0:00:11 > 0:00:17Hello and welcome. Here we are in Beechgrove in the middle of June.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19I'm not going to mention the weather,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21but the long-sleeved jumper tells it all.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Now, we're looking at the chrysanthemums today.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26There's not a lot needing done with them at the moment,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29but the way to success and grow a decent crop
0:00:29 > 0:00:32is to keep an eye on things, so they don't get out of hand.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35The chrysanthemums were planted from rooted cuttings in the early part of the year
0:00:35 > 0:00:38and here we have a whole range. There's no flowers at the moment.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40They won't flower until August, September
0:00:40 > 0:00:44and that was the whole idea, that we would be getting cut flowers then,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46but we have single flower, just like big daisies,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50then we have doubled and anemone-centred, then spray types,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54where you expect, at the top of a stem, a whole range of flowers.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56At the present moment,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59what we want to do is to get plenty shoots growing.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Look at that, isn't that gorgeous? I've got five or six shoots growing.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07At the top of every one of these shoots, we will have lovely flowers,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10whether they're single ones or doubles, it doesn't really matter.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13But that's the crucial first stage.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16The big problem is, if you have a dominant bud,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19it tends to go on and on and it holds back the side shoots.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22So, as we've said so often, chop it out.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25There's another one there.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Chop it out.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And that will then release the energy
0:01:29 > 0:01:32into these shoots here so that we keep them going.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34In the meantime, they're going well enough.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38They don't need fed at the moment, but they'll get top dressed later on
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and then we keep a watchful eye for pests and diseases.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45And the usual suspects are, of course, earwigs,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47which destroy the buds and flowers,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51capsid, thrip and aphid,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54but there's none of that here now, so, as I say, we give them
0:01:54 > 0:01:58an occasional bit of attention, a wee bit of feeding later on
0:01:58 > 0:02:02and then a new net perhaps up here to take them up through.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Plenty to do, but it's all in hand. We'll see them all later.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08In the meantime, on the rest of the programme...
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I'll be at a school in Glasgow, showing you how,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16if you collect lots of these, you can have lots of these.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23How many Scottish gardens do you know of
0:02:23 > 0:02:27that grow exotic orchids outside that smell of coconut? Stay tuned.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34We're always getting new plants arriving and this is quite unique.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37This is a sweet pepper and it's a trailing variety
0:02:37 > 0:02:40called Sweet Sunshine and where is that sunshine?
0:02:40 > 0:02:43I really wish it would warm up. We had three plants arrive
0:02:43 > 0:02:44and the basket
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and what we need to do, really, is keep this,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I think, in this propagation house for a couple of weeks.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Warmer temperatures, hopefully the plant will start growing
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and then I'm going to put it into the Keder.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00And the plants in there, those tomato plants, the variety Shirley,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04grafted and non-grafted, are looking superb at the moment.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I maybe should add about this pepper
0:03:07 > 0:03:12that they will eventually produce peppers that are yellowy orange
0:03:12 > 0:03:14and they almost look chilli like.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I think it is going to be quite an interesting plant.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Now, speaking about the weather and warm temperatures, okra.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Now, I've tried to grow okra for several years. I've never succeeded.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29You might remember that we had a look at these plants a few weeks ago
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and the leaves were looking really white
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and you can still see one or two there that are particularly white.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38But they are starting to green up
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and the reason for that is we've brought them into this house
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and we started to give them a bit more heat.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Also, we're keeping them nice and humid. Remember,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50these are tropical plants and so a bit of gravel, the moisture there.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54It's not sitting in the water, cos they don't like to be too wet.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55You never know, fingers crossed,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59we might get one or two of those ladies fingers.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Now, also, what I like to do at this time of year,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04you've got to remember that we've put out all the bedding plants
0:04:04 > 0:04:07so one or two of our greenhouses are a bit empty,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11so I want to fill them, this time with easy house plants from seed.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16And I've got celosias here. Now, we grew some of those last year
0:04:16 > 0:04:19and they have those lovely feathery plumes.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Hypoestes - I think that's a lovely little house plant.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I know it as the polka dot plant
0:04:24 > 0:04:29but another common name is freckle face and another one is measles.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32You can tell why, because of all the spots on the foliage.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35And I've got a lovely collection of coleus as well.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37They're coming in all shapes and sizes
0:04:37 > 0:04:42from quite sort of dwarf varieties to some with really huge leaves.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48So all we've got to do is just sprinkle the seed over the compost.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Difficult to see these because they're black.
0:04:51 > 0:04:57And these need temperatures, like the okra, of around 18-21.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00But once we've got them germinated,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04then they're quite happy at around about 12 degrees centigrade.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Then what I'll do is sprinkle a little bit of compost on that
0:05:08 > 0:05:12and, once they germinate, hopefully we'll end up filling a greenhouse.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I'm here at St Bernard's Primary School in Glasgow
0:05:15 > 0:05:18to see an award-winning school gardening project.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21After cuts in free fruit for school children,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23the pupils here decided to start trying to grow their own.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Miss Winters, you're the headmistress here.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31How did this whole gardening project come about?
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It originally started when we no longer got free fruit,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37so we thought we'd start out with a garden. It's fantastic,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41parents support us, the community support us and we've had to expand
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- down into other areas. - You're lucky you've got more space!
0:05:44 > 0:05:49- What do you do with all the produce, then?- We harvest it, we eat it,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52we involve our parents, our local community.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54We have a grown-up gardening day
0:05:54 > 0:05:56where we invite them to come in and buy our produce.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We also show them a cookery lesson on using the produce.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03So kids see it, they sow it, grow it, harvest it, sell it,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- and they can buy more seeds for next year, so it keeps going.- Yes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11- That's perfect. Do you want to show me around the garden?- Certainly.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15I'd like you to meet Callum and Alanna.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Hi! So you're going to show me around the garden, then?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- Yeah.- Right. Come and tell me the things you've been up to.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Here we have sunflowers
0:06:23 > 0:06:25and over there are the courgettes
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and the Jack O Lantern pumpkins.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29What are you going to do with them?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- Are you going to carve them into carved pumpkins?- Yeah.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36This is a marvellous looking thing.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38That's the greenhouse.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42- It's made out of plastic bottles that we saved up.- Good for you.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46So you recycled them? They've been used? Did you count them when you put them up?
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- No.- Aw! I thought you were going to tell me 4,249!
0:06:50 > 0:06:53And here we have our wormery
0:06:53 > 0:06:57- which has red tiger worms in it.- Ooh!
0:06:57 > 0:07:02- And what you put in here, then? - Any waste except for meat or fish.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05All your vegetables, eggshells, all that kind of thing.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08But it looks like they're still hiding right now!
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- SHE LAUGHS:- Camera shy worms! That's all we need, isn't it?
0:07:13 > 0:07:15- In the greenhouse... - What's in here, then?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18In the greenhouse, as you can see here, we have a grapevine.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Which I'm sure we'll get a few snacks off those.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24I hope so! You like grapes, do you?
0:07:24 > 0:07:28- And here's some tomatoes.- We do have growing bags, but, unfortunately,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30we don't have anything to put in them just now.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Well, guess what? I might have something to put in your grow bags for you.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Ooh!- That'll be good.- Yeah!
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Here we've, um, blackcurrants... CAROLYN LAUGHS
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- ..and raspberries.- They're kind of exploding out of here!
0:07:44 > 0:07:48- Mm-hm.- They're getting a bit big. - A bit!- We may have to redo the net.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- Well...- Or just trim them.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Well, we don't want to trim off any of the fruit,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54so I think maybe we could make a bigger cage.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58The way you can tell it's a blackcurrant is rub the leaf,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02and smell it, and it smells of blackcurrants, doesn't it? Lovely!
0:08:04 > 0:08:09- What's this over here, then? - Over here, we have some chives.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13As you can see, these have been doing quite well.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Nice flowers on them, aren't they?
0:08:15 > 0:08:20- The flowers attract a lot of bees, butterflies and insects.- OK.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25If you would like, you could try a little bit of this chive here.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Make sure it is chives!
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Definitely chives! What kind of things have you seen on the flowers?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- We've seen quite a few butterflies...- Butterflies.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- ..a lot of bees.- Mm-hm. Bees like these, don't they?
0:08:37 > 0:08:39And a lot of wasps in the bins.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Wasps in the bins as well! So they're doing a good job.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45They're bringing wildlife into your garden and that's good
0:08:45 > 0:08:48- for pollination and it's nice to see them, as well, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50I think we've been wet all morning, so I think we should go
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and have lunch and see if the rain goes off for this afternoon.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- Does that sound like a plan? - Mm-hm.- Mm-hm.- OK.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Right, so these are all the plants I brought you.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Lots of different things. Who recognises some of these things?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- Tomatoes.- Courgettes.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- Basil.- Chilli peppers. - Blueberries.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14So we've got lots and lots, haven't we? Masses of plants.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17What we'll do, some of us will go and plant in the greenhouse,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19some of us will plant outside.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29These are two different varieties of blueberry bushes,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32because they pollinate better if you've two different varieties.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35You can see already the flowers are there,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39so all these flowers will give you beautiful, big, juicy blueberries.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42The thing about blueberries, they need an acidic compost,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45so we've got some compost here that's on the acid side,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48and that'll make them fruit better.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56So what have we got in this bed so far?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Well, we've got pumpkins,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02because our courgettes didn't really work.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05When they came out, they were all mushy inside them.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09- Well, it's lucky I brought you another two plants, isn't it?- Yes.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10I've got a green one across there
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and a nice yellow one here, which looks lovely when you've cooked it
0:10:13 > 0:10:17and you've got them mixed in a vegetable dish. It looks pretty.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Do you want to plant that one? Would you like to plant this one?
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Your blackcurrants and raspberries will get too tall for this cage.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- So what do you think we should do? - We should make the cage taller.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38That's a very good idea. And also, this bit here is sticking out.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Maybe afterwards, we could prune it, so there's not a bit sticking out.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44But we might as well leave that. The birds can have those.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47We don't mind them getting a few as long as they leave some.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50So can you manage to take some of the netting off?
0:10:50 > 0:10:53And then we'll take down the canes.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12So what's this area used for?
0:11:12 > 0:11:17The classes have different beds and the teacher gives them a theme.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19What kind of things have we got in here?
0:11:19 > 0:11:23There's like buddleia and the, um...
0:11:23 > 0:11:27the one behind us, well, the bed behind us
0:11:27 > 0:11:30has got, um, like a butterfly tree in it.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33What I thought we could maybe try is, er,
0:11:33 > 0:11:38mixing flowers and vegetables together. So what I've brought
0:11:38 > 0:11:41are different types of lettuce leaves, the salad leaves,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45but they look quite pretty. They're cut-and-come again salad leaves.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49So you plant them, you can pick a few leaves off to eat them and then,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52come back later and pick some more. They keep growing, so it's nice.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56They'll stay here, but you can pick leaves off as you need them.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59So what I thought we'd do is make a design
0:11:59 > 0:12:02with the lettuce leaves then leave you spaces in-between
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- and you can plant flowers. Does that sound like a plan?- Yeah.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15The kids have been working really hard all day.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18This guy's been standing here doing absolutely nothing!
0:12:18 > 0:12:21We've had a great day here, the garden's looking super.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25And there's so much more to do, but I know you're all so enthusiastic,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27you'll go from strength to strength.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30So from all of us at St Bernard's Primary School in Glasgow...
0:12:30 > 0:12:32ALL: Bye!
0:12:34 > 0:12:37- Well, we made the deadline, but I can't prove it.- Why?
0:12:37 > 0:12:43In other words, there was a fruit here at the end of May...
0:12:43 > 0:12:46but I think we will have to introduce CCTV.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48- Not guilty.- No, you weren't here.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- Oh, right!- You were on your travels, so to speak.- Somebody else.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56But the fact is, Sonata is doing the business for us again.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59This poor wee soul has got a touch of botrytis on it.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02- And imperfect shape due to imperfect pollination.- That's it.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06- That's what we've got.- But we chose Sonata, because it outcropped
0:13:06 > 0:13:10- the other two last year... - Mm-hm.- ..and that was the answer.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13- And they're doing all right. - Right. Now.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Under here are some strange looking things. Look at that!
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- LAUGHTER - Good on you!- Aren't these weird?
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Good on you, because the sequence is, these crop until early July.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26By that time, the ones outside will start to crop.
0:13:26 > 0:13:27They're looking great at the moment.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30These are right out of the cold store now.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- Runners.- So into this.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- They are getting planted in there. - OK.- We'll have to trim the roots.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Put them in a cold frame and when this lot come out of here,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41these guys are ready to come in.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45It's amazing, because that bud in the top there has all the flowers,
0:13:45 > 0:13:50all the leaves and all the energy to produce this crop in, what, 60 days?
0:13:50 > 0:13:5360 days by the time it comes out. It is remarkable.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- Anyway, will you take care of these? - I will, I'll take these away.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- I'm about to have a wee look at the vine.- I'm going to massacre a fig.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04OK. Well, I put my secateurs here, cos I'm working along this row here.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06There's a fine bunch.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11And one leaf beyond the bunch, we've taken the top out
0:14:11 > 0:14:14and, this little one here, we'll take that one out as well.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Cos we want to channel the energy into the fruit.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23And I'm just going along, systematically, taking out all the growth which is not necessary.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Look at the cherries whilst we're here. Aren't they doing well?
0:14:27 > 0:14:30We're going to have to number them, I think,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33because they are to die for when they start to ripen.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37We've got some that look as if they're ripening now. Look at that.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39That's what we'd call an apple's June drop.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42These have to come away. These are sadly infertile.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45They have not been properly pollinated.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49But enough of that. George, what are you fickering at with that fig?
0:14:49 > 0:14:53A dilemma, a dilemma on the fig. If you look at the top,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55there's hardly any decent stuff at the top there.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59When you come down to the bottom, this is where the young growth is.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Look, there's what we want - young growth coming out, and there's a fig.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07That will ripen during this summer and that will be splendid, so I...
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I just have to bite the bullet. I've got to prune this.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I'll have to prune it quite hard, so those with a nervous disposition
0:15:13 > 0:15:15are going to have to look away for a little while,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18while I get stuck in about this with a saw and a pair of loppers.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21It might not be the right time, but it is the right time,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24cos I'm here, the fig's here, and it needs done.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26So I'm going to cut it right down to the bottom
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and let young growth come away and then, I'm afraid, it starts again.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I'm in a National Trust for Scotland Garden in Perthshire.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00You know, I'm like a small boy in a sweetie shop
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and I just don't know which one to eat first!
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Steve McNamara, you're the head gardener here at Branklyn,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20a two-acre garden just on the outskirts of Perth.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22How did it happen to be here?
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Well, the Rentons, Dorothy and John Renton came here in 1922.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30They built a house and then started a small garden for privacy.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Eventually, expanded it to two acres, which it is today,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36and crammed it full of loads of plants.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Dorothy had always been a keen gardener from a young age.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43But John Renton was almost like a very keen designer.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46He was good at the layout and that sort of thing.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49He helped out, obviously, at weekends and things like that.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- So he did the layout, she did the plants.- Yeah.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53But where did the plants come from?
0:16:53 > 0:16:57A lot of the plants came from the plant hunters of the era.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- Ah, right. - Ludlow and Sherriff...- Yeah.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03..George Forrest, Joseph Rock, all these people.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06But main collectors here were Ludlow and Sherriff
0:17:06 > 0:17:08and sent hundreds of packets of seed here.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11So they were collecting in the Himalayas and China, weren't they?
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Yeah. George Sherriff was friendly with the royal family of Bhutan,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- so he had a great, you know, in there!- Yeah.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23And, of course, collected there and southeast Tibet, places like that,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and sent back these unusual plants.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29It must've been so exciting to get these packets of seed coming back
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- and not know what would grow.- Yeah, and it's a testament to their skill,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36really, that they were able to grow these rare plants.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38The garden is packed with things like that,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42but there are so many little corners where things just grow perfectly.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Yeah. I mean, they just tried to create
0:17:44 > 0:17:47as many different environments for all the plants to grow
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- and find the perfect home for the plant.- Well, it certainly worked.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- Yeah. Worked really well. - HE LAUGHS
0:18:04 > 0:18:09Everywhere we go in here, there's this wonderful legacy of the Himalayas.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Yeah, you've got the meconopsis collection, the rhododendrons.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17These rhodies are fascinating, because, often, it's just
0:18:17 > 0:18:20these blousy garden hybrids that everybody looks at.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24- Yes.- They are fantastic, but you get these delightful little species.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29- That's a cracker!- That's wardii, after Frank Kingdon-Ward, of course.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- He was a great collector in China. - Yeah. I mean, it's just
0:18:32 > 0:18:36the whole thing is here, the garden's buzzing with all this history
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and intrigue about what was going on in those days.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Look at this. Just... Ha-ha!
0:18:42 > 0:18:46We've got the candelabra primulas, we've got the chungensis here.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50And the pulverulenta and, of course, the hybrid, chunglenta,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- which is just using the two ends of the name.- That's an indication that
0:18:54 > 0:18:58- they just love it here. - They love this moist soil.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- Getting on well.- Take off well. - There's just so much to see here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06Here we have the pear tree which is the one left out there.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10There were quite a few originally. This was an orchard growing area.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15- Right. That's the original... - Original.- ..from the site?
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Original plants, yeah. And still going.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23It must wake up in the morning and wonder where it is, surrounded by all this Himalayan flora.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27- "Am I in Perthshire? Am I in the Himalayas?"- Right!
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Steve, one of the outstanding plants in Branklyn are the meconopsis.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Yeah, we have the national collection of the big blue poppies.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Everybody thinks about these big blue poppies, but there's a variation.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Yeah, we have some white ones and some off-white.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01And quite often, hybrids.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- And the intensity of colour always the same?- Not always.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07We speculate here. We added some manure last year
0:20:07 > 0:20:10and it does change the colour, we believe, slightly.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15This one is particularly good. It's got this pink tinge to it.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19This is Dorothy Renton. It's great, because it commemorates her as well.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Absolutely. There's been other forms around here that I've seen.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- There's a fantastic white one over there.- That's beamishii.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30That's a cross between integrifolia and grandis.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It gets this lovely creamy colour.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- A wee bit of promiscuity going on there.- Yeah!
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Now, the other ones I've seen are tall creamy ones
0:20:39 > 0:20:43and there's pink ones and there's yellow ones. What are they?
0:20:43 > 0:20:46That's what we call the regia or napaulensis hybrid.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48So they hybridise freely within each other
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and, of course, you get the various colours.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55But they're monocarpic. They grow up over four or five years,
0:20:55 > 0:20:59- flower, set loads of seed and then die.- I've got to sow the seed fresh.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02You've got to sow the seed, but if they're happy in your garden,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- they spread around, which is great.- OK.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10- So we've perennial forms, we've got sterile forms, monocarpic forms.- Yes.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15- It's really quite complicated.- It is, actually. This one here is sterile.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Again, we speculate inbreeding depression has made them sterile.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24- OK.- So we just divide them now and produce plants that way.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- That way, you get exactly what you see?- Yeah, it's a clone therefore.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32But there are also some little gems around here which spring out at you.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35There's one in the scree, which is absolutely charming.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38That's horridula, we call it, anyway.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40But it's aptly named, cos of the spines.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44You wouldn't want to grab it. In its native habitat,
0:21:44 > 0:21:49- it's quite rocky, in the Himalayas. - Right.- So it's a good place for it.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Well, then, did you enjoy that wee trip to Branklyn?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- Absolutely fantastic! What a brilliant garden!- It is indeed.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11So many plants, so much to see
0:22:11 > 0:22:15and, of course, it's open for, you know, seven days a week.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20Get down there and have a look at the poppies, cos they are just brilliant.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- Here we are in the fruit cage. - Look at this.- Good news.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Absolutely, Jim, look! The growth on this is phenomenal.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29And since it was released from the polytunnel.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33It's gone, "I'm outside, I'm going to grow!" It's doing incredibly well.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Wee bit better than this. Mr River's Early Prolific plum.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- It's not very prolific, is it? - It's not.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43But there's a lot of plants like this around the countryside.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47- Partly weather.- Partly weather. A lot of this too, I think,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51maybe this plum curling aphid, or leaf curling aphid that's on there.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- We need to get some growth into that. - OK.- Get some nitrogen into it,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- so we'll give it a feed with that. - Really?- Aye, straight nitrogen.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- Get the thing growing, because if I can get this to grow...- A handful?
0:23:01 > 0:23:05A handful, around about the base, and then we get this thing growing.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07And if it grows, it's like you and I.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10We're challenged in the follicle area.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13If we get our hair to grow, then we can do something with it.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17I'm off to do something else with a better plum. There's one over here.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Well, it's only a matter of about ten feet away from that other one.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23And if you look at it, it's clean as a whistle.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27This is the Victoria plum which last year was groaning with fruit.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29This year, well, I think it's going to have a wee rest.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35I'm going to take the chance that, while it's resting like this, I'm going to take the young growth,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38this stuff here, and train it out flat.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41We're going to try this as a fan in an espalier form
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and, that way, we'll increase the fruit
0:23:43 > 0:23:47by taking the shoots out at right angles to the main stem.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52So that's the idea behind this. I think Jim's got some other ideas,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55as far as, you know, sort of playing with his cordons are concerned.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Well, what I was doing with the vines there a wee while ago,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03I'm about to do with these cordoned redcurrants and gooseberries.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07All of this growth is extraneous. It's not what's necessary.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11So I'll cut these young shoots back to about, you know, a hand span.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Every one of them. Apart from the fact that it might actually get rid
0:24:15 > 0:24:17of some greenfly, if there is any, in the tips.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20But there you go. And what am I doing?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22We've still got the same size of root system
0:24:22 > 0:24:24taking in the same amount of moisture and food,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28and it's all going into these lovely, lovely fruits.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32In prospect. And the plants are wonderfully clean.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Same thing happens with gooseberries.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Here is another point about growing gooseberries as cordons.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40You can get in to prune them. I'm going down here.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44I'm going to take that one off, and that one off, and so on.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48And doing that all the way up. You can do that
0:24:48 > 0:24:52and you can get at the fruit without getting your hands scratched.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57These are the carrots that we sowed about six weeks ago.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02They're little round carrots. We're at a stage where they need thinning.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05What you want to do is select the seedling that you want to keep,
0:25:05 > 0:25:10hold onto that, and then pull away the other seedlings.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15And what you want to do is, as soon as you've done all this thinning,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19dispose of those, because you don't want to attract the carrot root fly.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21While we're here on the decking,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24it's worth having a look at our Jubilee display.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28It really is looking absolutely superb and full of diamonds.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I've devastated the fig, OK?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37A wee bit more devastation for you before we go.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39This is thinning out of the fruits.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43The peach produces far, far too many.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45If you leave them, the fruits will be small,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48really not very sweet, not very succulent at all.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50So what I'm going to do is thin them out.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Now, we want to make these about one hand span apart.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58So, I'm going to have to take off quite a number of fruits.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I can hear you shrieking at home again
0:26:00 > 0:26:03about the devastation that this man is causing.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05But that's what we have to do.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10Take off these fruits, make sure that the ones that are left
0:26:10 > 0:26:14are then going to swell and make decent fruit eventually.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17I seem to have had these secateurs in my hands all day,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21so I'm going to finish off doing a bit of pruning of this comfrey.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23One of our favourite wildflowers, of course.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Very colourful, handsome plant.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28This, of course, is the cultivated form which goes under the name of
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Bocking 14, which is exceptionally good for composting.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Here, I'm saying what we can do now is to take a crop of this Bocking 14
0:26:36 > 0:26:39by cutting the stems back when they're all nice and clean.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And that is chopped up, onto the compost heap.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46That's how we choose to use it. Some people
0:26:46 > 0:26:50put it into a bath and press it and wait till the liquid comes out,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54and they make liquid feed out of it. Ah, I cannot be bothered with that.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57But this makes a great ingredient to the compost heap.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Well, I often think that people that have an alpine garden
0:27:03 > 0:27:05are going to have a lot of colour in the springtime.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- But this is looking colourful just now, isn't it?- Absolutely.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- So, if you were to pick something, Jim?- The plant that you and Lesley have been trying to kill.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- LAUGHTER - That wonderful little cotoneaster
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- that hugs the rocks.- Contain it! - It's in full flower at the moment.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Wonderful the way it flows over. - Great for wildlife!
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Absolutely. Then I would go for the helianthemums, these rock roses.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27That's a great yellow, but there's pinks and reds.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Just absolutely brilliant in a dry scree-like place or a rock garden.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I rather like this that's running a bit wild.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37- The fairy foxglove, or Erinus alpinus.- Easy for you to say!
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- Lots of different colours we've got.- Aye!
0:27:40 > 0:27:42- Quite precocious, isn't it? - It is, yeah!
0:27:42 > 0:27:44And then what about the orchids we've got in flower?
0:27:44 > 0:27:49- In our wildflower... putative wildflower meadow?- Yes!
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- They've...- Dactylorhiza, by the way. - Yes, but they've just come up.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Nobody thought about them. They didn't bother, they just came up through the grass.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- Absolutely stunning. - They like it.- They do.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04perhaps all those fruity items that you two were doing?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06It's all in the fact sheet.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09And the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Don't forget as well, new for us this year,
0:28:11 > 0:28:12we have Twitter and Facebook.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- We've been twittering for years! - For ages!
0:28:15 > 0:28:20What does that autocue say? We'll see you on the 12th of...
0:28:20 > 0:28:24- What?!- What?- 12th of July?- Yeah? - Somebody's got their calendar wrong.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28- OK, if it has to be, until then. - We'll see you.- Bye-bye.- Bye!
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd