0:00:11 > 0:00:12Hello there.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Welcome to Beechgrove Garden.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17We've had some stunning weather of late
0:00:17 > 0:00:20but today a little bit of a spit in the wind, so to speak,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22a wee bit of a shower, which is fine,
0:00:22 > 0:00:24cos I'm going to be in the conservatory.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28I am going to be potting on some of our little Pelargoniums.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Just getting to the stage where they need a little bit more encouragement.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35I am using brand-new compost.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38We showed it a couple of weeks ago, this is brand-new, it's peat-free
0:00:38 > 0:00:42and it's lovely. It is made of wood product
0:00:42 > 0:00:44and green waste, but for once, this one really attracts me,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46really looks good.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49So, first of all, pick the pot.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54Put in drainage. There's been a bit of a controversy about the drainage
0:00:54 > 0:00:57in the tearoom, of the mornings.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Do we or don't we?
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I come from an age when we used John Innes compost
0:01:02 > 0:01:04which was more than 50% loam
0:01:04 > 0:01:07and tended to drift down and block the drainage.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10So it's a habit of a lifetime, draining.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13I will tell you a bonus if you still use a wee bit of old pot.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17It adds a bit of ballast because these composts are quite light
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and the plants don't topple over.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23But you can also use some of the riddlings
0:01:23 > 0:01:26out of your modern-day composts. Look at that.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29That's how I get rid of it,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33into the bottom, to ensure that we've got good drainage.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35In with some compost.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36Now, then...
0:01:36 > 0:01:39squeeze.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Lift the plant carefully.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43The roots are just beginning to run round the edge
0:01:43 > 0:01:46and this plant's needing some encouragement.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49What size of pot? You should have room round the edge
0:01:49 > 0:01:51of the ball of soil for one finger.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53With these modern composts,
0:01:53 > 0:01:54the other thing that is rather important
0:01:54 > 0:01:57is that you don't compact them too much.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01A little squeeze with your fingers then tips of the fingers
0:02:01 > 0:02:03round like so.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06The plant is ready to loup away.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08It is really going to do rather well.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11This is one of our older ones here.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13It's getting a bit floppy, you can see that.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16So it's going to get the business, it will get chopped back
0:02:16 > 0:02:18and I will create some cuttings
0:02:18 > 0:02:21for exchanging or selling on or whatever.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24That can be done still at this time of the year.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29These young plants go out onto our little bit of staging here.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31By the way, look at that,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Pelargonium ardens... isn't that lovely?
0:02:34 > 0:02:35Absolutely gorgeous.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39But some of these trays don't have any gravel or hydroleca on them
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and I think this is much to be preferred
0:02:41 > 0:02:44because it helps to hold the moisture
0:02:44 > 0:02:46and gives it a nice feel round the plants.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Standing in the tray itself, the plants can be standing in water,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51which is not good news.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Now, then, in the rest of the programme...
0:02:57 > 0:02:59I'm back with my new-build families,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03trying to rescue something from the chaos left behind
0:03:03 > 0:03:06by the housing developers. I'm trying to turn
0:03:06 > 0:03:07barren soil like this
0:03:07 > 0:03:11into a real opportunity for growing plants.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17If you have a greenhouse at this time of year
0:03:17 > 0:03:18and you're sowing lots of seeds,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21you probably wish the greenhouse was twice the size
0:03:21 > 0:03:23because there is so much going on at the moment.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Look at all these seedlings here germinating.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28At the moment, I'm just picking off
0:03:28 > 0:03:30this Gaillardia here
0:03:30 > 0:03:34which is a new variety, and I'm going to be looking
0:03:34 > 0:03:36at about ten different new varieties of
0:03:36 > 0:03:39half-hardy annuals and hardy annuals.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42This is a Gaillardia called Red Plume, so we've never
0:03:42 > 0:03:44grown it before.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49Always handle the plants by their leaves,
0:03:49 > 0:03:50not by the stem.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53If you damage the stem, you have lost the plant.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56As well as this trial that is going on,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00I'm going to be looking at a range of cut flowers as well.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03These are all half-hardy and hardy annuals,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05things like Antirrhinums,
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Ageratums.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Once those get planted out at the end of May, beginning of June,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13we will then be able to see how long they actually last as cut flowers.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17And then another observation is looking at dahlias.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21A whole range of dahlias. We have dahlias here
0:04:21 > 0:04:24as tubers, so these will be growing to about
0:04:24 > 0:04:26three to four feet in height
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and they make great cut flowers.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31We also have dahlias that have been brought in
0:04:31 > 0:04:33as little plants
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and you'll notice these ones, there's flowers already forming.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38I don't want those flowers at the moment.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41What I want to do is encourage nice foliage.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43It's too early for those flowers,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46so pick them off at the moment.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Then we've also grown them ourselves from seed,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52these are beautiful, healthy plants.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54It's a variety called Redskin.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Quite a compact variety.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Just like Jim, lots of potting on at the moment,
0:05:01 > 0:05:03so I'm just moving them on,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06just by about an inch, basically.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Look at the lovely root system there, just lightly tease that out.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13And so that's three of the observations
0:05:13 > 0:05:16that we will be looking at this year.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18These dahlias, which look great,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21are ready for the next stage and they need hardening off.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25We are just going to put them in the cold frames.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Of course, these are our lovely new cold frames
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and we're easily going to fill these up.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Speaking of new projects,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Chris is visiting again his new-build families,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38finding out how they've got on
0:05:38 > 0:05:40and what is the next stage for them.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45New-build developments like this one are particularly prevalent
0:05:45 > 0:05:49across Aberdeenshire, as they are in many prosperous areas of the UK.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52One of the peculiar things is that so often
0:05:52 > 0:05:55the new housing is built on this -
0:05:55 > 0:05:59previously un-farmable land.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02So how do you get from this
0:06:02 > 0:06:05builders' rubble and wasted agricultural land
0:06:05 > 0:06:06and marshland
0:06:06 > 0:06:08to the garden of your dreams?
0:06:10 > 0:06:14A few weeks ago we met Anna and Andrew Robertson,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17who had recently moved into their new home in Portlethen.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Garden-wise, it was a ten-by-ten plot
0:06:20 > 0:06:22of soggy turf,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26from which they wanted to create both family space and a productive garden.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30The ground was so wet that the only solution was to build up,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32creating raised planting beds.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34The last time we saw Anna and Andrew,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37we left them with half the raised beds built.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Look at this! There's no need to ask what you guys have been doing in your free time.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47It has been keeping Andrew, especially, very busy.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- I should think you have not seen anything of him.- No.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51An amazing amount of soil and timber work.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55It has made a huge difference to the garden.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57The difference is unbelievable and it is amazing
0:06:57 > 0:07:00how much space we still have even though we have so many beds.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03One of the things we straightaway said is,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05"Don't worry about coming in,"
0:07:05 > 0:07:08because the more detail you put in the bigger the space will appear.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10You actually don't feel as if you have lost any lawn at all
0:07:10 > 0:07:13but look at what you have gained, a planting opportunity.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16You will be pleased to see I managed to twist James's arm
0:07:16 > 0:07:18to come over and give us a hand
0:07:18 > 0:07:20to finish putting the topsoil in,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and as Andrew was so good at bringing the topsoil in,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25I think we should leave him to it, don't you?
0:07:25 > 0:07:27I think so, just for a little while, anyway.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29A bit more practice required.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- Meanwhile, we can have a look at some seedlings.- Sounds good.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33- Get stuck in.- Thanks!
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The first thing I am quite proud to point out
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- is my peas.- They look great.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46They are coming along, but they did have me worried.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48There was nothing happening, so there was that temptation
0:07:48 > 0:07:52to have a good poke and a prod. But they have appeared.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55See this pencil? Don't put it anywhere near any plants.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Don't go prodding around in there.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Patience is the most important thing when you're sowing seeds.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02It's a great crop, very uniform.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05They haven't gone yellow, which is what often happens with peas
0:08:05 > 0:08:06if they are really struggling.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10I think they need a little more time in the cold frame outside.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12They will grow good and tough.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15When they get up to around five or ten centimetres or so,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17that's the point to then think about
0:08:17 > 0:08:19transplanting them out into the garden.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22The lettuce here, they are looking
0:08:22 > 0:08:25a little kind of windswept and wonderful.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27As far as I was concerned,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I have kept them where I thought was a light area.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I've been mutating them because they're leaning
0:08:31 > 0:08:34and then I turn them and they lean the other way.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Putting them in a pot whilst they're germinating beneath the soil,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42fine to put them somewhere which is not in great light.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45As soon as those seed heads start to come through,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47that is the point you need to put them in the light
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and I moved one of these pots of lettuce over and already
0:08:50 > 0:08:52they have started to straighten up.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54On the windowsill there is much more light, plenty of warmth,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57and you will find that these seedlings will very quickly
0:08:57 > 0:09:00turn into this cut-and-come-again crop.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04But I think what's under here reveals you have hidden talents.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08- Look at that.- It certainly worked. - How have you been getting on with the propagator?
0:09:08 > 0:09:09It has certainly been a learning curve
0:09:09 > 0:09:12because I was quite nervous about how I was doing it
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and how deep to do the seeds and things, but they've turned out well,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17they're about ten days old now.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19So we've got tomatoes, squash,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22cucumber and celeriac,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24which is a little slow but that's OK.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Keep your pencil out.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29The toms are looking good, they need pricking out
0:09:29 > 0:09:30and the squash and the cucumbers,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32how deep did you sow those seeds?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I did them just under the surface
0:09:34 > 0:09:36so you could still see a little bit of seed.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I think there is two issues with that. The first is the depth
0:09:39 > 0:09:40of seed, it is quite a big seed,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42so the time you have timesed that by 2½,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44which is sort of standard planting depth -
0:09:44 > 0:09:47if in doubt sow it 2½ times the depth of the seed -
0:09:47 > 0:09:49then it puts it a good few centimetres down...
0:09:49 > 0:09:51A lot deeper.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53That anchors the plant in the ground
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and stops them becoming a little bit ungainly.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57And the other thing really is that
0:09:57 > 0:09:59they should have come out of the propagator
0:09:59 > 0:10:02a little bit earlier than they are at the moment.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Under normal circumstances, with something like your tomatoes
0:10:06 > 0:10:09you'd be picking the seedling up like that, very delicately,
0:10:09 > 0:10:10with that little seed leaf.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12As soon as you grip the stem,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14if you grabbed hold of it like that and squeezed,
0:10:14 > 0:10:15that's the end of the plant.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Just use a pencil... This is when you're allowed
0:10:19 > 0:10:21to stick your pencil in the ground, you see.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23But this is so big and they are so leggy,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25I'll just pick it up...
0:10:25 > 0:10:26And you'd be expecting it...
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- Compost. - If I had not done it deep enough
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and it had not got so hot, it would be about half the size?
0:10:31 > 0:10:34About half the height, yeah, and that is the point
0:10:34 > 0:10:38at which to transplant them or prick them out.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I'm just making sure that's going deeper.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Because it was sown a little bit shallowly,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I'm going to put it a little deeper.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Anna and Andrew's garden is intended
0:10:56 > 0:10:59not only as a productive space but also an ornamental space.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04That means when it comes to laying out those structural plants,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05the trees and shrubs,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08placement is everything.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Use the plants to block views and create views.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19I have just noticed you have kind of massacred it,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22or it looks like you have massacred it, to me,
0:11:22 > 0:11:23what are you up to?
0:11:23 > 0:11:27One of the ways of clothing fences
0:11:27 > 0:11:29and walls in gardens like this,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32bring them into production, use them,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34because it is a great vertical surface.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Some plants just do really well
0:11:36 > 0:11:38when they are trained against the fence.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41For two reasons. One is that you can contain the growth
0:11:41 > 0:11:43so it prevents it getting too big,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46but also you can use a plant
0:11:46 > 0:11:48which is ordinarily a little bit tender,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51because you use the shelter of the fence or the wall
0:11:51 > 0:11:53to help protect the plant.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56This is a little plum called Victoria
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and essentially what you are doing is encouraging the plant
0:11:59 > 0:12:03to stay small, but also the branches are fanning out
0:12:03 > 0:12:06so some going almost horizontal
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and then going out in these sort of splay lines like this.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10For instance, this one had lost
0:12:10 > 0:12:13its leader, the piece which we want to go up vertically,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16so I am just tying this one in up here.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20And it will give us the vertical bit
0:12:20 > 0:12:23of the fan, here we go.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27And then this one we'll bring up to there
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and that one we'll train in down there
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- so you can see that gives us... - It's a really good shape.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34..the perfect shape.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46This looks a little daunting, lots of packets going on.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50This is just a scaled-up version of exactly what you were doing inside,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52so think of this as just a large pot,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54which is essentially all a raised bed is.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56I've divided it down so the entire bed
0:12:56 > 0:12:59is all about leaf crops, it is really simple.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01It is a very effective bed with quick effects.
0:13:01 > 0:13:07This bed here is all about peas and beans.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09So we have gone for some beans which were available
0:13:09 > 0:13:13from the garden centre. They are a little bit torn and quite congested
0:13:13 > 0:13:14but it is worth having a go at them,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17just to give us a really good head start.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20The peas that are in your propagator that we were admiring earlier,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22those can go where this cane is going
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and that cane over there,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27so give them another week, maybe,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- and then you can pop those out. - Just a small space.- Exactly.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And down here there there's a kind of shift from
0:13:34 > 0:13:37vegetables to flowers.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39We have a range of hardy annuals -
0:13:39 > 0:13:42sunflowers, there's Cosmos, Antirrhinums, Calendulas,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44a real vibrant mix, but we've opened them all
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and mixed them all together in a tray. You can see there is
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- real diversity in there.- Yeah, there's quite a selection.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52The nice thing about these is because they are hardy and tough,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54you don't have to worry about how you sow them.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57So just grab a handful
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and scatter them around on the ground.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01And then just loosely break them in.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03The important thing about putting these in
0:14:03 > 0:14:05is that they will bring the pollinators in,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07because in all the time we have been here,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- we haven't seen a bee... - No, there is nothing.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11..or a ladybird or lacewings around,
0:14:11 > 0:14:16and it is those organisms which will pollinate so many of your fruits
0:14:16 > 0:14:18and things like your peas and beans.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21If you can bring the insects in, you have the complete garden.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Now we have to make sure we take care of it while you leave us to it,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- so...a few weeks. - We'll be back in a few weeks
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- to see how you're getting on. - I'll keep in touch.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I really think those raised beds with Andrew and Anna
0:14:41 > 0:14:43look absolutely spectacular,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and we have a similar situation here in our decking garden.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48These are large raised beds,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50effectively a giant container,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52and this year what I'm going to do
0:14:52 > 0:14:55is fill that bed with a range of lettuce.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Four different types we have - Butterhead,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Cos, loose-leaf and iceberg.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03And then three varieties of each.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05That's 12 different types
0:15:05 > 0:15:07and I am going to create, effectively,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09a chequerboard effect.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Because there's different colours and different types,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13I think it will look really attractive.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16These, though, still need to be hardened off
0:15:16 > 0:15:19so they won't be planted out for another week yet,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21but they are looking good.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Here in the decking area it is all about small-space gardening
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and planting in containers.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Here's a bit of a comparison with Anna's and her peas,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33which were really tiny, not ready for planting. These ones are.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It's a variety called Bingo.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Lovely root system on there.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41They grow to two-foot-six,
0:15:41 > 0:15:4375 centimetres.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47So they will need a little bit of staking and a little bit of support,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50but they are absolutely ideal for a container.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53We've got tatties. Every year I grow tatties -
0:15:53 > 0:15:5515-inch pot.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57These ones are just beginning to come through,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59you can just see the shaws,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and as they start to grow you've got to earth them up.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04They were planted two weeks ago,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08just the same time as Jim was planting them in the main plot,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and so this variety Jim has actually planted,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and we'll be able to compare how many we get.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17I'm using two types of compost.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I'm using a peat-free compost
0:16:19 > 0:16:21and a peat-based compost
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and I am going to do exactly the same
0:16:24 > 0:16:26with a Jerusalem artichoke,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28so in the bottom,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30a little bit of gravel for drainage,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33then a couple of inches of compost
0:16:33 > 0:16:36and I'm going to manage, I think, to get four of these.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39With the potatoes I only put three tubers,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42but four of these in the base.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47It belongs to the sunflower family and it is a new variety
0:16:47 > 0:16:50called Gerard, red-skinned,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53and then a little bit of compost on the top.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Whilst I remember,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57I also have a new variety here
0:16:57 > 0:16:59of rocket - lovely peppery taste to it,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03it's a British-bred variety called Dragon's Tongue.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05And there's lovely red veining on that.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
0:17:10 > 0:17:12"Between the crosses, row on row."
0:17:12 > 0:17:13What an emotive poem,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16a wonderful poem, commemoration of World War I
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and all the trouble that went on then.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21This, of course, is the centenary
0:17:21 > 0:17:22of World War I.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Now, the poppy
0:17:25 > 0:17:28was growing in the cornfields, in Flanders Field,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30before that time, came up and seeded.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32The seeds fell into the ground.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35The ground was churned up by the tanks, all this mud
0:17:35 > 0:17:39and glaur and filth that there was there.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41And yet, when spring came,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43after these terrible winters,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45those little seeds
0:17:45 > 0:17:49with their magic inside them grew and became poppies.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Wonderful flowers to commemorate Remembrance Sunday,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and we have used these ever since.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58The British Legion have asked as many of us as possible
0:17:58 > 0:18:00to sow poppies this year
0:18:00 > 0:18:03so what we're going to do here is sow this one,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05which is a Ladybird poppy, a wonderful one
0:18:05 > 0:18:07with little black spots at the base of the petals,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10we will sow these into these pots here
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and they should be flowering by the end of June,
0:18:13 > 0:18:14I would hope.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18The ones at the other side, we have one called Victoria Cross,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20but the main Flanders poppy
0:18:20 > 0:18:22we are going to sow in this big area over here.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I have mixed it with some sand in here,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28some black seeds in there mixed with the sand,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30so it can get some good distribution,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33so I will sow that now and then we will rake it into the surface.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Earlier, Chris was in Portlethen.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Now he's moved along the coast
0:18:42 > 0:18:47to Cove where he's with Brian and Susan in their new garden.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51We may well be just a few miles down the coast
0:18:51 > 0:18:53and still in a new-build environment
0:18:53 > 0:18:57but the soil conditions here couldn't be more different.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59There is actually some topsoil,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01albeit it still needs improving.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Last time we were here, I rather recklessly promised Susan
0:19:05 > 0:19:08there may well be an opportunity to lounge on a deck.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22- Look at this.- Hiya!
0:19:22 > 0:19:23SHE LAUGHS
0:19:23 > 0:19:25- This is all right. - I hope your feet are clean.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- Am I allowed it to tread on this? - I'm still to stain it so I hope your feet are clean.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Clean-ish. Have you been told off for walking on the deck?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33I've had many rows for walking on the deck
0:19:33 > 0:19:36with my feet apparently muddy, yes.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38I hope you've kept him off your lawn, in that case.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41I've tried my best, we had to keep it watered
0:19:41 > 0:19:45so there has been a couple of wee sneakies onto the grass.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- What do you think?- I think it is absolutely fabulous.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I can't believe where we've got to already.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56I think it looks bigger now than it did when it was just a pile of mud.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Can we stand on the grass?
0:19:58 > 0:20:00You see, I'm qualified so I can stand the grass
0:20:00 > 0:20:03but I think only those who know about...
0:20:03 > 0:20:04Of course you can stand on the grass.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It's been a couple of weeks so it's fine.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09In fact, the more you walk on it and start to mow it now,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12it's already knitted together,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14you can't pull the turf up.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16The sooner you put a mower on this
0:20:16 > 0:20:18and start to shorten those leaf blades,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21the more you'll encourage a decent lawn to emerge.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23And you've got your trees in.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Nice rhythm coming up the path here
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and just a few days away from flowering, in fact,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and the hedge is looking great as well. I'm really impressed.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32You've done a great job!
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Just a few little tinkering bits around the edges to do
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- and we'll be...- Just a little bit. - ..almost there, back to the lounging.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I'll be back to lounging, indeed.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42So, what do you want us to do next, do you think?
0:20:42 > 0:20:44We've got the pergolas,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47so if you want to have a crack at putting those pergolas in...
0:20:47 > 0:20:49A timber arch and we can start to think
0:20:49 > 0:20:51what we will climb over the top of them,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54revisit the hedge and pull that into shape a bit.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Then it's about prepping the ground
0:20:57 > 0:20:59so we can then move on to planting.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I'll finish my coffee and then we'll get cracking.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- OK, let's get going, then. - Yeah, fab.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16I have to tell you, I am a little bit concerned about this chap,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18he doesn't look very healthy.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21This is the Rosa rugosa. What's happened
0:21:21 > 0:21:23is that because we put them in as bare-root plants,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26very often a bare-root plant is really challenged
0:21:26 > 0:21:29because it has literally been taken out the ground
0:21:29 > 0:21:31and so any growth can die back.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I would say, at the moment,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36don't worry, because in the next couple of weeks it might come back.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39But if it hasn't come back in a couple of weeks,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42we'll think of replacing it with one of the spares we have over there.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Oh, my goodness!
0:21:44 > 0:21:45That's what you need to do.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49I was enjoying watching them wafting.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51SHE LAUGHS
0:21:51 > 0:21:54It's always one of those things with bare-root planting -
0:21:54 > 0:21:56when you put them in the ground,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59you need to encourage them to grow from right down here,
0:21:59 > 0:22:00especially with a hedge.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02You want a nice, bushy hedge.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Look at the look on your face.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I'm just kind of sad!
0:22:06 > 0:22:09They were starting to have their leaves, have their flowers
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and I thought, "Oh, yes, this is good!"
0:22:12 > 0:22:14- Got to take them down.- OK.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17What we need to do is go along and look for a bud.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- You see the dark mark there?- Yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23You just go above the bud, slightly sloping cut
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and away you go.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27And it is pretty horrifying.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- But it's in the best interests of the plant.- OK.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38I can't believe I'm doing this, cutting all that lovely growth off.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Once the hedge pruning is done,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47we can then think about the final preparation of the planting beds.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50There's no short cuts when it comes to preparing
0:22:50 > 0:22:53the beds, it's all about removing as much debris
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and rubble and brick ends as you can from the garden.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Unfortunately it's backbreaking work,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02but then you can add organic matter, fork over
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and you are ready for planting.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07So what are we doing out here looking at all these lovely plants?
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Well, they are all selected for your conditions,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12some for shade and some for sunshine.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14And I thought it would just be useful
0:23:14 > 0:23:16for you to pick the ones that you like
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and start placing them out in the garden
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and we'll just have a look to see how you're arranging you border
0:23:21 > 0:23:23because only by seeing how you do it
0:23:23 > 0:23:26can we then start to refine it and tweak it.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28The only thing I'll say is look at the labels,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30because they are all big, glamorous pictures,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32they show you the promise of the plant.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Think of yourself not as a gardener but as a conductor.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- These are your orchestra.- Right.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40And you want to bring them to a crescendo.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- But not all at the same time.- Oh.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- This is a lot of pressure. - Have a go.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47See what you can do.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Each plant is there for a function.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58If it doesn't have a reason for being there, it shouldn't be there at all.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01You have plants like the Daphne here,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04just look at the way that's growing.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06It is growing up like a great fountain
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- and it will be festooned in these pink flowers.- It's beautiful.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12It is a really good eye-catcher at this time of the year
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and it will just get better and better over the next week or so,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18so I would say put it somewhere where it's going to catch your eye,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20which is right on a corner.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22- It is like putting a vase on the mantelpiece.- OK.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Then you need things to flow underneath it.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29So, geraniums, really good at just carpeting and mounding,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31flowing over the deck.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Where's Brian? Not too much over the deck, just marking the deck,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36- enhancing it.- Yeah.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- Make a corner of them so they come round like this.- OK.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42These support this guy.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Your wall plants are good, your Camellia, brilliant.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Fantastic spot for it,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54winter-flowering. When you sit in the house
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and you're not so tempted to lounge,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58you need to be close to it.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01No point hiding at the back of the garden where you can't see it.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- No, it's beautiful.- And the shelter of the wall is exactly what it needs.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17- A new entrance to the garden. - Very nice.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- Somebody's been working hard. - He's very industrious.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Very quiet, but industrious.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24He's getting on with it, but you get a sense
0:25:24 > 0:25:27of the way that the rhythm in the garden is working now
0:25:27 > 0:25:30because of the way the plants are being been laid out.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32You planted your Prunus Amanogawa
0:25:32 > 0:25:34so we have this six up the path here.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Then, when we come down from that,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- the centrepiece is then roses.- Yes.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42The old-fashioned flowering bush roses.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And so we've got those in between the cherries.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49That gives us a layer at this sort of level.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52But then that leaves these scallop-shaped gaps,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56so in this one we've got iris and then we are repeating the iris
0:25:56 > 0:25:58over there so there is a sort of mirror image
0:25:58 > 0:26:01but it's not too geometric,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- you are skewing the geometry slightly.- Not so many straight lines.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Then, underneath the iris,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08you need something which is just going to
0:26:08 > 0:26:10dance and flow,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13so the Aubretias, the geraniums, the Bergenias.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17So when you look at the garden, you look at a series of layers.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The Prunus, coming down to the roses,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22the spikes of the iris
0:26:22 > 0:26:24and then the flowing of the carpet of the herbaceous
0:26:24 > 0:26:28underneath, so everything has its place and its function.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31You do make it sound lovely.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- So what do we have to do - just started digging them all in?- Yeah.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37I hope you're going to help!
0:26:37 > 0:26:39SHE LAUGHS
0:26:39 > 0:26:42You have to get tactile, get touchy-feely with them.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Do I need to sing to them as well?
0:26:44 > 0:26:46If you're prepared to do it.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- I'm quite a good singer. - I'll be outside the gate, listening.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50SHE LAUGHS
0:26:50 > 0:26:52You can't leave me!
0:26:55 > 0:26:59While I leave Calum finishing off the gravel areas,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Brian manfully constructs a few more timber products
0:27:02 > 0:27:07and Susan gets to grips with her new horticultural friends,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09developing something of an intimate relationship,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11and next time I come back,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13the garden should be bountiful.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26When you get all the different classifications together,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29there's about 15 different classifications of tulips,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32you see the range, not only of height and colour
0:27:32 > 0:27:34but flowering time. What's your favourites?
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I have two. There's this one here which is Cum Laude,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40a late single, and a late double called Angelique.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42That's just a pretty little one, that.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44- They'd go rather nicely together. - They would.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46These are lovely embedding displays
0:27:46 > 0:27:48but I will go for the small one down the bottom there,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Tulipa tarda,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53because it will flower year after year,
0:27:53 > 0:27:54it is reliable.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58My favourite is the one the Dutch called the botanical tulips,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Greigii, because there's a wide range of colours.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04We've got Albion Star here, but I like the height
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and the stature of it and it works well
0:28:06 > 0:28:09and these will naturalise in a rock garden perfectly well.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Brilliant. If you'd like any more information about the tulips
0:28:12 > 0:28:15or anything else on the programme this week,
0:28:15 > 0:28:16it is all in the fact sheet
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Next week, I'm in amongst the hanging baskets.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24This week I planted a field of poppies,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28- and next week I'm doing a river of gentians.- Nice!
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Well, I'm back in my usual spot - in the vegetable garden.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34- Until next week... - Goodbye.- Bye.- Bye.