0:00:12 > 0:00:14Hello, there. Welcome to Beechgrove
0:00:14 > 0:00:18on quite a sultry morning. We call it muggy.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19And it's going to get very hot.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23We must start off with the stumpery - are you pleased with it?
0:00:23 > 0:00:26I think it looks great. The idea really was to get all those old tree
0:00:26 > 0:00:29stumps, pile them up in a bit of a valley, and
0:00:29 > 0:00:33then impregnate that with greenery, with ivy and ferns, predominantly.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Eventually, all the stumps would rot back,
0:00:36 > 0:00:37and all you'd see is the greenery.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And that's what's starting to happen, three years later.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42It's the shades of green, isn't it, which are magic, I think.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Yeah. You don't need any other colour, do you?
0:00:44 > 0:00:47It just... It works as it is. Do you think there are 40?
0:00:47 > 0:00:48At least, Jim! Yes!
0:00:48 > 0:00:54From the first project to the latest - Fungal Valley!
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Er...explain.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58So, slightly less aesthetic considerations here...
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Yes. ..than in the stumpery.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02But this is all about productivity -
0:01:02 > 0:01:04this is about growing mushrooms for harvest.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07So, hardwood logs form the outside edge -
0:01:07 > 0:01:09those have been drilled and impregnated with dowels,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13which are growing the mycelium of the fungi we want to harvest.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17So, on the outside, we've got the shiitake and oyster.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And then in the wood chip underneath,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23we've got those woodland floor-dwelling members,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26and notably things like wine cap, which are wonderful to harvest.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28So we've got to use our imagination at the moment!
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Yeah! It's about being optimistic, yes!
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Yes! Gardeners are good at that!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36That's why they're so expensive in the shops!
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Now, in terms of maintenance,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41I would have thought we should be irrigating these quite regularly.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46We've got heavy overhead branches here, and we do get a lot of rain,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48but... Looks a bit dry.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Yeah, well, that's the key, really, is keeping it nice and humid.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54It is about those rotting conditions that you'd find deep in a woodland
0:01:54 > 0:01:58or in a forest. So, you do need to keep it wet through the winter,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00and also, importantly, in the summer.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03So, if you can get irrigation on it, or put it like this,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07so it's slightly overshadowed on the northern side - ideal conditions,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10really. So, would you say this time next year, totally different?
0:02:10 > 0:02:14I'm positive! It'll be a forage of fungi in here.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Fingers crossed. Meantime, in the rest of the programme...
0:02:21 > 0:02:24This week, I'm visiting two places on the coast,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27East Haven and Carnoustie,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30who are both marking the 50th anniversary
0:02:30 > 0:02:31of Keep Scotland Beautiful.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36And you think I'm sitting here relaxing?
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Wait till you see what I've done to the seed box.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43As we head into autumn,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47I feel this is the perfect time to be planting some of your evergreens,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51because the soil is warm and it gives a chance for those roots to
0:02:51 > 0:02:54get into the soil before it starts to get really cold.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57And what I've got here is a wonderful range of hebes.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00So, I'm taking you to the other side of the world,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03because the hebe originates from New Zealand.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And what a collection! A dozen different varieties.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08I'm going to start at this end.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Now, I want to say these two, which are prostrate,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14are some of the hardiest of the hebes,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and they should survive the really cold temperatures.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And of these two, I'm going to pick out this one, Quicksilver.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Beautiful glaucous leaves, really tiny leaves,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28but the stems are almost black - really quite attractive.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32And then, as we move on, a lot of the glaucous foliage.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35And what I should say as well
0:03:35 > 0:03:38is that the hebes love a coastal situation.
0:03:38 > 0:03:39So, if you live by the seaside,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42normally, they will survive quite well.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47And within the glaucous ones, look at this one - very narrow leaves.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50And then we've got round leaves. This one, though, I really like.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52It's a variety called Red Edge.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And you can start to see a little red edge coming in.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01And as the temperatures drop, again, you get more of those red markings.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Then, bright and cheerful, some of the variegated forms.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09This one, I'm not too sure how that will do - Heart Breaker.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Some of these will only survive
0:04:12 > 0:04:15maybe to temperatures of around -5, -10.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19And believe you me, sometimes in this garden it can go down to -15.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23But we shall see. And, finally, the last group -
0:04:23 > 0:04:27and some of these will get quite high, up to maybe a metre,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29metre and a half in height.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31These ones have beautiful foliage.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Obviously, all of them will give us flowers as well.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38But, again, in the winter time, more purple starts to come in.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41So, they are value-for-money plants.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45They are evergreen, interest with foliage, interest for flowers.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48And also, they don't mind the soil type either.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Quite happy in a chalky situation,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and also quite happy in a slightly acidic soil.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55So I'm going to have to place these out,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57and we'll come back next year and have a look at them.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Aren't these magnificent trees?
0:05:05 > 0:05:08These are Wellingtonias, possibly about 150 years old,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11planted on a lot of estates here in rural Aberdeenshire.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14And that's where I am today, I'm just outside of Boyne,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and I've come to visit an absolutely fabulous project
0:05:17 > 0:05:20called The Seed Box.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22I believe they've got one or two jobs they want me to do,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24so I'm just going to see what they want.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31The Seed Box is a horticultural therapy training centre
0:05:31 > 0:05:34for adults with additional learning support needs,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37who aren't able to work in mainstream employment.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Participants undertake meaningful gardening activities that encourage
0:05:40 > 0:05:43independence and life skills,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46with the aim that they eventually move into employment.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49The scheme was started three years ago by Belinda Rowlands
0:05:49 > 0:05:52in the old walled garden on Ballogie Estate.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Oh, my goodness! Look at this!
0:06:00 > 0:06:02All these veg! What a credit to you!
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Thank you. But, of course, it's not just you, is it?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07No, no - we have a group of volunteers, we have four staff,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10and we have eight co-workers.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Now, what do they get involved in, the co-workers?
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Well, the co-workers get involved with the herbaceous border, lifting,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21splitting, the propagation, dividing - you name it, basically.
0:06:21 > 0:06:22The whole skill set?
0:06:22 > 0:06:24The whole skill set, yes.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27And with the veg? Yes - very much involved with all the tending
0:06:27 > 0:06:30to the crops, and then they do the harvesting, the weighing,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33the packaging, and then we sell it to the local families
0:06:33 > 0:06:36through a veg bag scheme. How many? 23 families.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Gosh, that's quite a good client base, isn't it? Yes.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Do the co-workers go out and deliver? Yes, we do deliver as well.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45They're getting a fabulous skill set.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47What a learning process for them, isn't it?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Yes. It's just magic. I see they're sort of harvesting over here.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Will we go and help? Certainly!
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Busy around here, then, Tom. What's going on?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10These are good, aren't they?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13These for the veg boxes? Er, yeah.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15So how many do we need?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Lots. Lots and lots! Lots of them!
0:07:18 > 0:07:19THEY LAUGH
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Do you like doing the veg boxes?
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Yeah. I reckon Thursday may be my favourite day
0:07:25 > 0:07:27because of the veg bags.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Do you take them out and deliver them sometimes?
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Yes, I do, and sometimes they give us feedback on...
0:07:34 > 0:07:38if they don't like particular vegetables.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Well, William, what are you up to?
0:07:40 > 0:07:42I'm doing the carrots for the veg.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45You've been loosening them with the fork, have you?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Yes. There's a lot in the bucket - these are good, aren't they?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Look at that. How do you normally do it,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51do you just snap them off like that?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54No, we... You show me how you do it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Are you using your secateurs?
0:07:56 > 0:08:01Yeah. Is this cos they're posh, they a good pair, are they?
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Let me see.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04What do you do?
0:08:04 > 0:08:07You just cut it like that.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09I see, and that makes it look better, doesn't it,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12when it's got...? Eh? Yeah. That's a good idea.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Now, I believe you've got other jobs you think we need to do.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Yes, I could do with a hand with a particular job.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Oh, that sounds a bit ominous, that!
0:08:32 > 0:08:37The yew trees are over 150 years old, they are very overgrown,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and been neglected for over 30 years.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44And so we were wondering if you could make them a bit smaller,
0:08:44 > 0:08:45and more compact.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47HE LAUGHS
0:08:47 > 0:08:49No pressure, then! Well, we could maybe get Callum to do that.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54But look, see inside here, when you force these branches apart,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57you see there's a lot of branch work in the middle there.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01We'll get inside there, and cutting out some of these tall branches,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03which are giving it height... Yeah. Bring that down.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06And then we tie this material back in,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09and we pull it back in over the cut stumps.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It will make it smaller and a bit more compact.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17It might not look 100% perfect when we're finished, but eventually,
0:09:17 > 0:09:18I mean, you can't kill yew trees,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20they will grow and it will sort itself out.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23That's one of the jobs. We'll leave Callum to do that.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39We have a cherry tree here, a Stella,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41that we planted two years ago.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45And we've had fantastic growth, we've been tying it in,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47but it's now reached the top of the wall,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49and we're not too sure what to do next.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Because if we let it go on and on and on,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53it'll take all the strength away from those branches,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and that's where we want the fruit to be, down here,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58where it's nice and easy to pick and easily accessed.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01All we need to do here really is just to take the top off,
0:10:01 > 0:10:02and stop it going over the wall.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04There we go, just like that.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19So, George, we have a Victoria plum here.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21It's been in for two years, the same as the cherry.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23But we've got to this growth
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and we'd like to train it in the same way,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and we're not too sure where to go next.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Because you've got two very vigorous shoots, haven't you?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Yes. The way to stop that vigour is,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36take that shoot and we'll train that down and along that wire,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40we'll tie that in. That then causes those to fruit much more.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42It just alters the flow of the sap,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44and these will then start to bear fruit.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Right. And then with this one, what we'll do is,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50we'll tie this one down to here...
0:10:50 > 0:10:53If I can find my handy piece of string - there we are,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55bring that down.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58What will happen now is, we'll get a shoot developing from there,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and it will start to go straight up,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04and that will give you the next storey, the next level of branches.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It's just a question of tying in, there's nothing vicious here.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Yes. We'll just tie these things in to this one.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Callum has been quite busy. Can you see what he's done?
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Yes. Much better shape.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30A lot thinner. So, thinned out the centre, taken a lot of stuff out.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32And we've put one wire in there already,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and we're drawing the whole thing together now.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Yes. It's a slow process of trying to tighten it all up.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40But we needed a hand just to put that other wire up there.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42We need to push that up with rakes
0:11:42 > 0:11:44so that Callum can really tighten it further up.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47And that will bring the top in. Right, let's get the rakes.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52You can go a bit further there...
0:11:58 > 0:12:01So there you are, Belinda, finished product -
0:12:01 > 0:12:02what do you think?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Wonderful - much more compact and tied in.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09It's all been drawn in, and we've lowered the height as well.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Yeah. But we've also left you some homework.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The volunteers will be more than happy to tie in this one.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17You can just pull it... Yes, pull it all in.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18We've had great fun today.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22It's a wonderful project, and these young folk,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24these co-workers - superb.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27This whole project is fabulous. So, well done.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Thank you, thank you for all your hard work.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Here in the cottage garden,
0:12:42 > 0:12:48there's no better candidate for a late autumn flush than the aster.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52This one is Thomsonii nana, about 45cm high,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57and a good blooming candidate, with those classic aster flowers -
0:12:57 > 0:12:59lavender blue stars.
0:12:59 > 0:13:05You can see why it has that wonderful origin of being associated
0:13:05 > 0:13:06with twinkling stars in the sky
0:13:06 > 0:13:08which, in fact, is where the plant gets its name from.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10And there's a whole bevy of them.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Don't be fearful of too many of the asters.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16If you stick with the more species-orientated ones,
0:13:16 > 0:13:21then they tend to be mildew- and wilt-resistant.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And it was the mildew and wilt that was really affecting all of those
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Michaelmas daisies,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29typical of the sort of plants that you would have been seeing in
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Granny's garden years ago.
0:13:31 > 0:13:38A good example of the way that plants are being reclassified is
0:13:38 > 0:13:42with the group of asters, because although these look like asters,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46they flower like asters, they're no longer classified as asters.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47Because in 1994,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51botanists started to play around with the genetics of these plants,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53understand them better, and realised that, actually,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56they're not even related closely to the aster.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58So you might find some of these plants classified
0:13:58 > 0:14:00under other genera.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04As a broad rule, if it's from Europe or Asia, it's still called an aster.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08However, if it's from North America, all those wonderful prairie plants -
0:14:08 > 0:14:10this is one of them, Little Carlow -
0:14:10 > 0:14:14then it's reclassified as Symphyotrichum.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17And there's a whole bevy of them, about 90 species,
0:14:17 > 0:14:19moved into that particular genus.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Now, Little Carlow will top out at around 90cm.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26It's a cordifolius species type and, in fact,
0:14:26 > 0:14:31there's a white form there which is called Silver Spray -
0:14:31 > 0:14:34the name suggesting exactly the type of flowers that it has.
0:14:34 > 0:14:40Some of the asters are really useful in really quite difficult spaces in
0:14:40 > 0:14:44the garden. For instance, this one, divaricatus...
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Look at those twisting, purple, wiry stems,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51and then star-like blooms on the tips.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's a fab plant to use if you want it tumbling over something like
0:14:54 > 0:14:57a dry-stone wall, or, as we've got it here,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00going up through a Rosa glauca,
0:15:00 > 0:15:06where its scandent nature will assist in twining with the stems.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It will mix in in spring, when the rose is in full bloom,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and then come autumn, it's the aster that we'll all be attracted to.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16This incidentally was Gertrude Jekyll's favourite aster,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18for fairly obvious reasons.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20But there's also ones that you can play with on the edge.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24Ericoides prostratum, Snow Flurry, for instance, down there,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28I'm using as an edger - wonderful white mounds.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33And this one is lateriflorus Prince.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35It's quite an interesting grower
0:15:35 > 0:15:38because it has these horizontal branches,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40and then on the tips of these,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42flurries of more wine-coloured blooms.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Again, very small,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48but perfect with not just the flower colour but the foliage colour
0:15:48 > 0:15:52against slightly lighter-coloured specimens, like this one here.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54And if you get the chance,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58stick them in in groups of threes and fives,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02because whilst all of this broad group that we call asters are
0:16:02 > 0:16:06vigorous going up, they're less vigorous in terms of spreading.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08So put them in tight clumps,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and then as you knit other herbaceous perennials around,
0:16:11 > 0:16:15you'll find the whole garden just becomes a mound of blooms -
0:16:15 > 0:16:17these blooming right through until Christmas.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Well, we're going to repeat a little exercise that we did last year,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26but it'll have some differences, and that is,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30to plant some brassicas and other plants to overwinter and
0:16:30 > 0:16:33be harvested in the late winter, early spring.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35We plant some outside and inside.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38And last winter, they all did reasonably well because it was
0:16:38 > 0:16:41a very mild winter. So we're going to try it again
0:16:41 > 0:16:42and see what happens this time.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45As I say, a few differences - different varieties.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47This is obviously a red cabbage.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I'm about to plant a red kale.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Mostly brassicas, but we've got leeks and some chard as well.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55There's some lovely plants in the garden centres at the moment,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57so this is how we're going to handle it.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Now, when we come into the tunnel here,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03the soil in these tunnels doesn't ever get any huge drenching
0:17:03 > 0:17:05from torrential rain or anything.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09And there's a tendency for the lime levels to drop and sometimes
0:17:09 > 0:17:14the salt levels to rise but what I'm interested in today is the fact that
0:17:14 > 0:17:19the pH - the acidity of the soil here - is quite significant.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22It's down to about five, which is fine for most plans.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Brassicas prefer a little bit nearer neutral so what I've done is
0:17:26 > 0:17:30to apply lime to this side of the tunnel and you see what it's been
0:17:30 > 0:17:33down to at five. The other side
0:17:33 > 0:17:34I'm not going to put any lime in at all,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37to see if it makes any difference whatsoever.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40The second testing, of course, is the outside ground
0:17:40 > 0:17:42where the pH is 6.5 and it's quite normal
0:17:42 > 0:17:45and there is no problem there at all so here we go.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48I've planted down some early cabbage,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52I've planted some pak choi and now it's time to plant the kale.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Giving them plenty of room because last year they actually loved
0:17:55 > 0:18:00the tunnel situation and it grew like the clappers.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03There we go. When they're all in,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07the other thing I want to do is give them a real watering.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08In other words,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12with a hosepipe, not with a wee footery watering can.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16A real drenching. Because that'll help the whole scenario.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27Keep Scotland Beautiful is a charity that supports community groups
0:18:27 > 0:18:30that wish to enhance and improve their local environments.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35And here in Carnoustie is a typical example, where in the main street,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37they actually look after
0:18:37 > 0:18:42150 of these hanging baskets and containers.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44And the volunteers responsible for that -
0:18:44 > 0:18:47the aptly named Colourful Carnoustie.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I met two of the leading lights of Colourful Carnoustie,
0:18:57 > 0:19:02Kirsty McDonald and Ed Oswald, at the town's war memorial,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04where they are marking the 50th anniversary of
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Keep Scotland Beautiful.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Now, Ed, to start off with,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13can we have a little bit of history about the competition
0:19:13 > 0:19:15because you're in the Coastal Town category.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17When did you all start?
0:19:17 > 0:19:21I started entering Keep Scotland Beautiful in 2010.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23That was our first attempt, we got a certificate,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26a merit certificate I think it was that year.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30And last year, lo and behold, we scooped the gold medal.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32We were very excited,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35the whole town was delighted to see that we got the gold medal.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36Absolutely brilliant.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Now, Kirsty, you do have lots of volunteers, so where does everybody
0:19:40 > 0:19:44come from? All walks of life and all ages.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46And we're so pleased to have them.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50We work very closely with Angus Council, who plant the memorial,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53along with the British Legion, and of course ourselves.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57We involve the schools and they have done some design work for us.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00And this year they did some artwork down at the Haven.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Now tell me also, Kirsty, about the begonias
0:20:02 > 0:20:05because I know you look after these and we're speaking about thousands
0:20:05 > 0:20:08of plants. Thousands indeed. I do look after them.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Last year, one of the judges, Sandy Scott from Aberdeen, suggested that
0:20:12 > 0:20:16I tried storing them over winter in wood shavings and it proved to be
0:20:16 > 0:20:19very successful. So frost-free, really important?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Frost-free in my conservatory
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and they progress after planting into the cold house
0:20:25 > 0:20:26and then into the baskets.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29And obviously labelled as well so you know which colours.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Absolutely, yes. You want to get that right.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34But this is the wow factor, the war memorial
0:20:34 > 0:20:36but where else can you find a different places in
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Carnoustie to look at?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41We've also got the railway station.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45We've got planters when anybody alights from the train services,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48so that's the first thing they notice coming into Carnoustie.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51We do all the hanging baskets in the planters on the high street.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54And there's a lot of those, isn't there? A lot of those,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56full of begonias. And what about things like the watering?
0:20:56 > 0:20:58We have a wonderful guy
0:20:58 > 0:21:02who waters at three and four o'clock in the morning.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05We do pay him, it's a very, very small amount.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10He's a professional gardener and he is one of our mainstays, really.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14And what is the response from the locals and people who come here?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16I think we get a tremendous response.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19I think people take a great pride in the town to see what we're doing.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21It's tremendous, when we are working here
0:21:21 > 0:21:24the visitors to the town and the locals that come in
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and talk to us and say how lovely it is and
0:21:27 > 0:21:29congratulate us. You know,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I'm always a firm believer that gardening is good for you.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Very much so. And it works here, doesn't it?
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Mm-hmm. It does. Now, you haven't got the results yet?
0:21:37 > 0:21:39No. Fingers crossed... Fingers crossed.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42..that you are going to get a gold again. Thank you.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43Thank you very much.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Colourful Carnoustie comes under the Coastal Town category
0:21:50 > 0:21:52in the Beautiful Scotland awards.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Just a few miles up the coast is little sister, East Haven,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00who deservedly takes all the awards in the Coastal Village category.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Jim and George were here in East Haven in 2014,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10where they watched the community create this,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14their very own community garden in the centre of the village.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16The driving force was Wendy Murray
0:22:16 > 0:22:18and she still is.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25So, Wendy, what's happened since Jim and George were here?
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Well, the community has gone from strength to strength, Carol.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33We've really taken on a huge number of additional projects.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37We acquired another area of neglected ground last year
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and it took us six months to clear it because there had been
0:22:40 > 0:22:43fly-tipping and it was really in a poor condition.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48But we have now got a beautiful wildlife garden and we have also
0:22:48 > 0:22:52developed the coastal path and the area at the head of the cycle path
0:22:52 > 0:22:55because, as you know, we are on National Cycle Route 1
0:22:55 > 0:22:58so we get lots and lots of visitors every year.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02So one of our residents provides them all with refreshments
0:23:02 > 0:23:06every day from April to September. That's magic. Last year,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09we took on a community partnership with the local authority
0:23:09 > 0:23:13to prevent our beach-side toilets from being closed.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15So we now clean and manage the toilets
0:23:15 > 0:23:20and we provide fresh flowers, hand cream, hand soap for everybody.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24And we've even put in a collection of our own original paintings.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Beautiful. We've also, this year, become the first community on
0:23:28 > 0:23:31mainland Scotland to achieve a community beach award.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34So we're really very proud of that. And this is all in two years?
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Yes, all in two years.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40So, yes, we were starting from a really low point in 2013.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44The village was looking really run down and neglected
0:23:44 > 0:23:47and we had some graffiti, some antisocial behaviour.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51And, really, we felt that we had a mountain to climb.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54So we looked at the Beautiful Scotland website and
0:23:54 > 0:23:57really found inspiration in the three pillars.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02And the three-pillar concept looks at horticultural achievement,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06community participation and environmental responsibility.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It's incredible what you've done and I'd like to know what you feed
0:24:09 > 0:24:13the red-hot pokers on? What a size. Well, that's our secret weapon.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15That's bio solids.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Our nearest neighbour is the waste water treatment plant at Hatton,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22and they supply us with free bio solids which act as a slow-release
0:24:22 > 0:24:26fertiliser and the plants have been fantastic.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27And what about your awards?
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Well, we were very fortunate in 2014
0:24:30 > 0:24:32in that we achieved silver-gilt.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36And last year we were very proud to win a gold award,
0:24:36 > 0:24:37also the Best Coastal Village
0:24:37 > 0:24:41and also the Jim Murdie Award for Sustainability.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45That is fantastic. Now, would you encourage any sort of village,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49town or city to take part? Absolutely.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52I think improving the place that you live is so important.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55People need to feel that they are living in safe places
0:24:55 > 0:24:57with green spaces.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Working together on gardening projects is a wonderful thing to do
0:25:01 > 0:25:03and it brings people together.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07You put that in a nutshell. Thank you very much. Thanks.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Here in the summer tropical border,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20the Cannas and the Ricinus have not only grown and filled out,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22but they've also started to flower.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26And, in truth, we've got about a month of flowers still to appreciate
0:25:26 > 0:25:28before these plants have to be
0:25:28 > 0:25:30lifted and given some winter protection.
0:25:30 > 0:25:36And once the ground is cleared, it's ready-tilled, it's weed-free.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41Why not take advantage of some old packets of hardy annual seed?
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Here, mixes of things like Eschscholzias, Calendulas, Nigellas.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50Mixed with a little bit of dry sand, scattered onto the surface,
0:25:50 > 0:25:56rake in vigorously and you'll find that a few extra months' head start,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01hopefully by early summer, we get a good pallet of meadow flowers.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Here, we have an ornamental dwarf willow, which ain't ornamental,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11that's for sure! Because it's riddled with rust.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Just look at that. Every leaf and it's dying off.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Now, I had a Kilmarnock willow like that at home and it pains me
0:26:17 > 0:26:20to say so, with that being my home town, I cut it down.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I got fed up with the thing.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24And there's been a lot of questions about it this year,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27this business of the rust, weather patterns and so on,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29and the lack of real control measures.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33So what am I going to do? Whack it down to about 15 centimetres from
0:26:33 > 0:26:36the ground. Clear it away, burn it.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Clear away the detritus, which is full of inoculums and then,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43perhaps with a bit of feeding and mulching,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47it may well grow away and retain its space here in the garden.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53I'm absolutely delighted this year that we've got a really good crop of
0:26:53 > 0:26:55autumn fruiting raspberries.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57The variety is Autumn Bliss and the tip to remember
0:26:57 > 0:26:59is to thin out the canes.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Thin them out in the springtime and you end up with something like this.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06And, of course, it's all about the flavour as well.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09And these are pretty delicious.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Well, I love this time of year, don't you?
0:27:14 > 0:27:17We're beginning to harvest the fruits of our labours and what
0:27:17 > 0:27:20a display of flowers as well. It's great, isn't it?
0:27:20 > 0:27:22It's amazing what you can get your hands on and just shove it in a vase
0:27:22 > 0:27:24and there you go, instant flora.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27One or two sweet peas? I'm glad you picked out the sweet peas.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Although the colour combinations, great here,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33but I'm not so sure with my Lobelia cardinalis standing here.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35It clashes a bit. It does a wee bit, yes, yeah.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38I think that's my one, the blue and white,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40and that's for you, Jim, again, lovely sweet peas in there.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Gorgeous. But you've got all the...
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Well, yes. This is my first concern is...
0:27:45 > 0:27:49feeding the tum-tum. So some good crops.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Some lovely plums this year, actually.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52SHE LAUGHS
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I saw you, I saw you. Yeah, I've got my eye on those.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Also some good news because Beautiful Scotland, where I visited,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01you know, Carnoustie and East Haven,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03they have both won gold.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07And also, East Haven won the Best Coastal Village trophy,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11which is just fantastic. Absolutely stunning. Tremendous.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12So what are you doing next week?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Well, next week, no money again for me
0:28:14 > 0:28:16because it's gardening on a budget.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21And you? I shall be harvesting even more of our crops.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22You will be somewhere?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24I'll be in the ether, yeah.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Don't forget, if you'd like any more information about this week's
0:28:27 > 0:28:30programme, it's all in the fact sheet and the easiest way to access
0:28:30 > 0:28:32that is online. Until next time, bye-bye.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Bye. Bye. These are lovely, aren't they?
0:29:33 > 0:29:35GLITTER BALL CHIRPS A "YOOHOO"