0:00:15 > 0:00:18Well, hello there, and welcome to Beechgrove.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24It's a trifle moist today, which is very appropriate because we're in the environs of the pond.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28And whenever gabions are mentioned, everybody looks at me,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32because I suggested we try gabions to overcome this very steep slope here.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35And truth to tell, it's been quite difficult
0:00:35 > 0:00:38trying to disguise them and clothe them,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40although we do have a few successes.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43We've got the geranium, coming down the side, hiding it.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46We've got a bit of ivy here, coming on nicely and colonising it,
0:00:46 > 0:00:51and one or two wee ferns are starting, and here is another ivy up here.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55So progress is being made, but I think some things are really struggling.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59So we're going to plant some new bits and pieces.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02One of the plants that's been very successful is Lewisia.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Here it is in here. So I'm going to pop this one into this.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Now, it seems as if it's awful cruel,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11because you've got to squeeze it a bit to get through the hole.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13You know, ease the brick up,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17and this could be more difficult than I thought! Then I'll tart that up
0:01:17 > 0:01:21when you've gone, because I've another little dodge here.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Here we have a section of tights.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Don't ask me where I got them!
0:01:25 > 0:01:31Some compost, and I'm going to sow some aubretia seed in here, like so.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38And that's why we made up this obscene little sausages, like so.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Roll it up like that.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48And I better put a hole or two to let them out.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51I've no idea how durable these things are.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55I'll prickle it like shortbread. Then...
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Here we go. In it goes. In there,
0:02:01 > 0:02:02like so.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07Let's see if they get established and we get a little forest of aubretia in there.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09I've got some Alyssum to do the same.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14If all else fails, of course, you can get the horticultural definition of a six-pack.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15Good value for money,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18little alpines which I'll pop in all over the place.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Meanwhile, Lesley's just over there.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Well, I've just got a really nice, pleasurable job
0:02:23 > 0:02:26of weeding these tiered beds next to the pond,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and they have come together so beautifully.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30This is Geranium psilostemon,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and it's got this gorgeous magenta with the black centre.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37When I say I'm weeding, I'm not going to be taking everything out,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40because we have this beautiful Dactylorhiza orchid.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Now we didn't plant that, that has just come here.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Looks absolutely stunning. I know it's coming through the anthemis, but we'll not to worry about that.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50What are strutting their stuff at the moment
0:02:50 > 0:02:53are the plants that you associate with ponds,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55the hostas are looking gorgeous, as are the primulas.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Bright orange of Primula bulleyana.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03These are candelabra primulas, and then the lemon of Primula alpicola,
0:03:03 > 0:03:04which is nice and fragrant.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08But do you know, I think I've got a really easy shift here,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10because I'm on dry ground, as opposed to Carole,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12who I'm afraid is in the pond.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Well, I hope it's firm here as well.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18I think I get this job every year because I've got the waders.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20But before I mention what I'm doing in the pond,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24a couple of the plants that are looking good are our water lilies.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25There's so many buds here to come.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29I think with this weather, they don't want to open!
0:03:29 > 0:03:32But what I'm doing is a job that we have to do every year,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34and it's clearing out some of the weed.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37I've got three things here. This is very hair-like.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It's a filamentous algae, or blanket weed,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44and that really builds up and multiplies.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Then we've got little duckweed,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50which is the floating plant, and also the oxygenator,
0:03:50 > 0:03:51which is good in the pond,
0:03:51 > 0:03:56but again that multiplies too much and it chokes out the wildlife.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I need to put piles of this on the side of the pond,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03leave it there for 24 hours and then you can put it onto the compost heap.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07The reason we leave it there is so that the little creatures can go back into the pond.
0:04:07 > 0:04:13Now, meanwhile, on the rest of the programme, from this big pond to a much smaller one.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17This pond is over 20 years old and it's past its sell-by date.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20My job is to breathe new life into this border,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22but keeping the theme of water.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29And I am in Montrose, visiting old friends in a new garden.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34We are back here on the decking, and Carolyn and myself
0:04:34 > 0:04:37were planting these geraniums a couple of weeks ago,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41- and look how much deadheading we've had to do.- It's not been helped
0:04:41 > 0:04:44by the wet weather, but there's lots of flower buds to come.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48I think that's the important thing. Keep deadheading and you'll get lots of flowers.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50We will leave our soggy bouquets there.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Now, the containers here, I think, look brilliant at the moment.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59The whole of this decking garden is really absolutely looking superb.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Everything's in containers and it's all edible.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Yes. This is a lovely little iceberg called Mini Green. Tennis-ball size.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11That's appropriate for Wimbledon, so I think we should pick one of these at the moment.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15And then this is looking really pretty, isn't it, the spinach?
0:05:15 > 0:05:17It's a variety called Reddy.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Lovely red stems, and again, will we take off one or two of the leaves?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It has got really usual leaves, hasn't it?
0:05:23 > 0:05:27They're are sort of like ivy, almost, but then ivy's poisonous.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31I would be also be tempted to take the tops out. You know, stop it going to seed.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34And again, we could maybe use some of those.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Then we have the lovely little pea here.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Only grows to two feet in height.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42I tell you something - that's really, really sturdy.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44That's fantastic.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Look, there's is loads of pods. Avola, that one.
0:05:47 > 0:05:48This isn't looking so good.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53Patio Star, the courgette, and I would be tempted quite honestly to tidy this up.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Take off some of the old leaves, and the first fruits.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00You know, we're not going to get anything out of that at the moment.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04I know it makes sense, but it does looks cruel. These are looking fantastic.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07These went in as little plants when we were first on this decking.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Just mixed salad leaves. That's a lovely oak leaf.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- They're really pretty! - We're going to pick some of those. - They're so decorative.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18I'm going to get the odd one of these. And then the veggie table
0:06:18 > 0:06:21has produced a lot of crops for us, hasn't it?
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Yes. We've got some lovely radish, at the front here, which are just about ready.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Look at the size of that!
0:06:27 > 0:06:31- Oh, wow! That's gorgeous. That's lovely. - I'll take two or three of those.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- They'll need a wash. - The beetroot's doing well.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38You can use the leaves of beetroot as well. You can steam that, or we can leave them in
0:06:38 > 0:06:41and then actually use them when they are ready.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Then the radish, we can re-sow again, can't we?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Which is the secret of keeping your crops going.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Tell the story about the carrots.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Because I was putting carrots in the top because the carrot root fly
0:06:51 > 0:06:54allegedly flies in no higher than 21 inches,
0:06:54 > 0:06:59so we put them up there and thought let's trial this by putting carrots in every level.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02At the moment they really look healthy so we'll just have to see.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04No difference, but they're looking good.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07And then this is your new stacking system for the potatoes.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12It is. Now you had a lot of French potatoes which we were growing
0:07:12 > 0:07:14in these systems and in pots.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Yes, we've got a whole variety, they're all first earlies.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20What I wanted to do, what you get, you get three of these stacks
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and that should be enough to grow the potatoes on,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26but the inventor of this told me that you can get it six high.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29He was reluctant to tell me what variety he was using.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33I was concerned because you've got Charlotte there, which is a first early.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36I'd have thought a main crop would be better because first earlies,
0:07:36 > 0:07:41- you're only leaving them in containers for about 12 or 13 weeks. - But we're going to experiment.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44We've got Charlotte in here, so we're going to go beyond the three,
0:07:44 > 0:07:45we'll put the fourth one in
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and put the compost on top there and I'm going to see how high
0:07:48 > 0:07:50I can get this, just out of interest.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54I'm not competitive, but I've got Charlotte in a pot. We'll just have to see.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56You say you're not competitive?
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Over more than 20 years, Tina and Bill Bigland have created
0:08:05 > 0:08:08a beautiful garden in Grantown-on-Spey,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10in the heart of the Grampians.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Tina, it's obvious to me that you're a good gardener, you love your garden.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Yes, I must admit I love my garden.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19I've always loved gardening.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21All my life I've loved gardening.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27- It's therapeutic as well, it gets you out.- You have a wonderful display of flowers
0:08:27 > 0:08:30but I can't get over the lawn. It's so green, not a weed in sight.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35My husband does the lawn, Bill does the lawn, but if there's a weed I take it out.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39- And the edges, they're immaculate. - Yes, I think the edging makes a garden.
0:08:39 > 0:08:45It shows off the flowerbeds and I think it actually makes a garden to see a nice edge.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49I totally agree with you but we're here because of the pond.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Yes, it's a bit of a problem now.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54It's a problem cleaning it out every springtime.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56I usually go in in my bare feet
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and take everything out and then clean it off and put everything back in again.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02I just find it's too much now.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05So we want to go for lower maintenance but you still want water.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09I still want water, so I'm going real mod, I think now.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13That's brilliant, I think we need to roll up the sleeves and get cracking.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Good idea, Carole.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37You know, what we've discovered is Bill and yourself have made a really good job
0:09:37 > 0:09:41of this rock garden and the pond so it's not that easy to dismantle.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46No. There was a lot of work put into the pond and a lot of stones, as you've discovered.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Big stones but also what I've discovered is
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I thought that was just topsoil, but underneath that mound...
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- There's a lot of stones, yes. - It's been in a long time, hasn't it?
0:09:55 > 0:09:58It's been 24 or 25 years since it's been in.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- It's really time for a change. - Time for a change, yes.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06OK, I hope that we're going to be recycling most of this, so pond plants, where can they go?
0:10:06 > 0:10:11I'm going to get in touch with the council and they've got a new pond down at the play park
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- and I'm hoping they'll recycle them and put them in their pond.- That's great.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18And we've got an electrician here, a friend of yours, Stephen.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21He's got his eye on the preformed liner.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Stephen can have anything he wants.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28It's really good to see everything being recycled rather than wasted.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30What we've got to do next is take out the water,
0:10:30 > 0:10:36completely clear this, pull out the liner and then we can start shaping it for the new fountain.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38New fountain, look forward to that.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46Carole, it's up to you.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48No, it's your garden.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Left a bit, right a bit?
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Perfect. How much length do you need?
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Stephen, as a qualified electrician, water and electricity
0:11:01 > 0:11:04don't really mix, so talk us through what you've been doing.
0:11:04 > 0:11:10Well, first of all I installed an outdoor socket, just over there.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15- Which is waterproof.- Which is waterproof, through an RCD spur.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17An RCD, is that a bit like a circuit breaker?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Yeah, it's a safety device.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22It protects against electric shocks.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Then the cable, you've basically threaded that through this pipe.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Pulled through quite nicely, so, yes.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32At the end of the day really this is a job for somebody that's qualified.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Any electrical work, yeah, qualified electrician is advised.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- Safety first.- Safety first, yeah.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46OK, ready?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- Tina, what do you think? - Oh, it's just beautiful.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Thank you very much. Lovely.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57We haven't finished yet, we haven't got any plants.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- I think it looks beautiful. - It's just beautiful.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10That's the plants then, Tina.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Not my favourite thing, planting through landscape fabric.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17It's a bit fiddly but it's worth it, it's going to keep the weeds down
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and that's what you want, isn't it, the low maintenance?
0:12:20 > 0:12:21- It's beautiful.- Already?
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- It's beautiful already, yes. - You're very complimentary.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28The plants are about an inch proud because then what we're going to do is
0:12:28 > 0:12:34- add an inch of gravel, so you don't want to be burying the necks of the plants, that's quite important.- Yes.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Gone for a tree, or a little shrub, it's Prunus incisa,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and I think it ties in quite nicely with the conifer,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43a sort of Japanesey...
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- Japanese feel, yes. - You told me that you like grasses.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47I do like grasses, yes.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- Any in particular?- Yes, I love the blue grass, it's beautiful.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56One of my favourites is a Fescue. But we've got a range of colours with the grasses
0:12:56 > 0:13:03and the sedges, goldens, bronze, variegated, and the black one here isn't actually a grass.
0:13:03 > 0:13:09- Oh, I thought it was a grass. - It's a turf lily and there's little flowers just starting to come.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11We've got the Thrift as well.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14So that's quite a small form.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Taller growing one there is called Joysticks, full of flower.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19That's beautiful.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Now, back to the low-maintenance, I tried to choose plants that don't need really need pruning.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29Most of them are evergreen and you're going to have interest right through the year.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- When the snow is six feet high. - You won't see anything!
0:13:32 > 0:13:37- You won't see anything!- You might just see the conifer!- The tree.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38Now we've got to put the gravel on.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07At long last we're getting to try this moss killer called MO Bacter.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I've chosen a piece of the old orchard lawn here,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14there's quite a bit of moss in it and we'll test this material out.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Now we mentioned it about a month ago but unfortunately,
0:14:17 > 0:14:20the stuff didn't arrive in time for us to apply.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Time for applying actually is quite important.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Soil or air temperature should be around, round about ten.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Anything less than that and it might be not so efficient.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34It's an organic fertiliser, with a formula 5-5-20.
0:14:34 > 0:14:395N, 5P, 20K, 20 potash.
0:14:39 > 0:14:47The theory behind the whole thing is that the moss gorges itself on the potash, thus killing itself out.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50And within this material there's a bacillus,
0:14:50 > 0:14:55which then feeds on the dead vegetative material,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59so you don't even have to get the scarifier out. There's no black bits to scarify out.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03I'd better get this other square done before the rain gets any worse.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Do you think it's Jim to blame for the rain now?
0:15:08 > 0:15:11It's just the weather for a salad, isn't it?
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Isn't it just? This is all that we picked on the decking.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18I'll try a bit of that radish because I think it's gorgeous.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- Mm, so crisp.- Quite mild.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25What I like to do is pep up a salad by putting in some other spicy herbs and things.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- One of my favourites is rocket. - Which has a nice spicy flavour.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33It's peppery and hot. The other one is this, which is variegated land cress.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I've never tried that, Lesley, so can I take a leaf and see what it's like?
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- It's so pretty. - It's quite attractive.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Pop it on there. This is a perennial.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Quite an interesting flavour.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- Not sure?- Ooh, it's quite spicy as you start to bite away at it.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54The story here is that we called it the Mediterranean Steps, a little bit optimistically.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- We lost the bay over the winter. - Yeah.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And the perennials in the side borders, the rosemary, we lost those as well.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05But the sage is still here and the marjoram. Everything we're putting in here is perennial.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08So what I want to do in the spirit of that is to plant...
0:16:08 > 0:16:12This is the rocket, I've bought two plants which we'll put in the beds and also sow the seed,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15the one that I sowed, in pots here.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20So we'll ring the changes, not the Mediterranean Steps, we'll make them the hardy steps.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22We're also going to put seed in now of American land cress.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's good you can sow them from seed as well as buying plants.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28It's a good time to be sowing seeds, it's warm and it's most certainly wet.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33So you've got a plant of the land cress at the front, that'll go in as well.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36These beds look pretty because they're edged with the lavender,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38and this was salvaged from the rose garden.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42It was salvaged, pruned back, and it's looking really good now.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44You get that lovely smell of the lavender.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47We'll put in some perennial onions. We've got two different sorts here.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Yes, this one is the tree onion.
0:16:49 > 0:16:57I brought that from home and think it's quite amazing because another common name is the walking onion.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59These are some that you brought.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02They're further on and those are great on barbecues.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07Once these kind of mature and the stems start to die back,
0:17:07 > 0:17:13with the weight of the onion on top it just flops over, and you can see that roots into the ground.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16That's why they call it the walking onion, because it moves.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It also makes these little shoots which has a secondary bulb on.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22What I did with these in the spring, in March time, was slice them up,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26and use those in salads because they're very fresh and oniony.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31- A bit like chives.- Now the other one I've got is the Welsh onion.
0:17:31 > 0:17:37Nothing to do with Wales at all. It comes from Siberia, so we know it's really, really hardy.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40These will taste of onions, so again you can use them in salads and things.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44They tend to bulk up, just like chives,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48and multiply, whereas those are far more mature ones, the Welsh onion.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54I'd imagine once they're planted in the ground you'll get these offsets from them, which is really good.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Then finally I've got some lovage, but it's the Scots lovage.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- Lovage is huge.- Yeah, lovage goes up to what, a metre or more.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07This, at the most, I'm not going metric now, 12 inches in height!
0:18:07 > 0:18:10- So quite compact. - You can use that in salads?
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I'd be a bit careful with that one because
0:18:12 > 0:18:15there's quite an aniseedy flavour, so just a little with that one.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21OK. So shall we plant these, or shall we go back to the home for people with peculiar taste in hats?
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I first met Janet Ireland and Paul Newman in their exposed
0:18:31 > 0:18:33yet delightful Orkney garden,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37where they were gardening in some really challenging conditions.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44In some contrast, during the last four years Paul and Janet
0:18:44 > 0:18:51have created an equally delightful but sophisticated town garden in the centre of Montrose.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Well, this is a very different challenge from Orkney, isn't it?
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- It is, Jim, yes.- I imagine you're on a very sandy soil.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05We are, yes, it's very sandy indeed, very dry.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08But these hostas look absolutely fabulous.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13It may be because we put in a lot of our home-made compost and we add a lot of leaf mould.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17It's a good object lesson there, they really are stunning.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- This fellow in the middle, is that an alien?- That's an arisaema, not an alien.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23It's an arisaema, bought at Garden Scotland.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Lovely, isn't it? - Looking quite at home there.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- It is, isn't it? - I say, what about the decking?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Our boardwalk.- Boardwalk, sorry!
0:19:32 > 0:19:34It lifts you up that wee bit.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- I suppose it hides a multitude of sins.- It does.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43- Why do we stop here, Janet?- Because there's a wonderful specimen here of cardiocrinum, the Himalayan lily.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- Isn't it lovely?- You can't grow that anywhere, can you?- No.- You've got to get the conditions right.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It needs it shady, it needs plenty of compost.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55Coming up out of the undergrowth, it's really quite majestic. Right, where are we stopping next?
0:19:55 > 0:19:58We're going to look at one of my favourite flowers in the garden, Jim.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01This is peony Jan van Leeuwen. Isn't it lovely?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04I can understand why. It's just sublime, isn't it?
0:20:04 > 0:20:09- It's in such a lovely setting. I think that helps, it's not stuck out on its own.- Just beautiful.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It's very much at home, absolutely gorgeous.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16And I sense a wee bit of a changing colour here.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- Yes.- A little bit more body to it.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20This is rhapsody in blue, the rose.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23It's a bit of a liberty for the colour.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- It's definitely violet purple.- Yes.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28But it's got a lovely perfume.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31So it's got something going for it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35- As has this wee fella here, this wee geranium. - Yes.- I've never seen that before.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Yes, this is Richard Rendall's geranium, from Orkney, and he called it Tanya, after his daughter.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41It's good ground cover.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46Isn't it? It's beginning to spread. I might be looking for a wee bit of that before we leave!
0:20:48 > 0:20:54Tell me, at Beechgrove in the last week or two we've been featuring gardens that are open to the public.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Yes.- For charity, obviously. Do they ever get to see here?
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Yes, this year we're open for the first time, eight gardens in Montrose and Hillside.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05On Sunday 3rd July, between two and five.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07OK, I hope you have a super day.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- Thank you.- Good old salvia is doing rather well.- It is, isn't it?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13How many plants did you put in there?
0:21:13 > 0:21:16I think about seven in that space. They filled it out quite a bit.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22It does cover the ground, by jingo, there aren't many species and that's the art of good gardening.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26- I like your wee water feature, too. - Do you? It's rather nice, isn't it?
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- Yes.- This clematis has caught my eye.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- It's obviously flowered its head off.- It has, yes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37- It's, uncharacteristically for spring, anyway, it's a gorgeous pink.- Yes.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41- Which is it? - It's called alpina Constance.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- Constance. - It's constant, it keeps flowering.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Obviously, yes. It's a stonker.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50You obviously love astrantia.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- Yes, they're all over the garden, aren't they?- Absolutely stunning.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56It's the pink going into the white.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- Yes.- Of?- Crambe cordifolia.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Aye. A relative of the cabbage?
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- It is indeed, yes.- Carrying that on into the stems of the birch.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Yes, I really like these stems of silver birch jacquemontii. Beautiful white one.
0:22:09 > 0:22:15- You've got this eye for juxtaposition, putting things in the right order.- Thank you.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- Good stuff.- Yes.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22Let's establish, Janet, what direction are we facing?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I mean what direction is the wall?
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- These walls are south-facing. - Yes, yes. A bit of a hot corner.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32- Yes.- Which becomes apparent when we start with that gorgeous solanum.
0:22:32 > 0:22:38- Yes.- That's the kind of plant that people around Scotland have lost in the winters, because it's...
0:22:38 > 0:22:41- Quite tender. - Isn't it just. South American.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Yes. We did cover it with a fleece, it's only a year-old.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Why I twigged that it was a hot corner is you've got these blinking thingies.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- Lovely tree ferns.- From Queensland.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- Dicksonia antarctica, that you love so much, Jim.- You've only got two.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58We've only got two. That may change! LAUGHTER
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- They're lovely.- It's these stumpy bits at the bottom that are so ugly.
0:23:01 > 0:23:08Yes, we lost all the plants we planted at the bottom, so they're a bit on show at the moment.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12- Well, this ceanothus is looking absolutely gorgeous. What variety is it?- It's Concha.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14It's stunning, it really...
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- Evergreen?- Yes, evergreen.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I haven't seen that variety before.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22If it's in the right place it just shows how good it can be.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24So it must be in the right place.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- It must be. I'm off to find Paul. - OK.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40Well, well, a change of emphasis, change of weather as well.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Another bit of this garden, wonderful sedum roof up here,
0:23:45 > 0:23:50gorgeous wonderful herb garden, but round the corner, fruit and veg, and I'm here to see Paul.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Well, there's an obvious reason for stopping here, Paul.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Your little apple tree.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- This is Egremont Russet.- Mm-hm.
0:24:06 > 0:24:13- Not a very vigorous tree but quite good at fruiting.- Yes, yes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16We have a little bit of a problem with mildew.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19That's a classic bit of mildew.
0:24:19 > 0:24:25I go back to the fact that the soil is a free-draining sand, and plants in free-draining sand
0:24:25 > 0:24:30that are allowed to get dry, are predisposed to getting mildew.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34You get these little twigs. There's no point going into a big spray programme.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38All you need to do is to pick them off and burn it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41- And perhaps watering. - Yes.- And mulching.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45- Yeah.- You might get a better response, more growth as well.- Yes.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50It's a fascinating garden, both sides of the dyke and I should say,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54if you can get to see this garden on 3rd July it's worth your while,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58because there's so much to see, some lovely plants and great crops.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Thanks to you, Paul and to Janet. - Thank you.- ..for a lovely day.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14These are the sweet pea rings that you buy in the garden centres,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17but have you ever thought of making them yourself?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20I like to use plastic-coated wire.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21You just take a length,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23wind it around, for example, a broom handle.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26You then just slip that off
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and here's one I made earlier.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Just get some snips,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32keep clipping like that...
0:25:32 > 0:25:36and that's what you end up with.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Well, on the whole our potato crop is looking pretty good,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44but here I detect a wee problem in this variety of early potato.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49Sudden collapse of the top like this when they've grown so far
0:25:49 > 0:25:52is caused by, probably, a bacterium
0:25:52 > 0:25:55and we refer to it as blackleg.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Confirmation of the problem is... There it is.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01The bacterium affects the tissues and the thing collapses.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Where does it come from?
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Well, it can be carried in the seed tuber,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08it can be caused where the plants are under significant stress
0:26:08 > 0:26:10because of a bad growing season.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12And the important thing is to rogue them out
0:26:12 > 0:26:16and get them into a bag and off the site as quickly as possible.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19There'll be nothing wrong with the tatties though.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23The alliums here in the Silver Garden have made a beautiful display,
0:26:23 > 0:26:24like exploding fireworks.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27But it is worth dead-heading them, because if you don't,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29all these seeds will set in the ground
0:26:29 > 0:26:33and you'll end up with a forest of little alliums that just won't flower.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Now, what you can do is you can dry these and use them in arrangements,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38or just use them straight away
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and just have one in three glasses.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43I mean, that looks really quite stylish.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Well, considering the angst that we've suffered over our rose garden,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51I have to say, they're looking pretty good.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54There's one or two gaps yet, but even the new plantings have come away
0:26:54 > 0:26:58and they're being treated not with pesticides, but with garlic extract.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Maybe that's the secret. Now then, girls.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04- This is flaming June, isn't it? - It is a flaming June.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Well, here's a bit of produce for you. Would you like to...
0:27:07 > 0:27:11- That looks lovely. Can I have a look at the cauliflower?- Yes.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- Some broccoli.- What's the variety? - That is...Mayflower.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- Wow, that's nice. - That broccoli is beautiful!
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- That broccoli is Vivaldi. - Isn't that lovely.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22I've been in this garden on three or four occasions
0:27:22 > 0:27:27and the peonies have been looking gorgeous - and the irises - and it's always been bucketing down!
0:27:27 > 0:27:32But you know they do look good. I'm not so sure about the names, like that Soft Salmon Joy.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35But, I mean, that pink in bud is beautiful.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36The fragrance is very good too.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39That, if it is My Love over there, the pink one,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42it almost smells like a rose. Just gorgeous.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I haven't seen them looking any better, they really are healthy.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48They seem to have recovered from the peony blight,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50which was one or two years, they really suffered.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54And the irises are lovely. Maybe just going over a wee bit.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55All looking very pretty.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02the herbs that we were growing that are going to be hardy in Scotland,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05the decking veg, or the MO Bacter, then it's all in the factsheet.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08And the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Now, next week we're going to be in the calendar border - a little bit of tree work.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15And I'm also going to be propagating some houseplants.
0:28:15 > 0:28:20And I'm off to the nether regions of Aberdeenshire to create a potager,
0:28:20 > 0:28:24and if I'm not back send for the RNLI!
0:28:24 > 0:28:26And then in the programme,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29George and I will be cavorting in the secret garden.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31So until then...
0:28:31 > 0:28:32- Goodbye.- Goodbye.- Goodbye.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:42 > 0:28:45E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk