0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello and welcome to The A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06We're on a mission to dig up the best advice and guidance
0:00:06 > 0:00:09from all your favourite programmes and presenters.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13So join me as letter after letter, one by one,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17we explore everything from flowers and trees to fruit and veg.
0:00:33 > 0:00:39Everything we're looking at today begins with the letter H. Here's what's coming up.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43'Sarah Raven learns about healing plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:48If you think that your medicine has come from a plant and from the soil,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52it is somehow less threatening than the thought of it being made up
0:00:52 > 0:00:54in some pharmaceutical lab.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56'Why keeping hens is good for your garden.'
0:00:56 > 0:01:01No matter what colour chicken you choose, they're all green.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05'And Joe Swift and Toby Buckland show us how to build a herb garden.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Yeah, it's got a childish charm.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11HE LAUGHS
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'Just some of the treats we have in store.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:18And we start with a flower that has a wide range of colours,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22a very distinctive scent and it can look great in a bouquet.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24This H is for hyacinths.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29'And we're off to Cambridge, home of the Hyacinth National Collection.'
0:01:38 > 0:01:42I think the thing that makes me a complete and utter hyacinth nut
0:01:42 > 0:01:45is the fact that every spring
0:01:45 > 0:01:47you see the first little coloured shoots
0:01:47 > 0:01:49appearing among the green
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and then two weeks later,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55the whole of the world round you seems blazing with colour.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10This is the little species hyacinth
0:02:10 > 0:02:14that grows in the wild in northern Iran and Iraq,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16brought over into Europe in 1573
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and all the varieties of hyacinths
0:02:19 > 0:02:21have been raised from this one species.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31My national collection at the moment comprises 170 varieties.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Some of them are fairly recent.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Some, in fact, are seedlings that I bred myself.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40But the most important ones are the very old varieties
0:02:40 > 0:02:45that were around in the catalogues perhaps 200 years ago
0:02:45 > 0:02:49that would otherwise, unless they were conserved, be lost forever.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56Always the rarest category of hyacinths were the double yellows.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58I was under the impression
0:02:58 > 0:03:01that the last ones disappeared nearly 100 years ago,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04but lo and behold, when I got in touch with the lady in Lithuania,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07she'd got this beautiful sunflower
0:03:07 > 0:03:11and this itself dates from pre-1897.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16I think one of the most beautiful flowers I've ever seen and extremely rare.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26This variety, Diana, is my own raising.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31It's taken my 12 years to get from one bulb to eight bulbs,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34so unfortunately, it will never go into production
0:03:34 > 0:03:36because it is very difficult to propagate.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Normally in the last weekend in March,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I open up the fields to the general public
0:03:47 > 0:03:51and they come along literally in their hundreds.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And to move around amongst them, hearing the comments,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58the "ooohs" when they first smell the perfume,
0:03:58 > 0:04:04and to couple this with the fact that I'm saving things from extinction,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07is very, very rewarding.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Of course, to me, there is a great deal of irony in this
0:04:13 > 0:04:19because a number of years ago, I lost my sense of smell completely.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25But my memory does take me back to the days
0:04:25 > 0:04:27when I could smell them,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30particularly just before dusk
0:04:30 > 0:04:33on a lovely, warm day, working among the fields,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37completely immersed in this beautiful fragrance.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39It's an unforgettable memory
0:04:39 > 0:04:42that will live with me for the rest of my life.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48'So, for how to plant hyacinths, here's Monty Don.'
0:04:48 > 0:04:52The scent of hyacinths can be delicious but it also can be a little bit much,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and I think one bowl in the room is enough and it's dead easy to do.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Get yourself a terracotta bulb pan.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Put a crock in the bottom to make sure the drainage is good.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Talking of drainage, it doesn't really matter what growing medium you use,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10because it's not providing nourishment for the hyacinth. That's all in the bulb.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13What it is providing is a rooting material
0:05:13 > 0:05:15and something that will retain moisture.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Now, this is Delft Blue.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20You can pack the bulbs in.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I've got 12 and I'll get all 12 into this container.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26These have been prepared simply by chilling them,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29which tricks it that it's winter.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34If we just put a little bit of extra compost in between them
0:05:34 > 0:05:38and then water them lightly and put them into a cool, dark place.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40It doesn't have to be extra cold
0:05:40 > 0:05:43but it shouldn't be above ten degrees.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And just keep them lightly watered.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53And when you start to see the shoots appear...
0:05:54 > 0:05:58..about two or three inches long,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00then you can bring them into light.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03The bulb thinks it's spring, it puts on a spurt of growth,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06the flower bud develops quicker
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and then just at the point when it's ready to open,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11you bring it indoors and that extra heat
0:06:11 > 0:06:14will make the flower open faster and you'll pull out that lovely fragrance.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19Then when they've finished, put the whole pan outside and forget about it
0:06:19 > 0:06:22until the foliage has died down, then you can gather the bulbs,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25keep them for next year and plant them out into the garden.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32'Thanks, Monty. Now let's explore the edible part of the garden.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34'Our next H is for herbs.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37'Let's first join Toby Buckland and Joe Swift
0:06:37 > 0:06:42'as they embark on a new project, building a herb spiral.'
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Essentially, I've got a sunny spot that's 1.6 metres wide.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50And I'm going to build a spiral of stone up into the centre
0:06:50 > 0:06:54about, I suppose, just above knee height.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58I'm going to use this lovely sandstone
0:06:58 > 0:07:03stacked up in a drystone wall. You don't need any building skills to create this project.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And these concrete blocks,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08they're just for the bits of the stone wall
0:07:08 > 0:07:10that spirals up that are out of sight.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18- All right, Tobe?- Hello. - Your garden's looking great, I have to say.- Thank you!
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- What do you think of the stone? - Beautiful. Really nice.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- Love the colour.- I think it's going to look really good.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27They do do these in America quite a lot and they work really well.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- It's just the job if you don't have much space.- Yeah.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33The first stone is laid. I'm just tilting the top
0:07:33 > 0:07:37so it sort of angles upwards.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41OK. And then are you going to start back-filling straight away?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- If you mark out with that sand the spiral.- OK.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47You've got to go round a couple of times
0:07:47 > 0:07:50before getting into the middle to give you plenty of beds.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53I can't be held responsible if you're not happy with it.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I'm trusting your designer's eye now, Joe.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Oh, stop saying that, will you?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10- That's something like it.- Well done.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Yeah, it's got a childish charm. HE LAUGHS
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I knew you were going to have a go at me! I knew it!
0:08:21 > 0:08:23'You can use almost any material for this job.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26'Reclaimed brick, large slates,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29'stones or even bottles stacked on their side.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34'Now, we're keeping our costs down by using sandstone for the visible parts of the spiral
0:08:34 > 0:08:39'and concrete blocks for the parts that will be buried under the soil.'
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- Right, I'm going to leave you in a sec, Tobe.- Yeah?
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Because I'm going to go and sort out some of those plants that we got from Gardeners' World Live
0:08:47 > 0:08:49- for the prairie border.- Oh, nice!
0:08:49 > 0:08:53So I'm going to take my childish charm somewhere else.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- OK, mate. I'll expect the invoice through the post.- It's already in.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04'The key to success with this building project is getting the foundation layer right,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08'as flat as possible and on well-compacted earth.'
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Now it's all about building up the sides.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13I'm going to start at the lowest point
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and then stack my stones one on top of the other,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19gradually, incrementally, getting taller.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24Now, the trick to this is simply to make the stones lean slightly inwards
0:09:24 > 0:09:29so that the weight of the structure is all leaning in onto the centre.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31That's what makes it strong.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36And packing with good top soil in behind the stones and in any gaps.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Of course, those gaps are going to make good little niches
0:09:40 > 0:09:42for plants to grow, too.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Handsome and functional at the same time.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And I tell you what, once you've got your materials together,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52a project like this, well, it'll only take you about a morning to build.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58'With every stone layer added, I'm firming the earth
0:09:58 > 0:10:01'around the stones to strengthen the final structure.'
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Actually, the raindrops hitting the foliage of a lot of these herbs,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19oh, it's bringing out the fragrance.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22I've got half a dozen different types of basil here.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Absolutely wonderful. And I'll plant those in a minute.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28But first, the herb spiral and what it's all about.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30You see, it's not just decorative.
0:10:30 > 0:10:36It's a way of tailoring the soil, tailoring the sunshine to suit different types of herbs.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39So in the top where the ground is most free-draining
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and the sun beats on it all day,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46I'm going to plant aromatic herbs like thymes and rosemary.
0:10:46 > 0:10:52Oily herbs. And a lot of these are wonderful in Mediterranean cooking.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55They go great with tomatoes
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and they cut through the fat in meaty dishes.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00The first one I'm going to put in
0:11:00 > 0:11:04is actually quite an unfussy herb, oregano.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Now, I know it's probably one of the most common garden herbs,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10but I use so much of this in cooking.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13It's a brilliant plant for a herb spiral
0:11:13 > 0:11:15because it's spreading and herbaceous,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18so it forms a nice cushion of foliage...
0:11:20 > 0:11:22..that covers the ground, but also,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26the spreading stems will creep their way in between the stones
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and help lock the whole structure together.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Now, what I use this for is marinades.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I take great handfuls of the foliage.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39It's got that lovely fragrance,
0:11:39 > 0:11:44sort of really aromatic, almost spicy.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47And I cut them up, chop them up on a chopping board
0:11:47 > 0:11:50or put them in a blender, add a bit of garlic, a bit of paprika,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and then put them over chicken. It tastes just delicious.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56On the shady side,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00I've got a couple of brilliant herbs
0:12:00 > 0:12:03that I think every gardener should have.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Chives, cos the bees love them so much and they're lovely in omelettes,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10and that can go on this side where it gets a little shade
0:12:10 > 0:12:13from the brickwork and herbs in the top of the spiral.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I've also got these things, a little bit bigger, they look like chives
0:12:16 > 0:12:20and, again, they've got that lovely onion flavour.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22These are Welsh onions.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26They're perennial onions and they're tough as tough.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29They'll survive outdoors and give you pickings right through the winter
0:12:29 > 0:12:33when chives perhaps aren't looking their best.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37A brilliant back-door plant, this.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40As long as your back door's near your kitchen,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42you can't go far wrong.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50'In addition to some of the more exotic herbs, I'm including culinary staples like sage and marjoram,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52'which always pair well with rich foods like pork.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'And then there's parsley for flavouring delicate sauces.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58'The top of the spiral, where it's drier,
0:12:58 > 0:13:03'I'm putting in sun-loving Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and thyme.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07'And at the bottom, those like coriander that appreciate damn, cool soil.'
0:13:17 > 0:13:20This gravel adds a decorative touch
0:13:20 > 0:13:24but it's also functional cos it locks moisture round the roots of the herbs,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27reflects a bit of sunshine back into the foliage
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and it also stops rain splashing onto the leaves,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33so I can just come out straight away and pick what I want for the kitchen.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37I'm going to water these in, despite this summer rain shower,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40paying particular attention to the alliums,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44the chives round the back of the spiral, cos they like it moist.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48'And from a big project with Toby,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50'we check out an easier one with James Wong
0:13:50 > 0:13:54'who's using his garden herbs to get rid of pests.'
0:13:56 > 0:14:00This is wormwood. Although it's effective against a range of insects,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02it's particularly deadly to clothes moths.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Its Latin name is artemisia absinthium,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09which really betrays the fact that it was the key ingredient
0:14:09 > 0:14:11in the 19th century drink absinthe.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16The plant contains a hallucinogenic and addictive substance called thujone.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21What I think, however, is way more exciting than its hallucinogenic properties
0:14:21 > 0:14:24is the fact that it's insecticidal and insect-repellent.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27You can tell I was cool in high school.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31'To ensure maximum deadliness,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34'I'm going to tag-team this guy up with two other herbs
0:14:34 > 0:14:37'which moths hate, sage and rosemary.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42'But I'm not using them fresh. These have been drying out for a week
0:14:42 > 0:14:45'which gives them a longer life.'
0:14:45 > 0:14:48The thing that really repels insects is the scent of the essential oils.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50So if you're buying these dried herbs,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54it's important you're able to sniff them and that they produce a smell.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Making these is the dictionary definition of a no-brainer.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00All you've got to do is crumble up some of these dry herbs.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05By using a deadly cocktail of ingredients, these guys are not going to know what's hit them.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10'For one bag, I'm using approximately
0:15:10 > 0:15:15'two tablespoons each of dried rosemary, wormwood and sage.'
0:15:15 > 0:15:20All you've got to do is pop this stuff into a little muslin bag.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24What you're effectively creating is potpourri stuck in a bag.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33'A few splashes of vodka will help release the essential oils,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36'making it stronger smelling and more repellent to the insects.'
0:15:36 > 0:15:40I never thought I'd catch myself making potpourri of all things.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43But potpourri was originally developed as an insecticide
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and it was effective and continues to be effective.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50If you hide it in one of these muslin bags, your masculinity stays intact.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01You hang these up and they'll last you about three months in your wardrobe.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04And the great thing is, once the smell starts dying down,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08if you give them a quick scrunch, you'll break up some of the cell structure,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11releasing a second wave of the essential oils.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Who would've thought that chemical warfare against insects would come in a package like that?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Thanks, James. We've still got loads more to come.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Holly, hydrangeas and the power of healing plants.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28But now we're looking at a feathered phenomenon
0:16:28 > 0:16:32that's hitting the world of gardening. This H is for hens.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35'And here's a man who couldn't be happier with his ones.'
0:16:35 > 0:16:38# I'm singing boom, chick-chick, cluck-cluck-clucking
0:16:38 > 0:16:40# All day long, don't you know?
0:16:40 > 0:16:42# Yeah, don't you know?
0:16:42 > 0:16:44# I'm singing boom, chick-chick, cluck-cluck-clucking
0:16:44 > 0:16:47# All day long, don't you know?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49# Yeah, don't you know?
0:16:49 > 0:16:53# Now, sometimes you give me loving and sometimes you give me dough #
0:16:56 > 0:16:59As far as chicken-keeping goes with me,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01it started as a hobby when I was ten years of age.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04It became an occupation,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06I'm not going to say a great living,
0:17:06 > 0:17:11when 14, 15 years ago, I took two heart attacks with cardiac arrest.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14They actually gave me three months to live at one stage.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18And I just had to have something to do to keep me going.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21And in honesty, the chickens have kept me going.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I have a great saying. "You don't have to live in the country
0:17:26 > 0:17:29"to follow a cottage economy."
0:17:29 > 0:17:32You can have a small garden,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36you can grow your veg and you can keep your poultry.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38The food miles - nil.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42No matter what colour chicken you choose, they're all green.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47I'm old enough to remember when everybody had a vegetable garden
0:17:47 > 0:17:51and a pen of hens in the garden. The knowledge was passed over the hedges.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Everybody... I'm not saying they were experts,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57but they were knowledgeable poultry keepers.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59And consequently,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- it's a thing we're losing. - CHICKEN CLUCKS
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- Oh, Flash. - HE LAUGHS
0:18:04 > 0:18:07# Everybody's talking about chicken
0:18:07 > 0:18:10# Chicken's a popular word
0:18:10 > 0:18:12# Everywhere you go you're bound to find
0:18:12 > 0:18:15# Chicken ain't nothing but a bird #
0:18:15 > 0:18:19The only thing you really need to keep a chicken happy
0:18:19 > 0:18:22is, I would say, water before food,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26because if they are ranging, they'll find a fair bit of food.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30But it'd be water, food and a small amount of grit.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35One of the things that people ask, "Are they going to wreck my garden when I get them home?"
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Chickens will wreck your garden if you don't use a bit a common sense.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44I think when you've got small seedlings, yes, they'll be tasty, so protect those.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46They clear up all the slugs in the garden.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51We also have the droppings, which we use as an accelerator on the compost.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54I wish something had happened when I was 30
0:18:54 > 0:18:57to kick me into touch and make me do this.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59I've never been so happy in my life.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03I'm so content here.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05And in an evening, when everybody's gone home
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and I can get a pint of shandy
0:19:08 > 0:19:12and just sit down here and listen to the birds and look at the chickens,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16I am so delighted. There's nobody happier on this earth.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22'Don't some of those hens look amazing?
0:19:22 > 0:19:26'Next in the pecking order is H for hedges.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29'And here's Chris Beardshaw looking at how they can transform
0:19:29 > 0:19:31'the look and feel of your garden.'
0:19:31 > 0:19:36One of the most essential design tools in the garden is a boundary.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Now, suspend thoughts of blockwork and brickwork and consider hedges.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42For instance, fagus sylvatica,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44used here in the traveller's garden.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47This may look as though it's been here a generation,
0:19:47 > 0:19:52but actually it's been here about two weeks, and it's possible to buy a permanent hedge from a nursery
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and all you do is nip out, mark how much you need
0:19:56 > 0:19:58and they deliver it on the back of a truck.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01By the time you come in from work, you've got a permanent hedge
0:20:01 > 0:20:03to completely enclose the garden.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07But it's not just the surround. You can also buy the divisions for the garden, as well.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11For instance, these taxus baccata or common yew cubes
0:20:11 > 0:20:16are used to divide the space up and create a rhythm in the garden.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19And the other interesting thing is the way that they've been assembled.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Smallest through to largest.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24That means that the eye dances along the top of these dark green cubes,
0:20:24 > 0:20:30takes you out into the freedom of the space beyond and up into the vegetation.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32You're borrowing trees from your neighbours
0:20:32 > 0:20:37and the result is that this garden appears much more spacious.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46'Now for a totally different style of hedge.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'The traditional countryside one.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53'Adam Henson will be getting a quick crash course in how they're made.'
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Hedges are a very important boundary.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58They provide shelter for farm animals, for crops
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and, of course, for wildlife.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Birds nest in them in the spring and they eat the berries in the winter.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08And I've heard it said that there's about 100,000 miles of hedges in the UK
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and they're described at the stitchwork
0:21:10 > 0:21:14that makes up the patchwork quilt that is the British countryside.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17A very lovely way of thinking of them. But they do need maintaining,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20either trimming or laying.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25'And hedgelaying takes a lot of skill, something I'm keen to learn more about,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30'so I'm meeting up with Robin Dale who's working on a hedge at a neighbouring farm.'
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- Robin, hi!- Good morning. - How are you?- Very well.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37- Isn't it beautiful for hedging? - Super day today. Cold.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41I've been told if there's any man in the country who can tell me about hedgelaying, you're the one.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45I don't know about that, but yes, I'm chairman of the National Hedgelaying Society.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48I've been hedgelaying for 47 years.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Goodness me. How did you get into it?
0:21:51 > 0:21:56One of the key factors is, the first competition I went in, I was second.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58And I earned £6.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02My father was paying me £5 a week. HE LAUGHS
0:22:02 > 0:22:06- So you can see that... - That's when temptation took over.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I got into it pretty quickly.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10So, not understanding hedges fully,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14you've got all the brush all this side but this side's smooth.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- What's going on there? - It stops the animals for that side, especially cattle,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20from leaning over to eat the young shoots from this side
0:22:20 > 0:22:22and it keeps them away from the hedge.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And when people look at a hedge,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28they see the bushes growing up and they think, "That looks lovely,"
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and then the next day, they see it all hacked down and chopped down.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36- But there's a reason to it, isn't there?- Well, if a hedge just carried on growing up all the time,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39it would get very gappy in the bottom. That's a problem.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- The animals won't get through there. - There's no way a sheep can get through.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47- That's the whole idea.- Go on, then, teach me how to do some hedging. - Right, here we go!
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Gloves.- Gloves. Lovely.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- Is that very sharp?- Yep.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Goodness me. You could shave with that.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- Right.- I'm going to do this one cos it's a bit stronger for you.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07- So you chop it in.- Yeah.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12So you're not cutting right through so that it stays alive,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14keeps attached to the root.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16It wants to pull down itself.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- There, see?- Beautiful.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- Can I give it a go?- Yeah. - This one?- Yeah.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24- You've cleared it round at the top. - I don't want to get it wrong,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27cos if I chop it right through, this thing's dead.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31- So just down there somewhere?- You're going to cut into it quite strongly.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Yeah, go on. Just keep...
0:23:34 > 0:23:37It's hand-eye coordination. HE LAUGHS
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- That's it! Absolutely brilliant. - Whoa!
0:23:40 > 0:23:44- HE LAUGHS - That's it!- You've done it, boy!
0:23:44 > 0:23:48'Next we knock in some stakes at elbow's width apart.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50'We then finish off the top with some binders.'
0:23:50 > 0:23:53You use one binder per stake.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55You go over
0:23:55 > 0:23:59and back this side, like that.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03- Over and down. - Well, that is very impressive.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08I can see why they think you're an expert. And you're really keen on teaching young people.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Well, we've got to introduce young people because they are the future
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and Howard's been working with me.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16- Hi, Howard.- How you doing? - Yeah, good.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21- How did you get into it? - I was in my mum's shed and I came across my grandfather's bill hook,
0:24:21 > 0:24:27which I didn't know it was at the time, and I've been doing hedgelaying with Robin ever since.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29And is it a good living? What do you charge per metre?
0:24:29 > 0:24:34Well, you can charge anywhere between £7 and £15 per metre,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36depending on the density of the hedge,
0:24:36 > 0:24:41and obviously that includes your stakes and your binders, as well.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Wonderful. Well, I'll come back in six months' time
0:24:44 > 0:24:47and see how my bit's getting on.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Fantastic. - I think you owe me seven quid.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- THEY LAUGH - Thanks very much.- See you.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58'You can make a hedge out of our next subject, too,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01'because our next H is for holly
0:25:01 > 0:25:04'and here are Monty Don and Joe Swift again
0:25:04 > 0:25:09'with the mammoth job of moving a fully mature holly tree.'
0:25:15 > 0:25:17This is the spring garden
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and I've got a holly that I want to move,
0:25:20 > 0:25:25but it's a two-man job. Here it is.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29I planted it actually as part of the hedging. It was just a loose holly,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31part of a job lot I bought, but it did have a nice stem
0:25:31 > 0:25:35and over the last three or four years I've been cutting off the lower branches
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- and clipping the top vaguely. - It's a nice shape.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The idea being to get a lollipop, but I think it'll look great in a pot.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45- You don't like it where it is? It'd save a lot of digging.- It would, but now you're here, we can do it.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48OK. I'll go round this end.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51It's a perfect time of year to do this
0:25:51 > 0:25:55because the soil's moist and the plant is dormant,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59so you can do this any time through the winter as long as it's not frozen solid.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14The first thing we're doing is digging a trench all the way around the root ball.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16It's a way of root-pruning it
0:26:16 > 0:26:20and getting the root into a manageable size so we can lift it
0:26:20 > 0:26:22and put it into a pot.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27And the better that we look after the roots when we're extracting it, the better it will transplant.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30# Have a holly, jolly Christmas
0:26:30 > 0:26:33# It's the best time of the year
0:26:37 > 0:26:40I'm glad to see you're sweating away, as well, cos I certainly am.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- It's very mild for this time of year. - It is.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46It's not the hard work or the unfitness, it's the weather.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48THEY LAUGH
0:26:48 > 0:26:54# Oh, by golly, have a holly, jolly Christmas this year #
0:26:54 > 0:26:57A nice, compact mass of roots
0:26:57 > 0:27:00neatly cut all the way around and underneath
0:27:00 > 0:27:03is going to give the plant a fighting chance.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Ooh, yeah, go on. If you do that, I'll...
0:27:10 > 0:27:13That's almost it, Monty.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15- I'll lean it this way. - OK, I'll just...
0:27:15 > 0:27:19- I think that's almost there. - Ooh, yeah, there you go. - Has that gone?- Yeah.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22- Brilliant.- Beautiful, isn't it? - Let's have a look at that.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26- See, that's good, isn't it? - That's a really nice root ball, lots of fibrous roots.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28And not too deep. We've got to get it into there.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Do you really have to get it into that? Is it going to stay in there forever?
0:27:31 > 0:27:38No, that's just to hold it until I find a nice pot and then we can make a feature out of it.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42My concerns are that we've got a nice root ball, we'd have to trim it back even further,
0:27:42 > 0:27:46put the plant under more stress, and with a lovely root ball like that, you don't want to lose it.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- Erm...- OK. Plan B.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52If you find yourself, as we have here,
0:27:52 > 0:27:57with a really good root ball on something that's been a lot of work to take out and you value highly,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00there's no reason why you can't heel it in.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Put it somewhere, in the vegetable plot if need be,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04until you find the right container,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09rather than destroy the root ball just to fit a pot that you happen to have.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13- That plastic pot is worth a 50th of what the plant is worth, isn't it? - Yeah.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15One, two, three, go.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Lovely job! Now, I've got bad news for you.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25- HE LAUGHS - What?
0:28:25 > 0:28:28- It's got a flat tyre? - It's got a flat tyre!- No!
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- Oh, no! Always check the barrow! - Try it.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- It should be all right, it's got a bit of air in it. Have you got it? - Yeah.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Ohh.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39It's not going to go through the gap in the hedge!
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Right!
0:28:50 > 0:28:52- Here?- Now, obviously...
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Normally, if you're moving a tree,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58you prepare the hole you're moving to
0:28:58 > 0:29:00before you even begin to dig it up.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04But because we thought it was going in a pot, we haven't done that. So, more digging.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13There we go.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16And what will happen is, the roots, because they've been pruned,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20will grow a fibrous extension. They won't grow out as they were before.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25Now, that's really good news. In fact, all nurseries do this to trees they're going to sell.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27They root-prune them, dig them up and move them,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29get a nice, compact root ball as a result.
0:29:29 > 0:29:35So this will do no harm at all to making it suitable for planting into a container when I get the container.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Right, if I hold that, will you fill round it?
0:29:37 > 0:29:41# Have a holly, jolly Christmas
0:29:41 > 0:29:44# It's the best time of the year #
0:29:47 > 0:29:52It goes to show that even the most experienced gardeners need a plan B sometimes.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56On our next item, we're finding out how the world of plants
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and the world of medicine sometimes overlap.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01This H is for healing plants.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04'Here's Sarah Raven visiting the famous Chelsea Physic Garden
0:30:04 > 0:30:07'to find out about nature's healing secrets.'
0:30:09 > 0:30:12'Back in the 17th century,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15'plant medicine was surrounded by myth and folklore.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17'But thankfully, good practice prevailed,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20'and the founding of the Chelsea Physic Garden
0:30:20 > 0:30:24'on the banks of the Thames in 1673 marked a significant advance,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28'with the key purpose of training apprentice apothecaries.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31'Curator Rosie Atkins explains.'
0:30:31 > 0:30:35It's very important to put it into the historical context.
0:30:35 > 0:30:381665, you had the Black Death,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41and then 1666, you had the Great Fire Of London.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43- Yes, absolutely. - And London was in economic collapse,
0:30:43 > 0:30:46as well as in a terrible state health-wise.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49And the apothecaries had been given a charter by James I
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and they were looking for somewhere to grow their plants
0:30:52 > 0:30:55to make their medicines.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59So it really always has been and is still a teaching garden.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Absolutely. I think Sir Hans Sloane described it beautifully as
0:31:02 > 0:31:05a garden dedicated to the study of useful plants.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08And I call it London's oldest outdoor classroom
0:31:08 > 0:31:12because, of course, now we teach children as well as adults
0:31:12 > 0:31:14about the value of these plants in our everyday life.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18'Rosie took me to see some of her favourites.'
0:31:20 > 0:31:24- So this is the opium poppy? - Yes. Papaver somniferum.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28It's such a lovely plant. I love it. I love the flowers and the pods.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30- It looks so innocent, doesn't it? - Yeah.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Where does the opium come from?
0:31:32 > 0:31:37Well, they actually scratch these pods and the gum comes out of them
0:31:37 > 0:31:39and then it's collected.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43But this is another, like the pomegranate, a very ancient herbal remedy.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46This was also used by the Arabs when it was decreed
0:31:46 > 0:31:49by their religious laws that they could not drink alcohol.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52So they would then smoke opium.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54And then that was how the whole thing started.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56And they were trading opium with the Romans.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59But it's been an immensely helpful plant in medicine.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Mainly the anaesthetic properties are what we use it for now.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07Absolutely. It's morphine, as well, that comes from the opium poppy,
0:32:07 > 0:32:11I don't think people often realise that, which is vital in medicine.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15I don't think we've actually come up with anything that works quite so well.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31So this is the pomegranate.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Yes, Sarah. It's a beautiful plant, actually.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38- There's last year's fruits still on the branch.- Isn't that brilliant?
0:32:38 > 0:32:40And there's the new flowers,
0:32:40 > 0:32:43which are just the most fantastic colour.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45This will be covered in flowers soon,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48it's just a bit early in the season for it.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50It's full of vitamins, it's a dye plant,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53the rind is used for worming.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55In some cultures it's used for snake bites.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58It's got an absolute multitude of uses.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01I didn't know that a pomegranate was hardy enough to grow in the UK.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04It looks so exotic and extraordinary
0:33:04 > 0:33:06that I just assumed that it was not hardy.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Well, it's a lot hardier than people think.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11I think as the weather seems to be getting warmer,
0:33:11 > 0:33:13it's a plant people should be trying in their garden.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16But the Chelsea Physic Garden is about two degrees warmer
0:33:16 > 0:33:19than Kew up the river, probably because of the buildings here,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22and the river does increase the temperature slightly.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26So I wouldn't say north of Scotland it would do so well,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29but I think in the south of England, I think it should be much more grown.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39'Although the Physic Garden doesn't supply plants for medicinal use,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41'the enormous range of species,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44'not only provides visitors with a history lesson in medicine
0:33:44 > 0:33:47'but is also a feast for the eye.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59'But amongst the beauties, there are some more down-to-earth plants.'
0:34:00 > 0:34:03So you've got quite a bit of rhubarb in the garden.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Well, we don't have that much compared to some of the commercial growers,
0:34:06 > 0:34:10but when this garden was created, this was called the roots of the barbarian,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13- hence rhubarb, which is...- Oh!
0:34:13 > 0:34:18And it came in dried roots from China and Russia.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22And it was very, very precious because it was such an effective medicinal plant.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25What is the therapeutic use of rhubarb?
0:34:25 > 0:34:31It's been used for absolute centuries to treat diarrhoea and constipation.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35- So the two opposite things. - It's absolutely extraordinary.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39And it's very easy to self-administer, because we probably all know when we cook rhubarb,
0:34:39 > 0:34:41it exudes this wonderful pink juice,
0:34:41 > 0:34:45and obviously the darker the juice, the more concentrated it is,
0:34:45 > 0:34:46and it has almost the opposite effect.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49So if you have a little rhubarb,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51you're doing yourself a good spring clean,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54and if you have an awful lot of it, you'll find yourself in dire straits.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59- Oh, really? So it blocks you up, or...- Gets you going.- Yeah.
0:34:59 > 0:35:05So I think it was the 18th century idea of colonic irrigation, really.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09I've got something else to show you which is also interesting.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23- Can you smell the smells in here, Sarah?- I certainly can.
0:35:23 > 0:35:29- A delicious mixture of pelargoniums and...- ..a table full of sages.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33This is salvias in their variety,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36and, of course, a very well-known medicinal plant,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39particularly in folk medicines, mouth ulcers, mouth wash,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42gargles, for laryngitis, for sore throats.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46All sorts of things. It's sort of anti-bacterial.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48It's said to be really good for memory, isn't it?
0:35:48 > 0:35:52Yes. Absolutely. And I think we could all do with that from time to time.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56A bit of something that stimulates the memory. And I think it's also good for hair wash.
0:35:56 > 0:36:02A lot of people are still able to mix a salvia tincture yourself and put it on your hair.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- Very good for brunettes, I'm told. - Oh, really?
0:36:07 > 0:36:13'By the 1700s, the Chelsea apothecaries had initiated an international seed exchange system,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15'which continues to this day,
0:36:15 > 0:36:19'enabling them to bring together miraculous medicinal plants
0:36:19 > 0:36:21'from all four corners of the globe.'
0:36:21 > 0:36:25This is an incredibly pretty, amazing magenta flower.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Isn't it a strong pink? It's catharanthus roseus.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30And it's a real miracle drug.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33A lot of people owe their lives to this plant.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38It's particularly good for treating childhood leukaemia.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Do you know what the active ingredient is in it?
0:36:41 > 0:36:46- It's vinblastine and vincristine. - Oh, yes, I remember. - Do you remember those?
0:36:46 > 0:36:50I remember those in chemotherapy and chemotherapeutic treatments. Absolutely.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55We have about 2,000 children come to learn about the importance of plants in the garden,
0:36:55 > 0:36:59and when the head of education comes across a child who will recognise this plant, they'll say,
0:36:59 > 0:37:04"Oh, Madagascan periwinkle," and some even use the Latin name,
0:37:04 > 0:37:08catharanthus roseus, and then he'll know that they've probably had
0:37:08 > 0:37:11childhood leukaemia and have been treated with this plant.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15It's very touching because they have a relationship with this plant forever.
0:37:15 > 0:37:22I think it's true that somehow, if you think that your medicine has come from a plant and from the soil,
0:37:22 > 0:37:27it is somehow less threatening than the thought of it being made up in some sort of pharmaceutical lab.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32I don't know why, but somehow it does feel more, kind of, back to one's roots, doesn't it?
0:37:32 > 0:37:36There's something about a plant remedy that I think is what brings people here,
0:37:36 > 0:37:41because if you're being treated with a drug, it sometimes feels very invasive,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44but this is, I don't know what it's like to be treated with it,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46but I hope it's a kind drug.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50'So, there we find out about the many uses of flowers.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54'Now let's finish by focusing on just one.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57'Our final H is for hydrangeas.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00'There'll be some tips from Joe in a minute,
0:38:00 > 0:38:02'but first, we're going back to basics,
0:38:02 > 0:38:06'with Colin Crosbie at the RHS Wisley Gardens.'
0:38:06 > 0:38:10The hydrangeas are wonderful. They've got a long flowering period.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13They can start in July time and then as you go through the summer
0:38:13 > 0:38:16to this time of year, their colour changes
0:38:16 > 0:38:19and you've got different shades of pink and almost like metallic colours
0:38:19 > 0:38:22that come into them, really elegant.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31The hydrangeas are a wonderful group of plant.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33The two most popular forms
0:38:33 > 0:38:35are hydrangea paniculata, that's round about me,
0:38:35 > 0:38:37and hydrangea macrophylla.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39Now, they're quite distinct.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43The main differences are in the way that they grow and in the type of the flower,
0:38:43 > 0:38:48and the paniculatas, you can see, a long spire, a panicle,
0:38:48 > 0:38:52whereas in the macrophylla, or the mop-head, it looks like a mop.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Now, when you look at the hydrangea flower, it's quite unique,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57because these white things that you see here
0:38:57 > 0:39:01are not the actual flowers, but those are sterile.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04The actual flowers are right in the centre
0:39:04 > 0:39:07and they're tiny and small and look almost insignificant.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18For growing hydrangea paniculatas, to keep them small and compact,
0:39:18 > 0:39:22you need to prune them February time back to two buds,
0:39:22 > 0:39:26it seems hard but you get these lovely big panicles in July time,
0:39:26 > 0:39:30which then change colour all the way through the autumn and winter months.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Hydrangea macrophylla is the mop-heads.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36The pruning is quite different. You leave the flower heads on all winter
0:39:36 > 0:39:39because it acts like a kind of thermal blanket,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42just giving the plant a little bit of protection.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45But March time, take the flower head off,
0:39:45 > 0:39:49but only prune it back to a couple of buds below the flower,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52a couple of healthy buds.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59I love all plants but I think if I was to choose one hydrangea,
0:39:59 > 0:40:05hydrangea paniculata, the most beautiful and elegant of all flowers.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08And to see it, even in the midst of the winter,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11with a brown stem, still looking lovely in the garden,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14it's just wonderful.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21My favourite hydrangea paniculatas, the first one, this Pink Diamond.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23A lovely, old variety,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27big panicles, lovely shades of pink when it ages.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29It really is a star plant.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40The next one's a much more compact plant,
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Pinky-Winky, small panicles
0:40:42 > 0:40:45that turned bright pink at the end of the summer.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47It would be ideal for a small garden.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Hydrangeas are easy to grow,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54they can stand up with a lot of different weather conditions.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Look at the wet weather that we've had this summer
0:40:57 > 0:40:59and see how the blooms are still looking beautiful.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01They prefer acidic soils.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05You can grow them in a woodland garden, semi-shade, in a border,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08they can thrive in many, many different situations.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11And now is the ideal time to plant them.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Well, I'm taking Colin's advice and I'm planting one right now.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43But I'm not planting macrophylla or paniculatas.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45There's loads of hydrangea species
0:41:45 > 0:41:48and I'm planting one of my all-time favourites.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51This is hydrangea quercifolia,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54quercifolia meaning oak-leafed,
0:41:54 > 0:41:57and as you can see, it's got these large oak-shaped leaves.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00Absolutely beautiful but also a wonderful autumn colour, too,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04sort of a burnt reddish colour, just starting to turn now,
0:42:04 > 0:42:09and that will go right through into the autumn till it drops its leaves, but also wonderful flowers, too.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12And here underneath this tree, it's a pretty shady spot,
0:42:12 > 0:42:16and also it's quite dry because of the roots of the tree,
0:42:16 > 0:42:20so that's why I've got to prepare the hole really well before planting
0:42:20 > 0:42:22cos it's going to be here a long time.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25And incorporate plenty of organic matter.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32But what's great about this one is it's not too fussy about its soil.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37It doesn't have to be acidic or limey, it will tolerate both.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41And also it will do well in shade but also do well in sun at the same time.
0:42:43 > 0:42:48So I've just got some compost here.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I'm putting some in the bottom of the hole.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54And this really is a very low-maintenance shrub
0:42:54 > 0:42:56because it doesn't really need any pruning, either.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00Just prune it in February or March if it needs tidying up a little bit,
0:43:00 > 0:43:03but otherwise leave it, let it do its own thing.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11If the pot is a little dry when you get it, water the pot before,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14soak it, ideally the day before it goes in.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18And then the roots are nice and moist and just ready to go.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23Now, it will ultimately get to about six foot tall.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25So it'll fill this space really nicely.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28But remember, it's deciduous, so once it's dropped its leaves,
0:43:28 > 0:43:32it'll be nice and light and you'll be able to see through into the plant and beyond.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Isn't that a nice way to end today's show?
0:43:37 > 0:43:42Do join us next time for some more top tips on our A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44But for now, goodbye.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:51 > 0:43:51.