0:00:13 > 0:00:16Hello and welcome to Beechgrove.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18On a cool, misty morning, you find me
0:00:18 > 0:00:22in the veg plot about to sow some garden peas.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Simple job and this is the way I've always grown them, either side
0:00:26 > 0:00:30of a fence here of wire netting, a V-shaped drill, sow either side.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34As they grow up, you can cleat them in with a bit of string
0:00:34 > 0:00:38and keep them nice and tidy, and they're easily picked on that basis.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40We've got two varieties of peas.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43We're going to have Kelvedon Wonder on the first half
0:00:43 > 0:00:45and Hurst Green Shaft, one of my all-time favourites,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48in the second half. Now, what's funny about this?
0:00:48 > 0:00:51All we're doing is taking some peas out of the packet,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55just as they are, and popping them in about an inch apart or thereby.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58But we always look for something different to do, and quite
0:00:58 > 0:01:06a number of seed companies actually offer an additional treatment.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10As you know, legumes can fix atmospheric nitrogen with
0:01:10 > 0:01:12the little nodules on the roots,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15but of course the seeds going into the ground don't yet have roots,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18so they've produced this material which they call booster
0:01:18 > 0:01:20and it's a bacteria found in the soil.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24This one in fact is a rhizobium powder, like so.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27The seeds are going to be coated with this rhizobium,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29so they're getting a boost right from the start,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32even before they've got their own roots well established.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35And as usual, I want to see whether it's worthwhile,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39so half the row without, half the row with. There we go.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42We'll come back to it in due time to see how progress has been made.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Now, it's time to look at some brassicas.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I'm sure you're wondering what the dickens I'm up to here.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56- HE LAUGHS - Let me explain. I understand gardens are getting smaller,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58families are getting smaller.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00So, we don't need to grow huge great cabbages.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02We know that if we give cabbages plenty of space
0:02:02 > 0:02:05they'll just keep on growing and get bigger and bigger and bigger.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08What we're looking at is a good yield off a given small area,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10so what I've done here...
0:02:10 > 0:02:14There we have 25 Minicole cabbages in a square metre.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Here we've got 13, roughly half, not quite but nearly,
0:02:18 > 0:02:19and here we have 9.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Now, the fact of the matter is that these are going to produce
0:02:22 > 0:02:26small cabbages, nice, small tight heads, quite quickly,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29because as they get overcrowded they want to mature.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32This spacing here, I would reckon to be the compromise.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34It's the one I'm most likely to use.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37That's 13 to the square metre, as it happens.
0:02:37 > 0:02:38This one, only 9.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41They're just going to keep on going and going.
0:02:41 > 0:02:42They'll be like space hoppers.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44How do you get that in a pot?
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Now then, in the rest of the programme.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52You know me, any excuse to go fishing.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55But today, I'm not fishing in a pond,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57I'm fishing for a river of flowers.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03And Italy in East Lothian? Wait and see.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11If you happen to have a greenhouse or maybe a nice bright porch,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14this is a great time to be planting up your hanging baskets.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Get them nice and established and then up here we don't actually
0:03:17 > 0:03:21put them outside until the end of May or the beginning of June.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24There's all kinds of hanging baskets you can choose from
0:03:24 > 0:03:27but basically two types.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31We call one the open basket, so this one is a wire frame
0:03:31 > 0:03:34and it means that you can plant around the edge.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Here's one I've planted up with nasturtiums and I really like it
0:03:38 > 0:03:42because you can actually unclip it and then put the plants in,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and it means that you can layer it.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48On the other hand, we've this type which is the closed basket
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and all you do is plant up the top.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54And at the moment, I'm planting this one.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Last week, I was talking about some of the trials we were doing,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59including dahlias,
0:03:59 > 0:04:04so this is a fairly dwarf variety of dahlia called Fireworks.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Only grows to ten inches in height
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and so three plants should be quite sufficient.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Then this basket here. I'm going to try something new to us.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19These are jumbo plug plants and there's three little plants here.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23It has been potted on and I've got bidens here, which is a yellow
0:04:23 > 0:04:27flower. There's lobelia and there's also a verbena.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I've got some different mixtures
0:04:29 > 0:04:31and there's going to be some nice colour themes.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34So, three plants in a plug
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and what they actually say is that all I need is
0:04:37 > 0:04:43three of these in a 14-inch basket and that should be quite sufficient.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I must admit there's a little bit of a temptation to want to pull
0:04:46 > 0:04:50these plants apart, but as I say three of them there.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53And so this is really easy to do up,
0:04:53 > 0:04:59and we'll leave it in the greenhouse for a couple of weeks and then,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02as I say, it'll look fairly established when we put it outside.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07Now, the compost itself. I'm using a multipurpose
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and I've added to it a controlled release fertiliser.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13That means, not a slow release, but a controlled release
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and as the temperatures start to warm up it gradually gives out
0:05:17 > 0:05:21the fertiliser and that will last for the whole of the growing season.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Also water retention granules,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27and when you add water it looks like wallpaper paste.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31You can buy hanging basket compost that have these in them but if
0:05:31 > 0:05:35you don't, multipurpose, and adding those should be absolutely fine.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43What a wonderful morning to be in the garden.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46This mist, quite theatrical and that's appropriate because what I
0:05:46 > 0:05:50want to do today is create a feature which is theatrical in itself.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54When we moved here to the garden, we created a number of different
0:05:54 > 0:05:57features and this is one of them. Leslie created a dry river bed
0:05:57 > 0:05:59but it's starting to look a bit tired now
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and I thought I would revamp it.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04I would recreate it as something completely and utterly different.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Something out of your mind, a river of gentians.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14So, where did my inspiration for a river of flowers come from?
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Well, a number of years ago I was walking around a garden and I saw
0:06:18 > 0:06:22a wonderful river of these grape hyacinths, these wonderful muscari
0:06:22 > 0:06:24going off into the distance, and I thought,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26"Lock that away, keep that for later."
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Blues are great colours to use in the garden to represent water
0:06:29 > 0:06:31and we've got forget-me-nots, which are wonderfully blue
0:06:31 > 0:06:35but they have this pink on the end, so getting a true blue is not easy.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Then we've got the ajuga.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Well, I could have used that, but that's kind of muddy, isn't it?
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Scillas. Yes, but they only last for a short period
0:06:43 > 0:06:46but a really good blue on those and the same with lithodora.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49That would be a good blue, but the blue I wanted was this one.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53This is of the gentian... This is Gentiana The Caley.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It has a fabulous blue flower and that is just like the sun
0:06:57 > 0:07:01and the sky being reflected in the river water.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Really, really blue.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08The first thing we're going to do is take out all the rocks.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10We're going to save them and use them again.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Take out the plants, save them because we'll use them again.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Remove the turf, take out the membrane, replenish the soil,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19so there's a lot to do.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Luckily, I've got the squad to help me. So let's go, guys.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Look at that. Isn't it amazing what membrane hides?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49What we need to do with this is ameliorate it
0:07:49 > 0:07:53because what we're going to plant in here are gentians and bulbs,
0:07:53 > 0:07:58and they both need free-draining, moisture-retentive soil.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Now, that's two ends of the spectrum.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03It's an anomaly, so what I have to do with this...
0:08:03 > 0:08:07I've got plenty grit in here, so what I have to do now is to add
0:08:07 > 0:08:11organic matter, so into here a layer of organic matter.
0:08:11 > 0:08:19This is some old compost which will then be just dug into that.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23And if we mix that thoroughly...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Look at that. We change the colour.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27We change the texture.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Callum is lifting the last of the turf.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34The team are finishing off the forking-over and raking
0:08:34 > 0:08:38and adding compost and topsoil, and soon we'll be ready for planting.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Callum, these are the hemerocallis, but before we plant them
0:08:42 > 0:08:44we'll need to split them.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48They're going to be used to make the side of the river,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52with the arching leaves coming over, so that will define the river.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Now, they're quite easy to split. What do you reckon?
0:08:55 > 0:08:59- Maybe split them in quarter? - Aye, into four. That'll do fine.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04Large enough for the ladies to plant with their trowels.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- About a fist size.- Aye, about fist-size. Something like that.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11I want you for an interesting job. Heavy lifting.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Heavy all the way. My favourite.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- Just up here.- Aye, yes.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Right, what we're trying to do is create rocky outcrops with
0:09:32 > 0:09:34stones flowing from it, so there'll be a big stone
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and then getting gradually smaller. Then we come further down.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40We've another stone and we get smaller, then we have another stone,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43so that we're getting this...it's like the water bouncing off one stone
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and going to the other side of the river. Like it does in a river.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49And then the river of course will be the plants, so we'll just get
0:09:49 > 0:09:51the rest of the stones in place, right down to the front.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- See that one there?- The little... - The little one you've just put in.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07- Oh, that one. You want it turned? - Just anticlockwise. About one hour.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- This way?- One-hour anticlockwise.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14- Seriously?- Yeah. You think I was taking the mickey?
0:10:14 > 0:10:16SHE LAUGHS
0:10:25 > 0:10:28By this stage in proceedings you must be wondering what the man's
0:10:28 > 0:10:30got in his head. This is the river that we're going to create,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33starting from that stephanandra, the bush which is at the top.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36That's where the river is going to flow from.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39A river in the spring starts off often frozen,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41at least we'll imagine it as such.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43And that means I'm going to put some snowdrops at the top with
0:10:43 > 0:10:47the white and they're going to come down. In amongst the snowdrops
0:10:47 > 0:10:48we'll have some of the scillas,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51which will be the first trickles of the water in spring.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55As a river flows down, it leaves little pockets of flotsam
0:10:55 > 0:10:58and they get caught on the stones, so what we're going to do is put
0:10:58 > 0:11:03some of these cyclamen down near stones, so that signifies that.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05So, that's three plants we've got in, but the main one,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08which is going to give us the water, is this.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11This is, of course, the gentians.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14This is what really the whole thing is about.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17We can't plant them like that because that is far too dense,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20far too thick, so what I'm going to do is I'm going to drop this
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and I'm going to split it out, and you'll see what it's like.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Look at that. There is what you want. See these thongs?
0:11:27 > 0:11:30We're going to plant each one of those in through here.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33They look quite small, but planting at this time of the year,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36which is ideal for planting gentians,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40they will bulk up by the autumn and will flower.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45With these gentians I have got here, we've got four different cultivars
0:11:45 > 0:11:50and they will flower sequentially from the top down to the bottom,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53so they start at the top and the river flows right to the bottom...
0:11:53 > 0:11:54coloured blue.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07That was a good day's work.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Oh, George, what a fantastic transformation from what it
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- was this morning.- Absolutely.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16We've delineated the whole thing with the stones and the gravel.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19We've put down the hemerocallis at that side, which will arch over,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22but we've got this river of gentians, different varieties
0:12:22 > 0:12:25flowering from the top to the bottom in sequence, so great.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28And they'll do well in this soil here.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31- These plants are really small, though, aren't they?- They are.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34It was like micro-gardening, planting them, wasn't it?
0:12:34 > 0:12:38- Yeah. They'll do well in our soil. - They will.- This is Aberdeenshire.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42This is moist and cool and they love that sort of thing.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44If you're down in the south-east of England it might not
0:12:44 > 0:12:47be as easy to do this, so you'll have to make other choices.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Yeah, the climate is probably a bit dry, isn't it?
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- I would choose forget-me-nots. - And you could use what?
0:12:54 > 0:12:57The muscari, the lithodora. You could have the scillas,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59which we've got in there already, or you
0:12:59 > 0:13:01could go and just put aubrieta in.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- Pick your blue, make your river. - And use your imagination.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Here in our trials area, this is our first opportunity to have
0:13:21 > 0:13:24a look at some hardy annuals that I sowed last year.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It was towards the end of August and this batch here,
0:13:28 > 0:13:33they were covered with cloches and these ones were totally unprotected.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Both sown directly in the ground. And we've got six different types.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40I'm afraid two haven't come through.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43I don't know why. Whether it's just the weather conditions,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47but I'm really pleased. On this batch here that were covered up
0:13:47 > 0:13:50with the pot marigolds already flowering.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54And this is only early May and you can see the ones that
0:13:54 > 0:13:58weren't covered are really far behind.
0:13:58 > 0:13:59And the same with the nigella here.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03They're looking really healthy and I suspect within two or three weeks,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06if we have good weather conditions, we will have flowers on those,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10whereas again the nigella there is quite a bit behind.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15I'm going to create a succession of flowering because now this
0:14:15 > 0:14:20is the time if you want to sow hardy annuals outside this year.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25It is direct sowing and basically taking out a little drill.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28If you want, you can use the tip of a trowel
0:14:28 > 0:14:32but I particularly like to use just the corner of a rake.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36And it's quite easy just to take out a little V-shaped drill.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40And when it comes to sowing, you can either open the packet
0:14:40 > 0:14:45and tap it on the side, but I think you have a bit more control
0:14:45 > 0:14:51if you put them in your hand and then gradually sprinkle them
0:14:51 > 0:14:58along the drill. It really is very easy, sowing hardy annuals.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02They're not that expensive and they give you a lovely splash of colour.
0:15:03 > 0:15:11And once I've filled this in, you gently cover it over with the soil.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16Of course, these are fairly formal because they are sown in a row,
0:15:16 > 0:15:21but the great thing about them being sown in a row is the fact that
0:15:21 > 0:15:25when they start to germinate it's usually easy to pick out
0:15:25 > 0:15:27the seedlings as opposed to the weeds.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29I'm going to look at another way of sowing them
0:15:29 > 0:15:31up in the cut flower plot.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Now, over the last couple of years we have seen
0:15:39 > 0:15:44the introduction of scatter mixes and I've actually got a range here.
0:15:44 > 0:15:50It's a range of hardy annuals and some of them
0:15:50 > 0:15:55claim to contain as much as 29 different hardy annuals.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57And I've split them into two groups
0:15:57 > 0:16:00because these two have compost
0:16:00 > 0:16:02with them as well as the seed,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06whereas these two here, basically it's just the seed itself.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10Called scatter mixes, so that's exactly what you have to do.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13I'm just going to pick this one here.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Quite a fancy little thing there for spreading it about, and I
0:16:18 > 0:16:25scatter this over the ground, and because this one's got a compost,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29all I have to do is just lightly rake this over,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32whereas with the other two here, I will add a little
0:16:32 > 0:16:36bit of compost on top of the seed once it is sown.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41And we'll come back in a few weeks' time and see how we get on.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45I'm hoping it'll be a nice floral display.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Now, earlier on I was talking about the garden getting
0:16:50 > 0:16:52smaller when we were in the veg patch.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57Here in the fruit garden we have adopted methods of compact growing,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01dwarf growing, systems that will be useful in a small space.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04For example, here we have gooseberry, a fan.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Takes practically no space at all.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08So easy to look after.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11It makes a nice division from one part of the garden to the other.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12Or you can go to cordons.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16And here we've a red currant cordon, looking superb.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Look at all the blossom that's on it.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Now, you can't say that for these two here.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23These took a hammering two winters ago.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25We gave them a second chance
0:17:25 > 0:17:27but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30After the fruit's picked, they are oot without a doubt.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Then back to cordons again.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Here is a gooseberry in the form of a cordon, looking superb.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Look at the fruit that's in prospect, and you don't get
0:17:38 > 0:17:40your hand scratched when you're picking it.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44But that look of these bushes is all to do with the management style.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46A little bit more about that now.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49The crucial part of the management is looking after the soil
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and here, of course, we use local authority compost, heavily
0:17:53 > 0:17:57mulched, renewed every spring and it makes a huge difference because
0:17:57 > 0:18:00you've only got to look at the foliage on these gooseberry bushes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02It is looking stunning and they're very healthy.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05That is partly because of the soil conditions and partly
0:18:05 > 0:18:09because once a fortnight we spray all the plants in here with garlic.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13That is not a pesticide. It is a growth enhancer.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16It's like you taking cod liver oil pills in the morning
0:18:16 > 0:18:17and feeling better.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22So, every now and again you will get an outbreak of a pest or a disease,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and the one that has caught me on the hop this time, because
0:18:25 > 0:18:29I'd expect to see it on blackcurrants before a gooseberry,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33is this fella, the red leaf-blister aphid, and it causes that.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37When I look behind the leaf, there ain't no aphids.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40The damage has been done and gone, but where have they gone?
0:18:40 > 0:18:45They've gone somewhere else, so you can use a spray to kill
0:18:45 > 0:18:49that off, and there are one or two products which are approved by
0:18:49 > 0:18:53the organic people and I wouldn't stand and look at it getting worse.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56I would want to actually take fire brigade measures.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59But overall it's looking not too bad.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Now then, 12 months ago George Anderson went to see a little
0:19:03 > 0:19:06bit of Italy in East Lothian, that's how it was described,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10to see a garden created by Guy Donaldson and it's a belter!
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's May 2013 and I've escaped from Aberdeen.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25I'm down in the south east of Scotland,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27I'm in God's own country, East Lothian.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29A little village called Gifford.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I'm at a garden called Broadwoodside.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36This is one of these fantastic little gems,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39described by Anna Pavord as Little Italy.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43It has some superb planting and some wonderful design.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Some wonderful colours of spring. These yellows and blues.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56So what have we got in here?
0:19:56 > 0:20:00At the moment the colours you are seeing are the tulip West Point,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02which is tying in with the blue of the brunnera.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05And obviously the grape hyacinth in the foreground.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07We've got this the roof of the trees here,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10but also this wonderful hedge round about, which is quite informal.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14This is a very informal hedge. This is the Rosa rugosa hedge.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18The Rosa rugosa hedge is a demarcation point between the area
0:20:18 > 0:20:21in which, basically, man's hand has played a great role
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and the area of the beautiful landscape beyond us...
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- which is why we use the wild Rosa rugosa.- Man's hand.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- How long have you been here? - These hands.- These hands!
0:20:31 > 0:20:33How long have these hands been here?
0:20:33 > 0:20:35These hands have been here for 14 years now.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38So, everything we see, you had a hand in planting?
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Everything you see, I have planted.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Every tree, every shrub, every bulb, every herbaceous plant.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49- So, you have a wonderful ownership in some aspects.- Absolutely.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50So what are you going to take me to see?
0:20:50 > 0:20:54- Shall we have a look at the kitchen garden?- Aye, come on.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The kitchen garden, of course, is really the heart of the garden
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and is the area that is the productive area.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12At this time of year this is where much of my time is spent sowing
0:21:12 > 0:21:16the plants, bringing them on, hardening them off and planting them.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19There is nothing precious. There's two houses to feed.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22So, there's the house here and there's also my family to be fed,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25which means that everything that is grown here is going to be eaten.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- Was the garden always like this? - No, George.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31When I first came here there was no garden here whatsoever.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34It was absolutely derelict, full of rubble
0:21:34 > 0:21:36and about six feet high in Rosebay Willowherb.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39- So that's why the words are on the wall, then?- Exactly.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42An homage to the previous incarnation of this garden.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- This is level here, but yet at the sides it's sloped.- Indeed.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The original slope came all the way down very slowly down towards
0:21:50 > 0:21:53the gate there, so this whole area was dug out
0:21:53 > 0:21:56and a level area created for the pond.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59But what in fact we created in doing that was actually a clay sump.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01HE LAUGHS
0:22:01 > 0:22:04The idea of having a lovely yew hedge in there
0:22:04 > 0:22:06completely disappeared when we realised what we'd done.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Hence, we have now used willow in there,
0:22:08 > 0:22:14what we call a willow fedge, so we have 56 arches, 28 on either side.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16That's absolutely fabulous
0:22:16 > 0:22:18and your eye bounces around all the different levels.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22It has a great formality of the fruit trees over there as well.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Superb.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24What else have you got to show me?
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Shall we go and have a look at the south garden?- Lead on.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31This is just exciting stuff. It's like being in a sweetie shop.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34It's a wonderful time of year, isn't it? On a wonderful day.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51- The south garden, George. - That's brilliant, isn't it?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54What do you think of the pulmonaria? That's a Sissinghurst White.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56I think that's a fantastic idea.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58That's like a big white-spotted snake.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00The benefit of having the space
0:23:00 > 0:23:04and the vision to use a single plant for a planting like that is superb.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07That has been one of the philosophies in this garden.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10We take a long time in choosing which plants will be used
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and then we use them in quantity.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15So, for example, down here we've only four or five different plants
0:23:15 > 0:23:18that are repeated all the way up through the whole border.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22A space with wonderful informality down with the Sissinghurst White.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27- But look at this. - Contrasts completely.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31- Oh, completely different! - It's what we call the Topiary Walk.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34All of the mop-head topiary,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38the elaeagnus, the holly, the Portuguese laurel.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42And this is matched and really held in place by all of the box.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44They're all the same colour. How did you get that?
0:23:44 > 0:23:48All of the box was basically propagated about 13 or 14 years ago.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50- I took a couple of thousand cuttings. - All of one big plant?
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- All from one, the same place. - And all the way up to here?
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Yes. The eye's taken from the house all the way through the Topiary Walk,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59up to the finial up at the top between the beech hedges.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- Somewhere to go.- Indeed. - Where are we going now?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I'll take you into the courtyard.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15- Is this going to be worth waiting for?- You tell me. I think so.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17- Oh, my goodness, look at that.- This is Little Italy.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- Italy in East Lothian. - Indeed.- Absolutely splendid.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23The size of the grass squares, the cobbled squares,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25the mixed-box balls.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28You've got pachysandra. You've got everything down here.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32All this wonderful symmetry, the trees again over the top
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and that border there...
0:24:35 > 0:24:40The combination of the astrantia, the Solomon seal and the hellebores.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42- That is my type of garden. - It is.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Just a pair of shears and keep the thing...
0:24:45 > 0:24:46What have we got down here?
0:24:46 > 0:24:49We'll go down and have a look at the lower courtyard.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51This is different again.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Yes. Completely different feel to the upper courtyard.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59- Less formal, some say a little bit more feminine.- Yes, perhaps.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Softer. We have the climbers lining all over the walls, which does soften
0:25:03 > 0:25:08- the architecture and of course over here.- Look at that.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10That is just fabulous.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11The combination of tulips
0:25:11 > 0:25:15and the forget-me-nots has worked really, really well this year.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17They're all planted in an area we call the thug bed.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19- What's that?- Well, the thug bed...
0:25:19 > 0:25:22as I'm sure you are aware, there are certain herbaceous perennials
0:25:22 > 0:25:24that are very vigorous and quite aggressive.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28If you put them into borders with other plants, they'll take over.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31They'll kill them, in effect. And they would do it quite quickly.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33So here they're all in together?
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Here we've got things like the Cardoon, the Japanese anemone.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40We've put them all into the same bed and we just let them fight it out.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42In that way we can control...
0:25:42 > 0:25:45We're still able to grow the plants that we would really like
0:25:45 > 0:25:48but we're able to grow them in a controlled manner.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51To be in a garden where we've got all this mixture of architecture,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53roof styles and things like that,
0:25:53 > 0:25:59but the thing that really draws it altogether is the gardening.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03- And it's wonderfully gardened. - Thank you very much.- Guy, thank you.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- What a splendid day.- It has been our pleasure. Thank you for coming.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Remind us again of the significance of these two pots of tulips.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22OK, this is all about celebrating our 35th anniversary
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- for the programme, which was last year.- When they were planted.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28They were planted last year and of course the colours for that
0:26:28 > 0:26:32anniversary are coral, jade and emerald.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34- Hence, some of the colours there. - You've cracked it.- We have.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Which is your favourite?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Do you know, I rather like that bronzy, sort of apricot one,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41called Quest. I think it's a nice, tight bloom.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It's still to show its full glory, but I quite like the lily flower,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46the white-green striped one at the back there.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48That's Green Star.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51And although I love the colour of Apricot Impression,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53I think it's a bit too big and blousy.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56It might get knocked about a bit in the wind, mightn't it?
0:26:56 > 0:26:57And what about the Snowflakes?
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Aren't these amazing? Look at the height of that. And the size.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05And a little bit of green to the end of the petals, so that's why
0:27:05 > 0:27:07- it fits in this garden.- Gorgeous.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10And I think that little calluna as well, Spring Torch.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13- It puts on that colour in the springtime.- Very nice.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16If you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:27:16 > 0:27:17it's all in the fact sheet
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and the easiest way to access that is on our website.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21And what are you doing next week?
0:27:21 > 0:27:25I've got a problem corner and it's local, Jim. In Aberdeen.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Well, them cold house tomatoes are needing planted
0:27:27 > 0:27:28and that's where I shall be.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31- So, until next time, goodbye. - Goodbye.