0:00:15 > 0:00:18Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23If you keep pelargoniums stored over winter on a windowsill
0:00:23 > 0:00:24or in a heated greenhouse like this,
0:00:24 > 0:00:29they'll go on growing and flowering but they do get leggy.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31If you lift one up...
0:00:31 > 0:00:35By "leggy", I mean there's an awful lot of bare stem,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38and that will go on producing flower up and up and up.
0:00:38 > 0:00:43So by cutting it back now, that will stimulate new growth and then
0:00:43 > 0:00:45you'll have a good shape covered with flower.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Now, it's not all pelargoniums on tonight's programme.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Joe Swift's looking at extraordinary gardens and meeting the people
0:00:55 > 0:00:56who have designed them.
0:00:58 > 0:01:04And we visit the plot of the king of No Dig - Charles Dowding.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24It's time to plant out sweet peas
0:01:24 > 0:01:27and I just want to show you the difference between growing
0:01:27 > 0:01:29them yourself and buying them.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35I've got a pot here with just a single seedling that was sown
0:01:35 > 0:01:37in January.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39And it's grown perfectly well.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43This is a pot bought the other day and there are eight seedlings in it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Now, they're perfectly healthy, nothing wrong with them at all.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50But the secret of really good sweet peas
0:01:50 > 0:01:53is to have a strong, healthy plant.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56And if you've got eight seedlings competing for the same water
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and the same nourishment,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01they can never be as strong as if you've got one or two.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Having said that, it is too late to sow sweet peas now so if you haven't
0:02:05 > 0:02:07got them, do go and buy them
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and they will give you a lot of pleasure, but next year, think about
0:02:10 > 0:02:11growing your own.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22I like growing sweet peas up wigwams tripods,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26because you can then put them in the border and they rise up and
0:02:26 > 0:02:30you get the colour working in with the plants around them.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35This is a variety called Royal Wedding, which is a white sweet pea.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40And I'll always plant on the inside so that the roots can reach
0:02:40 > 0:02:41the water. When you water,
0:02:41 > 0:02:46you just water inside the space and that gives them maximum water
0:02:46 > 0:02:49because the one thing about sweet peas is they are very thirsty
0:02:49 > 0:02:51and very greedy.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54If you've got sandy soil or thin, chalky soil,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58really do add lots of organic matter.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00It will make a big difference.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04If nothing else, to act as a reservoir to hold moisture for them.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07In we go.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14And I put one pot per bean stick.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17And, of course, you could use bamboo just as well.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21If you've got eight or more growing in a pot,
0:03:21 > 0:03:26break them up to reduce the number at each growing station.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30They like cool weather.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36Sunshine, not too cold, but certainly not too hot or too dry.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41So don't put them in blazing sunny positions and, above all,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43make sure they don't get dry.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48These will need watering once a week unless it's very wet.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49There we go.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01You will have to tie them in but after about five or six weeks
0:04:01 > 0:04:03they'll become self-supporting.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10Now, sweet peas, for all their loveliness, are very conventional
0:04:10 > 0:04:15but Joe Swift is looking at a range of unusual and extraordinary
0:04:15 > 0:04:17gardens, sometimes. And, of course,
0:04:17 > 0:04:22he is a Chelsea gold medal winner so in a very good position, not just to
0:04:22 > 0:04:27enjoy them, but to look at how they have been designed and put together.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Now, it's always good to hear about a garden you've never seen before,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40especially when it's just around the corner from where you live,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44but what intrigues me about this one is it's made by
0:04:44 > 0:04:47a designer but they're not a garden designer.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Abigail Ahern is at the forefront of British interior design.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Tucked behind her terraced house is a west-facing,
0:04:58 > 0:05:006-metre-by-30-metre garden.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Abigail bought the house as a wreck back in 1998 but only turned
0:05:05 > 0:05:09her attention to the garden in the last couple of years.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- What a haven... - Thank you!- ..in the city.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16I've become a garden obsessive.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21- I know nothing about gardening... - That's not true, and I can see that
0:05:21 > 0:05:22from your garden.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Lived with barrenness for years and years and years,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27but we have this double-height glass wall,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30so I was looking at this fairly miserable garden for ages
0:05:30 > 0:05:33and the outside looked so dismal that it drove me crazy.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36And not knowing anything about gardening and how to make
0:05:36 > 0:05:40a magical garden, I literally had to use my kind of knowledge of
0:05:40 > 0:05:44interiors and apply the same principles to outside and planting.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48So I wanted it to feel really magical and lush and tropical -
0:05:48 > 0:05:52and also evergreen, so a lot of time in the winter it looks like this,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55which is really key because I overlook it all the time.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57What about the layout? Did you draw that out on a piece of paper?
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- How did that come together? - I didn't draw it out. I never...
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I sort of see things in my head, so I bought a cabin and plonked
0:06:03 > 0:06:07that at the end of the garden, which really grounded the whole space,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09and then realised all the planting
0:06:09 > 0:06:11was just shoved around the perimeter.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So it's the same with interiors - everybody shoves their sofa against
0:06:14 > 0:06:16the walls like a doctor's waiting room, which drives me crazy,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19and I'm all about bringing things in.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Like, I want to feel like I've fallen down
0:06:22 > 0:06:24a rabbit hole and I don't quite know where I am.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- This is a new addition, isn't it? - It's a new addition.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- Mimosa.- I love its feathery leaves.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- It's beautiful and in flower.- I know.- You know how big that gets?
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- It's just going to go up and up and up.- Is it?- Yeah.- Yes!
0:06:42 > 0:06:44- That's what you want? - That's music to my ears.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- This is pittosporum. Do you know all the names of your plants?- No.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Is that what it is, a pittosporum?
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Pittosporum tobira Variegata.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- Nice.- And it's a fantastic plant.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06So is this a bespoke cabin?
0:07:06 > 0:07:09It's not, I just picked it up off the internet and it's
0:07:09 > 0:07:12my little bolthole and it's where I go and write and just escape.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14It's black or very dark grey.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17People are scared of that colour in the garden but it does work.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20People are scared of the colour in the garden, in interiors,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23but I think the thing about inky, dark colours is they make
0:07:23 > 0:07:26anything that stands against it really pop out and look lush.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Lighting has become really integral because I realised before I lit the
0:07:32 > 0:07:36garden I was just looking out in the winter on this really black space.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38So I've lit it like an interior.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I've suspended chandeliers from trees,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44which against the darkness looks really magical.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I've suspended all these festooned lights running along
0:07:47 > 0:07:48the whole pathway.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52I've got floor lights and pendant lights and table lights everywhere
0:07:52 > 0:07:56so it becomes an extension of my indoor space at night.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- You know this is Gardeners' World? - I do.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04I'm a little bit worried this is plastic. And you've got a few
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- plastic plants around the garden - cacti and things.- I have.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10First of all, they're not plastic, they're faux botanicals.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- That's the new word of them.- OK.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17Secondly, I want the garden curated like an interior space, so there's
0:08:17 > 0:08:21big vases with oversized foliages and fronds trailing everywhere,
0:08:21 > 0:08:26and thirdly, I think that when you play around with what's real
0:08:26 > 0:08:29and what isn't, it kind of doesn't make sense and therefor it
0:08:29 > 0:08:32throws your mind and makes you feel even more kind of enchanted.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- So not everything makes sense immediately.- Yeah.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37They're very realistic and they do add
0:08:37 > 0:08:41a whole different sort of dimension to the garden.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Abigail's garden is only a small space
0:08:45 > 0:08:47but she's packed a lot into it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52The first thing that strikes me is how successful the connection
0:08:52 > 0:08:55between the garden and the interior is.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57So here we've got plants,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00they feel like they're flooding in from the garden.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03So when you do go outside, we got a classic outdoor room,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07somewhere to relax, sit, cook and entertain.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11And the connection between the outdoors and the indoors
0:09:11 > 0:09:13is so strong. If you're going to go for it,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16really go for it - just like Abigail has.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22What Abigail's done so well is break up the middle space of this garden.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26I know it's so difficult to get away from that rectangular lawn in
0:09:26 > 0:09:30a rectangular space but you've really got to start filling up the
0:09:30 > 0:09:34middle of the garden with plants and trees and objects and
0:09:34 > 0:09:37sculpture - whatever it might be. In a way, what you're trying to do
0:09:37 > 0:09:41is get the dancers on to the dance floor.
0:09:42 > 0:09:48Most of the planting in this garden is informal, it's very relaxed -
0:09:48 > 0:09:52except these two long lines of carex grasses straddling the side
0:09:52 > 0:09:57of the path, two really big brushstrokes in the planting.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01And what they do is lead you right up this straight garden path, and
0:10:01 > 0:10:04when you get to the end, you're not disappointed and that's
0:10:04 > 0:10:08so important in garden design - you've got somewhere to go.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15This city garden is not only unique, fresh and packed full of personality
0:10:15 > 0:10:20but I just love the process it's been through to get here.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Abigail has broken lots of rules.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25We get stuck in our ways and perhaps a little bit formulaic when
0:10:25 > 0:10:27it comes to our own gardens,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30but she's shown that a whole different approach can create
0:10:30 > 0:10:33something really special.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41As for plastic plants, well, I wouldn't have them in my garden
0:10:41 > 0:10:43but here...
0:10:43 > 0:10:45(I quite like them.)
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The trouble with real plants, as opposed to faux botanicals,
0:11:02 > 0:11:07is that they are prone to disease and predation.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The box balls that used to be in this area got terribly
0:11:10 > 0:11:14blighted and earlier this year we ripped them out and burnt them.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So this is part of an ongoing new project,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22and one of the side effects of that is to reveal this wall, unclothed.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Now, it's east-facing and, for a lot of people,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28a shady, cold wall is a problem,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30but, actually, it's an opportunity.
0:11:30 > 0:11:36So today I want to plant a rose that will cover the whole of this wall
0:11:36 > 0:11:38and be very happy in this position.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43Now, as we move across to this side, the wall gets shadier and
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I've got another rose that will cope with that.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49And in the corner, which is pure north-facing, constant shade,
0:11:49 > 0:11:54I've got a hydrangea that will love that position.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03This is Madame Alfred Carriere and she's a princess amongst roses,
0:12:03 > 0:12:08one of my favourites. White flowers that have a touch of pink to them
0:12:08 > 0:12:11and very fragrant - a tough, reliable
0:12:11 > 0:12:14but extremely elegant plant.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Right, I'm digging a hole that's quite deep because you want
0:12:17 > 0:12:21to plant roses a little bit deeper than they are in the pot.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Can you see there?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30That is the graft point
0:12:30 > 0:12:35where the top is joined to the roots.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40And all the roses you buy will have that graft point.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45And that should be planted an inch below soil level.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49And the reason you do that is it reduces suckering - and suckers grow
0:12:49 > 0:12:53from the root and have different flowers from the top,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55so you do not want suckers.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58The hole is not tight up against the wall.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Any wall soaks up moisture,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04so the further away it is from the wall, the less dry it will be.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Obviously that will be watered in but first of all I'm going to
0:13:13 > 0:13:16plant the other two and water them all together.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23Souvenir du Docteur Jamain is a magnificent rose
0:13:23 > 0:13:28with rich, burgundy flowers that will repeat all summer long.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32But it really does not like being in full sun.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37So find it a shady spot and it will flourish.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Souvenir du Docteur Jamain will cover this space here.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43It's not as big as a Madame Alfred Carriere
0:13:43 > 0:13:46but it might well grow into what I'm about to plant,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48which is the climbing hydrangea.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53This is Hydrangea anomala subspecies petiolaris
0:13:53 > 0:13:57but to its friends it's always known as Hydrangea petiolaris.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Magnificent white flowers. It's got the outer sepals
0:14:00 > 0:14:04and the true flowers are smaller on the inside.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06I'm going to put it right here in the corner.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08It'll take the deepest shade.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And it's a vigorous climber and it's self-supporting.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16So unlike the roses, which will need wires, this will cling to
0:14:16 > 0:14:19the brickwork. But don't worry, it won't damage the bricks.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22This one I don't want to bury.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26I want to make sure that the height that it was in the pot
0:14:26 > 0:14:28is the same height with the soil.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34And it does like a fairly rich, well-drained soil.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And the next absolutely critical thing for all three plants is
0:14:39 > 0:14:41a really generous drink.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55The biggest problem with most climbing plants is they get
0:14:55 > 0:14:59too dry, so if you do have a dry spell,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01do remember to water them regularly.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06These are key plants that would work well in any garden,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10but as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations we are looking
0:15:10 > 0:15:15for our Golden Jubilee Plant that has had the greatest impact
0:15:15 > 0:15:17over the last 50 years.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21This week it's the turn of Flo Headlam.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27My choice for the Gardeners' World Jubilee Plant is
0:15:27 > 0:15:28a summer flowering jasmine.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32I think it's a plant that should be in every garden.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36So, first off, you've got the scent, you've got this wonderful
0:15:36 > 0:15:39white flower that just fills the evening air with that
0:15:39 > 0:15:40beautiful aroma,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44and I think it's one of the compelling reasons why jasmine
0:15:44 > 0:15:47has been so popular in our gardens because we want to welcome scent
0:15:47 > 0:15:50into our outdoor spaces.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52And it's a plant that's easy to grow.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57It'll grow in any soil and it will cover a wall or a fence
0:15:57 > 0:15:59really easily because it's vigorous,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02it will grow and it will spread and it will just take up that space.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05It's deciduous so it loses its leaves but you can train the
0:16:05 > 0:16:10stems and create quite a dramatic and artistic form
0:16:10 > 0:16:12that you can see in the winter months.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17So it makes a wonderful package. Vote for jasmine.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32I'm finding it fascinating hearing these different proposals for
0:16:32 > 0:16:35our Golden Jubilee Plant nominations.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39And you suddenly start to think, "Oh, maybe that is the one."
0:16:39 > 0:16:43But you will have chance to decide when all ten have been put forward.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Then you can vote and we'll be letting you know exactly how
0:16:46 > 0:16:49to do that and announcing the winner at Gardeners' World Live.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53I'm pretty sure no-one is going to come up with
0:16:53 > 0:16:58a carrot as the most important plant of the last 50 years.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02But I can't imagine gardening without them.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I'm going to sow some carrots here.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10I find broadcasting carrots is the best way to grow them.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13But if you just scatter the seed willy-nilly,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16weeds grow up, it's very difficult to keep weed-free,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and it doesn't work so well.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22If you sow them just in a row you, then have to thin them.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25And if you thin them, that attracts carrot fly.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28So I broadcast them in rows.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30I mark out the rows with two boards.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34I'm going to sprinkle the seed in-between the boards here.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39I've got a Nantes-type, and Nantes carrots are shorter
0:17:39 > 0:17:42and stubbier and there are a number of different kinds.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44And they also tend to be a bit earlier.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Carrot seed are small and you don't
0:17:48 > 0:17:52get nearly as many to the packet as you used to.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54But perhaps that's a truism about life.
0:17:55 > 0:18:02So, sprinkle them thinly - but freely - between the boards
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and if any fall on the board it doesn't matter.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09There you go. A packet is perfect.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13What will happen is they will grow up and there will be
0:18:13 > 0:18:17a clean area where the board was without anything growing.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20So you can hoe in there. It also gives you somewhere to tread.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Don't thin them, and you harvest them as you go along.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27It cuts down carrot fly and the carrots grow undisturbed by
0:18:27 > 0:18:30the heavy hand of the gardener.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Now, I did dig this ground over before sowing.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48I don't dig the raised beds but these beds I do
0:18:48 > 0:18:52and that wouldn't be approved of by Charles Dowding because Charles
0:18:52 > 0:18:56has become the guru of No Dig gardening.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01He's a really good grower, organic, and has fabulous produce
0:19:01 > 0:19:06and last summer we went down to Somerset to see how he does it.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16What has always interested me the most
0:19:16 > 0:19:18is the link between soil health,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21plant health and people health.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And so that's why I started being organic.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28And then that health idea also developed into No Dig.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33No Dig is about not disturbing the soil
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and this allows soil life,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37of which there is plenty in there all the time,
0:19:37 > 0:19:42to proliferate and if we feed that soil life with organic mulches
0:19:42 > 0:19:45on top, soil life comes out looking for food and you get
0:19:45 > 0:19:49a hive of activity in the soil which can then work with plant roots
0:19:49 > 0:19:52to make nutrients and moisture available.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57When soil is dug, cultivated, rotovated,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01the matrix of structure is broken.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05With No Dig, the structure is firm, it's not disturbed,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09but you actually get better drainage because you've left the
0:20:09 > 0:20:14beautiful matrix of holes made by soil life and water can
0:20:14 > 0:20:17percolate, as well as roots going through that matrix structure,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20to bring water up again.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Digging sometimes to me feels a bit like ripping off the clothes,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26you know, it's a bit aggressive,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and I think then soil thinks, "I'm not sure I like this."
0:20:29 > 0:20:31And it wants to recover.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Recover means getting over what's happened but also literally,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37in soil's case, recover with weeds.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43It gives you incredible benefits going on through the season
0:20:43 > 0:20:45and I find I'm doing less weeding.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49And it's one of the reason I can run a quarter-acre market garden
0:20:49 > 0:20:53and be very productive. There's really very little weeding to do.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56The undisturbed soil with its compost mulch stays clean.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I never set out to change anything, really,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06but what I didn't like was the way a lot of chemicals were being
0:21:06 > 0:21:10used to grow food and so I was looking at how to grow more
0:21:10 > 0:21:14healthy food, healthy for the environment and healthy for people.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18During the '80s, with every year that passed, organic became
0:21:18 > 0:21:21a little bit more acceptable, more and more people got interested.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I remember one day, summer 1988,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I was in my garden and this guy hopped over the fence.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30It turned out he was a Gardeners' World producer and that ended
0:21:30 > 0:21:33with Geoff Hamilton coming - and we got on really well.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Charles, the crops are looking really good.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39What fertiliser are you using on them?
0:21:39 > 0:21:40I'm not using any, Geoff.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44It's good soil and we're putting on quite heavy dressings of
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- manure and compost and that's enough.- No chemicals at all?- No.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50That is really quite remarkable.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55'What he was concentrating on was organic because, even in 1988,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59'organic was still very new and talking with Geoff, you know,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02'I realised it could become quite mainstream.'
0:22:02 > 0:22:06The compost, that just spreads over the top, does it?
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Just sprinkled on top.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12How's that? I'm not a dab hand at this job.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15That's fine. That's the idea anyway.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18After that, he really promoted it and
0:22:18 > 0:22:22he was the catalyst for making organic gardening very acceptable,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25showing how it's possible and I'd love to think,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28if he was still around, I think he'd be really up for No Dig as well.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Starting out depends what you've got,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42particularly in the way of weeds.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45I would say, on the whole, if you've got a lot of weeds,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48actually that's not a bad sign.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Weeds don't grow on barren soil or in poor conditions.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55It's really straightforward to begin.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59You can just make a bed on the weeds, the grass,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02whatever it might be that you have.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Put down a frame and fill it with compost.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10And the compost you use will exclude the light from the weeds
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and so you haven't got to worry about removing turf or scarifying
0:23:13 > 0:23:17the ground in any way, removing anything that's there.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22I like to keep the finest compost I have for the surface layer
0:23:22 > 0:23:25and that means I've got a good surface for sowing and
0:23:25 > 0:23:28planting and it's ideal, really, if it's a little bit dry. In my case,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I'm using mushroom compost.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Bought compost from the supermarket in big bags would be suitable
0:23:34 > 0:23:37as well and you can sow and plant into that straightaway.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41So that gives you a lovely sense of completion.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43It's a one-afternoon project, if you like.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Many gardens now are No Dig.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52They might not always say so, in fact, that it's, yeah,
0:23:52 > 0:23:53really getting out there.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56And I love sharing it, I really like talking with people,
0:23:56 > 0:23:57particularly gardeners,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and I think a lot of gardeners have got a great curiosity and are
0:24:00 > 0:24:03a bit frustrated by always being given almost a set of rules,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06so I'm always saying, you know, "Try different things."
0:24:06 > 0:24:10And No Dig is different in so many ways and it opens up
0:24:10 > 0:24:13so many possibilities, so there's a bit of game changing going on
0:24:13 > 0:24:15and I'm really happy to be part of it.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30For years, I had this idea that somehow digging was
0:24:30 > 0:24:34a sign of morality, even virility,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and used to dig with enthusiasm but I'm a convert now.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40One should dig as little as possible.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11It has been another glorious spring day here at Longmeadow.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Let's see what the weather holds in store for us gardeners this weekend.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08It is a glorious but busy time of year and it can feel
0:26:08 > 0:26:10bewildering - you don't know where to begin.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Well, I'm here to help you.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Here are the jobs you should be doing this weekend.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29If, like me, you planted some seed potatoes in bags,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32they should be showing signs of growth.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35And if you earth them up now, that will protect them from frost
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and encourage greater tuber development.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Just add some compost around them,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43leaving the tip of the foliage showing.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Citrus plants are showing signs of new growth and it's a little early
0:26:52 > 0:26:55to put them out unless you live somewhere warm but it's not
0:26:55 > 0:26:56too early to feed them.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58I use liquid seaweed.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Mix it up and give them a good drench.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05A weak solution once a week is all they need.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14If you didn't trim your lavender last autumn,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18now is the time to do it. Cut them back, removing all the old growth,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21but leave a few of the new shoots.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25This will set them up to be good, compact shrubs
0:27:25 > 0:27:27with lots of flower spikes.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Spring comes in waves in the garden and I always feel that when
0:27:39 > 0:27:42the tulips really start to get established,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46this is a completely fresh wave coming through.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50We're not quite there yet but there is always
0:27:50 > 0:27:54a point somewhere around the end of April when we reach peak tulip.
0:27:54 > 0:28:01And then the garden opens out and the floodgates of colour pour in.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05But they won't be pouring in today because we've run out of time
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and we're not here next week but I'll see you back here at Longmeadow
0:28:08 > 0:28:13in a couple of weeks' time and who knows? Could be peak tulip.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14Come on.