0:00:13 > 0:00:16Hello there. Welcome to Beechgrove.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It's a bit dull today, but it's a lovely
0:00:18 > 0:00:21sort of climate for working in, and there's a lot to be done.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23And the first job to say is...
0:00:23 > 0:00:25- welcome, Brian. - Thanks very much, Jim.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28You're part of the team in here now. We'll be watching you.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30- THEY LAUGH - Yeah, I know!
0:00:30 > 0:00:32And the other thing, of course, is
0:00:32 > 0:00:36there's been a huge crop of new dwarf fruits,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39so this little garden here is going to be dedicated to dwarf varieties.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Yes, and when you say little, Jim, it's not a big area,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44it's only a few metres in size.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46One and a bit and four and a bit.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48And it's amazing what you can fit in.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51- Well, we shall see.- Yes. - Let's start at the back.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54We've got the top fruit, three of them at the back.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Well, we've got a couple of pears.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58- Joy Of Kent is one of them. - SHE LAUGHS
0:00:58 > 0:01:01- She's not looking well. - She isn't, is she?- I bet...
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- I hope she comes back.- But that other one's looking quite good.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05And then the stepover apple here.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Yes, that will be trained as a single asparagus.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11- Nice little pear, that one there, in that corner. - Yes, that one's a little sweetie.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And, Brian, what are you with?
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Well, I've got a Little Black Prince blackberry
0:01:15 > 0:01:18and I've got a couple of Little Red Princess raspberries.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20A bit of a royal corner, right enough.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23- Yes, these will only get about a metre high.- Yes, yes.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And they actually came from the decking, they were in pots,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29- and I think they're going to be better in the border. - Well, look after themselves...
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- Yes, they will, won't they? - That's one thing, yes.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- And you're busy with blueberries. - Yes, I think I've got the star of the show here.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38This one is called Sunshine Blue, and the flowers are rather unusual,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- because they're pink, and it's semi- evergreen, this one.- Yeah, yeah.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- Beautiful autumn foliage as well. - That'll be good.- Mm.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47And along the front, a little border of Fragaria vesca,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50- the little mountain strawberry. - Yes, the alpine strawberry.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53I'm also putting lots of ericaceous compost in with this one
0:01:53 > 0:01:55- because it needs it. - Yeah, lots to do.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58In the rest of the programme, Brian, what are you up to?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01I'm going to be completing the Alpine Garden revamp today.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03- It's looking good. - Thank you very much.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09And this west-coast garden has a wonderful collection of little
0:02:09 > 0:02:12and large rhododendrons, but so much more to see as well.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Now then, two weeks ago we set up this little comparison.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24We've got, for example here, carrots that were
0:02:24 > 0:02:28sown at the beginning of April in these little pots,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31planted out two weeks ago, and on the same day,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I sowed the same variety there.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36So, we'll get a bit of a progression,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38we're going to get succession, indeed.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40These will be ready first, I would've thought,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42but is it worth the bother?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Some people will say yes.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Some people maybe say no.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Now then, I have a confession to make.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51I have totally ignored salad turnips for ages.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55I mean, at one time, you planted Golden Ball,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57or Market Express et cetera.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01But just look at the varieties that are available now.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Actually, I've included one or two swedes, but some of these early
0:03:05 > 0:03:09salad turnips, which are grated into salad,
0:03:09 > 0:03:10absolutely superb.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Some of them, they reckon, will be ready in about...50 days?
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Month and a half? Thereabouts.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18We shall see.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21We'll have a feeding fiesta of...
0:03:21 > 0:03:23turnips.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26The swedes might take a few days longer.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27Here we go.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Last week, as part of our Alpine Garden revamp,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42we concentrated on the crevice features
0:03:42 > 0:03:44at our fantastic crevice wall
0:03:44 > 0:03:46and after a week of sun, the plants are looking great.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47This week,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51we're going to concentrate on some of the other environments.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58The whole point of this Alpine Garden revamp
0:03:58 > 0:04:01was to create as many alpine environments as possible.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03So here I am on top of the mountain.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06The plants that are going to do well on this mountaintop environment
0:04:06 > 0:04:09are the ones that have adapted to the harsh and biting cold winds
0:04:09 > 0:04:11that brushes across them.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Here we've got this mound-forming evergreen thrift,
0:04:15 > 0:04:16Bevan's Form.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19And this is going to do well hiding from the winds behind this rock.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23We've also got these prostrate-growing helianthemums,
0:04:23 > 0:04:24and they hug to the gravel.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27So that one will do well coming over the gravel here.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30And then, finally, we've got this dianthus
0:04:30 > 0:04:32that'll cling to this rock face, and when it's flowering,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36it's going to look great cascading over this rock face here.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38When we're planting,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41we're going to leave them slightly higher than the soil level,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44because this will allow us to top-dress this area with gravel
0:04:44 > 0:04:46and complete the mountaintop look.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47There's plenty more to do,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49so I'm going to get Mairi to give me a hand.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01These are more meadow-y plants, these potentillas.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03They'll suit well in here.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Maybe somewhere in about there.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Less soil, less weeds, less work you've got to do!
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I reckon we just go for it now.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18HE WHISTLES
0:05:24 > 0:05:27So, for a small area like this, we've watered the plants first.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And then by applying this gravel mulch, not only will it look good,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32it's now going to lock in the moisture,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35it's going to act as a weed suppressant as well
0:05:35 > 0:05:37and, hopefully, not too many weeds are going to come up.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Don't worry if there's big mounds like this.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50It just looks more natural.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Just make sure the plants are sitting up, not getting swamped.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16In the wild, these mountaintop rocks will slowly erode,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19and the resulting rubble will gather at the bottom
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and create our next environment, which is a scree.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24That's what we're going to try and create here.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26- Callum's got the materials for the job.- I do, yeah.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28We've got some blue slate chips that we're going to use
0:06:28 > 0:06:31to represent the water following on down
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- from your blue and white plants on the wall, or cliff face.- Brilliant.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Then we've got 20-mil wash gravel
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- that we're going to use to make the scree round about it.- Superb.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Unfortunately, after a few weeks of construction,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44- we've compacted this soil pretty solidly.- Yeah.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- So I'm afraid we're going to have to dig it over.- Yeah.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I'm using a scree gravel to define the shape of our riverbed,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04and then what we'll do, to save some time,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07we'll get wheelbarrows of grit and then we'll fill in the gaps.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16I actually wondered how it would look
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- if that point was wider, so a wee bit further out.- Right out.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Well, we've completed our scree,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38and I'm quite liking how the two different types of gravel,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40the effect that that's created.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Still looking a bit flat just now for me,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46and that's where some smaller stones than the one we've used already,
0:07:46 > 0:07:47variant sizes,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50that'll just give us a wee bit of difference in here
0:07:50 > 0:07:53and make it look a bit more natural.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56But we can also use plants to create that effect.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57So in this scree area,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00we're not looking for any particular kind of plants any more.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03We can use some of the ones that we used in the crevice
0:08:03 > 0:08:06and some of the ones that we used in the mountaintops.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08But we're also wanting to use shrubs
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and dwarf conifers like this juniper here.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12That's just going to help us give us a bit of structure
0:08:12 > 0:08:15on what could be a flat piece of ground.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17To plant these...
0:08:17 > 0:08:20The soil was looking a wee bit tired and a bit lifeless.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24So what we're going to do, scrape back our gravel...
0:08:25 > 0:08:27..and create a planting hole.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Again, we're wanting to plant it just that wee bit proud of the soil.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37And then we can wrap the gravel around its neck
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and that will protect it from any winter wet.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43But for now, we've dug our hole.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46And maybe get a couple of handfuls of John Innes No 2
0:08:46 > 0:08:48mixed with some grit,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52and this'll just give a wee bit of life back into the planting hole.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Junipers are nice and prickly.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Bit nippy on the fingers.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05As you can see, this is pot-bound here,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07so maybe a wee bit of teasing in the roots,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10just to give it that encouragement once it gets in the soil.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19And then there we go.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26A good water-in.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29And, hopefully, that'll do us.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40We've been to the top of the mountain
0:09:40 > 0:09:41and the side of the mountain.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Now we're going below the tree line into our final environment,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46which is our woodland garden.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Here's where we want to grow plants
0:09:48 > 0:09:50that could do with a bit of summer shade
0:09:50 > 0:09:53and also to be grown in a bit of moisture-retentative soil.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55One plant that we're going to have here
0:09:55 > 0:09:57is an old friend from the old Alpine Garden,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59and that's the Daphne retusa.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02And another plant that'll give us some winter structure
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and some winter colour is this beautiful evergreen azalea.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Perfect place for the poppy flower,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10and we've got a lovely dwarf meconopsis here.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Then one of my favourite plants in this woodland setting
0:10:14 > 0:10:16is this Anemone tenuifolia.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19The flowers are fading a bit now, but it's a beautiful blue colour
0:10:19 > 0:10:22and it stands out well against the dark leafmouldy soil.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32- Oh, Callum, I think we've done it.- Yeah.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39It's looking really good. Sun's come out for us, as well.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Yeah, I'm really pleased with it.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43You really see the blue coming up on the slate
0:10:43 > 0:10:44now that you've watered it in a bit.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47I think we're the only people in Scotland hoping for a bit of rain,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- just to give everything a good wash now.- Yeah!
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Brian, what a transformation.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07You've redesigned the Alpine Garden just in a few weeks.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10When you started pulling it apart, I thought, "What are you doing?"
0:11:10 > 0:11:13And the plants, they've had a few days to get settled in.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15It looks like they're feeling a bit more at home now
0:11:15 > 0:11:19because they're starting to sit up, so I'm quite happy. Quite relaxed.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20Yeah, they are, and the whole idea.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24We said at the beginning that you were creating various areas
0:11:24 > 0:11:26and I'd love to pick out that sand crevice
0:11:26 > 0:11:28because it's rather unusual, and quite tiny.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31A metre by two metres. Anyone could have that.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Yeah, just pick up a couple of bags of sand and give it a go.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36What about if you were to pick out something?
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I do like the water feature because, probably most importantly,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41it shows what you can do with different gravels.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- Yeah, no water, actually.- Exactly! - It's just gravel and slate.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47And then, the finishing touches here.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48Although this is the mountain,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51these are the alpine troughs that you've almost hidden, in a way.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Exactly. Mission accomplished was to hide that '70s trough
0:11:55 > 0:11:56and I think we've done it.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59And just the finishing touches with one or two plants.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Yeah, we've got a beautiful little hosta here, Blue Mouse Ears,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- and what about that colour of that? - Absolutely stunning.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07But that little one there?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09A wee clematis.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Most people expect the big ones at this time of year, but look at that.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Yeah. So, you'll plant those, get the gravel on, that'll be it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I mean, I think it looks beautiful now, but once these plants get more
0:12:19 > 0:12:22established and close it a bit more,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- it's going to look absolutely superb.- I hope so.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29Welcome to my little eight-by-six
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and thank goodness for that bit of shading on the roof,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and the lovely thing about this system
0:12:34 > 0:12:36is when it's dull, you can take it off.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38It's a wee bit more of a bother,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40but it gives the right kind of atmosphere in here.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43It's eight-by-six time and it's a little greenhouse
0:12:43 > 0:12:46that's being run almost like my own at home.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49What I've got this side is cropping plants and we are using this
0:12:49 > 0:12:52self-watering device, but the interesting thing this year
0:12:52 > 0:12:56is I've got two tomatoes, a cucumber and there's a pepper going in there.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00So, will they live together and work all right? It remains to be seen.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03So, remember, there's a reservoir there.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06So you put the water in there, you mix up the liquid feed
0:13:06 > 0:13:07and you pour it in there,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11and then a bit of capillary matting there acts as a wick.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15That goes down on there, fill it up with compost and there it is.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20So it gets watered from underneath and you can water in through here.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22That shows you the reservoir.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The point being, of course, all the plants have got different
0:13:25 > 0:13:28requirements, but they will get the same liquid feed.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30It remains to be seen. We'll see what happens.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32I think it'll work perfectly well.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Moving round in this direction, this fella here -
0:13:34 > 0:13:36we've had a few people interested
0:13:36 > 0:13:39in our beer cooler system of heating.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40It's a geothermal system
0:13:40 > 0:13:43where the beer cooler, instead of cooling,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45has the terminal switched and it heats instead.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Out at the back of it, right away,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50about 10m into the woodland garden there,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53runs a water pipe, and then comes back again,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and they're about 60cm below the surface.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57Warmer temperatures underneath,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00where there's a change and a difference,
0:14:00 > 0:14:01it will pick that up,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and the only electricity we're using is to run the little pump
0:14:04 > 0:14:07that pushes the water round and then out the fan comes.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11And it's kept this above seven - it's a DIY fella's job,
0:14:11 > 0:14:12this is, really.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16You can't pick this up off the marketplace at all.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Now, then, when it comes to this time of the year,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20the important thing is keeping a moist atmosphere
0:14:20 > 0:14:22and one of the ways you can do that at the bench
0:14:22 > 0:14:26is to put down the plastic here, and then capillary matting on top.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27Keep the matting damp
0:14:27 > 0:14:30and you've got this nice, lovely, growthy atmosphere,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and you can add to that by regular spraying
0:14:33 > 0:14:35with a little spray, like so - absolutely stunning.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Now, the interesting thing about this
0:14:38 > 0:14:41is I have another bottle that I can fill with insecticide.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Just switch the top and I can get in there
0:14:44 > 0:14:48and get the little greenfly, no bother at all.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Now, what happens when your plants, like your pelargoniums,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54kind of fall to bits, a bit?
0:14:54 > 0:14:55It's lost its shape.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58This is the variety Welling, and isn't that stunning?
0:14:58 > 0:15:03So what I shall do is take some cuttings from this plant,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05cut it back and give it another go, but it won't matter.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08As soon as the cuttings are rooted, we're away - no problem.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Just like these, here, which I've been doing
0:15:10 > 0:15:13in a little propagator, like so -
0:15:13 > 0:15:15pelargoniums, fuchsias and so on.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16There they are.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Now, I'm away to pot these up.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22The point is that when you have disturbed a root system,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24you should put a plant back in the environment
0:15:24 > 0:15:27in which it's been living, ie in a closed case.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Now, patently, if I pot all these up, and all these up,
0:15:30 > 0:15:31there's not going to be room.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33So customarily, what you would do,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35a week or so before you're ready to pot them,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39is to stand that plant, that pot, out on the bench,
0:15:39 > 0:15:40so that when you pot them,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43it goes back in the bench in the same atmosphere.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45So there we go, that's going to keep me busy for a wee while,
0:15:45 > 0:15:50and just as I'm saying that, I caught these little cyclamen.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52They're now ready to be dried off.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Put them on their side, under the bench...
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Put them on their side so they don't get any dripped water in them,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and they can dry off and start them again in the autumn.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04But I must get these cuttings, absolutely, get them potted up.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Now, Jim was talking a little bit about the shading
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and the heating in his eight-by-six greenhouse.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Mine is slightly different. I've got a paint-on shading.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20It was really effective last year, and it's very simple
0:16:20 > 0:16:21because you do paint it on,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23and then, come the end of the season,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26you can just rub it off with a brush,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and the heater - it's an electric fan heater, works really well.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34When it gets up to temperature, it then gives out cold air.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Now, Jim was also speaking about resting the cyclamen.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39I want to have a wee look again at our amaryllis.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41It's our second year.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44One is still flowering - that variety is called Ambience,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and looks lovely, but most of them have gone over.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Now, you don't give them a rest.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51What we've got to do is encourage them to grow,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54and to start off with, as soon as it's finished flowering,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57we want to cut this flowering spike right down.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59And you need to keep feeding them -
0:16:59 > 0:17:01we are feeding them at the moment,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04just with a general-purpose house-plant fertiliser,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07which has roughly equal amounts of MPK, and then,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11come the midsummer, that's when you move on to that high potash,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13something like a tomato fertiliser,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17and that will help to form the flower for yet another year.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Now, this is looking rather nice at the moment.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22I'm really pleased with the oxalis, for example,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24which we repotted back in April.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Things like the Iron Cross, for example,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29I think has beautiful foliage, and we've got some flowers as well.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32And speaking about flowers, look at this lobelia.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35This was a lobelia that we grew last year,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38a new variety that doesn't set seed, so you have to take cuttings,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42and the variety is called Waterfall Blue Ice.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46That makes a really nice contrast with the oxalis there.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Then over this side, slightly disappointed -
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I think it's all to do with the temperatures at the moment.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56Our zantedeschia collection, there is only one tiny little spike
0:17:56 > 0:17:59that's starting to come through, but hopefully now,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01because the temperatures are warming up,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03that we will see some growth.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05It's the same, a little bit, with the eucomis,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08or the pineapple lilies, look - it's just starting to come through.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10That one maybe looks a lot better.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13We've also got plants that we've sowed for seed,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16so they're temporary bedding, really, they're just annuals,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and we've got things like the amaranthus,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20there's some pricking off to do.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21We've got the balsam.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And because the amaryllis at the back are going over,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I want a bit of display to replace that,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32so I've got this new container and this just...
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Once I've got it planted up,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36that will just pop into those holes
0:18:36 > 0:18:38and I've got two climbers - again, grown from seed -
0:18:38 > 0:18:40which are just annuals.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42I've already put in the Cobaea scandens -
0:18:42 > 0:18:44I shall get maybe three in there.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46The common name is cup-and-saucer plant.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49And also, I'm going to be adding some bergia,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Black-Eyed Susan, and this variety,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54it says, has really large flowers.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57So, lovely black eye, and then orange around the outside.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I've come to the west coast of Scotland, near Helensburgh,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15for my garden visit, and the weather today is going to be fabulous -
0:19:15 > 0:19:17maybe temperatures up to 20 degrees.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20The climate here, combined with the acidic soil,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24gives it perfect conditions for growing all types of plants,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and I'm going to see Mike and Sue Thornley,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30whose garden is full of horticultural delights.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Mike and Sue have been at Glenarn for 30 years.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Both architects before retiring,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42they're passionate about restoration.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44This is evident in their garden,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48which is full of rhododendrons planted since the Victorian era.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54This is Rhododendron lindleyi and it has,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58I think as you probably recognise, absolutely fabulous scent.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It's absolutely stunning, Mike.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04It's a shame people can't smell that from the telly.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08It is, but they can see it, and apart from the scent,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12it has this amazing corona of flowers.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Not particularly hardy, though.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16No - well, hardy in this town,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18because of the influence of the sea,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22which protects us from the frost and so on. But you'd have difficulty
0:20:22 > 0:20:24growing it across on the east side of the country.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Yeah, the conservatory, I think.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Does it comes in different forms? - It does.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32There's a version that has wonderful pink stripes, a bit like ice cream.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It's called Geordie Sherriff, after George Sherriff,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39who'd collected it originally in 1938 on the Tibetan border.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Now, you've so many rhododendrons here,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44but any others that you would pick out in this area?
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Well, yes, I would, and it's another George Sherriff plant.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49It's Rhododendron viscidifolium.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52When he saw it, he thought, "This must be something new."
0:20:52 > 0:20:54And when it eventually flowered in the garden
0:20:54 > 0:20:57and the parts were sent to the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh
0:20:57 > 0:21:00for identification, it was proved to be a new species.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03So, the one we have here is the first into introduction.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12This is Rhododendron johnstoneanum,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14another of these very tender rhododendrons
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- that we can grown outside. - And beautiful bark on that one.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Yeah, but no scent - but rigidum next door has a great scent.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24And we've kind of caught that one at a peak condition, I'd say.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Now, this is a fascinating structure.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Well, this is our shade house.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It's built on the foundations of an old greenhouse, you can see that,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44but it wasn't here when we arrived,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46it was just a tumbledown shack.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48So, we decided to put the roof on it
0:21:48 > 0:21:53and a place where we could put my little cuttings, as they grew on.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- And it works really well.- You can see some very small ones in here,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59and some bigger ones, even up to flowering stage, after three years.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02And isn't it a pleasant environment on a day like today?
0:22:02 > 0:22:06It is! It's cooler, it's good protection from the wind,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08but, of course, the rain comes through,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12and you don't have to water, really, so it's excellent.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- And roughly about 50% cover?- Yes.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17The only problem is Mike decided it had to be white,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21- so he has to paint it.- It's his job. - It's certainly his job.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33We've been growing tulips in the vegetable patch for years.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36You can see the variety you can get in tulips.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40I mean, there are double ones, there are frilly ones,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42there are parrots, there are lilies...
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- And it's the variety of colour, as well.- They're terrific, aren't they?
0:22:46 > 0:22:48I mean, I try and organise them into groups
0:22:48 > 0:22:49that I think will look good,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52and take notes on what has worked for another year,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55but when they go over, I take the heads off.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- Yes, a deadheading.- Deadhead them.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Then I individually dig them up and put them into boxes,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05all of one type, put them into the greenhouse and let them dry off.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07And what happens after you take these out?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09What goes into the veg patch?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Well, we dig in the manure and put in the courgettes
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and the squashes, and it's a great place to grow those.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- So, the cycle keeps going? - That's right.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Wow, look at this colour!
0:23:25 > 0:23:28That's quite a colour combination, isn't it? The pink and the red.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It is, but look over there - that's rather more subtle.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33- That's meconopsis.- She's a gem.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35That's mobcap. Yes, she's lovely.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39It's quite a few years, Sue, since I've been round your garden,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42and the rock garden, to me, has changed a lot.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Yes, we've worked in here over the last ten years,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49but we've put in these paths to make a bit more structure,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52so we could work on the beds, and then, more recently,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54we have put a deer fence right round it.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57So, presumably, now you're growing a few gems?
0:23:57 > 0:23:58Well, look at this one. This...
0:23:58 > 0:24:01I don't know if the deer would have fancied it, but it's quite
0:24:01 > 0:24:03unusual, isn't it?
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Now, I'm going to take a stab at this.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- Podophyllum. Podophyllum.- Yes.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I don't know the species, though.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11This is aurantiocaule. It's beautiful.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Look at those little white flowers nestling under there.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17The flowers are gorgeous, but I also think the foliage, like umbrellas...
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It is, and it comes from a very wet part of the world
0:24:20 > 0:24:23so it forms a big umbrella towards the end of the season.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25- And what a backdrop.- I know.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28This is dwarf williamsianum. Rhododendron.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31After 80 years, it's not such a dwarf, but quite Japanesey.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35- And like little lily pads, I think, to the foliage.- Yes, it is.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39So, this is really your kind of reinventing the rock garden.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Well, we are trying to.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44We're working, obviously, from the original structure that the Gibsons,
0:24:44 > 0:24:49the previous owners, worked in the quarry here and developed
0:24:49 > 0:24:53this as a rock garden and it is quite an amazing little space.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57You can see where the stone was taken for building the house
0:24:57 > 0:24:59originally and all the little pockets that are left.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And look at the way the acer just sits in there snugly.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03I know. I know.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08Well, it sort of has a wide range of habitats, lots of little ledges.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Some of them are wet, some of them are dry.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13And this sciadopitys, umbrella pine,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16isn't what you'd choose to put in a rock garden,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20as high as it is, but it creates another world behind it for ferns
0:25:20 > 0:25:24and other kinds of primulas that like that sort of shade.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Yes, the shade-loving plants.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28And the corydalis is very happy spreading.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30It's too happy.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- It, unfortunately, becomes a bit of a weed.- But a beautiful colour.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34It's great.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36We could stay here for hours, Sue,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38- but I think we should maybe find Mike.- Let's do that.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- There he is. A bit of pruning, I think, is going on.- Yes.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51And finishing off with this magnificent magnolia.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Yeah, this is magnolia Star Wars.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56It's only been planted for about 12 years
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and that's one of its advantages.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01It doesn't get too big, but it comes into flower very quickly,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03maybe after two or three years' planting.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Does it last long, as well? - Yeah, that's another advantage.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11- Succession of buds.- Six to eight weeks sometimes, if you're lucky.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- And the shape of it, I mean, it looks a bit like a star.- Yes, it is.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And it's called that because the petals, or tepals, as
0:26:16 > 0:26:19we should really call them, fly off in different directions.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22- Pretty extraterrestrial, really. - And good, maybe, for a small garden.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Spectacular for a small garden.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25Now, speaking about gardens,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I mean, your garden is open for how many months of the year?
0:26:27 > 0:26:31For six months of the year, 21st March to 21st September,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33every day, dawn till dusk.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35But there are lots of other gardens.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Look at the Glorious Gardens of Argyll,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41that group, which is throughout the whole area,
0:26:41 > 0:26:42and I'm the secretary.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Well, it's a wonderful scheme and, you know, if you have
0:26:45 > 0:26:48weather like this, I think you're going to have thousands of visitors.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- Thank you so much.- It's always like this, Carole.- Thank you.
0:26:54 > 0:27:00It's time to be cruel to the vines, reducing the shoots to one per node.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Take that one away, like so.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Take that one away, leave one single one. Here's another.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Take one away. There you go.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Well, this is back to my windowsill gardening
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and you might remember three weeks ago,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17I had these four little seed balls,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19put them in a pot and this is the result.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23I've got a whole mixture of salads here, from mustard to rocket,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26even kale, and I reckon you can pick that,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29cos it's a cut-and-come-again for several weeks.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Avoid some backbreaking weeding and take advantage when the sun's out
0:27:35 > 0:27:37and there's a little bit of wind and do some hoeing.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39This will bring the weeds to the surface.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Be careful around your shallow-rooted shrubs,
0:27:42 > 0:27:43you don't want to damage them.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44Little and often.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Now then, Mr Cunningham, have you enjoyed your day
0:27:53 > 0:27:54in the garden with us?
0:27:54 > 0:27:56I've fair enjoyed myself, thanks for having me.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Fairly speeds by, doesn't it, when you're enjoying yourself?
0:27:59 > 0:28:01There's plenty to do, it's all varied.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03And your Alpine Garden looks brilliant, I think.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Well, indeed it does, but we're not going to be here next week.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08We're off to Gardening Scotland, Ingliston.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09Looking forward to that.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Yeah, can't believe it's come so quickly again,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15and such a variety of plants, from cacti to clematis.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- Don't forget the alpines.- Lots of them too.- Well, that's about it.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Well, but if you want any more information about this week's
0:28:21 > 0:28:24programme, all those plant names, it's all in the factsheet,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31My advice to you is forget Chelsea, join us at Gardening Scotland
0:28:31 > 0:28:34next week and get a real flavour of what it's all about.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37- Until we see you then, bye-bye.- Bye.- Bye.