0:00:02 > 0:00:03Come on.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Hello and welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15Now, in a season of intense oranges,
0:00:15 > 0:00:21the orange plant that is most orange of all is tithonia.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Tithonia rotundifolia, the Mexican sunflower.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29And you can see that when it first opens, it is an intense vermillion.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34And then it fades with its orange boss,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and dies back to produce yet more flowers.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41This is Tithonia Torch - it will grow to about five foot tall,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44sometimes six foot on our rich soil.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49And will go on producing flowers all late summer and all autumn until the
0:00:49 > 0:00:52first frost. The key thing, though, is to keep deadheading.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Here is a flower that's lost its petals, it wants to set seed,
0:00:56 > 0:00:57that needs to be cut back.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03And just cut that back, cut right back to a leaf.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04And that one there.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07And that will promote more flowers.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09And as I say, this will go on
0:01:09 > 0:01:13flowering with these intense orange daisies
0:01:13 > 0:01:15right up to the first frost.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Now, coming up on tonight's programme.
0:01:20 > 0:01:26Frances Tophill goes to Hampshire to meet a man fanatical about ferns.
0:01:26 > 0:01:32We visit a paramedic who planted an oasis of calm for wildlife and staff
0:01:32 > 0:01:34at an ambulance station in Sheffield.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39And Carol Klein pays her second visit to Dove Cottage in Yorkshire.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43This time the garden is in full summer bloom.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And I shall be adding some late season plants
0:01:46 > 0:01:48for my wildlife garden.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Come on, out of the way. Good boy.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Out of the way. Good boy.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19If the Jewel Garden is an intense furnace of colour,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24the Spring Garden at this time of year is a cool oasis of green.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26And I want to add more green,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30I want to make it green as green can possibly be,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33because that coolness is a wonderful relief
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and can be rich and rewarding.
0:02:35 > 0:02:41And also the conditions in here do not lend themselves to bright
0:02:41 > 0:02:43floral plants at this time of year.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48But they do lend themselves absolutely to this group of plants,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51which increasingly I adore.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And these are ferns.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Ferns are something that you grow to love.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00I used to think they were very gloomy and somehow depressing.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04I now think they are completely fascinating and beautiful,
0:03:04 > 0:03:05and I'm planting more and more.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07And they are perfect for situations like this.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14This looks as though it is well watered, because we had a torrential
0:03:14 > 0:03:16downpour a day ago.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19But believe you me, this is one of the driest parts of Longmeadow,
0:03:19 > 0:03:26we've got this big old hazel with a canopy stopping light and water,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28in summer at least, coming through.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32And the roots are sucking up every little bit of moisture around.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35And then you've got the lime trees on top of that.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And you do need to choose your ferns carefully, because not all ferns are
0:03:38 > 0:03:40adapted to dry shade.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I've got polystichum.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Now, polystichum comes from Japan.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47It's a sort of conventional fern.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51If you got a child to draw a fern, it would look something like this.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56And will cope very happily with limey soil.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Some ferns need acidic soil.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01And really does need good drainage.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05This is a polypody.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Now, polypodies are the archetypal fern
0:04:09 > 0:04:13for dry, dark corners, dry shade.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19The one thing about them is that they really do like limey
0:04:19 > 0:04:25soil, and you typically see them growing out of crevices in rocks.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27The other great thing about polypodies
0:04:27 > 0:04:31is that their growth pattern is almost the
0:04:31 > 0:04:34opposite of most plants, because they die back in summer.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41So they come into foliage round about late July, August.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Look at their best throughout winter,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46when you need evergreen plants.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51So if you want really good winter green in the corners where not much
0:04:51 > 0:04:53else will grow, polypodies are an ideal plant.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00If you want to propagate your own,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02it's rather a specialist subject,
0:05:02 > 0:05:07because ferns don't produce baby ferns as such.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The spores are always the same sex.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15So they will produce a plant called prothallus,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18that will have a male and female sex,
0:05:18 > 0:05:25and it is from this tiny, tiny plant they will produce very small ferns,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and these will slowly grow.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And the whole process can take years.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35So if underneath your fern, you see a sort of greeny, algae-ish scum,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39those could be baby plants waiting to become ferns.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I'll find places for the rest of that batch.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53I like the way you can hunt out nooks and crannies where ferns look
0:05:53 > 0:05:56really good and almost nothing else will thrive.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00And by doing this, over the last handful of years,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03we've accumulated lots and lots of ferns here at Longmeadow.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Whereas ten years ago, we had hardly any.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09They grow upon you and I really like them.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12However, my affection for ferns
0:06:12 > 0:06:15pales into insignificance compared
0:06:15 > 0:06:19to the man that Frances went to visit down in Hampshire.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27It's fair to say most of us love our gardens.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30They can be a place to relax or a place to create.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32But for some of us,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35a garden is a space to indulge a passion for plants
0:06:35 > 0:06:37that could be said to border on obsession.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Andrew Leonard is a gardener, but there's only one plant for him.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49It's one of the oldest plants on the planet, that thrived millions
0:06:49 > 0:06:51of years before even dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Andrew is a fern fanatic.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00That really is crammed full of ferns, isn't it?
0:07:00 > 0:07:01They are everywhere.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03It's amazing.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08When did you get into fern collecting?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11The first house I bought was in Portsmouth
0:07:11 > 0:07:13and it had a very small garden,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17nothing growing in the garden at all apart from the bracken.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19And I didn't realise at that time
0:07:19 > 0:07:22that ferns were actually hardy in the British Isles.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24And it was about the same time
0:07:24 > 0:07:28I found the British Pteridological Society, which I joined.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30And after a couple of years, I went out...
0:07:30 > 0:07:34They organised meetings, and I went out on one of these meetings.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36And we went to Oxford.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38And I remember thinking, "These people are rather eccentric,"
0:07:38 > 0:07:42but I thought I might fit in with them.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44I think the best gardeners are always strange and eccentric.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46SHE LAUGHS Yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49And then they organised meetings abroad.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54- We went to the north of France first and then we went to Trinidad.- Wow.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56And then I started organising ones for myself.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01So I'd go to Zimbabwe and Thailand, Malaysia, places like that.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04And I'd hire a car, drive around
0:08:04 > 0:08:08and see how much trouble I could get into, to see ferns.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Are there any particular favourites that you have?
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Well, this Lygodium japonicum, it's a climbing fern.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18That is amazing. I've never seen a climbing fern before.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22I've seen this in Hong Kong, and it can grow right up into the trees,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24higher than this, it's really...
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Well, it's starting to do its thing, isn't it?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28In a few years maybe.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31This is another nice one, this is called Dryopteris picoense.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33And it's a hybrid,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37and it comes from the island of Pico in the Azores.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40And I was sent a bit of it, and it has sort of spread,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44it did this thing vegetatively, it sort of reproduced.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45And I've got lots and lots of plants now.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48In fact, there's only a few in the wild,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50and I've got more in this garden
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- than there is in the rest of the world put together.- Wow.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56This is Dryopteris critica.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58This is Polystichum proliferum.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00These little ones are Parathelypteris beddomei.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02They are lovely, those ones.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05And this is Cyrtomium falcatum.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07You just have so many ferns.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Well, this is only part of it.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Andrew got so carried away with his ferns that he ran out of space.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17So 15 years ago,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21he decided to grow them where most people grow their veg.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22On an allotment.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- Oh, my goodness! - SHE LAUGHS
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I have never seen so many ferns on an allotment.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36What is it about ferns that you just love so much?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Well, I don't really know the answer to that.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41It's like an interest or a hobby that has sort of, in a way,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43got out of hand. I find they are quite easy to grow as well.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47You just put them in the ground and then they are either, in a sense,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49happy and they grow, or they are not and they disappear.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51You know where you stand.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54I suppose this shade tunnel with the kind of slightly more sheltered
0:09:54 > 0:09:56position is good for these ferns.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00A lot of these ferns like woodland conditions, which is...
0:10:00 > 0:10:01And this is mimicking that,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04but there will be less evaporation down here,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07so they will probably keep a bit damper.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10And I suppose that moisture is good for the spores in order for them to
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- germinate.- Yes.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16So, a lot of people like growing ferns from spores, and in fact,
0:10:16 > 0:10:17in our fern society,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21we have something called the spore exchange and you can write into them
0:10:21 > 0:10:25at the beginning of the year, and they will give you spores.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28And in that way, you can grow ferns from all over the world.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37They really are everywhere, aren't they?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Well, we talked about them needing shade and shelter,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41but this is a common English fern.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44In fact, it grows quite well outside.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I think it might be getting extra water from the polytunnel.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48That would make sense.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53This is an interesting fern, it's called Polystichum x dycei.
0:10:53 > 0:10:59And it was a hybrid made by Dr Anne Sleep deliberately from a fern
0:10:59 > 0:11:01that grows in the Northern Hemisphere
0:11:01 > 0:11:03and a fern that grows in the Southern Hemisphere.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06OK. And this is something that in the wild would never exist,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08because the two plants would never meet.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- Exactly, exactly. - Completely man-made.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11Isn't that amazing?
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Oh, another tunnel full of ferns.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21- Yes.- It's amazing.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24They are really, they're like a living collection, aren't they?
0:11:24 > 0:11:27They are not really displayed to be aesthetic, are they?
0:11:27 > 0:11:28Yes, you are right, it is.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31And this one has particularly sort of gone wild,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33I don't do anything at all to it.
0:11:33 > 0:11:34- Really?- Yes.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39This one is called the Kangaroo Fern, Microsorum diversifolium.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42And it's quite a pretty looking thing.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- It is beautiful, isn't it? - And you can see the rhizomes,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47they grow near the surface.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49So is that how you divide it, by those rhizomes?
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Yes, you literally, you can just cut them with a pair of scissors
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and then lift the whole thing up and plant it somewhere else.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00It's quite interesting, because the young or new fronds, entire,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02they look like this.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05But the mature fronds are quite pinnate.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07That's a lovely fern.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Wow. And the thing about ferns
0:12:14 > 0:12:17is they are so magical because you feel the history of them,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20they are such an ancient kind of plant,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23and such a history of collecting them as well, you know?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25This is a plant that most people
0:12:25 > 0:12:27probably wouldn't even think is a fern.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29- And it's a native of the British Isles.- Really?
0:12:29 > 0:12:31In fact, throughout Europe, I think.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34And it's called Ophioglossum vulgatum.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38It thrives in conditions like this, inside this polytunnel.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41That is amazing. I mean, ferns obviously come in loads of different
0:12:41 > 0:12:43shapes and sizes, and just coming here,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47you can see that. But that is an amazingly unusual fern.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49- Yes, I agree. - Do you have a favourite?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Well, not really.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- I like them all. - So much to choose from.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56Yeah.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I love the passion and intensity
0:13:14 > 0:13:17of that kind of relationship between man
0:13:17 > 0:13:19and a single kind of plant.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25But it could not be further removed from this kind of gardening in the
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Wildlife Garden that I made here at Longmeadow a few years ago.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Because the whole point of an area like this
0:13:32 > 0:13:34is to have as diverse a range
0:13:34 > 0:13:40of plants that will attract the widest range of insects and animals
0:13:40 > 0:13:41possible in a garden.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43There is another element to that, though.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46A garden has got to be for you as well as wildlife.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49It's no good just observing it, you've got to be part of it,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and it has got to be part of your garden.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54So in other words, it's got to please you.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55And I feel here,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59this garden needs a little bit of reining in, of tightening up.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03So that it can feel like part of the garden, rather than the wildlife
0:14:03 > 0:14:08corner. For a start, the comfrey we've got growing here.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Comfrey flowers are fabulous for bees,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and I certainly don't want to cut back any that are here.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16But the leaves are a little bit suffocating on the plants around,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18so I want to cut some of those back.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20So, that's where I'm going to begin.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Because I want to make this as good for wildlife as possible,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45this pond has got a beach.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50And effectively, it means a very gradual slope filled with gravel and
0:14:50 > 0:14:56shingle and the odd stone so that any mammal, amphibian, birds
0:14:56 > 0:14:58can gradually get into the water,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02without slipping and drowning or whatever the problem might be.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Hedgehogs can come down and drink.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08The problem is, if things like couch grass have rooted into that beach...
0:15:11 > 0:15:15In spring, this was full of frogs, absolutely filled.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19There are hundreds of young frogs around the garden.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20And it all stems from here.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23I'm going to leave this teasel.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27The birds love these seed heads.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Now, coming on into the border, you can see that this plant,
0:15:32 > 0:15:33which is coltsfoot,
0:15:33 > 0:15:34has rather taken over.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36It's a nice plant,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41it has dandelion-like yellow flowers that arise from the bare soil as
0:15:41 > 0:15:45early as February. And that's fine for very early bumblebees.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47But I don't want too much of it now,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49so I'm going to reduce that and thin it out.
0:15:49 > 0:15:54Because things like the geum in there will not be able to compete.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56There we go, that's coming out.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02And that's creating space where I can add more plants,
0:16:02 > 0:16:07because there are so many beautiful flowers that are perfect for
0:16:07 > 0:16:10pollinators. And when I talk about pollinators,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I don't just mean honeybees.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15There are lots of other pollinators.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17There are various flies, there are parasitic wasps.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Some of them looking really insignificant.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24And even as though they might bite or harm you. They need plants, too.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Now, sedums are the star performers for bees
0:16:32 > 0:16:35and butterflies as we come into autumn.
0:16:35 > 0:16:41They just love these open, flat-top groups of flowers.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43And in about three weeks' time,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46you come in here and they'll be covered in butterflies.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50So we must give sedums as much light and space as we can.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00All this material is going to go to the compost heap.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02And from the compost heap,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05it will break down and the bacteria and fungi will come back into the
0:17:05 > 0:17:06garden. It's all wildlife.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09However, if I was doing this in a month's time,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11let alone two months' time,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13any woody material or stems,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18I'd leave in the borders or stack up to provide cover.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The last thing I'm going to do in here is clear it for winter.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Now, you can do this in your own garden,
0:17:24 > 0:17:30you can make the mix of a garden for you and a garden for wildlife that
0:17:30 > 0:17:33everybody, every living creature,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35can share and enjoy on its own merits.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38If you've got a garden. If you've got space.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41But if you haven't, then it's much more awkward.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44And we went to Sheffield to visit a man who,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46in the course of his work,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48has made a wildlife garden
0:17:48 > 0:17:51that is great for the natural world all around him
0:17:51 > 0:17:54and also the people he works with.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02It was always going to be a wildlife garden, that was the idea.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06We wanted a garden to attract as much wildlife as possible.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08A number of habitats for the wildlife,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11but we wanted the garden also to be an interactive garden
0:18:11 > 0:18:15where staff could come and sit and spend ten minutes or half an hour.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18So it was trying to combine the two things.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I've been a paramedic for about 20 years
0:18:25 > 0:18:29and a paramedic practitioner for the last five or six years.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I've worked for the Ambulance Service straight from school,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36it's all I've ever done. It's all I ever wanted to do.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39You never really know what you're going to walk into.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41I think that's part of the excitement.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45You could be delivering a baby and then you could be going to somebody
0:18:45 > 0:18:47as they are taking their last breath.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Some days can be really challenging.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And it can take a toll on you.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56Part of my way of dealing with things is doing things with wildlife,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00doing things in the garden. It's all part of my, like,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04strategy to keep my mind free of any demons
0:19:04 > 0:19:06that can sometimes creep in.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11The station that we are at,
0:19:11 > 0:19:16we are quite lucky in that we have got a fair amount of outdoor space.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19The outdoor space was not used,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23it was just an expanse of grass that was mown monthly.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27We approached Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29one of their outreach projects called Grow Wild.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35Grow Wild agreed to provide seed packs to workplaces
0:19:35 > 0:19:39in exchange for them re-wilding the area.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42I approached my managers
0:19:42 > 0:19:46to make sure it was something they were happy for us to do.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48And it just snowballed from there.
0:19:48 > 0:19:55The mix that Grow Wild send are a mixture of perennials and annual wild flowers.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59So in the first year we got all the annuals came through,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02so all the things like the reds of the poppies,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06the blues of the cornflowers, the yellows of the corn chamomiles.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09And quite a lot of ox-eye daisies and things like that.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11We left those all to go to seed,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13we are hopeful they would self seed.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16And we are hopeful they will come through in subsequent years.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19But this second year has been a lot more subdued colours.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22We've got a lot more of the whites of the cow parsley and the wild
0:20:22 > 0:20:25carrots, and more of the blues of the knapweed and the things that are
0:20:25 > 0:20:28coming through. But it's also been interspersed with plants that we've
0:20:28 > 0:20:30perhaps not planted, that have self-seeded.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32So there's Bird's foot trefoil
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and vetch and things like that, that are starting to come in.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39This year, more so than last year,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43we've noticed a lot more bees and hoverflies and butterflies that are
0:20:43 > 0:20:45coming in and using the garden.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47The annuals obviously did attract them,
0:20:47 > 0:20:52but I think the perennials seem to be a lot longer-lasting flower,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56and we are definitely getting a lot more things coming in because of it.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58You get little successes from everything,
0:20:58 > 0:20:59so we've put some nest boxes up.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Within a month of them being up,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03we had got a family of blue tits nesting in them,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06and that kind of lifted my spirits a little bit.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Just this year, we've done a bit of a community outreach thing with the
0:21:11 > 0:21:12schools and an elderly persons' complex,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15where we've just grown a field of sunflowers.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16Just to try and get people interested
0:21:16 > 0:21:18so that they can see what we are doing,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21hopefully get the bug for gardening.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23I'd love to drive up and down the estate
0:21:23 > 0:21:25and see wild flowers everywhere.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28That would be a perfect scenario for me.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34I always wanted it to be somewhere that people could come and sit
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and have five minutes when they wanted, to sit alone,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39or even sit with a colleague they've just worked with
0:21:39 > 0:21:40and talk through the job.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Somewhere that they could have a cup of tea, shed a tear if they have to.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Somewhere that can kind of ease your mind,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50or just take your mind off things you've been doing.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52And the studies have proven that
0:21:52 > 0:21:57being around in green spaces and being around wildlife is really good
0:21:57 > 0:22:00for mental health as well as physical health.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It's nice to actually come and have somewhere that's not all built up
0:22:07 > 0:22:10around you and just have somewhere to have a chill-out if you want to,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12or just go and have a bit of you time.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16If you are coming back on days, you don't want to be sat inside.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19You can go out there. If the weather is fine,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23you can disappear out there for half an hour.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25You can lose yourself out there.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27It is just nice to have that relaxing space.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31I've been to a few stations and there's nothing like this
0:22:31 > 0:22:32at any other station, really.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36You know, it's just your basic mess room and car park and that's it.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38It's just something to appreciate, really.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46The Ambulance Service is there at people's worst times.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49We may seem like hardened professionals,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53but we are still human beings and we all still have that
0:22:53 > 0:22:55emotion that people have.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58We keep a lid on it whilst we are dealing with the patients
0:22:58 > 0:23:00most of the time.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04But there are things that are always going to touch the nerve.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Hopefully having a bit of wild space, a bit of nature and
0:23:12 > 0:23:14some pretty flowers, really,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17is enough just to make people realise that there's not all bad
0:23:17 > 0:23:20in the world and there is a lot of good in the world
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and there are a lot of good things around if you look around.
0:23:45 > 0:23:51I think one of the understated claims of wildlife gardens
0:23:51 > 0:23:53is that other than being good for your garden,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55because they make it more healthy,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58and being good for the planet, because they include diversity,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00they are great for the gardener.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04They are fun, they can look fantastic.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06It's a really good way to garden.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Now, I want to make this wildlife garden
0:24:09 > 0:24:10as good as possible for insects
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and for me for as long as possible,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15to stretch that flowering season out.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19And to that end, I'm adding some asters.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20I've got three different types here.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25I've got one which is just coming into flower now called Monch.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31They have the great virtue of being very trouble-free.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32They don't get mould,
0:24:32 > 0:24:33they reliably flower.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And as long as they get a bit of sunshine,
0:24:35 > 0:24:36and some fairly good drainage,
0:24:36 > 0:24:42that is quite important, they are a really easy, good aster to grow.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46And they have this lovely pale sort of mauve,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48lavender flower with the yellow centre.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51And that will grow up when it's mature
0:24:51 > 0:24:53to about three foot to a metre tall.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56The second one is one of my absolute favourites.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00This is Aster divaricatus.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02And it's a woodland aster.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05I wouldn't waste this aster on a sunny spot.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Because it's happiest in shade.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09In dappled shade or even full shade.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11I've got it growing in various parts of the garden.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13And it shines out.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15That is as tall as it ever grows.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18And then it tends to grow laterally, and a really,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21really good plant for that shady corner.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And that will attract the insects and the bees.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29But you can see there's an elegance about it, and a delicacy,
0:25:29 > 0:25:35which is really good. And finally I have an aster called Little Carlow.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39This hasn't started to flower yet, but it will very soon.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44And that will have a mass of pale blue, lilac-coloured flowers.
0:25:44 > 0:25:51If I give this some sunshine and put it in a group next to Monch,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55that will give me flowers into autumn.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58So hopefully, the border will look the better for it,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02it will attract more insects, and these will be very happy.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Of course what I'm trying to do is make
0:26:06 > 0:26:12this late flowering look good and be good for wildlife.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16But I do know that however hard I try,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20it is not going to look nearly as spectacular
0:26:20 > 0:26:26as Stephen Rogers's garden at Dove Cottage in Yorkshire.
0:26:26 > 0:26:34And Carol went back to pay a second visit to relish the range of colours
0:26:34 > 0:26:38that Stephen has incorporated into the garden at this time of the year.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45The last time I was here it was
0:26:45 > 0:26:51September. And the whole garden was mellowing into an autumnal glow.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54But this is a garden that is made for all seasons,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56to take you right through the year.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00And I know that what awaits us now something quite different.
0:27:00 > 0:27:01It's so exciting!
0:27:08 > 0:27:10It's astonishing!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13It's all so huge.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17These great masses of plants like a theatrical backdrop.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21One after another all the way up and down the garden.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24It all looks so fresh and new.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38When we were here last time, it was all about grasses.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44But now the flowers have taken charge.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Right the way through all these beds,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52there are big splashes of really vibrant colour.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It's really difficult to combine pinks.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00But here, Steve has cleverly interwoven these patches of lilac.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03This is veronicastrum, this is roseum.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Stiff spikes,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09tiny little pale pink flowers making these punctuation marks all the way
0:28:09 > 0:28:14through. And the rest of it is big, soft mounds,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17like this pale pink Monarda.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19But there's another bit round the corner
0:28:19 > 0:28:21with a completely different idea.
0:28:24 > 0:28:29Last autumn, grasses like this molinia were golden,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31you were so conscious of them.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32But right now, it's green,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36and it just forms an almost transparent veil
0:28:36 > 0:28:39through which you get glimpses of this planting.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42And I have to say,
0:28:42 > 0:28:47it's this glorious paradox that is created by this great river of blue
0:28:47 > 0:28:50that runs right the way through this bed.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52It's soft and flowing,
0:28:52 > 0:28:57and yet, it's composed of this very solid prickly plant.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05The man who created this garden, Stephen Rogers,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08started his working life in the family butchers.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14After training at the famous Savill Gardens in Windsor,
0:29:14 > 0:29:19he returned to Halifax 20 years ago and created this garden,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22inspired by wild prairies.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Normally, when people think of prairie planting,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29you imagine these great big bold blocks of colour, don't you?
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Very strong. But your garden is quite different.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Yes, it's a much more intimate prairie planting.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Lots of very tall plants that you might find in a tall prairie.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Intermingled more, dotted in, a bit of self-seeding.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Sometimes you've to walk past plantings a few times
0:29:45 > 0:29:49to pick up on everything we've dotted into the beds.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51I love the way in which tall plants
0:29:51 > 0:29:55sometimes come right the way from the back, right into the foreground.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Sometimes tall plants are hidden away at the back of borders and you
0:29:58 > 0:30:01don't see the whole plant, and they are not as impressive sometimes,
0:30:01 > 0:30:03they're just lost at the back of the border.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05And you're concerned with time, aren't you,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07with the garden working right the way through the seasons?
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Yes, that's right.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12We are very happy to have this gradual build-up through
0:30:12 > 0:30:15the year, where we've got good foliage and touches of colour.
0:30:15 > 0:30:16The early part of the year.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20And then as we get into late summer, we get onto the full colour.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24- Right now.- Right now.- I think it's positively painterly.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27We've worked very hard on the colours and chosen very carefully.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36The last time I came here,
0:30:36 > 0:30:40I helped Stephen clear out one of the beds for replanting.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42I can't wait to see what he's put in.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49- This is lovely.- We've got a nice mix of colours,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52we've got different shaped flowers and we always make sure we've got some
0:30:52 > 0:30:57spires in as well. And then we've used, for late colour, monardas.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Then phlox.
0:30:59 > 0:31:00And kalimeris.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03That monarda is very much on its own.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07It is. It is, because it is very difficult colour to place,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10it's so vibrant, but having the hedge at the back of it
0:31:10 > 0:31:11just sets it off perfectly.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13This lovely dark green backdrop.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15It is.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Well, there's no doubt about what you call this border.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29No, this is the sexy pink border.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Right. You're wearing the shirt to match.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33I am, matches perfectly.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35A Japanese couple who visited the garden
0:31:35 > 0:31:39called it the sexy pink border, so that's stuck with us now for ever.
0:31:39 > 0:31:40- I should think so.- Yeah, yeah.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Yeah.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46It's quite unique in your garden, though, just being one colour.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49It is. A lot of the other beds have got colours mixed,
0:31:49 > 0:31:50this one we've just stuck to pink.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Variations on a theme.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55How did you decide what to include in it, though, in the first place?
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Well, a starting point is sometimes
0:31:57 > 0:31:59we'll pick the flowers from different
0:31:59 > 0:32:01parts of the garden, different pinks,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03and then we'll match those up.
0:32:03 > 0:32:04And then it's just matching...
0:32:04 > 0:32:05So you put them all together?
0:32:05 > 0:32:07- Put them all together. - See how they go.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09See how they go. Yeah.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13And then we'll work out the shapes of the plants that we want to use.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16The echinaceas at the moment look as though they're floating
0:32:16 > 0:32:17above the planting.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21We've kept the repetition going and then it weaves in and out.
0:32:21 > 0:32:26It does and it curls round some of your taller plants and goes off.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28- It does.- So it's very rhythmic.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30- It is.- Yeah, as well as being sexy.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Yeah. Yeah. But more sexy, I think.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35All right.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39It shows so much about you and your love for plants.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Yeah. Yeah, it's taken a lot of years to get to this stage.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47And it's all the advice we've been given along the way and places that
0:32:47 > 0:32:52have inspired us that have got us to this and these sorts of plantings.
0:32:52 > 0:32:53And lots of love.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55- Lots of love.- Lots of love. - Yeah, lot of plants love.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59That amalgamation has resulted in...
0:32:59 > 0:33:03- Yes. Yeah.- This most splendid garden, it's wonderful.
0:33:03 > 0:33:04Thank you.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16There's no question that there is real skill
0:33:16 > 0:33:18in getting colours right in the garden.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22It's no good just bunging things in and expecting them to look good,
0:33:22 > 0:33:26because even a beautiful plant, whose colours you adore,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30can look wrong because of the association of the plants around it.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Here at Longmeadow, we have restricted ourselves
0:33:33 > 0:33:35in every part of the garden to various palettes.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39So with the Jewel Garden, we have the rich jewel colours,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42which means having no whites or pinks.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44In the Cottage Garden though,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47we really give reign to all the pastel shades
0:33:47 > 0:33:50and then on the mound, it's
0:33:50 > 0:33:53fundamentally white with touches of lemon and blue,
0:33:53 > 0:33:57and from that you build up a picture.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59And it's a long, ongoing process,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03but a really important part of the artistry of gardening.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Now, still to come on tonight's programme.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10I'll be planting a window box with cyclamen
0:34:10 > 0:34:12to add a splash of autumn colour.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17And we visit Kew Gardens to capture the rarely seen flowering
0:34:17 > 0:34:22and pollination of the giant waterlily Victoria cruziana.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37I'm planting out rocket that was sown on the 18th of July,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40so that's about six weeks ago,
0:34:40 > 0:34:42and the idea is that this will be ready to pick
0:34:42 > 0:34:45in a couple of weeks' time and will last through, if we look after it,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49maybe with a few cloches and fleece, to Christmas.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54And the seeds, the rocket seeds that I sowed a week ago,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57will be ready to plant into the greenhouse
0:34:57 > 0:34:59sort of the middle of October
0:34:59 > 0:35:00when we take the tomatoes out.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04And that will be ready for picking as this dies down from Christmas
0:35:04 > 0:35:06through till March and then I'll sow more in January,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09which will take us through into spring.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13And by overlapping and having the succession of plants,
0:35:13 > 0:35:15we'll pretty much have a constant supply.
0:35:15 > 0:35:20And the secret of rocket is that it does like rich soil and plenty of
0:35:20 > 0:35:23water, give it plenty of compost if you've got some
0:35:23 > 0:35:27and certainly don't let it dry out, because otherwise it bolts.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Now, the soil here, in fact,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31in these new beds is quite heavy and claggy.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34And I'm adding lots and lots of compost
0:35:34 > 0:35:36and slowly it's getting better,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38but the main thing is I know it's fertile,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41I know that things will and do grow really well here.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46But Arit Anderson has been to the new developments that have been going on
0:35:46 > 0:35:48over the last decade or so around King's Cross
0:35:48 > 0:35:52and found a garden where, initially at least, there was nothing.
0:35:52 > 0:35:53No soil at all.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58But where there is a will, there's a way, and she's discovered
0:35:58 > 0:36:02that a lot of ingenuity has created a rather special garden.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Like many industrial areas, by the 1990s,
0:36:10 > 0:36:14King's Cross had declined into wasteland.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16Since its redevelopment in the last ten years,
0:36:16 > 0:36:18it's slowly being transformed.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26Now, the building work continues, but tucked amongst it
0:36:26 > 0:36:28is a green oasis called the Skip Garden.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33I'm here to meet the gardeners and volunteers of this very enterprising
0:36:33 > 0:36:38community garden to see how it could just change how we think about
0:36:38 > 0:36:39our urban spaces in the future.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48I can see why it's called the Skip Garden.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55What makes this garden unique is that it's movable and has been in
0:36:55 > 0:36:59four different locations around the development over the last ten years.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01There are seven skips on this small site,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04all maintained by the charity Global Generation,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07who run courses for people of all ages.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10And one of their gardeners, Julie Riehl,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14can explain how skips have become raised beds.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18So the skip came from the local developer,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21who gave them to us when they couldn't use them as skips any more,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23and we turned them into a movable garden.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26And they were amazing for us, because it was the first thing
0:37:26 > 0:37:29that we could move around with the garden.
0:37:29 > 0:37:30So they keep you really nomadic,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32means you can just kind of go anywhere.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Absolutely, that's the whole point of the Skip Garden in a way,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38is to be able to follow the development of King's Cross and so we are now
0:37:38 > 0:37:40on our fourth site and the skips have followed us
0:37:40 > 0:37:43through three of our sites and they are still here today
0:37:43 > 0:37:45and they represent the core of our garden.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49There's bits of building materials and all sorts of scraps.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Well, the concept of the whole Skip Garden was to create something with
0:37:53 > 0:37:56the community and the material that existed around here,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59so a lot of the things were donated, were second-hand,
0:37:59 > 0:38:01were rubbish for other people and gold for us,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04and so we built using what was around.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06And the windows you can see behind me on the glasshouse
0:38:06 > 0:38:09were collected by a student who designed this for us.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12So most of the things around here are material
0:38:12 > 0:38:16- that would otherwise have been wasted.- Which is superb.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18What are you trying to achieve with this garden?
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Well, we are trying to connect the community with each other,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25but also with nature. Via activities,
0:38:25 > 0:38:28by being the lung of King's Cross development site, because we're green,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32we're open to everyone within a site that is still full of cranes and
0:38:32 > 0:38:36bulldozers and building noises, and that's what we're trying to achieve.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39What are in all those lovely skips?
0:38:39 > 0:38:43So the very first one is our herb skip and it contains all of the
0:38:43 > 0:38:46delicious perennial gorgeous herbs, we use a lot of them in the kitchen,
0:38:46 > 0:38:49from rosemary to sage to lemon verbena
0:38:49 > 0:38:52and all those very scented ones.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57And then we have three skips that represent the crop rotation
0:38:57 > 0:38:59you would have in a normal garden,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03so we never grow the same family of crop again in the same skip.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05OK.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09And this here is my absolute favourite, it's our orchard skip.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13And we managed to transform this skip to allow us to grow fruit trees
0:39:13 > 0:39:16into a very small space, and it's a really good way
0:39:16 > 0:39:19for us to say you don't need a huge garden to grow fruits.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25So come with me, because there is something here
0:39:25 > 0:39:27- I'd really like to show you.- Ooh.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29And they are my favourite pets in the garden.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32THEY LAUGH
0:39:34 > 0:39:36So here you've got a wormery,
0:39:36 > 0:39:38so wormeries are a tower
0:39:38 > 0:39:41in which we keep special worms which will digest
0:39:41 > 0:39:44the food scraps from the kitchen and create two things that are amazing,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47this little black thing here, that's actually gorgeous soil,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and we use that as a fertiliser on the garden.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54And worm tea, which is this liquid down there,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57that is a bit like worm pee and it's full of beneficial soil bacteria,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- so when you're growing organically, this is like gold dust.- Yeah.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02- VOICEOVER:- Once diluted,
0:40:02 > 0:40:07the worm tea can be watered into the plant as a home-made fertiliser.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10So what have we got going on in here then?
0:40:10 > 0:40:12So the purpose of the polytunnel
0:40:12 > 0:40:14is very much to grow greens for the cafe,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17which they use in salads and in all their other lovely food.
0:40:17 > 0:40:18Lovely, looks great.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20And what's that down there?
0:40:20 > 0:40:23So we also, as a garden team, like a bit of unusual stuff,
0:40:23 > 0:40:28so what you have here is a red orach and it's the same family as fat-hen,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32so it is related to the common weed, but it's edible,
0:40:32 > 0:40:33it tastes like spinach and it's red.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36- So it's amazing.- Can I have a little bit?- Yeah, please do.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39- It's very nice.- Mmm, quite delicate.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41- Very nice.- And what's that little one down there?
0:40:41 > 0:40:44This one here is called oca or New Zealand yam
0:40:44 > 0:40:47and it's a very weird root vegetable
0:40:47 > 0:40:50and it has the texture of a potato with the taste of a lemon.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52- Liking that.- And it's bright pink and bright yellow,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54so we were all over that, of course.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Yeah, of course. You've got to love the look of that, looks great.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Yes.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01The lifeblood of this garden is its visitors.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05They have twilight gardening for people to visit after work,
0:41:05 > 0:41:06a myriad of youth programmes
0:41:06 > 0:41:09and they invite families here to have fun together in the garden.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Do you guys recognise anything?
0:41:11 > 0:41:13- Is that mint?- That's the mint.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Absolutely. And what about this?
0:41:15 > 0:41:17- Look at that.- Lavender.
0:41:17 > 0:41:18Lavender!
0:41:20 > 0:41:22We come here all the time.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25I love the fact that she can come here and do a little bit of cooking,
0:41:25 > 0:41:27bit of gardening, she loves feeding the chickens.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31So she gets a bit of contact with nature.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35- You'll be gardening soon, won't you? - I hope so.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Julie, what is it about it for you
0:41:40 > 0:41:42that makes this garden really special?
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Well, first of all, I think it's where it is,
0:41:45 > 0:41:47it is in the middle of King's Cross,
0:41:47 > 0:41:51which is a highly developed site in the middle of a very busy city,
0:41:51 > 0:41:55and we have all sorts of people coming here from all backgrounds,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58from very tiny to elderly people,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01and that's what makes this garden kind of so unique and so special.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06I agree, and I hope that more cities and more developers get confident to
0:42:06 > 0:42:08make sure every single space counts
0:42:08 > 0:42:11and to keep the oasis of green going.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17The Skip Garden has found a home here for at least another year and,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20true to its nomadic ethos,
0:42:20 > 0:42:24will eventually move again to enrich another corner of this development.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40There's no doubt that when I lived in London in the 1980s,
0:42:40 > 0:42:41King's Cross was an area that needed,
0:42:41 > 0:42:43shall we say, a little bit of love.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Well, it's had love and money and has developed
0:42:46 > 0:42:47and that's good to see,
0:42:47 > 0:42:53and it's also good to see that it's not just steel and glass and money,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56there is real attempt at making community projects
0:42:56 > 0:43:00that are involving local people. And long may that last.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03And if you want to find out more about the Skip Gardens,
0:43:03 > 0:43:05then go to our website.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12At this time of year,
0:43:12 > 0:43:17one of the smaller but brighter stars in the garden are cyclamen.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Cyclamen hederifolium.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23And the hederifolium refers to the leaves that look a bit ivy-shaped,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26but you won't see them at this time of year,
0:43:26 > 0:43:28because the flowers arise
0:43:28 > 0:43:30naked from the soil.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32And then the leaves only start to grow
0:43:32 > 0:43:34after the flowers have finished.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38Now, these are tiny little flowers, but with real intensity,
0:43:38 > 0:43:41and if you have these kind of cyclamen,
0:43:41 > 0:43:44which is Cyclamen persicum.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46You can always tell persicum,
0:43:46 > 0:43:51because the flowers are so much bigger than any hardy type.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55These are house plants essentially, they don't tolerate cold.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57Don't plant them in the garden, because they won't survive.
0:43:57 > 0:44:02However, Cyclamen hederifolium will last for years and years
0:44:02 > 0:44:04and spread in the garden.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08Now, what I want to do is plant them actually into a window box,
0:44:08 > 0:44:12because they make great potted plants as well as garden plants.
0:44:12 > 0:44:17I've got a window box here and it's worth pointing out that I've drilled
0:44:17 > 0:44:21holes in the bottom. The thing they hate is sitting in wet, moist soil.
0:44:21 > 0:44:28I'm using a seed compost. They do not need any extra garden compost,
0:44:28 > 0:44:31manure or fertiliser of any sort.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35And I'm adding to that some leaf mould.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38I'm always going on about making leaf mould,
0:44:38 > 0:44:43but it is fantastic stuff, and for plants like cyclamen, it's heaven.
0:44:43 > 0:44:48It's a very loose, light, fluffy mix.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50Which will be perfect for these plants.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53And I'm going to mix them up with some ivy
0:44:53 > 0:44:57so it trails over the front edge. You want a big display.
0:44:57 > 0:45:03And these will give you flowers from now for another month,
0:45:03 > 0:45:05each flower lasts for weeks.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09And when these are finished,
0:45:09 > 0:45:11if I don't want to leave them in the window box,
0:45:11 > 0:45:14I can plant them into the garden. TOY SQUEAKS
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Nige, stop it.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18He's just showing off.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21They'll take some sunshine, but not full sunshine,
0:45:21 > 0:45:23so for example, this window box
0:45:23 > 0:45:26absolutely should not go on a south-facing aspect.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29North-facing or east-facing would be ideal.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33When it's finished flowering,
0:45:33 > 0:45:37the whole surface will be covered by the foliage and that will give an
0:45:37 > 0:45:41evergreen display throughout winter.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43Now, I'll put this to one side and find a home for it in a minute.
0:45:48 > 0:45:55Because I'm also going to plant up a little terracotta Alpine pan,
0:45:55 > 0:45:59because cyclamens are really nice in little terracotta pots,
0:45:59 > 0:46:02it doesn't have to be a great big container.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05And I'm going to plant this,
0:46:05 > 0:46:08this is a new type of Cyclamen hederifolium.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Bred in Holland, it's called Ivy Ice.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14And it has flowers and foliage at the same time.
0:46:14 > 0:46:20So I'm going to put some compost in the bottom, bit of leaf mould.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24And just plant a few in this little pan.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34And he's going to sit slightly proud of the pot, but that won't matter
0:46:34 > 0:46:37because they're not going to live in here for ever.
0:46:37 > 0:46:42That can be put somewhere where it will brighten up a dark corner.
0:46:42 > 0:46:47It will be very happy tucked away where other plants would languish.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50So I'm going to find a place for it.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00There is enough shade there to keep them happy.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04And they should go on flowering now for another month.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06One of the great pleasures of gardening, I think,
0:47:06 > 0:47:09is the way that flowers come round in season. Like old friends,
0:47:09 > 0:47:14you can greet them at the right time of year in the right place.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16It also means that if things don't go well this year,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19there's always another stab at it next year.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22But some plants flower so irregularly
0:47:22 > 0:47:25and there is such a long gap between
0:47:25 > 0:47:29those flowerings, that they become newsworthy events.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31And we went along to Kew Gardens,
0:47:31 > 0:47:37where the giant waterlily Victoria cruziana was coming into flower.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48The giant waterlily is Victoria cruziana.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55The leaves get usually up to two metres diameter.
0:47:55 > 0:47:56I have to say that ours
0:47:56 > 0:48:01was 2.05 metres two weeks ago.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03So it's really good.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07In the wild, it's sort of a short-lived perennial,
0:48:07 > 0:48:12but because of the light levels that we've got here in the UK,
0:48:12 > 0:48:14we grow it as an annual.
0:48:14 > 0:48:21And it grows from a centre point and it produces huge stems with
0:48:21 > 0:48:24gigantic leaves at the end.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27And all of it is full of spines.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31Supposedly, to avoid to be eaten by fish.
0:48:31 > 0:48:38So Victoria cruziana was discovered in the 19th century in Bolivia.
0:48:38 > 0:48:43This is something so amazing, so original and,
0:48:43 > 0:48:48compared to a normal waterlily, is absolutely astonishing.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51So there was a sort of a craze over them.
0:48:54 > 0:48:59Victoria cruziana comes from an area where there is quite shallow
0:48:59 > 0:49:02water, quite still water and, you know,
0:49:02 > 0:49:08with climate change and the related flooding,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10that is quite a threat for them,
0:49:10 > 0:49:14because obviously their habitat is getting destroyed.
0:49:14 > 0:49:20Also, deforestation is not helping, because that can pollute the water.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23So, you know, trying and preserve
0:49:23 > 0:49:27this amazing plant is very important, is paramount, really.
0:49:31 > 0:49:38Once the plant is mature, which in here is about July,
0:49:38 > 0:49:43August, the flowering starts, the flowering season starts.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47But the flower itself, it only lasts for two nights.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51So the first night, it opens up and it is white.
0:50:00 > 0:50:06And that is the sort of female phase of the flower.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Then it closes during the day
0:50:10 > 0:50:15and then the second night, it opens again and it is pink.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18And that's the sort of male phase of the flower.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24In the wild, it's pollinated by beetles.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28Once they open in its female phase,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32the beetles are attracted by the scent of the flower,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35also they are attracted by the colour white.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39And inside the flower, there's some pollen.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Once it's closed during the day, the beetle stays trapped,
0:50:43 > 0:50:46so the beetles are completely covered in pollen,
0:50:46 > 0:50:50so then when they come out and they go to another flower,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54which will be female phase, they will pollinate it.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57So in the house, obviously we don't have any beetles,
0:50:57 > 0:50:59so we play the beetle card.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Well, I really like coming into the glasshouse
0:51:11 > 0:51:15when there is no public, so I can have it all to myself.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25Once the sun has gone down,
0:51:25 > 0:51:29then we come in and then we pollinate because that's essentially
0:51:29 > 0:51:33what would happen in nature, the beetles will come out at night.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39The beetles will go inside the flower when it's white,
0:51:39 > 0:51:40in the female phase.
0:51:40 > 0:51:45At the moment, it's in the male phase, because it's pink.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49However, the stigma cap inside is still receptive,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52so I'll be able to pollinate it very easily.
0:51:53 > 0:51:58So I'm picking up the pollen that I've collected last night.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02And then I'll stick it right inside, in the middle of the flower,
0:52:02 > 0:52:07and then I'll just move it around because all of it is receptive.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09There is a lot of pollen, actually.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11So it's really good.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17So as the flower is now going to go underwater,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21I need to protect the seed that will come up in 8-10 weeks,
0:52:21 > 0:52:23so what I've got with me,
0:52:23 > 0:52:29I've got a kind of a net that I can put over the flower.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32This will protect the seeds.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Once the fruit is ready with all the seeds,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39we'll collect them and we'll clean them,
0:52:39 > 0:52:44we'll take all the pulp off and they will be underwater all the time.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46And we'll take them to the tropical nursery.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50And then March or April, depending on the weather,
0:52:50 > 0:52:54we'll be able to have our new little Victoria here to be planted
0:52:54 > 0:52:56and start a new cycle.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01It's really cool to be able to
0:53:01 > 0:53:04make a life start, producing seeds.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08This is very rewarding, I really enjoy it.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29When we were filming Around The World In 80 Gardens,
0:53:29 > 0:53:34we were a long way up the Amazon and staying on a boat on the river,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37and I remember one day we then got on a smaller boat
0:53:37 > 0:53:42and travelled for a few hours and walked for an hour or so
0:53:42 > 0:53:46through the forest and came to this lake
0:53:46 > 0:53:52with 20, 30, 40 of these giant waterlilies, great leafy plates.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59And in that heat and that humidity, it was an unforgettable experience.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Seems a far cry from hoeing my veg patch,
0:54:03 > 0:54:06but it's a job that needs doing.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09Like these others, that you can do this weekend.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24Pinch out the flower heads of basil plants as they appear.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28This time of year, they are trying to set seed as quickly as they can
0:54:28 > 0:54:30and this takes the energy from the leaves
0:54:30 > 0:54:32and makes them coarser and much less tasty.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39If, like me, you sowed some turnips a few weeks ago,
0:54:39 > 0:54:43they will have germinated and you'll have a rash of young plants.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45They need thinning.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50Just take up clumps, leaving thin lines of plants.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53And then in a few weeks' time, you can return and thin them again.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Rambling roses have put on a great spurt of growth
0:55:01 > 0:55:03over the last month or so.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07And whether you are growing them up a trellis, a fence, a pergola,
0:55:07 > 0:55:08or as I do, up trees,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12they should be tied in now to protect them from autumn winds.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Because these shoots are the ones
0:55:14 > 0:55:16that are carrying next year's flowers.
0:55:27 > 0:55:33A weekly job at this time of year is to keep feeding the pots,
0:55:33 > 0:55:37particularly hungry plants like these bananas in the Jewel Garden.
0:55:39 > 0:55:45The pots have outgrown most of the fertility and nutrition,
0:55:45 > 0:55:50and to keep it looking really good and vibrant for as long as possible,
0:55:50 > 0:55:51they do need a regular feed.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54This is just liquid seaweed, quite a weak mix,
0:55:54 > 0:55:56and that's enough to keep them going.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Anyway, let's see if it's going to be rain,
0:55:58 > 0:56:02frost or blazing sunshine in our gardens this weekend.
0:57:08 > 0:57:13Now that the flowers of the thyme are over,
0:57:13 > 0:57:14it's a good idea to cut them back,
0:57:14 > 0:57:16and that lets light and air in,
0:57:16 > 0:57:20because the one thing that thyme absolutely hates
0:57:20 > 0:57:24is being crowded out and shaded by itself,
0:57:24 > 0:57:26let alone any other plant.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29They've got good drainage underneath, they're low fertility,
0:57:29 > 0:57:30which is fine.
0:57:30 > 0:57:34Also we need to make sure that they have air around them if
0:57:34 > 0:57:36they are to be happy over winter.
0:57:36 > 0:57:37But winter's a long time away.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40Let's not get too gloomy about it.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44But it is the end of the programme, so that's it for today
0:57:44 > 0:57:46and I'll see you back here at Longmeadow
0:57:46 > 0:57:50next week at the same time. Till then, goodbye.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52Go on, then, you can go now. Are you feeling a bit...?
0:57:52 > 0:57:53Do you want to go indoors?
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Have you had enough?
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Come on. Off we go. Come on.