0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to The A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07We're on a mission to dig up the best advice and tips
0:00:07 > 0:00:10from all your favourite TV garden programmes and presenters
0:00:10 > 0:00:14so join me, as letter by letter, one by one,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18we explore everything from flowers and trees to fruit and veg
0:00:18 > 0:00:21on The A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42Everything we're looking at today begins with the letter G.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Let's start with a flower that will flourish almost anywhere.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Carol Klein's been growing them for decades,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52so get your notebooks ready - here's all you need to know.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Our first G is for geraniums.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00I've been making the garden here at Glebe Cottage for more than 30 years
0:01:00 > 0:01:01and during that time
0:01:01 > 0:01:05there's one genus of plants that I've used constantly.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07It's geraniums.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Within the garden there's all sorts of situations.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Some are hot and sun-baked and others are shady nooks.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19You can find a geranium to suit every single situation.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24Out here in the Brick Garden, amongst all these billowing plants,
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Geranium pratense is in its element - it's in complete control.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Well, pratense means "of meadows"
0:01:42 > 0:01:47and that's exactly the sort of place that this geranium loves to grow.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52I suppose our beds and borders are really akin to an open meadow,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54with lots of plants mingling together.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57And this one can fend for itself.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00It's always a big, vigorous sort of plant.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05But within that vigour, there's such beautiful detail -
0:02:05 > 0:02:09these lovely flowers, often with striations - little lines.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11And on the back of it,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15this beautiful star where the calyx has expanded
0:02:15 > 0:02:17and now holds the petals.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20And what wonderful mixtures it makes.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I don't know how it does it
0:02:22 > 0:02:27because invariably it seems to seed itself in exactly the right place.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31You get these associations you could never ever have dreamed of making yourself.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I love it with this brown blupleurum
0:02:34 > 0:02:38and the colour is taken up within the geranium head
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and then reflected again in this bronze fennel,
0:02:42 > 0:02:47so you get this marriage of texture and colour and detail.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I couldn't have done it nearly as well.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Sometimes, though, I want to decide where my Geranium pratense are going
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and the best way to do that is by growing it from seed.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Seed is produced from summer right through to the autumn.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Last year, I collected and stored some.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Now I'm sorting the seed from the chaff
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and then sowing it thinly on gritty compost.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Covering it with grit and pressing it down firmly.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Then, after giving it a thorough watering,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25popping the pot in a shady place.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31And shade is exactly where Geranium nodosum wants to be.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It's a prolific self-seeder
0:03:33 > 0:03:38but this time it puts itself about anywhere where there's shade -
0:03:38 > 0:03:41underneath the trees and between shrubs,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43that's where it's happiest.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46And unlike most geraniums, it's evergreen,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50so during the winter you've still got this glorious ground cover
0:03:50 > 0:03:54and you get the benefit of rich autumn colour, too.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Well, out of the shade and into the sun.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11This is Geranium sanguineum
0:04:11 > 0:04:17and the species is a native plant and it occurs in really sunny places
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and often in thin, chalky soils
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and sometimes in pure sand.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26And because it thrives on poverty, it makes it an excellent candidate
0:04:26 > 0:04:27for growing in a pot.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32And it has several sort of strategies to ensure its survival
0:04:32 > 0:04:35in these really very inhospitable kind of places.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39First of all, it's got these very finely divided leaves
0:04:39 > 0:04:41which means it doesn't lose much moisture.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44And it has two sorts of roots.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It has fine, fibrous roots like most geraniums
0:04:47 > 0:04:49but it's also got these thick, chunky roots
0:04:49 > 0:04:53which enable it to store water in times of drought
0:04:53 > 0:04:59and, as gardeners, it also enables us to propagate it from root cuttings.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Whether your plant is in the ground or in a pot,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09first, expose some chunky roots.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Break off several lengths.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16You can feel the nodules where shoots will develop all along the roots.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Slice them into pieces a few centimetres long
0:05:21 > 0:05:26and, crucially, lay them horizontally on the surface of gritty compost,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29so they're in intimate contact with it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Weight them down with grit.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Root cuttings will work for all forms of Geranium sanguineum.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Let me introduce you to what's possibly my favourite geranium.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49It's Geranium psilostemon
0:05:49 > 0:05:55and it's probably the most versatile of a multi-talented troupe of plants.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59It'll grow practically anywhere. It loves full sun.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04It will grow in a bit of shade. It's happy wherever you put it
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and it's even happy in heavy clay soil,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10which is just what it's growing in here.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Now, 15 or 16 months ago, I stripped these borders
0:06:14 > 0:06:16and took everything out of here
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and there were just three or four clumps of Geranium psilostemon.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25I divided them up using back-to-back forks and made loads of plants
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and replanted a lot of them.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30And just look at them now.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32They look as though they've been here forever
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and how beautifully they combine with all these other plants in here.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38They're happy neighbours.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41And when you look at the plant itself,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43with these dramatic palmate leaves,
0:06:43 > 0:06:49lovely red stems and these gorgeous flowers,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53sizzling magenta and set off with these very dramatic black eyes,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56the whole thing is irresistible.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And whether it's Geranium psilostemon
0:06:58 > 0:07:02or any of the other members of this marvellous family,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06it's a real privilege to grow them.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07What an amazing garden.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11But there's barely time to draw breath now
0:07:11 > 0:07:13because up next is a fruit that comes with the advice
0:07:13 > 0:07:15"treat them mean, keep them keen."
0:07:15 > 0:07:18This G is for gooseberries
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and Monty Don is showing some tough love.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Now is the perfect time to plant gooseberries, redcurrants,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26blackcurrants, white currants.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And I've got here some cordon gooseberries.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I love gooseberries
0:07:31 > 0:07:34but I know a lot of people feel you need a lot of space to grow them
0:07:34 > 0:07:38but if you grow them as cordons, you can grow them in a foot-wide strip
0:07:38 > 0:07:40against a fence and they're perfect.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45And a cordon is simply a bush that has been trained onto just one stem
0:07:45 > 0:07:47and all the side shoots are cut off.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51And you keep it pruned so it can grow as high as it likes
0:07:51 > 0:07:53but never gets any wider,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56so it's perfect for growing in a small space.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59And I'm going to put a line of gooseberries along the back here.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04And gooseberries are tough plants. You just chuck them in the ground.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07In fact, I remember one old boy years ago
0:08:07 > 0:08:10when I said that I was having trouble with gooseberries,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12that they were getting mould and sawfly,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15and he said, "The secret is give them a hard time.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17"Treat 'em rough, boy," he said, "treat 'em rough."
0:08:19 > 0:08:22And it works, you know? So there's no extra manure in here.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Just pop them in the ground
0:08:24 > 0:08:27and if you've got a fire, particularly a wood fire,
0:08:27 > 0:08:33put the ashes on them in April or a potash feed, perhaps, in spring
0:08:33 > 0:08:34and that's all they need.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39And the spacing for cordons is about one foot apart,
0:08:39 > 0:08:40so really quite close together.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44And just dig it out.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49You notice I've got them in a bucket of water.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Really important with all bare-root plants
0:08:52 > 0:08:55never to let them dry out, not even for half a minute.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58You can see that's a really good root system on this plant.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02It's only a small shoot coming off it but powerful roots
0:09:02 > 0:09:04and in the end, that's what you're buying.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Good roots and you'll always have a good plant.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And the whole point about gooseberries is that you can eat them like grapes,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29you can make jam with them, you can make pies with them,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32you can stew them - there's lots of different ways
0:09:32 > 0:09:34and also they will fruit at different times,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37so that they're very, very versatile.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39A lovely fruit to grow and not enough people do.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And I will mulch these to keep the weeds down but not to feed them.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46The bamboo cane has to stay on.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50In fact, these are too short. I want a longer cane, which I will attach.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53And also they will need some kind of prop as they grow,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56just some wire to stop them flapping around in the wind.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58But all that can be done later.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02What matters at this time of year is to get them in the ground
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and then once you've planted them, just give them a little prune.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20And the great thing about gooseberries is they're tough -
0:10:20 > 0:10:23if you can grow a bramble, you can grow a gooseberry.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27And anyway, we'll be revisiting these regularly throughout the season.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Thanks, Monty. Now, a gooseberry is of course a berry -
0:10:32 > 0:10:34the clue's in the name -
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and we're staying with a berry for this next topic,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40although you may not realise it is one.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44This letter G is for grape and grapevines.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Now, one thing about grapes is, they need plenty of sunshine.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Get enough of that and a wonderful wine is perfectly possible,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55as Julia Bradbury's been finding out.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01With vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03you could be forgiven for thinking
0:11:03 > 0:11:07I'm on the slopes of the Champagne region in France.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08Mais non, mon ami!
0:11:08 > 0:11:12I'm actually in Surrey, just over the way from Matt on Box Hill,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14exploring an English vineyard.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Now, there was a time when English wine struggled to make its mark,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19with a less than sparkling reputation,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21but that is no longer the case.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Right now, I'm told, our home-grown grapes can challenge
0:11:24 > 0:11:26some of the best of our Continental cousins',
0:11:26 > 0:11:29at least when it comes to fizz.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And this isn't the first time our vineyards have wowed the world.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37I'm at Painshill Park, where a restoration project has brought back to life
0:11:37 > 0:11:40one of the most successful vineyards of the 18th century.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44You don't expect to come across this off a roundabout on the A3.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49It was one of the best in the country in its heyday.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52The vineyard and the gardens around it were the vision
0:11:52 > 0:11:53of Charles Hamilton,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57a chap who, like many young aristocrats, spent time in his youth
0:11:57 > 0:11:59on a Grand Tour of Europe.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04And like many, he sampled his fair share of grape and grain on his travels.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07On his return, he created this rather grand, meandering garden
0:12:07 > 0:12:11with the feature vineyard, inspired by his times abroad.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It must have been one heck of a gap year.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Now English vineyards are producing wines that are recognised worldwide.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25That's my cue to leave one of England's oldest vineyards
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and go to one of our largest.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Just a few weeks ago, an English rose beat wine rivals from across the globe
0:12:32 > 0:12:35to become the only pink wine to win a gold medal
0:12:35 > 0:12:37in the International Wine Challenge
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and the grapes came from here.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45The English wine revival is in full swing
0:12:45 > 0:12:48but why have we got it so right now?
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Vineyard manager Sue Osgood spills the secrets.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- Sue, hello.- Hello.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58So tell me, what is the secret of your great grapes?
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- Award-winning grapes! - Award-winning grapes!
0:13:00 > 0:13:02I think picking them at the right time,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04enough sunshine to make them sweet enough to make good wine
0:13:04 > 0:13:06and a very good winemaker, as well.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11If you had to define the difference between English sparkling wine and champagne,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13what would you say?
0:13:13 > 0:13:15I think the difference for us
0:13:15 > 0:13:17I think there's more fruit flavours in our wine.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18There's less in champagne.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20They're more... They're very dry, usually,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22slightly more acidic, I would say, than ours.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27And it seems the French are developing a taste for our sparkling wine, too.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30With land in the Champagne region becoming increasingly scarce,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34they're looking to vineyards like this one in Surrey as an alternative.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36So what is it about this part of the country
0:13:36 > 0:13:39that lends itself to such a fruity drop of fizz?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I'm off to meet a man for whom wine is a way of life
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and there's nothing he doesn't know about posh plonk.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47We're just like Champagne, here.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49You know, Champagne vineyards, northern France,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- king of sparklers, let's be honest. - Mm.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54What you've got here, everything's very, very similar.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59We've got the same climate - look around us, chilly, northerly, OK?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01The soil's just the same.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05The famous chalk soils in Champagne dip under the channel,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07emerge in the south of England and here we are,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09White Cliffs of Dover.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10And then the grapes are the same -
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Bingo. Same winemaking method, so, yeah.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21For me, English sparkling wine is - I don't know - it's the ultimate champagne lookalike.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27We've had flowers, edibles and drinkables
0:14:27 > 0:14:29but there's something missing.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34In fact, some would argue a great British garden isn't complete
0:14:34 > 0:14:36without one or two lying around.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39We're ending today with G for gnomes.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And let's meet a man whose off-duty mission
0:14:42 > 0:14:45is to provide a haven for the gnome who is homeless.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58I'm Robert Chambers, chairman of Essex Police Authority,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02and I have the only gnome sanctuary in the world.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I can't take this seriously!
0:15:09 > 0:15:14A gnome sanctuary is a place for poor and distressed gnomes.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19It is here for people who, if for one reason or another,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23they can't keep their gnomes or their gnomes are in poor repair
0:15:23 > 0:15:26and need a good home, then they seem to send them here.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31The most important gnome is the welcoming gnome,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34so that when you open the gate and you walk up the drive,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37you have nice gnome looking at you with a big smile on his face
0:15:37 > 0:15:40saying, "Hi, Robert, nice to see you home.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41"I hope you have a good evening."
0:15:41 > 0:15:46# I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do
0:15:46 > 0:15:48# About you... #
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It's that sort of attitude that gnomes have.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Well, of course, gnomes go back centuries
0:15:55 > 0:16:01and they were there originally to keep off evil spirits and witches
0:16:01 > 0:16:07and I hope now there aren't too many evil spirits or witches about but...
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Well done, Kate, well done, Kate. I'm getting cold sitting here now.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12No, I can't have a cup of coffee because...
0:16:12 > 0:16:14You can. It's cold out here.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Kate, my wife, is not really a gnome lover
0:16:17 > 0:16:21but I think over the years she's grown to become very fond of them.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24When a new gnome arrives
0:16:24 > 0:16:27then obviously I have to look to see where I'm going to put it
0:16:27 > 0:16:30because it's very important that with the gnome sanctuary
0:16:30 > 0:16:33that they all get on with one another.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36And occasionally you do find that they have a slight fight.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38They've knocked one another over overnight
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and so perhaps you have to reposition them then
0:16:41 > 0:16:44so they're in with a gnome that's more friendly,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46although they do tend to live together quite well.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47HE LAUGHS
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Compose yourself, Chambers!
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Well, very often they are in a poor state of repair.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56They do need to be painted,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59they do need more of the tender, loving care that is necessary
0:16:59 > 0:17:01to look after them.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05And obviously during the winter, they go through harsh times just like we do,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08so they need to be constantly maintained
0:17:08 > 0:17:11to ensure that they are looked after well.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15My colleagues at work probably look at me and think,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18"I wonder why he's got the position that he has
0:17:18 > 0:17:20"and has a gnome sanctuary as well?"
0:17:20 > 0:17:25But life - and life is quite short, anyway...
0:17:25 > 0:17:28I'm a great believer in that you should have a serious side to life,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30where you have to make difficult decisions
0:17:30 > 0:17:33but you need to have a light-hearted side, too,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35so they look at it on the light-hearted side
0:17:35 > 0:17:37and are too polite to tell me
0:17:37 > 0:17:40even if they think I'm completely off my head.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43# Sitting in a garden In a little Noddy suit
0:17:43 > 0:17:45# With a sparrow on me fishing rod... #
0:17:45 > 0:17:48I don't think I've got any grumpy gnomes.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51I think perhaps their expression changes
0:17:51 > 0:17:54from when they leave some of their owners and come here.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Some of their owners that don't like gnomes, they've thrown them out
0:17:58 > 0:18:00or decide that they'll send them here
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and by the time they get here, they have a nice smiley face.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07They do tend to come in waves
0:18:07 > 0:18:10and if there is anybody who's watching this programme
0:18:10 > 0:18:14who wants to send their gnome to a gnome sanctuary
0:18:14 > 0:18:18for whatever reason - moving house or whether you're getting elderly
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and can't look after those gnomes -
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and then, of course, I would be delighted to entertain them.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29What a great way to end today's programme.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34I hope you can join us next time for another A To Z Of TV Gardening.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35Goodbye.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd