0:00:04 > 0:00:08Hello, and welcome to Beechgrove Garden on the Orkney Isles.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10And we are actually in Stromness,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12sometimes called the gateway to the islands.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16And it nestles in a lovely bay and a natural harbour.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19And it could be said that most of the tourists that arrive on
0:00:19 > 0:00:24the islands come by sea, and arguably this is the most dramatic entrance.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Now, the Orkney Islands of course are not just one island.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31It's about 90 different islands. But they're not all inhabited.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33About 20 of them are inhabited.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35There's 21,000 people here.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37But do you know, the people are outnumbered by cattle.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39This is a place that produces prime beef,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and there are more cattle here than there are people.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46But it's just a fabulous climate altogether.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47Well, it is fabulous,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49but I think we've all heard the phrase "four seasons in one day"
0:00:49 > 0:00:54and I think a lot of people might actually say, "Only two seasons in one day in Orkney,"
0:00:54 > 0:00:59because in the summertime you've got the sort of long, light days,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and in the winter the very short, dark days.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03So, on the longest day,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06when the sun sets and, you know, when it rises and sets,
0:01:06 > 0:01:11we've got 18 hours of light, whereas in the winter it's
0:01:11 > 0:01:14only about six, which is incredible, the difference.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17One characteristic that's noticeable is that hardly a day goes past,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19but there's a wind.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Even in this gorgeous summer day there's a light breeze
0:01:21 > 0:01:23and there's a bite in that.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And that sets up challenges for gardeners,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29but you never find a gardener who's not going to accept that.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31We're away to have a look at some.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Isn't this just amazing?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43It's the garden that belongs to Barry and Chris and, you know,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45they've only been here for just two years.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48And this is just a tiny part of their garden.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50But what's been really important to them
0:01:50 > 0:01:54when they moved here is to enjoy the surrounding landscape,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57so when they created the pond they wanted to make sure it was
0:01:57 > 0:02:00looking really natural so, you know, we can enjoy
0:02:00 > 0:02:03things like the buttercups as well as that beautiful scenery.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Later on, Jim, George and myself, we're going to be trying to
0:02:07 > 0:02:10answer some questions from the gardeners of Orkney.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15This is a thing called Ctenanthe oppenheimiana variegata.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17- Oh, come on. - Where did you get that from?
0:02:17 > 0:02:19LAUGHTER
0:02:19 > 0:02:22And also we're going to find some more fabulous gardens for you.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Starting off with Caroline and Kevin Critchlow,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32who not only have a stunning garden that works with
0:02:32 > 0:02:34the challenging conditions,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38but Caroline has also organised a whole Orkney Garden Festival,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and it and they are the reasons for Beechgrove being here.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44George went to take a look.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Caroline, you organised the Orkney Garden Festival.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53How did all that start?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Well, it started with our very young garden
0:02:56 > 0:03:00and a very ill husband, who'd had a 22-hour operation on a brain
0:03:00 > 0:03:02tumour at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06And we wanted to raise some money for the ward to say thank you.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08So, there was an article in the local paper
0:03:08 > 0:03:12where Kevin looked horrendous on this picture, and all these
0:03:12 > 0:03:17people came out of the woodwork and we raised £1,200 in one day.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So, we thought, "Oh, we're on to something here."
0:03:20 > 0:03:23So we started a charity called Friends of the Neuro Ward ARI.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26And other friends with gardens decided to help me,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and it developed into the Orkney Garden Festival.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- And how many were on the trail this year?- 28 gardens.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33GEORGE EXHALES
0:03:33 > 0:03:34That's phenomenal. It really is.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36It was a lot of work, but it was lovely.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38And the gardens looked fantastic.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Now, this is your fantastic garden, if I might say so.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- Are you going to show me round?- I'd love to show you round.- Come on.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- Come on, Crumple.- Come on, Crumple!
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Now, do you have a formula for successful gardening in Orkney?
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- Yes, and funnily enough I would call it the three S's.- Oh!
0:04:00 > 0:04:02And the first S is support.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06So, these are supports that I put in the garden which are ornamental,
0:04:06 > 0:04:07but they do a job.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12That climbing rose would not survive the slightest breeze, let alone
0:04:12 > 0:04:16the 60mph gale we had at the weekend, so that's really important.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- And you can see that the support is supported by the support.- Right!
0:04:20 > 0:04:21That's the strength of the wind.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24But we've also got other sorts of supports there.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27We've got the shelter of the big dry stone walls,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30but the wind vortexes over the top of those,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34and these diagonal wind fences which go all the way along the long
0:04:34 > 0:04:38border here, they act as supports and shelter.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41So, they interrupt the swirl which you get at the back here.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43That's right. At the weekend that was like a strimmer.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47The wind was a strimmer. And I lost so many alliums, I can't tell you.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Which brings me on to the third S, which is succession.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53You have to have successional planting.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56You have to have strong plants, strong, thuggy plants to protect
0:04:56 > 0:04:59the others, but you have to have successional planting.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02So, for example here, this Johnson's Blue,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05if that were destroyed in a gale tomorrow, which it could be,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08then I have immediately got these lovely daisies which are going to
0:05:08 > 0:05:11fill that space, so I'll cut those down, they'll take their place.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18THEY LAUGH
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Now, gardening is a labour of love at the best of times,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22but in Orkney, the same?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24It's got to be a labour of love in Orkney.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28And it really helps if you've got a great husband like I've got.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- We're a real partnership.- Right.
0:05:31 > 0:05:32I do all the planting,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35but he does the most fantastic hard landscaping,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38so we've got the 60-foot rill here which he built
0:05:38 > 0:05:41and he's a dry stone waller, of course, and he's built all
0:05:41 > 0:05:45the wonderful stone pyramids around the garden, too.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Now, any arguments?
0:05:47 > 0:05:50One or two, but he usually learns to say yes eventually.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51THEY LAUGH
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Well, the whole thing is just inspirational.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56- It really is fabulous. - Oh, I'm glad you like it. - CAROLINE LAUGHS
0:06:01 > 0:06:03This is Orkney's museum garden,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05which is right in the centre of Kirkwell.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And, of course, it benefits from a lot of shelter.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12We've got the surrounding buildings, fairly mature trees
0:06:12 > 0:06:14and the high wall.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18So that means that the plants are really lush and absolutely thriving.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21This Filipendula, perfectly happy.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Can't see any staking.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26But for me, take a look at the cabbage palm.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30That just shows you it is a maritime climate.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33And, wow, how about these Phormiums, or the New Zealand flax?
0:06:33 > 0:06:37So many flowering spikes, and those flowers just about to open.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Just like the other plants, they're thriving.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Now, just up the road are the King Street Halls, which is
0:06:43 > 0:06:46where we're holding our Q&A session.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Mark Stephen is the MC for the evening,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and I think I'd better go and join Jim and George and attempt to answer
0:06:52 > 0:06:55some of those gardening questions from Orkney.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00I am not saying that Orkney is a windy place to garden,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04but the rumour is that if you sow seeds on Orkney from too high up,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06they actually grow in Norway.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07LAUGHTER
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Here to answer your questions tonight,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12please welcome our panel, the king of Scottish gardeners,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16gentleman Jim McColl, the blushing rose of Scottish horticulture,
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Carole Baxter,
0:07:17 > 0:07:22and the rogue tattie in a dreel of Kerr's Pinks, George Anderson.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Ladies and gentlemen, your Question Time panel.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26APPLAUSE
0:07:26 > 0:07:29OK. First question.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33My name is Lily Wilson, and I live in Kirkwall.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37We grow turnips every year, and they've been
0:07:37 > 0:07:43a success for many years, until the last couple of years.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48The leaves are eaten, so the turnips are going to be no use.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50There's not much of a leaf!
0:07:50 > 0:07:52- No, they're all like that. - It's, uh...
0:07:52 > 0:07:54You're familiar with that, Jim?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Eh?
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I think it's probably birds.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03I was prepared to say, without seeing it, that it
0:08:03 > 0:08:05could well be flea beetle.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09But that's something that is a fairly veracious feeder.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12And my answer to you is not that you can't grow them any longer,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- but would be to put some fleece over them, protect them.- Yes.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Make some little hoops and put the fleece over the top.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21You don't need to use any chemicals at all, but you just give them
0:08:21 > 0:08:23some protection.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Do you get many pigeons?
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- Yes.- That's...- I wondered about that.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30We have a lot of pigeons now.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Well, stop feeding them!
0:08:31 > 0:08:35- Because what you've got to... - We don't feed them!
0:08:35 > 0:08:38What you need to remember is swedes belong
0:08:38 > 0:08:40to the same family as Brassicas,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43so the cabbages, the Brussels sprouts.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48- And pigeons just love that group of plants.- Oh, OK.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Lynn Plans?
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Yes, I've got a Poinsettia there,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and it's 18-month-old. It's still in flower.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- It's been in flower for 18 months? It's...- Is it real?
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Aye!
0:09:00 > 0:09:02As far as I ken!
0:09:02 > 0:09:04- What's the problem?- Yeah, what are you complaining about?!
0:09:04 > 0:09:06What should I be doing with it?
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Is that a kind of usual thing for a plant like that or not?
0:09:09 > 0:09:10It's fantastic.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- We buy one every Christmas.- Yeah.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- And we throw it out at Easter.- Yeah.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Right, so it keeps through till then,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20- but we just get fed up with it so we throw it out.- Yeah.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23It just got bigger and bigger. It's about a feet and a half.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Carole, what's Lynn doing wrong? LAUGHTER
0:09:25 > 0:09:27I don't think she's doing anything wrong.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And what I want to say is, the Orkney conditions
0:09:30 > 0:09:33are perfect for this plant, because...
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- It's a short day. - ..it's a short day plant.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38And what do you have? You have your long days in the summer,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42- and you have your very short days in the winter.- Mm-hm.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45So those short days, you need, like, about 12,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49eight to 12 weeks to initiate those beautiful, colourful bracts.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Yeah, the red bracts.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54And that, probably, is why it's doing so well.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58If you're ever taking a holiday in the Mediterranean in the middle
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- of summer, you will look up to the bracts...- Yeah!
0:10:01 > 0:10:04- ..because the plants grow to six, seven, eight feet tall.- Wow.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- So, are you prepared to do a bit of an extension, you know?- Yeah.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The plants that we get at Christmas time, which are lovely
0:10:12 > 0:10:16and compact, number one, they have been treated with a chemical
0:10:16 > 0:10:20growth retardant, which dwarfs them and keeps them small.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23They need something like ten to 12 weeks
0:10:23 > 0:10:28of dark, over 12 hours.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Which is not a problem here. - Which is not a problem.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34But the effect of the chemical
0:10:34 > 0:10:36wears off, so it'll just keep growing.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- Is that worth the bother? - I don't know!
0:10:38 > 0:10:41You can buy one for £3.99, for the love of goodness!
0:10:41 > 0:10:43- Fling it out!- Yeah! Thank you!
0:10:43 > 0:10:45LAUGHTER
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Thank you very much.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49My name is Anne Barr.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51We have a small garden on the coast,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55on the north-west of the mainland at Birsay.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00And we get battered by the wind and salt spray.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03How can we cope with the salt winds
0:11:03 > 0:11:05bouncing off our garden wall?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09We even actually had an eel blown from the sea,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- and it landed in the garden.- Oh, get out of here! That's ridiculous!
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- Yes! We found it, a black... - Seriously?!
0:11:16 > 0:11:19We thought it was a snake and then we realised, no, it was an eel,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- lying amongst the plants.- Is this your husband sitting behind you,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26doing the fisherman's trick, going, "It was that big! It was!"
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I think it's, to Orkney, it's universal,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31this problem of high wind speeds.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35And what exaggerates the wind speed is when it has a solid barrier.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Because it has to come over the top, and then there is a vacuum
0:11:39 > 0:11:43formed underneath, and so it comes right down and it swirls.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46And when it swirls, it's like a strimmer, and it just,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49you know, it takes the tops off everything.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51So, either you use a sacrificial...
0:11:51 > 0:11:55I know, do you have a plant which you can afford to lose?
0:11:55 > 0:11:57These high walls which you've got,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59if you were to put sycamore seedlings
0:11:59 > 0:12:02dotted along the border in the back there,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05which you were quite happy to have, they're not the prettiest of plants,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08but what they will do is that they will absorb some of the wind
0:12:08 > 0:12:12pressure, they will break up the vortexes and you will be able
0:12:12 > 0:12:15to grow things in the shade and the shelter round about them.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19- You can then start to cultivate things.- Jim?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22So, what you have to do is to frustrate it,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24but don't pick sycamores.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28LAUGHTER
0:12:28 > 0:12:31They're worse than Meyersdale, for goodness' sake. I've got three
0:12:31 > 0:12:33of them on the other side of my back fence,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and they're an absolute flaming menace, because we've got all
0:12:36 > 0:12:39the seedlings growing everywhere, up in the lawn and...
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Not sycamores, no.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Well, would you not need something reasonably robust to deal
0:12:44 > 0:12:47with the seafood that's actually coming up the drive?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49That's perfectly true. It is trial and error.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53There are plants that are very good, that will not be damaged by
0:12:53 > 0:12:54salt, and then, secondly,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57there are those that can actually withstand it.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00And it's a trial and error, or listen to other people,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03or go and look at other gardens where it is a success.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Carole, it's obviously very important to break wind
0:13:06 > 0:13:08in the garden. But...
0:13:08 > 0:13:12- Rather than the sycamores...- Yes. - ..what about willow?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Well, Willow is fine.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Because they've got slightly hairy leaves,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19so you're looking for things that have got hairy leaves,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22grey foliage plants, some of the beautiful ornamental grasses
0:13:22 > 0:13:25that are a bit smaller, so not your steepers, not your
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Pampas grasses, but you could have things like Fescues.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30And they're lovely because they move in the wind.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33You might want to remember as well with some of the herbaceous
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- perennials, we can do the Chelsea chop.- Yes.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39So, you know, Chelsea happens in May and, actually, if some of your
0:13:39 > 0:13:41herbaceous gets damaged,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44it doesn't do any harm to cut them back.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46So, not all is lost.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48We have cut them all back, and we're hoping,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52we're looking every day with hope, especially a day like today.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- OK. - Thank you very much.- Billy Jolly.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58My name is Billy Jolly, and I garden in Kirkwall.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I grow vegetables mainly,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05and they have always got a problem with carrot fly.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I decided to put fleece over my carrots this year, hoping
0:14:08 > 0:14:11that would be OK, but the carrot root fly
0:14:11 > 0:14:14has already decimated my plants.
0:14:14 > 0:14:15What do I do about it?
0:14:15 > 0:14:19The carrot fly has three generations in the South of England,
0:14:19 > 0:14:20two generations in Scotland.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24The first-generation eggs are actually laid towards
0:14:24 > 0:14:25the end of April,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29so you would expect the maggots to be active in the beginning of May.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33You guys might be just behind that, but thereabouts.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Now, one of our roadshows last year in Nairn,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39we went to see the carrot king of Scotland, Stephen Jack.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44We were standing in a 20-acre park of carrots, absolutely immaculate.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47So, the 64,000 question at the end of our chat,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50as we walked down the rows, how do you control carrot fly?
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Garlic sprays.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57He puts on three garlic sprays to cover the period of time
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- when these maggots will be out. - What does the garlic spray do?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- Does it kill the carrot root fly? - It masks the smell.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- So it can't find its way to the carrot?- Yes.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Now, the second generation of the fly can do a lot more damage.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12The second generation with us is August.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15And if you get a generation then and don't control it,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18these are the maggots that will burrow into the maturing roots.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22And if they then get wet, they will start to rot.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24So, Billy, can I just check, did you say you'd used fleece?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I put fleece on my plants this year.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- Right from the beginning?- Yes.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Right from the start, before they were showing, even.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34So, you know, that's a bit strange, but are they, like, because of
0:15:34 > 0:15:37the wind, do you tuck it right in? Are you sure there's no gaps?
0:15:37 > 0:15:40I think I did, but the wind kind of tends to blow it off.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Yes, you know, so that's the important thing.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45You maybe need to dig it in, or you need to get some fence
0:15:45 > 0:15:46posts or something like that.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50I used environmesh over the top - it's this very fine mesh,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53it's not like fleece, it's just a little bit sturdier.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I have seen me putting this on and sewing material, sowing the
0:15:57 > 0:16:02seeds right at the very beginning, and still I'll get carrot root fly.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04And I reckon it's because
0:16:04 > 0:16:07the pupae are in the ground from the previous year.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12The other question which one would ask is how good a rotation
0:16:12 > 0:16:14do you keep within your garden?
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Because I quite fully go with that idea that the pupae
0:16:18 > 0:16:20could still be in the ground, it could be the over-winter stage,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24and they're actually coming from within, as it were.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27But more importantly, moving round in a rotation,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30so that you're not going back on the same ground.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Our favourite is a four-year rotation.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34It maybe doesn't control the entire problem, but it will
0:16:34 > 0:16:37fairly reduce, I would have thought, the chances of getting it.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Lesley Livsey? Lesley?
0:16:41 > 0:16:43There we go. Right, thank you very much.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47I garden at Marengo Community Garden in the Hope.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50We have a huge daisy bush.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54And we would like some advice on how to trim it
0:16:54 > 0:16:56without killing it off.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- Anderson's your man. - LAUGHTER
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- George?- Oh, I don't know, not always.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I visited the garden yesterday,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11and I was blown away by that bush.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14It is just absolutely outstanding.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17You can propagate it from cuttings, once the leaves start to firm up.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20At the moment, the shoots are very, very soft,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23because I was actually looking at it to see if there was any cuttings.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25But there wasn't. The leaves are too soft at the moment.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27I would wait until it had firmed up a little bit,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and then I might think about taking cuttings off it.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34And the way in which you would do that is, do the old lemonade
0:17:34 > 0:17:37bottle trick, where you cut the lemonade bottle in half, put compost
0:17:37 > 0:17:39on the bottom, take the cuttings,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42put them into the compost with some rooting hormone,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46and then water them in, put the lid on and leave it alone,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48just in a little cool corner.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51The other thing is, of course, if you're really bold,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53is you take the chainsaw to it
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and you cut it right down to about a foot and a half.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58And it will...
0:17:58 > 0:17:59LAUGHTER
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- You always have this reaction! - I saw the photograph.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- It was amazing. It's astonishing. - Oh, it's astonishing.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- It's semidentata, isn't it? - Yes, semidentata.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10The one with beautiful purple flowers.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Semidentata var. traversei or something.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15But it is, it's just... Just be gentle with it, please,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17because that is an absolute treasure.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Oh, hang on, hang on, hang on!
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Just be gentle with a chainsaw?
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- Yes! - LAUGHTER
0:18:23 > 0:18:27But you can take these Olearias right hard back,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I've done it with them in the past.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Not that particular variety, so I'm actually... I beg you.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36But with other ones, I've cut them back
0:18:36 > 0:18:38and they've grown away quite successfully.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41I would take two or three years to do this.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45I would want to be doing the pruning after the flowering,
0:18:45 > 0:18:49then maybe look at about a third of the plant
0:18:49 > 0:18:50and do a bit of pruning back.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53So when you think about it, after three years,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55you've completely renewed the bush.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Just out of interest, Lesley, do you have a chainsaw?
0:18:59 > 0:19:02- No way! - Thank goodness for that. Maniac!
0:19:02 > 0:19:04LAUGHTER
0:19:06 > 0:19:09After a lively Q&A session, Jim, George
0:19:09 > 0:19:13and I headed to the apparently exposed wee village of Herston.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19What's this about the weather?!
0:19:19 > 0:19:22We keep getting warned, they keep saying it's going to be beautiful.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- Get the suntan lotion on!- It's stunning!- And the deckchairs.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- Tell us where we are, George.- Right, this is the village of Herston...
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- Yes.- ..and that's Widewall Bay at the back of us.- Yes.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And this is one of the villages that opened its gardens
0:19:33 > 0:19:35- for the Orkney Garden Festival. - Right.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Well, just look at this lot for a start.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39This is stunning, it's like a tapestry, isn't it?
0:19:39 > 0:19:42The valerian, just one plant but all the shades.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- I think there's been a bit of cross-fertilisation.- Mm!- Yes, yes.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Anyway, if there's several, we ought to go and look at one or two.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- We should. Which way are you going? - Are we going this way?- This way.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Well, this is obviously one of the gardens that
0:20:02 > 0:20:05participated in that Orkney Flower Festival
0:20:05 > 0:20:07that we were talking about.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08Absolutely stunning.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11There are people that would give their eye teeth to be able to
0:20:11 > 0:20:13grow this Hebe. It's stunning.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15It's perfumed and it's doing the business,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and just look at the variety of plants we've got here.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20And when the chums were over here earlier on to
0:20:20 > 0:20:24sort of recce the whole set-up, it was as colourful as it is now.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26And that's the secret that we've been trying to tell you -
0:20:26 > 0:20:28if you experiment, get the right plants
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and get them in succession, the old ones will shelter the new ones.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35And it's flowering all summer in this difficult environment.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36I'm away to meet the gardener, Sue.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Well, hello, there. Sue, head gardener, proprietor, etc.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46- Hello!- Nice to see you. - Hello, Jim!
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- We're admiring your front garden. - Thanks very much.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52- It's an absolute dream. And I'm glad to see some veggies.- Thank you.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55So let's talk about some of the successes. And fruit, of course.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57- And fruit.- Strawberries? - Yes, strawberries.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00They're about the best-growing fruit, apart from rhubarb,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02- I think, you can grow in Orkney. - Yes, yes.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04And about to be picked, you'll have to watch the birds, I suppose?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Yes, I keep them netted all the time, really.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09This thing here is certainly enjoying the sun.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- It's amazing, isn't it?- It's globe artichoke.- Yeah.
0:21:12 > 0:21:13- Do you cook that?- No, no.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16No, it's a lot of faff for very little reward, really.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It is. I'm told they're sort of rather tasty.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20- Yeah.- And backed by a stunning Gunnera.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Yes, that's a self-seeded Gunnera.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25So, that indicates to me that it's doing well
0:21:25 > 0:21:28- because it's very wet here.- Yes, the water runs down the hill, yeah.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30- But it suits this fella, as well. - Yes, yes, yes.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- This has been a delight and a great surprise...- Thank you very much.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35..to see how well you garden.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37And how you can make best use of small spaces.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- Yes, it's just cram everything in, really.- Thanks very much, super.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Thank you. Thank you.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51What a bonnie looking cottage.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53It's called Muckle Jocks.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56And the garden as well is just packed full of plants.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Look at the little sedums on the dyke.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I love this Campanula as an edging plant.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05But I'm particularly struck by this little window.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08It's framed by honeysuckle and rose,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10and both of those plants have got perfume.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13But I'm going to find one of the gardeners, and that's Jill.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19This was originally a field,
0:22:19 > 0:22:24and we bought part of the field and were able to extend the garden.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29So, the first thing we did was to plant shelter.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- So essential, isn't it? - Absolutely essential.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35So, behind the hedge, there is windbreak netting.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- So very much belt and braces, then...- Yes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- ..because you've got the windbreak as well as the plants.- Yes, yes.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Rosa Rugosa, which is a beautiful plant.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Yes, and it grows well, here,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46so it's providing shelter from both sides.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49The other thing I've noticed is things like the gates
0:22:49 > 0:22:52- and the fences are slatted...- Yeah. - ..so it's filtering the wind.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56- Yeah, just letting the wind through. Anything solid...- Is a no-no.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59And then you have packed it full of plants.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03I mean, I've already talked about the honeysuckle and the rose.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- Perfume, is that important to you?- I think so, yes.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09I mean, it's lovely to sit out here, when the wind isn't blowing!
0:23:09 > 0:23:10But, yeah, roses,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13lots of lavender, honeysuckle.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16And then also, of course, I said one gardener,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19but there's another gardener, that's Simon, your husband!
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And tell me, what about the pig?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Ah, well, that's a kind of sacrificial area where,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29if things are not growing very well or they just look as if they're
0:23:29 > 0:23:32going to finish, we do give them a chance by putting them out there.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And there was an Olearia that was getting very big,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and I sent him out there to prune it. And that's what the result was.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41We used to keep pigs. But it makes you laugh.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43It does, it makes me smile. And that's what gardening is about.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- Yeah, it is.- It's got to be fun. - Yes, it is.- Thank you.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52This is Gwen and Dunstan's garden.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54If you look behind me, there is
0:23:54 > 0:23:57an old boat shed which has been embellished.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00It's absolutely unique. And this is one that's been created by Dunstan.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02He's the builder. Gwen is the gardener,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05and she has created this fantastic garden here,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09with lots of plants in it. And here is one which I've never seen before.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10Not up here, anyway.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14This is Lonicera involucrata, var. Ledebourii.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18It grows in Alaska, so it's on the same latitude, actually, as Orkney.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And stands the salt spray.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Brilliant hedge. Used, really,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26to support the rest of the garden, to shelter the rest of the garden.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30And to protect the little gems that she's got here.
0:24:30 > 0:24:31And if you look in the lawn,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34there are little gems speckled about here as well.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Spotted orchids, it's a good job the lawnmower guy spotted them.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Just wanted to come out here and just really talk a little
0:24:41 > 0:24:44bit about the effect of walls and ancillary planting.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47The wall is very, very beneficial in that it acts like a night
0:24:47 > 0:24:50storage heater and gives you extra warmth in the spring,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53but it also is something which, when we have these overtopping
0:24:53 > 0:24:56shrubs, allows the air and wind to be filtered.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00And what we get is this wonderful environment in at the back.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03What happens then is we can grow lots of things in here
0:25:03 > 0:25:06that are quite special. You know what's also important?
0:25:06 > 0:25:07Plant them close together,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10so that they have mutual support in this windy climate.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Before we leave this lovely place, we thought
0:25:20 > 0:25:24we would ask the Orkney community for some local handy hints.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31My top tip is a piece of heating pipe with a wire in the top.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Stick it in the ground,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37take it round the allium
0:25:37 > 0:25:40pop it in, wind, come and get me!
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Wind fencing, it's pretty ugly.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46We all know that, but we need it on Orkney.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49But you can make it part of your garden.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I've decorated mine up, bent a bit of wire,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55made it part of the garden so it looks a lot more interesting.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59The border was very narrow initially,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01and I wanted more border, wider border.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05So I decided that we'd put black weed membrane down
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and every year, what I've been doing
0:26:08 > 0:26:11is just rolling it back, and it's killed the weeds underneath,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13so then rolling it back and putting the stones back on it,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16so gradually you get a wider and wider border.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20But it works very well, and now I've got a nice wide border.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24My favourite plant in Orkney is honeysuckle.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27It grows really well here on a south-west facing wall.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30And I think if people can get shelter,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and it's in these sort of conditions, it's a plant that will
0:26:33 > 0:26:35really survive and give wonderful scent
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and flowers all through the summer.
0:26:40 > 0:26:41Now, this is the daisy bush
0:26:41 > 0:26:44that we were talking about in the question and answer session.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- George, do you really want to take the chainsaw to it?- I think not!
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- It's fantastic, isn't it? - We can hardly see any foliage.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52And I could be accused of being cruel as well,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54because I was suggesting that it could be pruned.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57But if it outgrows its position in the garden, you might
0:26:57 > 0:26:59wish to keep it by reducing it in size,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01and that's what I was describing.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- Mm, so it's Olearia semidentata. - Yes.- Marvellous.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06- Absolute stunner.- Yep. Let's move.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- Yeah, let's see the rest of the garden.- Yeah.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19We're finishing up in the Marengo garden, which
0:27:19 > 0:27:20the community look after.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23And I think what's interesting is that Beechgrove have
0:27:23 > 0:27:24a connection with this.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Some 20 years ago, the Hit Squad,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29so that was Walter Gilmour, Jim McCurdy,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33came here and helped the community to design and plant up the garden.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34Absolutely fantastic.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37What's also obvious about this is that somebody still
0:27:37 > 0:27:40cares for it, or a number of people still care for it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42It's in absolutely fabulous condition.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44And what a difference that makes.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- It's beautiful, isn't it? - We're going on and on about shelter.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48This is quite a nice sheltered area.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- Facing sort of north-west, by the looks of it to me.- Yeah, yeah.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54And it shows, doesn't it?
0:27:54 > 0:27:57And we see the same things being used all around there for shelter,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- but we also see some new things. - We've had such gorgeous weather.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05And I keep trying to say to myself, we headed north, and I feel
0:28:05 > 0:28:06like we've gone south because, look,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08we've got things like the Arran lilies there.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10- Yes, yes.- Absolutely happy.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14And I found one and I haven't a clue what it is, but I'm on the case.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15I think it's a little gladioli.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19- That little red and white thing, isn't that stunning?- It's gorgeous.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- Sticks out like a sore thumb! - Both South African.
0:28:22 > 0:28:23What are they doing here?
0:28:23 > 0:28:25And haven't we had a great time?
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- Oh, fabulous.- Fabulous, fabulous.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29- We've been treated so well in Orkney.- Mm-hm.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32- Next week, back in the garden.- Yeah.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36- So, from St Margaret's Hope in Orkney, bye for now.- Bye-bye.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37Goodbye!