0:00:18 > 0:00:21Well, hello, and welcome to the Beechgrove Garden.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Flaming June? Not quite.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26At least I've got my jacket off and my sleeves rolled up,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29but it's a still a nip in the air.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I'm busy here working on the soil because it's so claggy.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36In recent days, we've had a lot of rain, a bit of snow,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39some hailstones, and it gets so compacted.
0:00:39 > 0:00:45Would you believe that these plots have been larded with stuff for the last 10, 12 years,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47and it's still claggy on the surface.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Busy, of course, at the present time, earthing up our early potatoes.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55There'll be some people getting ready to pick theirs,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57in parts of the country!
0:00:57 > 0:00:59But anyway, we grow them on ridges, like so.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04And I'm conscious that there are often new gardeners joining the viewers,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06and they wonder, "Why?" It's quite simple.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11As I draw these rows up like this, I'm setting up that face to the sun,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13and as it tracks around the sky, it gets to the other side,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16so it warms the soil up. These are South American plants!
0:01:16 > 0:01:18They need a bit of heat to grow.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22So, we earth them up, and in the process, look, I'm killing weeds.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25That's why tatties are often called a "cleaning crop".
0:01:25 > 0:01:29It's only if you do this regularly. And then finally, of course,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32it makes the harvesting an absolute doddle.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35They're all in that ridge and they're easily forked out,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38hence we do look after our potatoes.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41If this weather continues and it gets a bit warmer,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I might just get to thinning the carrots, there,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47under the fleece to protect them from the carrot fly.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Although the first generation are gone.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51We'll keep it there because the weather's no' great.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55And, hopefully, we'll be able to get the runner beans planted as well,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57along the back of the plot.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00They're ready to go in and they'll go like the clappers,
0:02:00 > 0:02:01as long as we get some heat!
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Now then, in the rest of the programme...
0:02:08 > 0:02:11This week, I'm at the Royal Botanical Garden, Edinburgh.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Not to admire this beautiful blossom,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17but to take a look at a state-of-the-art, brand-new Alpine house.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And if you want a man to do the job properly,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25you've got to give him the right tools!
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Not sure whether it will help with my problem corner - we'll see.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Well, it's great to be cropping some lettuce.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38This is Jim's hot bed, and it's done really, really well.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41You can see the lettuce have matured,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43and yes, I'm picking quite a few.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47It's very similar, actually, with this bed. They seem to have caught up with one-another.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I think this is quite an interesting story,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52because I'm actually going to be doing
0:02:52 > 0:02:55some successional sowing of salad lettuce,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and just look at the size of them!
0:02:57 > 0:02:59They were sown at exactly the same time,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and this just shows that when you harden off your plants,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05well, they get a real check, and they stop growing.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07So, these ones, as I say,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10were sown exactly the same as Jim's plants in the hot bed.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15So, those were sown back in March. Then we move on three weeks later.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Those, again, were sown in the greenhouse and then planted out. That's into April.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Then we move into May. These were sown direct,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25and you can just start to see those little seedlings coming through.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28These are outside. I've also got a little comparison to...
0:03:28 > 0:03:33It's like a giant cloche, it's our poly-tunnel with no doors on it.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36And when you take a look, I reckon there's very little difference
0:03:36 > 0:03:39between the ones under cover and outside.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And again, I just think that's the weather conditions.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47If anything, the second batch is maybe slightly ahead of the ones outside.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50So, every three weeks, we are doing this sowing
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and it's all about sowing little and often
0:03:53 > 0:03:57to make sure that we have a crop right through the season.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00The good news is, it's also a cost-saving exercise.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05I'm still on my first packet of seeds and it is our fourth sowing.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08And I reckon, well we're probably - right through the season -
0:04:08 > 0:04:12are going to get about eight, nine, ten sowings of this.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15And I'm really hoping that within a couple of weeks' time,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17we are going to start cropping.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23It's time to have a wee look around our fruit house, and at the moment,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I'm tidying up the strawberries, taking off the dead leaves.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29We don't have any ripe fruit yet, but they're coming.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32And we can sort of smack our lips and hope for the best.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Up above us here, we've got peaches,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and we've got a lovely crop in prospect,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40but where there's two, take one away, just leave one.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Where's there's two, take one away and leave one.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And we might even come back and do another thinning.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50You don't want to be too greedy if you want to get decent sized fruits.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56They're looking fine, and you'll notice this peach has actually been tied back to a wire mesh.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59That's one of the problems with the fig,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02which George has been battling with.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Last time, we've seen him tying these up with bits of string.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09That's just to get the plant to take up a nice shape here.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Look how it's developing.
0:05:11 > 0:05:17We've got some - these are the older crop that might just about make it in the late summer -
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and this is the new crop that we'll get well into the autumn,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22with a bit of luck.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Now, round the other side, the vine. Suddenly it's burst.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Suddenly it's going like the clappers.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32And the job at the moment, of course,
0:05:32 > 0:05:36is to reduce the number of shoots on any one spur to one.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40It's a bit like cording tomatoes, cording fruit trees,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42cording sweet peas, and so on.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44You want all the energy to develop into here,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46and that's where we'll get all the flowers,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and you get better bunches if you reduce the competition.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52So, where you've got more than one shoot at a spur,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55keep the best one, and take the others off.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59And then just a little ogle at our cherries.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Er, there's a point here, though. They're looking good.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05If they were outside, all the old petals and everything
0:06:05 > 0:06:07would get blown away by the wind,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10so it doesn't do any harm to just get that off.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Dead foliage, accumulated like that,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16if we've got a bit of a dull period, could cause botrytis.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Shake that off and get them clean.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23But what a taste there is in these! I'm salivating already.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28Isn't that an amazing glass house?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31You know, gardening isn't just about the plants.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32It's about the structures as well.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I'm about to meet Alpine supervisor, John Mitchell,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and he's involved in a brand-new project.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Well, what a great day to come round the garden.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47It's lovely, Carole, yes.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Here we are at the Alpine frames,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and what we're doing here is showing the public
0:06:52 > 0:06:55a different range of Alpine plants which can be grown.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58We have saxifrages, we have plants from New Zealand,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00and it just shows the public a different range of plants.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03They don't like the winter wet, do they?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06No, they can withstand summer wet, but in the winter time,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09we put lights on top of them and that protects them from the winter wet.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Now, this is your typical, traditional Alpine house, isn't it?
0:07:13 > 0:07:16We've been growing plants like this for the last hundred years.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Botanists like George Forest, who worked at the garden, was sent to China to bring plant material back.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25All the Alpine plants that he brought back were put into clay pots,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27and plunged in sand.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Good drainage, very good ventilation - that's important.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33And this side are the specialist plants, the cushion plants.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35This side is permanent, all year round.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37This side is the tip of the iceberg.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39When the plants are in flower,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41we move them from the back into this section here
0:07:41 > 0:07:43so the public can see different plants.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Now I have to mention the trillium -
0:07:45 > 0:07:47this double-flowered trillium - it's beautiful!
0:07:47 > 0:07:51It's gorgeous, isn't it? Other plants which are quite nice are some of the irises.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Iris camellia, and also iris acutiloba,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56subspecies lineolata, from Iran.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I'm glad you said that! What a mouthful!
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- Anyway, this is a bit of the past - take me to the future.- Certainly.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Before we go to the future, this is our trough garden.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12This is a good way of growing Alpine plants.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15If you have the same soil type and drainage,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and gravel round the top, you can grow Alpines anywhere.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- And you don't need a huge space, do you?- No, just a trough.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24The best way to do it is to take some slabs out and then plant round about
0:08:24 > 0:08:27- so it makes it look more naturalistic.- Lovely idea.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- So, here it is. - That is amazing-looking!
0:08:32 > 0:08:35A beautiful looking structure. It looks like a wing, doesn't it?
0:08:35 > 0:08:39It's ideal for growing Alpine plants. What we're trying to achieve is...
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Cushion plants like protection from the winter,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45so the top is like a giant cloche. It acts as our snow cover.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47We then have the stainless steel mesh
0:08:47 > 0:08:50which allows as much air movement as possible.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53And when it rains we collect the water from the roof
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and we use it to recycle to water the plants.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- So it's very much a 21st century structure, isn't it?- Yes.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03This is the first botanical garden to have a whole house dedicated to tufa,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07and that itself is a type of limestone which is laid down by mineral springs.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10And this is its raw state, but most people know it
0:09:10 > 0:09:15as limestone for showers and bathrooms and for cladding buildings.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- It's been quarried, then?- Yes, this came all the way from Bavaria.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22What we've tried to do is cut the back of the tufa,
0:09:22 > 0:09:27to make it flat against the wall. We've got sand and clay granules behind to hold the moisture.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30We've also got a drip irrigation system at the top which keeps the sand moist.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33That's very clever, so the watering's from behind.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Now look, I am struggling a little bit. These plants are really tiny!
0:09:37 > 0:09:38The plants are very small,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41but these plants will establish far better when they're smaller.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44With a small hole, you have to go for a small plant!
0:09:44 > 0:09:47- OK, but in a few years' time? - This is like a living wall.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50This will change over the next five years. These plants will colonise the tufa,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53and here we have Dionysius from Afghanistan,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55we have corallodiscus and primulas.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59It's amazing-looking and it will be looking absolutely stunning, but show us how it's done.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05OK, before we do that, Carole, I just want to mention this part here. We're going to put in a crevice garden.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07And on top of that will be an Alpine meadow.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- When are you doing that?- That will hopefully be late summer time.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Also on this side, we're going to plant up with plants
0:10:12 > 0:10:16that can withstand the wet weather, so more saxifrages.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- I've got to use my imagination a bit!- Yes!
0:10:20 > 0:10:22So, here we're going to show you how to plant up a tufa,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and here's one that we put in earlier.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29So, what I'm going to do is... Here we have Daphne arbuscula.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34- I'm going to wash all the soil off the roots.- And it's in flower!
0:10:34 > 0:10:35And it's in flower, yes!
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I'm then going to put some soil into the hole.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42- So, what we're...- I like this tool - a little pipe!
0:10:42 > 0:10:44A little plastic pipe.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46We've filled the hole with soil.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I'm going to give it a little bit of water.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54We then make a hole so we can get the roots right against the tufa.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59We then plant... Try and get all the roots down as far as we can.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- With a pair of tweezers? - Pair of tweezers!
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- And you want it, sort of, hanging over the edge.- OK.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08We then have some more soil.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12And you can use your finger to get it quite tight.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15So, you don't want too many, sort of, air pockets?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18No, the idea is to get all the soil round the roots.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Will those roots go into the tufa?
0:11:20 > 0:11:22They'll go into the soil first,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26and then once it establishes itself, it will go into the tufa.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28So, now we've got the soil all round the plant,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30I'm going to give it a slight water
0:11:30 > 0:11:32just to make sure there's no more air pockets.
0:11:35 > 0:11:41- It's fascinating.- Perfect. And now I'm going to get some clay.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45And what we do now, we make this into a small ball,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and then we place it round the neck of the plant.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51So that acts like a bit of a mulch, does it?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54It stops the plant drying out and it keeps the moisture in the soil.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58And then just to finish off, we just take a little bit of tufa
0:11:58 > 0:12:01and stick it in the hole, and it takes away the harshness.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04And then just a wee water just to take the soil away.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06You know, John, that's absolutely brilliant.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- How many more have you got to plant? - 300!- That'll keep you busy.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13- I think I should come back in about five years' time.- I think so.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14- Thank you.- You're welcome.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Well, I'm really pleased that our decking garden is looking quite productive now
0:12:26 > 0:12:28and I'm just putting in four courgette plants.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33They're nice and compact so they're ideal for the patio situation.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I've got two which are a green variety called Alexander,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39and then this is a new one called Gold Star.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43As I say, they are compact plants so they should be fine in this trough.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48Although I've got the cloches on hand because if it gets cold, we need to protect them.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50We have got so much lettuce this year!
0:12:50 > 0:12:53More about successional sowing.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55This is a little Cos lettuce called Dazzle,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and at the youngest stage, it's still fairly green.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01But look, because as it starts to mature,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03it's a real sort of beetroot colour.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I think that's absolutely fantastic.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11We've got a few varieties here of radish, and one that's slightly different -
0:13:11 > 0:13:13a variety called Munchen Bier -
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and you don't eat the roots, it's actually the seed pods.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19So, that'll be interesting to taste later on.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Our little carrots - these little, round carrots growing in the window boxes - they're doing quite well.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26I did have slight concern about the drainage,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28so I've actually put them on bricks.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31And our tatties - looking really healthy.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Now I know Jim was earthing up the tatties in the main plot.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Here, what we have to do is get a bit more compost,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and start to cover up the foliage,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43and in about 12 weeks time,
0:13:43 > 0:13:48I reckon we'll be having a look to see if we've got a harvest.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Now around at the front, here with the raised beds,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56I'm still going edible, but it's going to be ornamental.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01- And here, I think it's going to look really colourful, don't you, Carolyn?- It's lovely.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04You've got nice little clumps of different things.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06You've got some plants that we've grown on in cells -
0:14:06 > 0:14:11things like calendula with orange and yellow flowers. Nasturtiums, which are gorgeous.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- They have a peppery taste.- They do!
0:14:13 > 0:14:16They are hardy annuals, so we could have done direct sowing,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18but very often we like to get slightly ahead of the time.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22But you're doing some direct sowing of some of the hardy, annual herbs.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I've got some cumin, with beautiful, white flowers.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27We've laid out the areas with sand
0:14:27 > 0:14:29so we can see where we're going to plant or sow.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34And I've made little drills - about 15cm apart -
0:14:34 > 0:14:39and then I'll just sow the seeds nice and thinly into there and then cover them up.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42- And then we've got a different angle this way?- Yeah.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46So that it means, eventually, it won't look too formal.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51And if you do this, then you can see where the actual seedlings are, and you can weed in-between.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53A thing that's in a row is not going to be a weed!
0:14:53 > 0:14:55So it makes it a wee bit easier.
0:14:55 > 0:14:56Yeah, what else have we got? Some borage,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00and it's quite interesting that the white borage didn't germinate.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02- Normally, that germinates easily. - I know!
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- We'll try that one again. - We'll direct-sow that.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09- I think it will look colourful, but tasty as well.- It'll be gorgeous!
0:15:09 > 0:15:11But we can't eat your border!
0:15:11 > 0:15:16A wee while ago, Lynn did a lovely arrangement for our 35th anniversary,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18so I thought we'd take that a step further,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20so I'll do a bedding plant display with the same theme.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24OK, so the colours, for our 35th anniversary,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26are coral, emerald and jade.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I've included all that, and it's nice to have a real theme,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33because otherwise you get a bit carried away and all the colours come in.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35It's quite unusual, but I think it's fantastic!
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Well what I've tried to do is make it quite contemporary,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42so block planting unusual plants you might not have seen before.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45I've never seen this one - this foliage plant - what's that?
0:15:45 > 0:15:49That's duranta, so basically, it does what it's doing, but it gets bigger.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- Half-hardy?- Yeah.- I think you could take cuttings, though.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- I'm sure you will! - Over the winter time!
0:15:54 > 0:15:58- And this coleus?- There's some gorgeous, new varieties of coleus.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02This one, with this sort of crinkly leaf, this is papaya,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and the one across there is raspberry, so unusual.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06OK, added in a bit of raspberry,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09but coral, the geranium definitely is coral colour.
0:16:09 > 0:16:15It's a hard colour, because it's not pink and it's not orange - it's in the middle, so geraniums.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Beside that, some little dianthus Oscar.
0:16:17 > 0:16:22That's got the bonus of being really scented, it's beautiful. And that glaucous, jade leaf.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26And then at this side for colour, I've got some petunia.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- It's an upright, pot-growing one. - And the variety?
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- Potunia. And it's papaya!- All the Ps!
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Keep dead-heading it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37And then you've added a hint of white.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It's quite nice just to give it a bit of a lift,
0:16:39 > 0:16:40so at the back, some iberis.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44And these small, midi-sized dahlias - look at the flowers on them!
0:16:44 > 0:16:45They're well on already, aren't they?
0:16:45 > 0:16:49And then you've got the number one bedding plant, the begonia.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Well, do you know, in Scotland it's going to rain at some point,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55so begonia semperflorens with a green leaf,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- and this is lovely, with a dark leaf. - Yes, I like that combination.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00A spider plant?!
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Well, there's no reason why they won't grow outside in summer.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- Stick it in the bathroom in the winter.- It's different.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And this little thing in the corner, this is sagina lime moss.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13So, little limey coloured foliage and teeny tiny white flowers.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17- It's beautiful.- It's nice, isn't it? - And then some hanging baskets.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21I've got two planted up there already and I've got two more to do,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24so I'm going to add in some slow-release fertiliser,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27just to make sure that everything is nice and fed.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30That's controlled, isn't it, by temperature? It gradually releases.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Yes, and because, you never know,
0:17:33 > 0:17:38we might get a hot, sunny summer, some water-retaining granules.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Well, you can't go wrong with this plant for our theme, can you?
0:17:41 > 0:17:44No, this is dichondra Emerald Falls.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49- I think I prefer the silver one, but you know, it's got the name, so we've got to use it.- It has.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51It's perfect for this theme.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- What else? How about this one? That's got the coral.- Diascia.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58That's going to have a nice coral flower and just flop over the edge.
0:17:58 > 0:18:05- Lapita, that's got a nice perfume. - Yes.- And it's got the jade, glaucous-coloured leaf.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09- That has a big, long trail as well. - There's so many colours of green.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I know, I know. And what else have we got here?
0:18:12 > 0:18:16A little white bacopa, just to give a hint of white.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- That'll be a little bit of a highlight, won't it? - It'll just trail over the side.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And I've got another one of these potunias to sit in the centre.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26A real ray of sunshine, I think.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I think that'll look nice all summer long.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31One of the bonuses of my job
0:18:31 > 0:18:34is that I get to visit some absolutely lovely places,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and I'm in the wee Perthshire town of Comrie.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39It's a great delight.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42I've come to the school to meet some young gardeners
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and help them with a problem.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52The school's newly-refurbished quiet garden
0:18:52 > 0:18:55is a project tended to by Primary 5s,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and they make up the gardening group who meet once a week.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Well then, troops, it's nice to be back here.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Explain to me why we're here and what we're going to do.
0:19:03 > 0:19:10- Sam.- We're going to be trying to get rid of our creeping buttercup.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12OK. You could go to the garden centre,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14get a little sachet of chemicals,
0:19:14 > 0:19:20put it in a watering can, stir it up and pour it over the leaves and it will kill it - why not?
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- We don't want to do it because we're an eco-school.- I like that.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27You are an eco-school and you've got a very good reputation - you don't want to spoil it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31As long as you accept that it's a lot more hard work,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33because we have to dig them out.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39In that border there, the creeping buttercup is a weed.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40What is a weed?
0:19:40 > 0:19:44- A plant in the wrong place. - A plant in the wrong place - absolutely right.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Because for some people, they might love to have a border of creeping buttercup.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50I don't know why, but they might.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53You don't want to have it, so it's in the wrong place.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57We've got to get rid of it, but there are other weeds in the border.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01See the little white-flowered one? Can anybody tell me what that one is?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- Is it hairy bitter...- Cress.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Well done, yes. Hairy bittercress.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Now, it's flowering at the moment, so what happens after it flowers?
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It spreads its seeds.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14And what are they going to do?
0:20:14 > 0:20:17They're going to grow and make an even bigger mess, aren't they?
0:20:17 > 0:20:19So, how would you get rid of it?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- Dig it out?- Dig it out.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24There's an old saying that says,
0:20:24 > 0:20:29"One year's seeds is seven years' weeds,"
0:20:29 > 0:20:34so it pays not to allow these annuals to flower.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38You have a difficult job to do, ladies and gentlemen.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41We're going to clear this border, but first of all,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44we'll take out the plants that are going to be kept.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46- Should we get started?- Yes!
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Do we know what this one is, here? It's what's known as groundsel.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- What are these?- Um, buds. Flowers.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Yes, and so what do you do with this kind?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Don't let them spread.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Compost heap.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06- Now, this is the one we were talking about earlier.- Hairy bittercress.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09This is the one, and it is very prolific.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- That goes in the compost heap. - Why's it called hairy bittercress?
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Don't ask silly questions. I don't know the answer.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17They're all silly if I don't know the answer.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Here's another one,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and it's called shepherd's purse, and do you know why?
0:21:22 > 0:21:24When the flowers fade,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28the little seed pocket is slightly heart-shaped
0:21:28 > 0:21:30and it looks like a purse.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- What's this chap?- Sticky Willie.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Sticky Willie. How did it get that name?
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Because it's sticky?
0:21:38 > 0:21:42The seeds, again. How does it spread?
0:21:42 > 0:21:45The seeds attach themselves to your socks or your trousers,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49to a sheep's wool, and it gets spread all over the place.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53In the garden, Sticky Willie - or cleavers, as it's known -
0:21:53 > 0:21:54is going out.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Look for the heart of a plant.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Just look for how the leaves are spread
0:21:59 > 0:22:01and there'll be a fresh, young leaf in the middle.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06Right. Get your weapons and let me see you do it.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Let's have a wee wander and see what else you've got.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Jenna, my eye was drawn to this comfrey. Tell me about it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28It was on the roadside to Cultybraggan, and Isabelle,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31the person who comes to help us garden every Monday,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33she cuts it off and brings it to the school.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35And what are we going to do with it, Sam?
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- We're going to put it in our comfrey bucket, here.- What happens?
0:22:39 > 0:22:41It breaks the comfrey down
0:22:41 > 0:22:46and turns it into this lovely, organic comfrey plant food.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47You reckon it works?
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- Yep.- Good stuff. - We've seen it in action.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- Elaine, you are in charge of P5, are you?- That's right, yes.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02You happen to be quite keen on the garden yourself, I believe?
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Yes, I'm learning a few tricks as we go along too.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Tell me, is it true that these P5 youngsters
0:23:09 > 0:23:12get a complete year in the garden?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14They start at the beginning of Primary 5
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and they get to see the gardening calendar throughout the year
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and watch the plants grow from seeds right through to harvest, which is wonderful.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24That's quite a commitment, and you're to be congratulated on that,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27because you can see the results of it all around.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Good luck to you, keep up the good work. Thank you.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41We've picked out a couple of the plants that have been dug out of the border,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44and when the border's nice and clean they can go back in again,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46so what do we do with them in the meantime?
0:23:46 > 0:23:48- Plant them?- Put them in these pots.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52So what I want you to do is put some compost in the bottom.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54What you want to do is stand the plant in.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57This one is about the right height.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00OK? You can now take some soil...
0:24:00 > 0:24:04and percolate it down the sides.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08- Good.- All done.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Now, that's too low. You see, if you filled the soil up,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16it would be up over the stems, so take it out and put in more soil.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Take your time, take your time.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Treat it like a baby.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Alice, you've got compost in your hair!
0:24:26 > 0:24:29SHE LAUGHS
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Now then, guys. I think you have done a fantastic job.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40What a difference you've made to this bit of border here.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Clean as a whistle, all that dreaded buttercup has gone.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46I want you to keep it like that.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And if anything pops its head up, do you know what to do with it?
0:24:50 > 0:24:51ALL: Dig it up!
0:24:51 > 0:24:54I think you've got the message.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57But what's going to happen when you all swan off
0:24:57 > 0:24:59for your six or eight weeks' holiday?
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- Do you think the plants will stop growing?- No.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06So, what I'm suggesting is you get some black polythene,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09or even an old carpet or something like that,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and lay it over the surface so that nothing will grow
0:25:12 > 0:25:15because it will blank out the light. It'll smother them.
0:25:15 > 0:25:21When you come back, beautifully tanned from your holiday in Tenerife or wherever you go,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24strip all that away and have a look at it and I bet it's just lovely.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26And if you're confident
0:25:26 > 0:25:30that there's no more of that awful weed comes through,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33then the plants that have been sitting in pots
0:25:33 > 0:25:35can go back in again.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Well done, Comrie Primary School.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- Three cheers. Hip-hip...- Hooray!
0:25:42 > 0:25:44- Hip-hip...- Hooray!
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- Hip-hip...- Hooray!
0:25:48 > 0:25:51These Portuguese laurel are a fantastic feature,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53but they're getting a bit shaggy and scruffy
0:25:53 > 0:25:56so now's the perfect time to give them a trim.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59So all you need to do is take a pair of secateurs, not hedge trimmers,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03otherwise you'll cut the leaves in half and damage them.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06A pair of secateurs, and just cut above a leaf node
0:26:06 > 0:26:10to keep it nice and tidy, and work your way around like that.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Then, give them a top dress with a high nitrogen fertiliser
0:26:13 > 0:26:16to keep the leaves glossy and green.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Well, one of my favourite cut flowers is the sweet pea,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and in this part of the garden, we grow them as single stem cordons.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24That makes for lovely, long stems
0:26:24 > 0:26:27and great bunches of flowers at the top.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29But we've got to train them, so first and foremost,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33we pick the strongest shoot - that's patently the strongest shoot here,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36there are some subsidiaries down there we don't want -
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and we tie it to the cane
0:26:38 > 0:26:43using a piece of wire, like so.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Sweet pea rings, they're called.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47There we go, round there,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51and it'll slide down as far as the nearest joint.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Then the next one will go up there.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58I think this is a superb plant -
0:26:58 > 0:27:01it's a polygala chamaebuxus grandiflora,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05but a new variety called Purple Passion.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08We have got the species already growing in the garden,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11and it really spreads and it flowers for months.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13It doesn't mind a little bit of shade
0:27:13 > 0:27:16and it doesn't mind if it's slightly dry.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18So hopefully I've found the perfect place for it
0:27:18 > 0:27:20underneath this conifer.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Now then, Miss Baxter, here we are, all hugging our favourite marrows.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Recap - what's it all about?
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I suppose I am responsible for this -
0:27:33 > 0:27:34a little bit of a competition.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38The five of us have now picked our two marrows
0:27:38 > 0:27:42- out of, what, five plants that we grew.- Yep.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44One of them is going to go into the border,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46the other one into a whisky barrel. Do you like that?
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- Mm-hmm.- And I've already got my secret ingredient,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51which is not a secret any more.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54- No!- The neighbour's horse manure.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56The rules are all over the place.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Madam, here, is responsible for all of them.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04- So, it's all about money!- Yes, and you need to whisper in my ear.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Oh, yes, yes. Anyway, what are we doing next week?
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Next week, Chris is back in the garden with us and he's in amongst the herbaceous.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16- What about you, Jim?- I'm starting working in the compost heap
0:28:16 > 0:28:19because it's beginning to build up now so it's time we did some of that.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:28:22 > 0:28:23it's all in the fact sheet.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25The easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29And of course, you can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31That's all till next week. Bye-bye.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Goodbye!
0:28:33 > 0:28:34Grow, grow!