0:00:02 > 0:00:06There's no doubt that Britain is a nation of very proud gardeners.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10Our love of flowers and plants goes back centuries.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15But there's a problem. Not everything is rosy in our gardens.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19Our iconic plants are under attack from foreign invaders.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Ancient woodlands are at risk of being lost for ever.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28And our favourite flowers are disappearing right before our eyes.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31So we need you to help us in our revival campaign.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37We'll be inspiring you to dig deep and celebrate the best of British.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40As we reveal the country's most stunning gardens.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46And sharing our top gardening tips.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50It's time to rediscover our passion for plants.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53And breathe new life into our gardens.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29When setting out our gardens there are things that we all consider.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The shape and design of the borders. Flower combinations.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Even add in a few wigwams for height and structure.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38But, you know, there's one thing that so many of us
0:01:38 > 0:01:42miss out on in our gardens and I think it's fundamentally important.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Scent.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Scented plants have played an important role in British history,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50from the fragrant herbs that arrived with
0:01:50 > 0:01:54the Romans to the aromatic flower gardens of the Middle Ages.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58But where are those sweet smells today?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01These sweet peas are glorious and their perfume...
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Oh, it's sensational! And that's something that's been
0:02:04 > 0:02:08lost from many modern cultivars and not just in sweet peas.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13And that's why I think we need to make our gardens fragrant once again.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18On my revival campaign - I'll be visiting the scented garden
0:02:18 > 0:02:20that was created to win the heart of a queen.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Today, if you fancy someone you might buy them a bottle of perfume.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Dudley grew it and put it in a garden!
0:02:28 > 0:02:31I'll show you how to have fragrance wafting into your home with
0:02:31 > 0:02:32a window box.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36You'll get months and months of time to enjoy all the aromas.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40And I'll be holding the country's first ever scented-flower competition.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42- It's got quite a bit about it, hasn't it?- Oh, yes.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44- Fragrance is important, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52We all know what lavender and lily of the valley smell like,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54but they're just the start.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Because right under our noses is a whole world of beautiful,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00engaging fragrances to enjoy.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I mean, some plants smell of cinnamon, others of nutmeg.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08There's sugary syrups, citrus. Even plants that smell of bubble gum.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Now, this is the beautiful University of Cambridge Botanic Garden
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and within its walls is a whole garden dedicated to all
0:03:15 > 0:03:19the wonderful range of aromas that plants produce.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22This is the aptly-named Scented Garden
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and it's like a perfume cabinet made of plants.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29All the fragrances are here - from the cloying aroma of lilies...
0:03:29 > 0:03:32It's a bit like sniffing a glass of tropical fruit juice.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35And the sweeter aromas from the stocks.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Lemons and citrus from pelargoniums.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40There's even plants here that you don't associate with
0:03:40 > 0:03:42fragrance at all. But believe me, they have one.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46This is yarrow and on rainy days up from these felty grey leaves
0:03:46 > 0:03:47comes a...
0:03:47 > 0:03:48HE SNIFFS DEEPLY
0:03:48 > 0:03:51..fragrance which is just like disinfectant.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Now, it's not everyone's cup of tea but I really like it.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Flowers produce scent to attract pollinators.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Different plants do this in different ways,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02but mostly it's by secreting oils.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05The scent in our gardens, these days, is getting harder to find.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08I mean, take this rose. It looks like it's got everything.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's abundant and beautiful - but sniff it...
0:04:12 > 0:04:16There is nothing there, and this is the unforeseen
0:04:16 > 0:04:20consequence of breeding programmes that have prioritised flower colour
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and size and completely forgotten about fragrance.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29But there are still roses, along with many other flowers out there,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33that do smell delightful, and I want you to bring them
0:04:33 > 0:04:35back to our Great British gardens.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43I'm starting my campaign at the magnificent romantic
0:04:43 > 0:04:45ruin of Kenilworth Castle.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49It once belonged to Elizabeth I's suitor Robert Dudley,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54who transformed it into a Renaissance palace in order to woo his queen.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It doesn't take much to imagine what it would look like in its pomp.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00But there is one bit of it that's been restored
0:05:00 > 0:05:03to its 16th-century magic, and it's this bit.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Down here.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10This splendid scented Tudor garden is a recreation of the original.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Designed by Dudley to impress Elizabeth on her many visits.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Ah, goodness.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Isn't that incredible?
0:05:21 > 0:05:24It was lost to the world for over four centuries
0:05:24 > 0:05:27until it was resurrected five years ago by John Watkins, who is
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Head of Gardens and Landscapes for English Heritage.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34How important was scent back in Elizabethan times?
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Scent was very important because life wasn't sweet-smelling then
0:05:38 > 0:05:42and, um, and so it was real luxury.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45The thing that really strikes me about it, that I just love,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48is that today if you fancy someone you might buy them a bottle of perfume.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Dudley, now he was the man.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54He not only had the perfume, he grew it and put it in a garden. I mean, it's extraordinary.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55HE SNIFFS
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Cor, it smells good. I can really smell the sweet rocket.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01I think it's the hesperis and I think what's so nice about this
0:06:01 > 0:06:04is its great colour and you've also got scent at the right height.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09- Ah, that's important, is it? - Well, I think it's important for those of us with bad backs,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12you've not got to bend right the way down - so it's just at the right height.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Well, I'm all for it.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17And being so much of it, of course, means there's plenty of scent
0:06:17 > 0:06:20waving around in the air, so it does scent the whole environment.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Do you have any favourites, John?
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Well, I think something that's always special in a garden are peonies.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32This one has quite an unusual scent. What do you think of it?
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Oh, it's appley.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37It's like a bowl of fruit.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Yes, yes.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Fruity.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And just think, a flower that size in the Elizabethan period
0:06:43 > 0:06:47and also with that scent, you know, it's surprising that didn't persuade the Queen, isn't it?
0:06:47 > 0:06:49I know. I'm surprised she didn't go for him in the end.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Obviously she was no horticulturalist.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52HE LAUGHS
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Seeing and smelling the wonderfully aromatic plants here has really
0:06:57 > 0:07:01brought it home to me how much scent we've lost from our gardens today.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05To try and get to the bottom of where all of our fragrant plants
0:07:05 > 0:07:09have gone I'm visiting a nursery in Worcestershire, where Geoff Caesar
0:07:09 > 0:07:15and his team grow over a million plants every year for the UK market.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18How have we got into this state?
0:07:18 > 0:07:19BOTH LAUGH
0:07:19 > 0:07:23It's all about that the plant has got to look fantastic
0:07:23 > 0:07:24- when you buy it. - Yeah.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28A whole load of features that you're looking for in plants - they're all
0:07:28 > 0:07:32really important and without some of those features a plant won't sell.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35How attractive it is. How disease-resistant it is.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39How hardy it is. All of these things will come before fragrance.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Really, it's that far down the list?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Fragrance is important
0:07:44 > 0:07:47but it's not always the primary thing that a breeder is looking for.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49So the fact that plants have lost their scent is an unforeseen
0:07:49 > 0:07:52consequence of the breeding programmes.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- No-one wanted to do that, it's just happened.- Of course not.- But it's not all bad.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59No, no, it's not all bad. Some plants that have been introduced in recent years
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- have got fantastic fragrance.- Yeah. - Honeysuckles being one of them.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04If I had come here and you'd have said to me,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08"No, no, scent's not important. We just don't sell anything with scent anymore."
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- I think I'd have just wept. - It would be disappointing, wouldn't it? No, no, absolutely not.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15I'm pleased to hear that there are still fragrant plants available,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19but there are so many heavenly scents we could lose altogether
0:08:19 > 0:08:21if we don't get planting.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31It's not just the Scented Garden here at the University of Cambridge
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Botanic Garden that's fragrant, these are the systematic beds and
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I used to work here. And I loved them because you can navigate your way around
0:08:38 > 0:08:42by your nose. You see, planted in each bed is a family of plants.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45These are the labiates, the aromatic herbs.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47And then there's the potato family, grasses and orchids.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51You just close your eyes and you know where you are.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54It's a sort of heady mix of plants, cut grass and hoed earth.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55HE SNIFFS
0:08:55 > 0:08:56It's lovely.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59But if you're after something a little less subtle,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03a bit more in-your-face and sweet, I've got just the thing for you.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12And this is it. Jasmine or Jasminum officinale.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Now, it's got white night-scented flowers.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Many white flowers are scented at night because they're pollinated
0:09:18 > 0:09:21by moths. And it's an interesting fact that when you're sniffing
0:09:21 > 0:09:24around the plants in your garden, often the paler colours or the
0:09:24 > 0:09:28flowers with less pigment in them, they have a more powerful aroma.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32It's as if the colour uses up some of the scent.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Now, when I used to live in Cambridge I had one of these beautiful plants
0:09:36 > 0:09:40growing on my shed. And I used to sit out, of a night, having a glass of wine
0:09:40 > 0:09:45and it just filled the air with its tropical, sweet aroma.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50Now, how this one will grow is up the side of the shed onto the roof.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53And the scent, due to the heat that's going to be trapped in the roof,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56pushing it and pulsing it out into the rest of the garden.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59It's just going to fill the air gloriously.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02When it comes to planting anything...
0:10:02 > 0:10:04don't forget to put
0:10:04 > 0:10:08a handful of fertiliser in the planting hole.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13It just gives them that little boost to make sure they grow nice and tall.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15A couple of other tips.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Notice how I haven't put the hole right next to the building.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20I've left a good space.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24That's because you want your plant to grow towards the structure
0:10:24 > 0:10:27but not be in the dry soil right next to it.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Because the closer you are to the woodwork or the brickwork
0:10:30 > 0:10:33of a building, obviously, the drier that earth is going to be.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Another tip...
0:10:35 > 0:10:38climbers always like to grow toward the sun but then,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40when you think about it, in nature
0:10:40 > 0:10:43they would grow on the north side of a plant and aim up through
0:10:43 > 0:10:45the branches, up through the canopy
0:10:45 > 0:10:47and then grow out through
0:10:47 > 0:10:51the top into the bright sunlight on the south side of their support.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54If you struggle...
0:10:54 > 0:10:55HE CHUCKLES
0:10:55 > 0:10:57..like I am, to get your plant out the pot,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59remember the old spade trick.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Put your spade in the ground and just tap
0:11:02 > 0:11:07the pot against it like that and it comes out relatively easy.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Now, because this is grown in a container, as long as the earth
0:11:10 > 0:11:14isn't waterlogged or frosty you can plant the jasmine at any
0:11:14 > 0:11:20time of year. Then put the nice moist root ball down into the earth.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27The canes are just to support the plant in the garden centre,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30so make sure you remove them straight after planting.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Train plastic wire through secured hooks
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and use loops of soft twine to attach the stems.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Most important of all is to give your plant a good drink once
0:11:41 > 0:11:42it's in the ground.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46A canful is what it needs, just to settle that soil around the roots.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50And it's important with climbers that you keep them
0:11:50 > 0:11:53well hydrated through their first year, just to help them
0:11:53 > 0:11:56establish and get down on their own roots.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59And if you do that and put that effort in in the first few months
0:11:59 > 0:12:02you've got your plant, it will reward you -
0:12:02 > 0:12:05filling your garden with fragrance for years to come.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20One of the reasons why we don't appreciate fragrance in our
0:12:20 > 0:12:24gardens is because, I think, we don't understand it and that's why I've
0:12:24 > 0:12:28come to meet a man who has turned the art of aroma into a science.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36John Stephen is the chemist and perfumer at the Cotswold Perfumery
0:12:36 > 0:12:39where he has a specially designed perfume garden.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I'm hoping he'll explain to me the science of scent.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45So tell me about your garden, John.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Well, in this garden everything has been planted for its aroma
0:12:47 > 0:12:49rather than its appearance.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Each flower will produce a different aroma
0:12:51 > 0:12:53so every flower is its own perfumer, really.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56And where does the aroma come from in a flower?
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It comes from what's called an essential oil
0:12:58 > 0:13:03and there are many, many materials in a flower. So if you're looking
0:13:03 > 0:13:06at a rose, for example, you're looking at about 700 components in it.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08They're highly complex mixtures.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Yeah, and these are volatile oils,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12ie they evaporate into the air when it's warm?
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Yes. They must be volatile because we can only smell vapours.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And do you have any tips as a perfumer about how to
0:13:19 > 0:13:21appreciate scent?
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Is there anything that most of us are missing out on?
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Well, you can assist yourself by improving what's
0:13:27 > 0:13:30called your odour memory. And your odour memory is being able to
0:13:30 > 0:13:34put words to what you smell and being able to recall it.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Now, this is something that we don't normally practice
0:13:37 > 0:13:40but if you do, you increase your odour memory... A whole world opens
0:13:40 > 0:13:42up to you with fragrances.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Because you have a much better appreciation of smells.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I like this idea of a workout for your odour memory.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Can you give me some tips on how to do it here?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Is there anything that I can have a sniff of?
0:13:52 > 0:13:57We've got a good example here with a rose, for example, where the
0:13:57 > 0:13:59fragrance does not come in the flower.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04But the aroma is in the leaf and it smells nothing like rose.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Now, I guarantee that you've smelt that before
0:14:07 > 0:14:09but you never will have associated it with a rose bud.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13- If you scrunch it up really tightly in your fingers...- Yeah.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15..throw the leaf away and just smell your fingers.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Sort of like apple skins.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20It's apple. Yes, well done.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24- Wow! - So there you are, you see, your odour memory is improving already.
0:14:24 > 0:14:25HE LAUGHS
0:14:25 > 0:14:28I like this. This could turn into a good garden game, this.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Focusing on my odour memory has made me
0:14:30 > 0:14:34realise that it's all too easy to take fragrance for granted.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39It is high time that we all pay a little more attention to our noses.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I'm back at Cambridge Botanics to show that if you don't have
0:14:45 > 0:14:48space for your own scented garden and want to bring fragrance
0:14:48 > 0:14:53into your home, then growing your own scented flowers from seed is... simple.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03One of the things I love about fragrant plants is their ability
0:15:03 > 0:15:06to paint picture in your mind's eye of a time or place.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08And when it comes to painting a
0:15:08 > 0:15:12postcard of summer - annual bedding plants, well, they can't be beaten.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13I sow them every year.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15I've got some real favourites that are dead easy
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and will fill your garden with beautiful perfume
0:15:18 > 0:15:21and, well, will cost no more than a pack of seeds.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Sweet peas, they're always a winner.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Now, the rule of thumb with these is that some you need to
0:15:27 > 0:15:29soak in water and others you can sow straight away.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32And you can tell often because the darker the flower on the front
0:15:32 > 0:15:35of the seed packet means the thicker the seed coat.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39With all seeds it pays to use a good seed compost.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Seed and cutting compost is different from the usual stuff
0:15:42 > 0:15:44you buy because it's hardly got any nutrients in it
0:15:44 > 0:15:47because nutrients, particularly phosphates, inhibit germination.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50You just need a compost with good drainage.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55And then with your sweet peas, I've got a nice little pale variety here...
0:15:55 > 0:15:59All you do is scatter four or five to a pot,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01onto the surface of the compost.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Space them out so that there's an inch or a couple of centimetres
0:16:04 > 0:16:10between them, and then just push them down into the compost.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Up to my first knuckle on my finger, like so.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Smooth out the top
0:16:17 > 0:16:22and then pop your little, potted sweet peas into some water to soak.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26With tiny seeds it's slightly different.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29You fill your pots with compost in the same way
0:16:29 > 0:16:33but pick off any lumps of peat or bark or little stone chips,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36because they will inhibit germination of any seed that
0:16:36 > 0:16:40touches them and then smooth out the surface, and that's essential.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43The surface has got to be level because otherwise the compost
0:16:43 > 0:16:45will sit wetter in some parts than in others.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Now these...are nicotiana seeds. Tobacco plants.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55They don't smell like much during the day
0:16:55 > 0:16:58but at night it's like your garden is filled with someone baking cakes.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It's that sweet and sugary.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03And can see how small that seed is?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Now, if you can't see very well without your reading glasses,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09a good trick is to add a bit of sand to your seeds and just mix them together
0:17:09 > 0:17:12because when they're combined it's so much easier
0:17:12 > 0:17:14to see what you're doing. And then...
0:17:15 > 0:17:18..you sow your seeds onto the top.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22As long as I paint over the top of the compost, covering it with
0:17:22 > 0:17:25the sand, I know the seeds will be evenly distributed as well.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30It's always essential that they go in a water bath like this.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Never water from the top
0:17:32 > 0:17:34because otherwise...
0:17:34 > 0:17:37the water is like a tsunami, it just sloshes all
0:17:37 > 0:17:39the seeds to the side of the pot where they
0:17:39 > 0:17:43sprout in crowded conditions and they could damp off or start to rot away.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Keep your seedlings somewhere where the temperatures are nice
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and even, but they won't get baked and they won't get frosted.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54And after a couple of weeks they're up and looking like this.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Now, at this stage they need to be potted on into individual containers
0:17:58 > 0:18:02in a process called pricking out.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Now, this is always a bit of a game and often gardeners
0:18:05 > 0:18:07love their plants to death by mucking about with them.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09The trick is - be prepared.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Get all your pots ready, make a hole right down the middle
0:18:13 > 0:18:19with your finger, and then, here's the bit where so many people struggle.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22You've got lever out the seedlings up onto the surface
0:18:22 > 0:18:26so you can get hold of them. The name of the game with this is to handle
0:18:26 > 0:18:28the plants as delicately as possible and you do
0:18:28 > 0:18:31that by just holding them by one leaf...
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and they come out with all the root intact.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37You've got to get that root down.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40So my trick is to get one of these pens.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41Anything plastic will do.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Just create a bit of static on my trouser leg,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47touch it onto the root and you see how it grips?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50That means you can drop it down into the base of the pot without
0:18:50 > 0:18:52it getting caught onto the compost.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54A gentle firm round.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57A little tap then pop it straight back into some water.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00And really, it is as simple as that.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03You can have a garden that's full of fragrance
0:19:03 > 0:19:07and one that will be like a postcard for you to remember for ever.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16I, for one, can't imagine what it would be like to lose
0:19:16 > 0:19:21my sense of smell but one man who knows only too well is Duncan Boak.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23After losing his sense of smell nine years ago
0:19:23 > 0:19:28he now campaigns to raise awareness of smell and taste disorders.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31I'm meeting him in a local florist where, sadly,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34he can't smell a single flower.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Well, Duncan, we're in a florist and it smells well...floral
0:19:38 > 0:19:41- and heady. But you can't smell a thing?- Not a thing.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46No, I lost my sense of smell in 2005 after suffering a severe head injury
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and so the beautiful flower smells in this shop now,
0:19:49 > 0:19:50I don't get anything at all.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54And did you value your sense of smell or is it something you really miss now?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56I never thought about the sense of smell
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and all of a sudden I didn't have it any more.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00You see, I'm on this revival to get people to appreciate
0:20:00 > 0:20:03the value of scent in their gardens.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Is that something you think is important
0:20:05 > 0:20:07since you've lost your sense of smell?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09I think it's hugely important.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11My parents have this beautiful garden in Shropshire
0:20:11 > 0:20:14and I can walk around that and I don't smell the flowers.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17It's just flat. There's nothing there.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21I can look around and see the garden but that's very clinical and cold.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23You don't FEEL it in the same way.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- And so aroma is connected to emotion?- Completely, yes.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Our sense of smell is more closely associated with our emotion
0:20:30 > 0:20:32than anything else we have.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37We started a survey in October 2013 to establish the
0:20:37 > 0:20:42quality-of-life impacts of olfactory disorders. And large numbers of people
0:20:42 > 0:20:48say how the pleasure they once had, once took from their garden, has gone.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51People don't understand that. People don't realise it.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55But it is really one of those - you just don't know what you've got until it's gone.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Meeting Duncan has definitely given my campaign even more drive
0:20:59 > 0:21:02and purpose, and I've got an idea.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05There are hundreds of garden shows across the country where
0:21:05 > 0:21:08flowers are judged in garden designs or bunched together
0:21:08 > 0:21:12and rewarded for their artistic merits, but none, as far as I'm aware,
0:21:12 > 0:21:18where flowers are judged for their fragrance alone. But all that is about to change.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23To help my revival and make people realise how vital
0:21:23 > 0:21:27scent in our garden is, I've decided to hold the country's first
0:21:27 > 0:21:31scented-flower competition here at the Staffordshire County Show.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34Oh, an iris.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36'And I'm not short of entries.'
0:21:36 > 0:21:39It's got a floral quality to it but it's light, isn't it?
0:21:39 > 0:21:41- Yes, it is. - It's really lovely.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45- It's Lupin arboreus. - I think you're in with a shout here.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47A dianthus, oh, that's so special, isn't it?
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- My husband says they remind him of the dentist. - HE LAUGHS
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- What have you got there? - It's a dwarf lilac.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56It smells... Quite musky, isn't it?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It is. It's got a powerful presence, hasn't it?
0:21:59 > 0:22:00THEY LAUGH
0:22:00 > 0:22:01You wallflower.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03It's got a bit about it, hasn't it?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- Oh, yes, fragrance is important, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09To help me decide on the most perfumed plant I'm enlisting
0:22:09 > 0:22:11the help of judge Eleanor Griffiths.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16Eleanor, you travel up and down the country judging floral competitions,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19have you ever come across a fragrance category before?
0:22:19 > 0:22:21No, I haven't come across a fragrance category.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23So why do you think that is?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Because our criteria doesn't allow it.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28We're not allowed to judge on perfume.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- But do you think it could work? - I think it should work.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34We've gone too much into colour and lasting quality.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Perfume is important.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I'm hoping Eleanor's judging skills will help me
0:22:40 > 0:22:41make the final decision.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44It goes into your nose when you smell it, doesn't it?
0:22:44 > 0:22:45HE LAUGHS
0:22:45 > 0:22:47That's a lovely, lovely lilacy smell.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51You're having to learn your judging all over again here. The tricks of the trade.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52SHE LAUGHS
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Well, we smelt all the flowers, have you got a favourite?
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Yes, I've got two that... I like at the moment.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Thank you very much for coming along to this,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05the first scented-flower competition.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09The strongest smelling plant...
0:23:09 > 0:23:12is the dwarf lilac from Clive Plant.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- Congratulations, Clive.- Thank you. - Well done.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- There's your cup.- Lovely.- There you are.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24There you are, mate. Let's hold that one up.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Yes!
0:23:26 > 0:23:29CHEERING
0:23:29 > 0:23:30That was a lot of fun.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32It was a lot of fun. I think it created a lot of interest,
0:23:32 > 0:23:34didn't it? And enthusiasm.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Do you think it can run and run?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Definitely. It's going to be a bench- full next year. Great. Great.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Well, I might enter myself.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42SHE LAUGHS
0:23:51 > 0:23:54These are the Mediterranean beds at the University of Cambridge
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Botanic Garden. And there are some real beauties
0:23:57 > 0:24:00when it comes to fragrant foliage.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Now, this is a plant called Cistus ladanifer.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It's got big flowers, yes, but its party trick is in the foliage
0:24:06 > 0:24:11and stems because on a sunny days it releases this sort of resin
0:24:11 > 0:24:15that's scented like hot cross buns that you've left under
0:24:15 > 0:24:17the grill a little bit too long.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18It's used in the perfume industry.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20HE SNIFFS
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Cor, when the sun breaks through the clouds it is such a perfume.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27So redolent of summer holidays abroad.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I'm going to show you how you can have your own fragrant memories
0:24:31 > 0:24:35come flooding back day after day, simply by planting up a window box.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42One of the things I've learnt about gardening with fragrant plants
0:24:42 > 0:24:46is that it's not just about enjoying them on their own, it's when you
0:24:46 > 0:24:49combine them that you create hybrid fragrances, almost like recipes.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54It really brings them to life. One of my favourites...is this.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Now, it's quite a rare plant.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I mean, I've been growing it for years.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00It's called Zaluzianskya ovata.
0:25:00 > 0:25:06It's got a very resinous foliage, but it's these small flowers -
0:25:06 > 0:25:09they might be tiny but, my gosh, they pack a punch.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12They smell like those sherbet-like sweets you used to
0:25:12 > 0:25:15get as a child. And in the evening they'll fill your garden
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and your whole house with that fragrance.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Amazing from such a small plant.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23My next scented plant is a little more common
0:25:23 > 0:25:24but none the worse for that.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29It's chocolate cosmos. A delicious thing which does smell of chocolate.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30Like dark chocolate with a...
0:25:30 > 0:25:31HE SNIFFS
0:25:31 > 0:25:34..twist of vanilla, and as long as you keep
0:25:34 > 0:25:37it fed and watered and deadhead it by pinching off the flowers as they
0:25:37 > 0:25:41become spent, you get flower after flower right through the summer.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45We'll have one either side of me Zaluzianskya.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Now, this is a plant that I just love - it's a beautiful pelargonium
0:25:50 > 0:25:53that's also useful.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57They are wonderful just to rub and release the fragrance from,
0:25:57 > 0:25:58but they're also good for cooking.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Because what you do is you pick them off and if you're cooking a cake you
0:26:02 > 0:26:07put that under the batter before you put the batter in the oven to cook.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11And it imbues the whole cake with this wonderful chocolate, mint aroma.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13My kids really love it.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20Next up I've got another South African plant, like the pelargoniums.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24This is nemesia and it has a cherry Bakewell tart aroma.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Like sugared almonds, actually.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27A really lovely thing
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and the beauty of this plant is that it's scented during the day.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34I'm going to squeeze him in there for a bit of height.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Whenever you're making a planter you need things that mound,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41some things that create a bit of height, others that spill down the front.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43The plants will find their own space.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Now the final ingredient of my floral recipe...
0:26:47 > 0:26:51are petunias, which I just love. And when you're choosing them
0:26:51 > 0:26:55for fragrance, unusually, it's the dark flowers, particularly
0:26:55 > 0:26:57the purples, that have the best aroma.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00It's just like vanilla. Oh, a lovely thing.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Now, the thing to know about fragrance is, often as not
0:27:03 > 0:27:06if you can find a form of plant with double petals, for example, you
0:27:06 > 0:27:12get double the scent and so it is with this purple Tumbelina petunia.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's quite unusual-looking and it's very vigorous.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18But my gosh, it does have double the scent.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20So I'm definitely going to use one of these.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26In on the edge. And to balance it out on the other side I'm going for
0:27:26 > 0:27:31one of these less scented, but still lovely, cherry-cheesecake petunias.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Let's find a little space in there.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37The time to plant up a window box like this is in the spring
0:27:37 > 0:27:38and that way you get months
0:27:38 > 0:27:43and months of time to enjoy all the aromas. And they really are delicious
0:27:43 > 0:27:47and mouthwatering, and even better - there's not a calorie in sight.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Another man on a mission to bring fragrance back into our gardens
0:28:00 > 0:28:05is Thomas Broom, who is so passionate about scented plants that
0:28:05 > 0:28:09he runs dedicated workshops at Petersham Nurseries in Surrey.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12The idea of the scented-garden workshop came about
0:28:12 > 0:28:14because we felt it was something that was being
0:28:14 > 0:28:18missed by the general public in gardens.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21If you rub the leaves you'll get the smell of Turkish delight.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24I think it gets people smelling different smells
0:28:24 > 0:28:26and maybe things that they've never even
0:28:26 > 0:28:29considered about a certain plant and how it smells.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Coming here today has made me a lot more conscious of the smell
0:28:33 > 0:28:35and scent and how important that is.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38There was a geranium that had some really exciting smells.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41One that smelt of cola bottles. How strange, how fun.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44You know, so, of course, it's always lovely to get a bit
0:28:44 > 0:28:46more experience and meet a few new plants.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52For each person, smelling something is completely different.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56So, for example, this Matthiola incana here...
0:28:56 > 0:28:59to me this smells like cloves.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01But to others it might smell like honey.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Here we have this pergola which is covered with two intertwined wisterias
0:29:05 > 0:29:09and you just get this burst of scent coming through.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12The scented-flower collection here at the nurseries also holds
0:29:12 > 0:29:15some personal memories for Thomas.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18This one's called Madame Gregoire Staechelin.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22The fragrance is a typical old French perfume
0:29:22 > 0:29:25and it's very evocative to me because I remember this as a child,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28being planted in my grandmother's garden.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31I think anyone who has not introduced scent
0:29:31 > 0:29:33into their garden should perhaps rethink,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36and add scent wherever possible or wherever they've got gaps.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Because there's always room for scent in your garden.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Gardening for fragrance offers a personal, even intimate way to
0:29:46 > 0:29:48enjoy your garden.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Yes, there's things to enjoy in the here and now,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54but it also brings back happy memories from times in the past.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57If you garden for appearance alone, well, that can soon
0:29:57 > 0:30:02turn into the tyranny of keeping up with the Joneses.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04No. If a garden smells good,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07it is good. And that's good enough for me.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Across the series our revival team are travelling the length
0:30:13 > 0:30:17and breadth of Britain celebrating our gardens...
0:30:17 > 0:30:21We couldn't draw, as a landscape artist, a more perfect picture.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22..flowers...
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Ah, that's a knockout fragrance.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26..and plants.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27This plant is perfect.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30That's going to get off to a great start.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35Next, Tom Hart Dyke flies the flags for tulips.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43As a globetrotting 21st-century plant hunter
0:30:43 > 0:30:47I love growing plants from all over the world. And there's one
0:30:47 > 0:30:52flower with petals as colourful as its history...
0:30:52 > 0:30:54and this is it.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56The glorious tulip.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00But over the last 50 years the British tulip industry has
0:31:00 > 0:31:04almost vanished, and we've stopped planting them in our gardens.
0:31:04 > 0:31:09It's time for other spring bulbs to step aside and for all of us,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12all of us, to be planting the tumultuous tulip.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18On my revival I will find out about the turbulent history of this plant
0:31:18 > 0:31:22that 400 years ago brought an economy to its knees.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24People lost their homes, their livelihoods
0:31:24 > 0:31:26and their businesses over it.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30I'll lend a helping hand to what remains of the Great British tulip industry.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- I left a lot to start with. - Oh, dear(!)
0:31:33 > 0:31:36And show you how to start your own tulip collection at home
0:31:36 > 0:31:39and make one of my family favourites, the tulip lasagne.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43You'll have eight weeks of flower power tulip heaven.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55There was a time when our gardens weren't complete without
0:31:55 > 0:31:58tulips to brighten them up.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01In the 1950s we even had our own tulip industry,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05in the counties of Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09But sadly today, that industry has all but disappeared.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14The tulip was once celebrated on our streets and in our gardens.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17It's such a shame that today they're seen as troublesome,
0:32:17 > 0:32:21hard work and simply not worth the effort.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23Well, you try telling that to the gardeners
0:32:23 > 0:32:26here at Dunsborough Park in Surrey.
0:32:26 > 0:32:32They plant an incredible 10,000 tulips each year. All by hand.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Some of these tulips are planted in formal rows like this and some
0:32:36 > 0:32:40are planted randomly, yet sumptuously,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42within a meadow setting such as this.
0:32:42 > 0:32:48Whatever situation you've got, tulips will provide a kaleidoscopic range
0:32:48 > 0:32:53of colour in your garden from early March right the way through to June.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57Sadly, we're in the habit of buying imported cut tulips from Holland
0:32:57 > 0:33:01instead of making them permanent residents in our gardens at home.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06And for anyone with a love of plants, that simply won't do.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12To start my campaign I want to trace back the history of how this
0:33:12 > 0:33:16flower first took root on our shores.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20So I have travelled to Holme Pierrepont Hall in Nottinghamshire.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23The gardens have played host to a variety of beautiful flowers
0:33:23 > 0:33:26but I'm here for one particular wild resident that
0:33:26 > 0:33:29made its home in the meadow long ago.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31Are you ready? Are you ready, everybody?
0:33:31 > 0:33:34This particular tulip is the only relative of the garden tulip
0:33:34 > 0:33:39found growing wild in Britain and it holds a very dear place in my heart.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42It was at the age of four when my inspirational Granny -
0:33:42 > 0:33:46she was an amazing horticulturalist gardener - she said to me,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48"Tom, I want to show you something very special.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50"I want to show you this tulip."
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Tulipa sylvestris from the southern Mediterranean.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56It was sensational to see it spurting out underneath
0:33:56 > 0:34:00a bit of shade in dry conditions on an east-facing aspect,
0:34:00 > 0:34:04where Granny had her wonderful herbaceous border.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Tulipa sylvestris is rumoured to have been introduced to
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Britain by the Romans centuries ago.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12But we didn't start growing tulips in our gardens
0:34:12 > 0:34:14until the early 1600s.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18The first person to record them was botanist
0:34:18 > 0:34:22and herbalist to King Charles I, John Parkinson.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26I'm meeting his descendant Anna Parkinson, a fellow tulip enthusiast,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30to find out how this flower changed the way we gardened for ever.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Anna, why is the tulip so dear to your heart?
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Why is it such a personal story to you?
0:34:37 > 0:34:41The tulip heralded an age of decorative gardening.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45It was, if you like, a signifier of gardening as we understand it
0:34:45 > 0:34:51today because up until that point nearly every plant had
0:34:51 > 0:34:56a medicinal value, but the tulip had no medicinal purpose at all.
0:34:56 > 0:34:57It was just beautiful.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01Is it fair to say that, together with others too, John Parkinson
0:35:01 > 0:35:06was responsible for the ornamental gardens that we know so well today?
0:35:06 > 0:35:10Yes, he was a pioneer of the decorative garden and
0:35:10 > 0:35:15he learned from his Flemish friends in London about how to grow these
0:35:15 > 0:35:19decorative plants, and the tulip was the most desirable of all of them.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23It's amazing to think that the tulip is so central to
0:35:23 > 0:35:27the history of our gardens and yet it no longer takes pride of place.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31Anna has brought with her what is considered to be the first
0:35:31 > 0:35:34British gardening book ever written, in which her ancestor
0:35:34 > 0:35:37describes one of the most desirable tulips of all time.
0:35:39 > 0:35:45So these are so-called broken tulips and they were very rare
0:35:45 > 0:35:48because they didn't grow true from the parent
0:35:48 > 0:35:52and they were highly sought after, and they triggered something
0:35:52 > 0:35:56called Tulip Mania in Holland in the 1630s.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59These new variations of tulip species became referred
0:35:59 > 0:36:03to as "broken" due to the streaked colours of their petals.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07The rarity of the flower resulted in huge demand.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11Within a space of a few years it saw the price of tulips rise
0:36:11 > 0:36:16astronomically so that within one growing season a tulip would
0:36:16 > 0:36:18go to the price of a house.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22And as quickly as Tulip Mania went to its peak...
0:36:22 > 0:36:24..it burst, didn't it?
0:36:24 > 0:36:25It collapsed.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27People lost their homes, their livelihoods
0:36:27 > 0:36:30and their businesses over it.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33It is incredible to think that broken tulips were once
0:36:33 > 0:36:34so highly prized.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36And I want to see what all the fuss is about.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41I've heard that there are some varieties still growing today,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43in the Cambridge area.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48I have never seen a broken tulip and as a plant hunter
0:36:48 > 0:36:53I am desperate to see this mysterious and exotic blossom.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55I feel a plant hunt coming on.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00In order to track down horticulture's most wanted I'm taking to the
0:37:00 > 0:37:03streets to see if anybody knows where it might be hiding.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Good afternoon, sir. I've got this mission. I'm a plant hunter.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08I go all over the world seeing plants in the wild
0:37:08 > 0:37:11but I've heard, here in Cambridge there is this plant.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Have you seen this plant before?
0:37:13 > 0:37:15I have never seen that plant before.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Where would you think in Cambridge I could find it?
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Maybe in the common up there, I think.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22I think if you go over...
0:37:22 > 0:37:25I would say the market right there, I think they would be there.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28- At the botanical gardens. Have you been there yet?- No.
0:37:29 > 0:37:34Of course! What am I thinking? The Cambridge Botanic Gardens.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Britain's national collection of tulips are housed here
0:37:37 > 0:37:40and Botanic Gardens Director Professor Beverley Glover has
0:37:40 > 0:37:42agreed to show me what I've been searching for.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46I hear, rumour has it, that here at the Cambridge Botanical Gardens
0:37:46 > 0:37:49you have one of the rarest broken tulips...
0:37:49 > 0:37:51- We do indeed.- ..in the world.- So let me take you there and show you.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54So this is our broken Captain Fryatt variety.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56It's just horticulturally bonkers!
0:37:56 > 0:37:58THEY LAUGH
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Well, you can understand where the tulip mania came from, can't you?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04They are spectacular and just the diversity within a single pot...
0:38:04 > 0:38:06The unbroken tulip should be, sort of, this colour.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08So you've got a couple of streaks in there coming in.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Yeah. So it should be a rich, winey colour.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15The colour variations of broken tulips are actually the result
0:38:15 > 0:38:18of the tulip-breaking virus that can infect any tulip,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22causing discolouration of the bloom and eventually killing the plant.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25These are the only bulbs of it that we know of that are left,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27- so we have the only stock. - This pot is the only pot of them.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31That's right. We're not aware of it anywhere else and so, actually, it's a bad
0:38:31 > 0:38:33thing for us that it's got the tulip virus because we don't want
0:38:33 > 0:38:37to lose the line and the virus obviously weakens the plants.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Wow.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Historically the tulip was the main event in ornamental gardening
0:38:51 > 0:38:54but nowadays they have fallen out of favour.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59However, that is certainly not the case here at Dunsborough Park
0:38:59 > 0:39:03where Baroness Caroline Sweerts de Landas Wyborgh has been
0:39:03 > 0:39:05growing them in abundance for the past 20 years.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Now, when I look around here and see these amazing tulips
0:39:11 > 0:39:14I do think of the workload that you've got.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17How many do you plant each year?
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Well, we have roughly about 10,000 tulips every year and of course
0:39:21 > 0:39:25they stay in the ground until the June when we lift them
0:39:25 > 0:39:30and then they go to the meadow and then the new bulbs come end of October,
0:39:30 > 0:39:34when we plant them in here again. So it's over 20,000 bulbs, really.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37And you've got no wastage whatsoever.
0:39:37 > 0:39:38No wastage whatsoever and what's
0:39:38 > 0:39:42so fun about the meadow is that we literally throw them.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44Colour wise - it's all mixed.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47So it's very formal in here and that's how I like it
0:39:47 > 0:39:50but it's also very wonderful to do the meadow because...
0:39:50 > 0:39:53It's a wild look. It's the lovely wild look that you've got.
0:39:53 > 0:39:54Absolutely wild look, yes.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59This magnificent meadow is testament to how easy
0:39:59 > 0:40:02it can be for tulips to thrive in our gardens.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05Of course they can also look spectacular indoors.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09And Caroline is passionate about cutting tulips from her own garden to
0:40:09 > 0:40:11brighten up her home.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14She's a bit of an expert at this, so I've asked her for a few tips.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24I will do the best one and cut them very low because I want it...
0:40:24 > 0:40:26I like the tall tulip.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28And you keep the leaves? The leaves come off?
0:40:28 > 0:40:31The leaves come off. I do all the work in here
0:40:31 > 0:40:33with my little basket.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38And I will have an open one and I will also have a closed one.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41And I will get about 20 of them...
0:40:42 > 0:40:45..to make a really nice display of my tulips.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48So this is the best one. It looks really good.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51So here we go, we're going to cut down here.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54- Quite low down, right?- Yeah, quite low down.- Quite low down.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57I do feel awful doing it. I do feel quite sad.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Peeling off the leaves.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01Keeping the top leaf? Sometimes?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Oh, yeah, sometimes. If they have enough space then this would
0:41:04 > 0:41:08look perfect because the leaves should never be in the water.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11By ensuring that no leaves are submerged in your vase you
0:41:11 > 0:41:16will prevent them from rotting and making your tulips limp, prematurely.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20However, you must make sure that your stems are underwater.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24The moment they have no water they really start to be very unhappy
0:41:24 > 0:41:27and hang, so they want a little bit of water every day
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and you will have the tulip for a very long time.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33So if you want to enjoy beautiful tulips in your home don't
0:41:33 > 0:41:37buy them in the supermarket, get planting and grow your own.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46These days most of the cut tulips that we buy in this
0:41:46 > 0:41:49country are grown in Holland and although the Dutch now
0:41:49 > 0:41:52dominate the tulip industry, this wasn't always the case.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58Just a few years ago this part of the world was covered in 3,000 acres
0:41:58 > 0:42:03of tulip fields and the sad thing is that since the late 1970s,
0:42:03 > 0:42:08early 1980s, it's been reduced in a steady decline to almost nothing.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12Almost every single tulip field has disappeared.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15I've travelled to the town of Spalding in Lincolnshire.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17It's known locally as South Holland
0:42:17 > 0:42:21and the tulip has been celebrated annually here on a grand scale
0:42:21 > 0:42:27with the famous Spalding flower parade, but sadly, not anymore.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31These are the remnants of the most famous tulip festival
0:42:31 > 0:42:34and it's just sad, to me, seeing this.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38It's like a graveyard of floats rusting away.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41With the decline of tulip production across Lincolnshire over
0:42:41 > 0:42:45the past few decades, the annual festival that was founded
0:42:45 > 0:42:48back in 1959, is no longer.
0:42:48 > 0:42:53It's also quite eerie. It's quite, sort of, spooky.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55You just see this...
0:42:55 > 0:42:58And in such a short space of time...
0:42:58 > 0:43:00how these things are just being stored away.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Well, they're just wasting away.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05I mean, there are just rooms of them.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08There are room after room after room of these.
0:43:09 > 0:43:15Look what I found here. An absolutely enormous tulip!
0:43:15 > 0:43:17Picking this up you just feel like you've taken
0:43:17 > 0:43:19a bit of community spirit of Spalding.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23You just fell the passion and energy it's taken to build this.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26To build these extraordinary floats.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30To find out more about the impact of the decline in tulip production
0:43:30 > 0:43:35I'm meeting David Norton from the Springfields Horticultural Society.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37What was it like in this area when tulips
0:43:37 > 0:43:39were at the height of popularity?
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Well, there were literally hundreds of acres
0:43:42 > 0:43:45and it was a patchwork of colour right across this area of the county.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48It was as if you... Back in the days of black and white TV...
0:43:48 > 0:43:51but in Spalding in South Holland it was colour.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Tell me about the world famous parade here.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57My granny came in the '70s to it and was really inspired by it.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59At that time she would have been because that
0:43:59 > 0:44:02was at its heyday at a time when the floats were at their biggest
0:44:02 > 0:44:04and looked their most spectacular.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07They were fantastic in terms of the sculpture that they had
0:44:07 > 0:44:09and engaging the community.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13How important is the tulip to the people of Spalding to this day?
0:44:13 > 0:44:15It's still important. It's a symbol of South Holland.
0:44:15 > 0:44:21It's an anchor in some ways to the past which is sadly...is being lost.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25Even though the decline in large-scale tulip
0:44:25 > 0:44:28production across the region has resulted in the loss of the parade,
0:44:28 > 0:44:32the tulip industry in Spalding has not yet disappeared completely.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37I've arrived at the Springfields Gardens where multitudes
0:44:37 > 0:44:42of glorious tulips are in bloom, and John Taylor is here to tell me more.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45John, I remember growing up as a youngster, getting Spalding
0:44:45 > 0:44:48bulb catalogues in the post, and you said
0:44:48 > 0:44:51and thought the word "Spalding", you thought of tulips.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55Is it still true today that tulips are thriving in Spalding?
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Thriving is perhaps not quite the right word, Tom. It's changed.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01I mean, there is no longer the fields, as you know, and that's
0:45:01 > 0:45:04one of the things, but there's still a lot of work involved with tulips.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07There's tulips that are grown under glass for cut flowers.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09There's tulips that are packed for sale for the gardens.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12I'm so pleased to hear that. I'm relieved!
0:45:12 > 0:45:14I was getting a bit worried, today.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18So the tulip industry may be smaller, but it's still here.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20Is there optimism for the future?
0:45:20 > 0:45:24Yes, certainly. I see the tulip as still being a wonderful
0:45:24 > 0:45:27article that's going to be going, I think, for many years.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30The range of colours, as you've already said, it varies in shape,
0:45:30 > 0:45:34size, colour. I don't think there's another bulb that can match it.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38Phew. Thank you.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Inspired by these beautiful gardens, I'm taking my revival to the streets
0:45:41 > 0:45:46of Spalding to get the locals fired up about growing tulips at home.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49Right, I'm ready. I've got my hat, I've got my apron,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52I've got my market stall. All I need now are some tulips.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57What could be better than these British-grown beauties?
0:45:57 > 0:46:00Ladies, you look like tulip fanciers. What do you think of these two?
0:46:00 > 0:46:03- Oh, they're beautiful.- They're lovely, aren't they?
0:46:03 > 0:46:05Do you promise me, if I give you some of these tulips, that you'll
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- plant them in your garden? - I will. I'll do it when I get home.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11There you go. Put them in water straight away and they'll last for
0:46:11 > 0:46:13- days for you.- Yeah?- Let's make it three.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15You're a star. Thank you.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17My tulips are flying off the stall.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20- Aw, thank you.- OK? A couple of bunches?
0:46:20 > 0:46:23- Ooh, if you're offering.- OK, go on - which colours do you want?
0:46:23 > 0:46:26- I haven't got enough hands.- That's it.- Oh, crikey! Thank you so much.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30See you later. Good luck, ladies. Keep growing those tulips!
0:46:30 > 0:46:32We've had a fantastic day here in Spalding.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36I really feel that my tulip revival is well and truly under way,
0:46:36 > 0:46:38but what about the rest of the country?
0:46:38 > 0:46:41Well, I tell you what, that's up to you.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53Of course, tulips only flower for a few weeks over the spring months,
0:46:53 > 0:46:56but don't let this put you off planting them at home.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01I'm back at Dunsborough Park to show you one of my favourite planting
0:47:01 > 0:47:05techniques that is perfect for even the smallest of gardens,
0:47:05 > 0:47:09and maximises the time that you can enjoy these beautiful blooms.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18My favourite way of displaying tulips in a container
0:47:18 > 0:47:21is using a technique called bulb lasagne.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25A layering system of bulbs in the container to maximise
0:47:25 > 0:47:28the duration of flowering performance.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32In order to cook up my quirky take on this Italian classic, you'll need
0:47:32 > 0:47:35some broken crockery, three varieties of bulbs,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38some compost and some grit.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41The best time to put this dish together is around November
0:47:41 > 0:47:44or December, in order to ensure spring flowering.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47First of all, to aid drainage, we're going to add
0:47:47 > 0:47:50a couple of bits of broken crockery here.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53This side up. Not that way, where it collects water.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57This side up. We're going to place three or four sections.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Remember that tulips do not like too much water.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02They rot so easily.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04To ensure good drainage,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07use a compost mixed with horticultural grit.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11I'm starting with a base layer of about six or seven inches.
0:48:11 > 0:48:16The first layer of bulbs that we're going to put in are the latest
0:48:16 > 0:48:19flowering bulbs and they're also the tallest bulbs.
0:48:19 > 0:48:25These particular varieties are Golden Apeldoorn and Blushing Bride.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28When you're planting your bulb, it's fairly obvious with this one.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30You're planting it with the growing point going up
0:48:30 > 0:48:33and the root developing at the base, that way up.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36However, when you're planting them extremely dormant, it can be
0:48:36 > 0:48:39difficult to tell which way round to plant them.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41If you're unsure, the best thing to do is to
0:48:41 > 0:48:44plant your bulb on its side.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47Once they're in, I add another compost layer of about four inches.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51A nice big wad of compost in there.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Firming down lightly before my next tulip, Macarena.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57The second layer is a variety that flowers...
0:48:57 > 0:49:02just before the layer I've put in, so by doing this layering system,
0:49:02 > 0:49:05you maximise your flowering time.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09Now this layer, the aim is try and not put them
0:49:09 > 0:49:12directly on top of the layer you've just placed in.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16Two or three inches apart, nestling the roots into that lovely...
0:49:16 > 0:49:18smells great, as well.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22Lovely multipurpose compost.
0:49:22 > 0:49:27Now another good layer of compost, followed by my third layer of bulbs.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31And one more like this. Now for the final layer.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34This variety is called Concerto.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38It is my favourite tulip, with a lovely open head of flower.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44And, finally, as we approach...
0:49:44 > 0:49:49the last point in filling up the container,
0:49:49 > 0:49:53and that's the slightly burnt crusty brown cheese topping,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58which in Tom's plant world equivalent is going to be
0:49:58 > 0:50:01lovely crushed grit.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Adds a bit of ornamentation to it.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06The main reason for me doing it, though, is just to reduce the
0:50:06 > 0:50:09build-up of moss and liverworts...
0:50:09 > 0:50:13and annual grass seed germinating on it.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16So there you have it. Tom's tulip lasagne.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Add a sprinkling of water to get them started.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22In two or three months' time when they first start bursting into bloom,
0:50:22 > 0:50:26you'll have eight weeks of flower power tulip heaven.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36For the next stop of my tulip revival, I'm in search of what is
0:50:36 > 0:50:40regarded as the last bastion of large scale tulip production in Britain.
0:50:40 > 0:50:44I'm on the hunt, today, for the last commercially viable tulip farm,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47of an industry that was huge in this part of the world.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51And here it is.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55Belmont Nurseries, just outside the Norfolk town of Narborough.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58No words can describe this.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02Nine million tulips in flower.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20This vast sea of colour is grown
0:51:20 > 0:51:24and cared for under the watchful eye of Mark Eves.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28Mark, I've been absolutely blown away by your mouth-watering,
0:51:28 > 0:51:32kaleidoscopic selection of tulips here.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34You think of tulips, you think of Holland,
0:51:34 > 0:51:37but here we are in leafy Norfolk.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40How comparable are you, in seize, to the Dutch growers?
0:51:40 > 0:51:43We're equivalent to a very large Dutch grower.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46There's not an awful lot of bigger growers than us.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49They specialise in different things, I suspect, but as far as
0:51:49 > 0:51:52growing the tulip, I think we're one of the largest.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54To my surprise, the tulips in this field
0:51:54 > 0:51:57will not be sold as cut flowers.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00All the bulbs will be lifted and replanted under glass,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03where Mark can manipulate their flowering cycles,
0:52:03 > 0:52:07thus increasing the time he can supply supermarkets with cut flowers.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11But this does mean all these blooms are for the chop.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14There'll be a bunch going home to my wife, but apart from that no further
0:52:14 > 0:52:16of these flowers will actually end up in a vase.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19- So not one flower head is kept? - No. Not one.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22And how many flower heads are we talking?
0:52:22 > 0:52:24About nine million. In this one field.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28- 37 million in total this year. - Stop, stop. OK.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33By cutting off the flower heads at this early into of bloom,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36all the plants' energy is focused into the bulb, and although the
0:52:36 > 0:52:40thought of beheading all of these spectacular flowers breaks my heart,
0:52:40 > 0:52:44I must do my bit for the Great British tulip industry and pitch in.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49And just a little bit of throttle.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52Off you go.
0:52:52 > 0:52:53Go on. Away you go.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59And then you look behind to see how many you're leaving.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02It's a bit patchy, wasn't it? I left a lot to start with.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Oh, dear.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Well, then, you just need to look where they're falling in the path
0:53:07 > 0:53:09to make sure there's not too many bits of leaf in there.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12If there's too many bits of leaf, you're too far down.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14- It looks pretty good. - I think you're not bad.
0:53:15 > 0:53:20- Only a slight change in height makes all the difference.- Yep.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22That's cutting pretty well, isn't it?
0:53:24 > 0:53:27It is quite a sad feeling knowing I've just beheaded
0:53:27 > 0:53:31thousands of tulip flowers, but the only bonus about this is the fact
0:53:31 > 0:53:34that when this tulip degrades and decomposes into the soil,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37it's going to put nutrients back in for next year's crop,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41so that's something, but it was quite a sad moment, actually.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49Although it seems a shame to see all of this colour disappear, it is
0:53:49 > 0:53:54reassuring to know that it's all for the greater good.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57Well based on seeing this today with these nine million flower heads,
0:53:57 > 0:53:59I think there's a place for it in this country.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01I think it's absolutely staggering.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04Yeah. Yes I'm proud to say it's British.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Species tulips and varieties, such as Tulipa Archford, are happy to
0:54:14 > 0:54:18stay in the ground and thrive year after year.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21But many tulips don't like the wet and benefit greatly from being
0:54:21 > 0:54:25dug up and stored before being replanted.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Don't let this put you off.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30I'm back at Dunsborough Park just to show you how simple it is.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40One of the most important jobs is lifting tulips.
0:54:40 > 0:54:44Now this particular variety here is tulipa pink impression,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47and, although, they haven't completely died down yet,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50because we're making way for a summer bedding scheme here, these have got
0:54:50 > 0:54:54to be lifted, and it won't do them any harm by lifting them in the
0:54:54 > 0:54:58green, and that simply means that the plants are still in active growth.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Now the first thing to do before you lift your tulip
0:55:02 > 0:55:04with my handy pair of scissors here,
0:55:04 > 0:55:07is just to remove the spent flower head.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12Take it right down to above the first leaf and snip that off.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15Inside the flower head are developing seeds,
0:55:15 > 0:55:18and that's exuding energy from the bulb to produce these seeds,
0:55:18 > 0:55:23so by cutting that off, you'll at least preserve the bulb a little bit.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Once all your flower heads are removed,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30it's time to dig for your bulbs.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33Now I'm using a fork not a spade to make sure
0:55:33 > 0:55:36I don't slice any of the bulb.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39I'm doing it from a couple of sides as well.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45And this is my favourite bit.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49I just love well-rotted manure and compost.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53God, that's an ingredient in itself. Look at this.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55You've got bulbils developing around the side.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58You've got a lovely swollen bulb,
0:55:58 > 0:56:01and I'm just going to shake off the worst of the soil and also some of
0:56:01 > 0:56:08the scaling on the bulbs, which has a potential for bacteria and so on.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12And you can see from one bulb planted last December,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15how much this set has developed.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17So having lifted your bulbs in late spring,
0:56:17 > 0:56:19it's time to store them until late autumn.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23What I find is storing in cardboard boxes - absolutely fine.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27Try and space out your bulbs as much as possible,
0:56:27 > 0:56:29so they're not all on top of each other.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31And you want to store them,
0:56:31 > 0:56:34if you can, in quite a dark position in the house.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37In an old cupboard would be fine, as long as you've got good
0:56:37 > 0:56:40ventilation around it, and you'll be amazed how quickly all
0:56:40 > 0:56:44the energy will be seeping from the leaves and the main stem,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46into the bulb and really fatten it up
0:56:46 > 0:56:48for when you need to replant them again.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51After around six to eight weeks, you can remove the dead leaves
0:56:51 > 0:56:55and stems, then store them in potato sacks,
0:56:55 > 0:56:59or Mum's old laddered tights do really well, and hang them
0:56:59 > 0:57:03from the rafters of a cupboard or shed until December time.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07Very easy to do but you will maximise your optimum
0:57:07 > 0:57:12flowering performance of your tulip, if you lift them each year.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20In the heart of Somerset, there is one farm that is already
0:57:20 > 0:57:21a champion of my revival.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24The thing I like most about tulips is that they surprise me
0:57:24 > 0:57:27every year, so I have no idea what colour they're going to be when
0:57:27 > 0:57:31they come up because I've forgotten I've planted them, most often.
0:57:31 > 0:57:34Tish Jeffery is the mastermind behind Britain's first
0:57:34 > 0:57:37and only pick your own tulip farm, which produced its first
0:57:37 > 0:57:39colourful crop just three years ago.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42We started the business
0:57:42 > 0:57:46because we met some people who were looking to plant some tulips,
0:57:46 > 0:57:48and because I'm a tulip lover,
0:57:48 > 0:57:50everyone else was going, "What, tulips?"
0:57:50 > 0:57:53I was going "Yeah, we'll do it, we'll do it."
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Within five days, we'd got 100,000 tulips from Holland,
0:57:55 > 0:58:00and we set off in the near dark in mid-December and planted our tulips.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03Despite these tulips originally coming from Holland, Tish has
0:58:03 > 0:58:06ensured that they are now a truly British crop,
0:58:06 > 0:58:11and people are flocking from miles around to pick their favourites.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14Um, we do grow tulips in our own garden but I don't pick them
0:58:14 > 0:58:17because they look so lovely outside, so it's nice to come
0:58:17 > 0:58:20- and pick these for inside the house. - I love them. They're beautiful.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22They come in so many shapes and colours,
0:58:22 > 0:58:25and when they're all together, they're so pretty.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27I think everybody should grow tulips in their garden just
0:58:27 > 0:58:30because waiting for them to come out, looking at them
0:58:30 > 0:58:34coming out, when they come out, all of it is such a pleasure.
0:58:43 > 0:58:45When you grow tulips, you are rewarded with
0:58:45 > 0:58:48an explosion of colour.
0:58:48 > 0:58:52Come on Britain, lets plant our own piece of paradise
0:58:52 > 0:58:56and put the tremendous tulip back into our spring gardens.