0:00:11 > 0:00:16Well, well. Back in the weather again.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Hello, and welcome to Beechgrove.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21We certainly won't be having a problem with shortage of water.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25I don't think we will. It's very sad for many places across the country.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28- It is. But the job's got to go on. - Yep, it does.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Rhododendron border?- Yes, anything that likes acid conditions,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33the ericaceous plants, isn't it?
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And, well, things have just got a little bit overgrown.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39It happens. We get lots of letters about that. What do you do?
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Can you prune rhododendrons? Let's go through this lot anyway.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45- We need a bit of a sort out. That's looking a bit sad.- It is.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Except for this fringe at the front here. That's the same plant.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49Look at that.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52- That's fine.- And we've found out why because if you trace
0:00:52 > 0:00:54- that branch...- Yes?
0:00:54 > 0:00:55..just there.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56Don't pull too hard.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59- It's almost done, I think, a natural layer.- Yes.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03So it's rooted itself and that could make quite a good plant.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06So, I think the timetable from now on would be,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09let's take the flowers, let's see the flowering passed,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12as soon as that's finished, cut all of that out
0:01:12 > 0:01:16and leave this and then maybe move it when it's better rooted.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Yes. I would maybe leave it for another growing season.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23So let's put the cane in anyway, so that we know that that's got to go.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25- Definitely for the works.- Yes.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28It immediately opens up another problem here
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and that's that little Japanese maple, weeping dissectum foliage,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35- gorgeous thing...- Beautiful. - ..getting crowded out a little bit.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Except it's in the right spot,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40cos it doesn't like being exposed to the wind,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43so all these plants around are sheltering it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44So, a little bit of pruning, I think.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47After flowering because there are lovely flower buds on there.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51After flowering, just trimming off some of that.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And as you say, rhododendrons can be pruned,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57doesn't have to be done like that, but they will respond to that.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59And they'll regenerate. This fella's fine.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03I think that's totally fine, Jim. It takes the canopy lower down.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Not so happy with that one, though.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08- It doesn't look like a happy chappie.- I don't think so.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Although it's springing into new growth there,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- I'd be tempted to lift that one...- Yes?
0:02:14 > 0:02:16..knock it about a bit, give it a bit of pruning
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and try and re-establish it, perhaps in a wee nursery border.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21- Somewhere else?- See if it will come away and find a spot for it.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23- OK. But it's got to go from here.- Yes.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28- And we've plenty time to do that. - That's good.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Lovely. And, of course, our Tibetan cherry here
0:02:31 > 0:02:33is one of the icon trees in the garden.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36It's one of those plants that you have to touch.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38- The bark is absolutely stunning. - It's a stunning thing.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41But look at the camellia behind. Very yellow.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43All those yellow leaves. Aye.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46- I think that should come oot. - I think it has to come out.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Too much competition with the tree itself.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52- It's taking away the nutrients and moisture.- It's never performed.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- I want to tidy this up, don't you think?- Yes.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Look. That's going into that one which is a beautiful rhododendron.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I think we need to cut some of the branches back.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- Not remove it, but just give it... - It's got takeover tendencies.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07And when we come just up to this bit up here,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10there's that lovely, little, white rhododendron.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14- Just take that fringe of branches off.- It's just a bit of a layer that you have to take off...
0:03:14 > 0:03:16- It's been squeezed. - ..to expose it a bit more.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And the wee andromeda?
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Well, I would cut back a little bit of the pieris there.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- Again, that responds lower down. - Yes, yes.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- Or it could be moved.- Yeah.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I'll go for the pruning.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- I haven't got a cane!- Well, well.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33In the rest of the programme...
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Would you like to have this lovely plant in your garden?
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It's tall, statuesque, elegant, with beautiful white flowers.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45Uh-uh. This is the biggest problem you'll ever have in your garden...
0:03:45 > 0:03:46Japanese knotweed.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54And I'm in a magnificent garden on the banks on the River Tay,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57overlooking the water and right across to Dundee.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04- Right, Jim, I'm going to leave you to the rest of that destruction.- OK!
0:04:04 > 0:04:08So, over the path from the rhododendron or ericaceous border,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11we've got our rock garden or alpine area.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Lesley, you're busy doing some pruning, as well?
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Last year, this cotoneaster was completely invading this seat
0:04:16 > 0:04:18and a lot of the border so we cut it back.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21It's going to be an annual task because I've been trimming it again.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24We've got to keep it in check so that we keep this lovely seat.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26And the alpine bed is looking very pretty.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28We've planted some new aubrietia along the front
0:04:28 > 0:04:30and iberis, perennial candytuft.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- That's nice.- It's superb.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35We've got the phlox and some of the dwarf daffodils
0:04:35 > 0:04:39- and I'd like to mention this little Daphne, there. Daphne retusa. - It's really charming
0:04:39 > 0:04:42and also the pulsatilla.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45And then, of course, we move on to the next garden,
0:04:45 > 0:04:46which is our seaside garden.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48This was the other bit of our project
0:04:48 > 0:04:50because we replaced the griselinia hedge which had died
0:04:50 > 0:04:53with this really nice bamboo trellising.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57And it was your suggestion that we should put clematis here.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Well, one or two. Maybe a bit of variety.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Keeping the seaside colour theme, which is what we're going to do.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05So, we've got orientalis which is a late-flowering one
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- and that's going to be yellow.- And followed by lovely fluffy seed heads.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14- Really pretty.- That will naturally train through the screen.- Yes.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Pyracantha "Golden Charmer" will have yellow berries.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Yes, because of the name, and that'll be in the autumn.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21We're going to fan-train it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23So, for example, the likes of that shoot coming out,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27that will be cut right back and we'll have it fan-trained this way.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30We'll do that after we plant it, concentrate its energies.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33These two are just looking absolutely gorgeous.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- Ha-ha! More clematis.- It is! This is a little alpine one.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41This is White Swan and it's really just so, so pretty at the moment.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- And the blue one?- This is Lagoon. - That's macropetala, isn't it?- It is.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48We're going to put the two of these in the same hole
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and then that blue and white will look like the sea in waves.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Shall we just show about the planting depth, Lesley?
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Yes, because this is the only time you do this.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59You're going to make a hole that is deeper than the pot.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02And once we get the compost back on there,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05it's going to be two or three inches below the soil surface.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09That's quite important. Clematis will shoot from the base.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11It keeps the roots nice and cool as well.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Now, these have got these tapes on.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16This is really for transportation and they should come off.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19But it looks so pretty at the moment.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Let it flower, take those off, untangle it and spread them out.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Don't worry if there's a bit of damage, because after flowering,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28you can cut them back by up to a third, two-thirds.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Just to give them a tidy-up. Then we've got a honeysuckle.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- This is Cream Cascade. - Still the same colour theme.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36And it's going to be nice and fragrant.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40That's next to the seat and wafting over the archway, which is lovely.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41Yeah, that's really good.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Then we've got a bit of evergreen interest with the ivy.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Buttercup, I think it is.- Yes. That's a small-growing, polite, little one.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49They look lovely.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Japanese knotweed. It's invasive, it's really hard to kill
0:07:08 > 0:07:12and it's here in Lorna Sinclair's garden in Edinburgh.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25- So, Lorna, how long have you been in this garden?- 23 years.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28We moved here just when our children were very small.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31We've changed the garden over the years. The bit down there
0:07:31 > 0:07:34is slightly more formal, and then as we come up here,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37it's a bit more of a woodland area that we're developing
0:07:37 > 0:07:39as you go towards the woods.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- And this is where the knotweed problem is?- Yes, it's just up here.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- So, when did you discover it? - Last autumn.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47We were downstairs and we noticed a fire in the woods
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and this was the ranger who was burning something in the woods
0:07:50 > 0:07:53and we discovered it was Japanese knotweed.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56I see it now. That's the old shoots here.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00All these new little bits in here.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03What have you done so far, then, to treat it?
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Well, at the end of last year, we sprayed it all.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09You'll see it's come in right along this hedgerow.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12And it has had some effect in that it's all dried out.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16But it's all coming back! It's obviously coming from next door
0:08:16 > 0:08:18where the woods are. That's the source of it.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I think we should go and have a look at that.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26So, Lorna, we're on the other side of your garden now with Deborah
0:08:26 > 0:08:30from Plant Life Scotland who's our knotweed specialist expert.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Now, tell me, how did knotweed come to be in this country?
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Originally, it was introduced as a garden plant.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40So, in the 19th century, it was brought over for garden purposes,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42just to make gardens look lovely.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- So it's our own fault?- Yes.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48And how do we go about killing it, then?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51It's very difficult to kill. It's possible to control it,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53but to kill it, there are two ways you can do it.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57You can either remove it physically, so dig it out. That's a massive job.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59And Japanese knotweed is a controlled waste,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02so then you have an issue in getting rid of whatever you've dug out.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Or you can use chemicals. So you can use a weed killer
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and you need to apply that several times
0:09:08 > 0:09:11in order to try and kill every inch of the rhizome.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13So, why is it so important to get rid of it?
0:09:13 > 0:09:16The thing about Japanese knotweed is that it will grow practically anywhere.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21It's obviously happy growing along here, but it will also grow in tarmac, through concrete,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25through walls, so it's actually quite a destructive plant.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Apart from the fact it's physically destructive,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30it will also out-compete all other plants around it.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33So, what's my responsibility then
0:09:33 > 0:09:36as an owner of a piece of garden that's got some Japanese knotweed?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39We've got new legislation in Scotland that came in fairly recently
0:09:39 > 0:09:41that means if you've got it on your land,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43you're legally responsible to control that knotweed
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and to stop it spreading onto other properties,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48so the onus is on the landowner.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51So, basically, it's hard to control but not impossible
0:09:51 > 0:09:55and we do all have to take responsibility in controlling it?
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- Yeah.- All right. Great. Thank you very much.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10So, what we're going to do is mix up 20ml of glyphosate
0:10:10 > 0:10:12with one litre of water.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Like so. What we're going to do is to cut the top of the stems,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23rupture the inside of the stems with a screwdriver, so we can get
0:10:23 > 0:10:27right into it, and then use this little pipette to suck up 10ml
0:10:27 > 0:10:30of the liquid, just gently squirt that into the top of the plant.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35Now, you can't take this off your site, so you can't compost it,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38you mustn't put it in your brown bins, nothing like that.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40All these little bits we're cutting off we'll dry
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and then Lorna will burn them
0:10:43 > 0:10:45to make sure that they're absolutely dead.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51And, as I say, this is going to have to be spring and then autumn,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53as the plants die back.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01So that's all the bits of knotweed treated, that we can see,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04but I want to leave you with something prettier before we go.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07You wanted this to be a woodland theme, backing onto the woods,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10so let's clear away the rubbish here, weed it a wee bit
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- and I've got some lovely plants to pretty up this corner.- Lovely.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Oh, look what I've just found! Another bit.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25This is its little...
0:11:25 > 0:11:30- Cos that's obviously going back into here.- Yep.- Or somewhere in there.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34- SHE LAUGHS - That's it.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37And if you even leave just a tiny little piece, like that,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39if you leave that in, that'll regrow again.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I guess it's going to come up again further in here,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46just where we've pulled it out from. It'll be up in a few weeks, probably!
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Unfortunately! Give you a second chance to get it!
0:11:56 > 0:12:00So, this is the kind of selection of what I would call woodland plants,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02so they look right in that kind of setting,
0:12:02 > 0:12:03they like a little shade.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07They've got dappled shade through the trees behind you.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Things like pulmonaria, with lovely speckled leaves,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13some hellebores. A nice dark one as well.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I couldn't not bring you primulas, so we've got yellow primrose.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- What's that one?- That's euphorbia.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20That's lovely, just because it's got the dark foliage
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- and then this limey-green top to it.- Lovely.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Dicentra "Bleeding Heart" is a real woodland-type thing.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27I love that.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31And some foliage, with things like hostas, heucheras, ferns,
0:12:31 > 0:12:32that kind of thing.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35So just lots of colour - foliage colour, flower colour -
0:12:35 > 0:12:38just to brighten up that back bit against the dark background.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- That looks a little bit better, doesn't it?- It looks fantastic!
0:12:50 > 0:12:53I'm afraid we can't say we've completely got rid of your knotweed,
0:12:53 > 0:12:54but we've set you off, I think.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59I've got my three-year programme! Yes. Thank you for that!
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Well, here in the potager garden, we're growing vegetables and salads
0:13:10 > 0:13:11on a very small scale.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I also want it to look pretty as well as productive,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18and so, what I've done, I've divided the beds into little compartments,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and I'm going to plant crops, say, for instance,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24like the beetroot, which is Boltardy,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27which is purple leaves. I'm going to contrast that with calendula.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30I'm going to make the walls of calendula,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32and this'll look really, really pretty.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35I'm also majoring on a lot of salad crops this year,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and because we've now got the barrel greenhouse in here,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41we can start off our crops a little earlier.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44So I've got some purple-leafed lettuce here.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46I've got Bijou and Delicato.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49The contrast with the calendula, when it's in flower,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51will look really pretty.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53I'm also going to grow some carrots,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56because little young carrots are gorgeous in a salad.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Now, the female carrot root fly flies in about 21 inches or below,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04so if you grow your carrots higher than that,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06then they're well out of her reach.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I've put these onto a stand in a pot, and I've wired it on
0:14:09 > 0:14:13to make sure it's secure, and then this is a really easy way
0:14:13 > 0:14:16of sowing veg and salad - I'm using a seed tape.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The seeds are nicely distributed at the right sowing distance
0:14:19 > 0:14:23all the way along. Ideal if you've got young children
0:14:23 > 0:14:25that you want to encourage into gardening.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Another thing I'm going to do to help make our salad look
0:14:28 > 0:14:31really pretty is, I'm going to grow some edible flowers.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34So, first of all, I've got some little heartsease here,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37or the Viola tricolor, and it's yellow and purple.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40You can just pop those into a salad.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Because I want this to look pretty,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I also need to scare the birds away, but instead of hanging CDs here,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I've got this little device, and it's trowels and forks.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51That should just flash, catch the light
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and dissuade them from eating some of our crops.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Another edible flower I'm popping in is a dianthus.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00This is a dwarf dianthus called Bourboule.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Again, the petals are really delicious in a salad.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05If you suffer from hayfever,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08then don't eat any of these edible flowers
0:15:08 > 0:15:10because it can help to bring on your allergy.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Some of the other walls for these compartments
0:15:12 > 0:15:15will be created with different sorts of parsley -
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Italian parsley, and then this is just the curly-leaf parsley.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22If you don't have any glass facilities,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25then you can buy packs of this ready to go.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29I'm also going to concentrate a bit on companion planting,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32so I'll put some different-coloured nasturtiums in here,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35one of them being Empress of India. I'll put that at the bottom of
0:15:35 > 0:15:38the apple tree to help discourage the aphids,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41so we'll get a nice crop of apples as well.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Well, thank goodness the rain's gone off,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47but the ground's not dry enough yet to start planting.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50No, I don't think we'll be planting these at the moment.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51It's far, far too wet.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55As soon as I saw that you were going to do this with grasses,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58I signed up because I dinnae ken whit tae dae with them!
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- You just like cutting them to this height, don't you?- This is true!
0:16:01 > 0:16:04This is a trial of different species of grass.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08We've got things which are doing different things in the garden.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10We've got wonderful movement coming through them in there,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13stuff that's wonderfully hair-like, then coloured ones.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- You've seen that one before. - I recognise them.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- That's a wee fescue.- And this one, that's a blue one too.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- That's a New Zealand, though. - Will it be as hardy?
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Well, there you are. That's part of the trial.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Then we come onto the moor grasses, and we've got ones with structure.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- Yes.- Which we can use in various places with herbaceous plants,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- like other folk do.- That looks like Yorkshire Fog.- It's no' quite.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38This is a cracker. This is a really good one.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40We'll see it later on in the season.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It grows up with a wonderful statuesque form, great thing.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47That's one of my absolute favourites. That grows in full shade, they say.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51I've put it in the light. It might fail, but we'll see.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- All of the facts will be in the factsheet.- Absolutely.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55I can't wait to see how these perform
0:16:55 > 0:16:57as I don't know how to use them.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59We'll come back and see what they're like in summer,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02and then we can recommend them being used in other places.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- What have we got over here? There's a forest of canes.- Two other trials.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08I'm going to trial some...it's really green manure there,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and I'm going to trial something else, which I'll come to in a minute.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15The green manure, we always sow that after the crops, don't we?
0:17:15 > 0:17:18If the ground's going to be bare, rather than leave
0:17:18 > 0:17:21it like that, the green manure will add more organic matter to the soil.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24These are going to be sown now or pretty soon,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and they'll be grown and assessed during the summer,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31and it's for fibre addition and maybe nutrition.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Yes. I did a little bit of homework,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36knowing that I was going to be performing beside you.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Caliente mustard is a biofumigant or something? It sterilises the soil?
0:17:41 > 0:17:44That's what they claim. I've seen this used a lot
0:17:44 > 0:17:46after potatoes have been grown.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Whether it kills eelworm, whether it kills weeds, or what.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- It must have been an east coast thing!- East Lothian job again!
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I've never come across that at all.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56But again, it'll be interesting for us to see.
0:17:56 > 0:17:57What about the rest of the plots?
0:17:57 > 0:18:00The bottom ones are all for wildflower seed mixes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Now, there's a big splurge
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and interest in wildflower seed mixes this year.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06And has been for a while.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09But we always complain, "It doesn't do what it says on the packet!"
0:18:09 > 0:18:11- So I want to see what they're like. - Uh-huh.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13And grow them maybe for two years
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- to see what they're like.- It's not a labour-saving thing, is it?
0:18:17 > 0:18:20No, no. This is gardening. You can't just walk away and leave them.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21You've got to look after them.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Can't wait. This is going to be a blaze of colour.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- A lot of interest this summer. - It'll be hard work as well, I think!
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Angela and Peter Davey have a beautiful garden
0:18:38 > 0:18:41with magnificent views across the River Tay.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44It's in the town of Wormit, which is on the north coast of Fife,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46looking over to Dundee.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Already, in April, there's plenty to see in the garden.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04We moved in in 1988, and the woodland area was really overgrown,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and we hacked things back.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09There were lots of elder and laurel,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11and we ended up finding this amazing grotto,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15which we've restored to becoming a waterfall that it once was.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22We had to remove the rock from the bottom area,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24where we discovered it was brick-lined.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29That was leaking, so we had to seal those bricks
0:19:29 > 0:19:33and also the base, which was concrete, put the rocks back.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36In addition, we had to get help to restore the paths,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39which had all collapsed, and they had caved in.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41It sounds like a big job!
0:19:41 > 0:19:45A lot of heaving of stones done by lots of people.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- Now it just looks magical, it really does.- It really is nice, isn't it?
0:19:49 > 0:19:53- Been worth it. Definitely worth it. - Yes, I think so!
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Your magnolia's looking lovely.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Obviously, the spring was very early,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15you had all that warm weather and then you had snow.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18That's right. It did take a bit of a hit.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22As you can see, there's a bit of damage there from the frost and wind,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25but it just bounces back. It is lovely.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27And you've got a stellato at the top of the garden.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29We do, yes, that's right.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33I really like magnolia because they're so early and they look
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- so white and pretty. - They're very elegant, aren't they?
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I mean, you're doing really well because your garden faces north.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It's a bit of a challenge, but, surprisingly,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46things seem to manage, they seem to cope.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48It could be that we're close to the sea.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50It might be a little milder because of that.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59I've seen raised veg beds before,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01but this is something else, it really is.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- Where did the idea come from? - Well, it came in stages.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08We started off with dry-stone wall, and that didn't really work -
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- it just took up too much room. - Yeah.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And then we got hold of these sets from a place in Stirling.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16We had a guy helping us with the garden at the time
0:21:16 > 0:21:20- who was very creative! - They're very organic shapes.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- Yeah. He came up with the interesting shapes.- They're great.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26It can be backbreaking work with veg beds on the ground,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29but this is just...being able just to reach across is bliss!
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- It is.- What do you grow, then?
0:21:31 > 0:21:32We grow quite a lot of salad things.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Our daughter has a deli in Edinburgh
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and particularly in the Festival she needs
0:21:37 > 0:21:40lots of salad leaves, so we grow
0:21:40 > 0:21:44parsley, but we grow more unusual herbs, like chervil and sorrel,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and things that are actually still quite difficult to get in the shops.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54- Angela, I love your hellebores. They're gorgeous.- Aren't they?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- Look at the colour range of them.- Yes.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01This is a really deep purple, which I think is really stunning.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- And then this one is more crimson. - It's really red.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- It's double-petaled. - It's really pretty.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- They flower for such a long time.- They do.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11They're really garden-worthy plants.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- How long have these been in flower for?- At least three months.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18- I kid you not.- They are amazing. - And still looking good.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21What I like too is that you've got them higher up on the banking
0:22:21 > 0:22:24so you can almost see into the flowers.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Mine are all on the ground and I quite often cut the flowers
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and float them in water, upside down, so I can see them
0:22:30 > 0:22:33as otherwise you just see the tops of their heads.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36And if there's a little bit of wind, their heads just nod,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38and you can see that really well.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41And that little primrose, limey primrose one, is beautiful.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43That's a lovely colour, isn't it?
0:22:43 > 0:22:47And the way the petals are standing out, it's special.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Yes, I really love that one too.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Now, gardening on a slope is never easy and always has a few problems,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02but I think the way you've treated it has been fantastic.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05You've got a water course coming down the slopes.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08We did want to have something a bit interesting going on.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10It had just been grass.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13We wanted to see something from the kitchen window,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16so we thought of having a few ponds and a stream
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and some boardwalks, just to make it
0:23:19 > 0:23:21a bit different and a bit more interesting,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and then we were able to plant a lot of things around it,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28- which is always fun.- Your gunnera with the dark leaves looks super.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32As that gets bigger, it's going to really shine, isn't it?
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Yes, it's suddenly come on in the last few weeks.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39The pretty leaf there I think is very stunning.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43- Next to the phormium, they make a good contrast.- They do, don't they?
0:23:43 > 0:23:46And some of the little planting around the place, as well.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Pom pom primulas.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I'm so envious of your trillium up at the top,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52as I can't get that to grow in my garden. It just won't.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55But that dark-red one is really lovely.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57It's doing really well, isn't it?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I think it looks pretty good next to the white-barked birch,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- which I think at the moment is looking fantastic.- It is nice.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06You've got that gorgeous bright-yellow skunk cabbage.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- I always think they look great.- It's quite wacky.- Yeah, they're super.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Really super. Obviously, water is great for the wildlife.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- Do you have fish in your pond? - We used to have fish,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18but unfortunately the heron seemed to peck them off.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23- Ohh!- Even though we tried to deter them by having some structural...
0:24:23 > 0:24:25- Did that not work? - No, it didn't work, I'm afraid.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27We might have them again.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31- You'd have to net it. - Your sculptures look gorgeous.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- You've got several round the garden. - Yes.- Very elegant.- That's right.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38It makes it a little bit of added extra something, doesn't it?
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I think so.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Well, here's a garden problem that most of us
0:24:58 > 0:25:02get from time to time, and that's slug damage to our favourite plants.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04If you don't want to kill the slugs,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06then you might take the organic route,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10and here we have a new product, which is made from sheep's wool.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13It looks like chicken pellets, like fertiliser.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Last year, we had sheep's wool and bracken compost
0:25:16 > 0:25:19for growing our plants in. Here we have sheep's wool compressed.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23We lay that in a little raft around the plant, acts as a mulch,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26keeps the weeds down. But, more importantly,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29as the slugs travel over the surface of it,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32it withdraws moisture from the base of the slug
0:25:32 > 0:25:34that's in contact with the ground.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36They don't like that so they beetle off.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Glyphosate is a really effective weedkiller.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42It goes through the leaves of the plant down to the roots,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43which is fine.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46But if you've got something like this, which is a dandelion
0:25:46 > 0:25:49growing through another plant, if you spray it,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52you're going to lose the plant you want as well as the weed.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55This is a new formulation and it's in a gel,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59so that you can just put it on the leaves of the weed and nothing else.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Here's a nifty way of securing the fleece.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05It's like a large suspender clip. It's a new product on the market.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09You just put it in like that, a bit underneath, clip it down on top,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13that secures the fleece. And then, non-destructive,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16you just push it through the hole in the middle like that -
0:26:16 > 0:26:18no damage to the fleece.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23No, I haven't taken up rugby, it's a waspinator.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Maybe that's the name that gives it away because
0:26:26 > 0:26:27it looks like a wasps' nest
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and it's meant to deter wasps coming into the area.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34So putting it up in the fruit cage,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37I hope we are going to have wasp-free plums.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39And, if we don't, well, we want our money back!
0:26:42 > 0:26:47Just like when we made that trailer, some of you have started too soon!
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Ready, children? Go!
0:26:50 > 0:26:55- And we're planting artichokes. - We are, a variety of artichokes.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58George and myself, we've got the common artichoke, haven't we?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- Straightforward, usual knobbly job. - Quite knobbly.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Related to the sunflower. Lesley, you've got a named variety.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09We have the sophisticated ones, and these are called Fuseau.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13If we compare, you can see that's quite knobbly, that's quite smooth.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- They say that's maybe easier for preparation and eating.- Peeling.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18You treat it just like a potato.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22We're planting them two to three inches deep.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23I'm using the bulb-planter.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I think you've used that before, Jim, which is a good idea.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28You'll be expecting to top-dress them?
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Yes, we'll be earthing them up as the foliage starts to grow.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- These grow to a height of...ooh. - Three to four feet.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37At least, I think, George. They're good as a windbreak.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39- What about these guys? - A different variety.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44I wondered where it had gone! This is the Chinese artichoke.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I've never grown it before. Looks like a big maggot, doesn't it?
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Little spirals. I think that'll be quite difficult to clean.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Not necessarily too hardy.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56It's important to grow that in a compost that really
0:27:56 > 0:27:59washes away easily. Not in soil where it'll adhere too much.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01We're going to try a few in the poly tunnel.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And that is related to the mint family.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06We'll just have to see.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Well, I think that's just about it.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13it's all in the factsheet.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16You might want to find out about George's grasses, or perhaps about
0:28:16 > 0:28:20the artichokes, and the easiest way to access that factsheet is online.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Don't forget, as well, you can find out about us too
0:28:23 > 0:28:25on Facebook and Twitter.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27I don't expect we've got much more to say
0:28:27 > 0:28:30because this weather is absolutely gobsmacking, isn't it?
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Considering how we started.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35But sure thing is that we'll be here next week
0:28:35 > 0:28:39doing a bit more gardening, but look out for us at 7pm next week.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42- Until then, bye-bye.- ALL: Bye!
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd