0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello and welcome to The A To Z Of TV Gardening,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07where we sift through all your favourite TV gardening programmes
0:00:07 > 0:00:09and dig up a bumper crop of tips
0:00:09 > 0:00:11from the best experts in the business.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Flowers, trees, fruit and veg,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16letter by letter, they're all coming up a treat.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Everything we're looking at today begins with the letters X, Y and Z.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Here's what's coming up.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Why the world's priciest spice might just be worth it...
0:00:42 > 0:00:46When you eat something with saffron, to me, it's like a very good wine
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and you suddenly feel a lift at the back of your palate.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51You think, "Oh, I like that!"
0:00:51 > 0:00:54The plant that gets Hugh Dennis reminiscing...
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We had a massive yucca in our garden
0:00:57 > 0:01:02and I used to ride my bike obsessively round the kind of track.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05And what to plant when your garden is a zoo...
0:01:07 > 0:01:11I think people forget that zoos are about plants as well as animals.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12We should look at the environment as a whole.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16And certainly here at Twycross, we're looking at the bigger picture.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Just some of the treats we have in store.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21So, let's begin with X.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25In our first subject, we look at a type of gardening that deliberately
0:01:25 > 0:01:29keeps water usage to a minimum, with plants that don't get very thirsty.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32This X is for "Xeriscaping".
0:01:32 > 0:01:35'And to show why it can make sense, Steve Backshall went to
0:01:35 > 0:01:39'one of America's hottest destinations, Las Vegas.'
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in the US,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48with over 4,000 people moving here every month.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51'And it's the residents of Las Vegas that use most of its water,
0:01:51 > 0:01:57'for drinking, washing, sewerage, dishwashers, washing machines.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01'But the biggest user isn't inside the house.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:05In the summer, 90% of domestic water is used outside.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08And the greediest culprit of all? The humble lawn sprinkler.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15'This water never returns to the waste water treatment plants.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19'Much of it simply evaporates into the air and is blown away.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23'It's lost for ever to the people of the Las Vegas Valley.'
0:02:26 > 0:02:29'But it IS possible to have a garden in the desert
0:02:29 > 0:02:31'without wasting so much water.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34'The McDoniel Elementary School has planted a new "xeriscape",
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'or desert-style garden.'
0:02:39 > 0:02:42'Hilary Robinson of the Southern Nevada Water Authority explains.'
0:02:42 > 0:02:44What did it actually look like before?
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Well, these front areas here were all covered in grass, which
0:02:47 > 0:02:50here in the desert, requires a lot more water than we get through rain.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54So these desert plants are much more efficient and they can survive here
0:02:54 > 0:02:56in the desert with an efficient amount of water.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59What's the traditional attitude of the people living around here
0:02:59 > 0:03:01towards water and the use of water?
0:03:01 > 0:03:04We have had such growth over the last ten to 20 years
0:03:04 > 0:03:06that people come from different places
0:03:06 > 0:03:11and they don't understand the desert environment.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14They want to bring with them the plants and the shrubs
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and the trees and the lawn from wherever they came from.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20They don't understand what it's like to live in a desert
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and how important and crucial water is to life.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26And how limited a resource it is.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Mmm. So why chose to set up a project here, in this school?
0:03:29 > 0:03:32The school is a perfect place for education.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34The young people take tours of the garden
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and learn about desert plants,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39learn about how important water is here in the Mojave Desert.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40ALL: Woooaaah!
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- That's a big one!- OK! Now we're talking, huh?
0:03:45 > 0:03:46What's going to happen
0:03:46 > 0:03:48if people carry on using water the way they do now?
0:03:48 > 0:03:51If they continue to use water as they do now,
0:03:51 > 0:03:52we'll be in a lot of trouble.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56They need to cut back and to use less water and continue
0:03:56 > 0:03:59the quality of life that we've been able to enjoy here in Southern Nevada.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01ALL: Wooooahh!
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'Thanks, Steve.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'Some of the best plants to use in xeriscaping are cacti.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15'Shortly, Alice Fowler will show us how to grow a cactus.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'But first, let's meet Brian Fearn,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21'who knows all about what's out there and how to handle them!'
0:04:29 > 0:04:32'A cactus is a plant that's lost its leaves and the function
0:04:32 > 0:04:36'of the leaves has been taken over by the stem, which has become green.'
0:04:39 > 0:04:43'The spines that it's got are to prevent animals from getting
0:04:43 > 0:04:46'at the water that the plant is storing.'
0:04:49 > 0:04:53'And the ribs are to prevent the plant from bursting
0:04:53 > 0:04:58'when it takes up water rapidly. So it acts like a concertina.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02'I was about ten, I suppose, when the fascination first hit me.'
0:05:06 > 0:05:08We were on holiday in Scarborough.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09There was a greengrocer's shop
0:05:09 > 0:05:12adjacent to where we were staying, which had cacti in the window.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16And of course, they looked distinctly different from anything else.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30'These plants have got the lifetime of trees.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33'They will live to 250 years, plus.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35'And indeed, some of the plants I've got,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39'I can trace their history back to Victorian times.'
0:05:40 > 0:05:45This plant, I found ten years ago as one plant in 20,000 seedlings.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And I grew it up and it's produced this beautiful,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51variegated plant, which is unique.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53There's not another one in the world like it.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59The island of Madagascar has probably more weird and wonderful plants
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and animals than anywhere else in the world, and this,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06called Didieria madagascariensis, is probably one of the weirdest,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10with its long, narrow leaves and long spines.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I mean, it's just a weird plant.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17One of the biggest myths with these plants is that they never flower.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20But if you follow a few simple rules,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23then they will perform for you every year.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26You water then once a week, all through the summer.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28That's a good soak. I mean, use a hosepipe.
0:06:28 > 0:06:35No water at all from October to March, and that really is no water.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36Now, if you water them in the winter,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and you keep them warm in the winter, they won't flower for you.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43It is as simple as that. Keep them cool and keep them dry.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50If you have a whim to water them in the winter,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53take a watering can and cut the bottom out.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57And then you can go through the motions of actually attempting
0:06:57 > 0:06:59to water them, but never doing so!
0:07:07 > 0:07:11So I'm going to sow some cactus seed for our dry garden.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Now, the truth about cactus is it's a bit of a long-term relationship.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And it's going to be really quite a long time before I have
0:07:17 > 0:07:19cactus like Brian's.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21So I guess the question is, why would you bother from seed
0:07:21 > 0:07:24when little cactus, as we all know, are very, very cheap?
0:07:24 > 0:07:26And I guess the reason is,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29there's nothing more satisfying than being able to say, "I grew that.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30"That's my cactus from seed."
0:07:30 > 0:07:33So, with that, I'm going to try.
0:07:33 > 0:07:39Now, you need to use a really, really free-draining potting compost.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42So I've got regular potting compost over here and to that, I'm going
0:07:42 > 0:07:46to add a quarter sand so that it's a really free-draining mixture.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48That's really essential.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Because it's so free-draining, you're going to put a little bit of mesh
0:07:51 > 0:07:54at the bottom of the pot, or else it will just run right the way through.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57And then just fill the pot up to the top.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Now you need to let that soak in water
0:08:03 > 0:08:05until it's all completely wet.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07It's only at that point can you sow.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09This is rainwater and I'm using rainwater
0:08:09 > 0:08:11because cactus generally don't like tap water,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13it's got a very high calcium level.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I'm going to sow one of these.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18This is Echinocereus reichenbachii baileyii,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20or the Woolly Hedgehog to you and I.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22It's a really sweet, little cactus.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Eventually it does get bigger than this.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27It's winter hardy in the UK.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Now, cactus seed are very, very small
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and, because they're small, like all seeds which are tiny...
0:08:38 > 0:08:40..you only sow them on the surface,
0:08:40 > 0:08:41you never cover them.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Really fine seed can just be tapped
0:08:47 > 0:08:50off your hand while gently moving...
0:08:52 > 0:08:54..around the pot.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Cactus grow in semi-desert conditions,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02so you've got to think it's really, really dry, free draining, baked
0:09:02 > 0:09:05and then suddenly there'll be this downpour of rain
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and it's in that period that the seeds take
0:09:08 > 0:09:11advantage of the sudden moisture from the environment
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and have to get to work really quickly.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I'm going to spray the surface of the compost
0:09:16 > 0:09:19with some more moisture because it's all about keeping
0:09:19 > 0:09:23the humidity high, which is going to make this seed germinate.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27To really, really lock that moisture in,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I'm going to cover the whole pot with a plastic bag.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35It's a really good idea to put a label in the middle of the pot
0:09:35 > 0:09:38because that just keeps the plastic bag from collapsing in on itself.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Then wrap it with a rubber band to lock the moisture in.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50In this way I'm going to recreate really humid conditions
0:09:50 > 0:09:54and you'll be surprised they're quite fast to germinate.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57It's thereon in that they start to grow very, very slowly.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01They need a daytime temperature of roughly 25-30 degrees Celsius
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and a night-time temperature of, say, 18-20.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06That's going to be the hot end of this greenhouse
0:10:06 > 0:10:08or, say, a baked windowsill.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Thanks, Alice. Now X isn't the easiest letter to take on, as you can imagine,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19so we'll be using a bit of artistic licence
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and, for our next subject,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25we're joining Chris Beardshaw on a trip around south-west Ireland
0:10:25 > 0:10:29because he's looking at X for "eXotic" plants.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36This area is so unique because of one thing, the Gulf Stream.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Its warm currents originate in the Caribbean,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40wash across the Atlantic and then straight
0:10:40 > 0:10:44up the deep, glaciated valleys and into the gardens of West Cork.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56The effect of the Gulf Stream is that exotic plants rule in the garden.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59It's all the result of temperatures here
0:10:59 > 0:11:03being an average four degrees higher than in mainland Britain.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06That may not sound like a lot,
0:11:06 > 0:11:11but, if you're a gardener, it opens up a wealth of horticultural opportunities
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and the proof is right here. This is Fota Arboretum.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24This land was acquired by the Smith-Barry family
0:11:24 > 0:11:26back in the Norman period
0:11:26 > 0:11:30but it was their Victorian ancestors that really started to take
0:11:30 > 0:11:32an interest in the gardens.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Like all Victorians, they had a passion for collecting
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and their particular passion was horticulture.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40So much so that they sent plant-hunters worldwide,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42looking for unusual species.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46But while most Victorians had to grow their newly-introduced, tender exotics
0:11:46 > 0:11:48under glass or in conservatories,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51the Smith-Barrys were fortunate the weather here is so mild
0:11:51 > 0:11:54they could just stick their plants in the ground.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57But these tender plants don't just survive,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59they positively thrive.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Let's take a look at this, the Canary Island date palm.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05This plant's been here for over 100 years
0:12:05 > 0:12:09and it's reputed to be the tallest and oldest in Britain and Ireland.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12And, what makes this arboretum absolutely unique
0:12:12 > 0:12:15is that here you'll find tender exotics thriving
0:12:15 > 0:12:17from every continent in the world.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Left alone these exotic plants find their own natural habitat
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and if gardeners learned to read the microclimate as well as their plants do,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35the most extraordinary things result.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39One person who really knows about their landscape lives right down here.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42In fact, it's right on the edge of the beach.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Hi, Mary...
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'Despite being on such an exposed site,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58'Mary Walsh has become an expert in tender exotics
0:12:58 > 0:13:02'and all because she understands her microclimate.'
0:13:02 > 0:13:06- Was this just one, constant slope and you've cut into it?- It was, yes.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09It was pretty disastrous-looking in the beginning, yeah.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13The rocks actually come from this plot and give out so much heat
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and, then, the summers have been so good
0:13:15 > 0:13:17and, then, winters haven't been bad, either.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21You are the first gardener I've ever spoken to who hasn't complained about the weather.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Every other gardener always says, "The winter wasn't very good,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27"that's why my plants aren't looking very good."
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Now this, shouldn't be growing outside, should it?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37It's supposed to be a conservatory plant.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40How long's this one been in?
0:13:40 > 0:13:44That was one of the first ones and, when it did so well,
0:13:44 > 0:13:48I realised that there was a potential for more exotics here.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52It blooms way into the winter, until about February.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56- It's a fantastic flower, very rich colour.- Yeah.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Presumably your agaves stay outside all year?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Absolutely, and look at all the babies it's had.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I can put exotics outside, even just during the summer
0:14:03 > 0:14:06but they always come in and they always look a bit sorry for themselves.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Yours stay outside all year round
0:14:08 > 0:14:11and there's not a sign of a blemish on the leaf at all.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I think if you can leave them out, it's so much better
0:14:14 > 0:14:18because they just form such a natural path for themselves
0:14:18 > 0:14:20instead of just planting them back out again, you know.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Do you find that even after a few years,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27you are still learning about the conditions in the garden?
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Presumably, it's not the same across the garden from the lawn
0:14:31 > 0:14:32up on to the top terrace?
0:14:32 > 0:14:35You're absolutely right, it's not the same
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and I've discovered, quite recently in the past year, that down here,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43that bank there, I can grow much more tender things there.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46They get the heat from the rocks, and the sun.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50They have the protection of other shrubs from the south winds.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55It seems to be the ideal place. So, there'll be lots of changes.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59- You'll be taking all those things out over there, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09And it's not just plants and flowers that can be exotic,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Here's Joe Swift checking out exotic vegetables
0:15:12 > 0:15:14at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and getting some cooking tips, too.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Hampton Court doesn't stop at showing you ways to grow new fruit
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and vegetables, there's also daily advice on how to cook them
0:15:23 > 0:15:25from a range of top chefs and growers
0:15:25 > 0:15:27in the growing taste theatre.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30One of the things I've been keen to learn more about this week
0:15:30 > 0:15:33is how to include some of the exotic vegetables at the shows
0:15:33 > 0:15:35into recipes at home.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40So, who better to ask than Adam Gray?
0:15:40 > 0:15:44He's the head chef at one of London's top restaurants, Rhodes Twenty Four.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47I know you're really keen on your seasonal vegetables, aren't you?
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Yes, I am. I mean, we use a lot of seasonal vegetables.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- Look at these cabbages, they're absolutely amazing.- Yeah.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54I'm after something a little bit different, a bit more exotic,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56so shall we go and have look at some stuff?
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Show me around, it sounds great.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07- What are these, then? - Chinese asparagus beans.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11I'm going to pick one and we've got a special dispensation to pick and eat.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14You don't come down to Hampton Court and start picking your own veg.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Snap it in half.- Thank you.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19- I'll just go for it.- Yeah.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22Excellent.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25I think it would work well with some broad beans, some peas
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and a salad, maybe some natural yoghurt, a little bit of mint.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Your imagination is flowing already!
0:16:30 > 0:16:32I'm just thinking, it tastes like a nice bean.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36What about these okra? They're a really pretty plant, aren't they?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38I'm thinking of the aesthetics, already.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40The foliage, I'm looking at first.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Could you still eat them when they're that big?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Definitely, I'd probably slice them very thinly
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and then saute them very quickly in hot oil, so they don't go slimy.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Add a little bit of chilli and a little spices. Fantastic!
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Adam, Medlar trees, I know they're not particularly exotic
0:17:00 > 0:17:03but they are quite weird and unusual these days to grow as a crop.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07The fruit of this wonderful tree, Mespilus germanica, is the Latin.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- I'm going to teach you something at the same time.- Thank you very much.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- What do you do with the fruit? - You wait until the fruit is over
0:17:13 > 0:17:17and starting to rot, cook them off, they're like apples
0:17:17 > 0:17:21so you'd make a Medlar compote to go with pork, or a Medlar jelly,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23you could serve with cheese, that type of thing.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25I must give that one a go as well.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32This polytunnel in the home-grown area is packed full of exotic stuff.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33Look at this radish.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Enormous radish, Dragon.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38You can eat these flowers with these tomatoes.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- What, the flowers of the radish? - Yeah.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- I haven't tasted the flower of a radish.- No, so...
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Just pick one?- Pick one.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Are they going to be hot, or what?
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- It's a little bit of pepperiness with the tomato.- Cheers!- Cheers.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59- It's nice to get a bit of the pepper coming through from the radish flower.- It's quite hot, actually.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- It's very nice. - What a beautiful combination.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03- Beautiful, eh?- Delicious.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11What about these chillis then, eh? They're quite big bushes.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16They are big bushes but the chillis are really small. I think they'll absolutely blow your head off.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Go on, you go first, and I'll have one second.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23No, I think I'll give it a miss. I like spicy food but these look deadly.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24- OK.- Do you want to have a go?
0:18:24 > 0:18:28You know what, I think I might give that a miss, too. I'll take your word for it!
0:18:32 > 0:18:38Cowards! And, there's a bit of an eating and gardening combination in our next subject, too.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41This X is for "eXpensive".
0:18:41 > 0:18:45And, Lucy Worsley is on the Welsh borders looking at saffron,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47both spicy and pricey.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53The local baker, Wyn Roberts, has been making something special for me.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Something you wouldn't expect to find in Wales.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01- Hi, there, Wyn.- Hi.- So...
0:19:01 > 0:19:04This is what I've come to see.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07How would you describe the scent of it?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09What's it like?
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- Like a sweet-sour, earthy.- It's quite hard to categorise, isn't it?
0:19:14 > 0:19:19- Very hard.- There's also something a bit rough and wild about it.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27'We're making buns with saffron, the most expensive spice in the world.'
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- Oops.- Oops.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Do you know, it was really, really common in Medieval and Tudor diets.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37They loved it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42'Believe it or not, this saffron was grown just up the road from here in Wales.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47'It's a spice we associate with exotic, foreign places,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49'but actually it has long, British history.'
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Why does this feel rude? THEY LAUGH
0:19:52 > 0:19:55'England was once a major grower of saffron
0:19:55 > 0:19:57'and entire towns made their name from it.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01'By the 16th century, Chipping Walden in Essex
0:20:01 > 0:20:06'was so famous for the spice, that it became known as Saffron Walden.'
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Look at these lovely buns.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12'It's a spice whose taste nearly defies description.'
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- There's enough taste on them. - Yeah, definitely.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18There's something exotic about it. Very nice, indeed.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25'Autumn crocuses hold the secret of saffron.'
0:20:25 > 0:20:30They've been cultivated by humans for 5,000 years.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33'The only reason they're growing in this corner of North Wales
0:20:33 > 0:20:35'is Caroline Riden.'
0:20:35 > 0:20:38What's the correct picking technique?
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Well, you want to go as far down the stem as you can,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44not picking a leaf.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- Like that?- That's right.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52So those are its three red stigmas.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Female organs of the plant, the bit we want.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The yellow stamens, male part of the plant.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02- That's right.- We don't want.- Yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07Saffron is the product, not of nature but of thousands of years of hard work.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10The crocuses have been so extensively bred for their stigmas
0:21:10 > 0:21:15that they are now sterile. They can't reproduce without our help.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It may have come over with the Romans.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19They introduced so many things, didn't they?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22But, because saffron is human dependent,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25saffron dies out in the land and it has to be reintroduced.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29We have surges of historic reintroduction of saffron,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31for quite different reasons.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Edward III, when he wanted the wool to develop into a cloth trade
0:21:34 > 0:21:40encouraged dyeing and saffron then became one of the big dyes.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46By the 19th century, British saffron was in decline.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49It was labour-intensive and the expanding Empire
0:21:49 > 0:21:52sucked in ever more spices.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56In saffron's English heyday, it was grown in the hot,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00dry soils of Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02not wet, old Wales.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05When we started growing it in '85, we didn't know how to grow it.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09We've got rather nasty clay soil here and it prefers a chalky,
0:22:09 > 0:22:15sandy soil. But we've added quite a bit of sand and compost.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17It likes a very hot summer
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and then a drop in soil temperature to trigger flowering.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29Harvesting saffron is so delicate, that it's almost always done by hand.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36What happens to the red stigmas next? What we do with those?
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Take a flower
0:22:38 > 0:22:40and gather together the three
0:22:40 > 0:22:44and then you get the end and you see how far
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- you can pull it down the stem. - Ah-ha. Oh, OK.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51We've got to dry them. The whole secret of turning...
0:22:51 > 0:22:53This is called wet...
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Into hay, which is the spice, is in the drying.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00And there are as many ways of drying saffron
0:23:00 > 0:23:04as there are of picking it, probably.
0:23:04 > 0:23:10It's a painstaking process but when a spice costs £4,000 a kilo,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12it's worth it.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I got a bit daunted by the fact that you need 150 crocuses
0:23:15 > 0:23:17to produce just one gram.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20But, actually, one gram is a lot of saffron, isn't it?
0:23:20 > 0:23:24- One gram is between 450 and 500 threads.- Yeah.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27If you're having between ten and 20 threads a pinch,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31you're going to get between 20 to 40 meals out of that, aren't you?
0:23:31 > 0:23:33- Out of one gram, only?- Yes.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36It is very good value because you only need a very little bit of it.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38And do you like the taste of saffron?
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Yes, I do. It's more a sensation than a taste.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46When you eat something with saffron, to me it's like a very good wine
0:23:46 > 0:23:48and you suddenly feel a lift at the back of your palate.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50You think, "Oh, I like that."
0:23:50 > 0:23:52What I really like is the colour.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Yes, it's a beautiful, clear yellow, isn't it?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58There's no colour like saffron. Sunlight yellow.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Thanks, Lucy. That's it for the Xs.
0:24:06 > 0:24:07Let's move on to the letter, Y,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11and we start with a tree that's got some dark connotations.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14This Y is for the "yew tree".
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Here's Will with a look at its bad reputation.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28I've been trying to convince you that trees are our good friends.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31They shelter us and they feed us and they help to make
0:24:31 > 0:24:33the very air that we breathe.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37But, like us, they have a darker, and more dangerous side.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41There is one tree, a familiar tree in everyday village life which has
0:24:41 > 0:24:43an enduring association with death.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47It is that shaggy, evergreen inhabitant of churchyards,
0:24:47 > 0:24:48the ancient yew.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50CHORAL SINGING
0:24:52 > 0:24:56To some it's the most spiritually important of our native trees,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59but, to others, it's a graveyard ghoul.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Why do old yews and old churches seem inseparable,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05as if the tree germinated when the foundation stones were laid.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Some believed that the early Christians built churches
0:25:08 > 0:25:11where yew groves had once marked places of pagan worship.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14The yew trees power to regenerate from an apparently dead stump,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18chimed with the Christian belief in life everlasting.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Yews can certainly live a very long time,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22comfortably more than 1,000 years
0:25:22 > 0:25:25and legend puts some yews at 3,000 years old.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28But, dating ancient trees is tricky because they tend to go
0:25:28 > 0:25:32hollow inside and there are no growth rings to study.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Is this tree a ghoul?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Certainly it likes to send its roots far down amongst
0:25:37 > 0:25:40the bones of long gone generations.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42We have a natural suspicion of living things that enjoy
0:25:42 > 0:25:47the company of the dead, particularly if they have taste for blood.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Gardeners have long known that the yew likes of bit of blood and bone
0:25:50 > 0:25:53and, oddly, yew wood is blood red at its core.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Such vampiric stuff may be fanciful,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01but the yews' deadly reputation has a basis in fact.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07The yew contains poisons which cause vomiting, nausea, coma and death.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10There is no antidote.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Now which part of the yew do you suppose is the most poisonous?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I'm imagining that you would think it's these lovely attractive
0:26:21 > 0:26:25red berries here and, whilst it's a perfectly natural assumption, it is, in fact, wrong.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30Because, while the pip, or aril, at the centre is toxic,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32the red flesh is edible.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36In fact, the most poisonous part of yew is the soft green foliage, here.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39A few handfuls of that would probably do for me.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42This tree does not like to be hacked, or eaten.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45It often kills grazing livestock.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Though, there is some evidence that deer may even get a kick out of eating it.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Like a double espresso.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56The good news is that we have learned how to live alongside the yew.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59There's not been a case of fatal poisoning in Britain
0:26:59 > 0:27:01since records began.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05As it happens, the yew has saved many more lives than it has taken.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10Because extracts from the foliage can be used to make drugs called taxanes.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13They destroy the ability of cancer cells to divide and spread.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16While these are not miracle cures,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20the yew has resurrected the hopes of many people who've been at death's door.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25As so often in nature, what kills can also cure.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Today, big yews are rare, possibly because their reputation
0:27:31 > 0:27:35for toxicity is at odds with our risk-averse world.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40But the departed can come to no further harm.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42And as for the living,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45little can be more beguiling than the shaggy green of gnarled yews,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48clustered protectively around an old churchyard.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58Well, you heard Will saying that yew berries aren't poisonous,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00and with more on that, here's Chris Packham.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Look at this. This is truly beautiful.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08You don't often see this density of fruit on a yew tree.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12What's unusual about this particular harvest is that every single
0:28:12 > 0:28:16part of this tree is deadly poisonous bar one,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20full of alkaloids, taxanes which would kill anything that ate them.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24The one thing though that is edible is this
0:28:24 > 0:28:28jelly-red cover to the actual seeds.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30And it's designed to attract birds,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33because what they do is they eat it,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37and digest it, but the kernel inside,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41this bit in the middle here, is deadly toxic, but it's sufficiently
0:28:41 > 0:28:46tough to pass through their guts and get pooed out somewhere else.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50So, the tree has come to a fantastic evolutionary compromise.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53It has made one bit of it non-toxic
0:28:53 > 0:28:56so that the seeds can be spread around the woods.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Fantastic.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01One thing is for sure, I can't lick my fingers.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03And I'm serious about that.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10But let's not just focus on poison and graveyards, because here
0:29:10 > 0:29:15is Joe Swift again, finding out why yew is top when it comes to topiary.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29Packwood House is a Tudor manor house owned by The National Trust.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31The late summer borders are looking spectacular,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35bursting with colour, combining ornamental grasses, perennials,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38and half-hardy annuals just beautifully.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42But topiary is what this garden is really famous for.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44This part of the garden is just so simple
0:29:44 > 0:29:47and has only two elements in it.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51The fresh green sward of the lawn contrasting with these yew pieces,
0:29:51 > 0:29:56the dark, textured colour, and these are like living architecture.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58But it's the scale of them that's so impressive,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02and the whole garden feels like a church or a cathedral, so it
0:30:02 > 0:30:06doesn't surprise me that actually, they are laid out to represent the
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Sermon on the Mount, complete with twelve Apostles and four Evangelists.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19With over 100 trees and up to 40 feet high,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22it takes a bit more than snippers and shears to keep them in check.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28SAW BUZZES LOUDLY
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Whoa! This is a labour of love, isn't it?
0:30:43 > 0:30:47- Certainly is.- How long does it take you to do the whole caboodle?
0:30:47 > 0:30:51It's about four and a half to five months, depending on weather conditions.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Right, so that's nearly half the year.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57You end up with arms like an orang-utan after
0:30:57 > 0:30:59about three months of it!
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Most people don't have huge pieces of sculpture like this.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07How do you get them nice and tight to start with, and keep them in shape?
0:31:07 > 0:31:08What are the golden rules?
0:31:08 > 0:31:12If you've got a good sharp pair of shears, that's pretty much
0:31:12 > 0:31:15essential, because you've got to make a nice, clean cut.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18There's less chance of diseases getting into the plant.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22You don't really want to be cutting in the middle of winter, because if
0:31:22 > 0:31:25you do cut below freezing, then you can be in quite a bit of trouble.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27You might get a lot of dieback.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30And should you trim them every year, to shape them up?
0:31:30 > 0:31:33You'll keep the crisper shape and you'll keep the shape you want
0:31:33 > 0:31:35if you're cutting them once a year.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37That's the beauty of them. If you've got something like privet,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40you've got to cut it two or three times a year.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Yew is wonderful. It's like the Rolls-Royce of hedging material.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45They're pretty tough, aren't they? They can take it.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57So, Mick, most of the yew are looking really, really healthy.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00There's one or two that are looking a little bit dodgy, let's face it.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04- Yeah.- Like this one. What's the cause of it, do you think?
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Yews like to be in good, well-drained soil.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11They just don't like their roots at all in standing water.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Now we seem to be looking at another problem, which is
0:32:14 > 0:32:17a fungus-like pathogen which is known as Phytophthora,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20which we think may be exacerbating the problem even further.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23But again, we're not 100% certain because just recently,
0:32:23 > 0:32:25we've had to drain this area.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29And we've noticed over the last two years, a slight change
0:32:29 > 0:32:31and the growth does seem to be coming back.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33So, it could be a combination of things,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36- because they don't like really heavy clay soil, do they?- No.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Let's have a look at the draining system,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41because it's quite a serious project, isn't it?
0:32:41 > 0:32:45- Yeah, it really is.- You're draining this whole area of the garden.- Yeah.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49The contractors are digging down to about 600 mil
0:32:49 > 0:32:53and they're putting a pipe which is about 100 mil pipe, perforated,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55on top of the gravel,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and then the remaining gravel goes in, to fill in the area.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01And does each tree drain into this central system?
0:33:01 > 0:33:04We decided that, in order to get oxygen to the roots,
0:33:04 > 0:33:09every tree would need a branch of this drainage going to them.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12So, is there any signs that this work has started to
0:33:12 > 0:33:14benefit the yews at all? That they're looking up?
0:33:14 > 0:33:17We expect, with the new drainage system,
0:33:17 > 0:33:22it taking about three to five years before we see a real change
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and the yews looking nice and green and lush again.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Fantastic. Some of them have been here for 300 years.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30You've got to keep them going for another 300, Mick!
0:33:30 > 0:33:33- Yeah, so there's no pressure there then, is there?- No pressure!
0:33:40 > 0:33:42We say goodbye to Y with a little treat
0:33:42 > 0:33:46from Mr Hugh Dennis, fan of the yew,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49but not of another Y, the yucca.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54I like gardens, I really like gardens.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57And I like the kind of British obsession with gardens.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06This is the Cleve West garden.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Cleve West is a garden designer, not,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11as many of you probably imagine, a suburb of Cleve.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13He's an actual man.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17I like this topiarised yew, as I believe it is called,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19with the little pom-pom on the top.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22I've got this tremendous urge to kind of do that with one
0:34:22 > 0:34:26of the tops, but I'm slightly worried that if you push down on the tops
0:34:26 > 0:34:29of one of these, somewhere else in the garden, something explodes.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36That's a yucca. That brings back memories.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40We had a massive yucca in our garden
0:34:40 > 0:34:43and I used to ride my bike obsessively round
0:34:43 > 0:34:47the kind of track which went past this yucca tree and...
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Most days, I fell off into it, it was right on the corner,
0:34:52 > 0:34:56and a yucca tree is, essentially, like nature's upturned knife block.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00I wouldn't have one in my garden now, obviously,
0:35:00 > 0:35:01to protect my children.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15Excellent. That brings us nicely onto our final letter, Z.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17We're looking at a plant family whose members,
0:35:17 > 0:35:21at first glance, don't look that closely related at all.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24This Z is for "Zingiberales",
0:35:24 > 0:35:28and here is Carol Klein to take us through the family members.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Each week I'm looking at different plant families,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35a sort of Who Do You Think You Are of the plant world.
0:35:35 > 0:35:36But this week,
0:35:36 > 0:35:41I'm looking at small groups of plants that are distantly related.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43The groups might be small,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46but the stature of the plants certainly isn't.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Today, it's the gorgeous gingers
0:35:50 > 0:35:53and their totally tropical cousins, cannas and bananas.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09Beautiful perfume! These are Hedychiums, ornamental gingers.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12This one is gardnerianum, and this is the plant that you would have
0:36:12 > 0:36:16found in Victorian conservatories, where it was grown both
0:36:16 > 0:36:20for its stature, but particularly for its perfume in the evening.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Now, this plant has worked its way right the way through my hot border.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30It's perfectly at home.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34And all I do to protect it, and all the other Hedychiums
0:36:34 > 0:36:38in my garden, is just pile soil on top of the rhizomes
0:36:38 > 0:36:39during the winter.
0:36:39 > 0:36:44This is Hedychium densiflorum "Assam Orange", which gives you
0:36:44 > 0:36:47a real clue to where these plants come from,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50in the foothills of the Himalayas. And when you're in here,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53especially if you close your eyes in the evening,
0:36:53 > 0:36:55you can almost imagine yourself there.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09Anybody who loves exotic cookery will recognise this immediately.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14It's Zingiber officinale, otherwise known as culinary ginger.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16And if you want to do a bit of an experiment
0:37:16 > 0:37:20and grow your own ginger, then this is what you are looking for.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23It's not hardy, of course, you couldn't grow it in the open garden.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27But you can try and start it into growth in a pot.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Just fill your pot right to the top,
0:37:32 > 0:37:34because you're not going to bury this rhizome.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Now, that's a really handsome rhizome
0:37:36 > 0:37:40and I reckon I could get a couple of plants out of that.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44I want one of them, though, to be big, really big and substantial.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48So, I'm going to plunge it into the top of the pot now
0:37:48 > 0:37:50and just press it down,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53so it's in close and intimate contact with that compost.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Just firm around the edge.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02Then, the idea is to put it in a warm, bright place, but with a bit of
0:38:02 > 0:38:07luck, you're going to have a really exciting ginger of your very own.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23Well, cannas, like Hedychiums are rapidly-growing plants.
0:38:23 > 0:38:28All the plants in this family group are from the tropics or the subtropics.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33Cannas originate on the other side of the Atlantic, in the Caribbean,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35and Central and South America.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43And they're grown mainly for this fabulous foliage,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and for these wonderful, shot-silk flowers,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50which look as though they've been pulled out of a magician's top hat.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00And if you want to go the whole hog, why not go for a resplendent banana?
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Bananas come from South-East Asia, but they're grown
0:39:04 > 0:39:11for fruit in more than 100 countries right around equatorial regions.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16This plant is completely tender, so when frost threatens, get it inside.
0:39:25 > 0:39:26Thanks, Carol.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29And now, let's explore the role plants play in a very
0:39:29 > 0:39:33particular place, because this Z is for "Zoo" gardening.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Here's Ben Potterton explaining why it's important,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40and how a trip to Hampton Court Palace could help inspire him.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Twycross Zoo is the World Primate Centre, and we've been here for
0:39:52 > 0:39:5545 years, and we've got the largest collection of primates in the world.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Monkeys aren't the easiest things to work with from a horticultural
0:39:58 > 0:40:00point of view, they eat and jump on things,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02but the site's got so much more.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04We've obviously got elephants, giraffes,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06we've got a good bird section.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10People forget that zoos are about plants as well as animals.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12We should look at the environment as a whole.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Certainly here at Twycross, we're looking at the bigger picture.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Some of the areas, like the flamingo pool,
0:40:23 > 0:40:24we're trying to plant geographically.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28We've got Chilean flamingos in there, so we're trying to plant Chilean plants,
0:40:28 > 0:40:30or broadly, South American plants.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34In enclosures like this, it's very important to have a range of natives and non-natives.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37We've got plants like Gunnera manicata, the giant rhubarb,
0:40:37 > 0:40:40which is obviously a South American plant which is
0:40:40 > 0:40:41found in the same area as flamingos.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45But also, we're surrounded by Flag Iris. Behind me, you got things
0:40:45 > 0:40:46like docks and stinging nettles,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48which we don't mind at the back of an enclosure
0:40:48 > 0:40:50because they're good for insects.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54So, obviously, we try to garden the front, but leave the back natural.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56It's also important that we grow plants here
0:40:56 > 0:40:59for food for the animals, and we're very interested in browse.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Now, browse is shrubs and trees that we cut and give
0:41:02 > 0:41:05to our elephants and giraffes and monkeys species, so a lot
0:41:05 > 0:41:10of areas here will be developed for hedging to cut for browse species.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13To check the toxicity of the plants we have here,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15we look at databases, places like Kew Gardens,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18and also what other zoos are doing worldwide and what species of plants
0:41:18 > 0:41:22they're using, so a lot of scientific work goes into it as well.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28This is our Longhouse Aviary, so the birds in this
0:41:28 > 0:41:30aviary are predominantly from the Asian subcontinent.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34What we're trying to do here is plant a range of Asian plants that
0:41:34 > 0:41:39will grow happily in here but also will be beneficial to the birds.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40Underneath some of the trees and shrubs,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43we're planting a dwarf form of miscanthus, which is
0:41:43 > 0:41:47a hardy grass that we can cut once a year down to the bottom,
0:41:47 > 0:41:49and the birds will work through, they'll nest in,
0:41:49 > 0:41:52and it should just cover the ground area.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Underneath all this, there is decent soil.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58John Thompson is our head gardener here at Twycross Zoo,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00and has been for the last 36 years.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03This is the new trend. It's not my type of work.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06I'm fitting in with Ben.
0:42:06 > 0:42:11You see, always just bedding plants, roses, the colourful subjects.
0:42:11 > 0:42:16This is more, as he recalls, biodiversity.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18You need tradition in gardening today.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21People are very quick to the new, new, new, new.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24With John's, if he doesn't mind me saying, sort of 70,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27and has got that experience that me, at the age of 31, hasn't got,
0:42:27 > 0:42:30so it's a case of working together.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34My vision for the zoo is that we have a beautiful grounds for the public to appreciate,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37but also we're working with the animals and we plant the enclosures to try
0:42:37 > 0:42:41and get a naturalistic landscape back into this site.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43That's my plan for the next few years.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46My visit to Hampton Court should be interesting.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50I hope to visit the plant conservation area and get a few interesting plants for the zoo.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52And again, walk round the display gardens and get some ideas.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55I got some good ideas last year, and hopefully, this year, I'll be
0:42:55 > 0:42:59with my camera, walking round, picking up a few tips.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Thanks, Ben. Well, we hope he did pick up those tips
0:43:02 > 0:43:05and we hope you've picked up some, too,
0:43:05 > 0:43:08now that we've completed every letter of the alphabet.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12We've reached the end of our journey through the A-Z of TV gardening.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Thanks for joining us, and see you again soon. Goodbye.
0:43:28 > 0:43:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd