0:00:11 > 0:00:16Well, hello and welcome back to Beechgrove Garden's spring 2014.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I thought it was appropriate that we should be starting
0:00:19 > 0:00:21the programme near the water.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Not only is it coming down, but, you guys...you're so keen, eh?
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- What a winter it's been. Chris, how've you been?- It's just been...
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Well, south-west, high on the Cotswolds where I am,
0:00:32 > 0:00:33just so much rain.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Two to three times the amount of rain we'd normally expect in February.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Just phenomenal.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- Every low pressure system that came in hit you guys, didn't it?- I know.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- You were the first to get it. - We were on the front line
0:00:44 > 0:00:46but it's not our fault that everyone else got it after us.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49- No, no, I'm really sorry.- The boot's on the other foot for a change,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51because it's usually us that's complaining.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Well, yes, I think the answer is to move to Aberdeenshire.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57We've really been quite lucky. Fairly dry up until Christmas time
0:00:57 > 0:01:01and then January and February, yes, it did get a little bit wet.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And we've got some viewers here with some photographs.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08James Munro, from Argyll, and that's not like a football pitch,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10- it's like a swimming pool, isn't it? - That's horrendous.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Don't let the weans out to play.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Ruth Ritchie, Lockerbie, I like her comment.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17It's about how this really should be weather for ducks, not for hens.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19And then you've got the other extreme,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Neil Murray, from Fife, he says, "We've missed the rain,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25"it's been one of the mildest and driest winters ever."
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Well, you see, Edinburgh was like that.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31I can't say we had a huge amount of rain and I'm on a dry, sandy soil
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and so mostly the water flows through it,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37but this year, wherever there was a footmark on the top of the soil
0:01:37 > 0:01:40where you'd walked in it, that's where the water gathered.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44- Here we had twice as much rain as last year.- Right.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46But you wouldn't have thought so
0:01:46 > 0:01:48because we thought we got off lightly.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50But then again, you compare that with the west,
0:01:50 > 0:01:51down at Logan for example,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55- they had the same sort of pattern of rainfall you'd expect there. - Well, yes.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59It is the wet west, after all, but the big problem is for gardeners.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I mean, we are left with a legacy of problems,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05- but it does depend on soil type, doesn't it?- Oh, yes.- It does.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Well, you see, we're on a heavy clay, and it's a very shallow soil,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10but what we found is wet combined with wind
0:02:10 > 0:02:14has meant that large trees have just been falling like dominoes,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16- because they just lose the traction in the soil...- Yes, yes.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19- ..so just massive specimens collapsing.- It's incredible.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Yes, wind's been another problem, hasn't it, but back to the mild weather,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25- have you had many frosts? We haven't.- No, half a dozen.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26Half a dozen in the entire winter.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And down to maybe minus three, minus four?
0:02:29 > 0:02:30Well, I can say that A -
0:02:30 > 0:02:34we've not had the snow shovels out the garage at all,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38and B - no frost lasting beyond about 10 o'clock in the morning,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40and I've seen it last for days,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42and that is a conditioning thing for soils,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44coming back to the basics for gardeners.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46And if the water remains,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48we've only got a certain period, haven't we, for that.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51There are only two things that most concern,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55one is fungal complaints if the water lingers in the soil for too long.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58But the other thing, which I think is good news potentially,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01is that most plants are able to survive under reasonable conditions
0:03:01 > 0:03:05for about three weeks, even up to their necks in water.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07But unfortunately, there are other things that have survived
0:03:07 > 0:03:10the winter as well, because of the lack of frost.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12- Well, there are pests and disease about...- Oh, yes, aphids.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Exactly, aphids just waiting.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Normally, they're nobbled by hard frost. This year...
0:03:16 > 0:03:19We could stand and talk here for ages, but with health and safety in mind,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and you guys are working over there, I've got some kit for you.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- Have you looked at it? There you go, if you get that sorted out. - Just my size.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29George, I'm told you're not a very good swimmer.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31And you like to commune with dolphins.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- A pet, thank you very much.- You're a bit anxious for us.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Now, in the meantime, in the rest of the programme...
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Now, he looks grumpy.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Do I look grumpy?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Surely not in a garden like this.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It's clearly winter, there's no leaves on the trees.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It's actually the middle of February but I found a lot of colour.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55We've got one or two figs coming, haven't we, there?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58That's quite promising, isn't it? Just about the size of a pea forming.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I think we should have a decent crop, which is remarkable
0:04:01 > 0:04:05given what's happening there with the trench, the old peach trench.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Yes, well, we've created our own swimming pool here, Chris.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I mean, OK, there's not too much water in it now,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13but that was right up to here over the wintertime.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14It's just unbelievable, isn't it?
0:04:14 > 0:04:17But I think it's a good demonstration of, if you dig a hole in a garden,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and then have a winter like we've had, it's going to fill full of water.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24But there's no downpipe and gutter on this glasshouse, it wasn't designed with it.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27So I think we can help to reduce the amount of water by just simply
0:04:27 > 0:04:31- fitting a downpipe, maybe putting in a water butt. - Yeah, collect the water.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34The other thing that you could do is actually have a soakaway as well,
0:04:34 > 0:04:39and that's an obvious place there that you could dig a pit and take the water away.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Of course, it's amazing that our peach actually survived so long,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45cos it didn't have a particularly good root system on it, did it?
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Well, it didn't, but just think about the crops.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50It was just producing amazing fruits
0:04:50 > 0:04:51and no-one was really any the wiser
0:04:51 > 0:04:53as to what was going on under the ground.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Although we had red spider mite and we did have scales,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- so that was the reason for getting rid of it.- But apart from all that, the fruit was quite good.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- And we're just going to, what? Fill that back in then, and grow things in pots.- I think so.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06In normal circumstances, if that's what's happening in the ground,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09you have to get rid of the water because of pest and disease problems,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14but let's take the easy option - soil it over, gravel it, and then treat it as an orchid house.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Yes, it's a cold greenhouse, so there's no heat in here,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19but look at these, they're really thriving.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I didn't know this variety before,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and I've never seen these blossoms before, absolutely gorgeous.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- It's a peach called Melred.- Yeah, Melred peach, it's a real stunner,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31and this has been grown in the Rivers' technique so we're keeping them in very tight pots,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34pruning the roots, pruning the shoots as well.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37And the whole point is trying to provoke as much flower as possible,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and of course as much fruit as possible,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42but this is worth considering as an ornamental,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45irrespective of if it produces any fruit, because of the blooms.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48It's absolutely gorgeous and once these start to set,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- we then start to thin them down, don't we?- Yes, exactly.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54But you have to let them set and of course, the June drop,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57wait until all of that's gone on, and then you'll start to thin them.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02But I think in the short term, because this house, when it gets cool we're still closing the doors,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04pollination is a concern in here for me, so I think
0:06:04 > 0:06:09- we need to come in with the make-up brush or the paint brush...- Oh, yeah, yeah, make-up brush for me.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13..and just tickle the flowers and just get that transfer of pollen.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16And then the cherry blossom as well is wonderful.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17It's amazing, isn't it?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19You're just filled with excitement when you see it,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21so much promise in it.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Well, we've just come from the glasshouse there
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and that wonderful cherry tree, full of blossom, full of promise.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46The veg plots are full of promise as well,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49despite the awful winter we've had. And I know full well that
0:06:49 > 0:06:52lots of people are worried about the state of the soil.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Let me point out one thing for a start.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Look at the level of the path and the level of the ground
0:06:57 > 0:07:02and I put that down to the fact that we use copious amounts of organic matter,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05or farmyard manure, and our own compost
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and so gradually it builds up to a fair height, but it also improves the drainage
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and it also improves the quality, and look at the quality of that soil.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16I can tell you it wasn't like that ten years ago, it's just getting better and better,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20so you have to use the soil well, you have to treat the soil well.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22People will talk about leaching of nutrients
0:07:22 > 0:07:24because of the amount of rain there's been,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28so when you do prepare the ground for planting your vegetables,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31be sure that you add maybe just a wee touch
0:07:31 > 0:07:34more of the general fertiliser before you plant.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38How do you prevent it? Well, as I've said, plenty use of organic matter.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42But there's two other things you can do. If you're going to leave the ground bare,
0:07:42 > 0:07:43you can mulch it.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45David Ferguson down at Greenbank mentioned this,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49you can mulch it with a couple of inches of organic matter
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and that will stop the destruction of these top levels of the soil.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57And the alternative to that, which we've used here umpteen times,
0:07:57 > 0:07:58is to put in a green manure crop.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02That will protect the surface and the structure of the soil.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05So I'm looking forward to getting a fairly early start.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09The temperature there now is six degrees Celsius,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11the temperature in that one is eight.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Now that's a woven fabric, that's a solid plastic,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20and in the open ground, over the back, it's five. So we were getting up
0:08:20 > 0:08:23to seven or eight to be able to start planting.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I reckon the tatties will be going in erelong.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28But look at that, it's just wonderful.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Now then, in early February, Carole Baxter went off to Stirlingshire
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and it was snowing,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40but she was in search of a unique collection of early spring colour.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Wait until you see this. It's beautiful.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53For my first visit of the year, I've come to Dunblane.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Now this gold postbox celebrates the achievements
0:08:56 > 0:09:02of that famous tennis star, Andy Murray, who actually comes from Dunblane itself.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Now I'm here for something completely different.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07I'm going to celebrate the achievements of the Scottish Rock Garden Club,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09with their early bulb display.
0:09:18 > 0:09:25Well, the club was founded by about nine enthusiastic people in 1933 in the Rutland Hotel in Edinburgh,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28and we feel they should have a little blue plaque on the hotel from that.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We have about nine shows and displays throughout the year,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and about an equal number
0:09:33 > 0:09:36of local groups in different parts of the country.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40So one of the biggest gardening clubs in Scotland - or THE biggest?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43In terms of membership, the Rock Garden Club is the biggest,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46because the Rock Garden Club is a very friendly club,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49it's as much about people as about plants.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Well, I get the feeling that it is such a social occasion
0:09:52 > 0:09:55for everybody, which I think is wonderful.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Wow, Beryl, what a display you've got here.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- The iris, are they quite early?- Yes, very early.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Been outside all winter in their pots.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So you haven't protected them at all?
0:10:05 > 0:10:07No, not until this week, we put them in the tunnel...
0:10:07 > 0:10:11- OK.- ..just to protect them, because the flowers get shredded if it's windy.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16- Are you buying anything? - I don't know, I'm curious. - Oh, you must be tempted, I'm sure.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- I'm always tempted.- What in particular do you get tempted by?
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Well, I think I'm looking at some of Ian's snowdrops,
0:10:23 > 0:10:29- but I'm trying not to be a galanthophile.- That's too expensive, isn't it?- It is.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I started hybridising about 20, 25 years ago.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Wow, because it takes a long time to bulk up, doesn't it?- It does.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Well, it takes from seed to flower, it's about four years,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and then you've still only got the one bulb, so then you've got
0:10:42 > 0:10:45to multiply them up so that you can then offer them around to people.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48So it is, it's a long-term business.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52I love bulbs, I'm a fanatic, so it's good to be here.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56We both like narcissi, we both grow a lot of the dwarf narcissi...
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- Species of dwarf ones.- Yeah. - So you're bound to be tempted then.
0:10:59 > 0:11:05Oh, yeah, I've been lifting things from Mrs Wright already.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08All the good ones have gone then, you haven't left anything for me!
0:11:08 > 0:11:12- Yeah.- Oh, no, there's still good ones in there.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15INAUDIBLE
0:11:17 > 0:11:19There's a real buzz about the day,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22with a couple of lectures going on, there's stands around the edge.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26That's a chance for you to browse and buy some superb alpines,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30but I think the highlight is the display of the plants.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Ian, you're well-known for loving your snowdrops
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and this is your display that you've brought here.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45They're not all mine, but I think the most important thing
0:11:45 > 0:11:47that we see here are in fact the leaves to start with.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49That's one of the main differences.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52And then, in their markings, some of them are doubles.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Some of them have got a little bit of yellow in them.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And tall ones, short ones, something for everybody here.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Something for everybody, but maybe not one of them,
0:12:01 > 0:12:06because you've spent a fortune, haven't you, on just one variety?
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Well, this is a very special species of snowdrop,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11which is a Galanthus woronowii,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14and I think again you can see that it's a completely different leaf.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18- And it's got yellow. - Yes, it's got yellow, that's the special thing about it.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Most of these will hybridise with each other
0:12:20 > 0:12:23and that's how there are so many different ones.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26But here, we've got a unique one that will not hybridise
0:12:26 > 0:12:31that I know of with anything else. It was £725.10.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33That ten pence is really important (!)
0:12:33 > 0:12:37The money was given to the person whose garden it was found in
0:12:37 > 0:12:42and they employ a gardener because, you know, they're getting on a bit like me, maybe.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54All of these crocuses are totally hardy,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56and you can see the variations of colour,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59but that one there is what they call stoloniferous,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01which means it sends out little runners.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03So you start off with one there
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and then next year you'll get one over there and one over there
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and gradually get a big clump of them, so it's really worthwhile buying that.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20And this is a lovely collection, isn't it?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Well, all of these again are totally hardy in the garden
0:13:23 > 0:13:25and you can see the variations in the colour.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31This is Iris reticulata over here, and this particular one is a species.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34This is Iris winogradowii
0:13:34 > 0:13:36and this Iris histrioides.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39The thing is that whatever we do, nature can get up to mischief
0:13:39 > 0:13:43when we're not looking because if that one and that one get together,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45they can produce that.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47And that is stunning, absolutely gorgeous.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Now I know we've talked about them being hardy, but what about the kind of compost that you should use,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53or the type of soil?
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Well, I'm old-fashioned in the fact that I use sterilised loam,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01which is John Innes No.3 and I mix that up with some sharp grit,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04or maybe even a little bit of finer grit like that there
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- and a little bit of leaf mould and that's it.- Yeah.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- Good drainage, though, that's important.- Yes, good drainage.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12And how often would you divide those?
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Well, depends on how many I want to sell.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Generally, we would leave them for two or three years in the ground,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22and we would lift out the pot
0:14:22 > 0:14:25and at that time we would remove the small bulbils
0:14:25 > 0:14:28that look like rice grains, because we would replant those,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30pot up the big ones and you end up with that.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33And I mean, it's wonderful because they'll last about a month.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Well, you say that's one of the best, I think this is a superb show.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Middle of February, lots of colour, it's not competitive,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- but it's a great atmosphere. So thanks very much, Ian. - Thank you.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59So, end of February, lots of colour in Dunblane.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01End of March, lots of colour here in Beechgrove.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03We've got a wonderful cherry here,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Prunus incisa, which is one of these honest cherries.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08It flowers about the same time every year,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11but this year it's got lots of new companions.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15There's a dactylorhiza over there, wonderful spotted foliage.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Never seen it out at this time of the year before.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20And then down in front of us, look at that over there.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24There's a trillium over there, a little thing called Trillium rivale.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27That is exquisite when you look up inside the flower.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Forward of that,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33we've got a three-lobed leaf on Hepatica triloba
0:15:33 > 0:15:34and that is exquisite.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Again, the top of the flower when you look into it,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41with these stamens and this wonderful deep purple
0:15:41 > 0:15:44and sometimes pink, sometimes white. Great plant.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46In front of me, look at that. Corydalis.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48There's a white one, there's a pink one,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50there's a mauve one somewhere over there
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and they will possibly hybridise
0:15:52 > 0:15:57and we'll get this sheet of corydalis in here, if the bees do their work properly.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And then right down in front of me, we've got this little pea.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Vernal means spring.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07This is Lathyrus vernus, the spring pea. It's out early.
0:16:07 > 0:16:08You wonder how it does it.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13It's not just the understorey herbaceous plants and bulbs
0:16:13 > 0:16:16that signify spring has arrived.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20The shrubs also sing their springtime chorus.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22And nothing denotes spring better
0:16:22 > 0:16:26than a hazel with its beautiful male catkins.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28The strange thing about this plant is that
0:16:28 > 0:16:30it has male and female flowers on exactly the same plant.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33The male distributing the pollen, this is wind pollinated,
0:16:33 > 0:16:38and then the female, these tiny little red receptors,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42usually emerge just a little later to avoid cross pollination.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44This is a plant, the contorted version,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47which was originally found in the hedgerows of Gloucestershire,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51allegedly by a vicar who was cycling to church on a Sunday morning.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53And the spiralling nature,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57this rather macabre twist is caused by a genetic hiccup.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01The cells expand faster on one side of the stem than on the other,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03and so, you get this wonderful natural corkscrew.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06It's slow growing but when it produces a specimen like that,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08it's worth it.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12And it's in flower exactly on time, just when we'd expect it.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17But Corylopsis pauciflora, well, this I think, is about three weeks early.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20And I have to say, you will not find a finer specimen.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23This is exactly why you grow the shrub.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Very elegant, open habit, it's a member of the hamamelis family,
0:17:27 > 0:17:32so it must have an acid soil and will also tolerate dappled shade.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34But of course, we grow it for its blooms.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38These wonderful pendant racemes, tightly packed flowers,
0:17:38 > 0:17:43lime green in colour and it's a real feast for early insects
0:17:43 > 0:17:46because they're around, as well as early flowers.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Well, it's time for a whistle-stop tour of the glass house because
0:17:52 > 0:17:55by jingo, there's a lot of things going on at the present moment.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Many of you will have your seed potatoes chitting.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Sitting this way up, the rose end, where most of the eyes are
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and producing beautiful little chits like that.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And they will be fine and they will give you a better crop,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09if you take the time to do it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14Some people, unfortunately, might have chits, as it were, like that.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16No, I don't think so, because, in fact,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20the likelihood is they will be broken off when they're planted.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23So, why not just take them off? Like so.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Because... Just look,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28there's some lovely chits just coming along, lower down.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30So, I would take these off
0:18:30 > 0:18:32because they're not going to do any good at all.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Moving from a well-known crop to one that's not so well-known,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I would suggest, and that is oca, or the New Zealand yam.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41There it is.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43It's a tuber, same family as oxalis,
0:18:43 > 0:18:48treated like a potato or it can be grated just raw into salads
0:18:48 > 0:18:50and I'm told it's got a nice lemony flavour.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51So there we are.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56If you've got room, you might want to grow the oca or yam.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Next job, taking dahlia cuttings.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Look at these wonderful cuttings that are coming off the tubers,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06which have been growing there nicely. So, here we go.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08We take the cutting, we remove the lower leaves.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12These are sonsy. Beautiful, big cuttings, aren't they?
0:19:12 > 0:19:17And then, with a sharp knife, near the base, like so.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Nice clean cut, just under the joint.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Pop it in the rooting hormone
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and then... The rooting compost
0:19:26 > 0:19:30I use for all my cuttings is peat and sand. 50/50 peat and sand.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32I've used it for about 50 years, I can tell you.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35And it works and I don't see why I should change.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Once that has three or four cuttings in,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40it goes into the propagating case here, which has bottom heat.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44It has cables underneath, temperature in there is about 70
0:19:44 > 0:19:48and these will root quite nicely in ten days to a fortnight.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50But you won't need them for a while yet
0:19:50 > 0:19:52because they won't be planted out until June.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Moving on swiftly, planting beans indoors.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59The point being...we're talking all through this programme
0:19:59 > 0:20:01about the soil and the weather conditions.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04When will soil be ready for planting out seeds?
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Could be late April, well into May for some people.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Well, in the meantime, if you plant your beans,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12whether it be broad beans, runner beans, French beans,
0:20:12 > 0:20:18green beans, yellow beans, whatever, pop them in here and by the time
0:20:18 > 0:20:23that soil is in a condition for planting seeds outside,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26you could be planting young plants with a top on them like that,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29so you've extended the season, better crops.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It goes without saying. That's the way to do it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33I have done it for years and years.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Now then, the other big job is, of course,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38keeping up with the so-called pricking off of seedlings,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40giving them a bit of space.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Now, don't be afraid to catch them by the seed leaf.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46That, in fact, is what you should do.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47Look at that, beautifully rooted.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52Then, straight into the compost and the next thing is to really push
0:20:52 > 0:20:57them down so that these seed leaves are on the surface of the compost.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01And then when you water, the soil itself is compacted and they
0:21:01 > 0:21:06stand slightly proud, absolutely ideal to get fine, sturdy seedlings.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08So they'll come on very nicely.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09Now then, back in February,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13George Anderson went to see Lady Ann Fraser, a galanthophile of note,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15down there just south of Edinburgh
0:21:15 > 0:21:18and what a stunning garden she's got.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I'm in East Lothian today, in the village of Inveresk,
0:21:29 > 0:21:33just outside Edinburgh, to visit a garden which is full,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36packed to the gunnels, with spring delights.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Come and meet Ann Fraser.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Well, Ann, isn't it a privilege to be able to come to a garden
0:21:49 > 0:21:52in the very early spring or the end of winter, as this is,
0:21:52 > 0:21:53and see awakening?
0:21:53 > 0:21:56It's absolutely magic and I think that's one of the things
0:21:56 > 0:21:58about a garden, there's always something of interest
0:21:58 > 0:22:01and there's a lot of colour, even at this time of year.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Isn't it surprising?
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Have you noticed things being much earlier this year?
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Well, the snowdrops have been earlier and they've lasted longer so...
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- Well, that's a bonus, isn't it?- Yes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Now, what was here when you came?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14- Well, it was a wilderness.- Because it wasn't like this?
0:22:14 > 0:22:16No, we came in 1957, after we got married
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and neither of us really knew anything about gardening.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- Everything evolves. - Everything changes, yes.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26And I do love this division of the apples. This is what?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Malus Red Sentinel.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Yes, so winter colour and the winter colour too
0:22:31 > 0:22:35which we've got on these pillars of beech is just phenomenal.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Well, we put them in not so very long ago, about five years ago.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43And I agree, the colour of the beech at this time of year
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and you've got to have something in the winter to look at,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49otherwise the garden can be very boring.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52A garden's never boring, is it?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Let's have a look at some of this spring colour.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02Lots of spring colour.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Lots of spring colour,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08the hellebores are very good because I enjoy painting hellebores.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09Ah.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Yes, this painting...
0:23:12 > 0:23:16I hear that this was how you got into snowdrops.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20That's right because a friend of mine asked me to paint some snowdrops.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24I said I only had the common one, so she sent five different varieties
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and she said plant them in the garden when you're finished.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31And this is what I did and that was about eight, ten years ago.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35And I've never looked back, so I've now got 70 different varieties.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36My goodness.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38It's an expensive hobby though.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- Yes, but rewarding this time of year.- Rewarding, yes.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43One or two bulbs and now look at it.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And that one over there?
0:23:45 > 0:23:49That one is Desdemona and the white ticket is not for the snowdrops,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52- it is a poem about snowdrops.- Ah!
0:23:52 > 0:23:55And it's surprising how many of the great poets wrote
0:23:55 > 0:23:57poems about snowdrops.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00For the literary, as well as the horticulturally inclined.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01Absolutely, yes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03But aconites are looking splendid.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05There's crocus coming through the aconites.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08All these layers of colour and then the...
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Cornus mas, which is lovely at this time of year and then
0:24:12 > 0:24:17in the summer it creates deep shade under here, so everything dies back.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20And in the autumn you get a bit of autumn colour.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Does this one colour up well in the autumn?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25It can colour up quite well and last year we had a lot of fruit,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28not that we ever try eating it. I'm not quite sure,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31I haven't looked it up but I imagine it's probably edible.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35- I think you can eat it, but like you, I'd be a little bit wary.- Yes.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Let's go and have a look at these hellebores.- Right.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48- I mean, look at those. - You can see the hellebores.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50That's just a cracker, just splendid.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Now, often they hang their heads down, don't they?
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And we don't see the hellebores properly.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- Yes, because they have lovely markings inside.- Yes.
0:24:58 > 0:24:59- So, sometimes... - You've got mirrors out.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02We put mirrors out so people can see underneath.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- Ericsmithii, which is there. - Yes, it's doing very well.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- That is splendid, looks straight at you.- Looks straight at you, yes.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11And then here, this is what? Ashwood Garden hybrids.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17This is Ashwood Garden hybrids, they're old orientalis varieties.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19The flower on those is fantastic.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22They're very good this year and they last for several months,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24so it's very good value.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Now, you're looking very clean.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28You've got no old foliage on, have you?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Well, I always cut the foliage off in January,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33as soon as I see the flower emerging.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37And I think they look much better without the leaves
0:25:37 > 0:25:40and the leaves are inclined to have disease.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43There's a hint, then. Get in amongst them and get the old leaves off.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Get the old leaves off and then you can really see the flowers.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Right, what's this you've got here?
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- Well, this is our new project, a shell house.- Ah.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55There were, historically in East Lothian,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59there were about three different places of shell houses.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02The nearest one being Newhailes, and so, we thought, well,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05we'll make a modern one.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10- Right and local shells?- Local shells from mussels from Musselburgh.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14- Now, flowers depicted on the back wall, these are what?- Alliums.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15They're meant to be alliums, yes.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18- It's not just a spring garden, it's summer and autumn...- Oh, yes.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Right up to the autumn, yes. There's always something to look at.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Look at the crocus.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33I know, they've just sprung up suddenly and, of course,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35the sun helps just to open them up.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- Just two or three days and all of a sudden, they're there.- Yes.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39Just magic.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42But lots of snowdrops here. That's a good one, look at that.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- That's a double one, Nerissa.- Right.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49And one of the first ones I had and it's spread all round there.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- But look, there's an iris... - Stinking iris.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54- Yeah, with the seed heads on it. - Yes.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57So different from the ones that we've got out in flower now.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Absolutely.- Absolutely, the Katharine Hodgkin and...
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- The tall bearded ones that like the sun.- But the snowdrops are the thing.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I mean, this Percy Picton which is round there.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07That, to me, that is what a snowdrop should be about.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Yes, it has spread enormously well.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13The first time I've had enough to sell this year
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and they've all sold out.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Right, well, that's good. That is good.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20- Anyway, thank you very much. - Not at all, not at all.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I'll tell you, this blanket weed here, is that early?
0:27:26 > 0:27:32- Oh, is that early? About five weeks early, we reckon.- Really?- Yeah.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- Never been killed off over the winter.- Not quite, yeah.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39- But the frog spawn's early, as well. Which is good news.- It is indeed.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41And what about these chaps here?
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Well, these have done extremely well. That's sarracenia
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and we just thought we'd keep them in a wee clump,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48- but I think we should just let them run.- Definitely.- Great stuff.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51If you'd like any more information about this week's
0:27:51 > 0:27:52programme, it's all in the factsheet
0:27:52 > 0:27:55and the easiest way to access that is on our website.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- And for next week, something new for you, Chris?- Yeah, very new.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Well, I'm unearthing, literally,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04the debris that's left behind in a new-build garden,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06when the developer leaves town.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09And I'm trying to inspire gardeners to garden in these spaces.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12It's tough, but we're getting there.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- How's the muscles?- Yeah, well, I'm working on the muscles.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17And what are you doing, George?
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Next week, having a look at shallots and onions, things which we put in
0:28:20 > 0:28:24the allotment and Carole's had here and see how they've over wintered.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26And I'm consigned to the lawn to do something with it.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30- Catching up with the season as well. Until next time, bye.- Goodbye.