0:00:12 > 0:00:14That's quite a display behind us there, eh?
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Beautiful, that azalea and the viburnum.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Absolutely. Hello, and welcome to Beechgrove, a gorgeous, sunny day.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22And we've been talking about the seasons.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24It's been kind of very strange this year.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26You started it off early on, didn't you,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28drawing attention to the fact that all the bulb flower species
0:00:28 > 0:00:30- were all flowering at the same time?- All out at once.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- It was that concertina effect. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35So we'll be thankful, whenever they care to flower.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37So where are we going now?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Well, talking about concertinas, come and have a look at this.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43- Look at these, eh?- George, this is lovely. My favourite colour.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I think I'll take the bragging rights for this
0:00:45 > 0:00:48- because we planted these... - HE LAUGHS
0:00:48 > 0:00:51We planted these last year and we took the seed heads off them
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and all the rest of it, and there's just some gorgeous ones.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Of course, I can get to meconopsis, but what's that one?
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Well, this is Slieve Donard,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and that is one which is of Irish origin.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03You know, Slieve is a mountain in Ireland.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And then we've got lingholm and we've got mildred...
0:01:06 > 0:01:08They look the same! They look the same!
0:01:08 > 0:01:11They do, don't they? But there's little subtle differences.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13If you look at mildred,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16she's got all these wonderful heads on the one stalk.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18- I think she's a bit paler as well. - Yeah, a little bit.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23But, you know... Now, in order to keep these going,
0:01:23 > 0:01:24you've got to feed them.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25You really have to.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28And I'm suggesting leaf mould to that depth,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31or well rotted farmyard manure to that depth.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32- Really?- Over the top.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34- Won't rot the base or stem or anything?- No, it won't.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- And to keep the moisture in. - Keeps the moisture in.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- It keeps the soil cool. And they like cool, moist conditions.- Mm.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Absolutely.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44And the other thing which we did last time was,
0:01:44 > 0:01:45if you'll excuse me...
0:01:45 > 0:01:46Out with the secateurs again.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49To make sure that they keep flowering in other years,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53wait for it, you just go and take off the seed heads just like that.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55OK? Don't let them seed,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57because all the energy goes into the seed head.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Meanwhile, in the rest of the programme...
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It's deja vu for me, because I'm back to revisit the garden
0:02:07 > 0:02:10that surrounds this beautiful pond and disused quarry.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12It's a horticultural haven.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17And today, Brian and I are putting our heads together...
0:02:17 > 0:02:18For a bit of blue-sky thinking.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Well, you know, it's hard to believe that just two weeks ago,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26we were getting rid of our spring bedding.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30In fact, this is some that's left, the lovely violas and myosotis.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32And we were putting in the summer bedding.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35But I now want to think ahead to more spring bedding
0:02:35 > 0:02:38for next year and sowing from seed.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Now, all of these are called biennials,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42so what do I mean by that?
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Well, what it is, is it's something that you sow now,
0:02:45 > 0:02:50it flowers for next year, then it either dies, or you discard it.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52So, at the moment, I'm sowing wallflowers,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55but there are quite a range, I've already mentioned the violas,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59the myosotis, we've also got pansies.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02And this is a very easy way to sow them.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Just into a drill, direct in the ground.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08And what I've done already is, I've actually watered the drill
0:03:08 > 0:03:11on the base because the ground is so dry at the moment.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14I'm then going to just cover that up,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17and once it's totally covered, I would also water it in,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20but it's so important that the seeds are actually in contact
0:03:20 > 0:03:23with a bit of moisture so that they will germinate.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28And to take out the drill, all I use is the tip of the trowel.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29But as an alternative,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33because maybe you just have a balcony or a small decking area,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36what you could do is also sow them in modules.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39And here I've got a pansy.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Same sort of technique, really.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43But if I just tap some of these out,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48all I'll do is use my finger as a bit of a dibber.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51I'm going to sprinkle, just at the most,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54maybe half a dozen seeds there, cover it up.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57And that can then sit on your balcony,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59or perhaps if you have a cold frame,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01then give it a bit of protection.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03But, again, make sure you water it well,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and my suggestion with something like this,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08with the compost being so dry, is sit it in a tray of water,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10let the moisture go right the way up,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13and then you'll know that it's been well watered.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14And as a result, hopefully,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17we're going to have lots of spring bedding for next year.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I've seen this part of the garden before, George.
0:04:30 > 0:04:31What's this one all about?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Well, this is what we used to call the Secret Garden,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36but, really, it's getting a bit tired.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38And it doesn't act as a decent backdrop
0:04:38 > 0:04:41for your magnificent Alpine Garden.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Nah, letting it down, George.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44It is.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46So what do you think we should do, then?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Well, if you remember the panel that was up before, painted blue,
0:04:49 > 0:04:50so when we were down there,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52it looked like the blue sky.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- And the backdrop to the mountaintop.- Yes?
0:04:54 > 0:04:57So I'm wondering, maybe, still keeping with the same theme,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00if we could use plants so they've got the colour for the blue sky,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- but they add to the textures of the area here.- Right.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04So some blue and white plants, that sort of thing,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06mixed together and planted in this area,
0:05:06 > 0:05:07so that you are looking up to it,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- and merging into the top of the mountain.- Yeah.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11So we'll need to take... What?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- Develop this area here, take this out?- Sadly.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16All right, stuff at the back of us which can all be pruned,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18and, you know, titivated up.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22But that area there will need to be cleaned out. So... A lot.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Get your gloves on, pal, cos you've now given yourself a big job.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Thanks very much.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The first thing to do is to get the ugly fence posts removed.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- Have I got the harder job, George?- Um, possibly.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- Thanks.- It's a good idea, when you are pruning plants back
0:05:48 > 0:05:50like this, when you are going to be removing them,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52don't cut them flush with the ground.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Leave a stump.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Because then, when you dig round them,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59you can use the stump just as a lever and you get them out faster.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- There you go.- Right, chop underneath. Got it?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13GEORGE GROANS
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Here you go, George.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15I loosened it for you.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17GEORGE LAUGHS
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- Have you got a minute, Brian?- Yeah.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Could we take out these pieces of glass? Can you manage it?
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Just give it a rock and it will come out. Here we go.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28They're quite heavy, though.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- They are not going to blow away. - They're very nice.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Shove them there. They're good when the light comes through them.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Right, now.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37I thought, what we would do with this would be lift its skirt
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and cut out... You know, when you've got a big conifer,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42that's been in here about 10 years.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It's getting a bit overgrown.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47One or two dead bits in it, and we just want to rejuvenate it.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- If I lift this up, and then you cut out...- Take out these lower ones.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Take out the lower ones, aye. We'll see how that looks.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Take it right back in there. Have you got it?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- There we go... You can afford to... - Keep going, eh?- Aye. Keep...
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Not the bottom one. Take this one here.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04There you are.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- Aye.- Go on, take it out, take it out.- If in doubt, take it out.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- That's the best of it done. - Hard work out of the road.- Aye.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Now, here's your plants.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Here's this wonderful blue, isn't it?- Beautiful blue flowers.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Yeah.- Heavenly blue.- Right. - It's lithodora.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32It's going to tick this blue-sky box perfectly.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35We are going to get it interplanted with the lavender.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36When you're down there looking up,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- it's going to look like that blue sky.- Absolutely.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Now, I've also got some blue grasses round there, got eryngiums,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I've got some blue junipers. They are drying in the sun.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- I'd better get them planted. - I'll go and attend to the wall.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59So when we constructed the Alpine wall,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01we packed the stones with soil,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03and that way, we could plant into the wall.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05But this time, we've left a hollow top.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08We've left a hollow wall, and because the roots,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11they might not like touching the concrete, what we've done is,
0:08:11 > 0:08:16we've put in a plastic planter, in which case we can plant into it.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17We've got our usual Alpine mix.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20John Innes No 3 soil-based compost with lots of grip,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22nice free draining.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Hey presto. We can plant up the wall.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39Well, continuing the mountain theme,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41we are right up here on the top of the hill.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43And what we've got is this, that's wee fine juniper,
0:08:43 > 0:08:44so there is juniper here,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and I'm going to plant another one over there.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49That's a thing called blue star.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51And that will give us this blue theme.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55But to carry on this thing about clouds and mist and blue skies,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59I've got this wonderful plant from China and the Himalayas.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02This is a thing called...
0:09:02 > 0:09:03So it is a beautiful thing
0:09:03 > 0:09:05which comes up with white everlasting flowers.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07That will go in there.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09And that will be like some of the mist
0:09:09 > 0:09:10rolling over the tops of the hills.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13We've got some of the perennial oat grass.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15This is...
0:09:15 > 0:09:17And that's going to be planted in.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19We've got two or three in there already.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21That will give us height, and we'll see that from down the bottom there.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And then, in amongst all that, we've got the sea holly.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Not maybe a mountaintop plant, but it will still give us the blue,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29and this one, again, is called blue star.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Now, the wall creates this shady corner.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I want us to create that collapsed wall look,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48so what I've done is, I've got the wheelbarrow, and I've just tipped
0:09:48 > 0:09:51some excess stone that we had, just to create this sort of natural look.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53And in between it, I've just got some soil,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and I'm packing all the gaps so that I can plant it up.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And in the front, I've got a...
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Look at the size of the leaves.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03At the other end of the scale are the silver saxifrages
0:10:03 > 0:10:05that we planted in the Alpine Garden.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I've got a wee fern here, a shuttlecock fern.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09It's going to get about a metre high.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12But my favourite plant here is this hosta,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13completely different to the hostas
0:10:13 > 0:10:16that we normally associate, the big, large leaves,
0:10:16 > 0:10:17blue or variegated edges.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20This one is called Praying Hands.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23It's got lovely furled and twisted foliage, which, hopefully,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27is going to look a nice wee feature in amongst all these stones.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- Can you remember where they went? - No. Not a clue.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45- Braw. Look at that. - Aye, aye.- Fabby-dozy.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Well, George, I think that was a great idea,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54just covering that hard path with chips just really finishes it off.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56That was simple, and that was easy, you know,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59but the whole marriage of the Alpine Garden and the Secret Garden
0:10:59 > 0:11:01wasn't quite so easy, but I think we've pulled it off.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03A wee drink to finish it off now?
0:11:03 > 0:11:04It's been a hot day the day,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- so they're all going to need a good soaking.- They'll need a soaking.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09I'll need a soaking tonight, I'll tell you.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Well, you know, if we come back in a year and have a look,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13and looking up the hill,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and seeing this blue haze up here, then it's been a success.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19- You did a good job well done, George, I think.- Thank you.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20Yes, I think so.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Well, I tell you what, this is the first time
0:11:37 > 0:11:39we've been to see the tomatoes
0:11:39 > 0:11:41since they were first planted.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42All in the same compost,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45but using different techniques and about eight different varieties.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47You can hardly tell the difference at the moment,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50but when they start fruiting, we'll begin to pick out.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54And they are all doing superbly well, so it's about how you
0:11:54 > 0:11:57constantly keep them going in the right direction.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00And here we have a plant which is already starting to flower.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04And as I look down the stem, there are side shoots.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07These side shoots are coming out at the base,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11but they may appear at any leaf joint in between.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16And they would just be taking energy away from the potential crop.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19So we take them out altogether. We have a clean stem. And you notice...
0:12:19 > 0:12:23And I often tell people, you know, when you're twisting,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27you twist the string round the plant and not the plant round the string.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28So you manipulate this string,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31and that's why you always leave a bit of slack.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32We'll pop it round there.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34Get that leaf out.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Now, by so doing,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40I'm taking the whole plant and the leader round there, you see?
0:12:40 > 0:12:42And that's the string in there.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44If I came through there, which would be much easier,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47and then the string slips...
0:12:47 > 0:12:49It could strangle this truss here.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52So always try and give it a bit of support below the truss
0:12:52 > 0:12:54as you're twisting.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Now, the feeding's all going perfectly well at the moment,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and the biggest single problem we have is it gets too hot.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03So you must do your damnedest to keep the temperatures down,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06cos as I've said on many an occasion before, once the temperatures,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09day temperatures, get up above 25, they get up, you know,
0:13:09 > 0:13:1480 and plus, that will affect fruit quality,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17so you leave the doors open, you provide a little bit of shading
0:13:17 > 0:13:21if at all possible, especially through the hot of the day.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And, most important of all, we often tell people
0:13:24 > 0:13:26when they are doing a greenhouse,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28never ever slab the whole thing.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31You need water-absorbent surfaces, because once you start,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34and let me get the water started...
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Once you start, you want to lash plenty of water about.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42And finish up walking out the door and spraying the plants themselves.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Because this cold water, as it evaporates,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48helps to reduce the temperature.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51And once you do spray it over the tops of the plants
0:13:51 > 0:13:54in this kind of condition,
0:13:54 > 0:13:55that humidity around the trusses
0:13:55 > 0:13:58will actually allow the pollen to swell
0:13:58 > 0:13:59and you get a good set of fruit.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01So, do you hear me?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Plenty water lashed about during the hot days.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Now then...
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Before we leave the subject of tomatoes, we've had a lovely letter,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17a big, long letter from a viewer in Horsham in Sussex.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19And he's having problems with his tomatoes.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21He sent us pictures and all the rest of it.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24But he's berating himself wrongly in some respects.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26He talks about the history being that the previous season's crop
0:14:26 > 0:14:29was badly affected by blight, and he blames himself
0:14:29 > 0:14:32for not cleaning the greenhouse before he planted it.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35The blight comes in through the ventilators, dear boy.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37You could do nothing about it unless you would keep them shut,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and as we know, that's not a very good thing.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41But his photographs are also interesting.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43And I've got one printed out here.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Look at that.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Now, he says, "What's causing this mould?"
0:14:47 > 0:14:52This is a physiological problem. That is phosphorus deficiency.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Phosphate deficiency. Now, NPK is nitrogen, phosphorus and potash.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Phosphorus is slow to move.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01It's a curmudgeonly kind of element,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04but it's necessary there, to get good growth in the crops.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07So you have to examine what the compost is that you've put them in,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11is there NPK in it, and if not, why not?
0:15:11 > 0:15:12And you should start feeding,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15because that's all that's wrong with the plants.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18It will probably grow out of it. But get your feeding right.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20There you go.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21I'm up in the fruit cage,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24and this is where we've got the mini apple orchard that we established.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Lots of different varieties and different rootstocks,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29some vigorous, some not so vigorous, some very dwarf.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Now, we've had a couple of problems in here.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35One, rabbits got in over the winter period,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37and they gnawed round the stems.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41So what they did was, they've taken off the bark, and, really,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43it looks as though they were going to kill the whole tree.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45But what we got the garden staff to do
0:15:45 > 0:15:47was just to put some ordinary clingfilm round them.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Good idea if there is a wound on the stem.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51And then that enclosed it,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55helped it to heal much faster, and that is indeed what has happened.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58So that we've now got these wonderful extension shoots here,
0:15:58 > 0:15:59which we wouldn't have had
0:15:59 > 0:16:01if the stems had been completely girdled
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and, therefore, it had been killed.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06But there's another problem as well.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And that is that we've got canker here.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Now, apple canker is a common disease across apple-growing areas,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16particularly where it's damp.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And that's what's happened here.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19We've got canker in the stems,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and what we can see is dead bits going right back, like that.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26And if we cut this out, just there, OK?
0:16:26 > 0:16:29But before I go and prune any more of this,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33what I've got to do is, I've got to sterilise these secateurs.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Now, I've got here some methylated spirits,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and all that I need to do
0:16:37 > 0:16:40is just to pour some meths over the blade, like that.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44Give it a rub.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46I've got something here to rub it with. There we are.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Just give it a rub like that and then I can go and prune elsewhere.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51Because if we don't do that,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53we transfer the spores from the secateurs
0:16:53 > 0:16:55onto the next tree that we prune,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and that is NOT what we want to do.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It's a bad enough disease without helping it to spread.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Now, there's a better job round here.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Right, so I've come round to the gooseberry cordons.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08These are the ones which we're growing
0:17:08 > 0:17:11in a tall, slender form like that, single shoot, lots of side shoots.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13At this time of the year,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15the thing that we would expect to find here
0:17:15 > 0:17:16would be gooseberry sawfly.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Now, these are the larvae of the sawfly
0:17:19 > 0:17:21that you're particularly looking for.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Little caterpillars which will defoliate
0:17:23 > 0:17:25the whole of the gooseberry bush, almost overnight.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28What we recommend you do is that you make a note
0:17:28 > 0:17:30in your diary of when that happens.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33So let's say, for example, it happens in the middle of June.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Well, you make a note in your diary, and then the following year,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38you order up some nematodes
0:17:38 > 0:17:41which are specific to attacking the gooseberry sawfly.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44And you apply them a fortnight before the date
0:17:44 > 0:17:48when you noticed it happened. And that will kill off the sawfly.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52And it will actually, then, this wonderful biological control
0:17:52 > 0:17:54will keep the gooseberries pristine and clean.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58At this time too, as well as looking for the sawfly larvae,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01we would be thinking about summer pruning.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03This is where we take off the long extension shoots
0:18:03 > 0:18:06in order to let the vigour go to the fruit
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and also to let the sun get into the fruit.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11So these shoots which are sticking out here,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13there's one there, for example,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15that, I just take back to two or three buds.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17There it goes. That comes off like that.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20This one comes off like that, as well.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23And then round this side, we've got one which we can take off.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26And you go round the whole bush like that until, eventually,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30it's almost like a pillar of growth.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33The light gets in, the fruit ripen quickly, Bob's your uncle.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Last autumn, when the Beechgrove Roadshow
0:18:41 > 0:18:43came to Strathkinness in Fife,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I visited this garden just a couple of miles north at Blebo Craigs,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50belonging to Julia Young and her family.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58And eight months later,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01this place is bursting with late springtime colour.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05But the unique central feature of this ever-changing mature garden
0:19:05 > 0:19:07is this former quarry,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09which, a couple of hundred years ago,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11was supplying much of the sandstone
0:19:11 > 0:19:14used to build St Andrews and the surrounding villages.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Julia, it's great to be back.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Coming here at a different season,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22it means we're going to look at different plants.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Very different plants and things, yes.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26And I want to start off with a fairly common plant,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29the marsh-marigold, which is quite happy in the water situation.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31They're lovely. Very happy.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34They come early and they're cheerful and yellow.
0:19:34 > 0:19:35It's a good marginal plant.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38And then, you know, we move up to a bog-loving plant, really -
0:19:38 > 0:19:41so, in other words, the roots like the moisture - the rodgersias.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43- You've got loads of those. - Wonderful value.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Look, it's seeded itself all round the pond
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and you have season-long colour.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52After the flowers die down, you get lovely autumn colour in it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53But at the moment,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55you're just enjoying that foliage and the bronze tints to it.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Wonderful.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- The fish, I can see one or two fish. They're happy?- Very happy, yes.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05They all go down to the bottom of the pond for the winter,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10and as soon as sort of March comes, I get edgy if they haven't appeared,
0:20:10 > 0:20:11and I think they've all died.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15And this year, they were about two weeks later in coming up
0:20:15 > 0:20:17because it's all to do with water temperature.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- Yeah, it's been quite a cold season.- But they're all back.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- And happy to be fed again. - Happy to be fed again, yes.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24And then moving up the canopy,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27we've got to mention that rhododendron, because what a colour!
0:20:27 > 0:20:29You can't not mention the rhododendron and things.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30That's right.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32And you've got quite an array of them,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34because they flower for a long time.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I've got them staggered right through till July.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38So that's a long flowering period, isn't it?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41They are mostly down in the glen which you didn't see last time.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- Oh, let's go and have a look at that, then.- OK.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00OK, Carole, so this is what I was telling you about.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04This is my glen, or my half-glen.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I visited Ardvorlich on the shores of Lochearn
0:21:07 > 0:21:10a couple of years ago and thought, "I want a glen."
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- That was your inspiration? - That was my absolute inspiration.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15OK, and then you went about planting.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- So, obviously, you've got one or two rhododendrons.- Yes.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21- That one's looking good just now. - Decorum cordatum, isn't it gorgeous?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- Absolutely lovely.- A rather delicate colour,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26as opposed to the bright one.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28The in-your-face. That's right.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30And then the greens, the shuttlecock fern.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33They spread like mad, but, again, they keep the bank together
0:21:33 > 0:21:36quite well because once I'd cleared the bank,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38it began collapsing.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Now, you have lots of bluebells in the garden,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42but it's not the native, it's the Spanish.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Yes. Well, I've got plenty of room.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48They spread, they're colourful,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50I've got blue, I've got white,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54- I've got pink.- I think it's fine in this environment, isn't it?- It is.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55- In this landscape.- It is, yeah.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And then there's also a pink flower, is that a Valerian?
0:21:58 > 0:22:03It is, yes. A sort of, a woodland Valerian unlike the usual...
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- So that enjoys the moisture. - Absolutely loves the moisture.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08And the shade.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Now, I think you need to explain to me
0:22:10 > 0:22:12a bit about your cardiocrinums here
0:22:12 > 0:22:15because you've left the old flowering spikes.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Yeah, well, they are very spectacular, aren't they?
0:22:17 > 0:22:18I had five.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21It took some years till they were ready to flower,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and just before they were going to flower, about five days,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28a deer came in and took one out.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30So I thought, "Right, I've waited long enough,
0:22:30 > 0:22:31"I'm going to leave the seed heads up."
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- And it gives you that sense of scale.- Scale, I know.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38So, deer, you mentioned, how do you deal with deer?
0:22:38 > 0:22:43Well, I tried various things that I found online,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47and ideas that people gave me.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50But what I've ended up with, as you might see,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54is miles and miles of blue string.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59I wrap it round trees, and thread it through things at different heights,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and it's a deer discourager.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04But it doesn't hurt the deer?
0:23:04 > 0:23:06No, no, it doesn't hurt them,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10it just discourages them from coming this way.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Makes them take a different route.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13So I bet you've got miles of string.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I've got about three miles left.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32- What a wonderful show of Candelabra primulas.- Aren't they great?
0:23:32 > 0:23:35You've caught them at their absolute prime.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39You know, you've got the dark, dark pink and then the paler,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43and then really pale. I just love them, and they spread.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Have you let them naturally sort of set seed?
0:23:46 > 0:23:48That's just what I've done.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I just let them set seed, transplant seedlings,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- and then when they're big clumps... - Oh, you divide them up.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55I divide them.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57But I'm always going to run out of space to put them,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- there are so many. - I could take some home, then.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01The magnolia, as well.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- Lots of buds still to come. - It's been in about five years.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07And this is the best it's been.
0:24:07 > 0:24:13I've especially got one that flowers late. It's called Yellow River.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So that it doesn't come into bud until after frost...
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- Yes, the risk of frost. - ..is over.- Yeah.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Cos it's such a shame to lose the flowers.
0:24:21 > 0:24:22That would be so soul-destroying.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25And then the flowers of the meconopsis,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28that beautiful blue. I would have thought it would be a bit dry there.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30You might have thought that,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33with all the trees taking up the moisture.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36I mulch a lot with leaf mould.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39And that holds the moisture in terrifically well.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Shall we go and look at a completely different bit of the garden now?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43- I'd love that.- OK. Let's go.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02OK then, so this, here, is the original cottage garden...
0:25:03 > 0:25:06..that has been a garden for quite a long time.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- How old is the house?- 1815.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10- Gosh, 200 years?- Yeah.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12And this is the original garden,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14so have you kept the lawn, basically?
0:25:14 > 0:25:15I've kept the lawn.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17I've kept the shape the same,
0:25:17 > 0:25:22the big trees, the big shrubs, and I've done all the other planting.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24- And it's a lot of planting. - A lot of planting.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26The wallflower, the perennial wallflower, Bowles's Mauve,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- just stunning at the moment. - They're gorgeous.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Gorgeous, and it's been out
0:25:31 > 0:25:34before the other stuff in the garden came out.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Gave us colour.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37I think it's a fairly short-lived plant, so, you know,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39I'd suggest taking cuttings.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41I'm not patient enough to do cuttings.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I can make it last three years.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45Well, you say that,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47I think you are a pretty patient gardener, cos, I mean,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50the things that you have done from the cottage garden
0:25:50 > 0:25:55to the unique quarry to the glen, it's just magical. Thank you.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Yeah, it's what I do, I love it.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05On next week's programme,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07I'm going to be looking at the mulching trial,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10you know, different types of stuff that you've got to buy
0:26:10 > 0:26:12and replenish every now and again.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16To be frank, this is my kind of mulching, ground cover.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Here is simple periwinkle, look at that.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23In this area it's taken a couple of years to completely cover it.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24That suits me fine.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Geranium phaeum is one of the British native geraniums,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32but this one grows in deep shade in woodland,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34and at this time of the year, it looks absolutely magnificent.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Look at the dark markings on the leaves down there.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39The whole thing
0:26:39 > 0:26:41just exudes brilliance.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Now this is the variety Samobor,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45so it's just a little bit different
0:26:45 > 0:26:46from the native species.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Well, this is rather bonny looking foliage.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52It's the variegated form of the field maple.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54But when you look at the whole plant,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58we've a huge problem because it's reverting back to the native form.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Loads of green foliage.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03We have tried to keep it under control in the past,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06but this reversion is a huge problem for us, so,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10in my opinion, we should either replace this plant
0:27:10 > 0:27:12or find something else suitable in the garden.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16But the one thing we could do is maybe try some material here
0:27:16 > 0:27:17and take one or two cuttings.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18What do we have to lose?
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Well, I think it's salad sampling time, George.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- And it's looking very colourful, if I may say so.- Look at that.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28Isn't that just brilliant?
0:27:28 > 0:27:31- I think you've been into my 8' by 6' greenhouse.- I have.- Oxalis.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35- That would be Oxalis.- Yes. - I'm going to try that.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Right, well, if you taste it, it's actually...
0:27:39 > 0:27:42- ..slightly lemony. - Definitely citrusy.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44- A wee bit acid in there.- Mm.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- The white, of course, is the... - Do you not like it, Jim?- Mm...
0:27:47 > 0:27:49I think you're improving, Jim. Um, George.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51THEY LAUGH
0:27:51 > 0:27:54- I'm George.- Yes.- But that, I mean, the white radish is brilliant.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55That's fine, yes.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57When's the book coming out?
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Don't know. - Anyway, what about the bog garden?
0:28:00 > 0:28:03I think the astilbe there, which I believe is Kvele,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05the foliage is lovely, isn't it?
0:28:05 > 0:28:08- Globeflower.- That is the normal species there, Jim.
0:28:08 > 0:28:09That's just europaeus.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11But the wee one took my eye, I'll tell you that.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- That wee one down there. What is it? - Alabaster.- Absolute cracker.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Love it.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Anyway, while we finish the salad,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20if you'd like any more information about this week's programme,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22it's all in the fact sheet
0:28:22 > 0:28:24and the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26- Next week, George? - Next week, we're in the shade.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29We're going into the Woodland Garden, you and I.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- I bet you have the loppers again. - Possibly.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I shall stick to my little greenhouse, I think.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37- Until next time... ALL:- Bye-bye.