0:00:13 > 0:00:16Hello and welcome to Beechgrove Garden on a typical spring day,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18if there is such a thing.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Back home - I live about 20 miles north of Aberdeen -
0:00:21 > 0:00:24I recorded 15 in the day and last night it only dropped to 6.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27In the meantime, I could be scraping the windscreen in the morning.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It's been a real mixter-maxter.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33- But what are you two up to? - Well, I'm saving the mahonia.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35After all that pruning, it did flower quite nicely.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Yes, but all the flowers are at the top.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I think we should maybe give consideration to bringing it down
0:00:40 > 0:00:41- a little bit.- When? Soon?- Some time.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I like to think you're here
0:00:43 > 0:00:45because there's such a beautiful carpet of colour.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Well, they are beautiful, aren't they?
0:00:47 > 0:00:49- I mean, I like this one - Jetfire. - That's fabulous.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53But that yellow one, you see, there you are, just ordinary yellow,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57doesn't matter what it's called, it's still splendid, isn't it?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59What about the blue anemones as well? Bonny.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01These two colours set them off.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04All over the place, they're blooming. Stronger sunshine and all.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07But there's a lot to do, OK? So in the rest of the programme...
0:01:11 > 0:01:13I'm visiting this grand old lady,
0:01:13 > 0:01:18thought to be Fife's largest yew tree and, do you know what?
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I might even find out how old she really is.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26And this is what's left of the old Alpine Garden,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29but don't worry, it's going to be recycled
0:01:29 > 0:01:32because, as part of being on the site for 20 years,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36we're going to create some lovely new alpine features.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Now for a little ploy to try and beat Mother Nature.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I'm usually looking for that sort of thing.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51I'm going to plant some onion sets in containers here.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56The soil outside is not fit to take onion sets at the moment,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00it's too wet and it's too cold, but we are losing time, you see,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05so if I take these onion sets, the variety is Sturon,
0:02:05 > 0:02:10and I pop them in a nice wee bit of compost like so, water them in,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14stick them in the cold frame - in the greenhouse if you've got one
0:02:14 > 0:02:18or on a window ledge - they will start growing.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21And when the soil conditions are right to be putting out
0:02:21 > 0:02:26onion sets, I will put out onion sets and, beside them,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I will put out these, which, by that time, will probably be about that.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31In other words, they will be ahead.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35We've got a heavier crop or, in some cases, we've got an earlier crop.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36And it's as simple as that.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39So if you can do that with onion sets, why not take
0:02:39 > 0:02:44a selection of seed-sown vegetables and do the same thing?
0:02:44 > 0:02:49So we've got beetroot, turnip, carrot and radish.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54What I'm doing is actually sowing them in these little pots here.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55Same idea.
0:02:55 > 0:03:02We'll plant them out when conditions are right for seed-sowing outside.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Now, you do see, at this time of the year and in the coming weeks,
0:03:05 > 0:03:10little vegetable plugs in the garden centre for the same reason.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13You're putting them out already half-grown
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and that's what I'm trying to do here. Is it worth the bother?
0:03:16 > 0:03:17Well, I think it would be cheaper.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20It takes a wee bit of time but, you get to my age,
0:03:20 > 0:03:21you've got plenty of time.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27So then you cover over the top with a bit of the same compost,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30press it down and Bob's your uncle.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I feel, George, at this juncture,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46that I should admit to you that I have joined the no-dig brigade.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- Oh, right.- About five years ago.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Down-sized and all my vegetables are now grown in raised beds.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And you don't really dig raised beds, you just hurtle it about.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56That's right.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00But the no-dig brigade are a fairly strong team
0:04:00 > 0:04:04of people who don't believe in conventional cultivation
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and we've set up this wee trial.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11This side, it's a five-by-two plot, rotational plot, conventional.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13This side, five-by-two plot.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16The pieces of ground are almost identical
0:04:16 > 0:04:17and we will try the old no-dig on this side.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I notice you're standing at that side at the no-dig
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and I've got this one here. So this is the traditional one
0:04:22 > 0:04:26and it's the way that most people do it where they dig their plot,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29they put the manure or the compost underneath the soil, cover it
0:04:29 > 0:04:33with a spit of fresh soil and then they grow their crops on the top.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35But on this side, you don't do any of the digging at all,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37so it's good for the back, you see.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40But you get the organic matter on top
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and a little bit of nice compost, leaf mould, et cetera,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47riddled for getting your seeds into, you know.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Now, there is a wee flaw here, is there not? How do I stop weeds?
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Because, look at the weeds on top of that. How do you stop weeds?
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Truth to tell, the people who I've spoken to who do the no-dig
0:04:57 > 0:04:59actually make very good hot compost
0:04:59 > 0:05:03or they have access to very good old muck and that, I think,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05is the limiting factor here
0:05:05 > 0:05:09because... Getting the right kind of stuff to get the formula right.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11And, of course, getting enough spare cardboard, perhaps,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14to put down a layer to stop the weeds coming through.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Just as a barrier.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17And then all the stuff on top should be weed-free.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Of course, we've got to take a bit of our own advice, haven't we?
0:05:20 > 0:05:24We've got these tarpaulins on to keep it from getting any wetter.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27It was already wet. And we'd be plowtering a bit, I think.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30There are weeds that are already germinating, so the soil is warm.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32It's a question we often get asked - "When do you start planting?"
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Well, when you see the weeds.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- When you see the weeds. - Things are going to grow.- Aye.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48It's the beginning of March, officially spring
0:05:48 > 0:05:49and just look at it.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51However, it's rather appropriate
0:05:51 > 0:05:54because our project today is the Alpine Garden.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03This Alpine Garden was designed and built by Lesley Watson in 1998.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Since then, it's been through a few minor modifications.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10This year, as part of our 20 years in this garden,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13we're going to give this area a major overhaul
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and hopefully this will inspire you
0:06:16 > 0:06:19to try some of these alpine features in your own garden.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22For the last few years,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Beechgrove has made regular visits to Scone Palace
0:06:25 > 0:06:28to see Brian Cunningham, the head gardener there.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31This year, Brian, who is an alpine enthusiast, has come
0:06:31 > 0:06:36to Beechgrove to take on the mission of revamping the Alpine Garden.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Well, is this perfect conditions for the alpine plants?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41I feel at home today, up on the mountain tops.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Well, the gardeners have been busy, Brian,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46they've actually sort of cleared out quite a few of the plants
0:06:46 > 0:06:49but, obviously, we want to save one or two. What about the willow here?
0:06:49 > 0:06:52It's a cracking shrub, but it's just far too out of scale now,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54too big for what we're trying to recreate.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Yeah, I would agree, but there's one or two things in pots?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Yeah, without doubt. We've got a beautiful Daphne retusa,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- That's definitely going to look good.- Lovely perfume.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And this little spring-flowering crocus in particular,
0:07:05 > 0:07:06that's perfect.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08You would normally find that in the damp meadows up in the alpines
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and they come into flower as soon as the snow retreats,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- so it's perfect for today. - Perfectly happy.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15The picea there, I hope you're not going to touch that.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- No, definitely got to keep that one. - OK, so what's the overall plan?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21The overall plan is to try
0:07:21 > 0:07:25and create as many different mountain environments in this space.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29We're going to try and open it up, and to do that, it means we're going
0:07:29 > 0:07:31to be taking down a couple of panels of this fence too.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Well, I think if you don't remove them, they're going to fall down.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The great thing is, Brian, that is going to open up a view,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and one of the problems we've had with the Alpine Garden
0:07:40 > 0:07:42is you haven't been able to see all of it,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44all the plants, so great idea there.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45So what are you going to do today?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Today, we're going to make a start by clearing it all and getting it
0:07:48 > 0:07:51back down to the bare bones, and then we're going to be able to see
0:07:51 > 0:07:54what rock we have left, and we're going to try and re-use and recycle
0:07:54 > 0:07:57as much of this material as possible to make the new Alpine Garden.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- So you've got your work cut out, haven't you?- We sure do.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28It took Brian and Callum a day to completely clear the site.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34And then another day to begin the rebuild.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- What a difference a couple of days makes.- Yeah, there we go.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Is that all right? Is that steady enough?
0:08:52 > 0:08:54That's the last trough in place.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56I'm trying to create a mountainside look here
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and we're using the troughs to create that effect too.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03And you've recycled all these stones from the original Alpine Garden?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Yep.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08So the face of the mountain is going to be these beautiful faces
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- here of these troughs. - And you don't like that one, then?
0:09:11 > 0:09:15That's a beautiful '70s construction that'll need a bit of disguising.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17And how are you going to disguise it, then?
0:09:18 > 0:09:22So, on the mountaintops, there's no soil and the plants try
0:09:22 > 0:09:26and get homes in any crack or any fissure that they can find.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28So what we're going to try and do is use some of these
0:09:28 > 0:09:31old sandstone pieces that we recycled from earlier on,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and we're going to make a wee crevice feature in here.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36And we'll use this and that should hide away this.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37That should look lovely.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41And the plants naturally grow in those cracks, don't they,
0:09:41 > 0:09:42and the roots just go down?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44I think the great thing, Brian, as well,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47is you've got a bit of height now to the trough.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Cos so many of those plants are tiny and you've got to
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- bend down to have a look at them. - And they're now at eye level.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I really think this wall is brilliant.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58We talked about the fact that it's going to open up the garden,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01so, in other words, we can now look into the secret garden
0:10:01 > 0:10:02- and vice versa.- Yeah.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04This is the only feature in the garden
0:10:04 > 0:10:06that we've had to buy in soil to do.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09And this is another opportunity to create a crevice feature,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13but this time on a vertical level, rather than down at this level.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16OK, and it's just soil, no mortar?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18No mortar. We're just using sand and soil,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20so the roots can go searching away for the...
0:10:20 > 0:10:23And also at a bit of an angle, presumably just for stability.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Just to make sure. We don't want it collapsing on anybody.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27Something else we spoke about, Brian,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29was giving a bit more width here,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32so that we can get round the back and, I suppose,
0:10:32 > 0:10:33clamber up the mountain.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Yeah, this is what we're trying to create here.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39So what we've got on here, we'll use the troughs and the crevice feature
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and they'll be the home to the more true alpine plants,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Whereas what we've done here is create a more gentle,
0:10:45 > 0:10:46sloping mountainside.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49And this was just one of the original conifers.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- That hasn't shifted.- No, we've just worked round that one.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55This'll be a great one to link in between the two zones.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And if anything, I think before it kind of just sat on its own.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Now you've linked it in with the rocks.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Yeah, hopefully it's looking natural now.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06And then what are you going to do here?
0:11:06 > 0:11:08So this last piece, as we're coming down the mountainside,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12once we're into the tree line, we're into a more woodland area.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14And this time...
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Over there we used rocks to create the terrace features.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Here we're just going to use branches and some old stumps
0:11:21 > 0:11:23to create that sort of woodland feel,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and hopefully tie in with our next door neighbour's garden.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Yeah, more recycling. More recycling.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30OK, well, we'd better find one or two suitable bits.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- That's quite nice. I like the piece that goes...- That goes up?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40..up in the air.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- I think that would look nice in my seaside garden.- Ah!
0:11:47 > 0:11:49It's got more of a worn look about it, hasn't it?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- Is it out again?- Yeah, sorry.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Is this like choosing the paintwork and the curtains?
0:12:01 > 0:12:04I'd better go for a cup of tea and let you...
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Brian, it's definitely starting to take shape, isn't it?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Yeah, I'm really pleased. It's been a good day's work.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- Could we say, "See the wood for the trees"?- Yes.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Anyway, what we've got is some lovely little features here,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19cos we've got the alpines for a woodland theme,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21then go to the mountains.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Then, of course, there's the lovely troughs, that cluster of troughs,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28that are going to be planted, and just look at the crevice wall now.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33Callum's made a superb job of that, and only a little way to go.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35And at the top there'll just be a flat top to it.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39So, at the end of the day, Brian next week is actually going to be
0:12:39 > 0:12:41looking for some planting inspiration.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44He's going all the way to Edinburgh to the Botanic Gardens.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50Now, I'm just tidying up a couple of little dwarf cyclamen.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54They've been flowering their heads off for weeks and weeks and weeks.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57And I might be sounding a bit judgmental, but I reckon
0:12:57 > 0:13:00probably 80% of them will get chucked in the bucket.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Well, that's not the gardener's attitude.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04We're about keeping perennials going.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08So, I've got them steeping in here. They're a bit dry at the moment.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Steep them in water and start to feed them,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13maybe for another month or six weeks,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and then it'll start to yellow over
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and it'll start to want to die off because it has a resting period.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22And then, given six weeks' or eight weeks' rest,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24start them all over again.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27So don't throw them out. You're wasting money if you do that.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30It doesn't take a lot to just keep them going.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Now then, chrysanthemums.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Here are the roots that were dug out of the ground last year
0:13:35 > 0:13:37and overwintered.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41We refer to these, the old root, as a chrysanthemum stool.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I don't know where it comes from but that's the story.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47They've been late in sprouting, and they sprouted away like mad
0:13:47 > 0:13:49when, in fact, in another few weeks,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51we should be planting out young plants.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54So what I intend to do is harden them off as they are,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56plant them out in the cutting garden,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58train them as we would want to
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and get some shoots from them to make new plants,
0:14:01 > 0:14:07which will be the ones we overwinter next year for flowering in 2017.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09So, that's the story of the chrysanthemums.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12The dahlias. They drive you up the wall, the dahlias.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Our dahlia tubers, which have been overwintered from last year,
0:14:15 > 0:14:18have been kept frost-free and then brought into the heat,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20but they have been so slow.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23They're only just now starting to produce shoots.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Now, again, they should be cuttings.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I should have been taking cuttings from them a month ago, maybe,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31to have really sonsy plants to put out.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34So I think the ploy is, we plant out these roots,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36we'll get a perfectly good lot of flowers,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and then next spring we'll get them started into growth
0:14:40 > 0:14:43a great deal earlier.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Now, it's a very similar story in this greenhouse,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47right next door to Jim's.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It's all about some of the plants that we've kept over the winter.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53And a couple of weeks ago, on programme one, we were
0:14:53 > 0:14:56looking at the amaryllis, and we've had several of them flowering again.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00This one is a new flower spike that's come out,
0:15:00 > 0:15:01which I think's absolutely gorgeous.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05We've had a huge response from the viewers, yourselves,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08and Sandra Jones I think should be congratulated
0:15:08 > 0:15:11because she wrote to us and said that she has managed to have
0:15:11 > 0:15:16an amaryllis bulb flowering every year for 20 years, which is amazing.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19The other thing, though, was people wanted to know,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22what am I feeding these with at the moment?
0:15:22 > 0:15:24And it's a general-purpose fertiliser,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26slightly high in nitrogen,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and you do that feeding every 10-14 days,
0:15:30 > 0:15:35right through to midsummer, and then you change it to the high potash,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39and that is what produces the flower for next year.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40Anyway, what else are we keeping?
0:15:40 > 0:15:45We've got things like the hot water plant and the oxalis.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49We had these from last year, and I know this looks a very sorry-looking
0:15:49 > 0:15:53specimen, but this is what you have to do over the winter time.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56You completely neglect it, you don't water it at all,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59then you knock it out the pot, and I have to say this is
0:15:59 > 0:16:03when I get quite excited because what we're looking for is...
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Look, this is what we're looking for, these lovely tubersols.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Because it tends to multiply, so I've got several here.
0:16:13 > 0:16:20And then all I need to do is pick out three good ones
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and follow that through for this year.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27So we get three good little tubersols, and the hot water plant
0:16:27 > 0:16:31is very similar-looking, and then just cover that in compost.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37I also, of course, want to introduce a few new plants to the greenhouse.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41I've got some Zantedeschias, or the common name is the calla lily,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44because these ones are the frost-tender ones.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46And they have lovely coloured trumpets.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48These look rather strange.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50They call these rhizomes.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52That is actually the bottom,
0:16:52 > 0:16:57so that is the bit that you put into the pot, and this is the top.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59These are the tiny little eyes,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01and that's where we'll get the nice leafy growth.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05And you do actually expose that a little bit,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and I'm using a soil-based compost.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12And then something else that I've never grown before is this.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15This is the pineapple lily or pineapple flower,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19is the other common name. Eucomis is the Latin name.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23And it's called the pineapple flower because when it does flower,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25it has leafy growth on the top,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28which just looks like the pineapple fruits.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32So, again, a John Innes compost, or a soil-based compost,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35with some grit through it because what we want
0:17:35 > 0:17:37is really quite good drainage.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42This, though, because it's a bulb, I want to actually bury that.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43And, again, just like the oxalis,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47like the rest of the plants, we're going to start to water these off
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and hopefully we're going to have flowers in the summertime.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04I want to start today's garden visit with a little bit
0:18:04 > 0:18:06of a history lesson.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09I want to take you back to July 15th, 1815,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Napoleon has just been defeated at the Battle of Waterloo,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15and he realises that his chance of remaining in France
0:18:15 > 0:18:17are quite remote.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20So he surrendered his sword to Royal Navy captain
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and Scotsman Frederick Maitland,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26whose warship had been blockading the French Atlantic coast.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29This marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars
0:18:29 > 0:18:33and it allowed Captain Maitland a massive pot of prize money,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36with which he bought Lindores Estate here in Fife,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and then set about over the years improving the property
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and the loch-side garden.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Lindores House has changed hands many times
0:18:49 > 0:18:51since Captain Maitland laid the foundations.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55It was bought by Robert Turcan's family in 1947
0:18:55 > 0:18:59and Robert has been tending to the garden here for 40 years.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05George, this is really one of the areas which
0:19:05 > 0:19:09we started gardening in and we started off by digging a few things,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12like these erythronium on the side of the walled garden.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- They're coming on quite nicely now. - Look at that patch of crocus.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- They're just fabulous. - I'm pretty thrilled with these.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21They originally came from Murrayfield House,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23which was my grandmother's house in Edinburgh,
0:19:23 > 0:19:24where they had carpets of them.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27And we, well, my parents, dug up bags and bags
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and they never really worked until just the last few years.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34I think feeding them with potash and things has been helping them.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Potash does help them build up,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and really then they take off. And that rhododendron is fabulous.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Yeah, it's been trying to come out since January
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and it has hardly been frosted, so it's been lucky this year.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- It shows how mild it's been.- Yeah. - And we've still got the snowflakes.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51The snowflakes. They last a bit longer than snowdrops, don't they?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53They're good to have around.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00This was an old Scots pine plantation.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03They'd largely blown down and were covered in brambles,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and so we decided to open it up and give ourselves a sort of woodland
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- and loch-side walk to connect with the house.- Right.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12This is good, this coming up, cos you get all sorts of things
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- coming up once you open up the canopy, don't you?- Yes.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I'm not that keen on it here. I'm trying to get rid of it.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- It looks much better over there. - Yeah, this is one of the petasites.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- Comes up with these great big rhubarb-y leaves, doesn't it?- Yes.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24But look at this.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27This is the one that intrigues me. This fella -
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- this is, what, Nothofagus antarctica?- Correct, yeah.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Every time I see this, it's a gnarled specimen like this.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40And look at that, Robert. Isn't that just fabulous?
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Betula albosinensis - it's normally white,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45but look at the sun shining through these little bits of bark.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- It's almost like flames, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- Did you build this?- Well, yes, we caused it to be built, anyway.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Well, fabulous views. And then backed by this red dogwood -
0:21:00 > 0:21:04- it's just splendid, isn't it?- Yeah, well, that's always been there.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- But I did plant these. - Oh, right.- Which...
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- That's the Crown Imperial, isn't it? Yeah.- Yeah.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- Commonly known as the gaswork lily.- Ah, yes.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14If you take that and smell it...
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Sniff that.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It tells you why, doesn't it?
0:21:18 > 0:21:19THEY LAUGH
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Look at that.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Southern hemisphere - Crinodendron hookerianum.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Yes, and it was frosted and down almost to the ground
0:21:35 > 0:21:38until about five years ago, and it's grown up like that. Really good.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- That's astonishing.- Yeah.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46It's quite astonishing what will grow when we get, you know,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- facing south as we are here.- Yeah.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51The heat off the building will allow anything to grow here, almost.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Yes, yes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- Look at the quince. That's good.- Yeah.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Well, I think I know how to prune them, you see.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59THEY LAUGH
0:21:59 > 0:22:02This one, of course - I mean, another southern hemisphere plant.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03When I came to Fife,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I never expected to see a sophora growing outside.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09All the way from New Zealand. It's only been in for about three years.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11- Really?- Yeah.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12That's incredible growth for three years.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14I don't know what you're doing,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16- but you're doing it well, sir. - Thank you.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- Anyway, I'm off to see your neighbour Susan now.- Yeah, OK.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21And I'll come back and meet you underneath this yew tree.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23- By the yew tree, yeah. - By the yew tree.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31On the estate is a cottage rented by Susan Bradburn,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and just 12 months ago, its garden was overgrown
0:22:34 > 0:22:37with thistles and nettles and brambles.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Susan has cleared a lot and created all of this from scratch.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Well, Susan, are you still working away on this?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- Cos it wasn't always like this, was it?- No.- No.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51There were trees and bushes and muck.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54I mean, so you couldn't see out of the windows at all.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58And there was every form of thistle, bramble, you name it.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Did you have a plan when you started?
0:23:00 > 0:23:02What were you trying to create?
0:23:02 > 0:23:03The first idea was to open up the view,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- because the view, as you can see, is quite sensational.- Absolutely.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And, secondly, I wanted something nice to look at.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Also ground cover, because there's so much muck there.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19And trying to just get as much colour throughout the year.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Your plant selection - how did you go about that?
0:23:22 > 0:23:24It was a question of what was available.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I mean, it started off with digging up snowdrops and aconites
0:23:27 > 0:23:28and daffodils from around.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32I did choose quite carefully, and I made a chart, and I made a list,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35but then I've still got to remember what I've actually planted.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40And hopefully it will just continue, and everything will spread
0:23:40 > 0:23:41and it will cover everything.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- Well, Robert, I'm back. Is this the tree?- Hello, George.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Yes, this is the yew.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- Gosh.- Come inside.- Are we going in? - Come inside.- Oh!
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Oh, my goodness. You know, when you stand outside and you look at it,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07you don't think there's all this structure in here.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08What a fantastic specimen.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12They reckon it's about... probably over 400 years old,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15so it would have been quite a tree, even by the time Captain Maitland
0:24:15 > 0:24:16- built the house here.- Yeah.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19It's said to be the largest in Fife, anyway.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20Well, I'm not going to argue,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22because I mean, it is enormous, isn't it?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- Have you climbed this? - Not for a bit, no.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27- HE LAUGHS - You can go up if you like.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29No, no, no, sorry. I'll leave it as well.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Do you know, we've had such fun today, haven't we? It's been great.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- I've enjoyed it.- I've really enjoyed walking round with you.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Thanks very much for everything. - Well, it's been a great pleasure.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40It's been good. But that is some fitting end.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Wasn't that a splendid garden?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Now, I've come down to the area,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55which is where we're growing vegetables intensively.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57This is the small-space garden.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01And the soil here is nice and warm. It's wonderfully friable.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05And we've got these slabs, which heat up during the day
0:25:05 > 0:25:07and dissipate their heat at night into the soil.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09So the whole thing is starting to get much, much warmer.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Much warmer than the area where Jim and I were standing talking
0:25:13 > 0:25:15about the dig, no-dig situation.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20So here I can actually now, with confidence, start sowing seeds.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24What I want to do is to sow some seeds along the edge of the slabs.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27So we'll just take a small drill out along the side here,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31and what I'm going to do is to sow some lettuce seed into that,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33sow it there, and I'm going to sow some lettuce seed
0:25:33 > 0:25:37down in a little drill which I'll take out down there.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Now, the reason for that is,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I've talked before about this thing called the edge effect,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46where when we sow at the side of a slab, or along a piece of wood,
0:25:46 > 0:25:51what we do is, we get the extra heat which dissipates from the slab
0:25:51 > 0:25:53and causes the seed to germinate much faster.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56So I want to make use of that, and I want to show you it.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00So if I sow one lot of seed there and the same lot in here,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04then we can see the difference between the quick germination
0:26:04 > 0:26:05and the slightly slower germination.
0:26:05 > 0:26:10That will also give us some sort of succession of use
0:26:10 > 0:26:12right across the whole of this little patch.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14That way, intensive cultivation,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18we can get lots and lots of leafy vegetables out of this.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And then when they start to slow down - because, remember,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23I put a base dressing in here, it's like their breakfast.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27They'll eat all that first, and then when they start to get a bit hungry,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29I've got a secret up my sleeve. I can put something else on,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31but you'll need to wait and see what that is.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Anyway, I'll get on with some seeds.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38During our pruning frenzy last week,
0:26:38 > 0:26:39we forgot about this clematis here,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41and I think it was forgotten last year,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43because it's in an awful mess.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45If in doubt, prune it out.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48So here I go. No messing, no niceties.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50In with the shears. Cut it back.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52And there's plenty new growth.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55There's plenty vigour there. And just get...
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Just make a real job of it.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Not fancy secateurs or anything at all.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Away you go.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Now, I know it's only April,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11but I'm already filling the cold frames with these sweet pea plants,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15because what you need to remember is these plants are fairly hardy,
0:27:15 > 0:27:19so the sooner that we harden them off, we can then plant them outside.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Now, you may think it's a bit late to be pruning a gooseberry
0:27:24 > 0:27:26when you see all this growth on it, but, you know,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28this is a good time to do it, because you can see exactly
0:27:28 > 0:27:30where you're supposed to cut.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33And what you're trying to do is to produce a shoot,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37a main shoot like that, which has lots of short shoots on it.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39So I'm cutting back to about one or two buds.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42And that means I can get my hand right round the shoot like that
0:27:42 > 0:27:44when I come to pick the gooseberries,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and I don't tear myself to pieces on the thorns.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Well, I'm very glad you brought us to the orchard
0:27:53 > 0:27:55for the finishing up with your wee bit of pruning.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Because just look at the promise there is there
0:27:58 > 0:28:00in these flower buds in the plum.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02A fortnight's time, and they will be...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Oh, just candyfloss.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I'm thinking several months ahead. THEY LAUGH
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- And the cranberries, though - they look good.- They're a bit soor.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11- Are they? You been at them already? - Aye.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12THEY LAUGH
0:28:12 > 0:28:14But, anyway, if you'd like any more information
0:28:14 > 0:28:17about this week's programme, it's all in the fact sheet,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19and the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- What are you doing next week? - Next week...
0:28:22 > 0:28:23What am I doing next week?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26- No pruning. That's for sure.- No? Aw! - THEY LAUGH
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Well, I'm not here next week, but Chris is back,
0:28:29 > 0:28:30and he'll be doing the planting,
0:28:30 > 0:28:32structural planting on the pond bank.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35- I'm doing a bit of fencing. - Are you?- Oooh!
0:28:35 > 0:28:37- Till next week, bye-bye. - Goodbye!- Bye-bye!