0:00:00 > 0:00:03Hello and welcome to The A to Z of TV Gardening,
0:00:03 > 0:00:05where we sift through your favourite garden programmes
0:00:05 > 0:00:09and dig up a bumper crop of tips and advice
0:00:09 > 0:00:12from the best experts in the business.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Flowers, trees, fruit and veg,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17letter by letter they're all coming up a treat
0:00:17 > 0:00:19on The A to Z of TV Gardening.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Everything we're looking at today begins with the letter K.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Here's what's coming up.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Alan Titchmarsh on the best kit for the job.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Every time I dig with it, I'm digging with an implement
0:00:48 > 0:00:52that the man who inspired me to garden also dug with.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55James Wong shows how to grow a kiwi plant.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58All you need to do is plant it against a south-facing wall,
0:00:58 > 0:01:01just so it benefits from that extra heat in summer.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06And David Dimbleby explores an Elizabethan garden.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08What did they do? Walk around in it?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Just take gentle walks round on the grass.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12- Oh, they walked on the grass? - Oh, yes.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14- You don't walk inside the knot?- No.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17- Oh. So I'm in the wrong place, really?- Really, yes.- Oh.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19That's all to come. But first,
0:01:19 > 0:01:24we look at a garden that was created way back in the 17th century.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Our first K is, of course, for Kew Gardens.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31I've been here many times, and in all different weathers.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33It may be sunny, it may be raining.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Come here and you'll immediately forget you're still in our capital city.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The scale of the place and the variety of plants
0:01:41 > 0:01:43makes a real impact,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46especially on those who have had the pleasure of working here.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48And Alan Titchmarsh is one of them.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52When I left the student course,
0:01:52 > 0:01:53I became a garden supervisor,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55a sort of foreman equivalent.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58When you're a foreman - garden supervisor -
0:01:58 > 0:02:00you're entitled to a bike.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03And that was one of life's greatest pleasures,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06cycling round Kew Gardens.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Proper job, this.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10BRAKES SQUEAL
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Ooh, my brakes were better, then!
0:02:12 > 0:02:16But when I started as a student, three years before that,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20you made your way round by Shanks's pony. No such luxury as a bike!
0:02:20 > 0:02:23The first place I worked was somewhere called the T range,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25a T-shaped range of glass houses
0:02:25 > 0:02:28that were tropical in their content.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30They've been knocked down now
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and been replaced by this wonderful thing called the Princess of Wales conservatory.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37It was great fun, especially in winter,
0:02:37 > 0:02:42coming down the Mortlake Road into your place of work
0:02:42 > 0:02:43which was a tropical rainforest!
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Though not quite as glamorous as this.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47But we did still have this,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50the giant water lily, Victoria Amazonica.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52In those days, in the T range,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55it grew in an enormous tank, three feet high off the ground.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00In the corner were big rocky banks with tropical plants growing through.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Every now and again, you had to remove these rocks to remake the bank.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08And whenever you lifted one up, it was absolutely crawling underneath with cockroaches,
0:03:08 > 0:03:09which I've never liked ever since.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15Since we're reminiscing, let's look back at the history of Kew Gardens.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18It all started with Princess Augusta,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22who wanted a place where all the Earth's plants could be found in one garden.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24But that was just the beginning.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Her son, King George III, then picked up the baton
0:03:28 > 0:03:30and took things even further.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36When George inherited the garden,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38he wanted to turn it into a bold statement.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44A symbol of his power and influence.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49He wanted plants displayed from the farthest reaches of his empire.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58On 12 July 1771,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02HMS Endeavour arrived back from a three-year voyage of exploration
0:04:02 > 0:04:04around the world.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Tales of Captain Cook's adventures swept through London.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12On the journey with Cook was a young man, a botanist,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14called Joseph Banks.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20The king, always intrigued by new botanical discoveries,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22summoned Banks to Kew.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26The young man turned out to be a very able and enthusiastic scientist,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29but more to the point, a very good storyteller.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Indeed, so impressed was the king with the young botanist
0:04:34 > 0:04:39that he invited Banks to take charge of the royal garden.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52Before Banks, the random acquisition of exotic plants in Kew's collection
0:04:52 > 0:04:55had come as gifts from other botanic gardens
0:04:55 > 0:04:57or brought home by travellers on state business.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Banks was to usher in a new era.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Plant hunters sponsored by the king.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Kew could, he argued,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28become a great botanical exchange house for the empire.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32It could collect seeds and plants from wherever they were growing,
0:05:32 > 0:05:38nurture them and transfer them to wherever they were needed in the interests of empire.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46Key to Banks's plan was the establishment of satellite gardens throughout the British territories
0:05:46 > 0:05:50receiving and looking after these new plants as necessary.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57Just as Banks envisaged,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00the exchange of plants continues today.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Here's Jules Hudson, who's taking one of the world's most endangered plants
0:06:04 > 0:06:07from Kew to the Isles of Scilly.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Lying 28 miles off Land's End,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15the Isles of Scilly are an archipelago
0:06:15 > 0:06:17of 150 islands and rocks.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Only five of the islands are inhabited.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23St Mary's, the main island, Tresco, St Martin's
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Bryher and St Agnes.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32They enjoy a favourable climate throughout the year thanks to the Gulf Stream,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35making them one of the warmest places in the UK.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Flying over these islands on a clear day like this,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42you get a real sense of the unique climate down here
0:06:42 > 0:06:46that means that plants we wouldn't normally associate with mainland UK
0:06:46 > 0:06:49can thrive outdoors here all year round.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52I'm accompanying this one on the last leg of its journey
0:06:52 > 0:06:55to the world-renowned Abbey Gardens down on Tresco.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02It's all part of a plant exchange scheme
0:07:02 > 0:07:05that exists between gardens in the UK.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Just as you might share a plant with a neighbour or friend,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11so too do our most prestigious gardens.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14This rare aloe has been cultivated at Kew Gardens in Surrey,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18the only place in the world where these plants are known to grow.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20I'm helping to move it to Tresco
0:07:20 > 0:07:24in order to spread the species and ensure its continued survival.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29At Kew, this has been nurtured in a greenhouse to help it grow,
0:07:29 > 0:07:34but here on Tresco, there's no need for glass because the area's unique micro-climate
0:07:34 > 0:07:37means this should thrive perfectly well here.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The Abbey Gardens were created in 1834
0:07:41 > 0:07:44around the remains of a 12th-century priory.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47They contain a unique collection of sub-tropical plants
0:07:47 > 0:07:51many of which are too tender for cultivation on the British mainland.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53Mike.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Hello, Jules!
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Look at this.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Finally, look what the tide brought in.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- I've got the hole ready for you now. - Your new plant. There you go.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- How about that for a specimen? - Fantastic. All the way from Kew.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Why is this so special?
0:08:06 > 0:08:11As you know, Tresco can grow plants from all the Mediterranean climate zones of the world.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12All the nice places.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14South Africa - well, this comes from Kenya -
0:08:14 > 0:08:17but South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, California, Mexico.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22The Canary Islands. All places that like a bit more warmth than normal. We can do that here.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24This looks like home, doesn't it?
0:08:24 > 0:08:27This is fantastic. This plant is quite rare.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31There's only three cultivated plants of this species in the world.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- What kind of plant is it? - This is an Aloe from Kenya.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38It's a bit more tender than the ones we're used to so we're going to try it out.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- Right.- Let's put it in. - Let's put its feet in.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43This is very nice to see. It's in flower, which is nice.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45We'll get that in there.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47How big will it get in time?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50It won't get as big as these chaps behind me,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52but it will make a fair-sized plant
0:08:52 > 0:08:54and with us they'll flower in winter.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57It's still maintaining its flowering period as it would in its own country.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00I imagine the exchange scheme with places like Kew
0:09:00 > 0:09:02is vital in keeping gardens like this going.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Tresco has had links with Kew from its very birth.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The garden started in 1834
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and very quickly after that, Kew and Tresco were exchanging plants.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16From then on, also, other gardens around the world have always done that.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18But we've maintained that.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22So we're always moving plants and seeds and cuttings around the world's botanic gardens.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24That's the way it all works.
0:09:24 > 0:09:25- I'm really pleased about that.- Good.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27It's a good addition to the garden collection.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30We've brought you this. What are you giving Kew?
0:09:30 > 0:09:31Let me show you.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33I've got something I think you'll like.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40This is the most extraordinary plant I wanted to show you.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42This is what we're going to give to Kew Gardens.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44- Bizarre-looking thing, isn't it? - Fantastic, isn't it?
0:09:44 > 0:09:47It's called a facria from Mexico.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50It takes 20 years to get to that height.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52It only flowers once in its life
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and once it's flowered, it dies.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It starts life as one of these.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58This is what we're going to give to Kew Gardens.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00What's that, a fruit or a bulb?
0:10:00 > 0:10:03It's a complete plantlet. A complete self-contained plantlet.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07The great thing is it grows up over 20 years
0:10:07 > 0:10:10into this staggering great monolith.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Then, when it gets ready to flower,
0:10:12 > 0:10:17from that point there it goes up about 15 or 20 foot in about five or six weeks.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19- That green bit I can see? - That little green bit there.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23- Five or six weeks? You must be able to watch it grow before your eyes! - Nearly!
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It then cascades into a wonderful yellow Christmas tree of flowers.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Then it starts developing these lovely plantlets as the flowers die away.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32What we have to do then is get rid of it.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36They've got an extraordinary root system that you can't dig easily.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39So what we do is set fire to it
0:10:39 > 0:10:41and then pull it over.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- Set fire to this stuff?- It's like an old Yeti. Wonderful thing.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46So you've got one plant there.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48That's what you're going to give to Kew?
0:10:48 > 0:10:52This is just a small handful. There's a whole handful there.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Here's an envelope I prepared earlier.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- Right.- "Kew Gardens, Kew, London."
0:10:57 > 0:10:59- How many shall we give them?- Well...
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- Half a dozen?- Let's give them half a dozen, yes, to be on the safe side.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05That can go back to Kew. So another 20 years we'll have one of these.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Brilliant. So we've completed our side of the exchange deal.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Now we have to deal with this.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I'll get Andrew to officiate with this
0:11:13 > 0:11:15because he does this all the time.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Do you not feel a bit sad, you two, when you see this?
0:11:28 > 0:11:32No. We've passed on the young plantlets to Kew.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35We can wave goodbye to that one, but hello new one!
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Hello new one, in 20 years time.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Thanks, Jules. We'll have more on Kew later in the programme,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46as well as how to plant a kiwi fruit and the best gardening kit money can buy.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50But first, a look at what the Victorians did for us.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52They had a fascination for plants
0:11:52 > 0:11:56and developed vegetable-growing techniques still used today
0:11:56 > 0:11:59in our next K for kitchen gardens.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02And we're visiting one that is still very much in keeping with that era.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Garden supervisor Nicola Bradley heads up a team on nine gardeners.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13We're quite unique at Heligan in the sense that we're very similar
0:12:13 > 0:12:17to the amount of staff they would have had in the Victorian period.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20It's very labour-intensive to keep the ground weed-free
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and cultivated to the highest possible standards.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Remember, it was all done by hand
0:12:27 > 0:12:30so if we see caterpillar eggs on cabbages,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33we go through them thoroughly and squash them.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Incredibly time-consuming jobs.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Training the fruit trees,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41washing the trees down in the winter time
0:12:41 > 0:12:44with a toothbrush and soft soap.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45All of these things.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49You need a lot of members of staff to achieve that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53But it wasn't just about manpower.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56One of the secrets of the Victorian success
0:12:56 > 0:12:58was the layout of the garden.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04It's very much about precision, regimentation, neat hedges.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07But it's not just about aesthetics.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10It does have practical reasons behind it.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14You're allowing the plants the maximum space
0:13:14 > 0:13:16to grow to their full potential
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and produce the best possible crop you can.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Necessity drove innovation.
0:13:23 > 0:13:29They refined the system of crop rotation to get as much value out of the ground as possible.
0:13:29 > 0:13:35One of the most important things for the Victorian kitchen garden
0:13:35 > 0:13:38was to produce food all year round.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41So they had to create lots of ingenious ways
0:13:41 > 0:13:44of prolonging the growing season.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48A classic is sea kale and rhubarb
0:13:48 > 0:13:50in the lovely terracotta forcing pots.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54You could use individual little lantern lights
0:13:54 > 0:13:57to cover salad crops earlier in the season,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59just giving them that extra bit of warmth.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02And in the burgeoning industrial age,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05there was no stopping the Victorians.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11Technological advances meant that the Victorians could start heating their glasshouses,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14using hot water systems that were powered by boilers.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18So you can see all these lovely pipes running through here
0:14:18 > 0:14:25which meant they could extend the season, start heating the glass houses earlier on in the year
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and providing the temperatures that they needed.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Within the heated glasshouse,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36they went to extreme lengths to create flawless fruit to impress their guests.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41They had the knowledge to understand how to nurture a plant.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43So if you look in the melon house
0:14:43 > 0:14:47they've got beautifully made individual little melon nets
0:14:47 > 0:14:49which support the plant as it grows
0:14:49 > 0:14:52so it doesn't come away from the stem.
0:14:52 > 0:14:58Obsession with perfection set a precedent for our exacting standards today.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03There was nothing worse than having at a table that wasn't at its perfect best.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08And that brings us to the cucumber straightener!
0:15:08 > 0:15:15The cucumbers hang from wires and this would be tied just below an immature cucumber.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17As it grew and developed,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19you get a lovely straight cucumber.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The only thing is to keep a close eye on it
0:15:22 > 0:15:26because obviously if it swells to a huge size and you don't harvest it in time,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29it's going to get stuck in your tube!
0:15:31 > 0:15:36But their quest for excellence had some seriously unpleasant consequences.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42These fumigators were nicknamed widow makers, unfortunately,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45because of the chemicals they were spraying. Things like arsenic
0:15:45 > 0:15:48and nicotine were incredibly poisonous.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54And the average life expectancy of a gardener back in that time
0:15:54 > 0:15:59was probably not much beyond their late 30s or 40s.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Luckily, we've come a long way since then.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Now we're heading to North Yorkshire, where gardeners like Jo Campbell
0:16:07 > 0:16:10are finding out how to turn old kitchen gardens
0:16:10 > 0:16:12into new local ventures.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17When we first arrived here,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19the walled garden was derelict.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23The wall fruit was unpruned and untrained.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28The family wanted to grow veg and turn it back to a kitchen garden,
0:16:28 > 0:16:29how it used to be.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32So they set about restoring the garden.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37It soon became apparent we were growing too many vegetables for the house
0:16:37 > 0:16:41so we came up with idea that we'd sell the vegetables locally
0:16:41 > 0:16:46and that's where I became involved in the project five years ago.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50My interest really has always been in cookery,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54with working and training as a chef.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I was used to seasonal fresh produce
0:16:57 > 0:17:01and had an idea what local restaurants would like to use.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I had no previous knowledge of vegetable growing.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08I've just bought lots of books, read, watched programmes,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10looked in cookery books for inspiration.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13The garden has developed from there, really.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17I promote it as an ornamental walled kitchen garden,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19not as a commercial venture.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23So I'm looking at different planting combinations,
0:17:23 > 0:17:24the different colours of leaves.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28The gorgeous rich dark colour of the Bull's Blood beetroot
0:17:28 > 0:17:30against the nice yellow beetroot.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36Looking at companion planting, growing sweet peas with the runner beans
0:17:36 > 0:17:39to attract pollinators, and it also looks really pretty.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43My favourite part of the garden has to be the curly kale.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46There are all different colours and textures of kale,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49so there's the rich deep purple of the Redbor kale,
0:17:49 > 0:17:54the bottle green of the Cavolo Nero kale,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57and then the green curly kale.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I grow a nice dwarf variety
0:17:59 > 0:18:04and through that I plant nasturtiums for companion planting.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Bugs love nasturtiums.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Hopefully the white fly will be attracted to the nasturtium
0:18:10 > 0:18:13as opposed to my curly kale.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24I also try to introduce lots of interest into the garden
0:18:24 > 0:18:27produced by local craftspeople.
0:18:27 > 0:18:33I use a local potter. He makes the ornamental terracotta cane tops.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38So it's really important for me to try and stay as local as possible.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43Both buying the products and selling the produce as well.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49I want to supply the freshest produce picked at the perfect size.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I think vegetables should be displayed beautifully,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55prepared well, weighed up and tied up in bundles.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Just seeing all the different colours and textures
0:18:58 > 0:19:02and displaying them together and inspiring people.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13'I like to get good feedback from customers, chefs,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16'on flavours of the produce.'
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Very nice, too. Thank you.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- Some Cavolo Nero.- Brilliant. - That's one of your favourites.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23We'll do that with the deer dish and the gooseberries.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Jo, we've been working with her for a number of years.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33I think it would be five or six years. She approached us.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36A lot of produce, with it being so seasonal, so different,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38it's very colourful, brilliant stuff.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40As soon as she turned up, we had to have it whatever.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42We were going to use it somehow, somewhere.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45People like to know where things are coming from nowadays.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And we're in such a brilliant area here, the top of the Vale of York,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52it's a good growing area, the soil's very good, very rich.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53It reads well on our menus.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55OK!
0:19:58 > 0:20:01'I just love every aspect.'
0:20:01 > 0:20:03It's a way of life, really.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Everything I do is related to gardening and vegetables.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11I get involved with meeting interesting people,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15artists, chefs, local crafts people.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17It's just a fantastic opportunity,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21and it's extremely satisfying.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32And we're staying with kitchen gardens,
0:20:32 > 0:20:38but this time we're learning the best way to plant an interesting variety of K for kale.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42And Knightshayes Court supervisor Lorraine Colgroup
0:20:42 > 0:20:45is giving Carole Klein the low-down on how best to plant it.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49This is a local kale, called Taunton Dean,
0:20:49 > 0:20:53and the locals would have had these in their gardens
0:20:53 > 0:20:55and it would give them kale all year round.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59It's very interesting. It has no viable seed.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Right. Not a flower in sight. How old are these?
0:21:01 > 0:21:05These are four years old, and I've never seen any flowers on them.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08If there's no flower, there's no seeds. How do you propagate it?
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Well, you have to take a piece from it.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Here's a suitable piece. Let's pull it down. Here we go.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19You pull a piece off. You've got a bit of a heel there.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Yeah, you've got a tree! A cabbage tree!
0:21:22 > 0:21:27A big piece. For growing, you don't want it to have so many leaves.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Just snick them off like that.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31All you want is the growing leaf.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34I'm very careful up round here. I'll take that one off.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36So when you put it in the ground,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39you put it in at least half way up.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Up to about there I would think on this one.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Denude it!
0:21:43 > 0:21:45And there you go.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47It'll concentrate on making root
0:21:47 > 0:21:50and will all these side shoots come...
0:21:50 > 0:21:54You can actually see the new leaves beginning to come out from there.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56That will be your nice bushy new plant.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Yes, they really are architecturally beautiful.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01Lovely plants.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03How long till a piece like this takes root?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It does take a while. Probably two or three months.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11I live in a cottage, too, so I can have my own Cottager's Kale!
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Now, after that unusual vegetable,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21it's time to get our hands dirty with a flower
0:22:21 > 0:22:24with a very suggestive name!
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Our next K is for Knautia,
0:22:26 > 0:22:31It's easy to grow and Alice Fowler can't recommend it highly enough.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Now, this garden's looking a bit bare
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and I need to find a plant that will flower its socks off
0:22:37 > 0:22:39continuously all summer long
0:22:39 > 0:22:41in a complimentary palate
0:22:41 > 0:22:45to these sweet peas which are the Geoff Hamilton, Percy Thrower,
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don
0:22:46 > 0:22:50which are all in a pink to dark pink palate.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54So what I've done is got hold of some Knautia Macedonica.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58This looks very similar to a scabious
0:22:58 > 0:22:59and it comes from the Balkans.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03It is just a fantastic plant. If you buy one thing in the summer, buy this,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05because whatever the weather,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09it will flower its socks off continuously all summer long.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11It's really value for money.
0:23:11 > 0:23:17It's a lovely deep, dark, pinky purple
0:23:17 > 0:23:19so it will be very complimentary.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21So I'm just going to dot it around.
0:23:23 > 0:23:29And to bulk up supplies, I have a friend who has a pastel pink version in his garden,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31and it's self-seeded itself all over the place
0:23:31 > 0:23:33so I've managed to get a few off him.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38Knautia likes to grow in full sun to partial shade
0:23:38 > 0:23:40and it's particularly drought-tolerant,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43so it's good if you've got a little baked back garden.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48They're such healthy, strong-growing happy plants
0:23:48 > 0:23:52that you really just shove them in the ground and give them a water
0:23:52 > 0:23:54and I guarantee they'll be off.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57I also guarantee they will self-seed themselves all over your garden,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00so you'll have plenty of these to come.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02It's no bad thing, cos you can give them away to friends.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11And one good tip.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12Never dead-head knautias,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15as you'll remove the flower's ability to self-seed.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Now we stay with flowers
0:24:17 > 0:24:21as our next K is for Kniphofia.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Monty Don explains what it is and how best to plant it.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27The last plant I'm going to put in
0:24:27 > 0:24:30is a Kniphofia.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Kniphofia Gladness.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36And I want these to link the jewel garden
0:24:36 > 0:24:37with these beds.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Because if you've got two separate pieces of garden,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42or just two separate borders,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45it's no good having a dramatic change from one to the other.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47You need some continuity
0:24:47 > 0:24:50so that the eye can easily make that transition
0:24:50 > 0:24:51and also so they can mingle.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It's not a separate garden, just a separate idea.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57These kniphofias work perfectly for both.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59They come from south and central Africa
0:24:59 > 0:25:04and are named after a Dr Hieronymus Kniphof
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and really we should call them Kniphofias.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08They're beautiful.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10You don't just get red hot pokers.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13You can get them in every shade of yellow and orange
0:25:13 > 0:25:17that will take you right through the summer into autumn.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21You can see here that I've got little offshoots coming.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25So next year or the year after, I can divide that
0:25:25 > 0:25:26and I'll get two free plants.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36That gives us an instant flair of colour.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39That'll be picked up by the coneflowers and the daisies
0:25:39 > 0:25:41and carried right through into autumn.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43You don't need a big garden to do this.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Just a small patch of ground, you can get the idea of that and translate it
0:25:47 > 0:25:49and it all works.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51It will work really well on any scale.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Thanks, Monty.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Now, a plant that could be seen as exotic
0:25:55 > 0:25:57but actually, it grows well in this country
0:25:57 > 0:26:00and produces wonderful fruit.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02This K is for kiwi
0:26:02 > 0:26:05and here's James Wong putting it to good use.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Loads of nurseries sell kiwi plants.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Go for a hardy self-fertile variety
0:26:11 > 0:26:13like Jenny.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Growing a kiwi in the UK is really basic.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18All you need to do is plant it against a south-facing wall
0:26:18 > 0:26:21so it benefits from that extra heat in summer.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25They'll survive anything the UK winters can throw at them.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Give it a decent bit of space.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I'm going to put some hooks and wires on this
0:26:29 > 0:26:31just so it can scramble its way up.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33In just three to four years,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36you'll end up with a plant that'll be covered in fruit every autumn.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44I want to show students Casey and Zoe
0:26:44 > 0:26:48how to turn kiwis and papayas into a natural face mask.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I'm going to show you how to make a natural chemical peel
0:26:53 > 0:26:55but instead of using stuff you get from a lab,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58I'm going to use the fruit we've got in front of us.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- We're going to apply it in a face mask.- Wow.- Fantastic.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05I'm going to start off with your star ingredient, kiwi.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Kiwis are full of stuff called alpha hydroxy acid.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11You might have heard of it in poncey beauty commercials!
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- What does that do?- Basically, it's a chemical exfoliant.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18They get rid of all the dull stuff on top
0:27:18 > 0:27:20and let the younger stuff shine through.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26'Mash two kiwis through a sieve to get rid of all the seeds.'
0:27:27 > 0:27:29It's a good work-out!
0:27:29 > 0:27:32If I was making it just for me, would one kiwi be enough?
0:27:32 > 0:27:37Half a kiwi. You can pay an awful lot for those individual packets of face mask.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41And this is a slice of fruit you'd probably throw away with the rind anyway.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43So it's almost cost free.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I was going to say I'd probably eat what was left!
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Waste not, want not!
0:27:52 > 0:27:55'Squeeze the juice of two limes into the bowl with the mashed kiwi.'
0:27:57 > 0:27:59There's not much juice in these!
0:27:59 > 0:28:03As if making face masks isn't enough of an insult to my masculinity,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05I can't squeeze a lime now!
0:28:06 > 0:28:08'Take a papaya, scoop out the flesh,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12'mash, press through a sieve into a separate bowl.'
0:28:12 > 0:28:16All I'm going to add now is a gelling agent.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20It's vegetable gelatin you can buy in any supermarket
0:28:20 > 0:28:22where you have cake mixes and stuff.
0:28:22 > 0:28:28What that'll do - this stuff is great, but it's in such a liquid form, it would drip off your face.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30It wouldn't stick and start doing the work.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33I have some of this at home, making cheesecake.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35It's exactly the same stuff.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39'Stir the vegetable gelatin into the papaya
0:28:39 > 0:28:42'and heat gently in a bowl over boiling water.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47'As it starts to thicken, it'll form a gel-like consistency
0:28:47 > 0:28:49'and then it's ready.'
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Ooh. Ooh, ouch!
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Still quite hot, as you can see!
0:28:55 > 0:28:58'Pour the kiwi juice gradually onto the papaya,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00'whisking all the time so the mixture doesn't set.'
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Do you wear these face masks?
0:29:03 > 0:29:07I have done before, but mainly to test them out, obviously!
0:29:11 > 0:29:14'When it's all mixed in and cool enough to touch,
0:29:14 > 0:29:15'it's ready to apply.'
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Do you want to take the plunge and have a go at it?
0:29:19 > 0:29:21OK. Oh, it feels quite funny.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25It's nice if it's warm, actually.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27- I'd put it on warm.- Yeah.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30It's really smooth, as well. Goes on really easily.
0:29:30 > 0:29:35You can leave this on for anything from about ten minutes to even an hour.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40The chemicals in them will break down some of the cells but in a very, very mild way.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43So it's not the kind of thing you have to quickly get off.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47'As it's made from fresh ingredients,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51'it's best applied immediately, or will keep in the fridge for up to two days.'
0:29:52 > 0:29:54So go and have fun with them!
0:29:54 > 0:29:57- There you are.- Thank you!- Thank you!
0:29:58 > 0:30:01It's time to move away from the garden and head for the shed.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don are our guides for our next K, for kit.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10And we start with Monty on hedge trimming.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20One thing I have learnt over the years
0:30:20 > 0:30:25is that A, you need to use the best kit you can find and afford,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27and B, and perhaps more importantly,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30no one piece of kit does it all.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33I've got lots of different hedges of different heights and purposes
0:30:33 > 0:30:37and you need to use different tools to get the best from them.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41These really tall hedges need an extended arm.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44These came out about ten years ago, I think.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46They transformed my life
0:30:46 > 0:30:49because you can stand on the ground and do most of it from ground level,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52whereas before there was trellises and the whole thing was a caper.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55So this...
0:30:56 > 0:30:59..has got a really chunky, heavy-duty battery
0:30:59 > 0:31:01which lasts for about 40 minutes
0:31:01 > 0:31:05which is the time it takes for the second battery to charge up.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09If you buy this with a spare battery, you can keep going all day long
0:31:09 > 0:31:11and keep changing the batteries.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15The beauty of this is it's lighter, it's not very noisy.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17You still need to wear eye protectors.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21And this box, which has been growing out,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24which I want to become rough topiary
0:31:24 > 0:31:30is a perfect example of where this solid, heavy-duty electrical machine works.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38A rough shape on that.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41This is the start of the process of making this into topiary.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45And it copes with really quite thick branches.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49But if you see, it's got... I'll take the battery out to make it safe.
0:31:49 > 0:31:55You can see here that there's really quite thick gaps between the teeth.
0:31:56 > 0:32:01And to do fine work like this box hedge, that's too crude and it tends to crush them.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04If you have a finer one like this...
0:32:05 > 0:32:07This is another electrical machine,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10very, very light and much finer teeth.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14The disadvantage is you've got to plug it in,
0:32:14 > 0:32:17and in a garden like this, it means yards and yards of wire,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and if it rains that's no good and I'm forever cutting through it.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24But very good for doing fine work.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29Mind you, the simplest thing of all, and the most old-fashioned, is often the best.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33A good old pair of garden shears.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37This pair, heavy-duty, I could easily cut that hedge with it.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41It would be hard work but it would work and it would be much cheaper.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44You can buy really good ones for about 50 quid
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and they'll last you years and years.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50And if you're feeling a bit expansive,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53you can get ones like this - Japanese shears,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55designed for topiary.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58They're razor-sharp. They're about twice the price of the other ones,
0:32:58 > 0:33:02but about half the price of the cheapest of my hedge-cutters.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07What they do it they just give you an exact edge.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12So if you want to make topiary, say we take this bit here,
0:33:12 > 0:33:17I can shape that and get it perfect,
0:33:17 > 0:33:19down to an individual leaf.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26Whatever hedges you've got,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30what I would say is, just consider the most suitable bit of kit for it.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31Buy the best that you can afford
0:33:31 > 0:33:35and that will save you a lot of work, a lot of time,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38and in everything but the very shortest time, a lot of money, too.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Because good kit always lasts.
0:33:41 > 0:33:42Thanks, Monty.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45And now, as promised, here's Alan Titchmarsh.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48Secateurs, for pruning and snipping.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50You do not need to spend a fortune on them.
0:33:50 > 0:33:5230 or 40 quid? Ridiculous.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Pay a tenner, and if it has a replaceable blade like this,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58you can keep it sharp and replace when it's blunt.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02So, the trusty trowel.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04A little bit more expensive.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08But it is tough. You can't try it over your knee at the garden centre,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10but make sure it doesn't bend easily.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Comfortable handle, and that will last you for years.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18The rake, for levelling soil.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Make sure the head's built in one section.
0:34:21 > 0:34:22It's stronger that way.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28And the hoe for slicing off annual weeds.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30As with the rake, a smooth handle is a must.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34The two most important tools in the shed.
0:34:34 > 0:34:35First, the fork.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39Use it for moving manure, digging it into your soil.
0:34:39 > 0:34:40It's the one tool I wouldn't give up.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43This one has a lovely comfortable D handle.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44But it's quite a big implement.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Do not be embarrassed to get one of these instead.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49A border fork.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52It's lighter. You'll be able to dig for much longer.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56And finally, the gardener's emblem, the spade.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59For planting just about everything.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01This was my granddad's.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Don't think you've got to spend a fortune on tools.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09You can pick them up cheaply. Farm sales, junk shops, you can find a fork for a fiver.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12It's been well run in. And if, like me,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14you can get your granddad's spade...
0:35:14 > 0:35:16As well as it being silky smooth,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18I also know that every time I dig with it,
0:35:18 > 0:35:24I'm digging with an implement that the man who inspired me to garden also dug with.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26It's really special.
0:35:27 > 0:35:33Now, a blast from the past that's trying to predict what kit would be essential in the future.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35This gem from Tomorrow's World
0:35:35 > 0:35:38has Robert Simms marvelling at some watering equipment,
0:35:38 > 0:35:43that in 1988 would have made your neighbours green with envy!
0:35:43 > 0:35:49It's a garden sprinkler that moves round the flower beds in a pre-programmed path.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53The water makes the head rotate
0:35:53 > 0:35:56and that motion drives the wheels
0:35:56 > 0:35:58by means of these gears.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01The bit of lateral thinking that I like
0:36:01 > 0:36:03is this guidance wheel down here.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05It sits on the hosepipe.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10So all you need to do is lay the pipe along the bed you want watering.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15And then the sprinkler will simply follow the hose back through a path.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Well, job's nearly done.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Certainly beats wandering around with a hosepipe!
0:36:42 > 0:36:43Ah!
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Roll on the summer!
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Now, time to put the kit away and move on to our next pick.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02We're at K for knot gardens.
0:37:02 > 0:37:07We're joining David Dimbleby as he visits a typical Elizabethan garden.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15Across the Peak District
0:37:15 > 0:37:17and up into Cheshire,
0:37:17 > 0:37:22is a house and garden whose design is intricately woven together.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Here at Little Moreton Hall
0:37:28 > 0:37:30is a very rare and perfect example
0:37:30 > 0:37:32of an Elizabethan knot garden.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36These geometric shapes made from tightly clipped box.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40In the middle of it, this four-leafed clover pattern...
0:37:41 > 0:37:46..which is clever because it exactly copies the pattern on the house.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Knot gardens are made to look like a knotted piece of string
0:38:01 > 0:38:05with the hedge woven under and over itself.
0:38:17 > 0:38:18Hello.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24What's the idea behind a knot garden?
0:38:24 > 0:38:28The concept was to try and bring some of the house
0:38:28 > 0:38:30out into the garden.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32So as you can see in here,
0:38:32 > 0:38:35the walls are yew hedging
0:38:35 > 0:38:40and you can look down into this room from the upstairs there.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47- Why the gravel in the middle? - To set out the path.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50- Would they have had gravel? - Yes. It was purely ornamental.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54Sometimes they used coloured gravels if it was available.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59It's interesting. It's the exact opposite of what we think of as little gardens today.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04With flowers, and informal beds and this and that.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05This is very, very...
0:39:07 > 0:39:09..very formal. Do you think it satisfied them?
0:39:09 > 0:39:12- I think so, yes.- Did they walk around in it?
0:39:12 > 0:39:15Just take gentle walks round on the grass.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17- Oh, they walked on the grass? - Oh, yes.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19- You don't walk inside the knot.- No.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Oh. So I'm in the wrong place, really.
0:39:21 > 0:39:22- Really, yes.- Oh.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25If it was anybody else, I'd be telling you off now!
0:39:26 > 0:39:30Do you get bored, just doing the same thing, year after year?
0:39:30 > 0:39:34- No, it's quite therapeutic. - Is it?- I think so, anyway.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36Don't you want to go mad and change the shape?
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Ooh, no. No, heaven forbid!
0:39:56 > 0:40:01We're back at Kew, and as we reach the end of today's programme,
0:40:01 > 0:40:03we're rejoining Dan Cruickshank
0:40:03 > 0:40:05to find out how plant gatherers of today
0:40:05 > 0:40:09are helping to safeguard the planet's future.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Kew's teams are still collecting seeds from all over the world.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28Once, collectors collected for the glory of the king.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Then for the profit of the empire.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34And now, in these very different times,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38they're concerned with the environment and species extinction.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46And here, in Kew's Wakehurst Place,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49a new collection has begun.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54This bomb-proof bunker, designed to stand for 1,000 years,
0:40:54 > 0:40:59is the first phase of the collection of the seeds of every species of plant on the planet.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Dr Paul Smith is head of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Ooh! How cold is it in here?
0:41:18 > 0:41:22It's minus 20. But with the wind from the fans,
0:41:22 > 0:41:23it's minus 40 degrees Celsius.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Wow. You can feel it biting, can't you, biting through?
0:41:27 > 0:41:30How long can you stay in here when you're working here?
0:41:30 > 0:41:3230 minutes maximum.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It slows your metabolism right down
0:41:34 > 0:41:36and you need to be out of here before too long.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40- It slows down ageing, doesn't it, which is handy!- It does, yes!
0:41:40 > 0:41:42I might spend some time here!
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Tell me the aims of these cold rooms.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50There are over 23,000 plant species here.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53Over 1.3 billion seeds stored here.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57By next year, we'll have ten per cent of all the world's plant species represented
0:41:57 > 0:42:01and by 2020 a quarter, 25%.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Absolutely astonishing! This is such an important space.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08You can really re-seed the world, to a degree, from this room.
0:42:08 > 0:42:09If something awful happened.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13What we try to encourage people to do is not think of these as a billion seeds,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15but to think of them as a billion plants.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18That's what they have the potential to be.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Good heavens. Absolutely amazing.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23How will this repository of seeds be used in the future?
0:42:23 > 0:42:25That depends on our need.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27But the key thing is, if we have the seeds,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30then we have options for their use.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33We might want to use one of these species in horticulture.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35It might be a new food crop.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39It may be a forage species for wild animals and livestock to eat.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41It gives us options.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44So this really is such an important room
0:42:44 > 0:42:46in terms of Kew's function globally.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48It's incredible, really.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51We see this as the world bank.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53The world bank for seeds.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55- It's there for everyone to use.- Yes.
0:43:00 > 0:43:06In these seeds are the answers to problems mankind has not yet begun to encounter
0:43:11 > 0:43:16in a time of mass habitat destruction and shifting weather patterns.
0:43:22 > 0:43:27This is the last-ditch safeguard against extinction of all plants
0:43:27 > 0:43:30for the benefit of the future of mankind
0:43:30 > 0:43:32and the planet.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39We'll leave you with that message of hope
0:43:39 > 0:43:42and hope you'll join us next time for some more planting tips
0:43:42 > 0:43:44on The A to Z of TV Gardening.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45Goodbye!
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd