0:00:36 > 0:00:40Hello, and welcome to the Beechgrove on a beautiful, sunny day.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Thank goodness we have some weather to be able to get on with the work!
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Here we are, scarifying our main lawn,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52and most people have to do it with the old rake,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55the wire rake, like this.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00It would certainly be good for my waistline,
0:01:00 > 0:01:05but much better when you've got a little scarifier like that when you've so much to do.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10Then luckily, instead of having to collect it with a rake, we've got a rotary
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and set at the right level, it does the work for us.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15And just look at that.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Lovely stuff.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22That's choking the new grass. I like to get that out of the way to begin with at this time of the year,
0:01:22 > 0:01:28a light scarifying, followed by feeding with a granular fertiliser.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Here it is, all ready to go.
0:01:30 > 0:01:37Only fertiliser at this time. I'm not interested in weed control. I'll wait till the weather warms up.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41So that goes on and, a few days later, we're ready to cut the lawn.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44And for goodness sake, don't scalp it!
0:01:44 > 0:01:49If you do, you get the east winds, it turns yellow and it takes weeks before it's looking decent again.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53This stuff, by the way, absolutely super for the compost heap.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Now then, in the rest of the programme...
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Despite the inclement weather,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I'll have my designer's hat on,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07helping a couple start to transform their raw garden ideas into reality.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17And I'm in a maze.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21If you want to find out if I've got oot, keep watching.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30These are our first year flowering perennials and they did really well last year.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33We thought, "Leave them in in the winter
0:02:33 > 0:02:36"and see if they come through the winter."
0:02:36 > 0:02:41That Achillea has come through the winter incredibly well and it's almost trying to get out the bed!
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Gaillardia, you might think they're just sticks, but a closer look...
0:02:45 > 0:02:52- There's one or two shoots there. - You need to have a bit of patience. - Into May and that's what's happening.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- Lychnis looks lovely.- Superb. - We'll keep that.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57- The poppy, a little bit sporadic. - Yes.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03That possibly is something which you would grow one year only and throw it out afterwards.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Prunella, I think again is a really good plant
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- and we could maybe use that in our gravel garden project.- Yeah.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Now, I said about this one, the Delosperma...
0:03:13 > 0:03:19- You were right. - It's a succulent-looking plant and it hasn't come through the winter.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25- That was the cheapest one. That was only a penny a plant.- You've got 12 wonderful spiders there.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- But you can grow it again and treat it as an annual.- One-year crop, yes.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- I'm holding this list here.- Right.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37This is all about the Royal Horticultural Society and the Award of Garden Merit
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- because they've revised their list.- Yes.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44So, with your RHS hat on, what does the Award of Garden Merit mean?
0:03:44 > 0:03:50The Award of Garden Merit... Those that have been awarded the Award of Garden Merit are a group of plants
0:03:50 > 0:03:52which have been trialled at Wisley
0:03:52 > 0:03:58and over a number of years have consistently been seen to be disease-resistant, good performers.
0:03:58 > 0:04:05They're also readily available, have good flavour or are extremely good at flowering if they're trees or shrubs.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- It's ornamental as well as fruit and vegetables?- The whole range.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14It's to give gardeners the idea of which one they might wish to try.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- So we thought we would try some of the vegetables.- Yes.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21We want to look at some with the Award of Garden Merit.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- You're holding a catalogue. I think this is interesting too.- Yeah.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29In the catalogue, it has the little Award symbol, the cup,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32which shows that it's got the Award of Garden Merit.
0:04:32 > 0:04:38This isn't a variety. This is a cultivar that's got the Award of Garden Merit. Where is the symbol?
0:04:38 > 0:04:42It's not there. That's something which needs to be followed through.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48You've got the Award of Garden Merit and I've got a very similar cultivar, a green-seeded broad bean,
0:04:48 > 0:04:54but it doesn't have an AGM, and we want to compare them, we want to do a little bit of a trial here.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59It's just a comparative trial, one variety against the next, not a competition.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01- No. Do I look disappointed?- Yes...
0:05:01 > 0:05:05- You'll try this at your allotment? - Yes, I'll try this in Edinburgh.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10We'll sow the same crops down in Edinburgh and we'll see how they work down there.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15- It's not just peas and beans.- No, we've got some salad crops as well.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17We'll report back over the series
0:05:17 > 0:05:21and find out if you should go for an Award of Garden Merit.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24See whether it does what it says on the packet.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39For my garden visit this week, I've come to the Rosneath Peninsula in the west of Scotland.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41That is the Gare Loch.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46Across there is Helensburgh, Rhu, Faslane up there behind the trees.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50I've come to visit the garden of Ian and Susan McKellar
0:05:50 > 0:05:52and the weather is set to be lousy.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- How long ago is it since you came here?- We came here in 1970.
0:06:03 > 0:06:09The place was just a burnt-out shell. The garden was actually a barley stubble field.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11- Really?- I know, I know.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17Tell me, did you actually come looking for a walled garden because it's a bit special?
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- Some of us dream of a walled garden. - Uh-huh.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25I had seen this... When we were looking in the peninsula for a house,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28there were very few that really caught our fancy.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32But I was always intrigued looking up the road at this one.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36When you came here, did you realise that there would be limitations?
0:06:36 > 0:06:42For example, we're on a peninsula on the west coast of Scotland, so you can grow anything.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45What are the limitations weather-wise?
0:06:45 > 0:06:50Well, people always think that the walled garden is a sheltered situation,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53but curiously enough, it ain't. Not here, anyway.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58We get the wind billowing over from the south-west and it flattens everything I'm growing.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04Also I found, being an obsessive about levels and things, this garden is not actually level
0:07:04 > 0:07:07and I had to actually create it as level by the plants.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Does that come from your original calling because you're an architect?
0:07:12 > 0:07:17I think there's a lot... You've hit the nail on the head there. It's exactly that.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21So we've got an optical illusion here because it looks dead flat.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27- It does look dead flat and that means, I suppose, that I succeeded in what I intended.- Let's continue.- OK.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So where does the inspiration come from, Ian?
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It's from all over the place.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43The garden is totally eclectic
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and I freely admit to cribbing from all these gardens.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50But that's how we learn. Tell me a bit about this here.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53That's a crib. As well as being an architect, I was a teacher.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58It was one of the exercises I set the children to do compass work,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01so it was actually a maze on paper.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Would this be a crib? - Yes, another one.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13- This came from the idea that a city has towers.- Oh, right.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- You try and cut it though. Look at the height of it!- Wow!
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- Which way? - I think we'll go down this way.- OK.
0:08:20 > 0:08:27You know, on a day like this, when the light is just so awful, this comes alive, it's fantastic.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30So let's start talking about plants.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Are they just your own favourites?
0:08:32 > 0:08:37This arose through cuttings from my mother-in-law's garden.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41- This boxwood?- She had a wee, dark hedge in her woodland area.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45I took about 800 cuttings and they turned out gold...
0:08:45 > 0:08:48- I'm so glad. - Well, I was forced into it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- It is really stunning.- Yeah.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55The fastigiate Irish yew there, they've got some stature,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59but I've only just noticed they're in sort of glorified pots.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05Yeah, indeed, they had to be in these bins because the earth is extremely shallow.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- There's a shelf of rock.- Yeah.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13They have to be grown in the bins. We've only got eight inches of soil in some places.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15You're extremely good at disguising them.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29I do like these bay laurels, the Portuguese laurel rather, as trees.
0:09:29 > 0:09:35They are very nice. You mention the word "bay". I was introduced to this up at Crathes by a lady.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40I've actually got the lusitanica and the myrtifolias which are there
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and the azorica behind us.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- And some colour.- A bit of colour.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47As people would say.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52One of the few "flooers" that are out just now. There are more, but it's a bit early yet.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56- So we've got snake-bark fritillaries and a little bit...- Chionodoxa.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59- And a tulip or two. - Great.- Good stuff.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Oh, glory be!
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Another wonderful vista!
0:10:13 > 0:10:17What can you tell me about this particular line?
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Well, the hornbeams were put in about 15 years ago
0:10:20 > 0:10:25- and the jacquemontii, the birches, were cloned at the same time.- Yes.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I've never seen that feature before.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30These are absolutely stunning.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- That's very kind of you. - And so regimented.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40- What's the story about these two? - The thistly dumplings were the first two plants that went into the garden.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46- The rest of them are cuttings from here.- From that? All cuttings from these box?- Wee cuttings.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48- These are the silver boxes.- Yes.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51What a sense of satisfaction you must get from that!
0:10:51 > 0:10:54When I look round, the amount of work there is...
0:10:54 > 0:10:57How many gardeners to the square yard do you employ?
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Well, you're looking at them. It's the one only.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Yeah, small, but extremely powerful.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08I think you have to be. I mean, the precision of this place, the amount of pruning...
0:11:08 > 0:11:14- When do you start pruning?- We start pruning at the end of May and it's finished by the end of August.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19- It's so immaculate, it's wonderful. - Don't look too closely! - Thank you so much.- A great pleasure.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- I've thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the weather.- Thank you.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32We often talk about ground cover plants, but what do we really mean?
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Well, let's take this heather garden which was planted in 1997,
0:11:37 > 0:11:43five plants to the square metre, plants in four-inch pots or thereabouts at that time.
0:11:43 > 0:11:50We got ground cover within about three years and there's hardly been a week's work done since.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53All it needs is a bit of clipping at the right time and some fertiliser.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57That's ground cover as it also blankets out the weeds.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Lots of things are described as ground cover.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06We'll try out some woody plants and some herbaceous plants just to see how well they do the job.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- Have I put them in the right place? - Any place will do.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- In the middle.- As long as they're in the middle. Let's explain ourselves.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22We've picked six shrubby things and four herbaceous, given them a square metre each.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Yes, you were explaining about the heathers as good ground cover.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Your selection?
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- At random almost.- Hmm.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35In fact, what we want to see is how quickly they would cover that space.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37- That's a square metre.- If they do.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41And for how many months of the year would they suppress the weeds.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45You know, ground cover roses, to me, they are so annoying
0:12:45 > 0:12:50because they're prickly and, in winter, they're not going to suppress the weeds.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54So we'll go through them - Cotoneaster, thyme,
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Vinca,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Persicaria vacciniifolium...
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- Lovely Hebe Pagei, one of my favourites.- Yeah.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- Another thyme, then another... - Dammeri at the end.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07The names will be in the factsheet.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11On the other side, we've got four herbaceous - Lamium, Bergenia,
0:13:11 > 0:13:17a Phlox, and at the far end, probably the one that will win, Geranium macrorrhizum.
0:13:17 > 0:13:23- I've got that at home in a shady place and it really spreads. Great if you've got a big garden.- Exactly.
0:13:23 > 0:13:30We'll keep an eye on them and we'll come back to this in due time and see what progress they're making.
0:13:30 > 0:13:36- Would you take the secateurs to that Vinca, just so it spreads out a bit?- I thought you might say that.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41The other thing that's interesting is that it does give us a wee indication
0:13:41 > 0:13:47- because we get lots of questions about how far apart should I plant this, that or the next thing.- Yes.
0:13:47 > 0:13:53An indication is how tall does it grow and you give it space, but if you're costing a wee border,
0:13:53 > 0:13:58you want to know how far apart your plants need to be, how many border plants you'll need.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- I think it will be fascinating.- It's not a trial, just an observation.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05If we had your list, it would be different from mine.
0:14:05 > 0:14:11- George's list would be different from yours.- And Chris's. - Chris's would be different from...
0:14:11 > 0:14:13That's the way of the world.
0:14:13 > 0:14:19One of the greatest ambitions that most gardeners have is to start a garden from a blank canvas.
0:14:19 > 0:14:25And rather curiously, one of the biggest challenges a gardener faces is to start from a blank canvas.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30That's what you get in a new housing estate - at best, flat grass, at worst, builders' rubble.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35'This week, I'm at George and Ann Taylor's house in Dundee.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39'They've spent three years here and have done a huge amount,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42'putting the foundations of a great garden together.'
0:14:42 > 0:14:46What was here when you first opened those doors and walked out?
0:14:46 > 0:14:51Basically, a ploughed field with a sprinkling of topsoil and building materials all over the place.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- When you say a sprinkling, how much? - About that, if you're lucky.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00How did you decide to move forward? What process did you go through?
0:15:00 > 0:15:05In the first year, we sat in the garden on our paint pots, checking where the sun comes up.
0:15:05 > 0:15:11We'd get up in the morning, "Where's the sun just now?" Dinner time after work, "Where's the sun now?"
0:15:11 > 0:15:17Just to see, "Would it be a nice place to put something here? Will it be a seating area or all grass?"
0:15:17 > 0:15:22That's the right thing to do, to take your time, to get to know the garden.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24What sort of garden do you want?
0:15:24 > 0:15:30Lots of grass and some place to sit. Some place to work in and some place to relax and enjoy it.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34At the moment, your shapes are quite formal, straight lines.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39Is that intentional? Are you quite geometric, ordered, formal people
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- or do you like a more fluid, amorphous feel? - A combination of both.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46We were determined by the lie of the land,
0:15:46 > 0:15:53so we cut it in half and we thought, "It matches the shape of the house, it's quite formal, straight lines."
0:15:53 > 0:15:57- We need to soften it up now.- What strikes me is there has to be a link
0:15:57 > 0:16:01between what's going on inside and what's going on outside.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05- Can we use some of these stakes and put some ideas in the ground?- Sure.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13We need to try and work out the centre there.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15That gives us the first focal point.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21This will be the object that tempts you outside or gives you that visual treat when you're inside.
0:16:24 > 0:16:31The steps are a good idea, but we need to stand down here and think, "Where are the steps leading?"
0:16:31 > 0:16:32INAUDIBLE
0:16:32 > 0:16:39So what we've got now is a straight line running through the garden. That's our second visual axis.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Back a bit. Back...
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Stop.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It's always a shame to throw away good quality turf,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06so find an area in the garden like behind your shed here
0:17:06 > 0:17:11and just inverse it, so lay it down, stack it a bit like you're building a dry-stone wall.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14And try and hide as much of the turf as possible.
0:17:14 > 0:17:21And then, within a season or so, it's all rotted down, any weed seeds have also rotted away,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and what's left is a wonderful pile of friable soil,
0:17:24 > 0:17:29perfect for potential vegetable gardens down here. Never throw it away.
0:17:36 > 0:17:42We'll just position it, then stand down there and make sure your geometry is...absolutely right.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46- OK.- Make sure it all clicks and is right.- I'll get the ruler out.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51- No, don't get your ruler out. That's too serious. We'll do it by eye.- OK.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01So, whenever you're planting a large tree like this,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04it's important to dig a hole that's big enough.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Don't try and squeeze the tree into the smallest possible hole.
0:18:08 > 0:18:14As a general rule, one and a half times the width of the pot, one and a half times the depth of the pot.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18You can see all this moss on the top and sometimes a bit of weed growth.
0:18:18 > 0:18:24I don't worry about that when I'm buying trees because it shows it's been in the pot at least a year,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26which means it will be well rooted.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30The other test you might want to do when you're buying them
0:18:30 > 0:18:32is just be a bit cheeky...
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Knock it out the pot
0:18:35 > 0:18:41and just make sure that you haven't got masses of really woody roots round here.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44This is all nice and sweet and fibrous.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49You can see the fresh roots here, so it's good and healthy and ready to be planted.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53With a root-balled tree like this where this is really dense...
0:18:53 > 0:18:57This is the piece you've paid for, so it's valuable, you want to protect it.
0:18:57 > 0:19:03You would never get a stake and drive it through the root ball because it will destroy your roots.
0:19:03 > 0:19:09Always stake with two stakes when you've got a good-sized pot or root ball like that.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13'The majestic trees positioned at the top of the garden are intended
0:19:13 > 0:19:16'to create a natural arbour over the seat.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18'It's Prunus Kanzan, an old variety,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21'but well worth a place in anyone's large garden.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25'To frame the seating area, we've chosen Buxus sempervirens,
0:19:25 > 0:19:30'an evergreen, reliable British native, perfect for clipping and shaping.'
0:19:30 > 0:19:35Behind the new seating area here, it's important to clothe this rather expansive wall,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40so go for something which is pretty robust and vigorous.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43This one is so vigorous, it doesn't want to come out of the pot!
0:19:43 > 0:19:46This is Clematis Jackmanii Superba
0:19:46 > 0:19:50which is known for not only its enthusiastic growth,
0:19:50 > 0:19:55but also really great, hybrid, blue flowers,
0:19:55 > 0:20:00a sort of indigo blue, from late spring in a good year
0:20:00 > 0:20:04right through the summer months well into autumn.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09The other two plants that we've chosen are both climbing roses.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It should only take a season or so and this will be festooned
0:20:12 > 0:20:17with the flowers of pink Compassion down here, Paul's Scarlet at this end
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and Jackmanii Superba in the middle.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34One thing you'll notice immediately is the effect that this stagger has
0:20:34 > 0:20:38and we've taken away that rather sort of slavish border
0:20:38 > 0:20:40which follows the wall here.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42And by coming out into the garden,
0:20:42 > 0:20:47it's given you the opportunity to plant large shrubs and herbaceous on both sides.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52They're blocking out the view from all those houses over there.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56The wall is providing you protection from the houses looking from behind.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Then put large shrubs on that side and that area of the garden is also protected,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05but it's a brave thing to cut into the garden like that and take away some beloved turf.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I never thought I'd let anyone touch my lawn.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13- Less mowing, more gardening. - Thank you.- Thank you. - It's been a great day.
0:21:21 > 0:21:27We're supposed to be talking chrysanths and sweet peas, but first, I think this is a lost cause.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31- These gladioli are...- Soggy bottom?
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- Deid.- Deid.- Yes, I'm afraid so.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38Well, not all. Not all of them. There is one there struggling.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42But not being one of my favourite plants, I'm not all that fussed.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- Would you have planted these out and let them take their chance?- Yes.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51- Nice wee batch of brassicas coming on, but let's get to the chrysanthemums.- Right.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Have you ever thought that aphids have a sense of taste?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58They always go for my favourite plants, so they may have some taste.
0:21:58 > 0:22:04I wonder if they would prefer one kind of chrysanthemum to another because this one here is lousy?
0:22:04 > 0:22:08- Look at that.- The top of the plant, there you go, can you see them all?
0:22:08 > 0:22:11It just shows you the season's going, isn't it?
0:22:11 > 0:22:16What gives the show away is if you're looking at your plants carefully,
0:22:16 > 0:22:22down at the bottom there, you can see the white dust that looks like cast skins.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26One of the best ways of controlling this, of course,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- is to take the top off... - Problem solved.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32..which is the point we're really here to do.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37And I've got another one and I've brought this one because, if you take the top bud out,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42the apical dominance has gone and just look at these lovely shoots
0:22:42 > 0:22:45that are waiting to come away, all the way down...
0:22:45 > 0:22:49I'm looking for five or six stems and they're ready to be planted out.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52So, if you do that, that's it, job done.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57Now, I've got sweet peas here as well that are needing to be stopped.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59These ones have been stopped already.
0:22:59 > 0:23:06You can see where the side shoots are coming off. That's where it was stopped and there's the side shoots.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08These have been stopped quite high.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13I tend to be a bit more brutal, so I wouldn't take it away up here.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I'd take it off there, just in that bit there.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21What I do is I use my knife, so you run your knife across it...
0:23:21 > 0:23:26- Slicing, not pressing.- No, because you'll bruise it if you press it.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30- Just like that.- You're a hard man. - So taking them down like that.
0:23:30 > 0:23:36You're grazing them down, but the thing is, you've got 100% of a root system underneath there...
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- Only half the plant. - Only half the plant at the top.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44What you're doing once again is encouraging these breaks lower down the stem.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48These wee buds will grow like fury and you'll get big, strong shoots.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52If you're going to grow single cordons, you have a choice of stems.
0:23:52 > 0:23:58- And you pick the best one. - The best placed, then it'll thin out to that one and that's it.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I'll thin these out because they'll need to go outside soon, won't they?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- They are ready for planting any time.- Yeah.
0:24:07 > 0:24:13If you've got really shallow soil at home or perhaps just a little patio like our decking here,
0:24:13 > 0:24:20then you might want to consider growing the little round carrots because they're not deeply rooted.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23I'll try four varieties, grow them in window-boxes.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28I'm going to sow a couple of rows and, of course, you're not using a lot of compost.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33It's time for a wee look under the cover of the hot bed.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38Two and a half weeks after sowing, we've got quite a nice selection.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42All the germination has been pretty good - carrots, lettuce, radish,
0:24:42 > 0:24:48small turnips, salad onions and, at that end, we've planted out some lettuce from plugs.
0:24:48 > 0:24:54They're all doing rather well. The temperature under there at the moment is just above 20 C.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00Strangely enough, next door, where the ordinary soil has been employed, covered up, of course,
0:25:00 > 0:25:06germination is pretty good, but a little bit behind. The temperature in there is 15 C.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It'll be a race to see where we'll pick the first ones from.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I will be very disappointed if this doesn't come ahead of the others.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17We're in the wild wood area
0:25:17 > 0:25:23where, last year, we planted some summer flowering bulbs and some late spring flowering bulbs.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28And they're just starting to come out now. We've got some Fritillarias coming out.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Look at that - Fritillaria meleagris with these wonderful, tessellate snake-heads just hanging down,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37a beautiful flower when it's in complete bloom.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43But they have to compete with some very aggressive grasses in this area underneath the trees,
0:25:43 > 0:25:49so in order to help them, what I did was I propagated a specific grass, one called Festuca eskia.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52This is a whole tray of it here, this plug tray.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58These were just little divisions off the original plant, put in, grown over winter and they've rooted.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03They've got good roots in them. I will plant these around the patches of bulbs.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07That will highlight where the bulbs are,
0:26:07 > 0:26:14but also, it's a grass which only gets to about that height. It doesn't need mowed or any maintenance really.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19It's the sort of thing which gives you the idea of where the bulbs are. Job done.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29- Well, I say, what a floral cornucopia!- Hmm.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Starting from behind us here, look at that cherry.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37It's absolutely stonking! And the noise in there with the bumblebees is something else.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42- It's really busy in there. - We'll definitely have a bumper crop of cherries.- I hope so.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Before we start getting all woozy, etcetera, about the "flooers",
0:26:46 > 0:26:51- we're still getting some nice, young stems of rhubarb.- Lovely.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54- And this is our first crop of asparagus.- Good.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56- What's the variety, Jim?- Ariane.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- Hmm, nice. - Of course, you grow this as well.
0:26:59 > 0:27:05And last year, the commercial grower said the stumps at the bottom are great for asparagus soup.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11Don't throw it away. I've been cropping for a couple of weeks. It's still quite late, this season.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15- It is. But to the flowers... - I know, look at the Narcissus here.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I think they're lovely. We've got three varieties.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Three varieties, yeah. Do we know them?
0:27:22 > 0:27:27- I think that's Tweety Bird. - This is Spring Dawn, this fellow here with the white at the back.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31- I'll just try and get a coin out, so we can...- Toss it up.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36- And I think that one's January. - And we're where?- We're in May!
0:27:36 > 0:27:42There's a cracker round here. This is one of these hyacinths I'm going to grow next year for the spring show.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45That's a thing called Anna Liza and that is an absolute stunner.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51- That's a belter.- Beautiful colour. - Really good.- I like the blues. - You can be sure of that, George.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55The Muscari there and the one with the top just opening,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58that's latifolium and that's rather unusual.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03- That opens almost from the top down and the other ones open from the bottom up.- In reverse.- No less!
0:28:03 > 0:28:05LAUGHTER
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Anyway, if you'd like more information about this week's programme,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14it's all in the factsheet, including all these plant names.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18The easiest way to access that, of course, is online.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26- Next week, I understand it's going to be a very fruity programme. - Very fruity.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29I'll be sorting out the problem of the demise of the raspberry.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33I wish you well, George. Until next time, bye-bye.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35- Goodbye.- Goodbye.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd