0:00:04 > 0:00:07Britain has some of the finest gardens anywhere in the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10For me, it's about getting in amongst the wonderful plants
0:00:10 > 0:00:12that flourish in this country
0:00:12 > 0:00:15and sharing the passion of the people who tend them.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20However, there is another way to enjoy a garden.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27And that's to get up above it.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31I love ballooning
0:00:31 > 0:00:36because you get to see the world below in a whole new light.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39From up here, you get a real sense of how the garden sits
0:00:39 > 0:00:42in the landscape, how the terrain and the climate
0:00:42 > 0:00:43has shaped it,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and I want you to share that experience with me.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14I'm getting to ready to float high, high above a county
0:01:14 > 0:01:17blessed with some of the most stunning landscapes in Britain.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23Today, we're in Sussex, a county that's made up of chalky downlands,
0:01:23 > 0:01:24forested wields
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and some of the most heavily-populated coastal areas.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Sussex lies right to the Southeast coast,
0:01:32 > 0:01:33bordered by Hampshire and Kent.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41What an amazing view.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45This is my chance to view wonderful Sussex
0:01:45 > 0:01:47as I've never seen it before.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Sussex is officially
0:01:52 > 0:01:54the sunniest county in England,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and that's why this part of Sussex
0:01:57 > 0:01:59has some fantastic gardens.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Today, I'm dropping in on two magnificent gardens,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05both of which have undergone a transformation.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- This was the visitors' car park. - The car park?
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It was just concrete and tarmac.
0:02:11 > 0:02:12That's amazing.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15And they have the power to change the lives of the people
0:02:15 > 0:02:16who tend them.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19When I came, I ended up meeting my now fiance, so...
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- Ahh.- He's a full-time gardener here in the gardens.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25We'll be exploring this country's earliest formal garden
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and finding out how the Romans
0:02:27 > 0:02:29transformed British gardening forever.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32And, of course, I'll be lending a hand too.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34- Looks like a hairnet, mate. - THEY LAUGH
0:02:34 > 0:02:36I won't say what it reminds me of.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Go on. Go on. Up you go, lad.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41- Wahey!- Oh, that's enough.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Sussex might be sunny but,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51here in the foothills of the South Downs,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55the land is deluged with over 40 inches of rain a year.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Fortunately, the chalk soil allows water to drain through it quickly,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04meaning plant roots never get soggy and gardens can flourish,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08none more so than the first garden I'm dropping in on.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16West Dean is renowned the world over
0:03:16 > 0:03:19as a showcase that can inspire any gardener,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and it lies seven miles north of Chichester.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27There's been an estate here since the 17th century,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31but the 90 acres of garden and parkland we see today
0:03:31 > 0:03:34took shape at the start of the 19th century.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37North of the manor house, which is now a college,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41almost half of the garden is devoted to arboretum.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44It was planted in the 1830s and is filled with mature beech,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47horse chestnut and cedar trees,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50as well as rhododendrons and azaleas.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I won't have time to take a stroll through it today
0:03:55 > 0:03:58but I know one place I'll definitely have a saunter.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Just south of the arboretum
0:04:02 > 0:04:05is one of the garden's most remarkable features,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09a 300-foot-long Edwardian pergola running across the lawn.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14It looks spectacular from up here.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I can't wait to see it close up.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23When viewed from above, West Dean Gardens really comes alive.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27You can see the intense amount of care
0:04:27 > 0:04:29that goes into that productive garden.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32The greenhouses, the straight lines of vegetables,
0:04:32 > 0:04:33the fiery borders,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and I just can't wait to get down there.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Surprisingly, the garden hasn't always looked this wonderful.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45In 1987, a great storm hit the south of England.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50With ferocious power, it smashed and uprooted millions of trees.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54West Dean had to be closed for a year just to recover.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06I've been visiting West Dean Gardens for the last 30 years
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and have seen them grow.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12This garden speaks of horticultural excellence,
0:05:12 > 0:05:16and it's not just in this beautiful, productive vegetable garden.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21The pergola, the wild garden, the arboretum,
0:05:21 > 0:05:26the execution of excellence in this garden is outstanding.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It makes me tingle every single time I come
0:05:29 > 0:05:33because, to see that level, is wildly exciting
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and is a standard that we should hope to attain -
0:05:36 > 0:05:40beauty, excellence and magic.
0:05:42 > 0:05:48But beauty, excellence and magic don't happen in gardening by chance.
0:05:48 > 0:05:4923 years ago,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53a couple arrived to inspire a bold restoration that transformed
0:05:53 > 0:05:57these 19th-century gardens into a 21st-century masterpiece.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Garden supervisor Sarah Wain
0:06:03 > 0:06:05arrived here with a, "G'day," from Australia
0:06:05 > 0:06:09and a passion to make these gardens bloom again.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14- Hi, Sarah.- Hello, Christine.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- How are you?- I'm very well, thanks.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- How nice to see you. - And you too. Welcome to West Dean.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Well, great pleasure to be back. Now, what are you doing there?
0:06:22 > 0:06:24I'm tying in these tomatoes
0:06:24 > 0:06:26so that they scramble all the way up the wigwam.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Right, and is this just one plant, then?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30No, it's more than one - it's three.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- It's really just an experiment.- OK. - Looks good, I think.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35It does look good, yeah. Can I give you a hand?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- Yeah sure.- Tying and sort of doing things.- Got a knife?
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- Yeah, I've got a knife, no string, though.- Here's some string.- Great.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44OK, so you're just doing standard tying in and not really tight.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Yeah. Just onto the structure or the string here.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51So, how did you actually get into gardening, Sarah?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Well, I suppose through my parents.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56I'm Australian. We had quite a big garden, my dad did the veg,
0:06:56 > 0:06:57my mum did the flowers.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00How did you get into the UK?
0:07:00 > 0:07:01Legally.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- THEY LAUGH - Yeah, we know. Well, hopefully.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07How did I... I came over in 1979
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- and I was lucky enough to get a job at Kew Gardens.- A job?
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- Yeah.- Great. So, had you trained in Aussie?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I had yes, yeah. I did a three-year diploma.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18And how did you find Kew?
0:07:18 > 0:07:23I would say Kew was like doing another three years of education...
0:07:23 > 0:07:26because there are a lot of knowledgeable people there
0:07:26 > 0:07:30and, funnily enough, it's also where I met my husband.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- Really?- Yes.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36'Jim, Sarah's other half, is head gardener at West Dean,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39'and he's also Sarah's boss.' We were just talking about you.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41It's hot work nattering, so I thought I'd bring you a cup of tea.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43That's very kind of you.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Mmm.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48What I want to know, since I've got you together - do you squabble?
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Do we squabble?
0:07:50 > 0:07:51Daily? Yes, daily.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53THEY LAUGH
0:07:53 > 0:07:55But we always make up by the end of the day.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58What's the vision for the garden? You know, you've got this
0:07:58 > 0:08:02level of excellence, people come expecting it to look superb.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05How are you going to move it on? How are you going to develop that?
0:08:05 > 0:08:06Our strapline at one point was,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09"High-class horticulture in an historic setting."
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- OK.- Which, we kind of felt, was what we wanted to do, really.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14We've taken something which was rather tired
0:08:14 > 0:08:16and rather run down
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and made it into... Well, I feel a bit embarrassed saying this,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21but I think it is a bit of a showpiece now.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25It is a showpiece and, when I think of West Dean, I think of excellence.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Well, that's a nice compliment from an old pro like yourself.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29I mean that nicely.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- You mean old or pro? - THEY LAUGH
0:08:32 > 0:08:34And, like the old pro I am,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I'm off to help Sarah in one of West Dean's star attractions.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40The Victorian glasshouses.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42She's got a job for me
0:08:42 > 0:08:45that that I used to do with an old bit of hosiery.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- This is the melon house, Christine. - Wow, look at this lot.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50They're great, aren't they?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Wow. Look at the quality of these leaves.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Normally, they look quite manky.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- They are spectacular, Sarah. - That's the right reaction, Christine.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Wow. Now then, come on, I know you want me to help you tie them
0:09:02 > 0:09:05but, being a shorty, I'm going to have to step up
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- cos I can't reach otherwise. - Poor girl.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Great.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11We're just going to support some of these fruits.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14I used to use tights or stockings in the old days.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- Right.- And, as the fruit grew, they actually expand with them,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21so this is... This looks like a hair net, mate.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23I won't say what that reminds me of.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- SHE LAUGHS - Go on. Now, go on,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27tell me about these fantastic greenhouses.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I mean, it's an amazing range.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30I can't believe for two minutes,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33when you came to this garden, they were in good nick.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36No, they hadn't had any money invested in them
0:09:36 > 0:09:38for a number of years.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41And when we came 23 years ago,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43they were in a state of dereliction
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and we were given the opportunity to renovate them all.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48And how many do you have?
0:09:48 > 0:09:49We have 13.
0:09:49 > 0:09:5313 glasshouses of different styles. So, we've got three vineries,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55two fig houses,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58three devoted to tomatoes.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01We grow aubergines, chillies - most importantly,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and we have several display houses
0:10:04 > 0:10:07for growing things like fuchsias, ferns,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09pelargoniums, tropicals, bromeliads.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11You know, you name it, we grow it.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Glasshouses like these at West Dean didn't come cheap.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25In the early 19th century, glass had a huge tax imposed on its sale.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28And, in a double whammy,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32you paid a property tax based on how many windows your home had.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36It was a tax on light and air in all but name.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42By the 1850s, those hated taxes had disappeared.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Landowners, grown rich from the Industrial Revolution
0:10:45 > 0:10:47and the expansion of the British Empire,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50had the wealth to build greenhouses
0:10:50 > 0:10:53and fill them with fashionable, exotic plants
0:10:53 > 0:10:57or extend the growing season of our own fruit and vegetables.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01With Victorian innovation and engineering,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04glasshouses grew both larger and smaller.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07As Sir Joseph Paxton was building the Crystal Palace in London...
0:11:08 > 0:11:11..Victorian manufacturers were making plain and functional
0:11:11 > 0:11:13self-assembly glasshouses
0:11:13 > 0:11:16for the increasing demand of the rising middle classes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Whether you were growing an exotic pineapple in your glasshouse
0:11:22 > 0:11:24or a humble tomato in your greenhouse,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28the Victorians finally let the light shine through.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32They are wonderful documents, in a sense,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36of the importance of late-Victorian horticulture
0:11:36 > 0:11:40and the work that was done by the pioneers of that time.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Well, it's such a treat and this is how we used to do it,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48and that relationship between a person understanding
0:11:48 > 0:11:51not only the horticultural requirements
0:11:51 > 0:11:54but the engineering skills that brought it all together.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I mean, gardeners are awesome beasts and I really believe it.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59You know, not only can we grow
0:11:59 > 0:12:01but we have to be able to control our environment,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03we have to understand about ventilation,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06we have to understand about heating, we have to able to maintain it,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09we have to know about boilers, we have to know about torque pressures,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12and you're passing on those skills to younger gardeners.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16It's a privilege to be able to work in this sort of environment,
0:12:16 > 0:12:17I recognise that.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21And also, it's a privilege to able to hand those skills on.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23It's one of the things I love to do.
0:12:23 > 0:12:24Come on, let's see what we can do.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Sarah's so right.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It's so important to pass down our gardening knowledge
0:12:30 > 0:12:33to the next generation so they can be inspired
0:12:33 > 0:12:36to leave their mark on our horticultural landscape.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43And that's just what's happening over on the Sussex coast
0:12:43 > 0:12:44in Brighton.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49All right, folks, unload the tools and we'll take it up to the site.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Young volunteers for the Sussex Wildlife Trust have been
0:12:52 > 0:12:56transforming this once-neglected green space on the Craven estate
0:12:56 > 0:13:00into a flourishing community garden to encourage local wildlife.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06But, even though it's wild, it still needs a little taming
0:13:06 > 0:13:08from time to time.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11If we could open up quite a nice, big area here,
0:13:11 > 0:13:12we'll then take some of the topsoil off
0:13:12 > 0:13:14and we can use that as our area to plant
0:13:14 > 0:13:17the tray of flowers that I've got there.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The head man leading the Youth Rangers today is Huw Morgan.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25We carry out a wide variety of practical conservation tasks
0:13:25 > 0:13:28on sites around the city,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and that can be anything from gardening for wildlife
0:13:31 > 0:13:34that we're doing today, to putting up dormouse boxes,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36clearing out ponds, improving pathways,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39whatever really, so, a wide variety of activities.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43This can come out, the rosebay willow herb,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45cos that has a tendency to take over,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47so they can be pulled...pulled up as well.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51- Huw.- Hello.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53I've got some netting over here.
0:13:53 > 0:13:54What do you want done?
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Uh, OK, I wouldn't...I wouldn't worry about that.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58That's a bit of old weed matting.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02I think it'll probably be easier to work with it there.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Rather than trying to pull it up, we can cut into it
0:14:04 > 0:14:07and plant through it if we need to.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08OK.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11This is an area where it's sort of been overtaken
0:14:11 > 0:14:14by this long, rank grass
0:14:14 > 0:14:17that just takes over everything and no flowers can grow.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20So we're cutting back the grass and clearing the topsoil here
0:14:20 > 0:14:24so we can mix it up and plant some wild flowers which we've got,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26sort of some native, wild flower species.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28It's really great fun and people are all really nice.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32It's just a fun thing to get out and do in the sunshine
0:14:32 > 0:14:34like this, and it's also conservation work,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36which is what I've always sort of been into.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38So, yeah, it's really great fun. Love it.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41It's nice to see an area that the community's going to be able to use
0:14:41 > 0:14:45again cos it just looked kind of like an overgrown mess when we
0:14:45 > 0:14:47arrived in the morning, so it's really nice to see it
0:14:47 > 0:14:48really coming together.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50By no means do all the volunteers
0:14:50 > 0:14:52come from a horticultural background.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56In some cases, the day job can even come in handy.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I'm normally a mobile hairdresser.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01My hair clients are always quite surprised
0:15:01 > 0:15:02that I do this on the side
0:15:02 > 0:15:04cos it is something completely different to
0:15:04 > 0:15:06the beauty, fashion industry.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Mainly, what I get out of it is
0:15:08 > 0:15:10just knowing that I'm helping out, really,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13helping reserve little nature reserves around Brighton.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It's just quite a rewarding thing, nice for the community,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18it's benefitting lots of people.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Some of the volunteers can remember what the wildlife garden looked like
0:15:23 > 0:15:25before all their hard work.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28The area has really transformed since I've lived here.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31For instance, all the orchard, growing of the trees,
0:15:31 > 0:15:32the wildlife areas.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Over the last six years, it's massively transformed.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Last job of the day is planting some wild flowers to attract those
0:15:39 > 0:15:41all-important bees and butterflies.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47All right, fantastic effort today, everybody. It looks brilliant.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Really, really good.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51I'm really pleased with what we've done on a very, very hot day,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54so thank you all very much.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55THEY APPLAUD Lovely.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59It's so inspiring to see a new generation
0:15:59 > 0:16:02taking their first horticultural steps.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05And just like at the Craven estate,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Sarah and Jim have introduced a wild garden to West Dean.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It's a beautiful spot with swaths of grasses,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19cowslips and meadow flowers, all attracting local wildlife.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27The alliums in particular are loved by the butterflies.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Alliums, also known as ornamental onions,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38are grown for their showy flower heads,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40which come in a range of sizes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Colours vary, but most range between purple, lilac and white.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54Planted in the autumn, they should pop up and bloom the following year
0:16:54 > 0:16:56but, even when they've lost their flowers,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59they're still a stunning architectural feature.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03They look their best when they're planted throughout a border...
0:17:04 > 0:17:07..where they stick up like lollipops.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13I'm meeting someone rather special here in the wild garden,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16one of West Dean's large team of volunteers.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19So, Laura, how long have you known the garden?
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I first came here when I was a teenager
0:17:21 > 0:17:25and, since then, have been revisiting off and on pretty
0:17:25 > 0:17:28much all the time, with a slight break when I was at university.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Has it changed much over the years?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Hugely. The first time I came is probably five years in
0:17:33 > 0:17:36to when Jim and Sarah had arrived and started doing
0:17:36 > 0:17:38all the restoration work in the walled garden.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41And then this part, the wild garden, the spring garden,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43the sunken garden, that's all sort of ten years in.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46They were really sort of pushing out and building up the garden
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and it's just a complete transformation.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52But, just as people can transform a garden,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55a garden can transform the lives of those who love it.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00Only a few years ago, Laura was a City high-flyer in London.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I ended up doing a law degree first of all
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and came to the end of that and decided I didn't want to be a lawyer
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and didn't really have a plan B, as such,
0:18:09 > 0:18:11so tried out a few things
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and sort of, by accident, ended up in head-hunting,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18which I certainly didn't envisage I would stay in for almost ten years
0:18:18 > 0:18:19but those things happen.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Time passes and you kind of do what you do
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and, suddenly, I sort of realised,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I don't think I want to do this for the rest of my working life.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32I'd almost grown quite resentful of the whole travelling of the city,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36just being sort of crushed and just the busyness and people everywhere.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38With a yearning for green spaces,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Laura moved back to her Sussex roots and the countryside.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Revisiting childhood haunts like West Dean
0:18:44 > 0:18:47provoked a strong reaction.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50It was quite a guttural kind of feeling, just instinctive,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I should be in these kinds of places, not stuck in an office.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56After that discovery, Laura began investigating
0:18:56 > 0:18:59the idea of becoming a volunteer gardener.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01So, how did you get to come here?
0:19:01 > 0:19:04I was looking, really, to get some practical work experience,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06and the first garden I wrote to was obviously here,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and asked Sarah if she'd possibly take me on and she said, "Yes."
0:19:09 > 0:19:11- And do you think it's made you a better person?- Um...
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Calmer, more reflective?
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I think it's made me, probably a truer version of myself.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19I think I probably was trying to kind of live the city life
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and do the city thing when I was in London,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25now I certainly think I'm a much happier person doing this
0:19:25 > 0:19:28than I could ever have been staying in London doing an office job.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30It's been just a fantastic adventure, really,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and I hope it continues for many more years.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35You see, because gardening's not just about cultivating plants,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37it's about cultivating people.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Bring the two together, they grow and they bloom.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45Absolutely right. My experience has certainly proved that,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47and I would urge anyone who's even thinking about it
0:19:47 > 0:19:49to make that step into it.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Now, it wasn't just plant knowledge you gained from this garden, was it?
0:19:54 > 0:19:58- No. Rather amazingly, I met my now fiance here.- Ahh.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01So, he's a full-time gardener here in the gardens.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03When did you first meet?
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Well, I saw him the first day and I said, "Good morning,"
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and then we ended up going out on our first date here,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10actually, at the cafe for a tapas evening, three weeks later.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Three weeks?! You was in there pretty quick.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14THEY LAUGH
0:20:14 > 0:20:16And then, yeah, and the rest, as you say, is history.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19We ended up, yeah, coming back and moving to Chichester in January.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Now, is it just plants that turns you on in the garden?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25No, I think the wonderful thing here is the sort of back story
0:20:25 > 0:20:29of the college, which was once a fantastic country home.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32But the last person who lived here as a resident was Edward James,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35who was hugely involved and very passionate about the arts.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37In fact, he was a major friend of Dali
0:20:37 > 0:20:39and kind of all the surrealist painters and artists.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41So you have this sort of imbued through,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44and going into the college where you have some incredibly wacky
0:20:44 > 0:20:47and interesting pieces of art and interior design.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49And things like the fibreglass trees
0:20:49 > 0:20:52which he left in the garden, which are kind of his last stamp,
0:20:52 > 0:20:53it's just amazing.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55It kind of gives it that added quirkiness and interest
0:20:55 > 0:20:57to the whole thing.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58West Dean has given me
0:20:58 > 0:21:02and many others so much pleasure over the years.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I want, somehow, to honour Laura and the other volunteers
0:21:05 > 0:21:06for their hard work.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Heaven forbid, but if you was to leave and you was to place
0:21:10 > 0:21:12a tribute here,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15would it be a plant or would it be a piece of artwork?
0:21:15 > 0:21:18I think I'd probably say a piece of artwork cos it would happily
0:21:18 > 0:21:20link together the kind of history of the college
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and Edward James' legacy and the garden as well.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26It'd be really lovely to combine the two.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31With this in mind, I've asked Jon Privett,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34head of metalwork conservation here at West Dean College,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38to make a tribute honouring the work of the Garden's volunteers.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44I was really, really pleased to be asked to make
0:21:44 > 0:21:46something for Laura to give to the gardens
0:21:46 > 0:21:49and spent a bit of time racking my brains, really,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52about what I could make for her.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I walked out for a tea break and saw the weather vane
0:21:55 > 0:21:58on top of the clock tower outside and thought, that's it.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06I like the way she's walking forwards,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08it shows her kind of busy and in motion.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I took that and then put it on a computer and got a silhouette.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15And then I can stick it onto a sheet of copper,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and what I'm going to do is just roughly cut out the main shape.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21If anyone knows Laura, they'll be able to recognise her.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Just ten miles southwest of West Dean, as the crow flies,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38is another Sussex garden which has undergone a transformation.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41And, from the sky, the view is magnificent
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Set high on a hill,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Arundel Castle simply commands the Sussex landscape.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Built at the end of the 11th century,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56it's been the family home to the Dukes of Norfolk
0:22:56 > 0:22:58and their ancestors for nearly 1,000 years.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Just across the road is another breathtaking building...
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Arundel Cathedral.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11But it's the castle gardens lying between these two magnificent
0:23:11 > 0:23:13buildings that I've come to see today.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Like West Dean, Arundel has a sheltered
0:23:25 > 0:23:27and traditional kitchen garden.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29And, besides the glasshouses,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33box-edged beds filled with bursts of hot colour, then tempered with cool.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38This side of the garden is quite formal
0:23:38 > 0:23:40and enclosed with shingle paths and hedging.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47But as you head towards the chapel, it becomes much more open,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50and there's another garden I've particularly come to see.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54This is the stunning Collector Earl's Garden.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58It's hard to imagine, but only eight years ago,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02this entire space was covered in concrete.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07The Duke of Arundel's archivist, John Robinson, is going
0:24:07 > 0:24:11to fill me in on how this magical garden came into existence.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16So when was this amazing garden opened, John?
0:24:16 > 0:24:18It was opened in 2008.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And what was here before?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Ah! Well, this was the historic kitchen garden, but it was
0:24:23 > 0:24:27given up, like so many of these gardens in country houses, after
0:24:27 > 0:24:31the Second World War, and latterly this was the visitors car park.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- The car park?! - It was just concrete and tarmac,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35there wasn't a tree a bush or anything in it.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Crikey! - Just the outside brick walls.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39That's amazing.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Hard surface throughout.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43So what was the inspiration behind it?
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Well, the history of the Howard family here.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48There's somebody we call the Collector, Earl of Arundel
0:24:48 > 0:24:50in the early 17th century,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54and he had a garden, which we know a bit about because there are designs
0:24:54 > 0:24:58by Inigo Jones, the great architect for gateways and pavilions, and in
0:24:58 > 0:25:02the background of portraits, you have glimpses through into the garden.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07So, on the basis of those few clues, it was decided to do
0:25:07 > 0:25:10a sort of recreation of that garden.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- But it's imaginary, really.- Yes. - I mean, it's...you know.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- So it's Jacobean in style.- Yep.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17But how would you describe the layout of this garden?
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Well, it's a formal garden because it's divided into enclosures,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25by hedges and the big pergola across the middle
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and then you've got very strong axes -
0:25:27 > 0:25:30cross axes and the central axis and so on.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34And what about the architecture? I mean, it's amazing architecture,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36but what's the story behind that?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Well, it's partly buildings that we know existed, but they would
0:25:39 > 0:25:42have been stone or brick or whatever in the garden. And the whole
0:25:42 > 0:25:46point about this, it was all done in what's called green oak.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49The thing about green oak is it's not...it doesn't mature, you know.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53You cut it and you build it and then it goes this silvery grey
0:25:53 > 0:25:58colour, and this gives it a slightly zany, naturalistic, organic quality.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01But, you see, it's incredibly theatrical.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- Yep, yep.- Just smacks Italy, to me.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I'm on the Isola Bella and I'm there on the northern Italian lakes.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14I'm looking at theatre and drama and the heat of the sunshine.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15It's Italy on the south coast.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19That was the inspiration. I mean, he was a collector who went to
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Italy in 1610. And when he came back, everybody sort of rather
0:26:22 > 0:26:23joked that he'd gone native.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27He spoke Italian, he liked Italian food, he ate snails.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32- Ugh!- Things like that, and you know and his garden was all 'al Italiano.'
0:26:32 > 0:26:36- Yes.- As they put it. So things like these urns are an Italian design.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I just think it's frankly, truly amazing.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47The Collector Earl's fascination with all things Italiano
0:26:47 > 0:26:49predates the Grand Tour that young,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53upper-class men of means undertook in the 18th and 19th centuries.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Since then, Italian influences have been felt in art,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01architecture and, of course, gardening.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06But, an earlier Italian invasion has left its mark, too.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Just a few miles west of Chichester is Fishbourne Roman Palace,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17home to the earliest formal garden in the country.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Archaeologists first unearthed this site in the 1960s
0:27:21 > 0:27:25and, as well as the wonderful mosaics on the inside,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29they also discovered how the palace garden was laid out.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30And guess what?
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Those Romans were very green-fingered,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38as Fishbourne's Head of Learning, Katrina Burton, explains.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41The Romans introduced gardening.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45People in the Iron Age wouldn't have gardened for aesthetic pleasure.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48The Romans, however, changed all that and they planted massive
0:27:48 > 0:27:53formal gardens, using plants like this box hedge, actually, to really
0:27:53 > 0:27:56make a statement about the fact that they were changing the landscape.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59They had this control over nature,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and that's something that would have been completely alien to
0:28:01 > 0:28:05those Iron Age Britons living here before the Romans arrived.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08We know these hedges were planted in this way because of the
0:28:08 > 0:28:12archaeological evidence, because those original excavations uncovered
0:28:12 > 0:28:15the bedding trenches for these particular hedges, so we know they
0:28:15 > 0:28:19were in this really ornate geometric pattern that you see down here.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24So, it's the differences in the colours of the soil which really
0:28:24 > 0:28:28indicated that there was something quite special about this garden.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33It's thought the palace was inhabited by someone of high rank
0:28:33 > 0:28:38called Togidubnus, who was a Celt loyal to the Roman Emperor.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Built on four sides around a central garden,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45the site covered an area as big as two football pitches.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49We know that he had these enormous gardens, these very
0:28:49 > 0:28:52impressive gardens, and it would have taken a large number of slaves
0:28:52 > 0:28:57just to keep them up to scratch. And we imagine that Togidubnus
0:28:57 > 0:29:00was meeting very important people and he was really showing off his
0:29:00 > 0:29:05wealth, his status, by the entrance way, by people coming through
0:29:05 > 0:29:08these gardens as they came up to meet him in the audience chamber.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16This is one of the tools they would have used here in the Roman gardens.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18We've got a pair of replica iron shears,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21and these would have been used for trimming the hedges.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24And you can imagine trying to keep all these hedges under control here
0:29:24 > 0:29:28at Fishbourne, would have required an army of slaves.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31But these invaders to our shores didn't come alone.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34The Romans brought new and exciting plants here from across the whole
0:29:34 > 0:29:39Roman Empire, shipped in clay plant pots across the English Channel.
0:29:39 > 0:29:40Things like marigolds
0:29:40 > 0:29:44and roses, the things you'd expect to see in an English country garden
0:29:44 > 0:29:48actually were brought in by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52But an army marches on its stomach, not how prettily the garden grows.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56The Romans brought with them a wide range of edible vegetables,
0:29:56 > 0:29:58things that we take for granted nowadays.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02Things like garlic, and we've got some elephant garlic here,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05cucumbers, walnuts, rosemary, a lot of our herbs.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11The Romans also brought in pears and apples, a lot of the fruits
0:30:11 > 0:30:13that we're so used to seeing in our orchards.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16We know that the soft fruits, they also tried, but some of them,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18particularly things like olives, of course didn't grow so well
0:30:18 > 0:30:21in this climate, so it was the hardier varieties that
0:30:21 > 0:30:23survived right through to the present day.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25But what about us poor Brits?
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Where were we while these fancy Romans were gorging
0:30:29 > 0:30:31themselves on their Mediterranean diet?
0:30:31 > 0:30:34People in the Iron Age living round here would be
0:30:34 > 0:30:37reliant on sort of cereal crops - they'd be growing wheat and barley,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40using it to make potage and breads.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42They'd be making use of wild vegetables, wild fruits
0:30:42 > 0:30:45like these blackberries here, but of course you'd be very reliant
0:30:45 > 0:30:47on what was available at what time of year.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49And sometimes, like these blackberries,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53the crop wouldn't necessarily have come out as well as you'd expected.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56For the Romans, a garden wasn't just for growing food.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00It was an important outdoor pharmacy.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04All manner of medical ailments had a Roman garden cure,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08even if today some sound a little far-fetched!
0:31:10 > 0:31:14In fact, it's difficult to imagine what our traditional British gardens
0:31:14 > 0:31:18would have looked like if it wasn't for those Italian men in togas.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23Over the last 2,000 years we can see how their both culinary
0:31:23 > 0:31:26and horticultural legacy has stayed with us and actually has
0:31:26 > 0:31:31influenced British cooking and British gardening even today.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Here we go!
0:31:37 > 0:31:41Over at Arundel Castle, we seem to have slipped back in time, too...
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Oh, well done sir.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45..as a historical jousting tournament
0:31:45 > 0:31:48is taking place on the castle grounds.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50How many revolutions?
0:31:50 > 0:31:53I'm not sure what medieval gardeners got up to...
0:31:53 > 0:31:57Hopefully not jousting - I'm no good on a horse!
0:31:59 > 0:32:02I'm off to meet Arundel's Head Gardener, Martin Duncan,
0:32:02 > 0:32:04in the kitchen garden.
0:32:04 > 0:32:05Hi, Martin.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07- Oh, hello, Christine. - What you up to?
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Ah, bit of apple pruning, summer pruning.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14- OK.- Very important for apples at this time of year.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18It also exposes the apple to the sun as well, and that ripens the fruit.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22So... And this is something that people get confused about, isn't it?
0:32:22 > 0:32:23Because a restricted form,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26so on the cordons, the espaliers, the fans,
0:32:26 > 0:32:30those that are smaller in size, what we're trying to do is change
0:32:30 > 0:32:33all this vegetative growth into fruiting wood.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37- Yeah.- But you see winter pruning is all about regeneration of wood.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41Wood, and getting rid of canker and all sorts of disease.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43It's just two different pruning times, isn't it?
0:32:43 > 0:32:46And it if there's one which is sort of eight centimetres
0:32:46 > 0:32:48- or eight inches long, like one over here...- Leave it.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51- That's it.- Cos that's got the fruit for next year.
0:32:51 > 0:32:52That's what you want, yeah.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55But this is an interesting variety, isn't it?
0:32:55 > 0:32:58It's a stunning apple called Peasgood Nonsuch.
0:32:58 > 0:32:59Great name.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02And one apple of these you can do a whole apple crumble or
0:33:02 > 0:33:08one of those baked ones because they reach at least four times that size.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Many would consider an apple the quintessential British fruit.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Food writer Edward Bunyard wrote in 1929,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18"Let the Frenchman have his pear,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21"the Italian, his fig. But for us, the apple."
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Training trees against a wall or a fence is a perfect
0:33:28 > 0:33:32space-saving way of growing apples, if you only have a small garden.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38There are over 2,000 apple varieties to choose from
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and our climate is perfect for growing them.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Most of the apple production in Britain is limited to a dozen
0:33:43 > 0:33:46or so varieties you see in the supermarket,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50so why not ring the changes and pick a heritage variety?
0:33:53 > 0:33:55As a gardener, I love apple trees in the spring
0:33:55 > 0:34:00when they're full of blossom, but I also love to eat the fruit, too.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Hey, baked apples where you take the centre out and you fill it with
0:34:02 > 0:34:08sultanas and then you put a blob of butter then a blob of marmalade.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12- Ah!- And you cook 'em, and the marmalade caramelises
0:34:12 > 0:34:16on the sulta... It's delicious with lashings of thick yellow custard.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19- That sounds delicious. - Oh, it's best way to eat an apple!
0:34:19 > 0:34:23- It is, and especially picked fresh from the tree.- Oh, yeah.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26We're just so lucky here, you know. We've got a tropical area,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29we've got an Italianate area, a stumpery, and we've got a
0:34:29 > 0:34:33stunning cut flower garden and this lovely organic kitchen garden.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36So there's a surprise around every corner.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40And one of the new surprises visitors can discover
0:34:40 > 0:34:41is the stumpery.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45Trees have always had a place in our gardens,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49but trust the Victorians to turn that idea on its head.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54A stumpery is an arrangement of dead tree roots placed
0:34:54 > 0:34:56upside down or on their side.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01This stumpery is only a couple of years old and,
0:35:01 > 0:35:06in a very modern touch, has been adorned by bright and exotic plants.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12But the first ever stumpery is a much darker and foreboding place.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19This is the original stumpery,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23built at Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire in 1856.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30It's both strange and beautiful at the same time.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39It's looked after by gardener, Paul Walton.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43It's very eerie, prehistoric, a bit scary almost, you know.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46And you just wouldn't have seen this in Victorian times at all.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48You come round the corner
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and you've got this almost grotesque prehistoric look to it.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54You can almost imagine the ladies with their posh frocks on snagging
0:35:54 > 0:35:57their dresses on some of the stumps, I imagine they'd be quite shocked
0:35:57 > 0:36:01at what they saw and almost saying, "What on Earth have you done here?"
0:36:02 > 0:36:04Seen as Victorian oddities,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06stumperies could be described as gothic.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Or they may have been inspired by the Romantic movement,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12which emphasised the beauty of nature.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17But there were some very practical reasons for their existence, too.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20During Victorian times, they commissioned quite a few
0:36:20 > 0:36:22plant hunters to go overseas.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25The plants were brought over, then the areas were built to house
0:36:25 > 0:36:29the plants, and then this fabulous stumpery is ideal for fern.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32It creates little pockets for planting them and showing them off.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35To create an area which worked really well
0:36:35 > 0:36:38for that kind of plant was brilliant.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40Pull that barrow out, Bob.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Right, Rob, if you take your end round.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Whack it on that stump there.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49Despite the trees being dead, a stumpery still needs a lot of TLC.
0:36:49 > 0:36:50Quite an effort getting them in.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53We can't get any machinery here neither, so it is...
0:36:53 > 0:36:54it's pretty well much man power.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57What I would do, Rob, I'd maybe sit that down there a little
0:36:57 > 0:36:59bit lower and try and get them two spikes up.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03What we want to do is create this canopy coming over, really,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05and, well, feel like you're a bit enclosed,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08a bit daunting almost when you walk through this bit.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12It's all right, that isn't looking too bad now.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14You come through here now, got that height there,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18there's other areas we've still got to do, but this was quite
0:37:18 > 0:37:21an open area, so I'm really pleased that we've got that sorted today,
0:37:21 > 0:37:22so... Brilliant.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26What was once dull and lifeless has been turned into something
0:37:26 > 0:37:28vibrant and alive.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Now that IS a transformation.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Back at Arundel Castle,
0:37:36 > 0:37:40another other-worldly feature awaits me at the Collector Earl's Garden.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46This is a version of Oberon's Palace, a fantastic spectacle
0:37:46 > 0:37:52designed by Inigo Jones for Prince Henry's entertainment in 1611.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Oberon was the King of the Faeries in medieval
0:37:54 > 0:37:56and Renaissance literature,
0:37:56 > 0:38:01and Martin thinks I might be royally entertained by what's inside it.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03This is an amazing building.
0:38:03 > 0:38:04That's shell, isn't it?
0:38:04 > 0:38:08- It is shell. This is all made out of mussel shells.- That is stunning.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13All pasted on but looking as urns, but quite, quite stunning.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14I mean, beautiful!
0:38:14 > 0:38:18But what's really exciting is, let me show you this.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- If you would like to turn this. - Right.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Just slowly, and see what happens.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Maybe a little bit quicker.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Oh, I can... I can...
0:38:38 > 0:38:40- You're worried now, aren't you? - No, I'm not.
0:38:40 > 0:38:41You're not, no, no.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45Go on, go on! Up you go, lad! Wah!
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Wheee!
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Whoo... Oh, I've done it. Up, up she goes.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52And down she comes.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55I can tell you're enjoying this.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Up and down. Oooh, going up there!
0:38:58 > 0:39:01- Whee, come on!- Down you go.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05Come on, down you come. Gently, gently.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09- Once more and I'll...I'll catch it for you.- OK, bring it down.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Oh! Look, look at that.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18- Wow.- It's fantastic, isn't it?
0:39:18 > 0:39:20And what... I mean, what a toy.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Now you know why I wear a hat inside.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27That, I mean...I mean, what a party piece, Gs and Ts,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31and have your friends and... Oh-hoo! Up and down, up and down.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32Fantastic!
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Even though Arundel Castle is a thousand years old,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39a garden is a constantly evolving thing.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45So whether you simply plant a new herbaceous border or transform an
0:39:45 > 0:39:50ugly car-park into a Jacobean-themed vista, a garden is ripe for change.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Back at West Dean, you can really appreciate the scale and
0:40:03 > 0:40:09dimensions of the garden from above, especially at the Edwardian pergola.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11But I want to take a closer look.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17The 300-foot pergola was designed by architect
0:40:17 > 0:40:20and gardener Harold Peto in 1912.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24It's a wonderful structure, which unites great planting
0:40:24 > 0:40:26and architecture.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27As you look through it,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30it frames the parkland as a living landscape painting.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35I thought it looked fantastic from the skies,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38I think it's even better on the ground.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Former high-flyer Laura gave up a career in the City to
0:40:45 > 0:40:48volunteer at West Dean, and it's changed her life.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52To thank her and all the other garden volunteers,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55I've organised a tribute to mark all their hard work.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01So, Laura, I thought it would be quite nice to leave something here
0:41:01 > 0:41:06that you might be able to look up to in years to come and enjoy.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09So... What do you think?
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Wow, great.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15CHEERS
0:41:15 > 0:41:16That's incredible.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24Now, the key thing is, do you recognise the shape of the person.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26It looks vaguely familiar, yeah.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29- Yeah, because it should, because it's you!- Yeah.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32It's all there, the garden, the history,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36- the people and these plants hiding in the wheelbarrow.- Yes.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39I've never seen someone so joyfully pushing a wheelbarrow.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40There you are!
0:41:40 > 0:41:44You see, now the only job is that it's got to go up there.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Oh, God, do I have to climb up the wall?
0:41:46 > 0:41:49No, you don't because... Where are you, Jim?
0:41:49 > 0:41:51I'm behind you. Look who's behind you.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53I think...I think it's your job.
0:41:59 > 0:42:00Now, you tell me when.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03Now. No, no. No.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05- I thought above the door. - Above the door?- Come back.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07Above the door yeah. Right, whoa, whoa.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Lovely. Lovely.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11- Now what do you think to that? - That looks great.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13I can't quite believe I've been immortalised in metal.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Absolutely.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17Yes, well, I think you've done a splendid job.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19And I think that will look lovely there.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22- I wonder how long we can leave him there.- Not very long.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32I think Laura's weather-vane is a very appropriate symbol of her
0:42:32 > 0:42:35story and connection to West Dean.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37But it does remind me that good flying weather is few
0:42:37 > 0:42:39and far between.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48It's been such a treat to see these Sussex
0:42:48 > 0:42:51gardens from my vantage in the sky.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54And what I can see is the changes here at West Dean.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57Arundel Castle.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Even the Craven Estate community garden
0:43:02 > 0:43:04have not only transformed the gardens,
0:43:04 > 0:43:08but they've changed the lives of the people who care for them.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Sometimes you need to see things from a whole new perspective
0:43:14 > 0:43:17to truly understand them.