0:00:11 > 0:00:13- Where's the sun gone, Jim?- Aye.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16- I mean, there's a touch of autumn about the air today.- There is.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Hello there. Welcome to Beechgrove -
0:00:18 > 0:00:20and we're off to look at some autumn and winter cabbage.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It's very appropriate, is it not?
0:00:22 > 0:00:24It certainly is, Jim. And what an array...
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Now, there are ten different varieties,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- but I don't think you can tell too much.- I know.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I mean, I'm just like Joe Bloggs, as I say, I say,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33"Well, red cabbage is red cabbage, is red cabbage."
0:00:33 > 0:00:37- But all the different seedsmen have their own strains...- They do. I mean, if anything, for example,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40the Ruby Bull has a slight sort of blue tinge to it,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43but, you know, we're going to have to wait and see, aren't we?
0:00:43 > 0:00:46It's what it tastes like in the yield and whether it hearts up
0:00:46 > 0:00:48and all the rest of it, but it does... There is a sequence...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- There is.- The ones at the top all need to be ready first.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Red, Red Rookie is meant to be ready first.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56- Now, these were also in about the middle of March...- Yes, yes.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57..planted out early May.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00- And of course, we do have to protect them.- Yes.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02We've got some pretty voracious birdies about.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05- Don't they look good? They do look good at the moment.- Yes, they do.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Meanwhile, in the rest of the programme,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Mr B is back, and he's going to be telling us all about hostas.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13And whilst we were on Orkney for our first roadshow,
0:01:13 > 0:01:14well, we left George there.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21I'm still in windy Orkney, where shelter is so important.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24But if you want to see what's over this wall,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26you'll have to join me later.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Well, here we are, back again on the decking
0:01:31 > 0:01:33and it's all about growing plants and containers -
0:01:33 > 0:01:36and it's time to harvest our tatties.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Mari, these are second earlies, 15 weeks.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Three varieties, but we had two different types of containers.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45How did you find the two bags?
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Well, I found the dark green one there, the cheaper of the two...
0:01:49 > 0:01:51- Just a pound.- Yeah. It was really flimsy,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53difficult to fill, the compost went all over the decking.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56So I much preferred the sturdier of the two bags there.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Yeah, this bag's been really good, cos we used that last year...
0:01:59 > 0:02:01I reckon we'll be able to use that for several years.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05But the whole idea is we're going to cut back the shaws,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08harvest them, weigh them and we can come back with the results.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10- So, shall we get cracking? - Yeah, let's see what's there.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Oh, look, already. Nice-looking potato, though.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21I can't imagine us using this bag again.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Not as flimsy as I first thought, now that I handle it with the...
0:02:29 > 0:02:34It's well stuck. Ooh, these look really nice, don't they?
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Well, here are the results of cropping our tatties.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43The ones here are the flimsy bag, Mari with four tubers, so
0:02:43 > 0:02:47slightly more than the ones there, which only had three tubers in.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Which one do you particularly like?
0:02:49 > 0:02:50I think the centre one, Elfe,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52looks a bit more appetising than the other two.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Certainly! These are pretty white, aren't they?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58The only thing is, I think it's all about tasting the tatties.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- And the ones either end are salad potatoes.- Mm-hm.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Jazzy is actually meant to be a little bit like a Jersey Royal.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- OK.- So, we'll have to wait and see.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Weight-wise, Elfe has won, from that particular point of view.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14But we'll have a taste test at the end of the programme.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Now then, I have a timely reminder for you.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21We're constant reminded, ourselves, by people passing
0:03:21 > 0:03:24us in the street who say, "You were rough with these camellias
0:03:24 > 0:03:26"when you knocked them out their pots."
0:03:26 > 0:03:28We took some of the root ball away
0:03:28 > 0:03:29and we put in some fresh soil
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and we brought them out here for their holidays,
0:03:31 > 0:03:32and they're looking fine.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36One or two needed a little bit of pruning just to balance
0:03:36 > 0:03:39them up, but on the whole, they're doing OK.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41But did you notice this one
0:03:41 > 0:03:46and the one behind are tending to lean forward, looking for the light?
0:03:46 > 0:03:50So, be reminded that you can give them a bit of a twist round,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52turn them so that they've got to go the other way.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55The other thing that I would remind you of at this moment, as you
0:03:55 > 0:03:59pack your bags for Dubrovnik, or wherever, the holiday season,
0:03:59 > 0:04:01plants in pots need water.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Plants at the bottom of a wall are often growing in dry soil
0:04:05 > 0:04:09and it's at this time, from August onwards, that the plants
0:04:09 > 0:04:12actually produce and initiate the buds for next year.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15You can't influence what happened yesterday,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18but you can influence what's going to happen next spring.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21You need to give these plants plenty of water at this time
0:04:21 > 0:04:24and a bit of feed. Sulphate of potash is the answer to that,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and they will be absolutely super next spring, I can assure you.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40On a warm, sunny day like this, the water garden is just wonderfully
0:04:40 > 0:04:44appealing and there's one group of plants that is inextricably
0:04:44 > 0:04:49linked to not only waterside planting but also bog gardens, too.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And it is of course this, the hosta.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54This one is Sum and Substance.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59It is the most bold, brassy and beguilingly exotic
0:04:59 > 0:05:03plant, that is happy, actually, in the sun or in the shade.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05And that is one of the remarkable things about hostas,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09is that there is one for just about every location in the garden.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Of course, it goes without saying that all hostas will revel not
0:05:19 > 0:05:23only in damp soils, but dappled, or even full shade,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26but if you are looking for something a little bit more unusual
0:05:26 > 0:05:28and in a more difficult situation, then what about full sun?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Well, there is a group of hostas, in fact, this group,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35the sieboldiana group, that are fabulous at sitting in really
0:05:35 > 0:05:39quite baking sunshine and quite dry soils,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42although they will thank you if you keep them a little bit damp too.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48These are all derivatives of Halcyon.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50El Nino, for instance, is a really
0:05:50 > 0:05:53rather quaint blue with an ice white edge.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Or, you could go for the pure Halcyon itself -
0:05:57 > 0:06:02a very subtle and rather sophisticated-looking foliage.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06My favourite is this one.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11This is Blue Mouse Ear which is such a diminutive specimen.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16Perfect for pot culture even in a windowsill, or, dare I say it,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18hanging basket or trough.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It's perfectly at home just in a crack or crevice in a wall to.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Hostas being loosely related to lilies will carry not just a
0:06:28 > 0:06:30similar-shaped flower, but also that
0:06:30 > 0:06:33wonderful, sweet fragrance of lilies.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Many of them now are being bred specifically for that fragrance.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40So, in addition to growing just about anywhere, there is
0:06:40 > 0:06:42also a huge variety.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45In fact, if this doesn't fill the pantry full of hostas,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49then you might want to contemplate the fact there's about 4,000
0:06:49 > 0:06:54different cultivars, shapes, sizes, colours and everything in between.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Fabulous plants.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Whatever type of hosta you choose, and, in truth,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09wherever you locate it in the garden,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14the key to success with these plants is all to do with
0:07:14 > 0:07:15the type of roots they have
0:07:15 > 0:07:20because they're very succulent rooted specimens, which
0:07:20 > 0:07:23means that they like to be good and moist during the summer months,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and free draining during the winter.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Now, of course, some garden soils oblige, but most don't,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33so, the thing to do is to dig in lots of organic matter.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38So, about, if you can manage it, 50% organic matter,
0:07:38 > 0:07:4250% garden soil, and that organic matter can come from garden
0:07:42 > 0:07:47compost or well rotted farmyard manure or leaf litter.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Plant the specimens just a little deeper than
0:07:50 > 0:07:55they are in the pot because these are herbaceous plants
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and they will produce the most robust crown
0:07:58 > 0:08:00if they are slightly deeper.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Leave them too proud and they all become a little bit too loose
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and dry out very quickly.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Of course, it's all very well extolling the virtues of hostas
0:08:11 > 0:08:15and the beauty that they bring to the garden, when the reality,
0:08:15 > 0:08:20for most of us, is this - a great handsome clump of hostas
0:08:20 > 0:08:22completely annihilated by molluscs.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Slugs and snails having a wonderful time here.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27And, in fact, if you have a rummage around in here,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29you'll probably find one or two of the culprits.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Sometimes, it's not immediately obvious where the...
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Oh, there's one. There it is. Look at that. Prise him off.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Look at that. Now, the anatomy of a slug and snail,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42well, it's quite curious.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45You can see that there's four protuberances at the front.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46There are two eyes,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49and then two antennae which are essentially smelling the atmosphere.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Underneath, there is then a mouth.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53That has a single tooth and is doing
0:08:53 > 0:08:58all of the munching on your hostas, and, what they do, is they use that
0:08:58 > 0:09:01single tooth in their mouth to graze away
0:09:01 > 0:09:04on the underside of the hosta leaf.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07They take all the fresh tissue and, of course,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09without an underside and without a central part of the leaf,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12all the spongy mesophyll has been grazed away,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14the top part then just falls out and the plant
0:09:14 > 0:09:17looks as though it has been shot blasted.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Gardeners traditionally of course would turn to
0:09:19 > 0:09:23something like a jam jar, fill it full of your favourite beer,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and then plunge that in the garden
0:09:25 > 0:09:28and then the molluscs will come along, they go for a swim
0:09:28 > 0:09:32and they drown while slightly drunk but happy, presumably.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Limited effect to be honest.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Then, you find you have things like the slug pellets,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40traditional pellets, and this is as ferric phosphate.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Now, although it is sold as an organic and environmentally
0:09:44 > 0:09:46and nature friendly, there is
0:09:46 > 0:09:50some suspicion that even these are causing a major problem
0:09:50 > 0:09:53amongst anything which eats the molluscs after
0:09:53 > 0:09:56they have been poisoned by the ferric sulphate.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Granny used to suggest these.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Crushed eggshells. Now, the idea is that you scatter
0:10:02 > 0:10:05these around the surface of your pot or on the surface
0:10:05 > 0:10:09of the soil around your plant and the sharp nature of them
0:10:09 > 0:10:12is irritant to any mollusc covering the surface
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and they go somewhere else and that's true to a certain extent,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18but, remember, snails stay on the surface
0:10:18 > 0:10:22so eggshells may be efficient, but, slugs - predominantly under
0:10:22 > 0:10:26the surface, so eggshells certainly wouldn't work as well for them.
0:10:26 > 0:10:32You could go for coffee grinds and there is some evidence, although,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34it is really quite slight,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37and you do need an awful lot of coffee grinds.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40You do need to create a complete blanket on the surface
0:10:40 > 0:10:44and, again, it only works for snails and not slugs.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Personally, I go for sheep's wool.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50This is ground and composted, pelleted sheep's wool.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54It's an irritant to the mollusc as it travels across the surface.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57You put it around the plant, you water the plant heavily,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00it creates a sort of cowpat-like structure
0:11:00 > 0:11:02which smells awfully of sheep,
0:11:02 > 0:11:06but it does keep your hostas free of slugs and snails.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Or, if you want something that's really smelly...how about this?
0:11:11 > 0:11:13A cocktail for molluscs.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18There is a couple of bulbs of garlic which have been crushed
0:11:18 > 0:11:22and then boiled in a couple of pints of water for about five
0:11:22 > 0:11:26minutes or so, and then you take your simmered garlic, and you tip
0:11:26 > 0:11:33it into a jug with about two pints of liquid - there's all the debris
0:11:33 > 0:11:38coming out of it - look, there's all the garlic that's been taken away.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39That's the concentrate.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44You can dilute that by about 100%, so you can double the quantity,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48put it into your favourite sprayer
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and spray it over your hostas.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53All around
0:11:53 > 0:11:55the foliage, underside as well,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and what happens is that all of this garlic will
0:11:58 > 0:12:02dry as a veneer on the surface of anything that it touches
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and that becomes a dissuading mechanism for any of the molluscs.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08They just simply don't like the taste of garlic apparently.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Of course, if all else fails then you can always retreat to the safe
0:12:12 > 0:12:16position of growing hostas which
0:12:16 > 0:12:20the breeders tell us are slug proof.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Now, there is one rather unimaginatively entitled
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Slug Proof, but, for me, this is the one that you absolutely
0:12:27 > 0:12:30have to grow if you want clean hostas
0:12:30 > 0:12:32free of slug and snail damage.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34This one is called Devon Green.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37It's a young specimen, the leaves will double in size.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42It remains this wonderful verdant green and has lavender blue flowers.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45And, certainly in my garden, this one stands
0:12:45 > 0:12:47head and shoulders above anything else.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Well, if our postbag is anything to go by,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56some of you are having a bit of a problem with your tomato
0:12:56 > 0:12:59crops under glass this year and it's not disease,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03it's not the feeding, it's not virus, or anything like that,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06or chemicals, it's due to the environment that we've created,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09that we have had created in the greenhouses this year.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13The two key points are temperature and humidity.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15The temperatures go shooting through the roof
0:13:15 > 0:13:18because modern glasshouses don't have enough ventilation.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22If you go away to your work in the morning and it goes really hot,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24even although you have left the ventilation on,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26it gets up over 80, it's going
0:13:26 > 0:13:30to affect the quality of the growth and the quality of the fruit.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33So, there's not a lot you can do in that regard, but the second
0:13:33 > 0:13:35one was equally important, and that is humidity.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38When it gets dry under these conditions,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40the fruit just doesn't set, so you may have flowers
0:13:40 > 0:13:42but they just drop off without setting
0:13:42 > 0:13:45because the humidity is necessary, not only to help reduce
0:13:45 > 0:13:46the temperature, but also
0:13:46 > 0:13:49to actually create the pollen absolutely
0:13:49 > 0:13:53ripening and bursting and doing the business to give you a crop.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56At home, I have conquered the business about humidity
0:13:56 > 0:13:59but I still get too high a temperature and so the growth is
0:13:59 > 0:14:03fine and I have got a set, but not as good as the set here, you see.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05See, we're halfway in between
0:14:05 > 0:14:07in this greenhouse which has reasonable ventilation.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10So, how do we compare? Well, we've got Shirley at the end there.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12It's a variety I use to compare others
0:14:12 > 0:14:16because it's very easy to grow, it's a good cropper
0:14:16 > 0:14:20and it's coming away nicely, if a bit slow, because of the conditions.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23As we come through these other varieties,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25you get a whole range of very strange colouring
0:14:25 > 0:14:29because not only does that condition affect the growth,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31because it's affecting nutrition.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33You can get the nutrition as normal
0:14:33 > 0:14:36but you're still going to get this sort of effect on the foliage.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Crops are coming away nicely, Rosella is doing rather nicely -
0:14:39 > 0:14:41the one I hope everybody will walk past
0:14:41 > 0:14:43because I think it's the best of the lot.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44And, we've a new one this year
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and one of the team looked at this one...
0:14:46 > 0:14:48This is Indigo Blue Berries.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Look at that. ..the first thing she said
0:14:50 > 0:14:53when she saw it was, "These are evil looking."
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Well, I haven't tried to taste them yet.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57I'm a wee bit scared,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59but they could be quite interesting on the plate.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05The bearded iris, or, if you're a bit old-fashioned,
0:15:05 > 0:15:11Germanic iris, are wonderful early summer flowering specimens
0:15:11 > 0:15:15with their very thick belt-like foliage.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17But, once they've finished flowering,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21if their clump's about three to five years old,
0:15:21 > 0:15:26it's well worth just gently lifting them out of the bed here in the
0:15:26 > 0:15:30gravel bed, and the time to do that is as soon as they have finished
0:15:30 > 0:15:32their flowering flush.
0:15:32 > 0:15:38You can see here the faded flower stems, and what we can also see
0:15:38 > 0:15:42once it's out of the ground is the way that these plants grow.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44They are rhizomatous.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46The rhizome is basically just a stem
0:15:46 > 0:15:49that lies on the surface of the soil,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52roots protruding beneath. You can see some thick, fleshy roots and
0:15:52 > 0:15:56the leaves coming out on top. And with a plant like this, what happens
0:15:56 > 0:16:00over time is that the rhizome just simply runs out of energy,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04so it dies away, and every year it produces a new piece of rhizome.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06So, the reason that we lift them
0:16:06 > 0:16:10and divide them is to reinvigorate the plant, spur it into a bit
0:16:10 > 0:16:16more growth, and then it produces new, fresh rhizome and flowers.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And there it is on the end, look.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23You can harvest that by cutting about two inches or so.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25You can either take your secateurs
0:16:25 > 0:16:31or knife, slide it in, and cut through the rhizome.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35So, there, if you tease out as much root as you can,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38you can see the roots beneath, a good healthy collection, two inches
0:16:38 > 0:16:43or so of rhizome and then some good, healthy leaves coming off of that.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46And that's the perfect plant to propagate.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Any shorter than about two inches
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and you will find it doesn't have enough energy to get itself motoring
0:16:51 > 0:16:57for next season and it won't flower, so better to have more than less.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Once you have got your cutting and propagation material,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04a bit of compost - this is multipurpose compost -
0:17:04 > 0:17:07mixed with grit,
0:17:07 > 0:17:12that's 75% multipurpose, 25% grit,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16the grit is there to give it good drainage. I'm trying to
0:17:16 > 0:17:20replicate the conditions that the bearded iris love.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23And then just...
0:17:25 > 0:17:29..twist the roots round in the pot a little.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33It doesn't matter if they are all at the same level in the compost.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37And what's curious is that you bury the plant a little deeper
0:17:37 > 0:17:39than it was when it was growing in the garden.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41There's two reasons for doing that.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44The first is to make sure that the rhizome is
0:17:44 > 0:17:47spurred into action to keep growing,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50and the second reason is very simply
0:17:50 > 0:17:55that you need to stop the plant blowing around in the wind.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00So, a good idea to put a stake in just alongside the rhizome there
0:18:00 > 0:18:07and then a piece of twine or wire just long enough to go
0:18:07 > 0:18:11around the leaves and the cane, just give it a bit of a tie off and that
0:18:11 > 0:18:13will stop it moving around.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15The problem with these plants is, that the more they move,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18the less the roots are able to develop,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21so a good, rigid structure is essential.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And then, of course, a bit of water on the top.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And then you want to put this into a location which is very
0:18:27 > 0:18:31similar to the location in which the iris thrives -
0:18:31 > 0:18:34full sun and sheltered from the wind.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37And if you have been generous enough with your rhizome,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41you will find that this will root very quickly, within a few weeks,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and then will flower again early next summer.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54We have these wonderful views of Orkney farmland but, you know
0:18:54 > 0:18:56the price you have to pay for that is that the wind
0:18:56 > 0:18:59whistles across here and hits anything that you try to grow.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02So, what do you do? You provide shelter. And, normally,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04you would build a stone enclosure at the front of your house
0:19:04 > 0:19:08and then you would put some trees up the side of it to break the wind.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Because the wind normally just whistles over the top
0:19:11 > 0:19:13and causes eddies, breaks anything inside.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15So, here, that's what they've done.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19This is the garden of Kierfiold House and it is owned by Fiona
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and Euan Smith, and I am off to see Euan.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32Gosh, Euan, this is just fantastic. What an array of plants!
0:19:32 > 0:19:35They're packed in and there is hardly a weed to be seen.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Which in itself has its advantages.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38THEY LAUGH
0:19:38 > 0:19:41It does. So, Euan, what's the history of the site and garden?
0:19:41 > 0:19:46Well, the house was built between 1850 and 1852 and we believe
0:19:46 > 0:19:49that the garden, the walled garden, was built at the same time.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52We are guessing that the garden was serving all functions.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54So, it would be a kitchen garden, decorative,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57and probably also fruit was grown here as well, so, I think
0:19:57 > 0:20:00it was performing all the functions that a big house needed at the time.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02And all these big houses had these gardens, didn't they?
0:20:02 > 0:20:05A lot of the houses up here, yes, the estate houses,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07because I think things like apples and suchlike would have been
0:20:07 > 0:20:09very difficult to get in Orkney any other way.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12We have been here 12 years now and before us,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15the previous owner, John Munro, had spent a lot of time
0:20:15 > 0:20:16working on the garden.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20So, a lot of the geranium collection particularly was initiated by him,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23but they are also of great interest to my wife, Fiona,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27and there's also a local breeder of some import and we are trying
0:20:27 > 0:20:31to get some more of his breeds into the garden as time goes by.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33That's quite interesting because there is an old
0:20:33 > 0:20:36friend of Beechgrove here, and somebody who you know, who is
0:20:36 > 0:20:40also interested in geraniums, so I'm just going off to meet her.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42- Brilliant. I hope you enjoy yourself.- I will.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44HE CHUCKLES
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Last week, we met Caroline Critchlow in her own beautiful garden.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54This year she organised the first Orkney Garden Festival,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58and the garden here at Kierfiold was one of the main attractions.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Well, Caroline, when we met at the roadshow, you said that you
0:21:05 > 0:21:08were interested in establishing a collection of geraniums.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Look! Well, no better place to come than this garden,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14it's absolutely stuffed with them.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Apparently there are 150 geraniums in this garden, and when
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I started planning my garden, this garden was an inspiration for me.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23You have got this wonderful Candyfloss,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26you've got a magenta one over there, we've got blue ones,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30we've got everything, all levels, all different levels as well.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33What I love about them is that they will grow through other plants.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36So, you might have an astrantia, you might have an inula,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and that geranium will just go through,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and the important thing here is that they will stand wind.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43HE LAUGHS
0:21:43 > 0:21:46That's so important, isn't it? Especially in Orkney.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49My favourite one is the pratense Striatum which is up there,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53and it has got the white with the purple stripe going through
0:21:53 > 0:21:56and it just doesn't know whether it wants to be blue or white.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- A wee bit uncertain isn't it, yeah?- Yep.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Now, the ones you're interested in, Caroline,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- are, what, the Orkney hybrids, weren't they?- Yes, that's right.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13My friend Alan Bremner, who is a local farmer, and he breeds
0:22:13 > 0:22:18geraniums as a hobby, has bred these 60 Orkney geraniums, 60!
0:22:18 > 0:22:22- And we have got one here and that's the Orkney Cherry.- Right.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Now, the thing about Orkney Cherry is
0:22:24 > 0:22:27it tells you from its name that it grows well in Orkney.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30It doesn't like frost so it's not fully hardy,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35and it likes good drainage and it likes sun, but not too much sun.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36Is not difficult then, is it?
0:22:36 > 0:22:38THEY LAUGH
0:22:38 > 0:22:39But that would be a tricky plant for me to grow
0:22:39 > 0:22:42because I couldn't give it the conditions that it needs.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Yeah, it has been a tricky plant for me to grow
0:22:44 > 0:22:46because I have had four goes, but I don't give up.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Keep going. And there's also that lovely little pink thing
0:22:49 > 0:22:50going down over the wall.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53That one is called Westray, and you can see that just by the side
0:22:53 > 0:22:55of it, there's a light pink one
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- called dalmaticum and that's its mother.- Right.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59And the father is macrorrhizum,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01and that's the one with the lovely fragrant leaf.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03That's right, it's a common ground cover, macrorrhizum,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and you can see there's wonderful ground cover that that has as well.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08That's right.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09There's a white one over there.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11That's another one that I'm determined to
0:23:11 > 0:23:14have in my collection, determined, and it is called St Ola.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15It likes a sunny position.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18It can be a bit tricky, and that one is fully hardy
0:23:18 > 0:23:20so I might stand a better chance with that one, George.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22It's got that lovely white flower.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27So, for me, these plants which have these Orcadian names are
0:23:27 > 0:23:30the Orkney geraniums, but, any time I try to grow them,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34I would need to be careful to look at the conditions on them.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Well, Caroline, I don't think I have ever been
0:23:47 > 0:23:51so excited at looking at one plant collection
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and this collection of geraniums is just absolutely astonishing.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56The variation which you have got here!
0:23:56 > 0:23:59So, what's going to happen to these specially-bred Orkney geraniums?
0:23:59 > 0:24:04Well, together with my friend Fiona, who gardens here with Euan,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06who you met earlier, we are
0:24:06 > 0:24:09going to get these 60 Bremner geraniums
0:24:09 > 0:24:11back onto Orkney and we're going to
0:24:11 > 0:24:13build the collection up.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Because, we're both very worried that we'll lose those
0:24:17 > 0:24:20geraniums because there are so many things on the market now, but,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24to us, they're special and we want to preserve them and treasure them.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27We're looking forward to researching that
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and getting them from here, there and everywhere,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32but we want them back here where they started and where they belong.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- It's a part of this island's heritage, after all.- Absolutely.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39And the best way to keep something is actually to give it away,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- to share it, to pass it around. - Yes, yes.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44And then we can get collections.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47That's right. And if two of us are working on it,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49there's more chance of this project succeeding.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Here's power to your elbow.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Thank you very much, I'm going to need it.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04I'm on the weather theme again
0:25:04 > 0:25:07because the weather conditions have led to our potato crop
0:25:07 > 0:25:10getting blight, but not all the varieties are affected.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13You can see the affected plants there, the blackened leaves.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16The leaves are falling off and that's Maris Bard, known to be
0:25:16 > 0:25:18affected by blight. Look at this one.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22This is called Athlete, clean as a whistle, absolutely fine!
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Then we go on to another variety, this is Kestrel,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27beginning to be affected, but if you
0:25:27 > 0:25:31haven't done anything about it, now it's too late, they're affected.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32So, what do we do with these?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Well, we take all the affected material off the top
0:25:35 > 0:25:38of the drills and dispose of it. Hap the tatties up and they'll be
0:25:38 > 0:25:41all right in the ground, but they're not going to grow very much more,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44but there's no real panic in getting the potatoes out of the ground.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46What I am more interested in, of course,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48is the varieties that are showing resistance.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Athlete, Carolus here - we grew this last year
0:25:50 > 0:25:52but didn't get a chance to taste it. And, after all,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55that's what it's about - do we like them or do we not?
0:25:55 > 0:25:57We'll try them again this year and see if we can get a nice boiling
0:25:57 > 0:25:59of them. And these are the Sarpo varieties.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03These two here, this is Kifli and this is Sarpo Mira.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Absolutely clean as a whistle,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09so if you're liable to have a blight in your area at any time,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12when you are choosing your varieties, give a thought to
0:26:12 > 0:26:15the fact that you can get varieties that are resistant.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20This is my fertiliser trial
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and it's all to do with that beautiful begonia, Illumination.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29Now, I have six different types of fertilisers, plus the control,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32and the control doesn't have any fertiliser at all and I think
0:26:32 > 0:26:37you can see with this one that, yes, it's starting to peter out, OK.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I've still got the flowers, but look at the foliage.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42It's starting to go a little bit yellow.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44However, when you look at these six,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I don't think there's a lot of difference at the moment.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49If anything, this one, which is
0:26:49 > 0:26:52one of the controlled-release fertilisers, the foliage is
0:26:52 > 0:26:56perhaps a little bit greener and the same with the one at the end here.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00And that was the fertiliser that said you would have 400%
0:27:00 > 0:27:04more blooms or possibly... Well, definitely not at the moment
0:27:04 > 0:27:07but we need to come back in a few weeks' time and take another look.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Jim, before we start tasting the tatties,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I know, what about the sweet peas and the smell? They look glorious.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Fantastic.- Aren't they good? Let's start with Jazzy,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21which is meant to be like a Jersey Royal.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24OK, can you remember when you last had a Jersey Royal?
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- Oh, that's nice.- Terribly watery.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Oh, I don't think so. I like that. OK...
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- That's what makes people different. - Yes.- Right...
0:27:37 > 0:27:40- Gemson also meant to be a salad potato.- Mm-hmm.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42And it was quite a white one.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I had my eye on that bit, but never mind.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Definitely more substance to that.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52No, I think that one has got more flavour.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54We'll be here for a while.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Yes, now let's try Elfe, this was the one that was
0:27:57 > 0:28:00best cropper, and both Mari and myself liked the colour of it.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05So, we should have done a blind tasting so we didn't know.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Well, maybe.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Mm...
0:28:12 > 0:28:14- I would go for Elfe. - I would go for Jazzy.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18- It's a pity we didn't have a bit of butter, mind you.- Oh, I know.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20- Definitely. Butter and salt. - This is true.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Anyway, if you would like any more information on this week's
0:28:23 > 0:28:25programme, it's all in the fact sheet,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27and the easiest way to access that is online. Next week, Jim...
0:28:27 > 0:28:30We have a week off next week for some people
0:28:30 > 0:28:32running around the track. I'll be shouting for Laura Muir,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35but until the following week... BOTH: Goodbye.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Right, I'm going to stick with Jazzy.