All language subtitles for Gardeners World Series 53 Part 11 1080p

BEE BUZZES

Hello and welcome
to Gardeners' World.

It's always a sad moment
when I have to deconstruct

these large pots of
tulips and wallflowers.

But they've done
really well this spring,

flowering right into
the third week of May.

But now their day is done.

And, anyway, we're on
the doorstep of summer,

so, we need to start planting
for a summer display.

And leaving them out is quite
tricky because I want to get

the bulbs attached to the stems
and the foliage, if I possibly can.

And that's because there's
still quite a lot of green

left in the plant.

And that, as it dies back,
feeds next year's bulb.

Having said that, not all
tulips are worth keeping.

Some just don't flower
well in the second year -

they take ages to build up
a big enough bulb.

Others you can chuck in the ground
and they will keep coming back

and flowering ten,
even 20 years later.

So, you just have to experiment
and see which ones are good for you.

On today's programme, we catch up
with Adam and his garden,

as he creates a woodland scene
with shade-loving plants...

..and makes a seating area
to admire them from.

It's about really putting
yourself in the planting,

just so that your view changes,
your eye-line changes,

and you start to engage with nature,
and what's around you.

And there's another chance
to see the film that Frances

made last year...

..where she looks at trees

that are an invaluable
source of food for bees.

This is a tree heather,
and it is awash with flowers,

and the lovely thing about this is

it smells incredible
when you're up close to it.

And I will be moving on to the next
stage of the tomatoes that

I sowed a few weeks ago,
and I hope some of you sowed, too,

as well as planting out
dahlias for cut flowers,

and also adding sunflowers
to the Jewel Garden,

which will not only look good
for us but be great for bees, too.

I've taken away a lot of the soil
that was here for the tulips,

so, two reasons for that -

one, because it will be completely
nutritionally exhausted by now.

All the goodness
will be taken out of it.

And two - I made up a very
gritty mix for the tulips.

Tulips love sharp drainage.

What I'm going to plant next

needs something that will hold
more moisture and be richer.

So...

..this is garden compost.

So, we'll put that in the bottom
because I want it to act as a sump.

I want the moisture
to be held in that.

Now, I'll move these,
which we'll come to later on,

and then add the potting compost.

This is a mix that is our normal
peat-free, bark-based compost

that we buy in, with quite
a lot of sieved garden compost,

sieved leaf mould and
a little bit of grit.

And if you're putting up big pots
for a summer display,

it wants to have extra goodness.

It's got to feed big plants
for months on end.

The centrepiece is this.

This is a ginger - hedychium.

And it will grow
two, three times as big,

and give an incredible
starburst display.

This is a variety called
Assam Orange, topped with orange

flowers shooting out
from the centre.

A really brilliant, exotic plant.

Now, it is tender...

..so, even now, if you live
in the north and you think there's

a risk of frost, hold fire until
you know that it's completely past.

Pull that more to the centre.

Right, I'm going to pack
around that a little.

Now, the point about these big pots
is that they are a display.

So, I need more than
just the ginger,

however spectacular
it is in its own right.

So, I'm going to underplant it.

Now, I'm starting
with French marigolds.

This is a variety of French
marigold called French Red.

What I like about them
is the burgundy red

with the bright orange.

These are tender, too.

And you can see that, actually,
there's a lot of root at the bottom.

So, just break them out.

If you break the roots,
that will stimulate regrowth.

And I'm going to pop them
round the edge...

..like that.

And these should keep flowering,
if you keep deadheading.

That is the absolute secret
of most of these annuals.

Marigolds will do well in full sun,

but they'll take
a bit of shade, too.

Right, that will do as a basis but,
still, that's not nearly enough.

Now, this is a first for me.

This is calibrachoa.

And this is a variety
called Callie Orange.

The great virtue of calibrachoa
is that it's a trailer.

It should spill over the edges.

And that, of course,
adds drama and interest.

It's related to petunias.

They're a member of
the solanaceae family, so, in fact,

related to potatoes
and tomatoes as well.

Every week, this will have a water.

We have what we call
feeding Friday in the garden,

and every container gets
a good water and a good feed.

And you can use home-made liquid
feed, like liquid comfrey,

or you can buy seaweed,

or, if in doubt, you can never
go far wrong with a container

with a basic tomato feed.

And that will keep
the flowers coming.

Now, that's a little minimal
at the moment, but that will quickly

grow, so that the base of
the ginger will be covered,

we'll get spillage over the edge
of the pot, and the whole thing

will have an energy and a dynamism.

Of course, the whole point of
a display like this is high drama.

In fact, the whole point
of the Jewel Garden

is to be as dramatic and colourful
as possible for as long as possible.

Now, we haven't seen
Adam's garden since Easter now.

He's been working on it and
developing not just the high bits

of drama, but also some
of the more subtle areas.

Mrs Frost has got the longest
list of jobs in there

you have ever seen.

It feels like it is!

And I have to do so many before
I'm allowed out in the garden.

And if you're anything
like me, those moments

outside, in your garden,
whatever, sat on a balcony,

are just absolutely glorious.

And, look, the wisteria,
it's doing its thing.

And I think it's the first time
in all the times you've visited

that I've been able to show you it
really in its full glory.

And the scent is incredible.

I wish you could smell.

For me, though, it's not
just the flower, it's the foliage.

I love this coppery foliage
and the way it sits.

It's fantastic, really is.

Anyway, you've not been
here for a few weeks,

and a lot's happened, so I've
got quite a lot to show you.

You might recognise that.

It's my turkey tray...

Oh, no.

Hey?

That really is perfect timing.

If you remember last time,

Ash walked through while
I was sowing this rocket,

and I'm just looking at it,

and it's really heavily sown.

And I was going to blame
the cat, because I think

I wasn't concentrating,
I was more worried about the cat.

Anyway, what I want to do now
is just start to thin it out,

but I'm not going to waste
any of them, because...

..not only does that smell really...

You get that rocket, sort of...

But the flavour...

..it's really good.

It's just nice just to,
you know, dress a meal.

Recognise those?

Carrots that I sowed in the box we
found in the back of the garage.

And instantly, you look at those,

the sowing is much better.

Obviously, the cat
wasn't about for those, was he?

Have to be a little bit more
mindful when it comes to carrots,

because, as you do
start to thin them,

obviously, you start
crushing foliage, and that can

actually attract the carrot fly.

So, it's quite nice maybe
to mesh these over.

If you look behind me, I've got
them in the main bed there,

and then that will give them
a bit of protection, but

these guys, really,
are not too bad at all.

Actually, while we're in here,
I've got to show you this.

It's a standard gooseberry.

I think it works really well there
coming up through the rhubarb.

And, as far as planting it,
it was easy.

Just dug a decent-sized hole,
lots of organic matter.

But it works because it means
I get more out of this space.

And I think it makes a lovely
little punch point as well.

And I do like a gooseberry pie.

I have wanted to create a quiet
seating area for some time

where I can just sit and linger.

And I've found a perfect
spot in the woodland.

For me, this area was created
because, as I put the woodland

together, I had the path
coming through,

and there was an old log
just chucked to one side,

and here working, I'd find myself
just pausing.

And then I started to realise
how good the light was

through the season, and the dappled
shade works really well,

the wildlife come into the space.

So, what I've got is some
old logs that were cut down

from an old, diseased tree
that we had,

and I'm going to use those.

So, I've put three in.

I've got one more to put in there,
but they could be, even,

I don't know, on old crate
turned upside down in a border

or a pot, even some
railway sleepers.

I've done it out of that.

It's about really putting
yourself in the planting,

just so that your view changes,
your eye-line changes and you start

to engage with nature
and what's around you.

And then the moments
become incredibly special.

So, I'll get this in.

As I said, all I'm doing,
big chunks of logs,

roughly level up,
as long as it...

And it's not going to go anywhere
because it's so heavy.

So, once we've got this in place...

..which, as we plant around that,
I'll firm it up a bit more.

Just firm that in.

Come to the planting...

..I've chosen here,
first of all, if you look,

the ferns, that lovely texture
of that foliage and the light green

that will develop
as the season goes on.

Next to there,
you've got the actaea,

which has got that sort of lovely,
soft, grey-blue foliage.

And, then, coming back
in here, epimedium -

sort of, shiny, more
or less leathery feel, but...

quite a serrated dagger.

And, then, lastly, this tiny
little Solomon's seal -

wonderful little oval leaves.

So, when it comes to
laying them out,

it's just going to go in around...

..these seats.

It's not going to get too high.

It's going to start
to really, sort of, carpet.

But, when you're sat on the seat,
you're looking down on these plants,

you're really starting
to see that detail.

So, ultimately, what I'm trying to
do all the time is just have this

little rhythm and this,
just, repeated patterns.

This actaea is actually
called Misty Blue.

And when you look
carefully, you can see

tiny white flowers
going to develop.

But what I love about
this - as the season develops,

you get red tips to the end
of the stems with white berries on.

So, back-end of the season,
looks absolutely fantastic.

Just be mindful

if you are going to use actaea
that some people,

it can be an irritant to the skin,
and the berries are poisonous.

So...

But, yeah, cracking plants.

Let's get that in.

Look at this - it's actually
a dryopteris.

So, it's Dryopteris stewartii...

..which is a good,
hardworking, fern -

get to about just under two foot.

If I can get those roots
established over this first season

going into the winter,

next year, the plant won't
need quite so much TLC.

So, into that soil.

There we go.

And, actually, though it's last,
I think this is the star -

epimedium Spine Tingler.

I tried this last year somewhere
else, and it worked really well.

So, I just got my
hands on a few more.

There we go.

These plants are going to get
plenty of water when they need it

just to get those roots going,
and, then, next year, I think

it'll pretty well
look after itself.

With the plants in, it's time
now for the finishing touches.

I've already put 100mm of hard-core
under this path to stop it sinking.

Now, I can add the bark on top,
and finally, fill up my bird bath.

I made that over the winter,

just chiselled out the top of
the wood, sealed it up, oiled it.

It looks quite nice.

Just gives you a little element
of surprise as you walk through.

But it feels all right.

I'm just sat here wondering how
long I can stay here before

Mrs Frost and the kids actually
realise where I've gone.

I've made a very basic seat here
in the wildlife garden,

which Nellie likes,
and Adam's absolutely right -

just sitting, surrounded by plants,
having time to think, is not just

enjoyable, it's actually really good
for your mental and physical health.

And this bit of the garden,
the wildlife garden,

was created some years ago
to be good for wildlife

and good for humans,
to show that the two

are not incompatible, and last
winter, I moved the pond, and it's

early days, I only filled it up
with water about seven weeks ago,

and I think that you shouldn't
expect too much from a pond

in its first year.

Just let it settle in, and then
you will find frogspawn and newts

and dragonflies,
and everything starts to click.

But it's a wonderful thing to do,
to get wildlife into the garden.

And, of course, the flowers
in this part of the garden

are designed mainly for pollinators.

As many different
types of pollinators as we can,

but, above all, bees.

Now, over the last few weeks,
you've been sending us

fabulous films of how
you've been using your gardens

and how your gardens have been
helping you get through this

extraordinary time
that we're all sharing.

And we now visit a garden
not far from Adam, actually,

in Stamford, in Lincolnshire,
where a couple of brothers share

with us not just their love
of gardens

but also their love of bees.

Hello. I'm Douglas. And I'm Hamish.

We would like to show you
around our bee-friendly garden.

BEE BUZZES
Bees are very important,
because they pollinate

most of the plant food we eat.

It takes 12 bees in their
whole lifetime

to make one teaspoon of honey.

We inspect our bees every week
to make sure they're happy

and healthy.

We make sure that the queen is
laying eggs and they don't swarm.

We think it's really
important to plant

flowers in your garden for the bees.

We have planted a row of foxgloves.

And they absolutely love
the apple blossom.

Here, we have left a corner
of our garden to go wild.

We have planted
a few wild flower seeds,

but now we just leave it
to do its thing.

We think it looks really pretty.

BOTH: Thank you, Gardeners' World,
for giving us lots of good ideas.

Well, Douglas and Hamish are going
to go on to be great gardeners

and great beekeepers,
and the way they're performing,

great television presenters, too.

That was fantastic.

And there are a wide range
of plants that you can

grow in your garden to attract bees.

But do remember that
honeybees have short tongues,

so, they can't reach into those
plants that have long tubes,

whereas bumblebees can, and quite
a few other pollinators, too.

But if you want to attract
honeybees, you need plants

with nice, flat, open, simple flower
shapes, basically, daisy-shaped.

And what I'm planting now
has got about the flattest,

most simple face of all,
although it's really dramatic.

And those are sunflowers.

I always grow sunflowers in here,
not just for the bees

but because I love them.

Now, at the moment,

the Jewel Garden is dominated
by this allium, Purple Sensation.

But I want to get the sunflowers
in now, so that, as these die down,

the sunflowers will grow up,
and we can keep the continuity

going for us and for the bees
for as long as possible.

Now, I've got a couple of
different varieties

that I'm growing in
the Jewel Garden this year.

The first one is Velvet Queen.

And this has got a sort of
orangey, browny tinge to it.

I grew this plant from seed,
and I will plant it

into an open space, and just pop it
in the ground.

And, at this stage, it doesn't
need support of any kind.

If we can leave them
to grow unstaked for a bit,

they grow nice and strong,
and it does help.

Whereas, if you stake
them straight away,

they never develop
such a strong stem.

The other type which I'm growing
this year is Claret.

This is another reddish -
as the name suggests - sunflower,

and there are a number of different
varieties that will give you browns,

caramels, marmalades, going
right through to a deep orange.

And they all work just
as well for the pollinators.

These will grow somewhere
between 6ft and 8ft tall.

They tend to have smaller flowers,
but more of them.

And if you keep deadheading them,

they will produce flowers
until the end of summer.

Then, we leave them so the birds
can pick away at the seeds.

But it doesn't matter how
big a sunflower can grow,

even the biggest is nothing like
as big as many of the flowering

trees that are also really
good for pollinators and bees.

And this time last year,

Frances went down to Sussex
to have a look at some of the range

of fabulous trees that have flowers
which are perfect for bees.

The sound of bees is
the sound of spring...

..as they make their way
from flower to flower,

searching for the vital
food they need.

And they do as a favour in return.

It's been estimated that
one third of the food we eat

relies on pollination by bees
and other insects.

Even closer to home,
like here at Gravetye Manor,

bees foraging for food in our
gardens pollinate our flowers and

trees, providing us with a wonderful
variety of seeds and fruit.

But there's a problem.

As a result of habitat loss,
pesticide use, disease

and intensive farming methods,
bee populations are in decline.

One third of the UK's bees have

disappeared over
the last ten years,

making it more important
than ever for us

gardeners to do our bit
to help with this issue.

There's a wonderful, symbiotic
relationship

between bees and flowers.

Most people don't know, bees
need a balanced diet, like us.

They forage for pollen and nectar.

As they brush past the stamen,
pollen is transferred onto them.

The bee then flies away with
the pollen attached to it,

and this is deposited
on the next flower.

The bee gets its meal,
the flower gets pollinated.

By late spring, our flowerbeds
and borders are abuzz with bees.

But there is another way that we can
provide them with the food that they

need earlier in the season, and that
is by planting bee-friendly trees.

The great thing about a tree
is that you can get

so many more flowers on it
than your average garden plant.

I mean, just take this Erica
arborea - this is a tree heather,

and it is awash
with flowers for the bees.

This is a really good
plant for any garden.

It's so easy, it will
cope with drought and wind,

so, for a problem spot,
this is the tree.

And the lovely thing about this is

it smells absolutely incredible
when you're up close to it.

And it makes such a huge impact
from far back,

but when you look closely, you can
really see that detail -

fine, little red circles within it,
so, there's something for everybody.

And, of course, plenty for the bees.

Amelanchier lamarckii is very
familiar to us on Gardeners' World.

That's because it's such a good
doer from a gardening perspective.

Especially in a small garden,
it gives so much.

It has lovely form,
beautiful blossom, beautiful fruits,

and then fantastic autumn colour,

especially if you
plant this in the sunshine.

More importantly,

the blossom offers a really good
early source of nectar for bees.

And then the fruit
later is fantastic

because the birds love the seeds.

So, you could call it a win-win.

There are 270 species
of bee in the UK,

with the vast majority
being solitary bees.

Different species
are more prevalent,

depending on the time of
year and the temperature.

Bumblebees tolerate
lower temperatures,

while honeybees love
the warmer weather.

BEE BUZZES

BEEHIVE HUMS

This is a tree that bees
absolutely love.

It's called cercis, Forest Pansy.

Now, it's a native to North America,
but, for a small garden,

it's absolutely invaluable
because it has such

a beautiful shape.

This has lovely, big, purple,
heart-shaped leaves

and pink flowers that are yet
to open on this.

Just a few more days
and they'll be open.

And the really unusual thing
about cercis is that

it flowers on its bare branches.

Now, it's believed that where
this evolved

in the forests of North America,

that meant that all kinds
of insects, not just flying ones,

would have had access
to that nectar.

So, it's something for all
the pollinators in our gardens.

Pyrus salicifolia,

so-called because it has willow-like

or salix-like foliage,

is a really undervalued tree,
but I can hear it buzzing already

with bees and other insects

so it's very valued by our wildlife.

And they have these lovely
clusters of white flowers.

But these open flowers
are really accessible

to bees and pollinators.

They'll turn into small,
inedible fruits,

but birds really love them too.

And, with silver foliage, it makes
a really lovely addition

if you're planting a white garden.

Now, I think they can suffer

from some rather
insensitive pruning,

but when you do it carefully

and let the natural weeping
habit show,

it can be an absolutely stunning
addition to any garden.

This is also a fantastic tree
if you live in an urban area

because it's very resistant
to air pollution,

which makes it really good for us
and really good for the bees.

Now, we're used to seeing bees
buzzing all over our orchards,

but there are all kinds
of ornamental fruit trees

that you can buy that do exactly
the same thing for pollinators.

When you're picking them, though,
make sure they have single flowers

because in double-flowering plants,

those nectaries where the food is

have been bred away and replaced
by petals.

Now, this is an ornamental cherry

called Tai-haku, meaning
big, white flowers.

And you can see why.
They are double the size

of the average cherry blossom.

Probably better for a slightly
larger space

because it will get quite tall,
a lot taller than this,

and the spread is huge.

But if you have the space,
plant one.

The bees will thank you.

It's important to remember that some
trees and plants

are pollinated by the wind and other
types of insects,

so, when choosing your tree,
check that yours is one

the bees will enjoy.

So, next time you're looking
for a new addition to the garden,

spare a thought for the bees.

Consider planting a tree

that will give you structure,
flowers and maybe even some fruit,

and be an invaluable source
of food for our bees.

I do think that however
small your garden,

there will be a flowering tree

that you can fit in and enjoy,

and they just add a floral dimension

that is fabulous.

A few weeks ago, I sowed some
Gardener's Delight tomatoes

and suggested that if you hadn't
sowed tomatoes,

that you should join in
and we'd do it together

and I'd take you through the process

so that, hopefully, we can all
share a really good harvest

later on in summer.

And I chose Gardener's Delight
because they're lovely to eat

straight off the vine,
they're not difficult to grow,

they tend to be quite robust,

and also the seeds
are widely available.

Now, these are mine,

and you can see
that they've germinated

and have developed
what's called the true leaf,

which is the leaf
that looks like the parent.

And as soon as they develop
a true leaf,

they're ready for pricking out
or potting on.

So, if yours look
anything like this,

this is what you should do.

So, a small pot and I'm just using

a normal, peat-free potting compost.

Hold it by the leaf always,

and just cut around it

to lift it out.

And there you have a root ball

on that little plant,
a really good root system.

You drop it into the pot like that.

Hold it steady.

Put some soil around it. Now, I'm
not going to firm it in at all.

Just gently shake it like that

and put it to one side.

And it is really important

to get as much root as you can.

And it's worth saying that if
you haven't managed to sow seed

and this inspires you to grow some,
you may well be able to get

young plants from a garden centre.

And it doesn't matter if I slightly
bury the stem

because new roots will develop
from it.

And these are destined
for the garden, not the greenhouse.

So I won't even think of planting
them out

for another three, four weeks

when the nights are nice and warm.

There we go.

So we'll put Gardener's Delight...
PEN SCRIBBLES

Give them a good soak

and these will go back

into a protected environment.

In my case, a greenhouse. If you've
got a cold frame,

a windowsill, a porch,

but it's important to do this now.
Don't leave them in the seed tray.

The beauty of tomatoes

and, in fact,
quite a few vegetables

is that you don't need a lot
of space

to get a really good harvest.

And we've had a film
sent in from Hampshire,

which is my own native county,

of a gardener who's got an entire
vegetable garden

on his balcony.

Hi, I'm Bob,

and you join me here on my balcony
in Southampton.

I've always been keen
on gardening and growing my own veg,

and that's exactly what my wife
and I started to do

a couple of years back.

Today, I just want to show you
a few tips and tricks

to help make the most of the space
you've got,

no matter how big or small it is.

Firstly, think vertical.

Make use of walls
and hanging baskets.

Here on the balcony, we've got
tomatoes growing up one wall,

and we've got peas
growing up another.

We've also turned an old pallet
into a vertical herb garden,

growing some herbs such as parsley,

thyme and some mint.

Secondly, experiment.

This year, we're trying to grow
some potatoes in old shopping bags

wrapped in hessian.

We've also got some lettuce
growing in these planters.

Finally, choose plants
that make you smile

and bring you fond memories.

But most importantly right now,

make space for yourself.

Cheers!

I think that was inspirational, Bob.

Really good to get as many people
as possible

to grow some vegetables, regardless
of how little space you've got.

Just be sure that A, you're allowed
to grow vegetables

or any plants
on a balcony or roof space,

and also just make sure
it's strong enough

because the extra weight
of containers

with water and plants

may be more than
the structure will bear.

Now, I love growing chillies.
I love eating chillies.

And of course, chillies are a plant
that you don't need a garden for,

you can grow them on a windowsill,

and I keep mine indoors
all the time, but in a greenhouse.

I have grown chillies outside,
but they never fruit as well.

They love heat
and the more, the better.

And the secret I've learnt
over the years

of getting really good chillies

is to encourage them to become
nice, big, strong plants

early on in the year.

So it's time to plant them on,

and I'm putting them
into these terracotta pots.

The terracotta means they don't
get too wet,

and chillies hate sitting
in wet compost.

They're big enough to get
a decent root system,

but small enough to constrain them

once they reach a certain size.

And if they're feeling
a little bit stressed,

that will trigger more flower
and fruit production,

so the perfect balance.

Need to put a crock in the bottom.

Any ordinary compost that you grow
tomatoes in will be fine.

This is a peat-free,
bark-based mix

with a little bit of goodness
added to it.

I'm going to put about a third-full
in the bottom.

And this is a cayenne pepper.

It's called Long Red Slim.

Not too hot, but a little bit pokey.

And depending on your taste,
you can get a chilli

that will blow
the top of your head off,

if that's what you want,

or just slightly add
a touch of spice

to whatever you're eating.

And what you do is
don't take it out of the pot,

but put it in like that.

And then fill around it.

It's a very good way of potting on.

Smooth it so it's level

and then just carefully lift it out

and what you're left with

is a space
exactly the size of the roots.

So if I then

take that out...

And just pop it in
and it fits perfectly.

And that way, I don't disturb
the roots in any way at all.

Lift it out,

pop it in.

Easy-peasy.

Still to come
on today's programme...

..we visit the extraordinary
home of Jamie Song...

..that is filled from floor
to ceiling

with house plants.

The ones that I like to hang
are the rainforest cacti,

so it really makes you feel
like you're walking

through a tropical rainforest.

And I shall be planting out
dahlias for cutting

and also planting my runner beans.

Now, like all of us,

Arit has spent more time at home
and in her garden

than she normally ever does,
and this has meant

not only having time for herself
in the garden,

but also having time
to share it with her children.

I bought this house in 2010,

my first proper garden,
and like most people,

I became obsessed to the point that
I made a career out of it,

so I have a lot to thank this
garden for.

Being away for work so much

means I'm unable to spend as much
time as I would like to

in my beloved space.

But in these extraordinary times,
it has been a blessing for me

to be able to spend more time
in the garden

and, importantly, set
up a little kitchen area

that I wanted to do
with the children

for our container-grown vegetables.

We've put the veg
in the long side return,

which leads into our small
leafy garden,

and the children have been
pretty keen to get growing.

Hello, my name is Harvey.
I am nine years old

and I live with my dad, Scott,

and my stepmum, Arit.

Well, what I've got here in my hand

is one of my sunflowers that
I've been growing.

I've also been growing watercress,
which I love...

..and spinach, which I also
really like.

Freya, my stepdaughter,
is a teenager

and having shown little interest
in the garden up until now,

even she's enjoying time outside.

Hi, my name's Freya

and I'm 14 years old.

I've been planting
quite a lot lately.

So, for example, I've been planting
potatoes,

onions, cucumber.

Growing vegetables was really lovely

cos I've never done it before.

When I planted the seeds, I didn't
expect them to grow so fast.

I've always collected quirky
containers and I love a dolly tub.

But even I didn't have enough
to create the potage-type feel

for growing vegetables and flowers,

so we've been recycling.

Recently, I've been up
to our greengrocer,

who has very kindly given us
these boxes

that they're always just
throwing away,

and using those for seed trays.

We've used old compost bags
to line the crates,

having punctured them
with a few drainage holes.

And invention has been the order
of the day.

It has been about going
around the home,

thinking of ideas of
what we can use,

anything we can get a plant
or a seed in.

When it came to what veg to grow,

the children chose the things
they like to eat most.

Harvey is head of peas.

I'm going to grow pea shoots.

And the way I've prepared them

is soaked them in water
for a few days.

It helps speed up the germination
of the peas.

Just get the peas,
scatter them around.

You can grow them quite close

because we're only going to use them
as small plants.

They're also very high in
vitamin A, C and protein...

..so very good for your health.

I arranged them about
a penny-distance apart

and pushed them in with my finger.

I'm just going to scatter some
more soil

on top of the pea shoots,
just to get a bit more coverage.

And they should be growing
in a few weeks' time,

and then, when I've finished
the scattering, I'll water them.

As we know,

peas are not Harvey's
only vegetable passion.

When I first put in my watercress...

..it was really small,

but now it's been growing
really well

and it's roughly about four times,
or even more,

the size of it when it was first
put in.

It normally grows
around slow-running streams,

and what I have to do is water it
at least once a day

because it's a really thirsty plant.

I really like watercress.

I sometimes eat it in salads
or just off the plant.

Over in the very sunny seating area

are our herbs, and Freya is adding
to the collection.

What I'm planting in these crates

are some thyme, sage and marjoram.

The reason why I'm planting
it in the same crate is

because they're all
Mediterranean plants

and they like hot weather

and they like well-drained soil.

I'm putting parsley and chives
in a separate container

as they like the same amount of sun,

but both like a lot more water
so they'll be fine together.

Even in this small garden,

I am still getting
a bit of a look in.

This tree stump
was an irresistible find.

I've put holes in the pallet
that it's sitting on

and I perforated a compost bag
to line inside it,

and I think this viola will
really add to this corner.

I do try to create little vignettes
where I can

that work within the space,

so here I'm under the canopy
of a little acer.

I have got my lovely
pittosporum here,

but it's creating sort of
light and shade,

which means it's
almost woodland edge,

so this log sits perfectly

with the little viola coming in

cos they're still going to get
enough light,

and it just gives this little sense
of a little dell

and I can pretend
that I'm in a woodland.

This time has been quite special.

It's meant that I've been able
to spend more time with the children

and in turn, that's got them
out in the garden more.

And I think it's been
really interesting

seeing them tend to their plants,

look at how their seedlings
are going.

It just means
they've had a new involvement.

I'm also blown away

about how much they've researched
both the plants

and how to grow their food.

This family time has allowed them

to connect with nature.

I think one of the things that
I've taken away

is that the garden will always be

the place to be.

I know that anybody who's
got a garden

and used it over this period

has realised what a treasure it is.

Now, this is the Cottage Garden

and we've got two cutting beds,

and what that means is

they are reserved exclusively

for growing cut flowers.

Now, I'm planting out some dahlias.

I've just put in a David Howard,

which has got wonderful
orange flowers

and dark foliage.

These haven't developed

to a good size, and if I put this
in the Jewel Garden now,

which is where I'd like to plant it,

it would suffer terribly

because it would be swamped
by its neighbours.

And dahlia tubers
get bigger as they get older

so by putting them in good,
rich soil,

good spacing, plenty of light,

then this will get bigger

and who knows, next year,
it can go into the Jewel Garden.

Now, this one is a variety
called Tamburo.

Lovely, dark, intense red flowers.

When you plant dahlias
and you intend them to stay outside,

you need to plant them
good and deep,

and that means that the tubers
don't get frosted.

But these will be bought in

once we get to October,

so all I need to do
is to plant them

the same depth as they are
in the pot.

But if this was a tuber

and I was planting it for the
winter,

I could plant it that deep,

nice and deep underground,

and that will be protected.

But that will go in there
like that.

Now, I will water these well and
I'll make sure they don't dry out.

And if you're growing dahlias
in a container,

it is really important to keep them

well-watered and well-fed.

And I always use liquid seaweed,

but a tomato feed will do
the job perfectly well.

Now, if plants get old

and look like they're not going
to perform,

quite a few people give up on them
and chuck 'em.

But you'd be surprised at how many
of those

seemingly hopeless cases
can be revived.

And we've been sent a film
from someone who has taken

plant rescuing to a whole new level.

Hi, I'm Sarah.

I accidentally got into plant
rescuing about three years ago.

I was at a local DIY shop

and I saw a member of staff binning
orchids that had stopped flowering.

So I was horrified. I was like,
"Stop! I'll take them,"

so I took a load of orchids home
and they flowered again

and I found it really rewarding
and since then, I've been on a

mission to find as many plants as I
can before they get put in the bin.

And that's how this happened
and I now have over 200 plants.

I've also got three cats, a dog, a
husband and a daughter. Hello, Mog!

This is one of the smallest
rooms in the house, tiny bathroom.

Tropical plants obviously
love bathrooms

because they've got some humidity.

And I can show you this
lovely dracaena...

..which I actually picked up from
the side of a road.

It had been thrown out in a bin bag,
with no pot and no soil

and it's totally recovered.

Loves it in here, too.
Isn't it gorgeous?

I have to say that Sarah's plants
looked incredibly healthy

and it does show that a plant can
look as though it's on death's door

and there's no chance of
rescuing it,

and with a little bit of TLC, it can
burgeon back into glorious life.

Good for her!

I'm cutting back the spent flower
stems of the camassias.

I want to take away the seed heads,

so that the energy goes back into
the bulb for next year's flowering.

And now they've gone, the attention
can go onto the hostas,

which are looking really healthy.

I suppose I get more letters
about hostas than anything else

and it's always about how to
protect them from slugs and snails.

It's two things.
The first is lots of predators.

So, birds, mammals like hedgehogs
that will eat them, frogs, and also,

if you've got strong,
healthy plants growing in good soil,

they tend to be left alone.

What slugs and snails like are
stressed plants,

so look after the plant
and the chances are it'll be OK.

Now, as well as the hostas
looking good, at the moment,

this iris, this is Iris pseudacorus,
it is grown in the water,

is at its best and although
the foliage is really dramatic

and sword-like, I think
the flowers are beautifully elegant.

Now, of course, to have your irises
growing in a pond

and to have your predators eating
your slugs, you need a garden.

And that's fine,
if you've got access to one,

but a lot of people don't.

That doesn't mean to say that you
can't have a collection of glorious

plants and last year, we went
to visit the home of Jamie Song

and his fabulous plants.

The first thing I see when I come
up here to my indoor garden is

that my plants have already
woken up before me.

It's just like coming into a world
that's already alive.

I love taking care of them
and this time you spend taking

care of them is, for me,
a little bit like meditation.

And when I watch a plant,
I can almost see the circle of life

because, you know, when a leaf dies,
a new one comes out

and it's just beautiful.

For me, the most important thing

when it comes to designing with
house plants is that you want

the plants to thrive
because a sick plant,

or a plant that's not doing well, is
not going to make you happy in the

end, so I always place them where
they will thrive, and then, in terms

of designing my indoor garden,
I do my best to create different

heights, but I also like to mimic
nature a little bit.

I've hung a lot of my plants
up in the air.

The ones that I like to
hang are the rainforest cacti,

the ones that are epiphytic
in nature,

so they attach themselves to trees
and grow downwards.

They have long leaves and such
unusual shapes, so it really makes

you feel like you're walking
through a tropical rainforest.

This is a neon pothos.

In nature, a pothos would kind of
coil up a tree and climb

so I decided to experiment
with making it a climbing plant.

So I found these little plastic
clips that attach to the wall

without damaging the wall,

and I put the stems through the
clips to create this vertical garden

and it's really become a focal point
of the living room.

Everybody's so impressed by it,

and people love to sit on the sofa
and take selfies here.

So these are my mid-level
plants and they're actually

my favourite plants.

They're very special plants
that I like to keep close to me

when I'm sitting on the sofa.

This is the star of the show here -

this Oxalis triangularis.

It looks like 100 beautiful
purple butterflies

and I'm so proud of it

because when I got it a few
years ago, it was in a pot this big,

about ten centimetres,

and now it's possibly one
of the largest specimens

in the country.

And the special thing about it is
that all these little butterflies

close at night and in the morning
when the sun comes out, they open

and they actually
move towards the sun

during the course of the day,

and it's really one of my
favourites.

The plants that I like to place
on the lower level directly

on the floor are the ones
that have leaves facing up.

So they look the best when you're
looking from above down at them.

This is a Philodendron xanadu.

I got it from a large
flat-pack furniture shop

and it's been with me
for such a long time.

I can't imagine living without it.

A very interesting thing
about this plant

is that when it was young,
the leaves were not serrated at all.

But, as it aged, the shape
of the leaves changed and became

more and more beautiful.

And now each leaf looks
like a giant hand facing up.

And for this plant, I actually
installed a mirror up high

on the wall, so the sunlight gets
reflected onto this spot.

And I just want to give it
as much sun as I possibly can.

If you walk around my home, you see
a lot of repetitions

in colour, in texture, actually.

And I have orchids
dotted around the room.

It's like there's birds
singing into each other

and it just gives this cohesiveness,
if you will.

Just like a painting
needs a frame,

I believe every plant
needs its own pot.

One of my favourite plants is my
jewel orchid or Ludisia discolor.

I love its black velvety leaves.

It flowers year after year
in December or January

and I found this perfect
pot for it

and it has a zigzagging black
pattern that goes so well

with the lines on the leaves.

I feel like if you only have plants
that you love

and you put them in pots that you
love, the stands that you love,

and you combine them with the art
that you love,

it's a winning combination.

Everyone should have house plants.

Well, I agree about house plants.

But if you've got an outdoor garden,

the greatest luxury you can possibly
have is an asparagus bed.

And certainly it's one of those
plants that gives you a relatively

low return for a big investment.

You put a huge amount of effort in
and time and a certain amount

of trouble and you don't
get much back.

But what you do get back is lovely.

I'm cutting under the soil.

Obviously, you want
nice, thick sprues

and if you've got a good, healthy
plant that's really vigorous,

that's what you'll get.

Some of the thinner ones,
it's either because the plant

is a bit exhausted or you were
cutting too often

or maybe it's just a bit too dry
or hasn't got enough nutrition.

But drainage is the key.

Drainage and sunshine
and you won't go far wrong.

They do say that you shouldn't cut
your asparagus until the water

to cook them in is already boiling
and then they have a freshness

that is heaven.

Well, life is not all luxury,
I'm afraid.

Here are some jobs for you
this weekend.

As we go into June, it's time
for the Chelsea Chop.

This doesn't mean cutting back
those plants that are finished,

but reducing the height
by about a third to a half

of perennials that have not
yet flowered.

This will produce stronger, shorter
plants with lots of side shoots

and therefore lots more flowers.

At this time of year, the soft,
fleshy growth of broad beans

coincides with the life cycle
of the black bean aphid.

So, to reduce the aphid,

remove the food by taking out the
top few inches of your broad beans.

And this will also
concentrate energy

into the growing bean pods below.

Fill the gaps left by spring flowers
as they come to an end with annuals

both tender and hardy.

If you haven't sown them yourself,
you can buy them by the tray.

Put them in the ground now
while the soil is warm

and they will grow and flower
very quickly.

These are the Scarlet Emperor
runner beans

that I sowed just three weeks ago

and actually they've been ready
to plant out for a week,

but I didn't want to risk them.

So now that I think the last
chance of frost has gone

here at Longmeadow, it's safe to get
them out.

And I'm planting them

one plant to the base of each
of these bean sticks.

And there's no reason why
you can't grow them in a border

as well as a veg plot

as long as they've got something
to cling to.

And these are very decorative
plants as well as being delicious.

Now, the reason why the ground is
slightly raised is because I added

lots of garden compost
underneath them.

They do like moisture
at their roots.

So if you put plenty of
organic matter in,

that will preserve the moisture
even if the top inch or so is dry.

In the old days, they would put
old newspapers in the ground

which acted as a sponge.

As well as giving these
a really good soak,

I will tie them in because for
the first few weeks they need

a little bit of extra support,
but once they get going,

these will twine around
the supports, grow good and strong,

and make two curtains of
really good green foliage,

those lovely red flowers
and, of course, the hanging beans,

which are so good to eat.

Right, now I'll plant the rest,

but I'm afraid I'll do that
after you're gone

because we've run out of time today.

But I'll see you back here
at Longmeadow next week.

Until then, bye-bye.