0:00:02 > 0:00:03BIRDSONG
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Now that it's sort of warmed up a little bit,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I can plant out this rocket.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20You can see that I'm spacing them quite wide apart,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22at least six and as much as nine inches.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25If you sow the seed in a drill,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27you get a rash of young seedlings.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Even if you thin them to an inch or two inches apart,
0:00:30 > 0:00:31they'll still be very small,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34whereas when they're spaced widely,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36you get strong roots and a big plant.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39That gives you three or even four cuttings of the leaves.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43So basically, you get more leaf for your seed.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I'm also going to be sowing brassica in a seed bed,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51I'm planting cordoned apples, lilies in pots.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52It's plants all the way.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58In tonight's programme,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Carol celebrates a plant that typifies all that is glorious
0:01:01 > 0:01:04about the month of April - the primrose.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11We visit York to see how a seemingly ordinary back garden
0:01:11 > 0:01:14can produce a rich and varied harvest.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Come on, then.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32We do an awful lot of seed sowing, and it always involves seed trays
0:01:32 > 0:01:36and quite often heated mats and greenhouses
0:01:36 > 0:01:40and then cold frames and pricking out and potting on.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I know it can seem a bit of a palaver.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47But you can grow and sow seeds without any of that fuss.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51It can all happen outside in a seed bed.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53That's what I'm establishing here.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Nellie, give me the seeds. There's a good girl.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Thank you very much indeed. Lovely.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03You just need a patch of ground.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It wants to be sunny and clear of big stones
0:02:07 > 0:02:08and reasonably well drained.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I've covered this with cloches because it was raining this morning.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I want to keep it dry.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16It doesn't want to be too wet,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20but if I just take some of the cloches off...
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I'm going to put down a board.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26All I'm going to do is run my hand down and make a line,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30then do another one parallel to it there.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36The plants that really lend themselves to this are brassica.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38I'm going to sow some purple sprouting broccoli.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41It's one of my favourite vegetables.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Just about to be ready for harvest now.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46You sow it a full year ahead.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51It's a long-term investment in plant and soil, and worth it.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Fabulous stuff.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56So when you sow seeds into a seed bed,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59they're not going to grow there permanently.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03The idea is to raise seedlings until they're big enough
0:03:03 > 0:03:05to transplant to their final growing position.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10The advantages of that over the very finest potting compost
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and the best, most fancy greenhouse
0:03:13 > 0:03:16is they start life, from day one,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20with the bacteria and the fungi of the soil
0:03:20 > 0:03:24interacting with the roots that they are going to grow in.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28These plants are going to have to be thinned to about two inches apart,
0:03:28 > 0:03:29maybe even three inches,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34so there is absolutely no point in sowing them too thickly.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38So I'll get three short rows from one packet.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Now I can just lightly cover the seeds over.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46I find that running your fingers down either side of the drill
0:03:46 > 0:03:49pushes the soil back in over the top of them.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51You don't need to worry about it too much.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53All I've got to do is keep it weed-free.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Around about early to mid-June,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58they'll be ready to transplant to their final growing position,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01when they're about five or six inches tall.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02I'm not going to cloche them now
0:04:02 > 0:04:04because it's sort of spitting with rain
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and I want a bit of moisture.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09But if it gets very cold, or torrential rain,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12I've got the cloches to hand to protect the seedlings.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17It's a very simple, easy way of raising a lot of plants.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Many of us are growing vegetables as a treat,
0:04:21 > 0:04:22as much as anything else.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26It's something that you love to eat and it's going to be nicer
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and more fun if you grow it yourself.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34But there are some people who are truly self-sufficient
0:04:34 > 0:04:36in fruit and vegetables.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Last summer, we went to York to meet one such couple.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Well, this is our garden.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49It's a suburban garden on the edge of York.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It's about an acre in total.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52It was a former nursery
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and it's packed with all kinds of different things.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59We have fruit, vegetables, ornamental garden, greenhouses.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03Most people who come to visit the garden
0:05:03 > 0:05:05are amazed at what we've got here.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07As soon as they come through the gate,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10they're really surprised at what they see.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13So we're not Tom and Barbara from The Good Life,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17we don't have a Rotavator-powered trailer.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19We don't even have a chicken called Stalin,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21although we do have some hens.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Come on.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28But we're not trying to be self-sufficient in the sense
0:05:28 > 0:05:30of cutting ourselves off from the rest of the world,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33so we obviously buy food in the normal way.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35- But not fruit and vegetables. - We don't buy fruit and vegetables.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38- Not fruit and vegetables. - We do try and eat seasonally.- Yes.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42But what we do try and do is grow a few new things each year.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45I guess, over the last 35-odd years,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48we've probably tried most things that you can grow
0:05:48 > 0:05:49in an English climate.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56This is our smallest greenhouse. We grow a range of chillies in here.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00We've got early jalapeno, we've got Hungarian hot wax
0:06:00 > 0:06:02and we've got cayenne peppers as well.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05We've also got a few melons just ripening in here as well.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Melons are a bit of a challenge for us, but we always try.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10This year, we've got two types.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13We've got one called Malaga, which is the striped one.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16We've got another one, whose name escapes me right now.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18- I think it's Sweetheart, isn't it? - Is it?- I think.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20I've got it - it's "EE-mir" or "EH-mir".
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- How do you pronounce it?- "EH-mir." - "EH-mir". Emir, OK.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32In this garden, we have over 100 fruit trees
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and maybe about 80 varieties, would you say?
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Probably about 80 different varieties.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38A few of those are Yorkshire varieties,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40like the Ribston Pippin,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44but a lot of our varieties come from all over Europe, don't they?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47We've got Ingrid Marie, which originally came from Denmark.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49We've got Kidd's Orange Red,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52which originally came from New Zealand.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54It's probably a little bit more difficult to grow fruit
0:06:54 > 0:06:55in the north of England,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58but not necessarily as difficult as most people think.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01To get a nice, ripe eating apple, you need plenty of sun.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03What we tend to do is grow the eating apples
0:07:03 > 0:07:06in a sunny position like this.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07In the shadier positions,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09we tend to grow either cooking apples
0:07:09 > 0:07:12or the very early eating apples, where they will still ripen,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14even if there's not a great deal of sunshine.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19This is an early Russet. It's a really, really nice apple.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20Everybody should grow this apple.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22It's one of the best apples you can grow in a garden.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23We love this apple.
0:07:23 > 0:07:29So in terms of picking, what we do is cup the fruit and then just lift.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30It comes away cleanly.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32If it doesn't come away cleanly,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35then we will actually leave it on the tree.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37So we put it in stalk up.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40We're going to make a single layer of apples in this box.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45We only ever store the absolutely perfect apples.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46Every apple we pick...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50..we look at it, look it over,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53make sure it's absolutely perfect before it goes in the box.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55OK, this one's got a few bruises on,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57so I'm not actually going to store that one.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59I'm going to put that in the juicing basket.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09What you essentially need to store apples and pears
0:08:09 > 0:08:11is you need something fairly dry
0:08:11 > 0:08:16but not so dry that the apples will shrivel.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19You need to avoid frost getting into there.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Also, you need to avoid mice getting into the store as well.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24Most apples taste better
0:08:24 > 0:08:27when they're kept in store for a little while.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35I think, if you've got land, I think you should use it effectively.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Some of it is hard work, but it's worth it,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41at the end of the day, to be producing our own food.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55What I love about that garden is that it's such a good example
0:08:55 > 0:09:00of how you can grow a wide range of fruit in a relatively small space.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05You don't need a great orchard full of vast trees.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07That's something I want to build on now.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Couple of weeks ago,
0:09:19 > 0:09:24I started to make what will become our new soft fruit garden.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Still a work in progress,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30but I'm ready to start some planting.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I'm going to make a hedge,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36a fruity hedge to go around the outside.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I can do that by growing them as cordons.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41The brilliant thing about cordons
0:09:41 > 0:09:43is that you can have any kind of apple tree you like,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45as long as it's spur bearing -
0:09:45 > 0:09:47I'll tell you more about that in a minute -
0:09:47 > 0:09:49in a really restricted space,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52because it only needs to be about that wide.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I'm going to grow them as low as this, which is about four foot,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57which matches the other hedges here,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00although you can go up to about six or eight feet.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Because they're so restricted in their pruning,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06you can plant them very close together -
0:10:06 > 0:10:07two or three feet apart -
0:10:07 > 0:10:12which means if you've got ten foot of fence free,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15you could have three different apple trees.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20Cordons are essentially trees with just one stem
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and tiny little spur-like branches coming off it.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26The spurs are the key, because most apples, not all,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29but most are spur bearers.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33You can see here - each of these are spurs.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Essentially, you can think of this as a branch
0:10:35 > 0:10:37as well as the main stem.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39These will all bear fruit.
0:10:39 > 0:10:46Now I'm going to start by angling them across towards the north.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50They need to be planted literally at 45 degrees.
0:10:50 > 0:10:57What that does is give it the best of vertical growth for energy
0:10:57 > 0:10:59and horizontal growth to encourage flowering.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03I'm also facing it north,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07which will limit and constrict its growth.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12If I had them facing the other way, south, they would be more vigorous.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Actually, because this is low, I'm not looking for vigour,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16I'm looking for fruit.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19OK, let's put that to one side for the moment.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Mycorrhizal fungi is a really good idea with any woody plant,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36because it just helps it establish quicker.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Then, once it's established,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41it'll have its own relationship and it will build its own fungi.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Now, you can see here that the graft, which is there,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48must be above the soil.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50That really important.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52The graft is where the top of the tree -
0:11:52 > 0:11:57this applies to all apple trees, and pears - joins the roots.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02The top determines the fruit and the roots determine the vigour
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and the shape of the plant.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08These, for the record, are on M9 rootstock,
0:12:08 > 0:12:13which is quite dwarfing because we don't want these to be too big.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14This is Red Windsor.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19It will harvest mid-season, late September.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I'm planting these in pairs, so one will pollinate the other.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28You can buy self-pollinating apples, but it's always better to plant two.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31That will ensure fruit. The fruit will come.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Even though they're small,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35even though I've just planted them, they've got blossom.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36That will turn into fruit.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40In their season, I will eat and enjoy them.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Talking about in their season, we're in April.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48Again, Carol is selecting the plant which, for her,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50epitomises this month.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Early in the year,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03as I'm wandering around the lanes in my adopted home of Devon,
0:13:03 > 0:13:08the twigs are bare, the grass is green, and then, suddenly,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12here and there, you see these sparks of light.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Before you know where you are, the whole banks,
0:13:14 > 0:13:21the hedgerows are completely awash with these beautiful, pale flowers.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24They are, of course, primroses.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29I've come to Cornwall,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32to the only Plant Heritage National Collection
0:13:32 > 0:13:35of double primroses in the country.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Primroses belong to the Primulaceae family.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48It's a huge genus spread across the northern hemisphere.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Everything from auriculas in the Alps
0:13:51 > 0:13:55to those glorious Candelabras from Asia.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06This is a favourite of mine, it's Marie Crousse.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09This is a primrose which has played a really interesting part
0:14:09 > 0:14:13in the whole development of double primroses.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14Florence Bellis,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19who is the most important hybridist of primroses and whose nursery,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Barnhaven, became synonymous with the breeding of modern varieties,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26used this to create a lot of the modern doubles
0:14:26 > 0:14:30that many of us grow in our gardens today.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Just look at that.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Isn't she beautiful?
0:14:36 > 0:14:42Primroses love cool, damp banks, glades and hedgerows.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45They're tremendously successful woodland plants,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48having evolved side by side with trees.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54Now another reason why primroses are such a success story is that,
0:14:54 > 0:15:0157 million years ago, they actually developed into two separate forms.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05One's called thrum-eyed and one's called pin-eyed.
0:15:05 > 0:15:12Here's a thrum-eyed. Here are all the anthers arranged around the top.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Deep down, right in the heart of the flower,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19is the actual stigma, the female bit.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Whereas in the pin-eyed, here is the stigma,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27actually protruding from the flower.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31But there are the anthers, full of pollen.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35These are the male bits, which will pollinate the other flowers.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40The whole idea of this is that you're much more liable
0:15:40 > 0:15:41to get cross-pollination,
0:15:41 > 0:15:46so the resultant plants from those are going to be much, much stronger.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49If you want to try and create your own primrose hybrids,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51you can use a very simple method.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55So I'm going to move some pollen from this thrum-eyed one...
0:15:56 > 0:15:59..and I'm going to move it right over to this pin-eyed one.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03A nice, fresh flower. That one's ideal.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08I'm just going to daub it over the top of that stigma.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09That should do it.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12That pollen will go right down the pollen tube
0:16:12 > 0:16:15into the ovary behind the flower,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and eventually, that will swell and be full of seeds.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30It's a really great idea with all your primroses to dig them up
0:16:30 > 0:16:32and divide them every couple of years or so.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35It reinvigorates them.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Normally when you are doing this, you'd probably do it,
0:16:39 > 0:16:44as Miss Jekyll said, when the flowers are on the wane.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Well, this one isn't flowering, but it's a great time,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49although the soil is rather soggy.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Look at these fabulous roots.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01But you can tell this plant is almost separating itself.
0:17:01 > 0:17:07I dare say we can make, what, maybe as many as ten out of this plant?
0:17:09 > 0:17:14Now all we've got to do is trim these roots.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17You want about the sort of length of your palm,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20that's about four inches, ten centimetres.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Just take a sharp knife and trim them across.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25It looks a bit brutal,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28but it actually encourages that little plant
0:17:28 > 0:17:32to make fine, fibrous feeding roots when it gets into the soil.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33That's what you want.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37When you plant them, try and plant them like this,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42so that you'll achieve this same kind of lovely sort of arrangement.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44I think that looks really beautiful.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47With a bit of luck, by this time next year,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50these primulas will do exactly the same.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59There are so many delightful primulas.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02You don't know which to choose.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Just look at this great swathe of this glorious one
0:18:05 > 0:18:07called Pridhamsleigh.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11It makes these gorgeous big rosettes of fresh green leaves
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and these snowy-white flowers that just tumble from the centre.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16It's a delight.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22There used to be lots of varieties of double primroses,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26but one of the few remaining ones is Bon Accord Purple.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29It's truly strong, robust
0:18:29 > 0:18:31and utterly gorgeous.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37For me, primroses are the epitome of spring.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40They really are the stars of April.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Well, like Carol, I love primroses.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56If anyone ever asks me, I always say they're my favourite flower,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01although the truth is I like whatever is looking good on the day.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Here at Longmeadow today,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07the primroses are eclipsed, I think, by these wood anemones,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10which are so happy.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11Little bit of sunshine
0:19:11 > 0:19:13and they open out.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16I probably planted no more than a dozen originally.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18All the rest have spread by seed over the years.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Now is their moment.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Now, while spring bulbs are dominating the garden,
0:19:37 > 0:19:42it's time to look ahead a bit and plan for summer bulbs.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Certainly the most dramatic summer bulbs have to be lilies.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48It's a perfect time to plant them in pots.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52They'll steadily grow for flowering in July and August.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56I've got some here called Gizmo.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58It comes highly recommended,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02both for its magnificent white flowers
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and its fragrance.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08This is a fairly typical lily pot, which are always deep
0:20:08 > 0:20:13because Gizmo, for example, will grow to a full metre height.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16They're tall and they need a bit of heft at the base,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and proportionately, they look better.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Don't plant lilies in a little pot,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23even if you're just doing one bulb at a time.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24They'll get unstable.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27So, bottom of the pot, put a crock,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29and then some compost.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33But - and this is the tricky bit -
0:20:33 > 0:20:37it is really good for lilies to add some leaf mould.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I know I'm always banging on about leaf mould,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42but it is fantastic stuff.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44The reason why it's good for lilies
0:20:44 > 0:20:50is because they really like a light, open, friable compost.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Leaf mould delivers exactly that.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Then the bulbs can go in.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Three will be plenty, because these are big plants.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Then we can cover it over.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09That's it.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10There is nothing more to do with this,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13but they aren't going to do very much either,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15so you don't want to put them into their final position yet.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I always put my lily pots to one side,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20not in full blazing sun nor in deep shade.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Make sure they don't dry out.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23Water them once a week.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Then you can move them to their final position when the flower stems
0:21:28 > 0:21:30start to appear, which will be, sort of,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32the middle to the end of June.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Put them where you can most enjoy the drama of their flowering
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and the beauty of their fragrance.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Now, I don't know if you think that lilies are the best plants
0:21:44 > 0:21:46or the most important plants,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49but everybody has their view on this.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54This week, it's the turn of Joe Swift to tell us which plant
0:21:54 > 0:21:57he thinks has had the greatest impact on us gardeners
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and our gardens over the last 50 years.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I've chosen Stipa gigantea, the golden oats.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09It's a fantastic ornamental grass reaching about six foot in height
0:22:09 > 0:22:13with its straw-coloured stems and seed heads over
0:22:13 > 0:22:15a mound of evergreen foliage.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21For me, it really represents all the ornamental grasses out there
0:22:21 > 0:22:26and how they've influenced and changed the looks of our gardens.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Grasses aren't about colour and blouseyness -
0:22:30 > 0:22:33they are wonderfully majestic and stately.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36They're so versatile - they work well in a contemporary
0:22:36 > 0:22:40or traditional garden, but also in a rural or town setting too,
0:22:40 > 0:22:45bringing in a naturalistic element into a planting scheme.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Grasses fundamentally changed the way we garden.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52We're looking for plants that don't need mollycoddling
0:22:52 > 0:22:55and deadheading and feeding or watering all the time,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57and grasses fit the bill nicely.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01For me, golden oats has got to be the Golden Jubilee winner.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Come on, then. Come on.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16They've got two balls now.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20Well, I do agree with Joe that grasses in general have transformed
0:23:20 > 0:23:23the way that we've gardened over the last 25 years.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Certainly, I remember at the beginning of the '90s,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29hardly anybody had grass borders in this country,
0:23:29 > 0:23:30and now they're very common.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Also the attitude, the way that we garden,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35has become much looser as a result.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37One note from experience.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42Stipa gigantea, which is a fabulous plant, hates sitting in cold,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46heavy, wet soil, which is generally what we have here at Longmeadow.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Now I only grow it here in the dry garden,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52where we get the same amount of rain as everywhere else,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54but the drainage is really good.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Well, we've had a bit of everything today - some rain, sun, wind.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59At least it's quite warm.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Let's find out what the weather is going to be like for us
0:24:02 > 0:24:03over the weekend.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Now that the new foliage is forming on the dogwood, the Cornus,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15it's a good time to cut it back,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19and you cut back dogwood every two or three years
0:25:19 > 0:25:23to stimulate vigorous regrowth that has extra-bright bark,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27and it's that bark, January and February and early March,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29that I think is the best thing about it.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30So don't be frightened.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34If you're going to cut, cut hard, because it will regrow fast.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37And everything here around the pond
0:25:37 > 0:25:39is almost growing in front of your eyes.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43The energy and the vigour at this time of year is amazing.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Well, I hope your energy's amazing,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48because here are some jobs for you for the weekend.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59The secret to enjoying a good harvest of rhubarb
0:25:59 > 0:26:03right through spring and into summer is to pick it regularly.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Take the largest stalks from each plant, and never cut,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11but always pull them firmly from the base.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15This means that the young shoots won't get damaged, and also,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18infection can't get in from cut wounds.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21And if you harvest it every week or so,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23you'll have a continuous supply.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Delphinium cuttings can be made from new shoots.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Use a sharp knife and cut below the soil level
0:26:33 > 0:26:35where it emerges from the root.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Just take one or two cuttings per plant.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40And having mixed up a very gritty compost mix,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44strip off all but the top part of the foliage.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Bury the cut stem against the edge of a pot
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and put the cuttings somewhere warm, water them,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57and they should start to show signs of new growth in a few weeks' time.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00I love ferns,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and ones like Dryopteris look fantastic all winter.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06But now, it's time to cut them back.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Remove all dying, broken and old growth,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14and then you'll be able to enjoy the new fronds
0:27:14 > 0:27:17as they slowly start to unfurl.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27It is a good idea to check your climbing plants -
0:27:27 > 0:27:30whether they're roses like this or wisteria, clematis,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32make sure that they're securely fixed
0:27:32 > 0:27:34or whatever you're supporting them with,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38that the twine isn't rotten if it's old, and so on and so forth.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41That way, when they really start to grow, you know they will be
0:27:41 > 0:27:43properly secured, and you can enjoy the flowers.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Mind you, here in the Writing Garden,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48I am enjoying the flowers. They're growing fast.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51This lovely daffodil, Thalia, is dominating it,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54but we've got the Bleeding Heart,
0:27:54 > 0:27:55the white Bleeding Heart coming through.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59We've got white hyacinths. we've got a Clematis alpina.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01A couple of them, white, they're small,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03but they are flowering and they will grow up.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05And this winter, I took out an apple tree
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and dramatically pruned this one,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12which is a Herefordshire Beefing, to let light in here.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14So hopefully, this summer,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17it'll be singing its white song better than ever.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21But I'm afraid no more singing from me today,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23because we've run out of time.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26However, I will be back next weekend, Easter weekend,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28with a full one-hour programme.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31So join me here at Longmeadow then.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32Till then, bye-bye.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Come on, you two.