Episode 6 The Beechgrove Garden


Episode 6

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Transcript


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-Well, George, what do you think of this?

-What have you done to it?

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-I mean, rain, sleet, snow!

-We could have a snowball fight, couldn't we?

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-Let's go in the warm, come on.

-It is cold.

-Oh!

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-You're in the right place, Jim.

-Come in and shut that door!

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Welcome to Beechgrove.

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I tell you, it's wild here!

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Thank goodness we've got a bit of work to do indoors.

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And I wasn't just admiring that for its own sake,

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that little lobelia perennial. Very nice.

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It's lovely - it doesn't set seed, so you've got to take cuttings.

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That's the third year we've kept that.

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It's the first time I've noticed it.

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Speaking about the third year, the same with the amaryllis.

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-They're gorgeous, aren't they?

-Absolutely fabulous.

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This one, I was looking at it earlier when the sun was out,

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and there's actually a bit of glitter on it when the sun's out!

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-It's frost!

-Gorgeous.

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I have to say, I rather like that one at the back there, Royal Velvet.

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-Is that the winner?

-Susan's a pretty little thing.

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She's nice as well.

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We get lots of stories and lots of questions about how to keep them

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and make them flower again.

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As you say, they're in their third year. What's the story?

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Very quickly, they had the winter rest,

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they've been totally dried off.

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Now, Susan has finished flowering, so you could just nip that off.

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George, you were saying just nip it off there,

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rather than the flowering spike?

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Then all the feeding goes back down into the bulb.

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That's what you've got to do now -

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we've got to be feeding it, we let the foliage grow.

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-But stunning, I think.

-Absolutely.

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Well, we're going to have to face the elements,

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and Chris is with us this week.

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He's coming up roses!

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Brr-rr!

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And how do you successfully combine plants and art?

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It's something I struggle with, but I know a man who doesn't.

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Well, George, as you well know,

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I've got a bee in my bonnet about trees, garden trees,

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and this line of six different types of garden tree are meant to

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demonstrate different shapes, sizes, different characteristics of them.

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This is your choice.

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It's an amelanchier, but I don't know this particular selection.

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This is a thing called Rainbow Pillar. Narrow columnar form.

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Normally, when we get those,

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we're really wanting them to grow as the shape of a Lombardy poplar...

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-And you're going to prune it?

-I'm going to prune it.

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The interesting thing is, when we prune normal plants,

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we prune them to get them to go outwards.

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I want to prune this to go inwards.

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When I prune these shoots, that one there, for example,

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I'm going to prune that to an inward facing bud,

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so that it grows inwards.

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But the other thing that we've got to remember with this is,

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we want to select a strong central leader,

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so we're pruning some of these side shoots off,

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and we're pruning them to inward-facing buds, like that.

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-And we're going to leave this...

-To emphasise this pencil shape?

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Yes, to emphasise the growth,

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and we'll have this good form in the plant, which is really quite vital.

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There's many a garden where there'd be room for that sort of thing,

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but time alone will tell. Right, the next one.

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This is Malus Royalty. This was chosen by the staff.

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Each of us all had a choice, and was chosen for its gorgeous foliage,

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and it does have very nice dark-pink flowers as well.

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-But what a mess.

-It is a mess, isn't it?

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You know, the nursery man has tried to produce a strong central leader,

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-going straight up, and that's what we want.

-Yes, yes.

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But we've got a lot of competing branches here,

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and if we want to have this growing up, because that's what we want in

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a small garden, we want things to go up and use the space underneath,

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so what we're going to do is take off these shoot there,

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and this way I am pruning to the downward-facing buds, like that,

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so that we get the growth reasonably restricted.

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I'll take that one off there, like that.

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This one we'll take down to there.

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-And the leader?

-And the leader?

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Well, the leader itself, I am going to pull that right down,

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and I'm going to take it to there. OK? That's it.

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-This has definite potential, hasn't it?

-Oh, yes.

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Because wide-angled branches coming out are strong.

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-Yes, it's not like that one down there.

-No.

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This is going to grow out and we've got the strong central leader.

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The whole thing, then, the structure of this,

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will stay sound for years to come.

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We'll remember what you just said.

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The cutting garden here at Beechgrove

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has traditionally been the home of the bounty of colour.

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And we've been adding to that

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with a series of herbaceous perennial drifts

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and standard roses.

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In this particular case, weeping standard roses

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that were added a couple of seasons ago, settled in,

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gave us some good flowering last season,

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but being weeping standards, now is the time to prune them.

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The reason you leave it so late is that you want these long stems

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to start to develop growth

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so that the weight of that growth will bring the stem down.

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So, this time of the year,

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you really get a sense of where the growth is going to come from,

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a young shoot like that, for instance,

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and which wood is worth taking off,

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where the previous flower has happened,

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and also where a bud has been frosted.

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So, the thing to do is get a sharp, clean pair of secateurs,

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clean because you don't want to pass on disease

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from one rose to another after you've been pruning.

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Just go in and take off those tips,

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just a centimetre or so above a good, healthy bud.

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Once you've finished cleaning up the canopy of the plant,

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you can then start to cast your eye down the standard trunk,

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and here we have a grafted stem.

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It's grafted at the base and budded up here.

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So this is the dog rose, effectively.

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You don't want any of that on there,

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so go in and take that bud out altogether.

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If you leave it on, it becomes super vigorous and will completely

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dwarf the head of your rose.

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Then you can look at the roots.

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It's not a bad idea at this time of the year to apply

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a specialist rose fertiliser.

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Give that a good soaking.

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It's activated, of course, by water, so the roots simply can't get

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a hold of it if it remains dry on the surface.

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Once that's soaked in, you can then add the traditional

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top dressing to a rose,

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which is well-rotted horse manure.

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It has to be well rotted.

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So, about two to three centimetres thick,

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all the way around the rooting zone,

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which will help to seal in the moisture and give the roots

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a really good growing environment.

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Whilst we've introduced roses on the edge of the garden,

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what we thought we'd also try is to create

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a kind of bounty of roses in the centre as well.

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What we're going to do is create a disc of ground cover roses,

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which will overlap these raised beds.

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Then in the centre of each raised bed will be a shrub rose,

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and then around the outside will be a whole kaleidoscope of colours,

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which, when under-planted with herbaceous and bulbs,

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should give us a year-round of colour and interest.

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As with anything,

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the preparation of the ground is the most important thing.

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And that especially applies to the planting of roses.

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They're a fairly versatile group of plants.

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There are over 100 different species to choose from

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but, generally, they all like very similar conditions,

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and they like, first of all, a very free-draining soil -

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that's why we've chosen to put them in these raised beds.

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And then, well, it has got to be, strangely, a firm soil.

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This is actually a little bit too light and fluffy.

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If anything, it is too good a soil.

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What happens is, as the rose grows up, it rocks in the wind.

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The roots become damaged, and then the flowering is compromise.

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So the thing to do is to make the soil a little bit heavier here,

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and that's why we're putting organic matter on

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in the shape of well-rotted horse manure.

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Once you've got a good layer of horse manure on the surface

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of the soil, fork it in lightly, especially if you've a light,

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sandy soil, as we do here.

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And then, because we've got a really light soil,

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tread it down to give the roots a good, firm hold on the ground.

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In a garden like this,

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I want to try to take advantage of the diversity of roses.

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So, the four spots that I've just put in here will provide me

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with the bulky plants, they're the ones that are the good

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and upright, the structural specimens, the old species forms.

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And they will, in a way, provide the highest point of the garden.

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And then, these little spots here, this is the contrast.

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This is the lowest spot in the garden,

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where I want to use ground-covering roses.

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That's really what this garden is about,

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to really enjoy the fragrance.

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It gets trapped in this area so that in the summer months,

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it's awash with the sweet smell of roses.

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Anticipating that we were planting the rose garden,

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we ordered our plant stock earlier in the season,

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which means that we can buy them bare root.

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That means you're getting much more for your money.

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If you get them a little early and the bed isn't ready, don't worry.

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Just heel them in in a bed like this,

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a temporary planting bed, and the plants will be fine.

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The thing to bear in mind is that what you're trying to do

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is to keep the roots as moist as possible.

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You can see we've got a good range of fibrous roots,

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and some good structural roots on there,

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and we've heeled in right up to the crown of the plant.

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The only thing to remember is, once they're lifted,

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they're then hugely vulnerable,

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especially on a day like today when the warmth is coming through.

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Keep these roots nice and moist, pop them straight in the ground.

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Choosing your roses really is a matter of choice

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to suit the colour scheme of the garden, the region you're in,

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and also the structure that you're trying to create.

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For instance, one of my large centrepieces,

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sort of old-fashioned shrub-style roses,

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I've chosen Roseraie de l'Hay,

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which is a very elegant arching plant,

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and has wine-crimson blooms on it.

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It's a very elegant centrepiece to have.

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And then, to come down into one of the smaller shrub roses,

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this is Munstead Wood, which is a modern shrub rose.

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It's one of the English shrub roses,

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and this is really a great plant

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which combines the old-fashioned sort of crinkled bowl-shaped roses

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with sweet fragrance and long flowering.

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And then this bowl in the centre here,

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where we're trying to harvest the fragrance

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and create a groundcover mix, I have used Kent,

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one of the roses from the County Series, a really good groundcover.

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It doesn't get any higher than this,

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but it does sprawl incredibly well.

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Button double white blooms.

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Unfortunately not fragranced, but that's coming from elsewhere.

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But it does create a really good carpet

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around this particular part of the garden.

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And then, just to try one of the new floribundas,

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I've gone for Burgundy Ice.

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Burgundy Ice is one of those relatively unusual plants

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which is derived from another well-known rose.

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In fact, it's derived from Iceberg,

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which, during the...I suppose the 1970s, 1980s,

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just about everyone had Rosa Iceberg in their garden.

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Burgundy Ice has that burgundy tint to it,

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and all of the health and vigour of the old Iceberg rose.

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And just to help all of these roses take a hold in this garden,

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what I'm doing is adding a couple of handfuls of seaweed meal.

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Kelp meal is perfect, because the enzymes and the trace elements help

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to really invigorate the rose, and just a spot of mycorrhizal fungi.

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Mycorrhizal fungi are wonderful at being able to harmonise

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with the roots of the rose.

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The other thing is to plant really quite deep.

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You can see here on Burgundy Ice, I'm planting it

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so that the shoots are coming right down from ground level.

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Traditionally, you might plant a little higher than that,

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but the current thinking is, for the health of the rose,

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just plant a little bit deeper.

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Now, once the roses are all planted, you can get onto the watering.

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Of course, it's essential in the first few months

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to give them a good deal of water.

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Whilst you're watering, you can look at the wounds on your hands

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and count all the scratches and scars that the roses have given you,

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and remind yourself that of course technically roses don't have thorns.

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You might think they have, but they don't.

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Technically, they're prickles

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because they don't have vascular bundles.

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Small consolation if your hands are in shreds after planting,

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but just think of the fragrance!

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-The parting of the ways.

-Definitely.

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Well, at least we've found another job in the greenhouse, under cover.

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This is all about fertilisers, and in fact Chris was talking

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quite a bit about fertilisers in his rose garden.

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I'm going to have a little bit of an observation here,

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and looking at six different fertilisers.

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So, when you do an observation, you need a control,

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so my first one is just the compost with no added fertiliser.

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The plant that I'm using, it's all about trying to produce flowers,

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so I'm going for the number-one bedding plant, and that's a begonia.

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The variety is Illumination, Apricot Shades.

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It's the number-one bedding plant because whatever the weather

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in the summer, it normally does really well for us.

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So, my fertilisers. What have I got?

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These two, I tend to call these the general-purpose fertilisers

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that we tend to put in the vegetable patch, on the borders.

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The first one just contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.

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So we've got equal amounts in that one.

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Moving on, another one that I like to recommend to people is the

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one that contains NPK, but also some of the trace elements, so it'll be

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interesting to see, do those trace elements help with the flowering?

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Then these two.

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You very often see these being sold to encourage you to use them

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for containers, hanging baskets,

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because these are controlled-release fertilisers.

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In other words, when the temperature starts to warm up,

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and I hope it does soon, then that starts to release

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the fertiliser, and you only need one application.

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I should also say that we've got equal amounts in these troughs,

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so about 15g to 5 litres of compost.

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And my last two,

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slightly more specialised -

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this one is totally organic,

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and Chris was mentioning about seaweed,

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this has got the NPK, and the seaweed is also producing

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those trace elements.

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And we've got some of the mycorrhizal fungi.

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And the final one,

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this one is very high in potassium,

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which should encourage flowers,

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but interesting technology because, when you look at the grains there,

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it's meant to release quite quickly,

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but also slowly.

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And the claim to fame with this one is that it might produce

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as much as 400% more flowers.

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It will be interesting to see.

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When you consider the sort of day we've been having,

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I was quite chuffed that my next job would be in the greenhouse,

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and now look at it. I'm thinking of actually putting the shading on,

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because it gets very hot in here very quickly.

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And that's one of the problems as we approach the summer weather.

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These small greenhouses have little ventilation

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and you've got to do all that you can to keep the moisture level

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in the air absolutely up to scratch.

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One of the ways you can do it is, if you think about it,

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and my greenhouse at home is the same,

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all winter I've had a slatted staging,

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in order that the little heating that we do have can circulate

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and it gets round to all the plants in the glasshouse.

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But now the emphasis has changed,

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it's not heat that we're worried about,

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it's dry atmosphere and it's high temperatures.

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So, a bit of polythene down on there,

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and then capillary matting

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laid on top, which you can keep wet.

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And you've got this nice moist air around the plants

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keeping them healthy.

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It saves the plants, really, from drying up,

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and stop growing and becoming really floriferous.

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There's still time to take cuttings of half-hardy perennials,

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and these, for example, are pelargoniums. This is Lord Bute,

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and you've got what looks like really very nice

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close-jointed cuttings there.

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But I tell you what, the growth is hard.

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Really woody and hard.

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Very difficult to root.

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These plants need fed if you're going to take

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some cuttings from them.

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So they're fine, there's not a problem,

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but they need a bit of nitrogen in there

0:17:100:17:12

so it softens up the growth and then you can get

0:17:120:17:14

some decent softwood cuttings.

0:17:140:17:16

Moving on now to just in front of that - one of the new plants

0:17:160:17:19

that we were introducing is a new salvia.

0:17:190:17:22

I can't quote what it's going to be like yet

0:17:220:17:24

but it sounds interesting.

0:17:240:17:25

Used as a bedding plant or perhaps in baskets and so on.

0:17:250:17:28

They are coming on nicely.

0:17:280:17:30

Now, two options here.

0:17:300:17:31

If it's going in a basket, the next move, without them becoming

0:17:310:17:35

pot bound, as we say,

0:17:350:17:37

full of roots, would be perhaps to put them straight into the baskets,

0:17:370:17:40

just like we did with these ivy-leaf geraniums there.

0:17:400:17:43

These were plugs, put them straight in the basket,

0:17:430:17:45

and then it may be some of these salvias will go on the top of that.

0:17:450:17:48

So they're moving along nicely.

0:17:480:17:50

If they're going to be used as bedding plants in the ground,

0:17:500:17:53

they will need another move yet into perhaps a 7cm pot.

0:17:530:17:56

Look at this wee cracker. This has arrived mail order

0:17:560:18:00

and it's called Chocolate Salmon.

0:18:000:18:02

No, I love geraniums, and I want to try this as a bedding plant,

0:18:020:18:05

in a basket, or possibly even as a pot plant

0:18:050:18:08

in my conservatory.

0:18:080:18:09

So this is looking nice and that's a good sample,

0:18:090:18:12

getting a taste of what the colour will be like.

0:18:120:18:14

But would you believe it, what can you say about that?

0:18:140:18:16

Another variety, Caramel Violet.

0:18:160:18:18

That's a disgrace. That's come through mail order as well.

0:18:180:18:22

That's going to take quite a lot of nursing

0:18:220:18:24

to get any sort of decent plants out of them.

0:18:240:18:26

But the daddy of them all is this one that arrived this morning.

0:18:260:18:30

Look at that.

0:18:300:18:31

Compost bin, and a sharp phone call to the people that sent it.

0:18:310:18:37

That's a disgrace, that doesn't do them any good whatsoever.

0:18:370:18:40

Now, moving round a bit, we come to this little argyranthemum.

0:18:400:18:43

I was potting that at the same time as the dahlias.

0:18:430:18:46

Absolutely lovely little thing,

0:18:460:18:47

making nice plants and starting to flower already.

0:18:470:18:50

Of course - they're getting sun, the days are getting longer.

0:18:500:18:52

I don't want it to flower just yet, I want to put on more growth.

0:18:520:18:55

So, right at this time, I want to nip these off, like that.

0:18:550:18:59

In other words, keep it growing

0:18:590:19:01

and you'll finish up with much bigger, better plants.

0:19:010:19:04

Then onto the shelf here, a variety of plants.

0:19:040:19:07

This is turning to the kitchen, as it were, and the salads and so on.

0:19:070:19:11

Here we have your sweet pepper,

0:19:110:19:13

three sweet peppers, £2.40.

0:19:130:19:16

That's going to be an absolute cracker.

0:19:160:19:18

Look at that. It costs a fiver.

0:19:180:19:20

But this one has been grafted.

0:19:200:19:22

So we'll see just how well that grows

0:19:220:19:24

and how many fruits we get off it. Is it worth a fiver?

0:19:240:19:28

Time alone will tell.

0:19:280:19:30

Well, today I feel privileged.

0:19:380:19:40

I'm in Morningside, which is a suburb of Edinburgh,

0:19:400:19:42

just to the south of the main city,

0:19:420:19:44

and I'm here to visit a beautiful garden

0:19:440:19:47

which combines specialist plants with unique artwork.

0:19:470:19:50

'This designer presentation of specially sourced plants

0:19:550:19:58

'and bespoke commissioned sculpture

0:19:580:20:00

'has been 35 years in the making

0:20:000:20:03

'for physician Tony Toft.'

0:20:030:20:05

So we are in the south-west of Edinburgh.

0:20:050:20:08

Now, what's the soil and climate like here, Tony?

0:20:080:20:11

-Well, the soil is acid.

-Uh-huh.

0:20:110:20:13

With streaks of clay here and there.

0:20:130:20:16

We're exposed to the south-west wind.

0:20:160:20:19

It's unusual to be able to sit in this garden for any length of time.

0:20:190:20:23

GEORGE LAUGHS

0:20:230:20:25

And March and April are particularly difficult, I think,

0:20:250:20:27

because it's dry, it's cold, it's windy.

0:20:270:20:30

But yet, when I look round here

0:20:300:20:32

and see the array of plants which are here,

0:20:320:20:35

many of which are unusual

0:20:350:20:38

and quite special.

0:20:380:20:40

What made you go down that route, because they are tricky?

0:20:400:20:43

Yes, well, we realised from the beginning

0:20:430:20:46

that rhododendrons liked an acid soil.

0:20:460:20:49

So we began to collect rhododendrons

0:20:490:20:51

and somehow you want things that are a bit different,

0:20:510:20:54

you're not wanting run-of-the-mill.

0:20:540:20:56

So we got them from a respectable nursery

0:20:560:20:58

and then you began to realise that other plants liked acid soils, too -

0:20:580:21:02

enkianthus, fothergilla -

0:21:020:21:04

and then once you get into this buying plants,

0:21:040:21:07

you begin to realise that there are some nurseries

0:21:070:21:10

which are really very special.

0:21:100:21:12

You might have gone to Aviemore for a gentian,

0:21:120:21:14

you've come away with a rockery full of plants in the book.

0:21:140:21:17

Now, that then makes a garden into a journey of social history.

0:21:170:21:22

When you have friends round, you walk round the garden

0:21:220:21:25

-and, "I got that from such and such."

-Yes.

0:21:250:21:27

-That's it.

-Yes.

0:21:270:21:29

I may not remember the name of it but I know where I got it.

0:21:290:21:32

GEORGE LAUGHS

0:21:320:21:33

Everywhere you look there are these specialist plants

0:21:380:21:41

but in amongst them you've got these fabulous pieces of sculpture.

0:21:410:21:45

Where does this come from?

0:21:450:21:46

That came from the final-year art college show

0:21:460:21:49

when I worked at the old Royal Infirmary.

0:21:490:21:52

I think it's rather nice, it reminds me of a meteor.

0:21:520:21:54

You see the shape of that and then the shape of the sedum there,

0:21:540:21:58

which is this wonderful globular form, so it's tremendous.

0:21:580:22:01

Look at these peony roses at this time of year,

0:22:010:22:03

that foliage is just....

0:22:030:22:05

And the rate of growth. That's in about the last ten days or so,

0:22:050:22:09

it suddenly shoots up. It's incredible.

0:22:090:22:11

And then that colour goes right through onto

0:22:110:22:13

the pea stakes at the back. Look at those.

0:22:130:22:15

Yes, these are a lovely colour, aren't they? That patina of rust.

0:22:150:22:18

The strength in the stems of those

0:22:180:22:20

and then you go to the thalictrum,

0:22:200:22:22

with the stems there, that is just...

0:22:220:22:24

-What are you feeding your plants on?!

-Just mulch.

0:22:240:22:27

Gosh.

0:22:270:22:28

Then we come right round here and we turn back

0:22:330:22:36

and you look through this at the blue sky

0:22:360:22:39

and that is just absolutely fabulous.

0:22:390:22:43

It's the first thing anyone notices when they come into the back garden.

0:22:430:22:47

It was planted about 32 years ago by my late father-in-law,

0:22:470:22:52

and I was standing there,

0:22:520:22:55

Maureen was in the kitchen window,

0:22:550:22:57

guiding us as to when it was to be put.

0:22:570:22:59

GEORGE CHUCKLES

0:22:590:23:00

-And it's she who looks at it all the time.

-That's right, yeah.

0:23:000:23:03

-She's enjoying the view of this from the kitchen window.

-Yes.

0:23:030:23:06

But the stem on that is just tremendous.

0:23:060:23:09

-Betula jacquemontii?

-Yes.

0:23:090:23:11

And then we turned round and there's the contrast,

0:23:110:23:14

-look, tulips. What else for this time of year?

-Yes.

0:23:140:23:16

It's so wonderfully even. That's a great splash of colour.

0:23:160:23:19

We treat them as annuals,

0:23:190:23:21

profligate, I know, but they look beautiful.

0:23:210:23:23

But look down the inside of that.

0:23:230:23:25

-Look at the colour in there. What variety?

-Olympic Flame.

0:23:250:23:28

Right, so what's round the corner? More excitement?

0:23:280:23:31

Yes, a surprise for you.

0:23:310:23:32

Gosh, a surprise, a hare!

0:23:320:23:34

HE CHUCKLES

0:23:340:23:36

Normally people complain about having hares in their garden.

0:23:360:23:38

We bought it at the Royal Scottish Academy.

0:23:380:23:41

It's been put together by a lady sculptor from the Borders.

0:23:410:23:44

It's not solid bronze,

0:23:440:23:46

it's bronze resin, so it's not worth pinching.

0:23:460:23:48

Look at the expression on its face.

0:23:480:23:50

It looks as though it's just seen us

0:23:500:23:52

-and is just about make off into the undergrowth.

-Yes.

0:23:520:23:55

Gosh, look at the colours!

0:23:570:23:59

A birch and yet it's that colour.

0:23:590:24:01

Where did that one come from?

0:24:010:24:02

That one came from a large nursery, again,

0:24:020:24:05

25, 30 years ago.

0:24:050:24:06

And I was told that the late Beatle George Harrison had ordered 50

0:24:060:24:11

for his estate, and this was rejected.

0:24:110:24:15

This was the only one left in the whole of the country and here it is.

0:24:150:24:20

-You fell for that one, did you?

-Yes, we fell for it!

0:24:200:24:22

THEY LAUGH

0:24:220:24:23

They call this Betula albosinensis

0:24:230:24:25

and we normally think "albo" - white,

0:24:250:24:28

"sinensis" - Chinese,

0:24:280:24:30

and here it is, coppers and gold,

0:24:300:24:32

-and almost...

-BOTH:

-Purples.

0:24:320:24:34

-Yeah!

-That is just stunning.

0:24:340:24:37

This is different, Tony.

0:24:430:24:45

There's been a form of rock garden here all the time.

0:24:450:24:47

The best use of a slope, really.

0:24:470:24:50

Come and see this, George.

0:24:500:24:51

A little speciality?

0:24:510:24:53

I'm always thrilled when we get a gentian out

0:24:530:24:56

for the first time.

0:24:560:24:58

-Gosh.

-There it is.

0:24:580:25:00

Deep-blue in the middle of the rockery.

0:25:000:25:02

That really shows it up.

0:25:020:25:03

The fact that we're just down at this lower level

0:25:030:25:05

and looking right into the face of the plants makes such a difference.

0:25:050:25:08

-Can we look at this here?

-Yes.

0:25:080:25:10

-Summer Snowflake.

-Yes.

0:25:100:25:12

Leucojum. Beautiful thing, isn't it?

0:25:120:25:15

This is interesting, isn't it?

0:25:150:25:16

Yes, it is nice, isn't it?

0:25:160:25:18

It's called Tumble. It's a piece again by Andrea Geile.

0:25:180:25:22

And it's made of what's called COR-TEN steel,

0:25:220:25:25

which takes this patina of rust,

0:25:250:25:26

but I'm told it doesn't go any further than the surface.

0:25:260:25:30

It was her idea to reflect the shape of the leaf of the acer behind it.

0:25:300:25:35

We've seen a lot of fabulous plants,

0:25:350:25:37

we've seen some wonderful pieces of art.

0:25:370:25:40

But my question to you is,

0:25:400:25:42

how have you managed to bring them all together?

0:25:420:25:45

How do you do that, with art and plants?

0:25:450:25:48

Well, I'm not sure. I certainly don't have a philosophy.

0:25:480:25:51

All I would say is that both Maureen and I

0:25:510:25:55

enjoy beautiful things,

0:25:550:25:58

we enjoy collecting nice art.

0:25:580:26:00

Plants are beautiful things.

0:26:000:26:03

And it's colour I enjoy,

0:26:030:26:05

and I think part of that is a reaction to

0:26:050:26:07

the dullness of the climate sometimes here,

0:26:070:26:11

and one's looking for colour, and we have it.

0:26:110:26:13

Well, we've been visiting this fruit house regularly

0:26:210:26:24

cos we're watching the progress of this gorgeous crop of cherries.

0:26:240:26:28

But I want to dwell with the vines today.

0:26:280:26:30

These rods, spurs, these are the names.

0:26:300:26:33

And then usually you get two shoots, we only want one.

0:26:330:26:37

If you get two, you might get twice as many bunches

0:26:370:26:40

but they'll be smaller. So it'll give the plant a chance.

0:26:400:26:43

Here we go.

0:26:430:26:44

Leave one, leave the strongest.

0:26:440:26:46

Here we go.

0:26:460:26:47

Take that one out, leave that one there.

0:26:470:26:50

I've got some more fruit for the decking,

0:26:520:26:55

perfect for small containers.

0:26:550:26:57

This one, for the first time, is a bramble that you can grow

0:26:570:27:00

in a hanging basket or a container,

0:27:000:27:03

so three plants there in about a 12-inch pot.

0:27:030:27:06

Also, I've got a framberry,

0:27:060:27:08

looks like a strawberry,

0:27:080:27:10

and the fruits also look like a strawberry,

0:27:100:27:13

but when you taste it it's meant to be a little bit of a cross

0:27:130:27:16

between the strawberry and a raspberry.

0:27:160:27:19

Now, there's a sight to gladden your heart.

0:27:190:27:22

That's a wonderful salad, isn't it, for this time of year?

0:27:220:27:24

Even on a cold day.

0:27:240:27:26

We sowed our seeds out in this small-space garden

0:27:260:27:29

round about four weeks ago,

0:27:290:27:31

and there is the result.

0:27:310:27:32

And already I can harvest these. There are some mizuna,

0:27:320:27:35

which I can just snip off with the scissors,

0:27:350:27:37

just below soil level like that,

0:27:370:27:39

and that will go into the salad and add just that little bit extra zing.

0:27:390:27:43

Well, you know, I really wish the viewers could appreciate

0:27:450:27:48

what we can smell in here,

0:27:480:27:49

because that perfume is gorgeous, isn't it?

0:27:490:27:52

It just fills the whole of the conservatory.

0:27:520:27:54

Possibly a hybrid of fragrantissima.

0:27:540:27:56

A beautiful thing.

0:27:560:27:58

Very reliable. I mean, it flowers like that every year, doesn't it?

0:27:580:28:01

-Yes, it does.

-Absolutely.

0:28:010:28:03

Hailstones at the moment, I think.

0:28:030:28:05

Yes, we could do a good job for the tourist board, you know.

0:28:050:28:08

Four seasons in a day, we've had.

0:28:080:28:10

I mean, it's absolutely amazing sort of weather, isn't it?

0:28:100:28:13

It is, but apart from the weather, if you'd like any more information

0:28:130:28:16

about this week's programme, it's all in the fact sheet

0:28:160:28:19

and the easiest way to access that is online.

0:28:190:28:22

Next week, Jim?

0:28:220:28:23

-Tomato time!

-And for me as well.

-Yeah!

0:28:230:28:26

I'm doing a little bit more formative pruning.

0:28:260:28:29

-Yes, the loppers are out again.

-Yeah, they are.

0:28:290:28:32

Oh, very staid. Well, anyway, until next time...

0:28:320:28:35

-ALL:

-Goodbye.

0:28:350:28:37

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