0:00:12 > 0:00:14Hello, and welcome to Beechgrove Garden
0:00:14 > 0:00:16on a bit of a thundery morning.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20I hope it stays dry, at least while we get this work done.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Delightful to see Chris back. You're furtling away there.
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Pegging in the border.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29This is the Thug's Border as it's been locally called.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30- That was your remit.- It was.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Area of ground that was a bit redundant,
0:00:33 > 0:00:35didn't really know what to do with it, very poor soil.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39So we adopted all the plants from around the garden, you know
0:00:39 > 0:00:42those ones that are just too vigorous, they're too enthusiastic
0:00:42 > 0:00:45and decided to really test their mettle in here.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And for the most part they're doing pretty well actually,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51considering the weather, but this is a guy that took my eye.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54- Tell me about it.- Yes, this is a new addition to the garden.- Right.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56And it's a lilac, it's the Himalayan lilac,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Syringa emodi and it's "Aurevariegata"
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Now, Himalayan lilac, high altitude, should be hardy
0:01:02 > 0:01:04but the beauty is, it's multi-stemming from the base,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07so even if it gets cut back in the winter, plenty of growth coming through.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10I'll take this chance to ask you a question that's always puzzled me
0:01:10 > 0:01:13about whether or not to mulch herbaceous plants.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Maybe this is a year when it should have been done?
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Well, mulching normally we do in autumn, don't we, with herbaceous.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Mulching in summer, different matter really.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25I think, on a new border like this, where there's plenty of open ground,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28you're getting lots of evaporation of moisture, you know,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31depending on which report you read, it could be 25-50% of moisture saved
0:01:31 > 0:01:34by applying a 5cm layer of mulch.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36So it could be worth investing in,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38if only you could predict the weather.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39If there's mulching to be done,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I've got to do it myself because George and Carole aren't here.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45In fact, they're creating a community garden out in Ayrshire.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Well, I'm offski. I'm away to look at my melon.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51- Singular.- Yes. HE LAUGHS
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Now, George and myself have come to Dunlop this week
0:02:02 > 0:02:07and it's a lovely small town set in the rolling countryside of Ayrshire.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Dun actually comes from the Gaelic meaning "fort on a hill."
0:02:17 > 0:02:23So Dun is the fort and we're looking for something that is lop.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Lop is a corruption of the Gaelic word Luib,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28which is "a bend in the river."
0:02:28 > 0:02:33So when we put the two together, we get Dunlop,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35"the fort at the bend in the river".
0:02:37 > 0:02:39There'll be more from Dunlop later in the programme.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47Well, I've come to admire my one and only melon on this plant
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and as a reminder, it took me back to the days
0:02:50 > 0:02:52when Dad was in charge of a nursery
0:02:52 > 0:02:54and when all the bedding plants had gone,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56the big six-by-four sashes, frames, were all left empty.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01So I used to put a dollop of muck in each sash in the ground
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and plant melons and, of course, the staff were able to look after them
0:03:04 > 0:03:06and help themselves at the end as they ripened during the season.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09So it was a wee throwback to these far off days.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14I've only got one here and it's sitting up on a wee pot,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18you see, in order that the air gets at it.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I want to look after it and give it the best shot.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23There we go, that's better.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25That's better. I had hoped that by this time
0:03:25 > 0:03:28it might have been sitting on a pot this size
0:03:28 > 0:03:29but that's wishful thinking.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31It is the variety "5 Desserts",
0:03:31 > 0:03:34well, they're going to be very small portions, I can tell you.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37But if I only get one off this one, so much, that's it.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41So I'm just going to prune it back, take off the excess foliage,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and give it every chance.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47And over here, you see, we've got plenty flowers
0:03:47 > 0:03:49so plenty potential melons.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Look at this.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And that's one or two. There's one there, that looks as if it's set.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01If that's set, we don't need this one so I'll just take that off there
0:04:01 > 0:04:05and I'll go over it and probably reduce the amount of foliage.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Why so many flowers and yet so few melons set?
0:04:09 > 0:04:11I think it's back to the weather again.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I think that you can pollinate by hand and all the rest of it.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17If the pollen doesn't absorb moisture and burst,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19it's not going to do the business.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It's the same as we have with other fruits in the greenhouse,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26when it gets too dry, too arid, it just doesn't do the business.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Which is unfortunate that we picked a season like that.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Now it's time to look at His Nibs' melons.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I think he'll need a combine harvester by the time he gets there.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40I think I detect a hint of sarcasm
0:04:40 > 0:04:44from the lower slopes of the garden and he's right.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47There's a fair amount of growth. Remember this is the hot bed,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51this is about animal urine in straw,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54it's about newspaper, layered compost.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56A really hot bed covered with polythene
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and the temperature in here has been phenomenal.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Well over 30 degrees, soil temperature into the 20s
0:05:01 > 0:05:03so perfect for growing melons.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06The disadvantage is high humidity which can cause rot
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and also a lack of pollinating insects
0:05:09 > 0:05:13so really this has had to be dealt with by hand-pollinating.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18The trick is to find a male flower, that's the male there,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19you can see a nice open bloom,
0:05:19 > 0:05:25and importantly behind the bloom there's no embryonic fruit evident.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Compare that with something like a female, for instance.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32There's the bloom and there is the embryonic fruit.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35So what we've had to do is constantly come open it up
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and transfer the pollen across to make sure we get some fruit
0:05:38 > 0:05:40and there are embryonic fruits in here
0:05:40 > 0:05:43amongst the this wealth of foliage and flowers
0:05:43 > 0:05:48and there's one, only the one admittedly, melon.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Fairly small, but it's getting there.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Give it a bit of time. Maybe.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56So whilst Jim and I stand here, contemplating our melons,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59George and Carole are off in sunny Dunlop,
0:05:59 > 0:06:04helping the local community transform a municipal park
0:06:04 > 0:06:06into a modern community garden
0:06:06 > 0:06:08that they're referring to as The Wee Gardens.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Carol-Ann, as the project leader,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18what can you tell me about the history to the site?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Well, the site used to host a bacon factory
0:06:21 > 0:06:25and after that the Wilson family who owned the site,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29and I believe the factory, handed it over to the community of Dunlop
0:06:29 > 0:06:34and for a time people had their wedding photos taken here...
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- Oh, lovely!- ..and the gardens were a functioning garden, but obviously,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41over the years, it just became a bit tired and fell into disrepair.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44And the real motivation behind,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48sort of, getting it all going was Denise and Calvin here.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Oh, right, so it was you two. How did that come about?
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Calvin was over playing in the gardens about two years ago,
0:06:54 > 0:06:55really enjoyed himself,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57all his friends came along and helped him,
0:06:57 > 0:06:58they were having picnics,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02and he came home one night, watched The Beechgrove Garden with his dad.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- Calvin, you watch The Beechgrove Garden?- Well, that's brilliant.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07He asked, could we ask The Beechgrove Garden
0:07:07 > 0:07:10to come and do our garden so here we are, two years down the line.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Fantastic, so, look, what do you want out of the garden?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17I think it's a great place for all different age groups to come together
0:07:17 > 0:07:20within the community. That whole inter-generational aspect.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24It's somewhere that families can come and enjoy, learn together.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26- School's going to be involved.- Yeah.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Local rural and things.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Absolutely brilliant, I think it's going to be.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- And if you get weather like this, well...- Got it made, haven't we?
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Yes.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Lynn Harris, you're the garden designer for this project
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and a great friend of Beechgrove, so what's going on here?
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Well, the community wanted to reinstate the paths
0:07:53 > 0:07:55that were already here and we've added a few new ones
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and I thought it would be a great idea to make this a formal.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01This is the main entrance, so this is a formal path,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03lined with Prunus "Kanzan",
0:08:03 > 0:08:05which when they're mature will form a lovely arch.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07So, a brilliant entrance to the garden.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09But with these avenues, what is it you have at the end?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- You need something at the end.- You need a focal point at the end.
0:08:12 > 0:08:13We've got something nobody else has.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15- We've got Nessie.- Oh, my goodness.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19No, the kids are going to make a Nessie out of old tyres.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21So this is the children's playground,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23nice and soft area for them, lots of bark under there.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And well shaded. These trees make a huge difference to this site?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Actually, we've kept most of the trees,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32although we took out a lot of the shrubs which were overgrown
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and really past their sell-by date, we've kept most of the trees
0:08:35 > 0:08:39so we've got fruit trees, we've got a nice specimen birch there.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42And we've got some great trees in the wildlife area over there.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44What I like about this, is the way that the burn
0:08:44 > 0:08:45runs through the whole thing.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47It was such a fantastic feature of the site,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49there was no way I was going to do anything
0:08:49 > 0:08:52and what we're doing is, we're trying to enhance it
0:08:52 > 0:08:56so we're going to have lots of bog planting, irises
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and we're going to repair the banks, basically
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- so that there's no damage in the future.- This is wonderful.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It's fabulous. And this deck is right in the middle
0:09:06 > 0:09:08of our wonderful bog gardens.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10So does this flood naturally onto here?
0:09:10 > 0:09:12It does, it does and actually the reason
0:09:12 > 0:09:15we chose to have the bog here is that this was lower
0:09:15 > 0:09:20than the level up there so it was an ideal place for a bog garden.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And there's two distinct types of planting in the garden.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30We've got a lot of wet planting in the burn and in the bog garden,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and up on the crazy paving there and in the stone circle,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36we're going to have a lot of dry planting.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And scented, so the stone circle is going to be sensory.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42So this is the stone circle area,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44which we're going to have two sets of low Dutch walls
0:09:44 > 0:09:47with planting in between, coping stones on the top,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50so people can sit on the walls amongst the planting.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52So they can touch and feel to their hearts' delight.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- Very touchy, feely and smelly. - Absolutely.- Yes.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59So, George, all along this side of the garden is the wildlife border,
0:09:59 > 0:10:05full of lots of flowers, berries, all sorts of yummy things.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- For the bugs and bees? - And the butterflies too.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- It's a veritable feast.- It's a bug's bonanza, isn't it?- Absolutely.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Well, you know, we're quite lucky on this site
0:10:30 > 0:10:32because there are one or two mature trees
0:10:32 > 0:10:36and it includes one or two really old apple trees which is great,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39but they do need a bit of rejuvenating.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43And what I mean by that, is we need to open up the habit a little bit,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46take out any of the diseased or dead wood,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and anything that's, like, crossing over.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Now I would only do this in the dormant season.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53That's the right time to do this.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57And don't take out any more than about a quarter of the growth
0:10:57 > 0:10:59because what happens, if you've pruned too much out,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02you get these huge water shoots.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06And a good example, that I would take out in the dormant season, is,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08do you see that branch there that's curving in?
0:11:08 > 0:11:12I can't quite reach it, but I would definitely prune that one out.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14We're also adding some soft fruit.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Lovely blackcurrants, a glade of blackcurrants.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Gooseberries, a nice tangy fruit. A slight problem here though.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23A lot of the leaves have been eaten
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and that is actually gooseberry sawfly,
0:11:26 > 0:11:27so you need to be aware of that.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29It's too late to treat it now, but next year.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31It's a little caterpillar.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34If you treat it, then hopefully that will combat that.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Sloes they're putting here, which will create a little bit of a hedge.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42And I'm really partial to sloe gin so hopefully that will fruit.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Then we're adding more of the top fruit.
0:11:44 > 0:11:50We've got a self-fertile plum and a pear and we're also adding apples.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Now, this one, although it is said to be self-fertile,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I think it's always good if you add another one as a pollinator.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59And what I'm going for is a crab apple, "Golden Hornet".
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Crab apples are really good at pollinating our dessert apples.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05And the thing is, we've also got a bug hotel
0:12:05 > 0:12:09and I hope that will encourage some more pollinating insects.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16This is our nature station. It's a bug hotel.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It's got a slate roof and this enables us to get spaces
0:12:19 > 0:12:22that things go in-between, things can live underneath.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23We've got a robin box here.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26If it was in a more isolated spot, birds would nest in amongst it.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Where is here, kids can stuff that with straw
0:12:29 > 0:12:31and minibeasts will go in and live in it.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Here we've separate bits for them to stack things into.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Pine cones for the ins and outs that things can live in, keeps them safe.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40And in there, this is for hibernating butterflies
0:12:40 > 0:12:44and all this wood in here is a great habitat for minibeasts and slaters,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46all the things that kids like to get in amongst
0:12:46 > 0:12:48and touch with their hands.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Angela is one of the development officers
0:12:53 > 0:12:56for the Royal Horticultural Society Scotland.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59She's brought a group of children along to make some pallet gardens.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02They've sown all of their mixed salads here from seed,
0:13:02 > 0:13:03grown them all on themselves.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07We've got a nice mixed salad and this is going to be Dunlop's Salad Bar.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10And over here, with have a lovely rainbow bed,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13again the children have grown all these crops on from seed.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17We've got Swiss chard, we've got some salad bowl lettuce
0:13:17 > 0:13:19and we've got some Lollo Rosso lettuce.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20And they're going to grow them on
0:13:20 > 0:13:24and they'll be able to come and pick their own salad leaves from their garden at Dunlop.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- There you go.- Can I do that one? - We'll dig a wee hole for that one.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44We wanted to create a more,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47kind of, natural play area for the kids to come.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Something that maybe we had when we were younger.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54So I think it's quite exciting and I think the community will love it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01- Will I get a spade and help you?- Yes.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11So, from Nessie, our own monster at the end of the avenue,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13back to those two monsters at Beechgrove.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Well, I would have hoped that Mr Anderson was talking about my melons
0:14:20 > 0:14:22but we'll see some monsters further round.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26First of all, a really good crop of chard here.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28It's doing well, it's loving the heat,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30but we have had reports from people of them bolting
0:14:30 > 0:14:32at simply a lack of water.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Any drought will cause them to bolt
0:14:33 > 0:14:35but a nice selection of colours there.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Let's move on to cauliflower.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44Well, that'll be our monster. Cauliflower, the variety is "Nemo".
0:14:44 > 0:14:48There are actually four all ready at the same time, F1 hybrid.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50That's a problem sometimes in the garden.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52We'll come back to that, that's another story for another day.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54At the other end of the row,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57we've got a pinky-purple rouge coloured cauliflower
0:14:57 > 0:14:59called "Graffity".
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Not so sure about that,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I think I would have to be blindfold to eat that one.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Now then, let's look at the onions
0:15:06 > 0:15:08because they are loving this weather.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Just look at them. A great bed of onions.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14As I said a couple of weeks ago, they are growing through corn starch
0:15:14 > 0:15:16which means that you don't have any weeding to do.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Corn starch, of course, is compostable,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21so it just gets dug in or put in the compost heap.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23But look at these red ones.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25These are the ones that really tell the story
0:15:25 > 0:15:27because they're quite often difficult in this colder climate
0:15:27 > 0:15:30here in the north of Scotland but they're absolutely stunning.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Looking great. And they're going to get bigger yet.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Then peas.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40Now this row of peas is "Kelvedon Wonder" and "Hurst Greenshaft".
0:15:40 > 0:15:42We treated half of them with Rhizobium
0:15:42 > 0:15:45at the start of the season when the seed was sown,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47and left the other half untreated,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50the whole idea being that the Rhizobium fixes nitrogen
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and give them a really terrific start,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56a real kick in the pants at the beginning of the season.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59But I reckon that if the soil's in good nick
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and you've got your cultivations right, you don't really need it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05You can't tell any different treatment of these at all.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Next row of peas, three varieties.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Early, mid-season and late, trained differently.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12First and foremost, this is an early variety, "Oscar",
0:16:12 > 0:16:14using twigs to keep it upright.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Then, with strings and canes here we've got old "Onward",
0:16:18 > 0:16:19great favourite.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23And finally, as vigorous as runner beans, they are "Alderman".
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Look at the crop that's on that to be picked.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27The one that I really wanted to draw attention to is this one.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30It's a French bean, the name is "Canzone".
0:16:30 > 0:16:34White flowered, which is unusual, growing outside and doing well.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35I have it in a raised bed at home,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39we've been cropping it for a couple of weeks now and it is absolutely delicious.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Normally they don't take too well to our weather
0:16:41 > 0:16:44so we can say thank you again for a cracking summer.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46End of tour of vegetable garden.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53If you're growing fruits as trained specimens,
0:16:53 > 0:16:58either cordons or espaliers or, as we are, as a mini-orchard,
0:16:58 > 0:17:03that is to say, containing the trees within these relatively small pots
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and leaving them out of a terrace or in a cool glass house,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09summer is the time to carry out some fairly radical pruning.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10Why do you prune?
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Well, because the trees just run away with themselves with enthusiasm.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16You have to curtail some of this growth
0:17:16 > 0:17:20because you're trying to encourage, in this case, spurs,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22fruiting spurs on the "Egremont Russet"
0:17:22 > 0:17:26because you'll get the flowers and then great crops.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30So where you've got growth, of roundabout 30-40cm
0:17:30 > 0:17:34and it's started to go woody at the base, count up roundabout six buds
0:17:34 > 0:17:36and just snip them out.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39You can do that all around the tree.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43It also, incidentally, helps to expose some of the existing fruit
0:17:43 > 0:17:48to sunlight so you get much more even and much better ripening.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51The same is true, not just on apples and pears,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53but also on the stone fruits.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Here we've got a peach, the nectarines, the cherries
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and you just have to assess the vigour with these
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and that will really dictate how hard you prune.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04You can see the peach is almost as vigorous as the apple
0:18:04 > 0:18:08so a good, generous snip.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10On those, cutting back by about 50%.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12But you'll find that if you're growing apricots
0:18:12 > 0:18:15then they're slightly less enthusiastic.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Just be a little bit more gentle with the pruning.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18The thing to remember
0:18:18 > 0:18:20is also to look at what's going on at the base
0:18:20 > 0:18:23because if you've got side-shoots like this,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27you don't need those, so they can all come out as well.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30And one of the slight warnings about keeping anything in a container,
0:18:30 > 0:18:35really is that it's totally reliant on you for water and food.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38It's a very small rooting zone that you're confining it to.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40And this little peach,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43well, it's been in the pot just over one growing season
0:18:43 > 0:18:47and you can see, it's got a dozen or so embryonic peaches on here,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50so great crop for a very small tree, however,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52it's fairly obvious that it's not altogether happy.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55This is suffering with a little bit of nitrogen deficiency.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59So a good dousing of sulphate of ammonia...
0:19:00 > 0:19:04..and water that in will help to revive it. It's not a disaster.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08It may look a bit unsightly but really, it will recover
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and the fruits will swell and we'll have a fantastic crop.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14So while I carry on tending and pruning, well,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17there's a lot of work being done at the Dunlop Community Garden.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20The hard landscape's in, a bridge has been built,
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Nessie's even been painted
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and someone's even managed to persuade George to stop lounging around
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and he seems to have gone off paddling.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38There's a wonderful stream that bisects the whole site
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and flows down here, but I've stopped at this point
0:19:40 > 0:19:43because we're going to create a bog garden.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46When you're creating a bog garden, what you've got to do is
0:19:46 > 0:19:49to trap as much moisture in the soil as you possibly can.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51So what we've done, we've put in a membrane, this membrane here,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55a piece of old pond membrane, and that has been spiked,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58because we don't want it to become absolutely stagnant and saturated.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It will let some of the water through
0:20:00 > 0:20:02but it will trap most on the water coming down this hill.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04In amongst it, we've got the usual suspects.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07We've got hostas, we've got iris down at the edge of the stream,
0:20:07 > 0:20:12and then we've got Caltha palustris, some of the marsh marigold along the side,
0:20:12 > 0:20:17and then a huge Gunnera, which is going to over-arch the whole thing.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19It will look absolutely splendid when it's finished.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36The community managed to get 120 slabs for nothing.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Then the members of the community painted each slab
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and paid £5 each for the privilege.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45The money went towards buying plants for the garden.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47So that's enterprise, for you.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51It's... The Beechgrove Garden logo.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- This is quite good then, isn't it? - It's wonderful.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Coming in through there, going all the way down,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and what we're going to do is plant iris all the way down.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02Are you any good at digging?
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- Fantastic.- Are you? Get digging in then.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Right, this is this variegated one. You know what this is.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Yes, this is Iris pallida, "Variegata".
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- Eh? Not just a pretty face.- Oh, thank you, George.- Makes two of us.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Now the idea is that we get these into the side
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and they'll collect all the silt and that that comes down.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- So they'll stabilise the bank then?- That's right.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Of course, they love to have their feet in water.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- How's that?- That's absolutely brilliant.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- Put it in there. - No problem.- Good girl.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- Right. Turn right round. We're going in here.- Fantastic.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45Dig another hole there. You don't mind me bossing you around, do you?
0:21:45 > 0:21:47I love it. HE LAUGHS
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Well, I'm in the crazy paving area
0:21:58 > 0:22:00and there's a lovely story to this
0:22:00 > 0:22:03because when the community started clearing the garden,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05they discovered all of this.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09To start off with they thought, "Will we keep it? Will we not?"
0:22:09 > 0:22:14But they put a power-washer over it twice and it's come up beautifully.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17So, although it looks good, I think we need to soften it a little bit
0:22:17 > 0:22:19because it's a lot of hard landscaping,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22so we're going to add one or two creeping plants
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and this thyme is absolutely perfect.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28So I take a plant like this
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and then I end up cutting off the bottom of the root
0:22:31 > 0:22:33and ending up with small plug plants.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I can manage to get three out of this
0:22:36 > 0:22:39because it's only tiny little areas that I'm putting them into.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41It really is very moist
0:22:41 > 0:22:44because we want to get that established to start off with.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Bit of compost into the bottom.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51And then I really do just cram this in.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54And once that gets established...
0:22:54 > 0:22:56..as the community walk over this,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58you're going to get a lovely perfume.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02So I've got a couple of thymes, I've also got the little erodium.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04No scent on that but it's a creeping plant.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Then moving onto the steps,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10I've put a little houseleek in-between the gaps.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Again, it's ground cover.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14If it does produce one or two flowering stems then I suggest
0:23:14 > 0:23:18that they get cut off because you don't want to trip over them.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20And then along the edge, London Pride,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and that's all going to knit together.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Last two or three plants into the bog garden, George. Aye, just put these there.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Wonder what they call two Georges ploutering in the burn?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- Well, it has to be Young George and Old George.- What one are you?
0:23:39 > 0:23:41What one do you think? THEY LAUGH
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Now is this burn always this height or does it get higher?
0:23:44 > 0:23:47No, no, in summer it's really down.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- We're holding it back a wee bit there.- And in the winter, how high?
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- It goes right up.- Oh, crivens, right. - But it goes away within a day or two.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- But there'll be a bit of erosion on this bank.- Definitely.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03It would all cut in there, wouldn't it? So have you got any stones?
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Some in there? We could put that... Aye, put that there, give me that.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- Dinnae throw it.- You manage it?
0:24:09 > 0:24:11I'm all right, for an old man!
0:24:11 > 0:24:13But if we put these all the way along the side,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15that would then stop it.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Another one for here?
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- Come on, you're supposed to be young.- Aye, aye...
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- There you go.- Grumpy George, eh? - That's it.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Well that'll stop it and we'll do that all the way down
0:24:28 > 0:24:30and that'll stop it biting into the bank.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31- Brilliant.- Brilliant.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Maggie, you've brought me to your garden
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and I know that you maybe want to donate some plants to the project,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54so what did you have in mind?
0:24:54 > 0:24:59Well, I thought I'd maybe like to give the giant hosta
0:24:59 > 0:25:03and the giant daisies here.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I noticed that there were some hostas in the garden already,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11but they were a different colour and this one's quite big
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and I thought that it could be split up
0:25:13 > 0:25:15and put in various different areas.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18It's absolutely brilliant, I mean, it's a lovely hosta.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19And if we split that up,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I reckon you're going to get at least a dozen plants, maybe more.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25The only problem I would say to you is
0:25:25 > 0:25:29this is not the best time of year to be shifting it, all right?
0:25:29 > 0:25:30They are herbaceous,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34and you'll know that they die down in the dormant season, don't they?
0:25:34 > 0:25:39- That's right.- So my advice, really, would be to wait until October.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41When the leaves have gone down really dig it up,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44give it a good soaking if it's fairly dry
0:25:44 > 0:25:46and then you can divide it up
0:25:46 > 0:25:48and you're probably better with like a spade.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53It's really thick fleshy roots. And it's the same with the daisy.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- I'm sure you can wait, you've got a bit of patience, haven't you?- Yes.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Anyway, that's a few hints and tips for you on how to shift this.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Back to the Garden with Jim and Chris
0:26:02 > 0:26:03and they've got some hints and tips as well.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Ignore the watering of rhododendrons and camellias at your peril
0:26:11 > 0:26:12at this time of the year.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17It's really key to keep the root zone moist because right now,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22they're forming the buds that will flower next season.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25And there they are, you can see one, two, three flower buds,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27plump and fat and that one in the middle, well,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30that's a leaf bud and that's going to produce shoots next season.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34If you fail to water now, what happens is the plant panics.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37It will drop its buds and you won't get any flowers.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43It's not only the plants that need water at this time of year,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46the compost does as well because if it's dry it won't compost.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50It will just stay as a dry heap so get the hose out, water
0:26:50 > 0:26:52and make sure it's thoroughly soaked.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56This one is being emptied in there so I'll get it soaked,
0:26:56 > 0:27:01then I'll fork the remainder into this one, soak it further,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03down with the lid and it'll start cooking.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Chris, it's always been a bit of a challenge
0:27:08 > 0:27:11to get a crop of sweetcorn in this part of the world.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Tried it under cover and here we are.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17We started under cloches and we will get a crop.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19There's good pollen coming off there, look at that.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Just a delicate dusting.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23That's what it is, but we're only, I think,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27going to get one cob per plant, but happy to get this far.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28We had them covered down to here.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Which is fairly obvious when you look at these fellows here.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34That's what happens when you don't cover them. It's the same variety.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Down to here then we took the cover off about the end of June
0:27:37 > 0:27:40and they've come away quite reasonably well.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43It's a handsome crop. There's vigour there and, as you say, it's only one cob.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Keep putting the water on. When it's dry, you've got to keep it watered.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48And we're going to leave the last word
0:27:48 > 0:27:51with the folks down there in Dunlop.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52- Bye from here.- Bye.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07- Well, Carole, what do you think of that?- It's absolutely fantastic.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09This site has been totally transformed.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11The guys have worked so hard on the wall
0:28:11 > 0:28:12but it still needs to be finished.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Lynn's design has completely changed this site.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17And it's been so much fun.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20The planting has gone on here, in the burn, on the slopes,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22with a smile on the face and I've had such great fun.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23We've been well looked after.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Very enterprising, they've even got money from loom bands,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29which is fantastic, all going to the garden project.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33So, until the next time, from the Wee Gardens project, here in Dunlop,
0:28:33 > 0:28:34goodbye.