the thing is, each of these stems will spread out,
0:51:40 > 0:51:44- so you get this lovely soft line coming to the front.- Yes.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48So how about this one here?
0:51:48 > 0:51:50That's such a lovely grass.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52- Is it an evergreen one?- Yeah, it is.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55In the winter it will go quite sort of beige
0:51:55 > 0:51:57- and really soft mellow colour. - Lovely.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59- But it's the touch of it.- Yes.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02- You know, this is what it brings to your border, isn't it?- It does.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Look at those seed heads, it's so lovely.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08That looks fantastic, Carol.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10This is the rule from now on, you know -
0:52:10 > 0:52:13big blocks, bright colour,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15soft touches, beautiful perfume.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17- Follow the eye through.- Yeah.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20I've had such a lovely day with Carol.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23We've had such fun planting up this border.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25I think going forward I've got to crack on
0:52:25 > 0:52:28and really get on with finishing up this bed.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31What Carol's done, and helped me with the yellow that goes through,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34I've got to replicate that so that over the next few years,
0:52:34 > 0:52:37that's what's going to catch my eyes as my eyesight fails.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44If your garden's in a bit of a muddle,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46why not try something similar?
0:52:46 > 0:52:52Take out your plants and replant them using big blocks of colour.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55You bring movement, you bring colour, you bring light
0:52:55 > 0:52:58and you bring cohesion to your beds and borders that way.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11I love the way that at this time of year in the borders
0:53:11 > 0:53:16the yellows have such a range - from the bright yellow
0:53:16 > 0:53:20that sings out even on a gloomy day like today
0:53:20 > 0:53:23to the more subtle, slightly lemony tones,
0:53:23 > 0:53:28and then they go into oranges and even browns and caramels.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31It really is a feature of late summer
0:53:31 > 0:53:34and if you want to keep them going, of course, deadhead.
0:53:34 > 0:53:39Keep deadheading and the flowers will keep coming on back.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42But don't think that deadheading is the only thing
0:53:42 > 0:53:43you've got to do this weekend.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45Here are some other jobs you can do.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57The Alchemilla mollis has been really good at Longmeadow this year,
0:53:57 > 0:54:00but its day is done, and rather than just leave it,
0:54:00 > 0:54:03cut it back hard, removing all the foliage
0:54:03 > 0:54:05as well as the spent flowers.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09This will quickly regrow and look fresh for the rest of the summer.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Ornamental carrots, like ammi or orlaya,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22are much best sown now
0:54:22 > 0:54:26and planted out in October so their taproots can get established.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30Sprinkle the seed onto a seed tray or seed pan,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33water them and put them somewhere warm to germinate,
0:54:33 > 0:54:35and then they can be pricked out later to grow on.
0:54:43 > 0:54:48At this time of year, stone or brick paths can get really slippery.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50I've tried lots of ways of dealing with this
0:54:50 > 0:54:53and have found that the most effective method is simply to
0:54:53 > 0:54:56brush in sharp sand with a stiff broom.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Work it in well and it absorbs the moisture
0:55:00 > 0:55:03and acts as a scourer to scrape away the algae.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21I'm cutting back these hosta flower stems
0:55:21 > 0:55:24because they don't look good once they've finished
0:55:24 > 0:55:29and to a certain extent, they're taking energy from the roots.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33What does the good is this canna growing in the pond.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36This is Canna Erebus, and it's very happy
0:55:36 > 0:55:39completely submerged beneath the water,
0:55:39 > 0:55:44and it's produced these slightly surprising pink blooms.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46It's doing its stuff and it's doing it proud.
0:55:48 > 0:55:49Now, that's in water
0:55:49 > 0:55:52and I've been dodging water for most of the day from the sky,
0:55:52 > 0:55:54it's been really squally.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57So let's see if that is going to continue for us gardeners
0:55:57 > 0:55:58over the weekend.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15Well, we've had the full range of English weather today.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19We've had heavy rain, wind, some quite hot sunshine,
0:57:19 > 0:57:23but not for very long. It's come at us from every quarter.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26But the garden doesn't seem to mind, it's growing well.
0:57:26 > 0:57:28The only major problem is things get bashed,
0:57:28 > 0:57:31so I'm staking as much as I can.
0:57:31 > 0:57:34But the canna is growing strong, and standing next to it
0:57:34 > 0:57:36and looking at it like this,
0:57:36 > 0:57:38I realise I do like my cannas to be rich.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43The oranges and the lovely chocolate-coloured foliage
0:57:43 > 0:57:45is really more canna-like for me
0:57:45 > 0:57:47than the pink flowers of the canna in the pond.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49But each to their own.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53And that is it for today, we've run out of time,
0:57:53 > 0:57:57but I'll be back here at Longmeadow at the same time next week,
0:57:57 > 0:57:59so join me then. Bye-bye.