0:00:11 > 0:00:12It's nice, isn't it?
0:00:12 > 0:00:15When the sun comes out you really get some warmth, don't you?
0:00:15 > 0:00:16Need a bit of shelter, too.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- Get out of the wind. - In the right place, Jim.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Hello, guys. It's a bit cold although it's bright.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- It's cold enough. Cold wind. - Yes, yes.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Hello and welcome to yet another saga in the Beechgrove story.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I've been trying to solve a problem here. People have a dilemma.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I sowed some broad beans a week or two ago.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Some on their side, some upside down,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38some on their flat, some on their end.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Because everybody has their favourite way of doing it -
0:00:41 > 0:00:42which is the best?
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. - Doesn't matter, does it?
0:00:44 > 0:00:47It's the depth that's more important, rather than orientation.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Absolutely.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51We did something like this with the daffodil bulbs, didn't we?
0:00:51 > 0:00:54- That's right.- They've got to work a bit harder to get up, don't they?
0:00:54 > 0:00:57That's the saga finished. We're not going to deal with that story again.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Meanwhile, in the rest of the programme...
0:01:02 > 0:01:03I'm here to see how one man
0:01:03 > 0:01:05has tamed his woodland wilderness.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10And a recent allotment survey
0:01:10 > 0:01:12has proved that you can save
0:01:12 > 0:01:14a huge amount of money by growing
0:01:14 > 0:01:16your own delicious fruit and veg.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18So this week I'm starting
0:01:18 > 0:01:20vegetable gardening on a budget.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Well, a few minutes ago we were talking about how to sow
0:01:26 > 0:01:29- broad beans.- Yes.- Now we're really down to the business itself.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Actually, I'm planting and you're sowing in the same spot.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Yeah, so we're going to get the succession because those were
0:01:35 > 0:01:37started off at the beginning of March so we've got a least
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- six weeks between them.- Yes.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42It will be interesting to see if that's the same when they mature.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43What about varieties?
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I'm going to be planting here in front of me The Sutton which has
0:01:46 > 0:01:50been, for many years, our choice of variety because it's not too tall.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51And it's a good crop.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54It's quite an old-fashioned variety, it's a dwarf one.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56- We've got Robin Hood. - Another dwarf one.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- And Oscar. - What's the story about Oscar?
0:01:58 > 0:02:02- That's a new one, probably slightly taller than The Sutton.- Yeah.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07But the story there is when it matures hopefully you should
0:02:07 > 0:02:10be able to crop all the pods at the same time.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12On a wet day you can go, chop them off at the ground,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15- take them inside and... - Should be able to, yes.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19And evidently you can eat them as a sort of mangetout.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Yes, that's right. I noticed that.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24- Who wants to? - We want broad beans, don't we?
0:02:24 > 0:02:25It's time we got them planted.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The other thing is, a little bit of an insurance policy
0:02:28 > 0:02:29because I'm direct
0:02:29 > 0:02:34sowing so I'm putting two broad beans in at roughly the same space.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37- Oh, ye of little faith. - We've got spare ones so...
0:02:37 > 0:02:40- Look at the lovely root system on that.- Fabulous, aren't they?
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Absolutely fabulous.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45They won't need staking just because they are so compact.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48And they're great for the decking, in a container,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- if you've got a small garden. - That's very true.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Love my broad beans.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Funnily enough, talking to somebody the other day,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57I love them with white sauce.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59- Oh, yes.- Someone said, "Eugh"!
0:03:01 > 0:03:02You'll be able to try it later on.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04That's what makes the world go round.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Spring is really epitomised by the energy with which plants burst
0:03:11 > 0:03:13out of the ground.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16And whilst as a gardener you look back and think, "Actually, this
0:03:16 > 0:03:19"bed is looking rather fabulous with these promising mounds of
0:03:19 > 0:03:22"herbaceous perennials and grasses,"
0:03:22 > 0:03:25you look at it with a different eye and think, "Can I propagate?"
0:03:25 > 0:03:29And there are some that are well worth propagating right now.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35This bed was originally received as a tapestry of herbaceous perennials.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Some very early-flowering like our geraniums
0:03:38 > 0:03:41but also quite late-flowering
0:03:41 > 0:03:44as in the case with this Eryngium eberneum.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46The late-flowering forms like the
0:03:46 > 0:03:48eryngium here are perfect for
0:03:48 > 0:03:49propagating now.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Precisely because they have all summer in which to put on
0:03:53 > 0:03:56extra root and extra shoots and they'll still perform really
0:03:56 > 0:04:00well later on for a flowering session.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04And when you're lifting them out of the ground it's best to fork
0:04:04 > 0:04:06around the base of the plant.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12Simply because that will damage less of the root structure.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19You can see it comes out rather handsomely and then you get
0:04:19 > 0:04:23a real sense of just how many potential plants there are here.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25At least three or four if you were greedy.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I'm not going to be quite that greedy because I'll probably just
0:04:28 > 0:04:31split it into two and the easiest way of doing that...
0:04:33 > 0:04:38..is...to just make a rough assessment of where you can make...
0:04:40 > 0:04:42..a cut or a slice.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46And that's a pretty good spot straight through there.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48With a sharp knife...
0:04:48 > 0:04:50You could do it with a spade if you wanted,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52it's just a bit more controlled with a knife.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Just rock it through.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58There we go. You can see just how thick
0:04:58 > 0:05:01that rhizomatous root is there.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03All of this fibrous root around the edges, of course,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06absolutely key to the plant's survival.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10But this is what's providing the energy right now -
0:05:10 > 0:05:12it's the sort of inherent battery pack of the plant.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15And that means that I've got one good section to go back in
0:05:15 > 0:05:18the garden here and another one which I can move to somewhere else.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23And instead of just potting this straight in to soil or
0:05:23 > 0:05:27compost or something like that, what I want to try is to see just
0:05:27 > 0:05:32how effective the recent research on leaf mould is.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Getting plants to root effectively.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41This is our home-made leaf mould so it really is just as dug.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44A couple of seasons of deciduous leaves rotted away in
0:05:44 > 0:05:46a chicken wire enclosure.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51And all of the research suggests that plants potted straight
0:05:51 > 0:05:57into pure leaf mould will survive, and in fact thrive,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00much better than just about any other growing medium.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07So we'll give this maybe just a season in the pot here,
0:06:07 > 0:06:13nurse it through and then it will be ready for planting back in
0:06:13 > 0:06:16the sunshine as a good, strong, healthy specimen.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33These hellebores are gorgeous plants but they can be fairly expensive.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35If you collect the seed, sow it straight away,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38look at all these seedlings that you can get.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40I always love a gardening bargain.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47Last year, you may remember, I concentrated on gardening on
0:06:47 > 0:06:48a budget.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52As part of that we met Mari Reid who lives and gardens in Ardersier.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Mari's garden exemplifies how to garden on a tiny budget,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59but with huge style.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Mari's garden, as you can see,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06is absolutely packed full of ornamental plants.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10She has little space for growing her own fruit and veg
0:07:10 > 0:07:13to feed her young and hungry family.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17A recent allotment survey has actually shown you can save about
0:07:17 > 0:07:23£1,500 if you grow your own over buying them from the supermarket.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27So Mari and myself, we're going to see how much we can save by
0:07:27 > 0:07:29vegetable gardening on a budget.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33The problem is, like many,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Mari doesn't have an allotment or indeed space to grow vegetables.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41In an enterprising and clever community-spirited initiative,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Mari is sharing land and gardens with neighbours and friends
0:07:45 > 0:07:47so that they can all benefit from the produce.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Rosemarie Sharp was finding her beautifully positioned but
0:07:52 > 0:07:55exposed garden a little too much for her.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Mari stepped in and offered to garden and share.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Mari was coming to help me in the garden sometimes and one day
0:08:05 > 0:08:09last spring she noticed in this neglected bit of garden over
0:08:09 > 0:08:12here that I'd abandoned there was a potato plant coming up.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15And I'd been doing some work for some time with
0:08:15 > 0:08:19a Christian charity and that was taking up more and more of my time.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22But it was the garden that was suffering - I couldn't do both.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27Mari said to me, "How would it be if I grew potatoes in your
0:08:27 > 0:08:30"garden and then we could share the garden?"
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- That was it?- What could possibly be better than that?
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Mari was going to do the work and my husband and I were going to
0:08:36 > 0:08:37help eat it so...
0:08:37 > 0:08:42Fantastic. OK, Mari, what did you actually grow last year?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Potatoes, beetroot, carrots, sprouting broccoli.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50What was the star of the show? Cos you can see straightaway
0:08:50 > 0:08:54we're right by the water's edge. I mean, really exposed.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56You've got the salt problems. What did best?
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Beetroot was definitely a winner. It was fabulous.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Really nice. I tried some sprouting broccoli and that was really good.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- I can still see you've got some there.- I had about seven plants.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07It was so much.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10OK, so obviously we've got something planned for this year.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- Let's go and have a look.- Why not?
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It's great that we've got Callum giving us a hand, as well.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Very handy, yes.- Lots of couch grass here.- I know! Yes.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25But you know, Mari,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28when you get here you really do notice how exposed this site is.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Hence why I put this here.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Last year I also had a hedge of flowers growing along here, as well.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36To protect a little bit...
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- So it's pretty and productive but it filtered the wind.- Yeah.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43The leeks, although they're a little bit wind-burned they've done OK.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- Done OK, yeah.- Have you gradually extended the plot?
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Yes, last year it was covered with the black polythene and then
0:09:50 > 0:09:54in the spring I took it up and put it on this bit here.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Then by December it was ready to dig so I dug this bit.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02- It's a great method of clearing the weeds and no weed cover.- Yes.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06With the philosophy of, "We're gardening on a budget,"
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- you're using the seaweed. Costing you nothing.- I am.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- Nothing, just from over there. - How long do you leave it on the top?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Just a couple of weeks. Depending on when I have time to dig it in.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18It's a brilliant fertiliser cos it's not only got the main
0:10:18 > 0:10:20nutrients but it's got the trace elements, as well.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24You're also using your creative skills like you do in your
0:10:24 > 0:10:26own garden with the driftwood.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Yes, I did collect a little bit of driftwood and I'm hoping to make a
0:10:29 > 0:10:31wee fence around and hopefully that will protect the plants
0:10:31 > 0:10:33a little bit from the...
0:10:33 > 0:10:35OK, I think we should think about getting some of the plants in.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I think that would be really good to do, yes.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Mari, tell us a little bit about this garlic cos it's rather special.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53It is, this garlic is coming from my mum in Romania.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54And it's a softneck garlic,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57it's a summer garlic and it's planted in the spring.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58So it's a perfect time to plant.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03- This isn't one you put in in the winter.- This is a spring one.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05I just use my fingers to space them.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- Working on the board so you have a straight edge?- That's the idea.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11You also don't stand on the ground too much.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Potatoes are going in. Adam's busy with that. Callum's helping him.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Fantastic to see him doing a little gardening.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Start them young, start them young.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21I've brought a couple of plants I brought for you, as well.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- Oyster plant, have you ever grown that?- Nope.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- First of all you want to make sure it's really got good drainage.- OK.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32So you might even want to try that in amongst the stones.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34And you can use the leaves, they're quite succulent.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- They're meant to taste like oysters. - OK, well...- Let's get the garlic in.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Garlic in.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48A few miles inland from Ardersier, Mary Lindsey and young family
0:11:48 > 0:11:51would like to know how to grow their own.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Mari stepped in and this time they have taken
0:11:53 > 0:11:58a piece of Mary's land and created a small productive garden.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I know, Mary, that you're friends with Mari.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05But how did this come about?
0:12:05 > 0:12:10I was very keen to grow vegetables somewhere but was slightly
0:12:10 > 0:12:12concerned about the time that I had
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and also my knowledge about it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19So you've got this good relationship where you are going to share
0:12:19 > 0:12:21the veg between the families.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24But you're going to get the knowledge from Mari.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Yes, how to grow them.
0:12:26 > 0:12:32- What about the design?- I was keen to have something that was organised
0:12:32 > 0:12:33and contained.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37I like these raised beds because I think they're really good to
0:12:37 > 0:12:40work with. The fact that you have got the rotation but I think for
0:12:40 > 0:12:44yourself, as a novice, and for the children, the size of a plot,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- if it's just one big bed, that can be quite daunting.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Whereas if you're dealing with one little bed like this, that's great.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- Your idea with cardboard?- We put the cardboard down to suppress the weeds
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and then we put the horse manure, which is free.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Bit like the seaweed, then,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- but we've got horse manure. - We have two ponies
0:13:04 > 0:13:07on site and we're very lucky that we can use that manure and then
0:13:07 > 0:13:09we barrel it all in.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- That's going to work for you. - Yeah, hopefully.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14We should have a look at the kind of things you're going to grow.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22I think Mary and Mari are going to have
0:13:22 > 0:13:25a bumper crop of summer fruiting raspberries.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27All of these canes have come from Mari's garden and
0:13:27 > 0:13:31a very small space. Now they've got room.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33They were lifted in the dormant season.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37They're gross feeders so there was lots of horse manure put
0:13:37 > 0:13:39underneath the ground to start off with.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41They've all been tied in and they're ready to go.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53I tell you, this looks a very well-prepared carrot bed.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55I learned a couple of things from Mari.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00How first of all we mustn't put manure on carrot beds.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04And also we riddled all the soil to make sure it was very fine
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- so we could have straight carrots. - Long, straight carrots.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I knew carrots liked fine soil but I didn't realise it was to make
0:14:10 > 0:14:12- them straight. - Anything else you're going to do?
0:14:12 > 0:14:15We're going to water really well and then cover it with black
0:14:15 > 0:14:19polythene to keep it warm and keep the moisture in.
0:14:19 > 0:14:20We have to keep a close eye on them and as soon
0:14:20 > 0:14:22as they start germinating,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26lift the polythene up and cover them with fleece to keep
0:14:26 > 0:14:27the cattle fly out.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31And there is a little bit of a budget because I want this site to
0:14:31 > 0:14:35be pretty and productive and see if you can be creative.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Maybe you're going to do a little bit of recycling and see what
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- you come up with and I'll be back in a couple of months' time.- Great.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Look forward to it.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Despite it being the end of April, our osmanthus here
0:14:48 > 0:14:51is doing us proud. Just about hanging on to flower.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54When you bear in mind this has been in flower right from winter
0:14:54 > 0:14:57through... Well, it's nearly summer, isn't it? Just about hanging on.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Wisps of beautifully fragrant sweet foliage
0:14:59 > 0:15:01still wafting across the garden.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04And it does demonstrate just how important
0:15:04 > 0:15:07having structural evergreens in a border is.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10It provides a skeleton, a building block, if you like,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12on a large scale, or a smaller scale, like the Ilex here,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16which is essentially doing exactly the same job. Or the next step
0:15:16 > 0:15:20down, the Olearia here. But these three do demonstrate one of
0:15:20 > 0:15:24the challenges of using evergreens - and that is that they tend to grow
0:15:24 > 0:15:26relatively slowly. And they just suddenly...
0:15:26 > 0:15:28You look out of the window one morning,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32and think it's occupying an enormous amount of space, and it
0:15:32 > 0:15:36becomes an amorphous blob, just something which is in the way,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39really. Nothing demonstrates that principle more
0:15:39 > 0:15:45than our Mahonia down here. This is Mahonia media Charity,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48typically planted around about a couple of feet high,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and then within a few years, it starts to become much more grand.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54And, quite frankly, it really has become a bit of a thug, and
0:15:54 > 0:15:57pruning is really the only option, but before you get the saw out,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00just stand back and have a look, because you need to look at
0:16:00 > 0:16:04the structure and define, "What can I do with this particular plant?
0:16:04 > 0:16:08"What is going to be left, and what am I aiming for?" And then,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12you get in, and have a look at some of the stems.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Just look at that - deeply fissured bark,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18wonderful craggy nature, it's got real personality and character.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21It would be such a shame to take out this central stem,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25which you could easily do here to rejuvenate from the base,
0:16:25 > 0:16:30but it means you would be missing out on all of this tree-like canopy.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34So, I think what we need to do is probably start at the bottom,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38and thin out and then choose just how far we go with it.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45One of the things which is slightly unusual about pruning at this
0:16:45 > 0:16:48time of their year is that you can prune evergreens,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52because they've finished their principal flush of flowers -
0:16:52 > 0:16:54you can see the berries being formed here -
0:16:54 > 0:16:58and they've started their flush of growth, and that means the sap is
0:16:58 > 0:17:01rising, the plant is an action, and as a consequence,
0:17:01 > 0:17:02it's safe to prune.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05If you prune this in autumn, then of course, what you do is you
0:17:05 > 0:17:07prune out all the flowers, you miss out on the berries,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10but also the plant tends to go into something of a downward spiral,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13into something of a sulk, so much better to wait until
0:17:13 > 0:17:15you see the first signs of growth.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21So, the second step, really,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24once you have got rid of all of the frass at the bottom,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27is to them strategically go through and take out anything which
0:17:27 > 0:17:32is dead or crossing a little bit further up.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40The third way of pruning it is to think about reducing the height,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42otherwise all of your flowers will just go skyward,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44you will never see them again. And in order to do that,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47if you take one of these stems which is going skyward,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51you can see immediately it has got a collection of these younger
0:17:51 > 0:17:56branches off of here, and then the main stem continues to go upwards,
0:17:56 > 0:18:01so if you can take out that top stem,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04you still end up with the potential for flower here,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07but it stops the plant being super vigorous and just going skyward.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17From thuggish shrub to an elegant, if somewhat prickly, star performer.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20You get a sense of just how four-dimensional this plant is now.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Look at the fissures in the bark - just beautiful.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26A bit of feed around this, it would be perfect in winter.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35As you must know by now, I'm a bit of a creature of habit,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and so if I go looking for seeds of salad turnips,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43I look for varieties like Snowball, which have been with us for yonks.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I was surprised last year when I started this project that
0:18:46 > 0:18:50there was a whole range of new ones that I've missed completely.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55So compared with Snowball, how, for example, will this wee cracker do?
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Eh? Tiny pal.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Looks as if it is just ready to eat there.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04We are looking for some other varieties that surprise us.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06And we are sowing them in a double row of each variety,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08with a slight gap in between.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12And we will see in due time just how good these new ones compare
0:19:12 > 0:19:14with the old Snowball.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21They will be covered with fleece because, as you know,
0:19:21 > 0:19:26we've got some...flipping... rabbits about the place,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30and they will just make mischief of these wee neeps as they come
0:19:30 > 0:19:32through the ground, so we will protect them.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Today, I'm in East Lothian, near the village of Humbie,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40600 feet above sea level,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43just at the bottom of the Lammermoor Hills.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Now, this is a landscape which inspired Sir Walter Scott to write
0:19:46 > 0:19:51his novel on that ill-fated Jacobite love affair,
0:19:51 > 0:19:52The Bride Of Lammermoor.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01But I'm not here to talk about literature,
0:20:01 > 0:20:02I'm here to visit a garden.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Well, one man's romantic novel is another man's sheer graft
0:20:13 > 0:20:15against the elements and the landscape.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19It is the story of Frank Kirwan's single-handed battle to tame
0:20:19 > 0:20:21his little bit of wilderness.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28You came here eight years ago, Frank. What was it like then?
0:20:30 > 0:20:32It was dominated by a line of leylandii,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37about 25 to 30 feet tall, which ran from the very mature ash there
0:20:37 > 0:20:40to the far corner of the house, and they blocked out all the light,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43and beyond them, I had no idea, there was wilderness.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47I knew I had bought two acres, but I did not know what.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49I inherited some mature rhododendrons,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52such as the ones behind us, and some fine mature shrubs,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54but there wasn't a garden to speak of.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56The beech wasn't here, the birch wasn't here,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58the views weren't here.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Because this view now is just fantastic, this is right out onto
0:21:00 > 0:21:04the Lammermoor Hills, and this wonderful, rural landscape
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- which we've got.- And we revealed it with some regret last autumn,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10because there were two very fine Crytomeria japonica just sitting up
0:21:10 > 0:21:12here, they came out last autumn,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and they are now the mulch on the herbaceous border there.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Great conservation move, isn't it?
0:21:17 > 0:21:21It is also done to reduce the amount of time I spend weeding,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24which I consider the greatest waste of time in the garden.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33There are some super things here.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Look at that, that is just the ordinarily flowering currant,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39but so valuable at this time of the year, isn't it?
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Yes, completely unpretentious.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Now, that's sticking out like a Belisha beacon, isn't it?
0:21:43 > 0:21:45- What's that?- It is. That is Rhododendron barbatum,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49one of the rhododendrons we put in in probably 2009.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52There are three of them there. It provides a wonderful
0:21:52 > 0:21:54splash of colour, seen from the road in spring.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Watch, you've got a barrier up here. What's this?
0:21:57 > 0:22:02I have a barrier because this is a wild orchid Dactylorrhiza.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- Right.- They grow in the wood mulch, and they are absolutely beautiful.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Spontaneous eruption.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Indeed.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14Now, this was the line of stumps, wasn't it? From the leylands.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16This was the line of the leylandii.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19And the initial edges of the paths are formed off the
0:22:19 > 0:22:21bits of leylandii which were too big to shred,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and which I had run out of energy to actually saw up,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and the first covering on the paths was the shredded foliage
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and the smaller branches of the leylandii.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32And then the network of paths simply evolved from there.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41It's quite steep, Frank.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Yeah, I'm afraid it is.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Now, what was this like before?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48It was a mass of mature and semi-mature trees,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and I have taken some out, the great landscaper in the sky has taken
0:22:51 > 0:22:55some out, and what is left is wild raspberry, wild cherry, and so on.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57So this is what happens once you take stuff out?
0:22:57 > 0:22:59You get one or two of these suckers coming up,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and seedlings coming up, and that is phase one?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- That is phase one. - And then this is phase two,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07so what are the favourite plants for in here?
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Well, the things that are doing well in here are things
0:23:10 > 0:23:14like the Bergenia, different types of Bergenia, the Hellebores,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17the Geranium maccrorhizum, the Aquilegia,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19some of the simple ferns like Matteucia.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24That's it, it's a limited palette - what works ends up being repeated.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Which is good, though, because if it does work, why change it?
0:23:28 > 0:23:31This is really something else, because normally,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34when we look at Hellebores, they are looking down.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37They're all drooping their heads. There they are, further up the hill.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The thinking was that if you saw them as you came up steps,
0:23:40 > 0:23:42saw them from below on the slope,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44you would appreciate them in a way you would not otherwise.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47This is the creme de la creme.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48This is Erythronium Pagoda.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Dirt cheap, bought them £8 for 100.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52You just stick them in,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56and they key thing is get them when they're fresh.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59You have to plant them almost immediately, but if you haven't
0:23:59 > 0:24:02got them in by the end of August, I find they don't take.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- So it is all about fresh? - It is. It really is with them.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09- And these are superb.- Those are in probably three or four years.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12They bulk up very, very quickly here.
0:24:12 > 0:24:13You are so lucky.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20We're right down at the bottom of the garden now, Frank.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22This is where two streams meet.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25The property is shaped almost like a wedge of French cheese.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28A wedge of Brie, and we are at the very bottom,
0:24:28 > 0:24:29where it is dribbling away into two streams.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33So, that Brunnera is just... Look how vibrant that blue is!
0:24:33 > 0:24:37It meets my criteria of providing interest and smothering the weeds.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39And then this Euphorbia robbiae,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43with this wonderful lime-green flower, that is just superb.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- That's thriving.- And it looks good,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48because I've taken out all of last year's dead stalks.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50That's the trick, that's the trick.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Everywhere we look, there is bundles of this and bundles of that.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55There is more Erythroniums up there.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56Look at that little white one.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Yes, this is Erythronium haupt, and again, it bulks up pretty quickly,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- and it is pretty cheap.- You're all into this cheap stuff, aren't you?
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I am, because I can't afford to do it otherwise.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09But it is important, isn't it?
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It is, I need large numbers to make an impact,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14otherwise things disappear without trace.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20And this is the meadow.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23This is just fantastic.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Well, I wish I could claim credit for it.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Most of these daffodils were here before I came.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31I have added maybe 1,000 more, but there are what? 5,000, 10,000?
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Yes, easily. Hosts of golden daffodils.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Absolutely.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Now, this is looking down onto the meeting of the rivers, as it were.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41That is just a fabulous view all the way through there,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44but do you know, are you looking for anything to do?
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- Well, the remaining project is the far corner.- Right, well,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50there is an archway made by a half fallen tree down there,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and when you look through underneath it, it frames a view,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56but there is nothing at the end.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59You know these Rhododendron barbatum you've got back there?
0:25:59 > 0:26:02I think if you took one of those and planted it,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05put it in the back there, and your eye will be drawn right down
0:26:05 > 0:26:08the river, down to that there. What a wonderful ending.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12It's enough energy to plant just one, but maybe two or three.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15The odd clump of daffodils, the odd wild hellebore,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17why stick with just one? GEORGE LAUGHS
0:26:17 > 0:26:19We are into scale here.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25I guess there will be many of you out there like me,
0:26:25 > 0:26:30who have one or two shrubs or conifers in big pots, in particular
0:26:30 > 0:26:33parts of the garden, just beside a door or beside a gate or whatever.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36I find them very attractive, and sometimes they get forgotten
0:26:36 > 0:26:38when it comes to feeding, just like this fellow -
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Griselinia littoralis.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Gorgeous plant, makes a great hedge by the seaside, by the way.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45But it has gone a bit pale, it has got its tongue hanging out,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49it is needing fed, so I am putting in a mixture of blood,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54fish and bone, mixed with some old compost, giving it a top dressing.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56And you can see from the shape of these things,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59sometimes they catch the rain,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02so after I've got this finished, it will be getting a real good soak.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Isn't this a great plant? It's Pulsatilla rubra,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11or the common name is a Pasqueflower.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Not only is the flower gorgeous, but also the foliage -
0:27:16 > 0:27:20lots of hair on there - and it produces these fluffy seed heads,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and if you want to propagate it, remember to sow the seed fresh.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Earlier in the programme, I was talking about the benefits of
0:27:29 > 0:27:33pruning evergreens at this time of year when they are in full growth.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37But, as ever, there are some exceptions, and our Pieris here
0:27:37 > 0:27:40is demonstrating exactly why there is an exception.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43This was looking fabulous last week with fresh shoots.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Now it has been frosted, and that means you would never
0:27:47 > 0:27:50carry out any pruning until the plant has corrected itself.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53All of these will fall away, you will get fresh shoots,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55and only then think about pruning.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59I'll tell you what. As you go round the garden,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02we're constantly reminded that this is still spring,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and plants can still be damaged by frost.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05Look at that poor old rhodie there.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Such a shame, isn't it? Such a shame.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10And we have waited all winter to see these buds burst out.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And you can't cover everything, can you? That's the thing.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- You can't sheet over everything. - No, absolutely right.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16- That's true. - Anyway, on a positive note,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19if you want any more information about this week's programme,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21it is all in the fact sheet,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23and the easiest way to access that is online.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25What are you doing next week, Chris?
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Next week, I am attempting to come up smelling of roses.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- Ooh, nice. - We'll see how that goes.- And Jim?
0:28:31 > 0:28:33I am not fancying my chances outside -
0:28:33 > 0:28:35I will be in a glasshouse somewhere.
0:28:35 > 0:28:36- Until next time...- Goodbye.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38- Bye.- ..bye-bye.