0:00:11 > 0:00:12Yeah, looking good.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14This is a nice spot of colour - isn't it cheerful?
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Some colour for a change. It makes such a difference.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Hello there, welcome to Beechgrove 2016!
0:00:21 > 0:00:24And a belter of a day! Absolutely super, isn't it?
0:00:24 > 0:00:26It's lovely. I mean it's definitely spring, isn't it?
0:00:26 > 0:00:31- Yes, yes.- But sadly, I mean, wettest winter on record since 1910
0:00:31 > 0:00:34for Scotland, Wales and northwest England.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And you've had the mildest winter since records began.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Yeah, mild, wet and windy.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41That was definitely the order of the early season.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44And that has had an effect on the countryside and the garden.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Yeah, I mean, huge consequences.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48So much water, the soil turned to soup
0:00:48 > 0:00:52and then the wind meant that the plants were being thrown around,
0:00:52 > 0:00:53roots breaking.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55So, plenty of loose plant material that needs staking
0:00:55 > 0:00:57and just needs an eye keeping on it, really.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I see compaction being a major problem
0:01:00 > 0:01:02on ground that hasn't been cultivated.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06We have to get rid of that moisture gradually, so that it heats up.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08And, you know, what about these yellow fields you see?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And it's not just daffodils!
0:01:10 > 0:01:13That's it, isn't it? The amount of rain that we've all had,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15all the nutrients that are water-soluble
0:01:15 > 0:01:17have largely been washed out from the root zone
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and as a consequence, you get that yellowing,
0:01:19 > 0:01:20not just in fields and on lawns,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23but as plants start to break bud and emerge as well,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I think we need to keep an eye on the fertiliser
0:01:25 > 0:01:26and the organic matter.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Anyway, we're back in the garden again and this garden is...
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- What did we say, 20 years old? - 20 years we've been in this garden.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And some time during this series, we'll pass
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- the 1,000 programme mark.- Wow.
0:01:36 > 0:01:37That's a thought.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39And toots here will have been at it for 30 years.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41You wouldn't think so, would you?
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- So, the garden needs an overhaul after 20 years.- Yes.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45What do you get after 30 years?
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Cosmetic surgery!
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Now then, now then, steady on.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52We've got one member missing, but George was with us last week
0:01:52 > 0:01:53in the garden when we did a bit of pruning,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56so it's on with the work and a lot to do in a garden
0:01:56 > 0:01:58that's 20 years old.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03And we're always saying to people how important it is
0:02:03 > 0:02:07to have colour in the garden 12 months of the year with plants.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09However, the garden I'm going to be visiting later
0:02:09 > 0:02:12introduces colour in a very different way.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19You're left in no doubt when you've been a naughty boy
0:02:19 > 0:02:21in the Beechgrove Garden...
0:02:21 > 0:02:23because you get banished...
0:02:23 > 0:02:25to the rubberwear department
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and the pond.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29But, in truth...
0:02:31 > 0:02:33it's quite an exciting job to have because
0:02:33 > 0:02:34over the winter months,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38the garden team have really done us proud in here.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40If you remember, this section of the garden -
0:02:40 > 0:02:44which is the centrepiece, constructed over 20 years ago -
0:02:44 > 0:02:45really had become overgrown.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The pond was completely congested with plant material,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52this rather fabulous water feature coming down here -
0:02:52 > 0:02:55which adds so much to the atmosphere of all gardens, of course,
0:02:55 > 0:02:56flowing water -
0:02:56 > 0:02:58had ceased to work.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01The wooden banking here had rotted away and collapsed,
0:03:01 > 0:03:02there was no proper flight of steps.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06The whole place was just an area that we felt looked rather sorry
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and in need of a certain amount of work.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11And it's important that if you're going to work in a pond,
0:03:11 > 0:03:12no matter how large,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15the bulk of the work is done during the winter months
0:03:15 > 0:03:17because all the plants are dormant,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19but, more importantly,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22all of our little friends over here are dormant.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23Just look at that. There's a whole...
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I'm not sure what the collective word for frogs is,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30but there's a whole, let's say fleet of frogs, over there
0:03:30 > 0:03:32having a rather fun time, it has to be said.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34So, I'm going to tiptoe in at this end
0:03:34 > 0:03:37just to keep myself fairly discreet.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43So, the liner in here is sand, but all of the plant material
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and all of the silt and sludge was all cleared out
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and what we see now is the bare skeleton of
0:03:49 > 0:03:52an essential component for the water feature.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54So, at the far end, we've got a bog garden
0:03:54 > 0:03:56and then we've got a beach that allows
0:03:56 > 0:03:59a certain ingress and egress of fauna,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01easy access into the water.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04We've got vegetation tumbling in because some animals,
0:04:04 > 0:04:05particularly things like hedgehogs,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08are very shy and they want to get to the water's edge unseen
0:04:08 > 0:04:10by any predators.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12When the gardeners were taking the plants out,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15they managed to salvage plants like water lilies
0:04:15 > 0:04:17and water iris and, of course,
0:04:17 > 0:04:22no pond like this is complete without that wonderful lily pad.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27So, it's time to replace them and allow them to replenish themselves.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30You can be fairly unceremonious with the cutting.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Water lilies grow from a very thick, sort of, an inch thick.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35There you go, you can just see it there
0:04:35 > 0:04:36where it's been cut through.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40An inch thick of rhizome which, generally, lies horizontally
0:04:40 > 0:04:42on the surface of the soil or on the mud at the bottom
0:04:42 > 0:04:44of your pool
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and what you're looking for is chunks of rhizome,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50certainly no smaller than that, four inches absolute minimum.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53There's a piece here, which is much longer - six, seven inches -
0:04:53 > 0:04:54that's perfect.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It's got young shoots coming from it, fresh, young growth.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Once you've got a decent-sized pad,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04you can then fill an aquatic basket full of compost.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07The reason for using aquatic compost is that it's low fertility.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The low fertility means that once you put it in the water,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12the nitrogen, especially, isn't going to leach out
0:05:12 > 0:05:14and cause an algal bloom.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16And then, because we've got so much wildlife in the pond,
0:05:16 > 0:05:22it's quite important to put a very thin layer of gravel on the surface
0:05:22 > 0:05:27and this really just serves to prevent the frogs
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and newts and toads, which are, sort of, furtling around,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34from kicking up the silt and sludge.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36You can see that we've already prepared three here of
0:05:36 > 0:05:37different cultivars.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41You can then reintroduce them into the pond.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43And the thing to do is to make sure
0:05:43 > 0:05:46that your pond has got the essential levels.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Now, one of the things that was very obvious
0:05:48 > 0:05:49once this was all excavated
0:05:49 > 0:05:51is that we've got the deeper section there,
0:05:51 > 0:05:52which is about a metre deep
0:05:52 > 0:05:57and then about 90, 60 and 30, so it's perfect shelves
0:05:57 > 0:05:59on which we can place our aquatics.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Don't just drop them into the deepest level,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03even if, ultimately, they will grow that deep.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Just beneath the surface is what you're looking for.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Like that. If you drop them in too deep,
0:06:09 > 0:06:10they will just rot off.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12They need a little bit of light to get through
0:06:12 > 0:06:14on to those emerging shoots.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16So, we've got a few plants still to go in
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and we'll keep coming back to the pond
0:06:18 > 0:06:20over the next few weeks
0:06:20 > 0:06:24to start filling it out with plant material and to complete
0:06:24 > 0:06:25the pond banking over here.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27So, by the end of the season,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30this area should, once again, be the focal point of the garden.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Well, it's time now to have a look at our overwintering vegetables,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40after what we would regard as a fairly mild winter.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41We had four different sets.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45We've got onions under cloches and in a polytunnel.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48We've got brassicas and we've got others.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50The onions are going to need a little bit of a lift now
0:06:50 > 0:06:52to get them to start growing
0:06:52 > 0:06:54and they've come through quite well.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57The brassicas, however, it's a mixed story to be told.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Here we've got calabrese.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I think it's a sin. I think it's almost actionable
0:07:02 > 0:07:04to grow overwinter calabrese.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Broccoli, yes, that is calabrese, it's Italian,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10it's frost tender and it's a mess.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11It's a waste of time.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14However, the other brassicas, coming on not too badly.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17The surprise for me have been the others, so to speak,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and they've done best in the tunnel, surprise, surprise.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22We've got parsley, of course, we've got pak choi,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25we've got chard, we've got spinach and we've got that weed
0:07:25 > 0:07:28which people love to eat, called rocket.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Doing superbly well.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32So, we're quite pleased we've got lovely green veg
0:07:32 > 0:07:34over the winter months.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37And then, out of doors, the tale never ends
0:07:37 > 0:07:38cos here we are.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The veg plot's covered up, ready for planting tatties
0:07:41 > 0:07:43and getting the seeds of the roots in.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Well, the Calendar Border, at the moment, looks nice and tidy,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50but there's always something to do.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And this hypericum, basically, you could start
0:07:53 > 0:07:56to see it sprouting at the moment, there's just one or two
0:07:56 > 0:07:57little buds here.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01And the whole idea is we actually chop this right down to the ground
0:08:01 > 0:08:05and then you get beautiful new growth, nice foliage
0:08:05 > 0:08:07and, in particular, in the autumn time,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09you get lovely little berries on it.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13And also, another lovely winter plant is this one,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16the Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19And some of you might remember that I pruned this back last year
0:08:19 > 0:08:22with Mairi, our head gardener, back in June
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and you can see, there's some lovely new growth
0:08:25 > 0:08:27because we want to regenerate it.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31But, at the same time, we have still got some of those lovely flowers
0:08:31 > 0:08:33which have a little bit of fragrance and they attract
0:08:33 > 0:08:35the pollinators.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Now, I think what was also interesting was that Jim
0:08:37 > 0:08:40actually called me the Sweeney Todd of pruning.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Now, just wait until you see Jim and George
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and what kind of pruning they've been doing.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Now then, George, I reckon this is a very essential, preparatory
0:08:58 > 0:09:01piece of work before we have a binge on the pruning.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Absolutely. These have got to be really sharp
0:09:03 > 0:09:05because you want to get clean cuts because
0:09:05 > 0:09:08we don't want to damage the plant, we want to get it to heal quickly.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11This is true. And you're using?
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Well, it's just a little carborundum stone, Jim.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15This is, what, a junk shop or something like that
0:09:15 > 0:09:16I picked it up in.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18That's just ideal for putting an edge on.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Well, I use what they call a steel,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23made by the same company that makes the secateurs.
0:09:23 > 0:09:30And the crucial thing is, we only sharpen one side of the blade.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34- Yep, yep. - Because this side has to remain flat
0:09:34 > 0:09:36as it passes the anvil.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I'll tell you what.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40- I could shave you with that. - Could you?
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Want to have a wee go?
0:09:42 > 0:09:43I'm away to start...
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- Right, I'm away over to do something over here.- OK, OK.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47See you later.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49The real purpose of coming to this part of the garden
0:09:49 > 0:09:52is to look at this mopheaded hydrangea.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54There are the old flowers.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Two reasons why people might keep them on the bush
0:09:56 > 0:09:59instead of tidying it up in the autumn is, firstly,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01they do actually give a bit of a canopy
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and help the buds underneath to be protected from the weather.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08And, secondly, when the heads have not been so misused by the weather,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10they're actually very nice in flower arranging.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13So, people do actually keep them from time to time.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14But what's the job now?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Well, there's a shoot there with umpteen flowers on it.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20We don't want that again, it's not going to flower
0:10:20 > 0:10:22on the end of these shoots any more.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24And I'm looking to thin out...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26the bush.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28So, I'm going right down into the base
0:10:28 > 0:10:31to cut with my new secateurs.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34But it's a bit of balance we want to do.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38What I'm looking for, and we'll be trying to leave,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40are these lovely, dark shoots.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Look at that one there.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44We wouldn't want to cut any of these away,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48but we will cut some in between to give them more space,
0:10:49 > 0:10:55without destroying the overall dome shape of the bush itself.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56So, here we go.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Well, that's it.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07I could keep on cutting, but I think that's enough for now.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09There might be a little more frost damage to come,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11but we shall see in due time.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15This is the purple foliage, the elderberry,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19a thing called Sambucus niger 'Purpurea'.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22It has brilliant purple, or smoky purple, foliage
0:11:22 > 0:11:24in the summer and going through in the autumn.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Now, what we're going to do with this one is
0:11:26 > 0:11:29we're going to prune it back as we would prune a buddleia.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32So, we're pruning it to emerging buds
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and we can see the buds on this already.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37They're just starting to grow out from the woods.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39So, what we'll do, we'll prune this quite hard
0:11:39 > 0:11:43back to those buds and then we'll see what's left of the shrub
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and I'll tell you what's going to happen to it.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58So, that's how we prune a Sambucus then.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00We've really whacked it right back.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03But at the end of each one of those shoots
0:12:03 > 0:12:05which we've cut, there are buds, emerging buds.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08We've taken about 70% off the top of this plant
0:12:08 > 0:12:12and we've got now 100% root system left behind.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15All the energy from that root system is going to be pushed up
0:12:15 > 0:12:17through the shoots, out these little buds,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20these buds will extend, they'll put on about two metres of growth,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22at least, in the summer.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Great big leaves, lots and lots of intense purple colour.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27It's a good job.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29At least, fingers crossed it will be!
0:12:35 > 0:12:38All the pruning we've done up until now
0:12:38 > 0:12:40has been on decorative plants where we're interested
0:12:40 > 0:12:45in the architecture, the shape, the size, maybe reducing
0:12:45 > 0:12:48a plant so that it doesn't get too big for its place.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53Here in the fruit garden, we are pruning to produce plenty fruit
0:12:53 > 0:12:55and it's quite a different, sort of, philosophy.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And so, you've got to know where the fruits appear
0:12:58 > 0:13:01on a plant like this redcurrant bush.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Fruit on blackcurrants is on one-year-old wood.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08On redcurrants and gooseberries, it's on older wood
0:13:08 > 0:13:11and it's produced on spurs, like there.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15So, what I want to do is to create and encourage...
0:13:16 > 0:13:19a spur to develop and that's where we'll find the fruit.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20Here's another one.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24So, you'll can see, I'm pruning it back to there.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Now we come to this fella.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I've got to make that into a spur as well, yeah?
0:13:28 > 0:13:30And this is the leader that would carry on,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32so we take about a third off.
0:13:32 > 0:13:33There.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37And that's one unit, one fruiting unit is that branch.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40And so, I systematically go over the bush
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and, in the meantime, I'm looking at the shape.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45We always talk about this goblet shape.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48We want to keep the uncluttered space in the centre
0:13:48 > 0:13:50to allow air to circulate through
0:13:50 > 0:13:55because it then is not so prone to the likes of mildew.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57I'll take that one out, making it into a spur.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00We'll get some fruit on there and that one, and that one.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01And so we go on.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Spring is also a good time to be tidying up the grasses.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10And, remember, with grasses, things which are brown
0:14:10 > 0:14:11are not always dead.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13This one looks brown when you just look into it,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16but when you take the foliage and turn it back,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18look, it's still green. This is a thing called Chionochloa.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21It's one of the big tusset grasses from New Zealand.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24And if you prune this, if you cut it back,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26it'll take the pet and it'll just die on you,
0:14:26 > 0:14:27so leave that alone.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31It's just a fabulous grass, the way it moves in the wind.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34On the other hand, this one here, this is one of the tall,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36almost sentinel-like grasses
0:14:36 > 0:14:39and this is a thing called Calamagrostis.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41And it grows up, flowers on the top, we enjoy that
0:14:41 > 0:14:43during the summer and the autumn and the winter
0:14:43 > 0:14:45with the frost on it.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48And then it dies back a bit and what we have to do at this time
0:14:48 > 0:14:51of the year is get our fingers in at the bottom, right?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Comb it upwards like that.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56And as you're combing it up, what you start to see is
0:14:56 > 0:14:58the level to which the new grass has grown.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03So, what we're going to do here is we're just going to cut that off...
0:15:03 > 0:15:08at that sort of height, just above where the new grass is emerging.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11And that lets the grass grow away...
0:15:11 > 0:15:14and we get left with this thing, eventually,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18we'll be left with the thing which looks like a shaving brush.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25When you think about it, George,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28all the pruning we've done up till now has been annual.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31- Right, this fella hasn't been pruned for years, properly.- No.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Now, this is a permanent branch shrub. This is, I think, what?
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Viburnum rhytidophllum.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Brilliant foliage on this, and that's what we want to see.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I'm glad you did say that. Yes, indeed.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- But it's getting a bit sort of top heavy.- Yeah, it's what?
0:15:44 > 0:15:46- Three metres plus?- So, erm...
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- How far down?- About a metre off.- OK.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51But I keep saying about this kind of pruning is, you can
0:15:51 > 0:15:54go so far and then stand back and have a look at it, you know,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56and you can't stick things back on!
0:15:56 > 0:15:57THEY LAUGH
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- Not once I've cut them off anyway! - Take this branch here.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01Coming out from there,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03it's coming out over the path, which,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06another consideration, and there's absolutely nothing on it.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08- I take it right down to the bottom. - To here?- Yeah.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11And then there's one there that you can take off. You doing a saw?
0:16:11 > 0:16:13You got a saw?
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Anyway, I'll get started here,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18- and bring some of these top ones down a bit.- OK.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- Is that all right, how I'm going, then?- Oooh!
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Don't... Yeah. OK.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- I'll clear that.- OK.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Yep. What's the difference between a good and a bad haircut?
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Fortnight.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34What's the difference between a good and a bad prune?
0:16:34 > 0:16:35- Ten years.- Ten years.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Well, now to something a little bit more civilised after that
0:16:43 > 0:16:46butchering job on the... In the shrubs.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49In the propagating house, it's a busy time, cos we're sowing seeds
0:16:49 > 0:16:51and then we're moving them on to an intermediate stage, and then
0:16:51 > 0:16:55they'll be planted out, whether it be flowers or vegetables or whatever.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Here we have some tomato seedlings getting ready to be moved on to
0:16:58 > 0:17:02the next stage. They're going into a nine-centimetre pot.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06That's enough soil to keep it going until it finally gets planted out.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11I'm putting them into a compost, which is a bit rougher than the seed
0:17:11 > 0:17:15compost into which they've been sown, because they're beginning to grow up.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18They can cope with that. And I see a lot of this this year.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21In other words, stretched seedlings,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23because of the poor light conditions that have prevailed
0:17:23 > 0:17:26generally all over the place, and that can be a problem,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28so what I want to do is,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30carefully taking these seedlings one at a time,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33and separate them out with the old fingers,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35holding onto the seed leaf, not to the stem,
0:17:35 > 0:17:41which could be bruised, and then down as far as I can go into that
0:17:41 > 0:17:44pot with the roots all the way down,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48and then gently pop it together.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Little squeeze.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54And when I've watered that, the soil surface... The soil will have
0:17:54 > 0:17:58dropped slightly, just leaving the little seedling proud.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59That's it, well on its way.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06We've decided to carry on the story of our two 8x6 greenhouses.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10So, in other words, Jim had that one and I had this one,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14and over the winter time, they've had a really good clean.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17It's really important to make sure that the glass hasn't got any
0:18:17 > 0:18:19algae on it, you go into the astragals
0:18:19 > 0:18:21and get rid of all the pests and diseases.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And of course, I've kept some of those plants from last year,
0:18:25 > 0:18:30including the amaryllis, so these are in their second year, and last
0:18:30 > 0:18:33year, we had a real success story, because they flowered and flowered.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37So, that story was the fact that, when they did flower,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39you then cut back the flowering stem,
0:18:39 > 0:18:40then we had to feed them,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44then they were completely dried off for about 12 weeks,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48and then we started them into growth again, and this particular one was
0:18:48 > 0:18:53started off in December, and I'm so pleased that we have got a flower.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56This one, I think, is a gorgeous colour called 'Royal Velvet',
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and then the orange one is called 'Desire'.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01And what we did do was,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04when we did start them off, we didn't re-pot them.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05They don't really like disturbance.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09I would suggest maybe every three or four years, you re-pot.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11We just scraped off the surface of the compost
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and did a bit of top dressing and we started to feed them again,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and you can see this one has also got a flower bud.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20But you can't always be assured in the second year
0:19:20 > 0:19:22that you will get flowers.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Now, my theme, I'm going to continue being flowery,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29and I'm going to come back in a couple of weeks' time.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Well, it's quite a different story here in the other 8x6,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37because we've actually been keeping plants over the winter.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39It's heated with this beer cooler system.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42It's been down to plus two on one occasion,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45but for the most part, the plants have been quite safe.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48If you recall, for example, the Coleus.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51This is the only survivor of the types that we chose to try
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and make a pyramid out of it, so we'll have another
0:19:54 > 0:19:58go at that this summer, once we get a bit of growth into it.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Then we've a selection of half-hardy shrubs, which I felt could be made
0:20:02 > 0:20:05into standards as we make fuchsias into standards.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08So, we've got the Streptosolum here.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10It's beginning to flower already,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13and if there's anything that will put it off growing, it's flowering,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15and I don't want it to flower at the moment,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19so I'm going to chop...chop...chop.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22And these things, once the days get longer
0:20:22 > 0:20:24and it gets a little bit warmer, they will come away fine.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28The fuchsia, these conditions have suited it. Look at that.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Absolutely beautiful colour, and now beginning to sprout, and we want
0:20:31 > 0:20:36to start cutting back these shoots, so that we can get a nice mop head.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38So, there's plenty going on in here, including, of course,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41these half-hardy perennials here, which were potted on,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and they've come through the winter very, very nicely.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Now, next week, I will be potting them on into a new compost.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50More of that.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52But you know, we're always complaining about the lack
0:20:52 > 0:20:55of bright colours at this time of the year.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Last November, Carole went off to seek another way
0:20:58 > 0:20:59of solving that problem.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06What a lovely location for a garden.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08I'm in Aboyne today, and would you believe,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11it's actually November and we've got the sunshine!
0:21:11 > 0:21:12But I have to say,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15November is not the favourite month of the year for me.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20Very, very short days, the leaves start falling on the trees,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22and it's a very messy time of year.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26However, I've come to seek some inspiration from Maggie Patience,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29who has a unique way of adding colour to the garden.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Well, Carole, ten years ago,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41we moved into this absolutely gorgeous location.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46We moved in in the summer, and then winter hit, and I discovered that
0:21:46 > 0:21:50days were very short and we had very long, cold nights,
0:21:50 > 0:21:56and I just needed to fill my garden with colour however I could.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59And so, is that when you started some of these mosaics?
0:21:59 > 0:22:02I actually started with plants.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04I started transplanting and moving things about,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06just trying to keep the colour going for as long as I could.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08And then you added all these sculptures!
0:22:08 > 0:22:10That was seven years ago.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12I started to do mosaics, and basically,
0:22:12 > 0:22:18I have had the best time just making sculptures, structures, anything to
0:22:18 > 0:22:22get colour into places where there is no colour to keep winter cheery.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26I think it's a brilliant idea. It makes me smile. Look at the flowers!
0:22:26 > 0:22:27I just love these.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29They're frost-proof, they're lasting for ever
0:22:29 > 0:22:31and they're not in the dump.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33You say people throw them out, but you know how to make them
0:22:33 > 0:22:36into flowers, so, you've got that inspiration.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Well, I had a few experiments but I got there in the end.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40I know how to drill through glass now,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and basically, yeah, they're great fun.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Now, I think this is a real clever idea,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50the fact that you are utilising the plants as well as your mosaics.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55I absolutely love the idea of a fusion of the plants together
0:22:55 > 0:23:00- with my mosaics.- The smoke bush, I mean, that is absolutely stunning.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01Quite late autumn colour.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It's absolutely gorgeous. We planned that ten years ago.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07And then, you've got my favourite colours here.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Well, I think the colours work well together.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14This little pot, I had fun trying to create a nice frost-proof
0:23:14 > 0:23:16piece there, that would stay out all winter
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- and everything else around it is... - Well, I'd like you to show me a bit
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- of the process.- I'd love to.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32So, Maggie, this is all you need then, to make yourself a sphere?
0:23:32 > 0:23:36This is all we need. So, basically, our substrate can be anything.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- This is, in fact, a bowling ball. - So, that's nice and heavy?
0:23:39 > 0:23:42It's really heavy. So, that's not going anywhere.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47In order to make them have a nice key to put the tiles on to,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51we need to cover them in a watered-down PVA solution.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54It'll take a couple of hours to dry, depending on where you're doing it.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59Then, once the PVA is dry, we're ready to set the tessarae on.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Then you would use this cement-based adhesive, which is
0:24:01 > 0:24:04suitable for outdoors.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And, basically, what we would do is just take a piece
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- of tessarae, place it on. - Just pop it on.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Do you then have to do a bit of grouting?
0:24:12 > 0:24:14We don't grout until we've got all the...
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- Or at least some of the tessarae on. - Yes.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Then, once this is completely dried in place.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22It's great fun to do and it's great fun to grout.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24- It's a lovely touchy-feely thing. - It does look fun.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Can we carry on in the garden and find some other things
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- that you've been doing?- I'd love to show you what I've been doing.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40So, here's another project I've been working on.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44This started this year. Basically, I've been melting glass.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Melting glass?
0:24:46 > 0:24:48What kind of temperatures are we speaking about?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50We're talking about up to 800 degrees.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It's just coming up with the best results. It's so exciting.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56It's gorgeous, cos that is just like a picture on glass,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58with this beautiful backdrop.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Now, as an artist, I would imagine you're always
0:25:01 > 0:25:04thinking about colour and what you're going to plant.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Well, absolutely.
0:25:05 > 0:25:11And I just love the idea here of the asters flowering behind the panel.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Don't they just complement each other so nicely?
0:25:13 > 0:25:14It does, it frames it.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17And I can't believe asters still in flower in November.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19I know. I'm delighted.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22- I'm so delighted you're seeing it like this.- That's great.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Now, this is quite a sizeable rock garden.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Did you construct this?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35This rockery was here when we moved in,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38as was a lot of the hard landscaping.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42But, again, I've tried to enhance it, by adding height,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46colour, fun, just bits and pieces of unusual things.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Well, there is lots of colour.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51And I think, in particular, the cosmos, still flowering.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- Did you sow that from seed? - I love taking cosmos from seed.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59They are so incredibly independent. They just don't need anything.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00They're so sturdy.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03You look at things in a completely different way, I think,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06from most people. For example, the lampstand.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I mean, most people, they're going to have that in the house.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12It's great fun outside. It's metal, it's weatherproof.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I give it a wee spray, when it gets tired-looking.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Yeah, you've got a lovely garden ornament.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Oh, my goodness, Maggie.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Now, this is something that I call really pretty wacky.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29I've never seen a pond like this before.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33This is an incredibly easy, low-maintenance pond.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35It's all about illusion.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39And it's all about fun and quirkiness, but I have
0:26:39 > 0:26:43actually added loads of plants around the edge to soften it.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45- What about the lady? - Sunflower Shelly.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- She's a bit of a looker, isn't she? - Isn't she just!
0:26:48 > 0:26:51She's had a bit of work done, the hair extensions there.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Basically, the hair extensions come from the twine that we found
0:26:55 > 0:26:57up in Durness on Balnakeil Beach.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00People bring me their rubbish and I use it in my garden.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03You know, I'm going to look at rubbish in a completely
0:27:03 > 0:27:06different is manner now. And you do do classes, don't you?
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I absolutely do, yes.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11And, maybe, do you think you could perhaps do something for Beechgrove?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I'd love to do something for Beechgrove. I've already
0:27:13 > 0:27:15- got an idea in my head.- Brilliant.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Back here, in our low-maintenance garden,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Maggie has been true to her word.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31She has produced this magnificent mosaic sculpture.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Now, we did ask her to produce it in the Beechgrove Garden colours.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37So, there's lots of purples and greens.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40And it must have taken her hours to do it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41It does look stunning now,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44but I think it's going to look even better when all the shrubs
0:27:44 > 0:27:48start to put on their leaves and it's going to be so colourful.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50- Well, that's been a busy programme. - Hasn't it!- Yes.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52So, a lovely display of bulbs to finish it.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55And, well, we're back to George again, because this is his work.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- Yes.- End of September they were put in. They're gorgeous.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00- Favourite?- I've got to say, 'Icicle'.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It's the purity and the simplicity.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05And I think that demonstrates that if you've got a few spare bulbs,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07stick them in a pot, think ahead, magic.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09- And exhibit them like that, beautifully.- Mm.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- What are you doing next week? - Next week, actually,
0:28:12 > 0:28:14- I'm minding the pennies.- For a change.- I've got a new strand.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16I'm going to be in rural Aberdeenshire.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- It's about trying to garden on a budget.- OK, yes.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Well, before all that, if you'd like any more information
0:28:21 > 0:28:24about anything in the programme, then have a look on the website.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- Visit the fact sheet.- Well, well.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29We're about to do some pruning next week, would you believe?
0:28:29 > 0:28:31More pruning.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Aren't you and George the new Sweeney Todd?
0:28:33 > 0:28:35I couldn't possibly comment.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38- Until then, bye-bye!- Goodbye. - Bye.