0:00:00 > 0:00:04Hello and welcome to The A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07We are on a mission to dig up the best advice and tips
0:00:07 > 0:00:11from all your favourite TV garden programmes and presenters.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16So, join me as letter by letter, one by one, we explore everything
0:00:16 > 0:00:20from flowers and trees to fruit and veg on The A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Everything we're looking at today begins with the letter R.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Here's what is coming up.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45The dark art of growing super-sweet rhubarb.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49It definitely feels like summer - it's lovely and balmy -
0:00:49 > 0:00:51but why is it dark?
0:00:51 > 0:00:55It's dark basically because we are tricking the plant into growth.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Miniature roses with Alan Titchmarsh.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59If you've no garden, there is still no excuse for not
0:00:59 > 0:01:02planting roses, because you can do it in a window box.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Monty Don gets to the root of raspberry growing.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Now that's a beautiful example, because you have got these
0:01:08 > 0:01:11very fibrous roots that grow almost horizontally.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15And by the way, those buds there, that is what we're growing.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And rhododendrons, a scent to die for.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21It really is very intoxicating.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And you get pollen all over your nose why you're doing it as well.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Just some of the treats we have in store.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31But first, Britain's favourite flower.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33And judging by what we have right here,
0:01:33 > 0:01:36you've probably guessed it - R is for roses.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38And we're visiting John Adams,
0:01:38 > 0:01:43whose enthusiasm for old roses is bound to sweep your way.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47About 15 years ago, I went to a famous local rose grower to buy
0:01:47 > 0:01:50a couple of currently fashionable roses for my new garden.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Because I bought two, they gave me, in a little black pot,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57this little thing for nothing.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59And I put it at the top of the garden.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And this is what it was...
0:02:06 > 0:02:09And since then, I've been loving and growing
0:02:09 > 0:02:10old roses.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Smell that smell.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Here's a fine example of why I love old roses.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28This is an old French Rose
0:02:28 > 0:02:30called the Duc de Guiche.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It is covered in buds, beautiful buds,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34that are going to come into flower over the next month or so.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38And the flower itself has a typical old rose colour,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41lots and lots of petals, a green button eye
0:02:41 > 0:02:43a delicious scent.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45It blends in very well with this geranium
0:02:45 > 0:02:47and other plants we put around it.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49And that will go on giving me joy for the next
0:02:49 > 0:02:51five to six weeks with its flowers,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55and then still look very good in the garden once it has stopped flowering.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58In order to help the plant every now and again,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I shall say, "You're looking a bit tired."
0:03:00 > 0:03:02And I will give it a lovely piece of deadheading.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Here is a very old rose, probably 14th, 15th century.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21It is called Rosa mundi. It is another gallica.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Rosa mundi - rose of the world.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26And they think it's named after The Fair Rosamund,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28who was the mistress of Henry II.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31And it shows that an old rose doesn't need to be dull.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Look at those beautiful colours, look at all of that bright,
0:03:34 > 0:03:35vibrant colour coming at you.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37They've been like this for many years.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41We pass through her to something that is much more modern.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44This is Madame De La Roche-Lambert. And is an example of a moss rose.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46The Victorians loved these.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48You can see the sort of mossy growth up the stem.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And if you rub your fingers over the buds,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55you get a delicious scent of pine,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58of rosin, which adds yet another sort of texture to what you're doing.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01And over here, we have a great favourite.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03This is Tuscany Superb -
0:04:03 > 0:04:07perfectly aptly named, a superb rose, delicious colour.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Again, full of health,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11but one of the top ten roses of all time.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25This lovely thing here I can only see in July.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27This is a great favourite of Constance Spry, the great cookery
0:04:27 > 0:04:32writer, flower arranger, and a woman who kept the old roses alive by
0:04:32 > 0:04:36insisting that you could not replace them with the modern hybrid tea.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38This is Nuits de Young, isn't he beautiful?
0:04:43 > 0:04:45You really should find space
0:04:45 > 0:04:49to put a few ramblers. This one is Auguste Gervais.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And it is a Wichurana rambler, it's based on
0:04:51 > 0:04:53the Rose of Wichurana.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56It means it is very, very flexible, so I've been able to wind it round
0:04:56 > 0:04:59this post and wind it along the top of the post there.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01And it flowers all along very happily
0:05:01 > 0:05:04at this part of the year. And it puts on old roses, with the colour,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06the scent and the form of an old rose,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09because no-one has really managed to invent a modern rambler that is
0:05:09 > 0:05:11anywhere near as good as the old ones.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Now, when my old roses, my summer-flowering roses,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16which are in brilliant bloom now,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18when they finish in about a month's time,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22I shall just take a hedge cutter and slice it through about half way up.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26None of this messing with pruning this and pruning that, a quick slice.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30It will then regenerate itself with beautiful, green, spring growth
0:05:30 > 0:05:33and look beautiful throughout the year.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36What a lovely rose you are and what good value.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40People also worry about replant sickness, which is
0:05:40 > 0:05:43the rule that you should never plant a rose where another one has been.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Well, I do it all the time, because I get my colour matches wrong or
0:05:46 > 0:05:47I don't like it where it is.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49I dig it up, I dig a nice, big hole again,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53but I move all the soil and put new soil in from some other
0:05:53 > 0:05:55part of the garden and maybe a bit of hoof and horn
0:05:55 > 0:05:57to give it extra slow-release nitrogen.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59So, you can move things around, you don't need to worry about that,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01when you've changed your mind.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02Isn't she lovely? Look at this.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07A lovely moss called Madame Louis Leveque.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11And she's got so many petals, she needs just a little bit of support.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So why do I love old roses so?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Well, it's partly beauty and it's partly romance.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27The old roses, the beauty of the flower, the form, has not been
0:06:27 > 0:06:31surpassed by anything which has happened in the 20th century.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33That is why we still grow them.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37And when I look around, I think, "Some of these Shakespeare knew."
0:06:37 > 0:06:40When Herrick said, "Gather thee rosebuds while ye may,"
0:06:40 > 0:06:41he meant these.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43When Strauss wrote Der Rosenkavalier,
0:06:43 > 0:06:44this is what he had in mind.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48And when you marry, you give your girlfriend or your wife a rose.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50It's romance, it's beauty. I love roses.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02You want to get it right
0:07:02 > 0:07:05when you're dealing with the nation's favourite flower,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09so here's a master class from Toby Buckland on ramblers and climbers.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12When it comes to choosing roses to cover a pergola,
0:07:12 > 0:07:17there's a choice of two broad types - climbers and ramblers.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Ramblers have a lot of wild rose
0:07:20 > 0:07:22species rose running through their veins.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23That makes them vigorous.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It also makes them disease-free.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29It means they're ideal for training up into trees.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Their party trick is that they produce all their flowers at once,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34but then they are followed by hips.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36So the show isn't over.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Now, I'm using two in this pergola - one planted against this post
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and another one against here.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46And they should come up and meet in the middle.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51The variety I'm going for is called Francis E. Lester,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53a real beauty.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57It has white flowers with dark pink edges to the petals
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and it is highly fragrant and very reliable.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01From a distance,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04it looks like a big candyfloss cloud.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08When it comes to planting, dig out a good big hole,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13big enough to take the roots and more.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16You never want the roots bending up inside of the hole.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18That's no good for the plant at all.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21And then, to improve the soil, whatever your ground's like,
0:08:21 > 0:08:22whether it's got
0:08:22 > 0:08:25a heavy clay content or is like ours, full of sand,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28a handful of bone meal
0:08:28 > 0:08:33sprinkled equally between the spoil from the hole and in the bottom.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36And then forked in.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Next, some well composted horse manure.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45Again, sprinkle it in the bottom of the hole and over the spoil.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50Tickle through so it doesn't burn the roots when they start to grow.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55And finally, because our soil is sandy
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and leaves something to be desired as far as roses are concerned,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02I'm going to add some mycorrhiza, a fungi.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07Now this is a natural fungus that connects itself
0:09:07 > 0:09:09to the roots of all plants
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and acts as a secondary root system.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And it's a recent innovation in horticulture, though it's
0:09:14 > 0:09:15available as granules.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18And it's perfect when sprinkled and stuck to the roots.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20It has to be in contact for it to work.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24The mycorrhiza will grow as the roots grow.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26And gather more nutrients from the soil
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and improve the ability of the plant to grow.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Now, the briars where they meet the root stalk -
0:09:31 > 0:09:35briars being the top and the root stalk being the bottom -
0:09:35 > 0:09:39that wants to be buried below the ground by about a hands width.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43It might seem deep, however these briars will set out their own roots
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and it will make for a stronger plant.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And then drop the plant into its hole,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51brush your spoil back in around the roots.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Wobbling the plant every now and then to make sure any lumps
0:09:56 > 0:10:00fill out the holes and there are no air gaps left.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Once it's holding itself, you can grab a spade
0:10:03 > 0:10:05and speed up the operation.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15And then firm the soil over the roots with the flat of your foot,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19give your new rose a watering to settle the soil
0:10:19 > 0:10:22into any last remaining air gaps
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and then, finally,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29with secateurs, trim the stems back to a nice plump bud.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34That way you're guaranteed strong and healthy growth through the summer.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39I'm also planting climbers on the pergola.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44Now, climbers are more tame than their rambling cousins.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48They are bred from vigorous sports of bushroses, teas and chinas.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52And I've got a couple of real beauties here.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57And the first, I can spot it a mile off, is called a Shropshire Lad.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01I can spot it because the stems are almost thornless.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04That makes it ideal for growing in places where space is tight.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It's got lovely flowers, actually.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Peachy pink in colour, and they repeat right the way through
0:11:11 > 0:11:14the summer, so you get a flush in June and July
0:11:14 > 0:11:17and then it carries on giving a display until the frosts.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19It smells of hybrid teas, this one.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21A lovely thing.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And the other rose, which is a more spiky customer all together,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27is called James Galway.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30A lovely rosette-shaped,
0:11:30 > 0:11:35pink flower that has an old rose spicy fragrance.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38It should be beautiful when trained on the pergola.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42And I'm going to plant these, and the Shropshire Lad,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45two by two down each side.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Roses aren't difficult to grow.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52If you plant them properly and give them plenty of organic matter,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54they won't disappoint.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55If you give them plenty of sun,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57it brings out their fragrance.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03When it comes to choosing roses, there are literally
0:12:03 > 0:12:07so many you can have in your garden, sometimes it's difficult.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Now here are some of my favourites.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12One of the all-time great roses, Graham Thomas,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15makes a manageable climber,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18with flowers that repeat from June until September,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22and reaching up to two and a half metres tall and wide.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Gertrude Jekyll has that quintessential spicy
0:12:27 > 0:12:29old rose fragrance
0:12:29 > 0:12:33and is a quick-grow climber, reaching 12 foot, four metres, tall.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Veilchenblau is a rambler
0:12:37 > 0:12:39with unique colouring and a rich orange scent.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43It's thornless and will ramble happily to 15 feet,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45or five metres.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Just occasionally on bare-root roses,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51you get one exceptionally long root.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Don't be afraid to trim it back to the same length as the others.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58As well as planting roses, now is the time to prune them.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Ian Le Gros, the curator of RHS Garden Hyde Hall,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07reckons he's pruned 20,000 roses over the years,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10so who better to give us a master class?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Before you start pruning, what you need is a good stout pair of
0:13:12 > 0:13:16gloves, cos you will get thorns in your fingers if you don't wear them,
0:13:16 > 0:13:17and a good pair of strong,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20sharp secateurs that are as clean as you can make them.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21So, to start off with,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25we actually get rid of all of our sort of dead and damaged material.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31There's some old growth here that is sort of growing
0:13:31 > 0:13:34into the centre of the plant, so I'm going to remove that.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38We are looking for a goblet shape,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40with better air flow around the plant.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41It stops other fungal diseases,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44spoiling the roses later on in the season.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52OK, probably at the point now where I'm going to start dealing
0:13:52 > 0:13:54with this sort of newer material,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57where I will be pruning it to around eight inches of the ground.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59All the time we are looking for healthy buds,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02as outward-facing as we can possibly make it.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05On this stem, here, there's a very good, healthy bud there.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Going to put a sloping cut on that cos the stem is quite vertical,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11that'll help watershed away from the bud.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13And stops the bud getting damaged.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21We prune roses to encourage healthy growth, to remove the dead,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23diseased, damaged material,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26cos that will be an entry point for other sort of disease.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29It also encourages newer growth to keep coming from the base,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31replacing the older material.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33It's worth pruning this now in March,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35cos then your buds are starting to come through.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37And if you do it any later,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39you'll be knocking buds off, causing damage.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47This is another rose.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50This stem here is crossing through the centre, causing some rubbing.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Could be an entry point for diseases.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55So, on this one, that's the better stem out of the two, I feel,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58so I'm going to remove this one here
0:14:58 > 0:15:02and then we prune this one to an outward-facing bud.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Always remove any little snags resulting from deadheading
0:15:07 > 0:15:08in the summer.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Straight off the rose pruning,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16you do any quick weeding that you need to do to keep it really clean.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18And then apply mulch over the top.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Pruning done, now let's move over to the patio with Rachel de Thame.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32The most important thing is you need a container much bigger
0:15:32 > 0:15:34probably than the one you think you'll need,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38because roses are hungry and they're thirsty.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44I'm using a mixture here of a John Innes,
0:15:44 > 0:15:46which is a soil-base compost,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50with just a regular sort of loam-free compost as well.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53There's a bit of grit in here. And for good measure,
0:15:53 > 0:15:59I'm going to add in a little bit of a slow-release fertilizer as well.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04And then the next thing is to make sure you've got the right rose.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06There are so many to choose from.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Probably hybrid teas don't work terribly well.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Neither do some of the big old roses.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15But there are lots of gorgeous patio roses, there are also miniatures.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19And this is one of them. I'm going to try this one. It's called Cutie.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21And it is a patio rose.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24In fact, by next year, it's going to look more like this.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27So it does bulk up quite quickly.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30So you may not want to put any annuals or bedding in under there
0:16:30 > 0:16:34next year, but I'm going to now. And I'm going to use this, I think.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37It's a white flower, so I want a little bit of colour,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39but not too much.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40There we are.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Now there's still plenty of room at the top of the pot for watering, and
0:16:43 > 0:16:45that's important because you need to water it,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48particularly while it's just becoming established now.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51And the other really important thing to remember,
0:16:51 > 0:16:52particularly with patio roses,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54is they like to be pruned hard,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56so you can really go in there with the secateurs and cut them
0:16:56 > 0:16:59right back. Probably in about March.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01And they'll be all the better for it.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Otherwise, they get very spindly and nasty looking.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07OK. Yes, I'm quite pleased with that.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12There are so many wonderful things to say about roses that
0:17:12 > 0:17:14we'll come back to them later on in the programme.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17We've also got rhubarb, rhododendrons
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and how-to-build raised beds.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21But first, let's join Monty Dorn
0:17:21 > 0:17:24as he plants a real summertime favourite.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Because this R is for raspberries.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33It's nice to get back into this fruit cage, which
0:17:33 > 0:17:35is actually one of the most exciting things that has happened
0:17:35 > 0:17:39to Berryfields for ages, because it does mean that now we can grow
0:17:39 > 0:17:43masses of soft fruit and we can experiment, we can try things out.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And hopefully, if you want to grow soft fruit too, you can learn
0:17:46 > 0:17:50from what we are doing and pick and choose and apply it at home.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Now, I want to get raspberries in over the next few weeks.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56And raspberries are much best planted bare root.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59You can either buy them like this, in a container.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00They will still be bare root in there.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04What I mean by that, if I lift this out, you can see the roots,
0:18:04 > 0:18:05they are all bundled together.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07That is not an individual plant.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Or you can go and get them as they're lifted.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14And I've got one here. You can see what a raspberry looks like.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Now, that is a beautiful example,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20because you've got these very fibrous roots that grow almost horizontally.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And by the way, those buds there, that is what we are growing.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28These are summer-fruiting raspberries and those are the canes we want.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Now, before planting them,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34if you buy them bare root, it's worth giving them a really good soak.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Which I have done here.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41And I have got six different varieties of bare root
0:18:41 > 0:18:42summer-fruiting raspberries.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46And it is worth explaining that there are two types of raspberries -
0:18:46 > 0:18:50summer-fruiting, which fruit on the canes that grew the previous year,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54and autumn-fruiting, which fruit on the canes that grew
0:18:54 > 0:18:56in the current year.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58And that affects the pruning regime. And we'll come to that.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59When it is time for pruning,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I will go through that all with you next year.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04But for the moment, I just want to plant them.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05It doesn't matter what variety it is,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08what type of raspberry it is, planting is exactly the same.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12And I'm going to plant one variety here, another one there,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15another one there, another one there then two more on the other side.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17So, six varieties, which will give us
0:19:17 > 0:19:20a continuity of fruit right through the growing season.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23And planting raspberries... There is a technique and it is dead simple.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27What they hate is sitting in wet ground.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31And on heavy soil, that can be a problem.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35And I have learned that the best way to do it is to dig the ground
0:19:35 > 0:19:38thoroughly, remove all weeds and then put on masses of compost.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40By the way, don't use mushroom compost.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45They don't like alkaline soil or compost. Garden compost is ideal.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Simply scrape it away, so you're putting it flush on the ground,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51and then cover it back over.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Now that is perfect.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56And then we have got a good framework,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00with really stout posts and wires every couple of feet or so,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02which we can tie them into.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Now, remember, these are summer-fruiting,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08so these canes here will not produce next year's raspberries.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11It is the new growth from the base that will grow up,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and that will produce the fruit.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14No quick fix here, I am afraid.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17We won't getting any raspberries from these next summer.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21This is a long-term investment in a really good soft fruit.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22And as for spacing,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26I think you need to give them
0:20:26 > 0:20:28a couple of feet to 18 inches apart.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Because each plant, once it gets going,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35will throw up half a dozen good canes.
0:20:35 > 0:20:41So space that apart, pop that in the ground and push it around.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Now, you have probably worked out for yourself, but what this means,
0:20:45 > 0:20:50with such shallow, fibrous roots, you can't read around him with a hoe.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Hence the need to dig out all perennial weeds and then mulch,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55mulch raspberries.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57You can mulch them that deep if you want.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00I remember filming a chap, he had a mulch up to two-foot deep,
0:21:00 > 0:21:01worked beautifully.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Now these are Glen Ample, which I have grown for years.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Delicious raspberry.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Which should start fruiting in June.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Thanks, Monty.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Now, as a weather expert, I find this next piece fascinating.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20It is an example of a plant that is completely tricked
0:21:20 > 0:21:22into thinking it is summertime
0:21:22 > 0:21:24when really it is it all.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26This R is for rhubarb.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30And as Julia Bradbury finds out, growing it in bulk
0:21:30 > 0:21:33can be more complicated than you think.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36I'm in Yorkshire, in the shadow of the great mountain range.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40And as anyone living here knows, thanks to the Pennines,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44the weather is bitter and cold, with plenty of heavy rain.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And it is precisely this climate which allows us
0:21:47 > 0:21:50to enjoy one of our most curious vegetables at this time of year -
0:21:50 > 0:21:52rhubarb.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Rhubarb loves the cold.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59It thrives in the frost pocket east of the Pennines,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02traditionally known as the Rhubarb Triangle.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06These days, the hub of production is concentrated just east, in Carlton.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Aside from frost and water, there is
0:22:08 > 0:22:10one more thing that rhubarb needs to flourish.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14It may not look like much, but this bag of dirty sheep wool is
0:22:14 > 0:22:17key to the success of rhubarb grown in this area.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20It is a bit grim.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Waste not, want not around here.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Shoddy, as it is known,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26is a convenient by-product of the textile industry.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It is the unwashed, greasy wool and the dangly bits from the
0:22:30 > 0:22:34backend of the sheep that fall out of fleece as it is combed, scrubbed
0:22:34 > 0:22:37soaked and blow-dried on its way to the weavers.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40So, how does it help?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Lindsay Hulme is doing a spot of weightlifting with these huge
0:22:45 > 0:22:46rhubarb roots.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49The plant has to sit in the frozen soil, growing slowly,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52for three years before it can be harvested.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- Hi, Lindsay.- Hi.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- They are big roots, aren't they!? - Certainly are.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59I didn't expect them to be so large. What does that weigh?
0:22:59 > 0:23:03- Roughly about 25 kg, and a bit more.- So that is hard work for you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Not half.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09So, what magic properties does shoddy have to help these roots grow?
0:23:09 > 0:23:12The magic thing about shoddy is that it is natural and it
0:23:12 > 0:23:15breaks down slowly over three years, releasing nitrogen slowly,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18the exact amount of time that the rhubarb is in the ground.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21And how does the frost help? How does this cold Pennine air help?
0:23:21 > 0:23:25- Yorkshire is renown for its cold. - Of course, yes, yes.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30The frost itself, each plant needs a winter or a shutdown period,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33in which the plant goes into sort of hibernation mode.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37When we actually lift the plants out of the ground, we take them
0:23:37 > 0:23:41into the shed and then the heat source there, it initiates summer.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44The balmy conditions inside the forcing shed shock
0:23:44 > 0:23:45the roots into life.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48But before I head for the summer climes,
0:23:48 > 0:23:49I've got a pit stop to make.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55I have roped in TV chef Simon Rimmer to rustle up some rhubarb delights.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Mr Rimmer, Mr Rimmer. Hello, my love.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00- How are you?- I'm good, I'm really good.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04This is what I like to see, you slaving away over a mixing bowl.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05For you.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07'Simon is breaking with the crumble tradition
0:24:07 > 0:24:10'and using our winter rhubarb...'
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Mm. Mm! I love rhubarb.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16'..to rustle up a tray full of muffins with a heavenly twist.'
0:24:16 > 0:24:19In the middle, we're going to add a bit of custard,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22so we end up with delicious rhubarb and custard muffins.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25You really did read my dreams last night,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27- didn't you?- Yeah, I did. - You were there!
0:24:27 > 0:24:31So, they're delicious, they're fruity, they're creamy.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Look at that, so nice.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Beautiful. Right, I'm going to see them grow now.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- In the...- It's great. Wait till you here them pop.- Lovely.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39- See you!- See ya!
0:24:40 > 0:24:44The popping that Simon is talking about is the sound of rhubarb
0:24:44 > 0:24:45growing.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47The shoots sprout so fast,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50sometimes up to an inch a day, that they break their skins
0:24:50 > 0:24:51with a snapping noise.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57After five weeks in the humidity of these vast sheds,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59they're ready to be picked.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Lindsay's mother, Janet, has got the knack.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04Well,
0:25:04 > 0:25:05the harvesting, basically,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07- we have to get the whole of the stick.- Right.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- So it's the finger.- Yep.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11And you slide down the stick
0:25:11 > 0:25:13right into the root, you'll feel the root,
0:25:13 > 0:25:14and you pull and twist backwards.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17OK, so you've got to get the whole root out, is that the trick?
0:25:17 > 0:25:21You need the whole bud so we don't have it rot, basically.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24- OK.- Pull and twist back.- How's that? - Brilliant, brilliant.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Oh, there we go. Good, all right.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Now, Lindsay told me that it's meant to be summer in here,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34and it definitely feels like summer, it's lovely and balmy,
0:25:34 > 0:25:35why is it dark?
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It's dark basically cos we're tricking the plant into growth.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42We've built up that energy in the root
0:25:42 > 0:25:45and we're making it now grow from it.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Forcing the plant to draw its energy from its own glucose stores rather
0:25:49 > 0:25:54than from the sun gives this indoor rhubarb a sweeter, more tender taste.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57Why the candles?
0:25:57 > 0:26:01We do keep it pitch black, but we need to see in here,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04so it's purely for harvesting.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Rhubarb has long been a prized produce.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08In the 17th century,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10it was said to be worth three times the price of opium.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Rhubarb was a medicine in ancient times, but they used the root.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18And they're looking at today making drugs,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21some of which are cancer-fighting drugs.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- Can I keep what I pick?- Yeah.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Right, let's pick some more then.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31During the Second World War, rhubarb became the vegetable of choice.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34As one of the only home-grown winter vegetables around,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37it was forced down many a child's throat in a bid to
0:26:37 > 0:26:38stave off the scurvy.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42So much so that we got sick of it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43Back then,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47over 200 farms in this area produced 80% of the world's winter rhubarb.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Now the old droids are one of only 11.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53But it is enjoying a revival.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Top chefs are bringing it back into fashion.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57Speaking of which,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00time to see how Simon is getting on with those tasty treats.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04- Here we go.- Hiya.- Hiya. So, what have we got?- Right.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07OK, now these are little Parmesan scones. Simple scone.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Wensleydale cheese, great for Yorkshire, it's around here.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12But this is what will make it delicious.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14This is our rhubarb chutney.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Look at the colour of it, it is so lovely.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18And all that we've done with that...
0:27:18 > 0:27:20it's onion, it's chilli, it's ginger.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Fry that a little bit and then we had vinegar, sugar and rhubarb.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25Meanwhile,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29- what do you think that was back in the day?- A party game.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32- It wasn't a party game. Do remember sherbet dips?- Yeah!
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Well sherbet dips come from this.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- Really?- Yeah, to try and get the kids to eat more rhubarb,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41a little bit of brown sugar or sugar, rhubarb stick,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45cos of course it is quite tort...tart, isn't it? Tort, tart.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Both. Oh, blimey!
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Try that.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Yep, you definitely need the sugar.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Good though, it works.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Yeah. That is where it all came from.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- Thank you for all my rhubarb delights.- Pleasure. See you.- Bye.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11If all that has left your mouth watering, maybe it is time you
0:28:11 > 0:28:15created a bit of space for fruit and veg in your garden.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17So, our next R is for raised beds.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21And we're joining Monty Don a second time for a tutorial
0:28:21 > 0:28:22on how best to build them.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25All of our vegetables here at Berryfields are grown
0:28:25 > 0:28:27in raised beds,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30which means that the soil is mounded up,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33so you have a depth of soil above the normal ground height,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35contained with boards.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37It doesn't matter what you use to contain it,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41cos the point is to keep that soil from spilling onto the paths.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45And the advantage of a raised bed is that you never need to tread on it.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47That way the soil doesn't get compacted
0:28:47 > 0:28:49so the roots get a really good root.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54It is a very efficient and effective way of growing vegetables.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58And you can make a raised bed really easily big enough to give
0:28:58 > 0:29:02yourself a fresh salad every day of the year.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05And it just needs to be about a metre long.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09Even if you have got a tiny garden, a small raised bed will give
0:29:09 > 0:29:12you the start you need for your own home-grown veg.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Now, I've used here old scaffolding boards,
0:29:15 > 0:29:16but any boards will do,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19as long as there are at least six inches high.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21And I tend not to like using tanalised timber
0:29:21 > 0:29:24because the chemicals can get into the vegetables.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27And by attaching two sides to there.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32I'm going to screw the ends on to make a box.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Now you could use nails just as well.
0:29:34 > 0:29:39But the beauty of the screw is that you can unscrew very easily.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44And nowadays, with battery-operated screwdrivers,
0:29:44 > 0:29:46that goes straight in there.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48We'll put one in this end to hold it.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53Now, I can tell you, I am one of the world's most cack-handed DIYs.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56So if I can do this, then anybody can.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02There we go. And there we have a box.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07And that'll work perfectly well over lawn or gravel.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Because the grass won't grow through the soil.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14Another thing I'm going to add here is just a peg in each corner
0:30:14 > 0:30:15to hold it in place.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20I'll just put a couple in to give you the idea.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Bang that down or saw off the top when it is insecurely.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28And, in fact, if you add a screw or nail to that,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31that keeps it really rigid. It's not going to go anywhere.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33We have the box on the ground.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35It's just like a container with an open bottom, really.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Then fill it with soil.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Now, all vegetables grow best in rich soil.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42That really is quite important.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45So I've got some Berryfield's compost to go in the bottom.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Put a layer in.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53Like that because we need good, rich soil for these vegetables that
0:30:53 > 0:30:57have got to do an awful lot of work growing in a short amount of time.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Then on top of that, good topsoil.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04And then we'll also put another layer of compost on the top.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10Cos the purpose of all this work of preparing yourself a plot...
0:31:10 > 0:31:12And actually, when you think about it, that's what this is.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16This is a vegetable plot, however small it might be.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18..is that you get a really good harvest.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Remember, growing vegetables is all about eating more
0:31:22 > 0:31:23than about gardening.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26Thanks, Monty.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29And remember, in very hot summer weather, watch your raised beds
0:31:29 > 0:31:33carefully as the soil can dry out quicker than it would do normally.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Now, after the DIY lesson, we are returning to flowers -
0:31:37 > 0:31:39one that left the Victorians intoxicated
0:31:39 > 0:31:41with its beauty and scent.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Our next R is for rhododendrons, and here's Chris Beardshaw.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54It is hard to imagine the effect
0:31:54 > 0:31:57that these plants had on Victorian gardens.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Up until the mid-19th century,
0:31:59 > 0:32:04the majority of gardens were composed of very modest blooms and forms.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06But then came the rhododendrons.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10With their extraordinary blooms and intoxicating fragrance, it's
0:32:10 > 0:32:13the equivalent of introducing a harlot to a tea party.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16And by the way, they don't only come in white.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20# Keep us from temptation
0:32:20 > 0:32:23# Lead us not into temptation. #
0:32:23 > 0:32:25These are dangerous plants.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Not only did they shock the very foundations of Victorian
0:32:28 > 0:32:32horticulture sensibility, but in order to get a good collection,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34you had to be willing to risk a family fortune
0:32:34 > 0:32:37and the lives of the plant hunters who were sent out
0:32:37 > 0:32:40to inhospitable places to bring them back.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42The results - rhododendron mania.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Home to most rhododendrons means the Himalayas,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52but they grow so well in Devon because the conditions here are
0:32:52 > 0:32:56remarkably similar to the conditions in which they thrive naturally.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58This is the reason we can grow such good rhododendrons,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00camellias and magnolias in Devon.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03These are made of really hard granite,
0:33:03 > 0:33:07which are resistant to weathering, but as they break down,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10they give away minerals, which then get swirled downstream.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12And all those minerals are acidic.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15So the soil down in the valleys is derived from rocks up here.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30This is Killerton House. It shows you what money could
0:33:30 > 0:33:32buy in the last century.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36Wonderful house, great aspect, great big woodland
0:33:36 > 0:33:39full of rhododendrons, magnolias and camellias.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41It just looks stunning.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44We're actually going right down into the middle of the gardens,
0:33:44 > 0:33:45dropping below the tree canopy level.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47The rhododendrons are still in full flower.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Marcus and I will do some grass cutting with the rotor blades.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52I think you'll find that...
0:33:54 > 0:33:57All those nice blooms we came to see, Marcus has blown them off.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Just the dead leaves.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04This flowering shrubbery may look, well, a little overgrown by many
0:34:04 > 0:34:07people's standards, but there is a very good reason.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11This Rhododendron arboretum is said to date back almost 150 years
0:34:11 > 0:34:15and be grown from the original seed brought into this country
0:34:15 > 0:34:18by the plant hunters who were exploring in the Himalayas.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20And at the time of planting,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23no-one actually knew how big the plants were going to grow.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28The plant hunters hacked through groves just like this,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32not only risking life and limb, but also having to contend
0:34:32 > 0:34:36with hostile natives and contagious diseases. The reason?
0:34:36 > 0:34:40To give the English aristocrats a great woodland garden.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44But it's the garden's collection of deciduous rhododendrons
0:34:44 > 0:34:47that I'm after. However, asking head gardener, Andrew, for one
0:34:47 > 0:34:50by name isn't going to get me anywhere.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52A lot of them were planted and obviously recorded at the time,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54but the names have since been lost,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57so we don't have the names for a lot of them.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59We just have a name for a few and we just propagate them
0:34:59 > 0:35:02by numbers when we need new plants.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05- We just select the best colours.- So they really are plants with no name.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08- Yeah.- At the moment, anyway. - At the moment, yeah.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11And the fragrance as well, where is the fragrance coming from?
0:35:11 > 0:35:14The scent is particularly coming from this yellow one, which is
0:35:14 > 0:35:16not so dramatic in flower,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19but more than makes up for it with the scent.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Rhododendron pontica luteum.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24It really is very intoxicating.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27And you get pollen all over your nose while you're doing it as well.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30If you have that in the garden and a seat very close by, it would
0:35:30 > 0:35:31just be intoxicating.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35It would. You'd go and sit on it every day just to take in the scent.
0:35:35 > 0:35:36It's lovely.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40And the season of interest is not just about bud and flower,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43the leaves that you can see coming through under the flowering
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- canopy here give you really good autumn colour, too.- They do, yes.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48We get three or four months of them in flower
0:35:48 > 0:35:52and then we get the autumn colours, which are just absolutely
0:35:52 > 0:35:55stunning - all the colours that you can think of,
0:35:55 > 0:35:58from the palest colours right through the fiery oranges
0:35:58 > 0:35:59and reds, the scent...
0:35:59 > 0:36:02It's just everything about the plant makes you really want to think,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- "I must have one in my garden." - If you had a garden,
0:36:05 > 0:36:06- would you plant one? - I certainly would.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09I'd definitely have one in the garden.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Beautiful blooms, no wonder the Victorians were mad for them.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Now, though, as promised, we are returning to roses, and this
0:36:17 > 0:36:20time a look at miniatures with a very youthful Alan Titchmarsh.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24If you've no garden, there's still no excuse for not planting roses
0:36:24 > 0:36:26because you can do it in a window box.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28Miniatures are all the rage now,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and here are some real beauties. This little one is called Longleat.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35It was brought out last year in honour of the 400th anniversary
0:36:35 > 0:36:37of the stately home with that name.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39That is about as big as it grows, less than a foot high.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Very nice thing.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44But if you want a really flat carpet, how about snow carpet?
0:36:44 > 0:36:46Little white double rosettes.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Have beautiful blooms and a very, very thorny mat it makes.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51A nice carpeter there.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55And finally, at the end, something a little bit taller and creamy white,
0:36:55 > 0:36:56is "Portoir".
0:36:56 > 0:37:00That will give you a little bit more height to your window box.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Thanks, Alan.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Now, how to rise to the challenge when your roses come under attack.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13- Over to Joe Swift.- Bob, roses are notoriously hard to maintain,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16especially organically - people are constantly spraying them
0:37:16 > 0:37:19and feeding them. They get black spot and mildew and everything.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21But yours are looking really good.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23- Thank you.- Have you do it?
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Well, I think a lot of it has to do with choosing the right varieties.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28You're right, the perception is there,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31and it's unfortunate cos roses are beautiful plants.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34There are some varieties here that really stand out,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38these yellow ones you see here is Freedom, is absolutely fantastic.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42It's...I can probably find a little bit of black spot in there,
0:37:42 > 0:37:43but not enough for anyone to worry about.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46What if you do see a bit of black spot or something?
0:37:46 > 0:37:47What do you do?
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Right, well, shall we have a go and see what we can find over here?
0:37:49 > 0:37:53- I can spot some over here.- Oh, you spotted some from a distance already.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57- Yes.- You must have keen eyes.- Well, we've got a little bit here.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58Yeah.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01You can see this here is creeping in lower down.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03And we've got a deadheader here anyway.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05- Yeah.- So what I will do is I'll actually...
0:38:05 > 0:38:07because it is not much, I'll just take
0:38:07 > 0:38:12the leaves off that are particularly badly affected and take them away.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15What about aphids? Do you have a problem with aphids?
0:38:15 > 0:38:16Only early in the year.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19By this time of the year, you won't find any.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22And you might wonder what the organic strategy for that is
0:38:22 > 0:38:25and it is actually don't panic.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27- That's our strategy. - That's a good strategy.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28I like that sort of strategy.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Well, when you get a nice bud like that absolutely infested with
0:38:31 > 0:38:35aphids up to the top, it is a little bit alarming, and the temptation
0:38:35 > 0:38:39is to reach for the nearest spray, but if you wait,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43what you'll find is the beneficial insects such as ladybirds,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45lacewing larvae, the hollow flies,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48all those sort of things will come in
0:38:48 > 0:38:49and start feeding on those aphids.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52And you will be surprised to find that within perhaps two or
0:38:52 > 0:38:54three weeks of having first noticed them,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57there are hardly any left because they've all been eaten.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Whatever you are doing, you are doing the right thing,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02- cos this looks fantastic in here. - Thank you.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14And finally, here is Rachel de Thame again with award-winning
0:39:14 > 0:39:16rose grower Gareth Fryer
0:39:16 > 0:39:19on how to create the best roses in the country.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24Sweet Dreams is the most successful British rose ever bred
0:39:24 > 0:39:26and 4.5 million have been sold
0:39:26 > 0:39:30since it was introduced by Fryer's Roses in 1988.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33In that year, it was voted Rose Of The Year, one of three
0:39:33 > 0:39:36successes for Gareth Fryer, who made it four
0:39:36 > 0:39:40with his latest introduction - Tickled Pink - this year.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Well, it certainly looks like a very good rose to me.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46- Are you please with it?- Oh, highly pleased, delighted, yes.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48And already I think
0:39:48 > 0:39:49it is going to be very popular, too.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53- It is a nice sort of seductive pink. - It should be a good seller.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55Hopefully. It is very easy to grow, that's the beauty of it.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00That's probably what saw it through in the Rose Of The Year trials.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03It took an incredible ten years of development for Tickled Pink
0:40:03 > 0:40:07to reach this stage, and I was keen to learn why it took so long.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10We first of all select the flower that we are going to pollinate.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12- Right.- And then we have to emasculate it,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16that's remove the male parts of it.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18So what we do is remove all the petals.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21We would then remove the stamens.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Then you select the pollen parent.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25Another colour.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30And...
0:40:30 > 0:40:33just a dab on the stigma here.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35And when we have done the pollination,
0:40:35 > 0:40:41we make sure we mark it with what the two parents are.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43And we remove these petals,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46- so that we know it has been pollinated, basically.- Right.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49And that is pollinated. That will swell up
0:40:49 > 0:40:51and we shall sow the seeds from there
0:40:51 > 0:40:54after Christmas, in the wintertime,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57and they will be little seedlings flowering this time next year.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59And by the following summer,
0:40:59 > 0:41:03the results of all these crosses can be seen in their true colours.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06- Do get many surprises in terms of the colours that appear?- We do, yeah.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Something rather like this, actually.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10- Yes.- Which is sort of purple with a few stripes in.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Absolutely beautiful. Another stripy one here,
0:41:12 > 0:41:14that's really... That's amazing.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18- And could this red rose have had any colour parent?- Absolutely.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Two pink roses could have made that or a yellow and a pink.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25It's really all that is in the background, in the genes.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28When you've got a promising flower like that, what is the next stage?
0:41:28 > 0:41:31The next stage will be to try that outside next year.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34In here, they've been cosseted - no rain, shaded from the sun,
0:41:34 > 0:41:36watered when they wanted to be.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40- So the real test starts next year for these.- Out in the real world.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Mm.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46Nothing quite prepared me for what I saw next.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52Gareth, I'm almost speechless. It's... This is my idea of heaven.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Well, these are all the roses that we selected from the bench
0:41:55 > 0:41:59last year. And over the next three years,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01we'll be evaluating them, judging them, testing them.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03This is really where they've got to tell us
0:42:03 > 0:42:05they're the ones that are going to be
0:42:05 > 0:42:07future Roses Of The Year or something like that.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Where do you start? Because, I mean, I stand here and I look at them
0:42:10 > 0:42:13and I think, "Oh, gorgeous. Oh, lovely. That's nice."
0:42:13 > 0:42:17You know? I mean, it must be so hard to narrow this down.
0:42:17 > 0:42:18It is very hard, but at the moment,
0:42:18 > 0:42:20we're at the beginning of the season, so
0:42:20 > 0:42:22they're looking their best.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24As we go another two or three weeks,
0:42:24 > 0:42:26when they've stopped flowering, that's when we can weed them out.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28But there is no question,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30they've got personality, a lot of these roses.
0:42:30 > 0:42:31And then got a twinkle in their eye.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33And those are the ones. They've got sparkle.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36So, you have got your most promising roses,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39how do you go about choosing a name for them?
0:42:39 > 0:42:42With great, great difficulty. That's the hardest part of it.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45- The name has to be associated with the sort of rose it is.- Yes.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47It has to have some sort of appeal.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Is that why they're often things like Silver Anniversary
0:42:50 > 0:42:52or Happy Birthday, that kind of thing?
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Why not? You celebrate an occasion.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57Can it make a big difference to the actual sales?
0:42:57 > 0:43:00A big difference. I mean, even now we've got the Diamond Wedding.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01Everyone is living longer...
0:43:01 > 0:43:03And that is becoming a top-selling variety.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06A good one as well. This is absolutely beautiful.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08This does stand up and say, "Look at me."
0:43:08 > 0:43:11It certainly does. I think we've got something very special here.
0:43:11 > 0:43:12Possible Rose Of The Year?
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Yeah, I think it could be.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16It certainly has got everything that it takes.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20- All you need is that name. - Yes. Any ideas?
0:43:20 > 0:43:21My thinking cap is on.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26It was Gareth who created the 2013 Rose Of The Year,
0:43:26 > 0:43:29another pink called You're Beautiful.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31And if that is not a nice way to end
0:43:31 > 0:43:33our look at the letter R, I don't know what is.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37Do join us next time on The A To Z Of TV Gardening,
0:43:37 > 0:43:39but for now, goodbye.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd