0:00:02 > 0:00:05Hello and welcome to the A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23We've been looking at all your favourite garden programmes
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and presenters, we've worked our way through the alphabet,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30letter by letter, so now it's time to select our pick of the crop.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34So sit back and enjoy some of the very best moments from
0:00:34 > 0:00:37the A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Here's what's coming up.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43- Jay Rayner satisfies his taste buds. - In my book, flowers are for eating.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Dominic Littlewood goes naked gardening.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Once a month, people come along here to enjoy the scenery,
0:00:49 > 0:00:54throw their clothes off...
0:00:54 > 0:00:56..and not get told off for it.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00And a close-up look at the wonderful world of worms.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Quite a selection, don't you think?
0:01:03 > 0:01:08But let's start with a fantastic fruit tree that, thanks to some ingenious gardening techniques,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11delivers a whole host of different tastes and flavours.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14We're starting with A for apple trees.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And Alys Fowler is in awe of this incredible specimen.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26I was amazed when I discovered that nurseryman Paul Barnett has
0:01:26 > 0:01:30managed to grow over 250 varieties on just one tree.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34I was eager to find out how he'd done it.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41This tree is the stuff of dreams!
0:01:41 > 0:01:44It's the most wonderful thing I have seen in a long time.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46It's looking particularly good this year.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51And what possesses you to bung 250 varieties onto a single tree?
0:01:51 > 0:01:55The nursery I used to work for had about 80 or 90 different varieties
0:01:55 > 0:01:59and they would be lined out in quite a large field, so not having
0:01:59 > 0:02:03a large field, I needed to condense it down into something smaller.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06So that's really why they were put on here.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10- It's fantastic. So each branch is a different variety?- Yes, it is.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14You've got Royal Gala here, you've got Crown Gold up here.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18And therefore, it can be possible to have a tree which had cookers
0:02:18 > 0:02:21- and eaters? - Yes, it is.- It's very clever.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24What I get quite excited about this is if you had a tree you
0:02:24 > 0:02:27didn't like, you have the potential to have a tree that...
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Just graft it over and put any varieties you like eating onto it.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35- So you no longer have to get stuck with just kind of a cooker.- Exactly.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39- You can have the lot.- It's amazing. I am completely in awe of it.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Paul has worked with apple trees for 25 years
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and was happy to give me a lesson in apple budding.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54The small orchard at the bottom of his garden was a perfect place to
0:02:54 > 0:02:58have a go, but first I had to choose which varieties I wanted to grow.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02This is a lovely looking apple. Which is this one?
0:03:02 > 0:03:06This is a variety called Fiesta. It's a lovely apple.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Crisp, juicy and sweet.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11- Can I try it?- Yes, you can, yeah.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17- Mm! Really crisp!- Shows quite a good resistance to pest and disease.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22- Quite an easy one for gardeners. - Yeah. Lovely.- Very fertile variety.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- Lovely looking apples as well. - It is, yeah.- Really pretty.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- What you expect from an apple. - Well, can I have one of these, then?
0:03:28 > 0:03:32- You can.- This is great! It's like being in a supermarket!
0:03:35 > 0:03:39I can see one of my all-time favourite apples here.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Good old Pitmaston Pineapple.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46I have such fond memories of eating way too many of these.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- It's a lovely little heritage variety.- It's beautiful.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- It's a very late one.- It is. Never gets much bigger than this, either.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54No.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57It would be a good one for your tree.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Get the red of the Fiesta and the yellow of the Pitmaston Pineapple.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- It's a perfect kind of one-person quick eat.- It is.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06That's what I like about this. Mm, perfect!
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Next, it was time to learn the magic of budding.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17First Paul selected and cut off a healthy shoot
0:04:17 > 0:04:22from one of my chosen varieties and stripped it of all its leaves.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28So, we've got our material and this is my tree. Is it a good tree?
0:04:28 > 0:04:33It's a good tree, yeah. You've got some nice young vigorous growth here. It's ideal.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38You're looking for sort of two or three nice strong shoots, which we've got here.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43- And sort of about this thickness. - About this thickness, yeah. - About the thickness of a pencil.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Next, he prepared the area on my tree where the bud would go.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50After clearing the leaves and the shoots,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53he made a 4cm-long cut with a clean, sharp knife,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57deep enough to expose the cambium layer, the green bit below the bark.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Then, Paul cut a slither of the same length from the donor branch.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08This contained the bud of the apple I wanted to grow on my tree.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13The bud was then placed into position,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15making sure it matched exactly.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19To keep it in place, it was tightly wrapped, using budding tape.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24But a clear plastic bag secured with tape would have done the job just as well.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Well, you made that look incredibly easy,
0:05:26 > 0:05:31but I know that practice is how you get good at these things, and it's a long time, so...
0:05:35 > 0:05:39It started well when I made the incision on the mother plant.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Cutting the bud was another matter however.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46But in the end, it seemed to fit...well, almost perfectly.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51It would be a nail-biting six weeks to see if my graft had taken.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Now for the moment of truth.
0:06:03 > 0:06:10You're not looking...for any great...change at this point.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16You just need to make sure that the bud is nice and fat and healthy.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21And it looks like it's taken perfectly.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23So let's see how the rest are doing.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Well, so far, so good. And only time will tell with these grafts,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40but the joy about this tree is the fact that you have five varieties
0:06:40 > 0:06:44on one tree, so even in a small space, I get plenty to eat.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Amazing!
0:06:51 > 0:06:56Now, our next "best of" comes from a native flower that usually
0:06:56 > 0:06:59comes out in April when the soil is warmer,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and when it arrives, it certainly knows how to put on a show.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05We're looking at B for bluebells.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09And Mike Dilger has found one of the finest displays in the country.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I'm with Fraser Bradbury from the Forestry Commission.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- Fraser, shall we show them?- I think we should.- Have a look at this.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34This is West Woods, near Marlborough in Wiltshire,
0:07:34 > 0:07:39reputedly one of THE very best bluebell bonanzas.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43There are bluebells as far as the eye can see. Front, left, back, forward.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- It is 100% blue, Fraser. You must be very proud.- I am very proud.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50It's a sea of blue and it's here because we've managed these
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- woodlands sympathetically for the bluebells.- How many?
0:07:54 > 0:07:58How many bluebells? I'm halfway through counting!
0:07:58 > 0:08:02I would say probably more than millions, we might even be approaching billions here.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05We've got maybe 300 hectares of bluebells here.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07So it's quite a large site.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11- It's over so fleetingly, isn't it? - Well, West Woods,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15the great thing is that you can get, at different times when you come in, different aspects.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18So the bluebells will be out in one area and they won't be quite out in another,
0:08:18 > 0:08:24so you can walk through this wood and see bluebells at the beginning of May, middle of May, end of May.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Some liken the spectacle to a cathedral with a wonderful
0:08:33 > 0:08:35carpet of flowers below.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Although you shouldn't pick wild flowers,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I've been given special permission to pick one bluebell
0:08:41 > 0:08:46by the landowner, to show you that amazing bulb.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51If I have a look at it here and give it a good old squidge,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53look how sticky it is!
0:08:53 > 0:08:57And this substance has been used down the generations for helping
0:08:57 > 0:09:01bind books, but they found this material also prevented
0:09:01 > 0:09:07the books from actually being eaten by things like moths and silverfish
0:09:07 > 0:09:12because of its toxic properties. Really amazing! Look at that!
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Because it's poisonous,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21most foraging woodland animals wisely leave the bluebells alone.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27But there is one potentially serious threat - a foreign lookalike.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Don't these bluebells look gorgeous?
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Well, they're not as lovely as they might seem
0:09:38 > 0:09:41because they're imports from the Continent.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45And the problem is, they like mixing it with our native bluebells.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50I'm meeting Mark Spencer, who works for the Natural History Museum.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Isn't this the loveliest spot to sit?
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Absolutely fabulous. I mean, where else...?
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Indeed, in fact, nowhere else in the world can you really come and see this kind of spectacle.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Particularly when you get low, you get the most incredible vivid blue colour the whole way round.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08It is stunning. It is a completely unique thing, the British landscape has really
0:10:08 > 0:10:12got something to go, wahey, this is ours, it is British and we love it.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Is it likely to last? What is the problem with the Spanish invader?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Well, we need to find out - is there a problem?
0:10:19 > 0:10:23There's been concerns raised by conservationists, gardeners
0:10:23 > 0:10:26and parts of the British society that maybe
0:10:26 > 0:10:29a threat from the so-called Spanish bluebell,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33which is a plant which has been grown in British gardens for about 300 years.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36But increasingly, there are signs that it's moving out of gardens,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40partly as a throw-out, people throwing away excess bulbs.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Sometimes it may be because it's naturally seeding into the local environment.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47And people are concerned that it's hybridising with the native plant
0:10:47 > 0:10:50and this hybridisation may well affect
0:10:50 > 0:10:53the ability of our native plants to survive into the future.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57So, Mark, what is the difference between our native bluebells,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01which I have here, and the Spanish conquistadors, which you have?
0:11:01 > 0:11:06Ah, right. The British plant has classically got a rather Gothic arch just here.
0:11:06 > 0:11:12- Yeah.- This one's wilting a bit, but the flower spike on the Spanish tends to be more upright.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17The native plant also, each individual flower is tubular,
0:11:17 > 0:11:23straight sided, whereas the Spanish, they're much more wide
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and opened out. Leaf width is also a really useful feature.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- You can see here straightaway that this leaf is much wider...- Oh, yes.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32..than the native plant.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36And also it tends to be a much more vigorous plant.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41Often, you'll find that these really are kind of quite large compared to these plants here.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47But rest assured, here at West Woods, the British bluebell rules supreme.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54So if you've got bluebells in your garden,
0:11:54 > 0:11:58check if yours are the Spanish speciality or the best of British.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Still to come, naked gardening,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04roses and the wonderful world of worms.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07But now, it's all about eating
0:12:07 > 0:12:10because we're skipping onto E for edible gardens.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14And here is food writer Jay Rayner's take on them.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Just marvel at these beautiful nasturtiums,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and these violas are simply stunning at this time of year.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28Yes, I'm a man who's not ashamed to admit how much he loves flowers,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32but I am not bidding for a job on Gardeners' World.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34In my book, flowers are for eating.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41In today's top restaurants, meals with flowers are very trendy,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43unlike my food hygiene hat.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Now major supermarkets are also offering new ranges of salads
0:12:47 > 0:12:50with flowers. It may sound a tad surreal,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54but there's a long culinary heritage behind cooking with flowers.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57There are references to dandelions being eaten in the Old Testament
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and the Victorians ate candied violets.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03But what are today's flower foodies eating?
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Normally, you grow salad leaves. When somebody came to you and said,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10"I'd like you to grow flowers for food, what did you think?"
0:13:10 > 0:13:12I thought they were mad.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15But we were convinced when we started eating them.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19We understood that there's some colour and flavour that we can get from those leaves, so why not?
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Are there any particular differences between the kinds of flowers you're growing here?
0:13:23 > 0:13:27The violas we've worked with our customer to make sure they actually get into the pack
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and are looking good by the time the consumer gets them.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33We are struggling with the nasturtiums.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37They are a very delicate leaf with a lot of shape and structure.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40And to wash those is quite hard at the moment.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45But we are hoping that we will get there maybe later on this summer.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Flowers are all very pretty in their place
0:13:52 > 0:13:55and there's no doubt that we eat with our eyes first, but do these
0:13:55 > 0:13:59really amount to anything more than decoration on a plate?
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Yorkshire-born chef Charlie Lakin is preparing me a real treat today.
0:14:05 > 0:14:11There's mackerel salad with nasturtium and a creme brulee with gorse flower syrup.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16So tell me, flowers and cookery, is it merely about what it looks like or does it have an important flavour?
0:14:16 > 0:14:20No, I think first and foremost, it's about flavour, rather than the appearance.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24It looks great on a plate, but you should always look to flavour first.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28- How long have you been cooking with flowers?- Pretty much all my life.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32My mum used to use them a lot in salads and making wine and jams, things like that.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35It's a really exciting time of year, as a chef.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Once your blossoms are coming in and your flowers, summer's going
0:14:38 > 0:14:42to be here soon and you're going to be running round like an idiot.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46'So time to find out if flower power really delivers on taste.'
0:14:46 > 0:14:51Mm. Nasturtiums really are peppery, aren't they? Cuts through it.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54And it's a bit floral, if I'm allowed to say that. I hope I am!
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- I would say so, yeah. - Creme brulee time.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58Good crack.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04It is sort of grassy, earthy taste, isn't it?
0:15:04 > 0:15:08It's a bit like camomile leaves. There's a bit of bitterness right at the back as well.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12You're left with the finish of gorse flowers and it just lingers, sort of thing.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17Mm. I would never have thought of flavouring a creme brulee with gorse flowers.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Fantastic stuff. Thank you very much.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I'm not surprised that flowers can be delicious.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Their uses and flavours have been well documented in culinary history.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30What surprises me is that they've taken a back seat in British cookery for so long.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Beware, British gardeners. The foodies are coming!
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Mm! Lunch!
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Edible flowers, brilliant!
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Now we jump from E to H, for a look at some feathered friends
0:15:43 > 0:15:47that more and more people are adding to their gardens.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48This H is for hens
0:15:48 > 0:15:52and here's a man who couldn't be happier with his ones.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57# All day long, don't you know? Yeah, don't you know?
0:15:57 > 0:16:00# I'm saying, boom-a chick-chick pluck-pluck-plucking
0:16:00 > 0:16:02# All day long, don't you know?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04# Yeah, don't you know?
0:16:04 > 0:16:08# Now sometimes you give me loving and sometimes you give me dough. #
0:16:10 > 0:16:13As far as chicken-keeping goes, with me,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17I started as a hobby when I was ten years of age.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It became an occupation, I'm not going to say a great living,
0:16:21 > 0:16:26when 14, 15 years ago, I took two heart attacks, cardiac arrest.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29They actually gave me three months to live, at one stage.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33And I just had to have something to do to keep me going.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37And in honesty, the chickens have kept me going.
0:16:37 > 0:16:44I have a great saying - you don't have to live in the country to follow a cottage economy.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48You know, you can have a small garden, you can
0:16:48 > 0:16:51grow your veggies and you can keep your poultry.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56The food miles are nil, no matter what colour chicken you choose,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58they're all green.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I'm old enough to remember when everybody had their vegetable garden
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and a pen of hens in their garden, knowledge was passed over the hedges.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Everybody, I'm not saying they were experts, but they were knowledgeable
0:17:10 > 0:17:16poultry keepers and consequently, it's a thing we're losing.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Whoa, Flash!
0:17:18 > 0:17:22# Everybody's talking about chickens
0:17:22 > 0:17:24# Chickens are a popular word
0:17:24 > 0:17:27# Everywhere you go, you're bound to find
0:17:27 > 0:17:30# Chicken ain't nothing but a bird. #
0:17:30 > 0:17:35The only thing you really need to keep a chicken happy is,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39I would say, water before food because if they are ranging,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41they'll find a fair bit of food.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45But it'd be water, food and a small amount of grit.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46One of the things that people ask,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50are they going to wreck my garden when I get them home?
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Chickens will wreck your garden, if you don't use a bit of common sense.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56I think when you've got small seedlings, yes,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59they're going to be tasty, so protect those.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02They clear up all the slugs in the garden, for one thing.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07We also have the droppings, which we use as an accelerator on the compost.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I wish something had happened when I was 30 to kick me into touch
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and make me do this. I've never been so happy in my life.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19I'm so content here, and in the evening,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22when everybody's gone home and I can get a pint of shandy
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and just sit down here and listen to the birds
0:18:25 > 0:18:29and look at the chickens, I am so delighted.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32There's nobody happier on this Earth.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Oh, that's sweet! Thanks, Chris.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Now, get your safari suits ready because J is for jungle gardening.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Let's meet our guides, Rob and Dave, AKA the J Team.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47MUSIC: Theme from 'The A Team'
0:18:49 > 0:18:54We're at Desert Jungle HQ in Taunton, which is our little exotic plant
0:18:54 > 0:18:58centre that Rob and I have created here over the last three years.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03We live beside each other and we didn't really speak
0:19:03 > 0:19:06to each other for the first four years after I moved in cos
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I was a milkman and worked really unsocial hours
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- and suddenly we started to notice our gardens were beginning to merge. - I had bananas, he had bananas.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18One night, there was a power cut and our neighbours invited us
0:19:18 > 0:19:22- round cos they had an Aga and it was the only place anyone could eat. - So we all met up over a stew.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And our lives have never been the same since.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- And our wives rue the day we ever met!- Definitely.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34You can have an exotic garden with totally hardy plants.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37You can put down a membrane, you can bark over the top.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41There's no weeding. Or you can use the really difficult stuff, which gives a different
0:19:41 > 0:19:45dimension to your exotic garden, but does incorporate a bit more work.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47You've got to be prepared to be sitting at work at five o'clock
0:19:47 > 0:19:50on a December evening, the weather forecast comes out,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54there's a frost, "I've got to get home fast, get the fleece out,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56"cover up the banana or whatever."
0:19:56 > 0:20:00No, mate. That's just you. Most normal people don't.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06We grow a huge range of plants, far more than we ever thought we would.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11We specialise in bamboos, tree ferns, palm trees,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14we do a lot of cacti and succulents.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19We've probably got the best part of a thousand different things, I suppose.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25One of my loves is bamboo. I think they're just fabulous plants.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Evergreen and the colour range on them is just fabulous.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31And you get this delicious sort of yellow colour on some of them.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35There's a bamboo for every garden. Some of them can be quite thuggish.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38This one here is beautiful, but it's big.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41They work great in a jungle garden as a really good foil.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It just gives you that evergreen structure,
0:20:44 > 0:20:49so in the winter, there's always interest in the garden. It's just the ultimate plant.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53This is my tree fern house
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and it's my favourite place on the entire nursery.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59This is possibly the most special of all of them,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01it's certainly my favourite one.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06It's Cyathea medullaris from New Zealand, or it's called the mamaku.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07It's immense. It'll grow 60ft tall.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11What I think is incredible is you've got this little frond here that over
0:21:11 > 0:21:13a period of a couple of weeks just grows and grows
0:21:13 > 0:21:16until you get this huge frond at the end of it.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20It's just an incredible marvel of engineering, how something,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22this little fist of frond,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25can turn into this great big thing above my head here.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28If you can get hold of a small medullaris and love it,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32look after it, it will be possibly the best plant in your garden.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Certainly the best plant in mine.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Well, if you want to take the plunge and have your own tree fern,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44the first thing to do is to choose a really good plant.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47First of all, just feel, put your hand in, have a good grope,
0:21:47 > 0:21:52bit of a James Herriot moment. Put your hand in the centre of the trunk and see if you can find
0:21:52 > 0:21:56the fronds in the centre and you can feel them all tightly curled up.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59That's a good sign of a nice healthy tree fern.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01The next one, let's have a look at the trunk, it should be heavy.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04If it's really, really light, then don't buy it
0:22:04 > 0:22:07because it hasn't been looked after. Then, when you get it home,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11all you need to do is to sink it about an inch into the soil.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15That's all you do. Put a nice stout stake behind it to hold it in place
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and then just start flooding it with water and in the winter, a handful of
0:22:18 > 0:22:22straw in the centre of the crown and that will get it through the winter.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Don't worry about wrapping it, it's not necessary.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29And more often, it will cause the plant to dry out and you'll kill it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39We've won two silver gilts this year and we've been really close.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43A lot of our plants, the tropical ones, don't really start growing until the end of May
0:22:43 > 0:22:47and so by Hampton Court, it's almost the peak of the growing season.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52- So we should be at our best.- Yes. Gold for Hampton Court!
0:22:52 > 0:22:53And in case you're wondering,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57they won a silver gilt medal at Hampton Court that year.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Now, on the A To Z Of TV Gardening,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03we dug up quite a few golden oldies and here's one of the best.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05K is for kit.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09And back in 1988, there was nothing more state-of-the-art than
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Robert Symes' wandering water sprinkler.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17It's a garden sprinkler that moves round the flower beds
0:23:17 > 0:23:18in a pre-programmed path.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24The water makes the head rotate and that rotary motion is made to
0:23:24 > 0:23:28drive the wheels by means of these gears.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32The bit of lateral thinking that I like is this guidance
0:23:32 > 0:23:35wheel down here. It sits on the hosepipe.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40So all you need to do is to lay the pipe along the bed you want watering.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46And then the sprinkler will simply follow the hose back to the tap.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Well, job's nearly done.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Certainly beats wandering around with a hosepipe.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Ah! Roll on the summer!
0:24:16 > 0:24:17And roll on our next subject.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It's a plant that could be considered the true
0:24:20 > 0:24:22star of the flower kingdom.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Gorgeous, elegant and with a wonderful fragrance.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29It's no wonder gardeners find them so irresistible.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32This L is for lilies.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35And for Harry Brickwood, once he started collecting them,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37he just couldn't stop.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I've been growing lilies for approximately ten years
0:24:55 > 0:24:59and I presently have approximately 2,000.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Ten years? Ten years, he's really loved lilies.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06When you grow one, you see how beautiful they are
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and you've got to have more and that's what he does.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15I have got to the point where I'm really obsessive about lilies.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Harry in the garden?
0:25:16 > 0:25:23Well, from about 8.00am, 5.00pm, with about 20 minutes for lunch.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24That's how long.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29Lilies are almost the perfect flower. Just what every flower should be.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34Six petals, they just look at you and say - you've got to love me
0:25:34 > 0:25:36because I'm so beautiful.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41I can do all the hanging baskets, I can do all
0:25:41 > 0:25:45the boxes on the house and I can go and clear up the mess he makes.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49But I'm not allowed to plant.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52There's no question about it, they have a tremendous wow factor.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Wonderful colours.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01They grow very well, quite tall, sturdy, they don't flop about,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03so they're just a wonderful flower to grow.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I can touch them, I can smell them!
0:26:09 > 0:26:10But that's about as far as it goes!
0:26:20 > 0:26:25This is a Conca d'Or, it's an Oriental trumpet. Very easy to grow.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Almost any good quality soil.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34My favourite colour for a flower, the yellow. Looks you straight in the eye
0:26:34 > 0:26:36when you view it.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39And I'm also attracted by the way they bobble about
0:26:39 > 0:26:42when the wind blows.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45He just loves the beauty of them, that they are absolutely perfect.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48And of course, they have this wonderful perfume as well, which
0:26:48 > 0:26:53helps and as soon as one comes out, it's come, come and have a look!
0:26:53 > 0:26:55He's going to spend all day doing that!
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Running and having a look at another one!
0:26:58 > 0:27:02At the peak of the Hemerocallis season,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06I spend in excess of two hours every day deadheading.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10What I love about them is the tremendous range of colour
0:27:10 > 0:27:13and they're very easy plants to grow.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16No particular conditions
0:27:16 > 0:27:20and they propagate very easily.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Alstroemeria are quite easy to grow.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27They emanated in South America,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I think, Peru.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34They like free-draining soil, flower continuously from late May,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37right the way through August, September.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41When they've finished flowering, what you do with alstroemeria is
0:27:41 > 0:27:44you actually pull the stem completely out of the ground.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47This encourages further shoots from underground
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and you will easily get second flushes.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52If you're very new to growing lilies,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56the one I would highly recommend is Yellow Star.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00It's easy to grow, looks wonderful. Everything about it is lovely.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06The other good thing about Yellow Star is it's very easy
0:28:06 > 0:28:09to propagate from the bulbils, which form in the leaf axils.
0:28:09 > 0:28:15And I have had plants in bloom within two years of sowing the bulbils.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Each year, I find that my appetite for gardening is getting greater
0:28:19 > 0:28:21and greater.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25I'm trying to pack more plants into smaller places, which means
0:28:25 > 0:28:29eventually, of course, the lawn gets smaller, the beds get bigger.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33I just like a garden full of colour and flowers.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37This garden is his passion. Loves his garden more than me.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Now that's dedication!
0:28:46 > 0:28:50But let's move on to our next subject and it's an unusual one
0:28:50 > 0:28:53because we're jumping to N for naked gardening.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57And here's Dominic Littlewood revealing it all.
0:28:57 > 0:28:58Today is a day with a difference
0:28:58 > 0:29:03because here in the heart of rural Wiltshire lies Abbey House Gardens
0:29:03 > 0:29:06and they're stunningly picturesque.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20This was a Benedictine monastery 1,300 years ago,
0:29:20 > 0:29:24so it's fair to say it's a historical and holy place.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27But nowadays, once a month, people come along here to enjoy
0:29:27 > 0:29:33the scenery, the gardens, have a picnic, throw their clothes off...
0:29:35 > 0:29:37..and not get told off for it!
0:29:37 > 0:29:39It's a first for me!
0:29:49 > 0:29:53Like me, you're probably asking yourself - why naked in the garden?
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Let me tell you, it all started when naturists
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Ian and Barbara Pollard bought Abbey House.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Being keen historians and gardeners,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05they set about recreating this estate to reflect the history of the site.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Tell me about the gardens.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Well, we bought the place back in '94, so 13 years,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13and when we came, there was nothing here.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17The only bit of view, there was that funny face. Not a bad resemblance!
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Yeah, thanks a lot(!) I can see where this is going!
0:30:20 > 0:30:24I wanted to get the history of the place into the garden, so we've
0:30:24 > 0:30:28just been walking along the side of what is my Celtic cross knot garden.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37- This is an open day with a difference.- We've become known as the naked gardeners.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40We found that naturists were emailing and saying,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43"If you garden naked, can we visit naked?"
0:30:43 > 0:30:47And we decided that we would offer one day a month to allow
0:30:47 > 0:30:49people that opportunity.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52What's the difference between a normal naturist day and an open day?
0:30:52 > 0:30:56A normal naturist event elsewhere would be in the majority that
0:30:56 > 0:30:59everyone has to take their clothes off.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Here, it's entirely optional.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05What could you do that would make me feel like getting my clothes off right now?
0:31:05 > 0:31:09We're not here to persuade you to take your clothes off at all.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12What we are doing is giving you the opportunity.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15- So, really I'm sort of the odd one out with my clothes on.- Afraid so.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17Course, you don't have to stay clothed.
0:31:17 > 0:31:23I can't help feeling a little bit awkward about letting people see me in my birthday suit.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Especially as it needs an iron!
0:31:34 > 0:31:36# Keep on running... #
0:31:36 > 0:31:40You know what they say, when in Rome, do what the Romans do.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Well, that's what I did. I got buck naked and I went out there and mingled with the naturists.
0:31:44 > 0:31:45Oi, do you mind?
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Now, I've got to be honest, I didn't enjoy it at all.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I felt very conscious of the fact that I was looking at people,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55they were looking at me and whenever there was a pause, I just felt like covering myself up.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00I can understand why Ian and Barbara do it, but what I can't understand at the moment is why
0:32:00 > 0:32:05so many other people travel so far to come and do it here.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11- Bill and Sharon, where are you from?- Coventry.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Everybody seems to be enjoying themselves, except me.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19- I never know quite where to look. - You generally find that people don't look anywhere,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21apart from eye contact most of the time.
0:32:21 > 0:32:27It's just the feeling of freedom, you can enjoy nature as nature intended.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29It's been a liberating experience,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32but I'm not so sure I'll be rushing back to do it again soon.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35One thing I have learned though is this is not the place for voyeurs.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38In fact, voyeurs are actively discouraged.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41So if you don't have any hang-ups and want to experience that
0:32:41 > 0:32:45feeling of getting back to nature, well, this could be for you.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50- Ladies, could I just interrupt? You haven't seen a pile of clothes, have you?- No, sorry.- No, sorry.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54- Any chance of borrowing one of your towels?- No, bring your own! - Thanks a lot(!)
0:32:56 > 0:32:59After all that enthusiasm, let's change gear for a moment.
0:32:59 > 0:33:05We're joining Alan Titchmarsh for a lie-down. Not because he's lazy, oh, no.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09it's all for a master class on our next letter and subject.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12S is for sunlight.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24The first thing you've got to do is to persuade your family that
0:33:24 > 0:33:29you're doing research cos while you're out at work all day,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33the sun is moving around your garden, so that some parts of it
0:33:33 > 0:33:38are in sun all the day, some for just a small part of the day.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Just working out which.
0:33:43 > 0:33:49Choose a nice sunny summer's day and sit back and see what happens.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00It's important because different plants need different
0:34:00 > 0:34:04amounts of light, depending on where they come from.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Those that are woodlanders like shade,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09those that grow in open fields like full sun
0:34:09 > 0:34:12and you remember the labels in the nursery, "grow in shade",
0:34:12 > 0:34:15"grow in sun", put them in the wrong place
0:34:15 > 0:34:18and they will eventually get sick. And even die.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Hostas, for example, love shade.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Out in the wild, they grow in damp, shady hollows, so find a similar spot
0:34:28 > 0:34:32in your garden and it's the right plant in the right place.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34It can't help but grow.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Sun-loving plants like these need to bask.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Put them in sun and they'll love you for ever.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50So while I've been lying here, exhaustive research has shown me
0:34:50 > 0:34:54that border over there gets sun for most of the day,
0:34:54 > 0:34:56so it is a sunny border.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00Plants that are described as liking full sun will love it.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04That one over there gets sun for part of the day,
0:35:04 > 0:35:06perhaps a quarter of the day.
0:35:06 > 0:35:12So really, the plants that are described as liking partial shade will enjoy that one.
0:35:12 > 0:35:17That one over there gets barely a glimmer from dawn till dusk,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20so it certainly qualifies for full shade.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23It was worth lying down here, wasn't it?
0:35:23 > 0:35:28And just as sunlight is crucial for our plants, so is our next subject.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31We're at W for worms.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34And you may be surprised to learn just how important they are.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Let's meet Emma Sherlock.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41Emma is Curator of Worms at the Natural History Museum in London.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Not only that, she's President of the Earthworm Society of Britain.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48As Emma is about to reveal,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52there's far more to the humble earthworm than first meets the eye.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59Most people think we've only got one species of earthworm in the UK,
0:35:59 > 0:36:01but that's really not true.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05We actually have 27 different species.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08We've got stumpy green ones and they're bright green,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11stripy ones, these ones, when they stretch out,
0:36:11 > 0:36:15you'll really see the stripes on them, we call them tiger worms
0:36:15 > 0:36:16because of the stripes.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19We've got pink ones, we've got grey ones, we've got
0:36:19 > 0:36:23ones with black heads, we've got deep red ones.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Some are really large, sort of 30cm in length, right down
0:36:27 > 0:36:30to some adults being just a few centimetres.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32So massive diversity.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Surprisingly, scientists like Emma know very little
0:36:35 > 0:36:39about the distribution of these different earthworm species.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43Sampling the worms in your garden can help fill in these gaps.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47The better way to sample earthworms really is just to dig
0:36:47 > 0:36:51a hole in the ground, so I generally dig around a plot,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55pull out the square I've dug and then just go through it
0:36:55 > 0:36:58and try and see how many earthworms are in here.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01And in a plot this size, potentially, it could be 50,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04100, maybe even if it was a really rich patch,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07maybe even up to 200 earthworms.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11So in an area the size of a football field,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14you could get maybe as many as two million earthworms.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21All gardeners know that earthworms are really good for the soil.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24But the reason that is is because they are burrowing
0:37:24 > 0:37:29down into the soil, they're letting air in, letting carbon dioxide out.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32Earthworms are the recyclers of the planet.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36They are breaking down all the organic rubbish and releasing
0:37:36 > 0:37:40all those nutrients back into the soil to be used again by the plants.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Without earthworms in our soils, life would pretty quickly dry up.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49Earthworms aren't just good for the soil.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Their juicy, muscular bodies are perfect food for lots of other wildlife.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Birds just can't resist them.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Badgers gorge on them.
0:38:02 > 0:38:0660% of their diet is made up of worms.
0:38:06 > 0:38:11And moles? Well, they can eat 50 grams of worms a day.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15It does seem they get rather picked on by other animals.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22One neat little trick I'm going to share with you is something
0:38:22 > 0:38:25to actually get the deep burrowing earthworms to the surface
0:38:25 > 0:38:29without the heavy digging. And that's this.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33What I've done here is mix mustard powder with water,
0:38:33 > 0:38:38maybe around two tablespoons per litre and a half bottle.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41And then pour on the ground.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45What this technique does is it just irritates the worms slightly,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48so they come up to the surface.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Earthworm behaviour is also fascinating,
0:38:51 > 0:38:55not least the way they reproduce. I'll let Emma explain.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59Earthworms are hermaphrodites, so that means they have male
0:38:59 > 0:39:02and female parts, but they still sexually reproduce.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07So they find another earthworm, kind of glue themselves together,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10pass each other sperm, and then when they've broken off,
0:39:10 > 0:39:14they then each produce a cocoon, which then sits in the soil
0:39:14 > 0:39:19until the conditions are right and then the babies emerge.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22I love earthworms because they're
0:39:22 > 0:39:24so amazingly important for our soils,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27they're such fascinating animals
0:39:27 > 0:39:31and when you actually start to look at them, it's amazing the diversity
0:39:31 > 0:39:36and variety, the sizes, the colours, the different jobs that they all do.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40And yet, no-one's out there looking at them.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44They're working so hard, under our feet.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46I hope you see them in a different light now.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51We sure will, Emma! And with those worms,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55we've almost wriggled our way to the end of the show.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58But not before we look at my personal favourite,
0:39:58 > 0:39:59the nation's favourite.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02We're ending on R for roses.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05And John Adams is passionate about them.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11About 15 years ago, I went to a famous local rose grower
0:40:11 > 0:40:15to buy a couple of currently fashionable roses for my new garden.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Because I bought two, they gave me a little black pot,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21this little thing, for nothing.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23And I put it at the top of my garden.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28And this is what it was. Paul's Himalayan Musk.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34And since then, I've been loving and growing old roses.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37Smell that smell.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50Here's a fine example of why I love old roses.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52This is an old French rose
0:40:52 > 0:40:53called the Duc de Guiche.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57It's covered in beautiful buds that are going to come into flower
0:40:57 > 0:40:58over the next month or so.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02And the flower itself has a typical old rose colour,
0:41:02 > 0:41:07lots and lots of petals, a green button eye, a delicious scent.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09It blends in very well with this geranium
0:41:09 > 0:41:11and other plants that we've put around it
0:41:11 > 0:41:15and that will go on giving me joy for the next five to six weeks with its flowers
0:41:15 > 0:41:19and then still look very good in the garden once it's stopped flowering.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23You really should find space to put a few ramblers.
0:41:23 > 0:41:24This one is Auguste Gervais
0:41:24 > 0:41:26and it's a Wichurana Rambler,
0:41:26 > 0:41:28it's based on the Rosa Wichurana.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30It means it's very, very flexible.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32I've been able to wind it round this post
0:41:32 > 0:41:36and wind it along the top of the post there and it flowers all along,
0:41:36 > 0:41:38very happily, at this part of the year.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41And it puts on old roses, with the colour and the scent
0:41:41 > 0:41:44and the form of an old rose because no-one's managed to invent
0:41:44 > 0:41:47a modern rambler that's anywhere near as good as the old ones.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Now, when my old roses, my summer flowering roses,
0:41:50 > 0:41:54which are in brilliant bloom now, when they've finished in about a month's time,
0:41:54 > 0:41:58I'll just take a hedge cutter and slice it through about halfway up.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02None of this messing with pruning this and that, a quick slice.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06It will then regenerate itself with beautiful green spring growth
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and look beautiful throughout the year.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12What a lovely rose you are and what good value!
0:42:12 > 0:42:16People also worry about replant sickness, which is
0:42:16 > 0:42:19the rule that you should never plant where another one has been.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21I do it all the time because I get my colour matches wrong or
0:42:21 > 0:42:24because I don't like it where it is, I dig it up,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27I dig a nice big hole again, but I move all the soil
0:42:27 > 0:42:29and put new soil in from some other part of the garden
0:42:29 > 0:42:32and maybe a bit of Hoof and Horn to give it extra slow release nitrogen.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35So you can move things around, you don't need to worry about that,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38when you've changed your mind. Isn't she lovely? Look at this.
0:42:38 > 0:42:43A lovely Moss called Madame Louis Leveque.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47And she's got so many petals that she needs just a little bit of support.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56So why do I love old roses so?
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Well, it's partly beauty and it's partly romance.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02The old roses, the beauty of the flower, the form,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04has not been surpassed by anything
0:43:04 > 0:43:07which has happened in the 20th century.
0:43:07 > 0:43:08That's why we still grow them.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12And when I look around, I think, some of these, Shakespeare knew.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16When Herrick said, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may," he meant these.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20When Strauss wrote Der Rosenkavalier, this is what he had in mind.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24When you marry, you give your girlfriend a rose and your wife a rose.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27It's romance, it's beauty. I love roses.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37What an amazing collection!
0:43:37 > 0:43:40And with that, we've reached the end of the show.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43I hope you've enjoyed the A To Z Of TV Gardening as much as I have,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45but for now, goodbye.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd