0:00:13 > 0:00:15Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Now, it's been raining all night
0:00:17 > 0:00:20and it's still mizzling and drizzling today,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25and that means that all the new growth, which is lush and soft,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28is drooping and bent and needs a bit of support.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32And nothing in the garden, in this month of blossom,
0:00:32 > 0:00:37is more fulsome or voluptuous than the peony Sarah Bernhardt.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And all these peonies that I planted a couple of years ago
0:00:39 > 0:00:43in the orchard beds are just about to come into flower.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47And the whole garden is frothing with flower,
0:00:47 > 0:00:53and underneath it is this incredible, electric green energy
0:00:53 > 0:00:56that runs and zings through May.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59It is the best time of year to be in a garden.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05On tonight's programme, Carol Klein is in Somerset
0:01:05 > 0:01:07to meet one of her gardening heroes -
0:01:07 > 0:01:11the highly respected gardener and designer Penelope Hobhouse.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17And we also visit an inspiring cut flower garden in the Peak District.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39I'm bringing these cannas out of the greenhouse
0:01:39 > 0:01:41where they've been since last October,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44sheltered from the worst of the winter weather.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46They're growing well, and if I plant them out -
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and the weather is warm and damp - they will thrive,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54but never take plants from a greenhouse straight into the garden,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56certainly not at this time of year. It's too much of a shock.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00They need to acclimatise so they will sit in this area,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05which is protected from the east and the west winds for at least a week.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Now, one of the real problems at this time of year
0:02:08 > 0:02:10if you grow your own plants, or you overwinter them,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12is you run out of space.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Everything's growing like mad, the garden isn't quite ready for them
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and there's nowhere to put them, so I'm doing a bit of shuffling.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21So I'm going to move these dahlias, which have been in the cold frame,
0:02:21 > 0:02:22over next to the cannas...
0:02:25 > 0:02:28You can see these are very healthy plants.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37So, having made a bit of space,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39these cosmos can go into the cold frame
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and start the process of gradually acclimatising.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47And the reason why you do all this is if they go out and they freeze,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49literally plants just stop growing.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55That is when they get hit by snails and slugs and maybe some viruses,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59so keeping the plant healthy by keeping the growth steady
0:02:59 > 0:03:02is all part of the bigger picture of a healthy garden.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Now, you may have noticed that Nigel is not with me today.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08It's just Nell, and that's because he's having a day out.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10He's gone for a long walk with my son.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23If you don't have cold frames...
0:03:23 > 0:03:25And I would recommend even one small cold frame
0:03:25 > 0:03:28can make all the difference - I love them, they're fantastic.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32But if you don't have them, all you need is some fleece.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35And this is enough just to protect plants from frosts
0:03:35 > 0:03:39so I'll cover the cannas and dahlias outside the cold frames
0:03:39 > 0:03:41if there is a frost report,
0:03:41 > 0:03:42but ONLY use it for frost.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44You want them to get cold,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47you want them to get used to variations in temperature.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49That's all part of hardening off.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Right, that's the easy stuff. Let's do the big boys.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05This is the banana Ensete.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It spent its winter in the tool shed,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12where it's dark, cool, but frost-free.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Even so, in the dark, it started to grow
0:04:15 > 0:04:19because I cut this right back last October to protect it,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and this is really tender,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23the tenderest thing I grow in the garden.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29And I have heard it said that if you say the word "frost"
0:04:29 > 0:04:32too loudly in its presence, it'll curl up and die.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39The next stage is take it into the greenhouse, water it, feed it,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42let it get healthy and then, when it's too big for the greenhouse,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44pull it outside for a week.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46And I won't plant it into the Jewel Garden until June.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52That will now, in response to heat and light,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54really start to grow well.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Now, over this year,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Carol has been visiting some of her gardening heroes,
0:04:59 > 0:05:04and this week she visits someone who has been a dominant figure
0:05:04 > 0:05:06in my gardening lifetime.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20Penelope Hobhouse is one of the most distinguished gardeners
0:05:20 > 0:05:24in the country, and to prove it she's been awarded
0:05:24 > 0:05:27the highest accolade that horticulture can offer -
0:05:27 > 0:05:29the Victoria Medal of Honour.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Over the past few decades, she has built up a formidable reputation
0:05:35 > 0:05:39as a garden designer, a writer and a historian.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42She has travelled the world designing gardens.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Amongst her many famous creations are an English cottage garden
0:05:50 > 0:05:53designed for Apple founder Steve Jobs
0:05:53 > 0:05:55and a garden for the Queen Mother
0:05:55 > 0:05:57in honour of her 95th birthday.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Penelope is renowned for her use of colour,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05combined with clean, structural lines.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Her style was heavily influenced by trips to Italy as a young woman,
0:06:09 > 0:06:14visits that originally inspired her passion for gardening.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18I was bowled over by suddenly realising it was about...
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Gardening is about beauty,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24not just being practical and keeping the nettles from the door.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29So that Italianate influence...
0:06:29 > 0:06:30It was very strong.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32And still affects your work.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I think it affects me as it is about the straight lines and everything.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38I think that I haven't changed,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40and also it taught me that flowers
0:06:40 > 0:06:42were not the most important thing always.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47Shapes and spaces, and shadows and light.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51You must make the bones of the garden first, the skeleton -
0:06:51 > 0:06:56the hedges, the walls, decide where big trees should be.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59That's what you learn in Italy, really. Incredible.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06Penelope is fortunate to have lived in two historic stately homes,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10where she honed her craft by designing their gardens.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14At Hadspen Manor in Somerset, she created an Arts and Crafts garden
0:07:14 > 0:07:18before moving to the National Trust's Tintinhull House.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Having spent all of her gardening life
0:07:22 > 0:07:25in places on a pretty major scale,
0:07:25 > 0:07:30at the tender age of 82, Penny decided to start a new garden.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37This is it. It's here, in the heart of Somerset at Dairy Barn.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42But it's on a tiny scale compared to everything she had done before.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Nonetheless, though, it practises all of those principles
0:07:46 > 0:07:49which have informed all her garden designs.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58One of the defining characteristics of any Penelope Hobhouse design
0:07:58 > 0:08:02is straight lines. All the paths here are straight.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05They crisscross, they form frameworks
0:08:05 > 0:08:07within which the plants grow.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10The yew hedge is cut straight at the back
0:08:10 > 0:08:14so the whole place is enclosed too.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16And then, of course, in the background
0:08:16 > 0:08:19there's the borrowed landscape.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24All Penelope's gardens sit in the place they're made perfectly,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26really happily.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37So what made you, at the age of 82,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39start a brand-new garden and come here?
0:08:39 > 0:08:43My aim here was to just grow the plants I really loved.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47I thought... I don't have to design to please a client any more.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52- No.- And I had 64 plants in pots that I brought with me.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56When I moved here, my new neighbours looked at me with horror
0:08:56 > 0:08:59as I planted these tender plants and they said,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02"You're not in Dorset now. Somerset's very, very cold."
0:09:03 > 0:09:07So I was very nervous, but actually they've pretty well all grown
0:09:07 > 0:09:09because I fleeced them the first few years.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13It's those first few years that are so important.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16What I hadn't realised was how rich this soil was already
0:09:16 > 0:09:18because this had been a cow yard.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20The house was a dairy.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- Right.- And the cows were all in here.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Right. So they deposited their dung.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29So I was adding fertile compost to this
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and that's why everything has grown absolutely huge.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Do you think you'll ever stop gardening?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I'm extremely happy here.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40It suits me down to the ground
0:09:40 > 0:09:44and I'm hoping it's going to work in my old age
0:09:44 > 0:09:46because I think what is very hard for the old
0:09:46 > 0:09:51- is to sit in a wheelchair and watch your garden getting in a mess.- Yes.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53And I'm incredibly lucky at my age
0:09:53 > 0:09:57that I am physically still able to garden for five or six hours a day.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02And I feel protected by my plants from the world. I love it.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04I really do love it.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I just think it's a great pleasure in my life.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10I couldn't have existed without it.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22I have to say that I, too,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25am completely influenced by Italian gardens.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31And if you've noticed, Longmeadow is full of vistas, symmetry,
0:10:31 > 0:10:32punctuation points.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34And it's a cliche but it's true -
0:10:34 > 0:10:37if you don't have good bones in a garden,
0:10:37 > 0:10:39then it doesn't matter what planting you have.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Come on. What you got?
0:10:43 > 0:10:45What have you got?
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Come along. HE WHISTLES
0:10:51 > 0:10:52Good girl.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04As part of this process of moving plants into summer,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07it's time to start planting tomatoes into the greenhouse,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and I would stress into the greenhouse.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15It's very early to think of planting tomatoes outside
0:11:15 > 0:11:16because even if you don't have frost,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20there can be big variations in temperature and tomatoes hate that.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22They like a nice even temperature,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24which I can give them in the greenhouse, and they're ready.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27You can see they're getting a little bit yellowy.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30That means they have outgrown the nutrients in this small pot.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33So I can either plant them into the soil here or pot them on.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Right.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43If you're growing them in a bed in a greenhouse, as I am here,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47you will need to replace the soil about every three years,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49otherwise you get a build-up of viruses.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55I'm planting Gardener's Delight on this side.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59It's halfway between a cherry and a normal-sized tomato
0:11:59 > 0:12:01but it's great eaten raw,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05it makes very good sauce, and it's a reliable tomato.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Now, spacing is quite critical
0:12:09 > 0:12:14so roughly 15 inches equidistant is all they need.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Each plant, if you imagine a circle around it,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22has got a decent amount of root system that can form,
0:12:22 > 0:12:27but not so much that they will have masses of leaf and no fruit.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34Now, whether you are planting your tomato in a greenhouse, outside,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38in a grow bag, in a pot, there is one rule that always holds true,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40which is to plant it nice and deep,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44and by that, I mean at least up to there.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47One - it anchors it, so you get this big, heavy plant
0:12:47 > 0:12:49that is much more secure in the ground and two -
0:12:49 > 0:12:54and this is really important, you get roots forming from the stem.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58More roots means more feed, more nutrition, a healthier plant.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01In there.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04And bury it like that. And firm it in well.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18At this time of year, a good soak once a week should be enough.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26When I've got all the tomatoes in,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I'll build the structure out of bamboos
0:13:28 > 0:13:32so there's a really good support for the growing plants.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Now, every week, we've been looking for the plant
0:13:36 > 0:13:41that has had the biggest impact on us gardeners and our gardens
0:13:41 > 0:13:42over the last 50 years,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44as part of our Golden Jubilee celebrations.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47And this week, it's the turn of Alan Power
0:13:47 > 0:13:49to make his case for the plant
0:13:49 > 0:13:52that he thinks has been the most important.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Top of my list for the Golden Jubilee plant
0:13:57 > 0:14:01has to be the Japanese maple groups, the Acer palmatums.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03We've all known them and loved them
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and, over the past 50 years, they've appeared in gardens
0:14:06 > 0:14:09all over the country in various sizes and forms.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11They've appeared in pots and patios,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14in groups like this wonderful Acer palmatum Bloodgood,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17giving that striking purple and focal point to a garden.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Or you wait for some of the greens to turn during the autumn
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and they perform spectacularly.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26The detail in the plant, that's what really gets me.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27The architectural foliage,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31the shape of the plant itself made me fall in love with the Acer.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34They don't like to be baked in full sun.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36They do need a little bit of protection
0:14:36 > 0:14:39and these are kind of perfect in that dappled shade
0:14:39 > 0:14:40on the edge of the woodland.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43When I first started gardening, they were the plant that
0:14:43 > 0:14:45I would be attracted to in a garden straight away.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48That's why they are right at the top of my list
0:14:48 > 0:14:50to be the Golden Jubilee plant.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Come on, Nellie.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Come on.
0:15:04 > 0:15:05Thank you very much indeed.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Thank you for your help.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Well, I don't know if you think that the maple is the most important
0:15:13 > 0:15:15and influential plant of the last 50 years
0:15:15 > 0:15:17or whether you passionately disagree.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21You will be allowed to express your opinion
0:15:21 > 0:15:23when we've finished all ten,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27and then you can choose which of those ten that you think has had
0:15:27 > 0:15:31the most influence on us gardeners over the last 50 years,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and we will be announcing the one that is most voted for
0:15:34 > 0:15:37at Gardeners' World Live at our big Jubilee bash.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Now, I suspect that nobody in their right mind
0:15:42 > 0:15:45would think that Ammi majus is the most important plant
0:15:45 > 0:15:47of the last 50 years but I like it
0:15:47 > 0:15:51and I love its sort of white, frothy, umbelliferae flower,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54and I planted out about 50 here last week
0:15:54 > 0:15:58and every single one has been eaten by rabbits.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I'm certain it's by rabbits because we see rabbits in the garden
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and we don't get that kind of damage from anything else,
0:16:04 > 0:16:10so if any of you have got any good ideas of how to deter rabbits
0:16:10 > 0:16:12and stop them eating my precious plants,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I'd love to hear from you.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Anyway I'm planting Orlaya, which I've grown from seed.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Hopefully the rabbits won't like it so much.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25But it is an umbellifer and so it has the same feel as Ammi.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Now, if the rabbits don't eat them,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30all these will be allowed to grow and flower
0:16:30 > 0:16:33and set seed exactly where they are.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Of course, it's very nice to pick some of the flowers,
0:16:36 > 0:16:41take it indoors, but to do so means reducing the border, and the answer,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44of course, is to grow some cut flowers separately
0:16:44 > 0:16:50and Gill Bagshawe has taken that idea of the cut flower bed
0:16:50 > 0:16:53one step further and made her own cut flower garden.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04I've always been a keen gardener but I had never tried growing flowers
0:17:04 > 0:17:05for cutting before and the thought
0:17:05 > 0:17:08of being surrounded by lovely flowers,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10celebrating the seasons,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12I just thought that was something that I had to try.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20My cut flower plot is in Derbyshire, in the Peak District National Park.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23It's a lovely, sunny, open plot.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27I've got walls all around to give me a bit of protection from the wind,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28and very good soil here.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33The majority of flowers that are for sale in this country at the moment
0:17:33 > 0:17:34come from overseas,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38where they are grown in large monocultural polytunnels.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Often bees and butterflies don't get a look in.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44What I'm doing here is growing flowers in a natural way.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46I don't have a polytunnel.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I don't try and force flowers or hold them back.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53I don't need to, really. There are always more things coming -
0:17:53 > 0:17:55you know, beauties of each season to enjoy.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03I do have a tiny little lean-to greenhouse in my own back garden.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I find that's fine for starting off my seeds.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Then I pot them up at home and bring them up here.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15My heart sings when I come through the gate.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19It's wonderful being here. It's a place of quiet contemplation.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24This is a lovely way to celebrate the beauties of each month.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37In addition to the flowers, I do try to include herbs, fruit, seed heads.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39They are things that all help to create
0:18:39 > 0:18:42that sort of slightly foraged country garden look.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48There are many advantages to growing in raised beds,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51one of them is that the sides offer the seedlings
0:18:51 > 0:18:54a bit of protection from the wind in the winter.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Also different flowers have different soil requirements
0:18:58 > 0:19:00and if I have one thing in a raised bed,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03I can make that soil whatever I want it to be.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Many of the plants I have in here are what I call hungry feeders.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12For example, dahlias and roses and sweet peas,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14and having them in raised beds means
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I can add nutrients on a regular basis
0:19:17 > 0:19:20to make sure that they get everything that they need.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Cutting flowers is normally confined
0:19:26 > 0:19:28to either early in the morning or in the evening.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31It's important not to cut in the heat of the day.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Often when you cut flowers, you will notice that they've visibly slump,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38so it's a good idea to put them into water for a few hours,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40or ideally overnight.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44I always cut to another bud.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48It's always a good idea to cut the bases at an angle, like that -
0:19:48 > 0:19:51that increases the surface area for the take-up of water.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58This is one of my favourite foliage plants.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It's called Moluccella laevis.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Common name is Bells of Ireland.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06I've got it growing through horizontal netting.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09That's because it has a tendency to flop in the rain.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11As I'm removing the leaves,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13what you can see...
0:20:13 > 0:20:15are beautiful emerald green bells.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19This is a really good foil for other, more colourful flowers.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Beautiful emerald green colour.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23The flowers are actually inside these little bells.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27The flowers are very insignificant, so it's not grown for the flowers,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29it's grown for the bells.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35This place is my own Utopia.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39I absolutely love being here. I feel very, very privileged.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43Anybody at home, if you had three raised beds,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46you would be able to grow enough flowers for your own home
0:20:46 > 0:20:49for most months of the year, with a bit of careful planning.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Gill's garden proves that cut flower beds aren't just practical,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05they're beautiful too.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I've made two of these large beds in the cottage garden
0:21:08 > 0:21:10into cut flower borders.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14I started last year and they did really well
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and, this year, I have a distinct brief
0:21:17 > 0:21:20because my eldest son is getting married at the end of July,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24so we have said we will grow some flowers for that.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26So we are growing sweet peas
0:21:26 > 0:21:30up these three runner bean type supports.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34They're all white because that is the theme of the wedding.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Now, the whole purpose and the difficult thing
0:21:36 > 0:21:39is to get it so that these are at their very best
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and most productive at the end of July.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45There's always a debate when it comes to sweet peas
0:21:45 > 0:21:47about how best to manage the flowering -
0:21:47 > 0:21:49whether you pinch them out hard or not.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Because pinching out sweet peas
0:21:52 > 0:21:56will encourage a stronger, bushier plant with more side shoots
0:21:56 > 0:21:58so, in theory, more flowers.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00But they will flower later,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03whereas if I don't pinch them out and just tie then up,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05they will grow taller
0:22:05 > 0:22:09and probably will have more flowers at the end of July,
0:22:09 > 0:22:15so what I thought I'd do is do half pinched out, half un-pinched,
0:22:15 > 0:22:16as a little experiment.
0:22:16 > 0:22:22Now, when you're pinching them out, you do need to be brave about it.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25So I've taken a good amount of plant off
0:22:25 > 0:22:30and I'm cutting just above a pair of leaves,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34and that will stimulate side growth and it's the same with any plant,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38if you take out the leader, you get more vigorous shoots coming from it.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41So I'm going to go along the whole of this front row,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43pinching out, and I'll tie up the back.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Now that's this bed.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56In the other bed,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59I've got the complexity of growing bulbs
0:22:59 > 0:23:02as well as perennials and annuals.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09In this bed,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11we've just got tulips at the moment
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and I want to mix and match as much as possible,
0:23:14 > 0:23:16use the space as best I can.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20And, if you've got bulbs, you've always got a slight problem
0:23:20 > 0:23:22because obviously the bulbs are underground
0:23:22 > 0:23:24where you want to be growing other plants,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28so you either let them die back completely before you plant
0:23:28 > 0:23:31or you can lift them and let them dry out,
0:23:31 > 0:23:32or I suppose you can get rid of them.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35But for the moment the tulips are still flowering
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and still harvestable.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Tulips for cut flowers are best with long stems
0:23:41 > 0:23:42and you can see that some,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45like these Queen of the Night, have got really long stems,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49and that's because I planted them very deep.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53The deeper you plant a tulip - and it applies to many bulbs -
0:23:53 > 0:23:55the longer and the stronger the stem will be.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Now this tulip, called Danceline, is a new one on me
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and I think it's an absolute delight.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It's gorgeous. Lovely, lovely flower.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10And I will definitely be growing this again next year.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13What I've decided is they are a crop.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15When what I've needed has been harvested,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18the rest can be dug up and put on the compost heap.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Not all tulips flower well in the second year anyway,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and much better for cut flowers to start again -
0:24:25 > 0:24:27new bulbs, nice big flowers.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31But for the moment, this, as I say, is a crop,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and a crop has to be harvested.
0:24:43 > 0:24:50Now, I think that is the most gorgeous handful of flower.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Now, today we've had sun, we've had rain,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56we've had blue sky, we've had thick black cloud,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58but much more important to know
0:24:58 > 0:25:02what the weather is going to be like this weekend for us gardeners.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08I've spent a lot of time today moving plants around,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11ensuring that they harden off and acclimatise,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13but another way to do it, of course,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15is to let the weather into the greenhouse.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17So this wooden greenhouse,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20what I'm doing is opening all the doors, all the windows,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23all the vents, cooling it down,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25letting the plants get used to the idea
0:26:25 > 0:26:28that they're going to have to cope with the weather
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and then, next week, one of the jobs will be to get them all out.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33But, before that, we've got this weekend,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35so here are some jobs for you.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46You may have noticed that your strawberry flowers
0:26:46 > 0:26:49have a dark centre or a black eye
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and this is because they've been hit by frost.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55But if you cloche and protect them now,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58remaining flowers will have every chance
0:26:58 > 0:27:00of developing into delicious fruit.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13In order to harvest sweetcorn in late summer, it's time to sow them.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I like to sow them in plugs so they have a nice deep root
0:27:16 > 0:27:18with one seed per plug.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Put them somewhere warm to germinate
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and they should be ready to plant out around about mid-June,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27at which point you can do another sowing direct into the soil.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35As the flowers of the early clematis begin to fade,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38the shoots of the later flowering ones, group three,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41can get top-heavy and sprawl and fall
0:27:41 > 0:27:45and even break, so tie them in securely.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47And this is not just a job for this weekend
0:27:47 > 0:27:49but should be repeated at least fortnightly
0:27:49 > 0:27:51for the next month or so.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59That should hold it in place, even if the wind does cut up rough.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02And that is it for today, I'm afraid.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05But the good news is not only are we back next week,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07but we're back for a full hour.
0:28:07 > 0:28:08We will cover the Malvern Show
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and have lots going on here at Longmeadow
0:28:11 > 0:28:17and we're on for an hour for the whole of the rest of the summer.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20So hopefully the weather will be a bit better next week
0:28:20 > 0:28:23but, rain or shine, I'll be here so I'll see you then. Bye-bye.