0:00:12 > 0:00:14Hello there and welcome to Beechgrove,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17and what a relief it is to have some settled weather
0:00:17 > 0:00:21to get a wee stroll through our wildflower/wild plant area.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24This has been very colourful over the last month or two.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28And over here, I'd like to draw your attention to a problem.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30I think when people do the wildflower bit, they say,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33"That's it, I don't need to look after it, it's fine."
0:00:33 > 0:00:37But the dominant species will sometimes cause a problem.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And in this case, it's lady's mantle. Just look at it.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44It's going take over. So it has to be dealt with severely fairly soon.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47But I want to talk about compost today.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53When I used the word compost, I wasn't meaning growing medium,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I was meaning recycled waste from the garden,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00because this is the time of year when it's beginning to mount up
0:01:00 > 0:01:02and it's coming from all sources.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07- And this is what we call compost city. - HE LAUGHS
0:01:07 > 0:01:11Cos there are so many different bins of different types that you'll see in a moment.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15But the one that we major on is this huge capacity bin,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17which we find is excellent.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21And here we have a row of compost bins here.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24This one has just been finally filled up.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27This is older and that's even older still.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And some people use this bit of kit here.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33I've never used one in the past. I'll tell you why in a minute.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36And, of course, what you're meant to do is to plunge it in there,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40push it down, and then when you heave it up, the lugs come out
0:01:40 > 0:01:43and it helps to mix it, and that's, of course, quite important.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46What we've tended to do, of course, is create an empty one
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and then we'll tip this one out into there, because it reduces in bulk,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and then we might even have room for that one,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57and that's how we are able to mix it and actually aerate it,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59and if there are any dry bits, we can wet it.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And that's how the compost moves on quite swiftly.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05So what can you put in and what mustn't you put in?
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Well, let's start with that one. What you mustn't put in is dandelions,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13deep-rooted things, they will stay alive for a long time.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17We've got some horsetail here just to remind me, we've got horsetail in the garden.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19I wouldn't put any of that stuff.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23I don't put in old tubers, either. I get rid of them elsewhere.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26The thing that most people have most of, of course,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28are grass clippings.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And of course you can use grass clippings, no problem at all.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35But not too much all at the one time.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38So sit it to one side, every time you add in a bit more,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41put some grass clippings in with it. It is soft, it is moist,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44and it helps to mix the whole thing and helps it to rot down.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47But the usual things you've got, of course, are weeds out of the garden,
0:02:47 > 0:02:53you've got clippings from the veggies and the dead veg and the ones you haven't managed to use,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55the old stems of flowers, et cetera.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00Then we get to the more particular, out of caddy in the kitchen, all sorts of peelings,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02then we've got teabags.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07Some people will complain that they don't break down.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Well, you can break them that way if you can take the time to do it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Eggs. Some people actually crush them and claim that they do all sorts of wonderful things.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16I just scrunch them up and they're fine.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21Coffee grounds, yes, not a problem. Some people are lucky enough to get a bit of old straw bedding.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24That's fine. But that might want chopping up a bit.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28This is paper shreddings and it's used for bedding chickens,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30so there's a bit of Hen Pen in there, as well.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35Wonderful stuff. Adds to the way the thing breaks down, it's absolutely super.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Cardboard, shred it. And then woody stuff.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40If it's branches like this that have broken off and you want to chop them up,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44of course you can chop them. Use the old secateurs. Not too big.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49Some people spend money on additives to help it break down.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I've never used them at all and I've always made reasonably good compost.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Bit of soil chucked in on the top,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59that has all the bacteria and the beasties that will help it all to break down.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02The most important thing is, it is a valuable asset for feeding the soil.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Don't forget that. Now, in the rest of the programme...
0:04:08 > 0:04:13I'm on a mission to fill this basket with hardy perennial herbs
0:04:13 > 0:04:15for our new herb garden at Beechgrove.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21And this week, I'm in Linlithgow.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Ancient palace, ancient loch and ancient garden.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- I think we're privileged because we're looking at Jim's strawberries. - They're looking OK.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37There's plenty of fruit on them, of all different sizes, as well, so plenty of succession coming through.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40It's just one variety called Sonata. They were grown last year,
0:04:40 > 0:04:45put in here in June as plants, and they fruited right through to September, October time.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49- So the same plants just kept in the same compost. - Started fruiting on 1st June
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and it's three years now since we've had strawberries on 1st June,
0:04:52 > 0:04:57- which is quite amazing.- To revitalise them, all that's happened is they've been given tomato food?
0:04:57 > 0:05:00That's right. Nothing else. They haven't had fresh compost.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- It just shows you, it's worth keeping. - Isn't the peach looking good?
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I know. It's absolutely laden in fruit.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09In fact, it's already been thinned once, but it needs thinning again.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13You carry on chatting, I'll eat the strawberry. The problem is the red spider mite
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and brown scale is a problem with that,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18so I think this is the last year it's going to fruit.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23I think you're being harsh. However, as a precaution,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26I think it's worth trying a different way of growing a peach
0:05:26 > 0:05:28in a much more compact situation.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32So in theory, getting round about 12 to 15 fruits
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- in a single pot that big. - So it's like bonsai, isn't it?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39So very small plants in a small space but bigger fruits?
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Bigger fruits, better quality fruits,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and you're right with bonsai, the idea is that you use...
0:05:45 > 0:05:48This is a terracotta pot that's been slightly modified with a grinder,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51cutting a hole in the bottom to allow the roots to come through the base.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54And you grow it either on gravel or soil
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and about every week in the growing season,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59you turn the pot to rip the roots out of the bottom.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Oh, that's an interesting idea. OK, so what have you got to do to the plant itself?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Well, we follow an old technique that was devised in 1850
0:06:06 > 0:06:08by a nurseryman called Rivers.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And he said you should count up 11 buds.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So we've got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18We'll give it one for luck. Now, this looks a bit harsh.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- I'm just going to take that off altogether.- OK.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Take all that off and then any side shoots,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28if there's no buds on side shoots, you take them off altogether,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- if there are buds on side shoots... - Healthy ones?- ..you take them back to about nine inches.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- Right, I'll take that one. - I'll take that one. - This seems really harsh.- It does.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41But the idea is to try and generate plenty of wood this season
0:06:41 > 0:06:45because, of course, a peach will fruit, on wood that it develops this season, it will fruit next season.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- How many do we hope to get? - Well, on a plant like this,
0:06:48 > 0:06:53Rivers maintained you should get three dozen thinned to one dozen good quality ones.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57- That seems pretty good to me.- You can then do nothing with the root,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01but in your pot, crocks in the bottom to stop the compost falling straight through.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05And what he suggested is a mix of two parts loam,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08John Innes number two is fine, not too fertile, of course,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11then putting in one part of horse manure, well rotted.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- And then the gritty sand. - A good helping of sharp sand.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18You ram it down in the pot, give yourself a layer so that you can water on the surface,
0:07:18 > 0:07:23and then when you're ready, pop it back in the glass house to get all those shoots to start to grow.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27I'm going to try a more modern technique, slightly different, using the air pot.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31And so, obviously, there's still the holes in the bottom, so we can turn it,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35but I won't prune the edges. If anything comes through, I'll prune it from the outside.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39You try the modern one, I'll see how accurate Rivers was with the original terracotta.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Sounds like fun.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Today I'm in the ancient borough of Linlithgow,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52one of Scotland's oldest towns,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56dates right back to the 1400s and before.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58That's when the palace was built.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02High street gardens in Linlithgow have a fantastic history at the back.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05They have these long, narrow rig gardens
0:08:05 > 0:08:07which go right up the hill.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Often they have springs in them and this one is no exception.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16There's a well here and we can hear the water trickling down the hill.
0:08:16 > 0:08:201729. Some age. But I want to take you further back.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24What I want to do today is to look at a problem corner for a small boy.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27I'm going to create a dinosaur.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Rebecca, this is our problem corner for today.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Now, it wasn't always like this. When I saw this, it was full of creeping buttercups. What have you done?
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Yes. The creeping buttercup covered everything
0:08:41 > 0:08:47and I sprayed it twice with glyphosate, about two weeks gap in between each spraying,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- trying to avoid some of the obvious plants.- Well, you've managed.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55And a wee bit of bishop's weed there, but we'll soon dig that up, and it's been weakened.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59So there are one or two of the herbaceous things which we'll be able to save, bring them down here,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03make a herbaceous area down here, and then we'll dig this over,
0:09:03 > 0:09:09- prepare it for planting, and this is where we're going to do a dinosaur, crocodile or whatever...- Brilliant!
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- ..for young Angus.- That would be perfect. That would be cool.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41Well, Angus, we have got a piece of log,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43but I think we could call that a stickosaurus.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45You see it all the way back there? See its eye?
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And this is its nose and that's its long body.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52And then what could we use for its hair? That one?
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Would you like that one for its hair?
0:09:54 > 0:09:58- Yes.- And then we could have some scaly ones for its body.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04And then we've got some really dark ones up there which would be part of the legs.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- Would that be good? - Angus, would you like a dinosaur?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10- Are you sure?- Yeah?
0:10:10 > 0:10:12- Thank goodness. - What could we call it?
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- What would you call it?- Stegosaurus.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Stegosaurus or stickosaurus. I think stickosaurus is a good name.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38- Looks good!- Now, once we get all of those planted,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41it will ease out again and it will...
0:10:41 > 0:10:44But along the back there,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47that one at the back, if we do the plant walk round, that's pulmonaria.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51- OK. - A thing called Sissinghurst White.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Now, the name pulmonaria, that's to do with lungs,
0:10:53 > 0:10:57so it comes from a period in botany which was the doctrine of signatures,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- when they named plants after the part of the body that they could cure.- OK.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04And they thought that that would have an effect on congested lungs.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08So they'd make tincture out of that and drink them or rub it on your chest.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- Clinical trials? - No, just chuck it and chance it.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15So that's there. And then in front of that, we've got the black grass,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18this ophiopogon planiscapus Nigrescens,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and that is a good thing for dinosaurs.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23It's just so dark and it looks as though it belongs.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28Then the other side of it, a golden grass, this lighter, airier one.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31So the play of light and shade I thought was reasonable in there.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36- I think it works well.- So for the legs, we've got euphorbia myrsinites.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Now, you have to watch with these because they have an irritant sap,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45- so just watch when you touch them that maybe you wash your hands or something like that.- OK.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Behind that, we've got a tail of chives.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Now, I'm really happy about that.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53I had some chives further down in the garden
0:11:53 > 0:11:57- but the mint overtook them. - Well, replacement, so that's good.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00And then the whole of the ground, the base work of this,
0:12:00 > 0:12:02is made up with this saxifraga.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08- This is the saxifraga umbrosa. - It's really pretty.- Common name is Nancy Pretty, or London Pride.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- This is a variegated one so it looks like the scales on a dinosaur.- Yeah.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16So a little bit of illusion. And at the front, right at the front,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- we've got some ferns.- Yeah.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23So, once that's all planted and bedded down, we'll see the dinosaur a bit better
0:12:23 > 0:12:27and it should really look quite good, I hope.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31- I think it looks great. - And I've got an egg there, as well.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33SHE LAUGHS
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- Angus has put his seal of approval on it.- He has.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- He's put an eye on it. - Yeah. He came in, he gave it the thumbs up, he made his mark.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55And he's off. He's off doing his own thing.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59But now we've got something which is this wonderful
0:12:59 > 0:13:01bit of his imagination with the dinosaur there,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03but for us, we've got the groundcover planting.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Hopefully, this will be a pleasant corner for a number of years.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Well, I'm really pleased with it. Thank you, George.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- It's been brill.- You're welcome. - Thank you.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Alongside the stream, the herbaceous border
0:13:25 > 0:13:29is doing what every good herbaceous border should be doing at this time,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31it's becoming increasingly boisterous,
0:13:31 > 0:13:36bountiful and full of a tapestry of blooms and foliage.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39But inevitably, there are a few gaps that just need filling.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42And rather than go for the common garden plants,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46what I'd like to try here is a selection of plants
0:13:46 > 0:13:49that are recently introduced to the gardening market.
0:13:49 > 0:13:55The genus may be familiar but the species and cultivars very often are slightly alternative.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00Now, I'm always very sceptical of introducing new plants for the sake of them being new.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Very often they're not terribly garden-worthy.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05So the idea of this section of the herbaceous garden
0:14:05 > 0:14:08is to just test them out, very informally, cheek by jowl,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12see how they perform. Are they really worth having
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and giving a space in your patch?
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Well, this is a good place to start.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20This is actaea simplex. It's a good plant generally.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23It's a North American species from the plains,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25but this is black negligee,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29a very deep form, dark stems, very filigreed leaf.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33And then during the summer months, well, a wonderful plume
0:14:33 > 0:14:35of white flowers coming up,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38around about 90 centimetres to a metre or more.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40So good clump-forming plant.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42And the reason I've clustered some here is that
0:14:42 > 0:14:46inevitably when the oriental poppy has flowered and faded,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49you need something to sweep into the space.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52So I'm hoping that the actaea will perform exactly that role.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56And another plant that is used to mingling amongst others
0:14:56 > 0:14:59is the cirsium here.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04This is a plant related to one that hit the headlines at Chelsea ten years or more ago.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08It was the straight red form that was really growing amongst grasses
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and it became, well, really rather ubiquitous.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16This, however, is Mount Etna, found on the slopes of Mount Etna.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Instead of being that blood red colour,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20well, this is a little bit more feminine.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23It's a very soft pink, very thistly head,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26standing about 90 centimetres in height.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30And it's great for just sending up around other plants, like the aquilegias, for instance.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Right on the edge of the bark path here
0:15:34 > 0:15:38is a plant that perhaps would be a little unusual this close to the edge of a border.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42It's a eupatorium, a Joe-Pye weed, from the plains of North America.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46We're used to positioning plants of this genus way back in the distance.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51Two metres or more in height, they are the back of the border.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54However, this form is called red dwarf.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58It's got a very deep stem, it's got the usual eupatorium-like flower,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01a sort of umbel, very flat-topped,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05and bees and butterflies can get their tongues into those fluted blooms.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07It's quite late flowering in the summer.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11A little bit further back in the border is another good clump-forming plant,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and one that gardeners have become a little bit exasperated with
0:16:14 > 0:16:18over recent summers. The monardas, the bee balms.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Well, they've all been suffering mildew so there's barely a garden
0:16:22 > 0:16:25that hasn't been hit and devastated by mildew.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28But this is the result of a series of trials in the US
0:16:28 > 0:16:32that have been looking specifically at mildew-resistant forms.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34This one is called Marshall's Delight,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and as you can see from the very dark edge to the leaf here,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41it suggests that there's going to be a dark pigment to the flower.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46In fact, it is absolutely true, this is very, very dark violet, almost purple colour,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50a shade that bumblebees seem to get extraordinarily excited about.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53They migrate towards this because of the shape and the colour
0:16:53 > 0:16:56more than just about anything else in the herbaceous border.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59And it's a good clump-forming plant, it will do its job right here
0:16:59 > 0:17:03at the edge of this larger section of planting towards the back.
0:17:03 > 0:17:09Now, this is filipendula, the meadowsweet,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11but this is the Japanese form.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14So filipendula purpurea.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18It's a good thicket forming plant, it's going to spread underneath the conifers,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22it's great at dealing with slight shade and also out into more open area.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Damp soil's definitely a must for this one.
0:17:24 > 0:17:31And its real delight is its promise of producing very delicate, almost baby pink blooms
0:17:31 > 0:17:35that are so animated in the slightest of summer breezes
0:17:35 > 0:17:37that it just warms your heart
0:17:37 > 0:17:42as you sit on one side of the garden looking down across, through the pine
0:17:42 > 0:17:44to the lake beyond.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Well, we are in our silver garden
0:17:47 > 0:17:51for celebrating our silver anniversary, and that was ten years ago.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53And a couple of jobs going on at the moment.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Chris, you've got a nice job there taking out the blanket weed from the pond.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00It's one of the most relaxing jobs in the garden
0:18:00 > 0:18:03and it's important to do it slowly and gently, which only aids the relaxation,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06because there's so much wildlife in the pond at this time of year.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11It's easy to get them ensnared, which is why I'm putting the debris on the side here.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Yes, so they can crawl back into the pond, can't they?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16And put that on the compost heap the next day?
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- Yeah.- Come and help me because I'm having a look at the acer
0:18:20 > 0:18:24which I'm afraid has got a huge amount of reversion on it,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and I just think, well, one more chance,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31maybe pick off some of this fresh growth and see what happens.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Well, do you know, I think you're being a little bit generous.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Cos this is a plant which, maybe just a succession of winters,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41wet summers, environmentally it's just challenged
0:18:41 > 0:18:45and it's panicked and it's gone back to the straight green form.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48I'm not sure that it will ever go back to its full glory.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Well, give it a few more months and if it doesn't then an opportunity for something else.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Right. I'm going to get my saw out straight away.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Now, really this is about giving it a sense of place, the garden,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02because the viewers like to have an idea about the way the garden is planned.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06And the silver garden, well, silver plants
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and a little bit of a contrast with purple.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10You're right. You've got to have those contrasts.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14They're the full stops, the bullet points, they hold your attention, punctuate the garden.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18- Nice tilia behind, as well. - It's beautiful, the pleached line.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20And then we move into our trials area
0:19:20 > 0:19:23where we have a bit of fun here trying different things every year.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27So the sweet peas, I'm just letting these scramble up the different structures.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31So you're just letting them find their own way? There's no guidance?
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Do you know, if I was a sweet pea, this would be my least favourite.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Constantly moving in the wind, I think you'd be nervous about hanging on.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- Prefer that one. - That's what I'd be going for.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Bedding schemes, I think you might need your sunglasses for this one, it's all about oranges and lemons.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It's going to be a real reminder of the Victorian bedding schemes.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Just full chroma, maximum hue,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53and, yeah, shocking when it comes into flower.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55If we have weather like this, it will be shocking.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I can't believe what's happened here with Jim's groundcover.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02- Four weeks, and that lamium has really taken off. - It's great value as well, isn't it?
0:20:02 > 0:20:07And great for insects, a good bee plant. There's a lovely sense of contrast there, too.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Lamium just injects that little bit of light underneath the darkness of the hedge.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- Totally agree, but that's the number one so far.- Yeah.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21Ah, there you are. Welcome to the glasshouse village, except we are in a poly tunnel.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24It's not an ordinary poly and it's not bubble polythene, either.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26But it's a great house. It's been here for ten years or more.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29And in here Carol's got some trials with cucumbers,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32grafted versus non-grafted.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36But I'll draw your attention to these bags. I find them really very, very useful indeed.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Handles and everything else. Nice depth of compost.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Plenty of space in them. This is their third year at least.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45And they're doing very well. Now then, to the tomatoes.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49And, er, this is about tasting tomatoes this time.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54We've got nine different varieties.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56We're really stretching ourselves.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Some I've never heard of, never seen.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02And we've got three plants of each variety per growbag.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05And we've got one of each in pots
0:21:05 > 0:21:08on the other side of the glass house.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10We're going to be looking and concentrating on flavour.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13But in the meantime, these guys need a bit of attention,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16because now we're growing them as single cordons,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18they've started to produce side shoots.
0:21:18 > 0:21:25So what I'm doing now is twisting string round the plant. Not the plant round the string.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29And you'll notice when I came round there, I came above the truss of flower.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Come below it and it slips, it could strangle that truss of flowers.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I start to take the side shoots out,
0:21:35 > 0:21:40and I much prefer to snap them out, cos that comes out at a natural joint.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Then I go down the stem to the next one,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45take another one out, and so on,
0:21:45 > 0:21:51so that we're channelling the growth into this main stem that will carry the fruit.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Now, why do I start at the top and go to the bottom?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57If you start at the bottom and come up to the last one at the top
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and knock the head off the plant, you're snookered. So, remember that.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I've come to the Black Isle to meet up with Duncan Ross
0:22:05 > 0:22:09who runs the most northerly herb nursery in the UK.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Gosh, Duncan, what a lovely setting for a herb nursery.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19How did this all come about?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Well, the herb nursery and the garden itself started in 1857.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- And we arrived in '76, that's 1976. - Yes.
0:22:28 > 0:22:34And cleared out the fairly wild and unkempt garden,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37which was full of rabbits and self-sown trees.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39And why did you go for herbs?
0:22:39 > 0:22:43We went for herbs because we wanted to help people
0:22:43 > 0:22:46to lead healthier lives by growing and using herbs.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And you're specialising in a wide range.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54The whole range of herbs. We grow about 450 varieties of herbs. Culinary, aromatic and medicinal.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57We also specialise in Scots native herbs,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00which not a lot of people know about,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03but there's over 100 varieties which are native and naturalised in Scotland,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- which we want to educate people about.- That's a huge amount.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10It's a huge amount but they're out there waiting to be discovered
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and used in a beneficial sort of way.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14And here, for example, we have Scots lovage.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Now, this is a lovely plant, Duncan, cos it is really compact, isn't it?
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Yes, it only grows about three feet high when it's mature.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Try a leaf and see what you think.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28It's got a lovely reddish tinge to the stems.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30And it's got creamy white flowers.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- I'm getting a hint of celery there. - Mm.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Jim wouldn't like that, he hates celery.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38But I think that's lovely!
0:23:38 > 0:23:40It goes well in soups and salads, whatever.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Excellent native Scots herb.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46And over here we've got sweet cicely.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Now, I know this one tastes of, like, an aniseed flavour.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55Try that. It's delicious at this time of year. Again, in salads.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58So if you're wanting to spice up your salads, why not try some sweet cicely leaf?
0:23:58 > 0:24:01So, what do you think of the flavour of this one?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04- Well, liquorice I get, really, actually. It's lovely.- Mm.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I would use that in a sweet as well as savoury.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Well, Duncan, as you know, I'm here because I want to choose some plants
0:24:10 > 0:24:13for a new herb garden at Beechgrove.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So these two would be perfectly OK, but what else could I grow?
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Oh, you're spoilt for choice here. Let's have a look down this way.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22This one here, for example,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24it's got a very exotic name, it's called baldmoney.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- I'll remember that name, baldmoney. - It's got a celery-like flavour.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31OK, so that's more like celery. What about something a little bit different?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Down here we've got a plant that grows in the wild
0:24:34 > 0:24:39in the north of Scotland called oyster plant, or mertensia maritima.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42And it's a beautiful colour, isn't it?
0:24:42 > 0:24:46It's a beautiful colour, it's got these greeny-blue succulent leaves,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- followed by pinky-blue flowers. Try this.- OK.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Now, is this perfectly hardy?
0:24:52 > 0:24:57This is totally hardy anywhere, provided the soil is well-drained.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59If it's not well-drained, then grow it in a rock garden
0:24:59 > 0:25:05- where it can cluster over the rocks themselves. - That's a real taste of the sea.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09It's a taste of the seaside, it's a taste of seafood.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14And we're very lucky that today my wife, Yuriko, is going to prepare some lunch for us.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17And so we're going to try some more herbs that way and taste them.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- In a wee while we'll be tasting them.- Sounds good to me.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Yuriko, what a lovely looking spread. It's so unusual.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- Oh, good!- So, what are we going to do? Am I going to try something?
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Yes, please. You've tried so many herbs.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56But maybe you haven't tried those Japanese ones.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00- So what's this one here? - This is wasabi. Wasabi leaf.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- OK, so that's a horseradish, isn't it?- Yes, Japanese horseradish.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07A little bit peppery, not so hot as root.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09- Mm! Oh, it's lovely. I like that. - Good.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11And then this is shiso.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It has a very strong, distinctive taste.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- What's the Latin name for this? - Perilla frutescens.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Oh, so we often use a perilla as a bedding plant.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25- This is an edible bedding plant.- Oh, I'm not sure about that one.- Yes!
0:26:25 > 0:26:31- Oh, that's really strong. - Because you eat quite a lot at once.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35I chopped it up and then put it in a salad dressing.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38And together with the Japanese plum paste,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41a little bit of vinegar, sugar and olive oil.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- So we can put that onto the lettuce. - Yes, chopped up and put it in.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50- What have we got here, Duncan? - This is Scottish herring.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53And organic dill.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57- Come on, tuck in. Let's all tuck in. - OK!
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Duncan, what can I say? I've been in heaven today
0:27:19 > 0:27:22because I've tasted some wonderful herbs,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25you've given me a beautiful herby lunch,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and look at these plants that I'm going to take back to Beechgrove.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30So thank you so much. It's been a great day.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I'm off, then! I hope I can get them in the car.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Well, it's nice to relax in the seaside garden.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Well, yeah, it's a bit of sunshine, a bit of seaside, very good.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51- But you've a reason for it.- We do, because the colours behind us here, the two clematis, what do you think?
0:27:51 > 0:27:53I think they look fantastic.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57They're such light climbers, aren't they? They're ideal for a light trellis like that.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00And they're such bright colours, very fresh, very exciting.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Blue and white. The white one is alpina, called White Columbine.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07And the blue one is a macropetala called Lagoon. Nice names.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11- Yeah. I guess Lesley will be chuffed when she sees that. - Well, favourite plant.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13So, what are you doing next week?
0:28:13 > 0:28:19- I'm creating a new herb garden in the garden.- Here in the garden? - Yes, with Carolyn.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21- And Chris? - I'm on foreign shores, I'm afraid.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- Well, I hope you get weather like this.- Thank you very much.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Well, I'm going to be looking after the newbies next week.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29- OK, that's plants? - Yeah, that's all you're getting.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31It's about the quickest half-hour of the week, I'd say.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34- Until next time, goodbye.- Bye.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd