Gardeners World S58E02
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00:00Hello, welcome to Gardener's World. You've caught me doing a job that I should have done about a
00:19month ago. This is an epimedium, and epimediums are wonderful, particularly if you've got a very
00:26shady dry area. They're one of those plants that thrive in dry shade. And they have glorious flowers,
00:34but they're almost completely hidden by the foliage. So what you should do, round about the
00:40middle of February, early March at the latest, is cut the old foliage off, go right back down to the
00:46ground. And then as the flowers slowly unfurl, and there's lots in here still to come, the light gets
00:52to them, and also more importantly, you can see them and you can enjoy them. However, it's not too
00:57late, but be very careful when you do it not to cut the flowering stems off. That's the issue. So it's
01:04the dry stems of the foliage, and just do it one by one. Whatever you do, don't get shears and just
01:11sort of cut away, thinking that will do the job. And as I say, they're a lovely plant, and they're worth a
01:25little bit of trouble, particularly if you do it at the right time. Now, coming up on today's programme.
01:32Joe visits a group of neighbours on a street in North London, who are championing the front garden.
01:38I really like the way you've got this central bed right in the middle of the front garden,
01:42which I guess was paved over before. And you've got a kiwi for you.
01:46A kiwi? This is my ideas of early days ago. Now, let's have a little Mediterranean area.
01:52We meet the custodian of an historic garden that was originally planted by a legendary plantswoman.
01:59This is the most famous ditch in England. This is where Margie Fish planted all her snowdrops.
02:06Sue visits a garden in Carmelinshire, getting advice from a gardener who has embraced the Welsh climate
02:16and growing produce that thrives in these conditions.
02:20These are Baltandi beetroots. Throw them every year. I've tried a variety and I always return to the Baltandi
02:25because they don't balk when you get some summer sun. They also produce fantastically big beetroot.
02:31And I shall be adding some shrubs to the Jewel Garden as part of its revamp.
02:38You may remember that I showed you last week that we've widened the paths here and dug up where the grass was.
02:57So now I've got strips of bare soil and I want to plant them up.
03:12I've got a tray here of a geranium, geranium phylum, which I have divided up. I did this last year.
03:20It's one of those geraniums that does very well in quite deep shade and this is a fairly shady area.
03:27It's got small, really dark flowers, sort of rich burgundy.
03:32Flowers early in the season and then you can cut it back when it's finished flowering and it'll regrow like all hardy geraniums.
03:39If you've got them in pots, place them all before you plant any. Set them all out.
03:47Then you can move them around and then when planting comes you just dig a hole and stick them in.
03:51And also I'm not going to plant them in a line along the edge.
03:55I want it to work in with the planting that we've got.
03:58So we pop that there and maybe another one back there.
04:04Now as well as the geraniums, I've got Alcumilla mollis.
04:12We used to have this lining the long walk and it spilled right over on the path, completely covering it.
04:18Look magnificent but not terribly practical.
04:20So don't plant something like Alcumilla too close to the edge.
04:24But it's fantastic. It will grow in dry conditions, it will grow in wet conditions.
04:28It will grow in sunshine, just as much as shade. It's a wonderful plant.
04:40This may look like a grass. In fact, it's in the asparagus family.
04:44It's Ophiopogon nigrescens.
04:46They have a small pink flower but you don't grow it for the flower.
04:50You grow it for the dark, almost black leaves.
04:53You can see they're green underneath.
04:55And the more shade they have, the greener they'll be.
04:58Now if I wanted to, I could break this into many smaller pieces.
05:03A clump like this would give me about 20 new plants.
05:06So buy a decent sized clump from a garden centre.
05:09Then divide it up yourself, grow them on and hey Presto, you're away.
05:12The beauty of the plants that I'm putting in is that they're tough.
05:27They might take a year or two to get to full size but these will be absolutely fine.
05:32Right, I have got a lot more to do and of course I want to take it on round the corner.
05:36And while I'm doing that we're going to go and join Joe who went up from his Dorset garden to London.
05:42To visit something that is all too rare nowadays.
05:46A street full of glorious front gardens.
05:50In the UK around 25% of front gardens have already been paved over and they're still disappearing at an alarming rate.
06:04Now this street tucked away in North London has a row of railway cottage gardens that have bucked the trend in a spectacular fashion.
06:14Front gardens are extremely important especially in our cities.
06:21And it's not just about curb appeal.
06:23Even the tiniest of spaces can bring some much needed greenery to our neighbourhoods.
06:28They're a sanctuary for wildlife and help to reduce pollution.
06:32I'm meeting a group of neighbours whose front gardens are flourishing.
06:40And it's all down to a great community spirit and love of gardening.
06:52Hello Cathy.
06:53Oh hello Joe.
06:54This is beautiful.
06:55Oh thank you.
06:56It's bursting at the seams your garden.
06:58There's a lot of plants in here.
07:00I've always liked herbs and useful plants so I began slowly sort of getting those.
07:05And then the lawns sort of just got smaller and smaller.
07:09There's lots of pollinators in this garden.
07:11I've seen bees and hoverflies all over.
07:13Absolutely.
07:14Have you planted with those in mind?
07:16Yes, absolutely.
07:17And tried to get some things usually in flower all through the year.
07:22I think that's really, you know, really important.
07:25You've got lots of height in this garden as well.
07:28The arbutus at the front.
07:29Yes.
07:30That's a great tree.
07:31This is a lovely tree.
07:32I wanted a lot of edible things in the garden.
07:34So that's called arbutus rinedo which means I believe you only eat it once.
07:37Is that right?
07:38That's right.
07:39But it's already got the fruit on it now that will ripen in sort of October-ish sometime like that.
07:44Yeah.
07:45And that's so intriguing because it has the flowers and the fruit at the same time.
07:48And then you've got this beautiful bark.
07:50Yeah.
07:51Well, it's a very good coastal plant.
07:52It's great for the city as well.
07:54Evergreen.
07:55Yes, exactly.
07:56I have tasted the fruit.
07:57What do you do?
07:58Once.
07:59Once.
08:00It must give you pride in the street that you live in.
08:02I think, well, I'm very proud of it, certainly.
08:04All these gardens are beautiful.
08:05They are.
08:06There's no letting aside there.
08:07No, well...
08:08No, no, no, no name.
08:09What I think is brilliant is just the way every single garden is different.
08:19Mike, nice to meet you.
08:20I'm Joe.
08:21How are you doing?
08:22Joe, nice to meet you.
08:23No, this is clever.
08:24Well...
08:25You don't see that at all from the street side.
08:26This is the bins and the recycling, right?
08:28Yeah.
08:29All the rubbish in there, yeah.
08:30I'm trying to cover it up and make it a little bit neat.
08:32It's a bit wild at the moment, but what I'm trying to do is just slowly arrange the passion
08:38plough that it's enough cover.
08:40You get a few of the flowers on view.
08:42I really like the way you've got this central bed right in the middle of the front garden,
08:46which I guess was paved over before.
08:48Yep.
08:49So you've got a root all the way round it, which is fantastic.
08:51Nice big fig tree.
08:53Yeah, it's got a few on there.
08:55But it gives you a bit of screening from the house, doesn't it?
08:57It does a job.
08:58Yeah.
08:59Ah, now you've got a trumpet vine on the house.
09:02Oh, you have.
09:03That's quite unusual.
09:04But it shows what a microclimate it is.
09:06It is.
09:07And this is, what was it?
09:08Southwest.
09:09Southwest facing, and it soaks up the heat.
09:11Yeah.
09:12So even if it gets knocked back really hard, it'll still regenerate.
09:15Comes back, yeah.
09:16And you've got a kiwi through.
09:17A kiwi.
09:18This is a bit, this is my ideas of early days ago.
09:21Now let's have a little Mediterranean area, you know.
09:24But, um, yeah, so this kiwi, it just goes mad.
09:27I mean, it runs everywhere.
09:36There are a few things to consider when designing your front garden, or just planting it up.
09:40For a start, think about how it's going to sit into the streetscape.
09:44Now, by that, I mean how they're all going to work together.
09:47And what I love about these is that there's not just a sort of single hedge, or a variety of hedges just blocking the views into the garden.
09:55Some have got hedges, yeah, and some have got sort of tall, wispy plants that create that veiled view.
10:01So there's enough privacy from the house to the street, but also you can see in as well.
10:06And that works really nicely.
10:08Another thing to consider is the volume of planting.
10:11Not putting lots of small things into a front garden.
10:15So small trees, large shrubs, climbers against the house, so that they envelop these gardens,
10:22but also soften the houses and help them sit into the street itself.
10:27And the last thing, most of these have dug up the central area, planted them up,
10:31and we're getting more volume, more plants, more seasonal interest, more bugs,
10:37and just more, well, enjoyment for everybody who lives here and walks past.
10:49Well, Jane, you've got the largest front garden in the street, haven't you?
10:51You've got the corner plot, so do you have a different approach to your front garden?
10:56I think so, because I don't put very delicate things in,
10:59because if I have to keep watering it every day, that would be very, you know, onerous.
11:04So it tends to be tough things, and the grasses are ideal for this.
11:09The framing of your window, the clipping around the window is great.
11:13Yes. Yes.
11:14When I arrived in 1981, there was two columns each side of the window,
11:20and I decided I wanted to join it, so I put some stick and trained it over.
11:24Yeah.
11:25And then cut it.
11:26What about the abutilon? That's beautiful.
11:28Oh, that's, yes, and that's in a pot, a nice big pot, too.
11:31Yes, I'm very fond of that.
11:34But I love the fact that I've actually made friends over the fence
11:39with people who have asked me about the plants, and it's just so nice.
11:43I think I'm known by a lot of people in the neighbourhood as the garden woman.
11:48That's a lovely thing, the garden woman.
11:52I have noticed, though, that every person in the street
11:57has actually improved their gardens, and I'm sure that's a knock-on effect.
12:03It's infectious, somehow.
12:06It's infectious, yes.
12:13Oh, Janine, look at you deadheading your lavender.
12:17Perfect time of year for it.
12:19Absolutely. Keeps it nice and compact.
12:21Yes.
12:22So how does it feel to live in this street of lovely gardens?
12:26Oh, it's absolutely wonderful.
12:27It's just a little oasis in the heart of London, really.
12:30It just gives you your own little space.
12:32It separates you from the kind of busy London traffic,
12:35and it's just really important to connect with your community.
12:38Yeah, you feel very connected, which is lovely.
12:41Yes.
12:42Is there ever a case of feeling like you need to keep up with the Joneses,
12:45because there's some quite serious gardeners here?
12:48Only in the nicest possible way.
12:51You spur each other on?
12:53Yes.
12:58Eddie, your garden is beautiful.
13:00Oh, thank you.
13:01It sits so well in front of your house, it just looks great.
13:04Yes.
13:05You're obviously into your edibles, and your tomatoes are doing well.
13:08I mean, you have got a few flowers.
13:10I mean, things like this verbena are beautiful.
13:12I didn't actually plant these.
13:13They blew in on the wind from next door.
13:16So...
13:17Everyone's got them dotted all the way down.
13:19I've just left them.
13:20Sweet peas over there.
13:21Sweet peas, yeah.
13:22They're quite fragrant.
13:23And you've got lovely runner beans as well.
13:25Beautiful.
13:26Yeah, they're just about to produce, so I'll be eating those next week.
13:31It is inspiring, because if someone walks past here and they've got just a bit of grass or something in their front garden,
13:37or have never grown vegetables, you're showing it can be done in the middle of London in a front garden.
13:41That's right.
13:42I've got to say, I really admire this group of neighbours.
13:51And what I like is that they've all got their own personalities stamped onto their plot.
13:56Here, we've got edibles and vegetables.
13:58Down there, there's purple flowers.
14:00There's pollinators everywhere.
14:02But the combined effort is just staggering.
14:06And it's not just this street and these residents that benefit.
14:10It's the whole community.
14:12And that's what I love about it.
14:14I'm old enough to remember when front gardens were the norm.
14:35Most houses had a front garden and many were fascinating.
14:39And to see a street like that brings it all back.
14:42And, of course, it's not just the individuals.
14:44It's everybody that benefits.
14:46Now, we've largely emptied the draw garden.
14:50And at this stage, what I'm really thinking about doing is getting in structure.
14:55If I can get in the woody structure, trees, shrubs, then I can work around that.
15:00And this is a buddleia, which I've left in.
15:03But like all buddleias, it needs pruning back now.
15:07Buddleias flower on new wood.
15:09So the harder you prune it, the more new wood there will be.
15:12And therefore, the more flowers there will be.
15:14I'm going to plant another buddleia in the jewel garden.
15:18This is called buddleia weyeriana sun gold.
15:25And instead of having the conventional purple flowers, this has round globular yellowy orange flowers.
15:35And I'm putting it over here because I am now looking absolutely due south.
15:43This, therefore, is the sunniest spot.
15:47And that's what buddleia is like.
15:49I've chosen to put it back here, not in the middle of a border, but near a hedge.
15:53And the reason for that is because the hedge is sucking moisture out of the ground.
15:58And buddleias flower best in poor soil, good drainage, and actually quite dry conditions.
16:07And when a shrub is as small as this, planting it is easy.
16:11The only thing to remember is dig a hole that is not much deeper than the pond, but it does need to be wider.
16:26Do not add goodness underneath the shrub, because if you do it, you're going to create the most perfect environment for the roots.
16:35And they won't want to leave. The roots need to get out into the soil.
16:40That should be enough. Let's take this out the pot.
16:47And if we plant that like that, I don't want it to go any deeper.
16:50In fact, I'm going to lift that up a little bit, so it's slightly proud of the soil.
16:54And even a little bit more.
16:59There we go. That's perfect.
17:03I pull the soil round it like that.
17:06Now, it's really important to heel it in.
17:09Put your heel and go round so that most of the pressure is in a kind of circle around the edge of the roots,
17:17almost creating a comb up to the middle of the plant.
17:20So it's firmly in the ground, but it's proud.
17:24And that means that it's much less likely to be damaged by being too wet.
17:28Now, I've got a couple more shrubs that will cope with some shade.
17:43These are a pair of hydrangeas.
17:46Hydrangea paniculata wims red.
17:49This starts out very pale, then goes pink, but then goes a dark red.
17:55And hydrangeas couldn't be more different to buddlias in the conditions they like.
18:01They're very happy in a bit of shade.
18:04They don't mind rich soil.
18:05They actively like being moist as long as they sit in boggy ground.
18:09They do need some drainage.
18:11I've got a pair, so I'm going to have one which I'll put over here on this side.
18:16I'll find a place for that.
18:19And they do know exactly where I want to put this.
18:25There was an awful lot in here, but having cleared it, we've got space now.
18:30And this is perfect for this hydrangea.
18:33So I'll plant this just like I planted the buddlia, not worrying about digging up allums.
18:38Paniculata grow quite strong.
18:40If you don't prune them too hard, they can grow six to ten foot tall, or you can prune them down.
18:46They're very flexible and very easy to grow.
18:49Pop that in like that, plenty of room around it.
18:53Backfill it like that.
19:03And if you want to prune hydrangea paniculata, the time to do it is in spring.
19:09Now I will water that in.
19:18What I would say, unlike the buddlia, if it is very dry, certainly in the first year, give it a good soak once a week.
19:26Because hydrangeas do not like to dry out.
19:29Now, next week, I intend to share with you just how you set about redesigning, or even designing from the first place, a border or a garden from scratch.
19:41Just the nuts and bolts of how to make it work so that it looks its very best.
19:47However, now we're off to Somerset, to visit the garden of Marjorie Fish.
19:53Now, in the 50s and 60s, her writing was incredibly influential.
19:58And her garden is still being looked after and loved.
20:03Even on a grey day, it's a heartwarming sight when you see the snowdrops beginning to appear, and the crocuses coming under the Acer.
20:24It's lovely.
20:27My name is Mike Workmeister, and I am the current owner of East Lambrook Manor Gardens.
20:33We moved here in 2008.
20:35I saw an article in a Sunday newspaper about the garden being for sale.
20:42So we drove up here.
20:43There was an honesty box in the drive.
20:45We walked around.
20:47The garden looked magical.
20:49And we kind of fell in love with the place.
20:52East Lambrook is the only grade one listed cottage garden in the country.
20:56It was created by the celebrated plantswoman and gardening writer Marjorie Fish.
21:08Marjorie Fish worked for various Fleet Street editors, latterly for a man called Walter Fish, whom she married.
21:16They bought the property in 1937.
21:18It was a time after the war when labour was scarce.
21:21You had to do it all yourself.
21:23I mean, she was very much creating a garden for the masses, in a way.
21:28Marjorie Fish knew from the beginning she wanted to create a cottage garden.
21:33She came to gardening late in life.
21:36She was in her mid-forties before she ever picked up a trowel.
21:40The story goes that she built all the dry stone walls around the garden.
21:47She started writing about gardening for magazines.
21:50She had a very easy to read style.
21:53And she wasn't afraid to write about her mistakes as well as her successes.
21:58She created a garden on a human scale.
22:00And so many people come here and say they really love the garden.
22:03I actually think it's amazing that a garden as famous or well known as East Landbrooke can attract new owners who've kind of nurtured it and looked after it, but kept it very much as it always was.
22:26It's one of the things I've done here is to plant bulbs in grass.
22:34Late winter is when the Crochus thomasianus come out under the Acer.
22:39I've let them spread into the lawn.
22:40And I like the way they just seed naturally.
22:44It's a great source of early nectar for the bees.
22:47We're clay here, but they seem to like it.
22:50And I think the tree roots dry out the soil so that they take the water up.
22:54It's a good place for crocuses.
23:00We tried a little experiment this year because the pigeons always bite off the crocus flowers.
23:07We don't know why, but we thought we'd buy a few birds of prey and stick them in the garden.
23:14There are no birds at night, but every time I walk past it, it gives me a fright.
23:17But crocus around the trees haven't been pecked off.
23:22But up there, where we haven't put them, they have been pecked off.
23:29The area known as the Woodland Garden is one of my favourite bits of the garden
23:33because it's where a lot of the snowdrops are planted and it's full of ferns and other woodlanders.
23:39Margie fish was very keen on hellebores.
23:47The ones we mainly plant are hellebore hybridus.
23:51I like the whites with pink in the flower because it's not the petals you're seeing,
23:56it's the calyx, which actually on the hellebore appears to be the petals.
24:00And there's some lovely Betula utelis jackmontii there,
24:05which look great against the beech hedging.
24:07So it has a very friendly feel.
24:12I mean, it's a smallish, intimate bit of garden with nice sort of woodland paths between it.
24:20Running Historic Garden is, yes, it's been an adventure, it's been a challenge.
24:25Essentially, it's fun.
24:29Walter Fish always said that a garden needs a good structure in the winter of evergreen shrubs.
24:34And one of the things that Margie fish did plant was these shamus cypress lawsoniana fletcheri,
24:41which she called her pudding trees because of the shape they made.
24:45And, of course, lawson cypress is fairly quick-growing, but eventually these have had to be replaced in the past
24:52because they get too big and you can't get down the path here.
24:56Because although we clip them every year and clip them as hard back as we can,
25:01we can't clip into the old wood because it won't regrow.
25:04So a more sensible plant to put in might have been yew, because obviously if a yew gets too big,
25:11you can cut it right back and it'll regrow.
25:14But these are kind of iconic plants for the garden.
25:17This is the most famous ditch in England.
25:24It is where Margie fish planted all her snowdrops.
25:29Nowadays, of course, they've all hybridised with one another,
25:33but there have been one or two snowdrops found in the ditch which are interesting
25:37and they've been named most notably.
25:39The first one that was found was named Galanthus margie fish.
25:41The snowdrop itself is quite a delicate snowdrop with a long pedestal which comes up and hangs down at an angle.
25:50Lovely little snowdrop.
25:56I acquired a collection here, which I have added to quite a lot.
26:03For my own amusement, I found seedlings which I've grown on.
26:07I mean, in order to get one which looks fun, I've grown on hundreds.
26:12This one here has rather interesting green markings on its outer petals.
26:17This one has a more bulbous flower with stripes.
26:21And this one's very simple, really.
26:24The green markings on the inner petals look like a rabbit's ears and we call it bunny.
26:30But I haven't officially named them or anything.
26:33It's just a bit of fun.
26:37We've been here 17 years.
26:42I didn't think we'd stay here that long, but it's quite a wrench to leave it.
26:47When we came here, I felt the garden had slightly lost the ethos of Margie Fish.
26:55And I wanted it to feel like a private garden.
26:58I feel that's possibly my legacy.
27:00It needs younger, new people with fresh ideas.
27:07I'm moving to North Devon, and at the moment it is just a square of grass.
27:13And I'm going, hopefully, to create a new, smaller cottage garden.
27:17Well, I've never been to East Landbrooke, but when I'm down near Taunton, I think I may try and make time for a visit.
27:36And clearly, Mike has looked after it wonderfully well, so I hope that the new owners continue that tradition.
27:44Now, a tradition that sort of emerged here at Longmeadow is to pack this table outside the potting shed with as many bowls and pots as possible.
27:53And this year has been really difficult. It's been the hardest year to get a good display that I can remember.
28:00Everything's been very late, very slow to come through.
28:04We've still got hardly any muscari or scillers, an awful lot of the daffodils, and not yet budding.
28:11However, there is a display. There are glorious daffodils.
28:15We've got the Arctic Bells, we've got Tete-a-Tete, we've got the irises, Pixie and George.
28:20So even when it's not at its best, it's still good.
28:25And it's good because somehow you're condensing and distilling not just colour, but hope for spring.
28:34Now, still to come on today's programme.
28:37So this is...
28:39Sue is in Carmarthenshire, exchanging tips and ideas with a gardener who is growing produce that thrives in the local Welsh climate.
28:47The more we can save our own seed and then grow those same varieties year on year, the better it is as well for success in the garden.
28:54Because plants are like people, we get happy in places that we're used to, you know.
28:58And we visit a back garden in Edinburgh that's been lovingly developed in a relatively short time with an ingenious design.
29:05The next thing I did was add in the arch and as soon as I put it over the path I could see what an incredible effect it had.
29:13Just helping with that whole illusion of creating space and intrigue and not being able to see the whole space in one go.
29:19The vegetable garden here is pretty empty now. Spring is the lean time.
29:37Spring is the lean time. This is when you've used up all your winter veg and you haven't really got much going for spring.
29:43We have got some spring cabbage, which I planted out last October, not ready to harvest yet, but they should be in about a month's time.
29:49And we've had a good crop of Arctic king lettuce.
29:53Now I sowed those last August, planted them out in early October and we didn't harvest them at all until I think it was the end of January, beginning of February.
30:01So they sat all winter under cloches and they're fantastic. So I highly recommend that.
30:08Now I sowed these lettuce in January.
30:12So if you sow now, they won't be ready to plant out for another six weeks to two months.
30:18And I wouldn't sow direct yet. If the soil feels cold to the touch, then they will not germinate.
30:24But what I am going to do is plant these out into a raised bed.
30:26They drain better, so therefore it warms up better.
30:30And also a bed on this side of the garden, because it just gets a little bit more sun.
30:35Now I've got two types here. I've got Arctic king, which is the same as those there, and then Little Gem.
30:42Now Little Gem is a cos lettuce, grow quite quickly, will tend to bolt in hot weather.
30:47And they make a small lettuce, so it's one per person.
30:51So great for sowing now, or if you've sown before, planting out now, harvesting through till about June.
30:57And we sow them in a seed tray and then prick them out into individual plugs, which is more work.
31:03But it is worth it, because you get really nice strong roots.
31:06And because of that, they're healthier and much less likely to be attacked by sludge or snow.
31:11But you'll know when they're ready, when you take them out of the plug, which you can do gently just by pushing underneath, lifting it out.
31:18If it holds together like that, it's perfect.
31:22And then to plant it, all you have to do is just make a hole and pop this in.
31:27Easy.
31:28A little bit of space. These are small, so they don't need to be too far apart.
31:45If you're not used to growing in raised beds, they're very easy to make.
31:50It doesn't matter what you make them out of.
31:51And you want to be able to reach the middle from both sides.
31:54And not only do they heat up quicker, so they give you earlier crops, but also the much more efficient way of using your space.
32:06Right, it doesn't matter what time of year it is, water them in.
32:12And not only does that give them water, but it also firms the roots in.
32:17I'm going to cloche them, and although I leave them open at the ends, it is extraordinary how they're heated up just enough to make a difference.
32:35One thing to remember though, of course, is if you have cloches on for more than a week or two, you are going to have to water because of course the rain can't get in.
32:48I've been growing vegetables all my life, but I do know that there is always more to learn.
32:53You can always discover things, particularly by visiting other people and seeing how they do things.
32:58And that's exactly what Sue has done in search of vegetable perfection.
33:03I've been growing fruit and vegetables in my garden for many years, and more recently in my allotment.
33:18It's a fun and continuous learning experience.
33:22I've got the basics covered, but I feel there's more to consider to get the best out of the growing conditions.
33:28So I'm excited to spend the day with local gardener Adam Jones.
33:36He's an hour from me in Swansea and has a wealth of experience on how to get the most from his growing space.
33:43Adam, thank you so much for having me to your garden.
33:47I'm right by the sea. I've got salty, windy conditions, but it can be quite mild.
33:52What are the conditions like here with you?
33:55Well, Troy, so welcome to the garden.
33:56It's a cool, typical, Welsh wet garden, let's say that.
34:00We're 200 metres above sea level, OK?
34:02So what tends to happen is we get a condensed growing season.
34:05So we can have late frost going into June, and we get early frost then October, end of September.
34:11So we have a lot of humidity, especially when we get a bit of summer heat as well.
34:14So it can be a challenging environment to be growing vegetables in.
34:18I've really struggled with my courgettes.
34:19I've had to sow them three times, and they're only now beginning to fruit, which is really late in the season.
34:25And I wish I could help you, but if you saw my non-existing courgettes, I could completely sympathise.
34:30We've had difficulty with the peas, a lot of mildews on the peas from being initially dry and then overly humid.
34:35But then things like my beans, I, you know, initially thought I'd have a poor harvest.
34:39They've cordoned back on fantastically well and they're doing great.
34:42So it's not all bad, you know, despite the challenging conditions.
34:46My soil's alkaline. What's your soil like?
34:48Well, we initially started landscaping in the garden.
34:50In some areas it was 4.7 on the peas, so that's a very acidic soil.
34:55We had to bring in a lot of topsoil, a lot of manure to try and raise the alkalinity of the soil.
35:00And we've done that successfully. In terms of the beds, you want a neutral, slightly alkaline soil.
35:05Yeah. So you don't really worry if things don't always go to plan.
35:09My philosophy's always been, give it a go, try everything, try every variety, every cultivar that you can,
35:14and then try and evaluate, OK, well, if that didn't work this year, maybe I'll try it in a different area in the garden
35:19and see if it works there, before giving up completely on it.
35:22But I think we do have to persevere, don't we? If it was all that easy, it wouldn't be fun.
35:27I've probably killed just the amount of plants that I've grown, and I've done it proudly, because that's how you learn, isn't it?
35:33I can see flowers all around me, but I'm dying to see the veg.
35:36Well, let's go see the magic. Yeah, let's do it. I love a bit of veg.
35:44Adam's not phased by a little wind and rain, and he's adapted what he grows to his local conditions.
35:50Pests and all.
35:52Wow, this is a real smorgasbord of plants.
35:56It's not just one monoculture that attracts aphys.
35:59There's no big sign to a fast-food outlet saying, come here and prey on my plants.
36:03You know, it's about having a hodgepodge of everything.
36:05No, and it's absolutely beautiful.
36:12This is a lovely bed of beetroot.
36:15Yeah, these are Baltadi beetroots, so these are my old favourite. I grow them every year.
36:19I've tried other varieties like Moulin Rouge and Detroit, and I always return to the Baltadi because they don't bulk when you get some summer sun.
36:26They also produce fantastically big beetroots that you can preserve, you can eat them, you can do so many different things with them.
36:34I agree, I've tried the others, and these I think are the best. How do you eat them?
36:39Yeah, well, I'm a bit old-fashioned in a way, see. I like to pickle them, I like to roast them, I like to boil them, and then eat them with red onions, you know, on a vineyard.
36:46Oh, lovely.
36:47Beautiful, in a salad.
36:48I like them pickled, and then I put them in mashed potatoes, bring onions and mayonnaise.
36:53Oh, that's heaven on a plate, that is.
36:55So, so here, I've recently harvested my turnips, as you can see, not a bad crop, quite happy with these.
37:12But, I'm ready to replant it again, I'm going to plant it with some cabbages.
37:17I noticed this, you're telling us it's look lovely, but planting again with a brassica, that's unusual.
37:22Yeah, you know, people stress a lot about crop rotation, and they need to plant plants in separate locations because of disease and problems.
37:29But, this is the fifth year of me growing brassicas in this bed now.
37:32What I found is, by annually mulching the garden, I reduce the fungal spores that are available on the soil surface, which reduces disease.
37:40And I have had any problems in that time.
37:42So, I don't stress too much about crop rotation, that's what I'll say, because many of us don't have the luxury, of course.
37:47Small gardens, you've only got two raised beds, if crop rotation's going to stop you growing what you need to grow, then you shouldn't worry about it.
37:57Right, what are we doing next, Adam?
37:59So, you're going to be planting the chicory in the centre of the cabbages.
38:02I'm going to be planting radish as a quick crop between the cabbages as well.
38:10It's inspiring how Adam makes the most of every bit of space.
38:15There we go.
38:16That looks good, Adam.
38:17Well, the to-do list is getting ticked off soon.
38:21And this includes some rather special beans.
38:23These are lovely, long-runner beans. What variety are they of them?
38:28Well, I don't really know what variety are. I call them my tadki bean, or my grandfather bean, because I've been growing the same seed from my grandfather since 2006 in the garden.
38:37He was my gardening hero, and I've continued to save the seed year on year on year, and I keep growing them.
38:43So, I couldn't tell you what cultivar they are, but they do fantastically well. They're prolific cropping.
38:48Heritage, obviously, is very important to you.
38:50Oh, absolutely. And, you know, when it comes to heritage varieties of vegetables, they grow much better in our climate, and they're locally adapted.
38:56So, the more we can save our own seed and then grow those same varieties year on year, the better it is as well for success in the garden.
39:03Because plants are like people. We get happy in places that we're used to, you know.
39:06So, Welsh seeds or Gymry from Wales do really well in my garden.
39:10I hope they're going to do well in my garden, too.
39:12Do you know, I don't see myself as the head gardener here. I'm just one of the gardeners, and nature is my head gardener, and I just go with the flow and hope for the best.
39:29I've had a wonderful time here today, Adam, and I want to thank you because you've really shown me a different way of growing vegetables.
39:37Because when you're a vegetable nerd like me, the more information you can get, the better.
39:42I'm going to take all those lovely thoughts with me.
39:45Dior, Adam.
39:56Collecting your own seed not only preserves old varieties difficult to get hold of, but also these are seeds that are adapted to your garden, your plot, wherever you are.
40:07Whatever it might be.
40:08Now, I love rhubarb.
40:11I've got two varieties here.
40:13One is called Timperley Early, and as the name suggests, it's one of the very earliest rhubarbs.
40:19And I've got another variety called Victoria, which is very late.
40:24Doesn't really start providing anything meaningful until well into April, and sometimes early May.
40:31But it has really big stems, and will go on into July.
40:36Now, you shouldn't pick rhubarb after July.
40:39Leave it to replenish its stores, and it will go on for ages.
40:43These Timperley Early plants I've had now for 36 years.
40:50And whatever type of rhubarb you have, never cut it.
40:54You always pull rhubarb.
40:56So, you've got a stem like that, put your hand down at the base, and just gently pull, and it will come away.
41:04And when you pull it away, there will be a little piece of the crown.
41:08And the reason you do that is because infection, and disease, and viruses can get in through cut stems, whereas they won't through the crown.
41:15And, of course, you don't eat the leaves.
41:19And, in fact, rhubarb leaves are poisonous for dogs.
41:21Not that I've ever known a dog want to eat a rhubarb leaf.
41:24But if you find your dog eating it, stop it.
41:27Rhubarb need a lot of feeding, and quite a lot of water.
41:31It's a rich ground.
41:32You can see I've mulched these heavily with compost, and that should be done every year.
41:37And if it's dry, give them a really good soak.
41:40By the way, these are forcing pots for putting over rhubarb before it starts to grow.
41:48They grow in the dark, and they grow paler, and taller, and thinner, and with much, much more leaves.
41:57And they're much sweeter.
41:58So you get an earlier, sweeter harvest.
42:01Now, we're going to see one of the first films of the year that you sent to us.
42:07And this is not of a private garden, but a garden for children.
42:12Where that element of fun is there from the very beginning.
42:22Hi, I'm Saxon, and welcome to HDS Kids Gardening Club.
42:26This used to be just the lawn, but we kind of transformed it into a whole garden.
42:36Thanks to everyone coming here every week.
42:48This is Reverend M, who is also my mum, and she is absolutely in charge of this church.
42:53She's very organised with getting her snacks for the crew and everyone to ride.
42:58And that one.
42:59Theo, what's your favourite thing about gardening?
43:03What's your favourite thing?
43:04Potatoes.
43:05Potatoes.
43:06Planting potatoes?
43:07Yeah.
43:08Planting potatoes.
43:09Planting potatoes.
43:10Planting potatoes.
43:11Planting potatoes.
43:12Planting stuff is making the world better in the environment.
43:17Planting potatoes.
43:18Planting potatoes.
43:19Planting potatoes.
43:20Planting potatoes.
43:21Planting potatoes.
43:22Planting potatoes.
43:23Planting potatoes.
43:24Planting potatoes.
43:25Planting potatoes.
43:26Planting potatoes.
43:27Planting potatoes.
43:28Planting potatoes.
43:29Planting potatoes.
43:30Planting potatoes.
43:31Planting potatoes.
43:32Planting potatoes.
43:33Planting potatoes.
43:34Planting potatoes.
43:35Planting potatoes.
43:36Planting potatoes.
43:37Planting potatoes.
43:38Planting potatoes.
43:39Planting potatoes.
43:40Planting potatoes.
43:41Planting potatoes.
43:42Planting potatoes.
43:43Well, there's no doubt about it.
43:58If you want to get children interested in gardens and gardening, make it fun.
44:03Now, we do love getting films from you, so please do send them in,
44:07particularly if you think your garden is unusual
44:10or you've got an aspect of it that is particularly fascinating
44:13or some tips or ideas that you'd like to share with the rest of us.
44:18And if you go to our website, you'll get all the details of where and how to send them.
44:23Come on, then. Come on.
44:31Come on, Edward. Come on.
44:40When you're planning a new garden or a new border,
44:44the best way to produce lots of plants,
44:47whether they're annuals or long-lasting perennials, is from seed.
44:51I've just got a few here to just give a hint of the kind of range we can use.
44:56There are some of the old favourites that I've always used in the Jewel Garden,
44:59like sunflowers.
45:00And I've got here carrot, which has got a wonderful, rich colour,
45:03and I love those marmalade colours.
45:06Sunflowers you can sow now,
45:08and if you've got somewhere to keep them warm,
45:09plant them out in June.
45:11But you can also sow them direct.
45:13In fact, sometimes it's a lot better to do that.
45:15Wait until May,
45:16and they normally grow just as well as if you grow them earlier indoors.
45:21Tithonias are not difficult to germinate,
45:25but can be very temperamental as a seedling.
45:27But once they reach a big enough size to go outside, they're fine.
45:32Cosmos I love.
45:33Always going to have cosmos.
45:34They're not difficult to grow, but they are tender.
45:37So I've sowed them now, ready to plant out after the last frost,
45:41sort of mid-May.
45:42I've got Verbena benariensis here.
45:44I love it.
45:45It's a perennial, but I treat it almost as an annual.
45:47It's very short-lived.
45:49It grows quite easily, but I've never grown it in the Jewel Garden.
45:52Well, I'm definitely going to do that this year.
45:54And I've also got a perennial that I've not grown before.
45:58This is Agastache, or Agastash, Navajo sunset, a really beautiful sort of orange hyssop.
46:06But it can take up to three months to germinate.
46:09So if I sow this today, it's going to be the end of June, potentially, before I see anything.
46:15But it also means that this won't be ready to plant out till next spring.
46:19But at the same time, a couple of packets could give me a hundred plants.
46:24So, from relatively easy annuals to relatively complex perennials, tri-seeds.
46:33Well, let's start with the Agastache.
46:36Fill that up like that.
46:43There we go.
46:47Right, now I don't want to waste a single one.
46:54Each one of those minute seeds are potentially a beautiful plant that will last for five to ten years.
47:02So it's worth really being careful at every stage from now on in.
47:06Now, I won't be able to sow those individually.
47:09They're too small.
47:10So what I do is just take a little pinch and sprinkle.
47:18Now, even though they're minute, very gently I'm going to push down
47:22just to make sure there's really good contact with the soil.
47:25These need a bit of light to germinate.
47:27So I'm going to cover them with a thin layer of vermiculite,
47:30which will let in some light.
47:34Whereas if I covered them with compost, that will keep the light out.
47:38And at the same time, it keeps some moisture in.
47:43And again, just firm it gently down.
47:54Because these are a very small seed,
47:56I will actually put them in a basin of water
47:59so it soaks up moisture for about 15 minutes.
48:02And then I will put them onto a heated mat in the greenhouse
48:05and not let them dry out and wait.
48:09And maybe I have to wait for three months.
48:11But hopefully, my patience will be rewarded next summer
48:16with a brilliant set of plants that have cost me a fraction
48:20of what buying them as mature plants would be.
48:24We're going to Scotland now
48:26to visit a small garden that had a big dream.
48:31We moved to the house 17 years ago
48:38and it was basically the garden was just laid to lawn.
48:42There was some slim borders around the sides,
48:45you know, with a few shrubs and herbaceous plants.
48:47And there was a caudaline australis tree down the end,
48:50which is kind of the only original plant that I've still got.
48:53It's got these gorgeous old stone walls,
48:57but they're quite tall, a little bit oppressive,
49:00and the whole thing did feel a bit boxed in.
49:02So it was about three years ago
49:03that I decided I was going to redevelop it.
49:05My name is Libby Webb.
49:11I work as a doctor
49:12and this is my garden in Edinburgh City Centre.
49:18The garden's only 7 metres across by 14 metres long,
49:22so it's not a huge space.
49:24We were really keen to do all the work ourselves,
49:26I guess, you know, to have a sense of ownership,
49:28but also to keep the budget down.
49:31The first thing I knew I wanted to do
49:32was to break up the kind of rectangular effect of the garden,
49:36and I knew that the best way of doing this
49:38was to introduce a curved path down the garden
49:42to give the illusion of a sense of journey
49:45so that the eye would follow that
49:47rather than take in the boundary walls.
49:49The next thing I wanted to do was introduce some height,
49:52and I bought three small winter flowering cherry trees,
49:56autumnalis rosea, on a whim, actually.
49:59And they were pretty small.
50:00All three of them fit in the boot of my car,
50:01and I brought them home,
50:02and I planted these three trees all offset down the garden.
50:10So why winter flowering cherry tree?
50:12I think it's probably the best tree for a small garden
50:15in terms of the interest.
50:17And you can see it's got this beautiful open canopy,
50:19and I thin the laterals just to make sure
50:21that there's enough light coming onto the bed below.
50:24And it's just a gorgeous structure,
50:26beautiful leaf, lovely height,
50:28and in the autumn time, you get this fiery, fiery orange.
50:31And in the winter, the blossom,
50:33it's not like a spring flowering cherry tree.
50:35It's not the same show,
50:36but it goes on for month after month after month,
50:38and it's beautiful.
50:39I suppose when I first planted those trees,
50:46I probably didn't realize how important they would become,
50:48but they very much are the backbone of the garden,
50:51and everything sort of subsequently has been built around them,
50:55and it's just completely transformed the space.
50:57Planting them was the best decision that I made.
51:00That was the first year, the trees and the cobbled path.
51:07So I guess I had the bit between my teeth at that point
51:10because I could see what a transformation
51:12just these small changes had made.
51:14And so in the second year, looking at the lawn,
51:17I kind of realized it wasn't being used,
51:21and we just lifted the entire lawn otherwise
51:23to create four new flower beds.
51:25And the next thing I did was add in the arch
51:28over the original path.
51:30And as soon as I put it over the path,
51:33I could see what an incredible effect it had,
51:35just helping with that whole illusion
51:36of creating space and intrigue
51:40and not being able to see the whole space in one go.
51:44So another brilliant thing about arches
51:46is the surface area and the amount of planting
51:48that you can get on them.
51:49I've got this beautiful Solanum crispum here,
51:51which is a really fast grower,
51:52and trachylus sperm and jasminoides,
51:55which will be in flower.
51:56And the scent just gets trapped in the arch
51:58when you're walking through it.
51:59Absolute joy.
52:05I guess a lot of people have been quite shocked
52:08that the garden's only 7 by 14 meters.
52:11But actually, I've learned through this process
52:13that there are just so many different things
52:15that you can consider doing
52:17to create the illusion of a sense of space
52:21and it being much, much bigger than it actually is.
52:24What I would encourage people to do
52:26is to think about your boundary wall or fence
52:29as your boundary, not a planting guide.
52:33And actually bringing everything in from the edges
52:35so that it can properly illuminate
52:38and so that the sun can shine through them
52:40just turns a kind of good flower or good plant
52:45into something just next level.
52:46This is the center of the garden
52:51that used to just be covered in lawn
52:53and this is now the kind of showpiece.
52:56And the alliums here, I think,
52:58demonstrate really beautifully
52:59what planting away from the edges can do
53:02because when the sun filters through these,
53:05they just glow like lanterns
53:07and just create magic.
53:09In a small space, light's really important
53:16and in this shady border,
53:18I've lifted the base of this camellia
53:20and lifted its skirt so that I can underplant it
53:22and I've got this Fatsia japonica,
53:24spider's web variety,
53:25which is a variegated leaf
53:27which has got this white
53:28which totally pops in the low light
53:30and combining that with the Estrancia shaggy here
53:33which is also white
53:34and also the hydrangea patiolaris behind,
53:37you get the same effect
53:38just lifting the whole space.
53:45So I spent the last 30 years
53:47studying and working in medicine as a doctor
53:50considering kind of individual
53:51but also population health.
53:53So I'm really fascinated with the kind of research,
53:55some of which is still in its infancy,
53:57but kind of pointing us in the direction
53:59that gardening and looking onto green space
54:02and working, you know, in nature
54:04can reduce our stress hormones,
54:06regulate our blood pressure,
54:08boost our immune function
54:09and also it's well documented
54:12that it can lift mood,
54:13reduce anxiety, help with sleep
54:15and the act of gardening itself,
54:17you know, it's functional movement.
54:18It's good for us,
54:19it's what we should be doing
54:20and it helps strengthen our bones
54:22and our muscles and helps a balance
54:23which is particularly important as we get older.
54:29So one of my favourite sayings
54:32is that you should sit in nature
54:33for 20 minutes every day
54:35unless you're busy
54:36and then you should sit for an hour
54:37and I just love the sentiment behind that
54:40and whilst I don't do it
54:42or pretend to do it,
54:44I think we can all take
54:45the message that that's giving us.
54:48And there's another saying
54:49which is an apple a day
54:51keeps the doctor away
54:52but I just wonder
54:52if it might be really good
54:54for us to be growing the apple tree as well.
54:59Of course Libby's absolutely right.
55:15It's obviously good for us
55:17to spend some time
55:19just sitting quietly in our gardens
55:21but if I'm honest
55:23I always say I'm going to do it
55:25and I encourage other people to do it
55:27but I always see things I need to do
55:30and I think any form of gardening
55:32is good to do
55:33and if that's just sitting
55:34looking at your flowers, great
55:36and if that's digging and hard work,
55:39equally great.
55:40And talking of hard work,
55:42here are your jobs for the weekend.
55:44Snowdrops spread by seed
55:57but you can speed up that process
55:59by lifting and dividing them
56:01and now is the time to do it.
56:03Choose a good sized clump,
56:05dig it up, cut it in half,
56:07put half back in the original hole
56:08and the other half in a new location.
56:11And by doing this every year
56:13you can quickly increase the display.
56:24To get the best colour
56:25from the bark of dogwood
56:27it's important to prune them regularly
56:29at least every three years
56:30or even every season
56:32because it's the new shoots
56:33that are the brightest.
56:35Cut back to an existing framework
56:38and then you can use the cuttings
56:40to make new plants.
56:42Simply cut them to length,
56:43stick them in the ground
56:44and 90 times out of 100
56:46they'll root.
56:54If you haven't done so already
56:56it's important to get on
56:58and sow sweet peas soon.
57:00They have a deep root system
57:01so use a pot rather than a seed tray
57:03and I like to put
57:04three seeds per three inch pot
57:07and then the whole pot
57:08can be planted out as one unit.
57:11Cover them over
57:12and put them somewhere warm to germinate
57:14but they don't need a lot of heat.
57:16And then when the seedlings have emerged
57:17they can be put outside to harden off
57:20and they should be ready to plant out
57:22in about six to eight weeks' time.
57:23Last year
57:34I added
57:35oh
57:36nearly 30
57:37new roses here
57:38to the cottage garden
57:39and it included
57:40about half a dozen
57:43climbing roses
57:43which I've got growing up
57:44these supports
57:45and they didn't really need
57:47tying in last year
57:48because they didn't grow enough
57:49to need that support
57:50but they do now.
57:53Now because
57:55these are climbing roses
57:57they produce their flowers
57:59on new growth.
58:01You can see these new shoots
58:02just beginning
58:03and these are the ones
58:05as they grow
58:05that will have the flowers.
58:07But we do need
58:08a framework
58:09upon which to carry
58:11those new shoots.
58:12It's very important
58:13to try and get it going
58:14early
58:14to be the skeleton
58:16around which we can
58:18clothe it with glorious flowers
58:20later on.
58:22Right.
58:23I will continue
58:24to do this
58:25but it is the end
58:27of today's programme.
58:29However
58:29I'll see you back here
58:30at Longmeadow
58:31next Friday
58:33at eight o'clock.
58:34So until then
58:35bye-bye.
58:36will you beside the next
58:44next week?
58:45Bye.
58:46Bye.
58:46Bye.
58:47Bye.
58:48Bye.
58:49Bye.
58:51Bye.
58:55Bye.
59:02.