0:00:13 > 0:00:15Hello, and welcome to Beechgrove.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17And, by jingo, there's a change in the weather
0:00:17 > 0:00:19since we were in the garden last.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22In fact, I've been doing some raking this morning before I came out.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Raking out the old winter woollies, cos it is a bit cool, is it not?
0:00:26 > 0:00:28- It is, definitely. - Oh, what a difference.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Yeah, we talk about "ne'er cast a clout till May's out."
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Well, the May is in full flower now,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and you should be thinking about, you know, reducing,
0:00:36 > 0:00:37but I've been ADDING layers!
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- So it's time for a changeover?- It is. But it's so typical, isn't it?
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Temperature drops and we wanted to put out the summer bedding.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45- Here we go.- Time to change the duvet.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47The winter weather doesn't matter, we're now into summer.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- You'll be keeping some of this? - Yes, I'll talk a bit about that
0:00:50 > 0:00:52- in a minute or two. - Yeah, yeah, that's splendid.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Well, in the meantime in the rest of the programme...
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Well, I'm following this bedding plant theme
0:00:57 > 0:00:59because I've been back to Aden Country Park,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02where they're producing all these bedding plants for the community.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06And I'll be looking at those plants that are sometimes just
0:01:06 > 0:01:09far too boisterous for their own good in our borders,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11becoming weeds.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14But it's those very plants that can solve problems
0:01:14 > 0:01:16in the most difficult areas of our garden.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Well, as you can see, I've been left by myself here,
0:01:23 > 0:01:24and I'm doing a bit of clearing out.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27So, what are we going to keep? What's going to go?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Well, I think the only thing that's going to go on the compost heap
0:01:30 > 0:01:32is the forget-me-not, the myosotis there.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Everything else at the moment, I'm going to try and keep it
0:01:35 > 0:01:37for another year.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39The hyacinths,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41they give beautiful flowers in the first year.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44And what we did last year, cos we grew some,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47is we actually naturalised them in the wild flower area,
0:01:47 > 0:01:48and they did produce flowers,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52not as wonderful blooms but at least they did produce something.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55So these are going to go into the wild flower area as well.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Violas - well, normally we compost those,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00but I'm thinking about keeping them this year.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04And what I want to do is just give them a bit of a trim.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I know it seems a bit of a shame that we're trimming off all these
0:02:07 > 0:02:12lovely flowers but that's to encourage some nice new foliage,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and not only can we maybe keep the main plant
0:02:15 > 0:02:19but if it puts on new growth, we can take one or two cuttings as well.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Now, the polyanthus, I never throw these out.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25These are great perennial plants.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29And if you take a look at this, I've got two rosettes there.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31So, to me, that is two plants.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Just got to try and tease them apart.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37And then, it's a little bit like we do with the leeks,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39we do a bit of topping and tailing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41So, starting off with the roots...
0:02:41 > 0:02:45I'll just cut these in half,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47and then the actual top,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51I'm changing my hand, cut that off in half...
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And I know that looks pretty awful,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55but if we line that out in the nursery,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59and by the autumn time we're going to have a lovely plant to put out
0:02:59 > 0:03:03again for our bedding displays for over the winter and spring again.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06The tulips, little bit dicey here
0:03:06 > 0:03:08about whether you keep tulips or not.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11We don't have very long, hot summers,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and most of the tulips don't particularly perform well
0:03:14 > 0:03:16for a second year.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20However, species tulips are good, greigii hybrids.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21And if you do want to try
0:03:21 > 0:03:25and save some of your tulips, well, then what you must do is heel
0:03:25 > 0:03:28those in, let the foliage die down,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and then actually, you need to lift them and store them
0:03:31 > 0:03:35somewhere dark and warm with plenty of ventilation.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36Now, moving on.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Here are some of the plants that we're going to try for the summer.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And it's a range of half-hardy and hardy annuals,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44things that we haven't grown before and things
0:03:44 > 0:03:46that are new in the catalogues.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The bed's been nicely prepared, and a bit of fertiliser put down.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52So we've just got to do the planting.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Well, it's great to see the vegetable plot filling up gradually,
0:03:57 > 0:03:58and looking really good.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00So I'm just having a quick look,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03checking up on the cabbage spacing observation.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Close spacing, wide spacing, see how they do.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08And they're coming away quite nicely.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12There's a bit of a gap here in the brassica plot,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14and that's going to be filled any time now
0:04:14 > 0:04:16with a whole range of kales,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18different types of kale.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And, George, if people haven't got plants at this stage
0:04:21 > 0:04:24when would you say that they could go on sowing?
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Well, you can sow right on till...what, the end of August.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28- Yes, all right. - We used to reckon 23rd August
0:04:28 > 0:04:31was the last date for us in East Lothian but, you know.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- But the job in hand today is actually planting leeks.- Yes.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37But first and foremost, and I'm not pulling your leg,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39that is poetry in motion...
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- HE LAUGHS - ..watching you raking.- Right.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44And there's a lesson in that, because what does that hand do
0:04:44 > 0:04:45when you're raking?
0:04:45 > 0:04:47This one guides it, keeps it on the top of the ground,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51and this one here is providing the power...
0:04:51 > 0:04:55So often I see gardeners who'll go "bang", and then pull it.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57You know, as if they're raking... I'm sorry.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59I've spotted a puncture.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- You know what? You take the weight on that front.- Yes, yeah.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- The weight's held on that one there. - Yeah,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- you don't just let it do its own thing, do you?- No.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- Anyway.- Anyway.- That's that bit done.- That's that bit...- Now,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- you wanted me to take out drills for these leeks.- Yeah.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18We're going to compare a drill with just...on the flat.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Right.- And the first thing we're going to do,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24and before you tramp them, I'll just lift these...these leeks here.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28These are the variety Musselburgh.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Now, you must have been weaned on Musselburgh leeks
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- because that's where you come from. - That's right,
0:05:33 > 0:05:34- we're not far from Musselburgh.- Yes.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37And it was one of the most important leeks in Scotland for a long,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- long time.- Absolutely.- This is what they call a true breeding line.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43You pick the seeds off the mature plants and you sow them,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47and you go on and on. How many sowings of Musselburgh leeks
0:05:47 > 0:05:48have been made since you were born?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50I would say 21, but I think that's wrong.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53I think it's... be nearer about 60-odd.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56My point is that with time, they deteriorate in terms of
0:05:56 > 0:05:59they've got minor viruses and things,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and the selection of the seed is maybe not the same.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Well, yeah, so the variety of which they had
0:06:04 > 0:06:08in the 18 or early 1900s will be different to the one we have now.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- Well, that's the whole... - It's the same name.- But to prove it
0:06:10 > 0:06:13we've got another couple of varieties there
0:06:13 > 0:06:17that are modern varieties, which presumably are more vibrant
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and basically should give us a heavier crop.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- Well, this is Cairngorm. - Uh-huh.- Good name.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- This is Northern Lights. Good name for us this far north.- Yes.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27So they must be hardy. And we'll see what they like.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30All sown at the same time, and there is a difference in the vigour,
0:06:30 > 0:06:31even already.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- Now, Carole's just used that phrase "topped and tailed"...- Mm-hm.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36..with our polyanthus.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38I've always topped and tailed leaks.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- Yes, well, just a wee bit off the roots.- Yes.- Just to tidy them up.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- Yes.- And the same with the top. The same with the tops.- Yes, yes.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46- We've done these before but... - Now, technically,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48I don't suppose it's necessary.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- Makes it easier to handle, though. - That's...that is the point.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53- It's the whole point. It's commercial.- That's right.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56You will see the difference when you start to do that...
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- Because you can separate them.- Yes.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Now, I make holes in the bottom of a...drill and drop them down
0:07:04 > 0:07:06into the hole, like so.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09And the holes are about four inches apart.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12The point being that, you know, you just whack along there,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and they separate easily and you can do the job quickly.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- Don't fill the hole, fill it with water...- Yeah.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21..and it carries enough soil down to...
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- Your own piecework here.- Yes. You get so much per mile.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25That's right.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- JIM LAUGHS - Let's get on with it.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39This is the busiest end of the garden at Beechgrove.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41The glasshouses, the polytunnels,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45all full of crops waiting to be planted out.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Similarly, the cold frames here are absolutely packed.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51And an area of the garden which is key, the nursery beds,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55any plant which hasn't yet found a home or is being relocated
0:07:55 > 0:07:58spends a short amount of time just here.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01But, in any garden, no matter how good, how well-planned...
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Sorry, Jane, treading on your stones.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05..there is always a space where you don't
0:08:05 > 0:08:09really know what to do, and this is the area that we've been
0:08:09 > 0:08:12averting our eyes from here in the garden.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13It's not best placed
0:08:13 > 0:08:17because we've got the overshadowing carpinus hedge behind,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19so it's very dry underneath that.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22We've got the rather ugly shed, which is the irrigation pump house,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24a self-set sambucus,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27which is raiding soil, nutrients and moisture,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31as well as drains and various stumps and stones.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35And in fact the only thing that thrives in this space is weeds.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37And in order to deal with this, it's the weeds
0:08:37 > 0:08:39which give us inspiration.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42So for instance, plants like rosebay willowherb,
0:08:42 > 0:08:47a really good, effective self-seeder produces massive seeds
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and just finds a home wherever it can.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Plants like the meadow buttercup, this rhizomatous habit,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58scavenging and spreading, looking for that essential niche.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02And we all know of course how voracious brambles are
0:09:02 > 0:09:04at just clothing and covering a site.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08They may not be glamorous but what they do is give you
0:09:08 > 0:09:12a hint as to how to solve a challenge like this.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16And that's to go for the adventurous and gregarious, the aggressive
0:09:16 > 0:09:21nature of these weeds, but using altogether more glamorous plants.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23So, while the girls carry on weeding and stone picking...
0:09:23 > 0:09:25I'm going in search of glamour.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31In this border we're not improving the soil with fertiliser
0:09:31 > 0:09:32or organic matter,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35we're just relying on the plant's resilience.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37But what we are doing is creating a margin,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39a border, out of stones salvaged from elsewhere.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Oops.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I haven't even touched them... It was him!
0:09:56 > 0:10:00That doyenne of horticulture, Gertrude Jekyll,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03of course so famed for her herbaceous borders,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07told us that weeds are just a plant in the wrong place,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09something which is a little overexuberant.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12And there's nothing that proves the point better than anthriscus,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13the "Ravenswing" here.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15We planted one or two specimens.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17And just look at the way they've self-seeded.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20I've managed to scavenge one or two others too.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Geranium macrorrhizum, very good for the sunshine.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26But when you scavenge around at the roots,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30you realise why it's such a good coloniser. Look at that.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34These wonderful rhizomes forming a fabulous mat for sun.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38And doing a very similar job in the shade is
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Pulmonaria saccharata.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46Again, look at that congested mat of roots and stems.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48So I've got shade, I've got sun,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51and I've got more glamorous anthriscus.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53It's a great start.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07The woody structural plants in this part of the garden
0:11:07 > 0:11:10are going to mimic very much the habit of the brambles that were
0:11:10 > 0:11:13so at home here until we cleared the site.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16And prime candidate, of course, the roses.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18This one is maigold, one of the old-fashioned climbing roses,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21very thorny. And it's so rampant,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24it will easily clothe and disguise the shed,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and also go into the hedge and just run through the hedge
0:11:27 > 0:11:29covering this in the most vibrant colours.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33But you don't have to use rambling and climbing roses
0:11:33 > 0:11:35up a vertical support.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39This is "Rambling Rector", which is one of the most vigorous,
0:11:39 > 0:11:40and it has to be said,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42one of the most glamorous of all of this style of rose.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Instead of planting it vertically, lay it down on an angle.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51And that means that these shoots, they arch,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55and as soon as they're just tipping over the top of that arch,
0:11:55 > 0:11:56you peg them back into the ground.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00It allows them to root and run across the border,
0:12:00 > 0:12:01just like a briar would,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03but you're controlling this
0:12:03 > 0:12:06wonderful fan of foliage and flowers.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And then you can interplant bulbs or herbaceous to your heart's content.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Yeah, I think the geum can run off of the Geranium macrorrhizums here.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23OK. Great, thank you.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25You look to what we had before, and it didn't make any sense.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27You walked past and didn't pay any attention.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Then as soon as you dot a few plants in...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32"Actually, that's kind of working," you know?
0:12:32 > 0:12:34You can see how it's knitting together.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44One of the things about using plants in this sort of environment is
0:12:44 > 0:12:46you have to go for the ones that are real brutes.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51And Clematis montana is certainly a good example of that.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55But just like the rose, if you take away its support
0:12:55 > 0:12:56it's got nowhere to go.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59And so clematis
0:12:59 > 0:13:02can be allowed to sprawl around in the bank.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Remember to put them low on the bank and allow them to sprawl up,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08because they'll naturally want to go uphill, gathering towards the light.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11They think they're chasing something to climb up. But of course,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13there is nothing here which is going to support them.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Now the border's planted it looks less like a derelict area
0:13:27 > 0:13:30of the garden and more like, well, a border.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And remember, the core of this solution
0:13:33 > 0:13:36relies on the inspiration you gain from weeds.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40The roses and clematis very much mimicking that bramble
0:13:40 > 0:13:42that was bouncing around and colonising.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46And then we've got the self-seeding plants
0:13:46 > 0:13:49like the digitalis and angelicas.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54And amongst that we've then got the mercurial plants, the spreaders.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59Things like the wall valerians, the goldenrod, the solidago,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01and the geums. These are plants that,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05given good garden soil and an ideal position, just take over.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07And we call them weeds, we dig them up and try and give them away,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11but in this situation, where the soil and site are challenged,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14it's exactly what we need to solve the problem.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Plant them densely and let them fight it out amongst themselves.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32So, something different for bedding.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35What I've done is I've brought together a whole range
0:14:35 > 0:14:39of plants which you wouldn't normally associate with a bedding scheme.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42There are things in here which have come from all over the garden,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46there are perennials, there are annuals, there are biennials.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50And we're going to put them together and make something which is
0:14:50 > 0:14:54very similar to a formal, traditional bedding scheme.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58But the colour scheme may be slightly zany but slightly different.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02There will be different textures of foliage which we'll use as well.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04That will all come out in the mix.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09This one that's here is Lysimachia "Firecracker".
0:15:09 > 0:15:12And it's the one which you would normally see as a plant
0:15:12 > 0:15:14in a herbaceous border, it's a perennial,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16has yellow flowers, but I don't want the yellow flowers
0:15:16 > 0:15:21so I'm going to keep cutting it back so I just get the foliage.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Now, purple is difficult in a garden sometimes,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27it absorbs the light, it disappears, you don't really see it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29And so what I want to do is lighten that,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33and in order to lighten it I've got this one here, which is felicia.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37And that's a little variegated plant with blue flowers.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Now, I'm not sure whether blue goes with purple but we'll see.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Some people wear purple ties with blue spots, you've seen it.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45So that's what we'll have in there.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47That will lighten it, and variegated plants
0:15:47 > 0:15:52are things which really lighten the textural quality of the foliage.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Next to that we've got at the back here
0:15:54 > 0:15:57a line which is a sort of definition line.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And that is pennisetum, one of the hare-tail grasses
0:16:00 > 0:16:03which has got very, very fine textural qualities
0:16:03 > 0:16:05in the flower heads.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07And I want to use that, the light will play on that.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11It'll be at its best at the back end, right into September,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13maybe even October.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Now, to continue the purple theme forward, we've got
0:16:16 > 0:16:19two vegetables which were left over from the veg plot.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22This is a kale called Bolshoi,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24and I love the cut foliage on this
0:16:24 > 0:16:28and the great mix that we've got of purples and greens.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31That's good there. It will be mixed through some of these plants here,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34through some of these zinnias and things of that sort.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And then this one here, redbor,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39I mean, I think that's magnificent, look at that.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Look at the colour that's on there. That's superb.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45But it's maybe just too dull, too dark.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47And if I put it in this corner it's just going to disappear,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50so I'm going to put a contrast with it.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51This is a lupin,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54a little dwarf lupin. It'll have white flowers on it,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and they'll come up through the middle of it
0:16:56 > 0:16:58cos I'm going to plant the two together.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59It's companion planting.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01And maybe actually if I plant them together
0:17:01 > 0:17:04the pigeons won't see that purple foliage and think that
0:17:04 > 0:17:08that is a cabbage, because sometimes they're quite clever and they do.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Now, behind us we've got some quite familiar plants.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15The one that I was holding right at the very beginning was
0:17:15 > 0:17:18this, which is the spider plant.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20And that is one which we can use at the front,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and allow to spill over the edge.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25We can do that with lobelia. We've got some little sweet peas here
0:17:25 > 0:17:26as well, which we could use.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30These ones which were leftover from other jobs in the garden.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33But in front of it, our burst of sunshine.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Look at that. That's a fuchsia.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38That's a trailing fuchsia which we normally see in our hanging basket,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42but Chris used roses and clematis as a ground cover.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47I want to use this ground-hugging fuchsia as a ground cover here,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and one which will then give us this wonderful uplift,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53this ray of sunshine within the whole thing.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57So, different plants from different parts of the garden,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02all brought together to try and create a traditional bedding scheme.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03We'll see if it works.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12Well, I hope you agree with me
0:18:12 > 0:18:15that you can see quite a transformation here.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17I mean, that bed's been cleared and it's been lined out with
0:18:17 > 0:18:21loads of different plants, but I want to start here with this one.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And it's going to be absolutely full of dahlias.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And, first of all, I would really like to compliment the gardeners
0:18:27 > 0:18:30because these are fantastic plants.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34These ones in this section are dahlias grown from seed,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36and they were started off in March.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38But the ones right in the corner, well,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40those were little plugs that came in.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44I think it's a lovely variety, a variety called "Dreamy",
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and there's one already in flower.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49That one's "Dreamy Nights", and I think it looks superb.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51So these ones are nice and compact,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54but even smaller, are the ones in the hanging baskets there.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Again, those were grown from seed, and that's a variety called
0:18:57 > 0:19:01"Fireworks", only growing to ten inches in height.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05And then we go to the other extreme, the ones that are still in pots.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08These are the show dahlias, grown from tubers,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12and they will grow anything from three to five feet in height,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14so they will need staking.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17And some of the names, I think, gives away the size of them.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Some of them are called dinner plates, there's going to be
0:19:20 > 0:19:23a range of colours, and it really will be a splash of colour.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27And then we move on to the display here
0:19:27 > 0:19:29which is all about cut flowers.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And one of our gardeners actually grows a lot of cut flowers,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and she gave me a list, and I decided to choose 12 of them,
0:19:36 > 0:19:37and put them to the test.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40So, you know, we've got things like the cosmos,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43there's an ageratum over there. That one grows to 2ft 6.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46I mean, we tend to think of the dwarf varieties.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51And what we'll do is once they start to flower, we will cut them
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and see how long they last.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02It was late March when I last came to Aden Country Park
0:20:02 > 0:20:04here in North Aberdeenshire.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I came to check out a brand-new allotment setup.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10And before we left the park we crossed to the other side
0:20:10 > 0:20:13to the local authority nursery,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15where they were starting the process of creating and producing
0:20:15 > 0:20:18bedding plants for communities across the land.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21It's now late May, let's see what progress has been made.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Well, the fact is, of course, that this is the 50th anniversary
0:20:29 > 0:20:30of Britain In Bloom,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34so communities across the whole breadth of the United Kingdom
0:20:34 > 0:20:36are actually in the process of doing this.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40The first part of the job is done by the professionals in this
0:20:40 > 0:20:43part of the world, and then finally, of course, it's a
0:20:43 > 0:20:47bunch of volunteers that will put all these lovely plants out in situ,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and look after them through the entire summer.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Last time we were here, Jack, you did tell me
0:21:00 > 0:21:02how many plants you produced. Remind me.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- 300,000 - bedding plants.- Wow!
0:21:05 > 0:21:06To how many communities?
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Probably about 180 communities now, villages and big towns getting...
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Across the length and breadth of Aberdeenshire.- Yeah.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Are they limited to how many plants they can have?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19They were originally limited to 1,500 plants
0:21:19 > 0:21:21but some of the bigger villages have increased that
0:21:21 > 0:21:24to 3,000 plants, maybe 4,000 in the bigger ones, so...
0:21:24 > 0:21:26- And who pays for all this? - The council does.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29So that's the council commitment to this whole scheme...
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- Yeah.- ..is they produce the plants. Now, we're in a...a tunnel here
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- which is predominantly petunias. - Mm-hm.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37But what are your most favourite,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and what are the most popular plants?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- Geraniums, begonias, petunias.- Yes.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- That's probably your biggest ones... - These are by far the biggest.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Now, tell me about the selections, because, do the communities,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53these 180 communities, send you in a wish list for which you
0:21:53 > 0:21:56compile your orders for seeds and things like that?
0:21:56 > 0:21:58No, I actually produce the wish list.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00I go through and pick everything out.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03That goes out to the community councils in about July, August...
0:22:03 > 0:22:04- Uh-huh.- ..for next summer.
0:22:04 > 0:22:05So, the fact of the matter is,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- they might not always get what they're looking for?- No.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10THEY LAUGH
0:22:10 > 0:22:11But what they've asked for, they do get.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16It's absolutely brilliant because at the end of the day, you know,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19there's another bunch of folk that's going to take these on and grow them
0:22:19 > 0:22:22on, and then finally, of course, the volunteers are going
0:22:22 > 0:22:24to look after them through that, as I said earlier.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Yeah, they do. They look after them all summer.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Wonderful job. What do you do, then? Do you go on holiday?
0:22:28 > 0:22:30No, I start again for next year.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Plus I've got all the winter stuff to look after.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37At the end of May, the 300,000 plants
0:22:37 > 0:22:40are packed up and leave Aden Nursery
0:22:40 > 0:22:42to be distributed all over Aberdeenshire.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Pitscurry gardening charity, near Pitcaple
0:22:47 > 0:22:49is one of the groups that takes these plants.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53They carry on the process by planting them up
0:22:53 > 0:22:54into hanging baskets.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Well, we've now come 30 miles south from Aden Country Park.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01We're at Pitscurry Project,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03and I have with me Ann Bisset, who is boss lady.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Tell me, what is The Pitscurry Project?
0:23:06 > 0:23:11- The Pitscurry Project is a centre for adults with disabilities.- Uh-huh.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13And it's run by...is it the council?
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It's run by Aberdeenshire Council
0:23:15 > 0:23:18in partnership with Pitcaple Environmental Project.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20That's when we come to the environment, plants and everything.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- Yeah.- And your clients are looking after these plants...
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- Yes.- ..that have come down from Aden Country Park.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27They plant them onto the hanging baskets,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- and then they go out to Inverurie from here.- Right.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- So who should we speak with when we're there?- Round here...
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- Yeah.- ..is Mike Mair, our day centre officer.- Good stuff.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- Here you go.- Well, then, Mike, you've got a good team going here.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- Yes, indeed.- Aye, aye.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44- So there's a job for everybody? - There's a job for everyone.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46As you can see, we're doing the baskets for Inverurie...
0:23:46 > 0:23:50- Yeah.- ..and it's a nice job that we can break into bite-sized chunks.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52- Yes, yes.- Obviously putting the compost in the baskets...
0:23:52 > 0:23:55- Aye, aye.- ..that's the first stage of the process.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57- And then we go...- And then we go round here.- This way.- Yeah.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And, I mean, not only have you got clients
0:24:00 > 0:24:02but you've got quite a few volunteers come and help you too,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- don't they?- We do. We've got a lot of volunteers
0:24:05 > 0:24:06but we're always looking for more.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09There's plenty of work here, plenty of weeds to be done.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10That's true. Well, here we go.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- The boys are actually filling the baskets.- Yes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16We've got Alan here who's been doing it for a number of years,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I think you can see, he's quite good at it.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- Alan knows what he's doing.- Hiya.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- You're becoming an expert, Alan, eh? - Yeah.- Good man.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24There you go, you see? Tremendous.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27And of course, how long have you these to look after?
0:24:27 > 0:24:31- We've got them between two to three weeks.- Yes, yes.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Once they're filled, they go into the next tunnel.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36So you've got another member of the team
0:24:36 > 0:24:39who'll be doing the bits, running back and forward with a barrel?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- Yes, and he's able to fill it with water.- Oh, I see. OK.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45And that's a good way for hanging baskets...
0:24:45 > 0:24:48is to have the water being fed through the bottom with a wick.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- Cos as you know...- Yes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51..like everybody else, I'm the same,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55if you leave your hanging basket, it goes like a road
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- and the water just runs over... - So that's a reservoir here.- Yep.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00And that of course takes us onto the next stage,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04because from your greenhouses where they're being sat out,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and you're getting them settled and rooted into the compost...
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- Yeah.- ..they will then go down into Inverurie...
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- That's right.- ..and the local guys from the rotary club hang them up.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14That's right. They look after them.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16- They have to look after them on a weekly basis.- That's right.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- It's quite a commitment. - Oh, it is, isn't it?
0:25:23 > 0:25:25The fact of the matter is that that cycle
0:25:25 > 0:25:27that started away up there in Aden,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and it's happening all over the country.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30Finally,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33beautifies all our towns, and streets, and communities and so on.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It's a great sense of satisfaction and wellbeing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- It is, it is.- Absolutely. - ..when you see them hanging up...
0:25:39 > 0:25:40- You were part of that.- Yeah.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- The boys can say, "I was part of that."- That's right, that's correct.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- That's good.- Super.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56For everything in horticulture and gardening, there's a technique.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59And the technique for picking rhubarb is to twist...
0:26:00 > 0:26:02..and pull. And it comes away easily.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Look at that, wonderful, succulent petioles of rhubarb.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Stems, if you want to call them that.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11What's happening now is the plant's in full growth,
0:26:11 > 0:26:12it's starting to run to seed.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15And if we leave these seed heads and flower heads on it,
0:26:15 > 0:26:16it will reduce the crop.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20So what I'm going to do is remove this as well, then the plant
0:26:20 > 0:26:24will go back into the vegetative state and produce bigger crops.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27There we go.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31This is the perfect tree for a small garden.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35It's the Siberian pea tree with these delightful yellow flowers.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39However, some of you may have a problem with sycamore seedlings.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42They have germinated this season so much.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44This is a picture in my own garden,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and I think there's literally hundreds there.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50And the trouble is it gets to a huge tree.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53These are some of the seedlings I've lifted, and quite honestly,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55you want to take them out as soon as possible,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57otherwise you'll have trouble.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Here we are in one of the original parts of the garden planted up
0:27:01 > 0:27:03in the late '90s.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Not here to look at the azaleas, commonplace things like that.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11I just want to ogle this and enjoy this Viburnum plicatum "Mariesii".
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Isn't it absolutely stunning?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Jim, I'm fascinated with all the sand and all the patterns -
0:27:21 > 0:27:22what's going on?
0:27:22 > 0:27:23Hardy annuals...
0:27:23 > 0:27:25sown this far north in Scotland.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27By the time the soil is warm enough to germinate them and get them
0:27:27 > 0:27:30going, it's halfway through July and we still haven't seen a flower.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33- That's true.- So, a year or two ago I tried out this system.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Sow them in cells, or prick them out into cells,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- in little plugs that size. - Nice size.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43And they can go out at the same time as the seed goes in the ground.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- OK, so is that the repeat? - That is the repeat.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48They're going to be side by side. That was sown...
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- Yeah.- ..and they're only just germinating. And in the meantime
0:27:51 > 0:27:53they'll be flowering...oh, in a couple of weeks.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- They'll be well ahead. - The other thing is,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59it's not all that much more work to do that because if you pick a dibber
0:27:59 > 0:28:02the same size as the plug, look at this.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Pop that in there. Look at that now.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07It fits. They were made for each other.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12- Perfect.- Well, it's no slower than doing it the other way.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13Bob's your uncle.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18and there will be a lot of information
0:28:18 > 0:28:21about all these bedding plants, you'll find it in the factsheet.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24And the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26And next week I'm in the fruit house,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28and it's figs and cherries and apples.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Wow. Well, it is a fruity programme,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32because I shall also be in the fruit cage
0:28:32 > 0:28:34as long as I've got the key to get out in my pocket.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36- Till next time... - ALL:- Bye.