Gardeners World S52e04 29-03-19

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Transcript
00:00Hello, welcome to Gardener's World. I'm just putting the finishing touches to the mulch
00:16here in the grass borders and I use pine bark which is slightly acidic and also low fertility
00:23which is great for grasses. Grasses do best when the soil is not too rich otherwise you
00:32get lots and lots of lush growth and they don't really get that nice vertical strength.
00:37Now I'm going to leave it as it is for a month or so and then I might add a few more deciduous
00:43grasses but I've got some evergreen grasses that I want to be planting in the garden a
00:46little later on. On today's programme, Frances sets out on an exciting new venture as she
00:58makes a start on her new allotment in Kent. And we pay a visit to RHS Wisley to be dazzled
01:08by their wonderful collection of alpines.
01:11This is the Paradise Garden and you can see the tulips, Acuminata, just beginning to appear.
01:38Lovely, long, slender flower head. So now is a really good time to plant some grasses because
01:47if I leave it too long there's a risk of damaging the tulips. If I had done it earlier there would
01:52be a risk of planting over the top of the tulips so I wanted to see where they were but when they
01:55were as small as possible. Now I'm using a grass called Stipa tenuisima. Stipa tenuisima is one of
02:05those grasses that is incredibly silky and soft both to touch and to look at. It'll grow maybe
02:13half as much again and grow wider so you get quite a strong plant that spills out like fine hair. It's
02:23a great edging plant along a path or a border but I'm going to plant it in a matrix system which
02:28means spreading it out. Now matrix planting is something that is mainly done with grasses but
02:34in principle you can do it with anything and it really takes the idea that you take one key plant
02:39and it creates a backdrop across the whole area. So I'm just going to start placing them in between
02:47the tulips. These roses which I planted a month ago and you can see that there is new growth
03:03already and the roses will be set against the backdrop of the grasses just as will the tulips
03:09and then there's the vena banariensis which I'll plant out in a few weeks and tulbagia which is
03:14fairly tender so I'll wait for the last frost before planting that out. So the idea is the
03:20grasses stay constant but the colour will change with the seasons. Always place the plants before
03:28you plant any because you can't really tell as you're going along how they look and it is
03:35important that the general overall appearance looks right. Once you've got the plants where you want
03:46them it's simply a question of popping them in the ground. Now you can see that the soil is covered
03:52with white speckles that is actually grit and we dug in a lot preparing the soil because steepers
04:01really need good drainage if they're to thrive and don't like sitting in the wet particularly
04:07in winter. So if you want them to last you've either got to have naturally good draining soil
04:11or add plenty of drainage.
04:20And of course it means that the soil is very nice and easy to work.
04:25Don't plant too deep because we don't want them to sit in a puddle in any way.
04:30That is one bed planted. By the time I've planted all four that will be over a hundred
04:36of these steepers in the ground. Now to buy them would cost at least £250 but I grew them all for
04:44one packet of steepers. So I'm going to plant them all in the ground and then I'm going to
04:49That will be over a hundred of these steepers in the ground. Now to buy them would cost at
04:55least £250 but I grew them all from one packet of seed that cost about £2. And if you're feeling
05:03a bit intimidated by growing something like a grass from seed perhaps this will give you heart
05:09to give it a go because I sowed these exactly a year ago. They were ready to plant out by September
05:15So in six months I had at least a hundred plants. So what I would say is don't just grow your own
05:23sow your own. Save yourselves a fortune and have huge sense of satisfaction and pleasure as a
05:30result. Now this garden will slowly develop and I will share that with you as and when it does.
05:38But if you want colour right now whatever the weather the best place to go must be an alpine
05:44house with all its jewels of colour. So we went to RHS Wisley to see the alpine house there
05:51where we were shown round by Peter Goodchild who is in charge of it.
06:08Botanically an alpine is anything that grows above the tree line on a mountainous region
06:14over time that has extended onto any plant that kind of grows on a mountain.
06:20Because of their compact form and ability to endure harsh conditions alpines make the
06:26perfect plant for brightening up a small patio or balcony. As long as you get the compost mix
06:34right with free draining open soil and watering through their growing period can be quite an easy
06:40plant to grow. Alpines are generally a compact form because of the conditions that they would
06:48endure on the mountainside. This Dionysia is a typical alpine plant in the way that it grows.
06:54So as you can see here it's lovely tight cushion. If you imagine this getting hit by the wind it
07:00would deflect it and hold the plant together quite nicely. There's always an alpine for every area so
07:09if it's dry and hot you can look at plants from the Andes and then also if you've got like a
07:15moist area you can look at kind of meadow plants that would love the damp soils.
07:22There's a huge range of colours with alpines ranging from pale blues over to the bright
07:26pinks and purples. I love the cushion forms because when they're in flower they just look
07:33like a dollop of ice cream. They're the perfect plant really to add a splash of colour into grey
07:39patio or balcony area. My favourite alpine is the Primula Aleoneae. I grow the Primulas at
07:49Wisley here so the Primula collection is close to my heart. They're just such a tight cushion
07:56and when they're in flower they're so beautiful with their pink flowers
07:59and you get some white varieties as well in there.
08:04At Wisley we grow the alpines in sand. We call it a sand plunge so that it helps regulate the
08:12temperature around them in the summer so we can keep the roots cool if we've got hot summers like
08:17we've just had and then in the winter it kind of does the reverse. It helps stop them getting too
08:22cold. Also they're in porous terracotta pots so it will help them absorb the water around them
08:28without directly watering the plant. We keep them under glass to kind of regulate their watering
08:35and then we add in fans to help the wind go through them and then this helps kind of dry
08:40out any of the moisture that might be on the foliage which would encourage rot. Growing alpines
08:46in your block of flats is a kind of perfect situation because you've got high rise buildings,
08:51you've got the wind going through them and then you've also got cover from the balcony above or
08:56the roof. If you're to try and grow an alpine at home I would say to try the Scylla bifolia.
09:05It's a beautiful little alpine bulb. What you need to do is try and give it as much
09:10drainage as possible so adding grit into your soil so it doesn't sit in winter wet.
09:18Sags of Friars is the perfect alpine to grow at home with the range of colour that they come in
09:22with, whites, pinks and yellows. They're readily available and their mound forming is what people
09:27think of when you think of alpines. They want more kind of shady position with moisture around them
09:35but they don't want to sit wet so you want that kind of free draining soil.
09:42If you've got a sun-baked wall that you want to brighten up,
09:46Louisia cotulodi is the perfect plant for this. You'd love to get that kind of early morning sun
09:52with the range of colours that you can get in the cultivars from kind of deep reds to purples and
09:58pinks. They're just beautiful out there. The flowers extend so it kind of brings the flower
10:04out away from the wall and they love to be sat on their side so they're just perfect for walls.
10:13Skyri Macrocarpon is perfect for scent. They have a wonderful banana scent, beautiful yellow flowers
10:20and to grow them at home you'd need a dry sunny position,
10:25free draining and they want to be protected from heavy frosts.
10:32I feel that everyone should try growing alpines. With their compact form
10:37and beautiful flowers there's an alpine for anyone's garden.
10:50There we are, the last one. The alpine house at Wisley was somewhere that almost
11:05changed my whole approach to gardening because I was there some years ago filming
11:08and it was a bitterly cold day and I took refuge in the alpine house and was blown away
11:16by the intensity both of the colour and also of the individual plants with their
11:21shape and their presence. There is something despite the diminutive size that has real stature.
11:30Now I've finished planting these and in a couple of weeks time we'll go to the next stage
11:35and plant out the verbena and hopefully these crab apples will be blossomed by them.
11:41But the key thing, this is going from being a garden that I'm making
11:47to a garden that is, that exists and that's exciting.
11:56Good girl. Nigel, come on, here, good boy.
11:59One of the real treasures of spring is here in the cocks which are the wooden enemies.
12:06They open out like stars when the sun shines and then close up at night
12:10and they only last a few weeks but while they do I love them.
12:29I'm sure that you all know that this Sunday is Mothering Sunday. Now I would suggest that
12:35the present that any gardener would want more than anything else is a lovely pot.
12:39But rather than just giving a pot, why not plant it up so it's a kind of living bouquet.
12:44But all these plants can go out into the garden where they will look fabulous next year and the
12:49pot can be pulled back into service for another arrangement that will last through the rest of
12:54the season. And what I want to do is plant up a real spring selection.
13:01If you have a large pot like this, you will have a large hole in the bottom for drainage.
13:08You need to protect that by getting some crocks that are curved. An old pot is obviously ideal.
13:16So I'm going to cover that over. Now you want a general purpose compost, peat-free,
13:23certainly always use fresh compost. Don't recycle potting compost because the goodness will have
13:30gone out of it and there is a slight risk of spreading diseases. My centerpiece is this
13:36Euphorbia. It's Euphorbia martinii. It's a Mediterranean plant with lovely glaucus leaves
13:42and these fabulous bright zinging green flower heads with little touches of red in the eye.
13:51Now one thing I would say is when you are planting or handling Euphorbia in any way,
13:57just be aware that the sap, which is very milky,
14:01is caustic and it will irritate your skin. So that if you get any on your hands, wash them.
14:08So that won't be my centerpiece there. Now to go in front, I've got Erythroniums. This is
14:15Erythronium pagoda. This amazingly delicate and beautiful open petal flower. This is a woodland
14:23plant. So immediately we're putting together two plants that would never grow together.
14:27Doesn't matter two hoots because this is for effect and we just simply want to use the colors.
14:34That will go there like that. Now I've chosen a color scheme that is very limited.
14:42It's essentially yellow and green with just these touches of red. And my advice would be that when
14:48you are creating a container of any kind, is keep it simple. It's fine just to have one plant. Just
14:56keep it simple. It's fine just to have one plant. Just daffodils or just Erythroniums.
15:04Now I've got this little daffodil. It's called Hawera. It is very delicate and I think it'll
15:14add a lightness which will counterbalance the rather heavy quality of the leaves of the Erythronium.
15:21The final element is yet another yellow spring plant. And this is the cowslip.
15:30Cowslips are a primula of open downland. So when you come to plant these out,
15:36put them in open sunshine. Don't tuck them away in shade. So that can go in there.
15:42I should get one in like that I think. Now I can just top up all the way around.
15:57It's important just to work the soil in, under and around the roots.
16:03And what we have is a lovely pot. We've got beautiful flowers that are fresh and spring-like.
16:13They don't naturally grow together. They're a little bit overcrowded. But that doesn't matter.
16:17This is a display that feels right in its season and I think would make a lovely gift for anyone.
16:28Now we join Frances in the middle of winter on a particularly windswept corner of Kent.
16:35And she's extremely happy about it.
16:37Last year I had a fantastic time sharing an allotment in Bristol with Luke.
16:42I learned a lot about allotments and allotment life and growing fruit and veg.
16:46But one thing I learned about allotments is that you can't do it all at once.
16:52So if you do it all at once you get a really very thick layer of soil around you.
16:57And then if you do it all at once you get a mixture of allotments and vegetation.
17:00I learned a lot about allotments and allotment life and growing fruit and veg.
17:05But one thing I learned was that I still really desperately wanted my own space.
17:11I've been six years on a waiting list now and finally I've got lucky.
17:18And this is my brand new allotment.
17:22After searching and waiting and waiting some more I discovered a site very close to the town where I grew up in Kent.
17:31The plot I've inherited is a half plot which I thought would be a manageable size but it's actually huge.
17:37It's 21 metres by 8 metres so it's going to be a lot of work but it comes with some very good points.
17:43It's in the middle of the lovely Kent countryside with lovely views but also and more importantly it came with a shed.
17:50And the shed was complete with tools so that's a really good bonus.
17:54There's a lot of grass and a lot of brambles but there are also four blackcurrant bushes and three gooseberry bushes and a rhubarb.
18:03It all needs a bit of love and I do have some exciting plans for this plot.
18:07But before I can start planning or planting anything I need to clear the grass, brambles and weeds.
18:15Ideally I would like to rotovate but that depends on what kind of weeds I find.
18:20So I've been making these holes and just investigating what's here.
18:28So I know I have some horsetail up at the other end of the allotment but this is looking worryingly like coochgrass.
18:35Now the problem with this and any other perennial weed like bindweed or groundelder is if I rotovate it
18:40this then chops into lots of tiny pieces each of which will become its own brand new plant.
18:46So I'm making the problem so much worse.
18:48So I think I will be hand digging this whole site which might take a while.
18:57With a plot this big I could be here all year.
19:01So I decided to call in the troops for a family dig day.
19:05Are you going to do some digging?
19:07Yes.
19:08Alright then let's turn this off.
19:10Bye.
19:11Bye.
19:12Mum, dad, sister, nephews and friends all got stuck in.
19:17And as the old saying goes many hands make light work.
19:21And hopefully we knocked back those pesky weeds.
19:28Back in January the plot was looking rather bleak.
19:32It's now eight weeks since those cold winter days and there are signs of spring everywhere.
19:39And with the sun shining I've even managed to persuade my dog Rua to come and join me out here.
19:44But he's a sensitive soul so he still needs his jacket on.
19:50Plenty has changed in the last couple of months.
19:53But probably the most noticeable change is this.
19:56My new greenhouse.
19:58Which is obviously not quite finished.
20:00And it's also not quite new.
20:02I salvaged this from a friend's garden.
20:04Which is really great because it means it's saved it from being thrown away.
20:07And it's sort of an ethos I want to carry on through the whole site.
20:10To reuse and recycle as much as I can.
20:13And although there's been a lot of changes in the last couple of months
20:15I think it's time for a change.
20:18As for the rest of my plot, I've got big plants.
20:22The top end is my working area.
20:24With compost and seed beds.
20:27Along one side I'm going to create a cut flower bed.
20:30And further down I'll grow my annual vegetables.
20:33But I'm especially excited about growing plants in homes.
20:36Because I'm going to have a lot of space.
20:38And I'm going to have a lot of space.
20:40And I'm going to have a lot of space.
20:42And I'm going to have a lot of space.
20:44And I'm going to have a lot of space.
20:46I'm excited about growing plants and herbs for medicines, cosmetics and dyes.
20:50That just add an extra layer of purpose.
20:53And I'll be growing some really unusual and exotic produce.
20:59At this time of year there is still a risk of frost.
21:01So starting anything too exotic right now is a slightly risky business.
21:05But one thing that I do need to do as soon as possible is this.
21:09This is my peach tree. It's called Peregrine.
21:11And it will go in the greenhouse eventually.
21:13But if I want any peaches this year it needs pollinating.
21:16And there are very few bees around.
21:18Now I'm not actually going to do this today because it's really blustery.
21:23And I'm really worried that if I take the pollen off the stamen I'll lose them and I won't get any peaches.
21:28But what I will be doing in the next day or two is using just an ordinary soft quite fine paintbrush.
21:35To take the pollen from the tips of the stamen where you can see it's slightly yellow.
21:40Let it rest on the brush and then brush that pollen onto the stigma in the centre of the flower.
21:45And then hopefully all the hormones will be released for this to produce lovely peaches.
21:49And I will be pleased if I just get one in my first year.
21:52It will be worth all of this fiddly effort.
21:56So I'm now going to take this tree somewhere very safe until the greenhouse is finished.
22:01And I can safely bring it back here.
22:03But I think this wind is going to be quite a constant theme.
22:06It's such an exposed site.
22:09So I need to do some research into how I can make this allotment work.
22:14I do feel for Francis with the wind because when we first came here to Longmeadow this was a completely exposed bare field.
22:23And the wind whipped in.
22:26One of the very first things I noticed was the wind.
22:28And I thought, wow, this is a very exposed bare field.
22:31And I thought, wow, this is a very exposed bare field.
22:33And I thought, wow, this is a very exposed bare field.
22:36When we first came here to Longmeadow this was a completely exposed bare field.
22:40And the wind whipped in.
22:43One of the very first things I did was to build some fences and then plant within them.
22:50Now we will be returning obviously to see Francis' allotment at various stages throughout the year.
22:55But also she wants to come and visit you on your allotment.
22:59So if you've got a story to tell or you think it's really special then do let us know.
23:05Go to our website, you'll get all the instructions on how to contact us.
23:10Now I'm picking for the first time this year purple sprouting broccoli.
23:14This was sowed a year ago.
23:16This is the very first harvest.
23:18And it will only go on cropping for another month at the most.
23:21So it's got a very limited window.
23:23But it is completely delicious.
23:26It's in fact one of my favourite vegetables of all.
23:28You pick it when it's that small.
23:30But this is a rare seasonal treat.
23:33Something you eat for the pure luxury of it.
23:42If broccoli is one of those crops that you devote a whole year to a few weeks of delicious harvest.
23:50Then what I have here is very different.
23:53Both in concept and in timing.
23:55We've got some spinach and some rocket.
23:58These are both cool weather crops.
24:00They do best between about the middle of March and the beginning of June.
24:05And then again in autumn.
24:07And if you sow either now you can harvest them after four or five weeks.
24:12And in the case of spinach it should carry on into summer without bolting.
24:16Unless it's very hot and dry.
24:18What I've done is sow these indoors.
24:21Prick them out into plugs.
24:23So what I've got are nice strong plants.
24:26And that's quite important.
24:28If you're growing plants where you're harvesting the leaves and you want to come back for more.
24:36You can see that that is absolutely ready for planting out.
24:40We've got a nice root system on the surface.
24:42But it's not wrapping around.
24:44It hasn't become pot bound.
24:46So if I start to plant this up.
24:48And just pop that in the ground like that.
24:52Now the sort of spacing we're looking at is a hand span.
24:57Which is depending on the size of your hand.
25:00Sort of between six and nine inches apart.
25:03And no closer.
25:05You will not get more leaves by putting them closer together.
25:14Now what I will do is make sure the spacing is right.
25:18This is where a board comes in handy.
25:21And the reason why you grow vegetables in straight lines.
25:25Is not because you want it to look nice and straight and strict and tidy.
25:30But because when you're hoeing.
25:32It means there's much much less risk of damaging the plants.
25:38There's always a period after you plant out plugs.
25:41Of about a week when they don't grow much.
25:43It's a kind of shock to their system.
25:46But once the roots get out into the soil.
25:49Then they establish very quickly indeed.
25:52And then with a plant like rocket.
25:54You can have leaves ready to harvest within ten days or so.
26:04One tip.
26:05That even though spinach and rocket like masses of moisture.
26:09And they shouldn't dry out.
26:11That doesn't mean to say that they don't like good drainage.
26:13This is why raised beds are so important.
26:15This is why raised beds are so good.
26:17But don't forget the water.
26:19Because then they will go to seed.
26:23Right that's one job done in the veg garden.
26:26Here's some others for you this weekend.
26:39If like me you sow green manure late last summer.
26:44Then now is the time to dig it in.
26:46Dig the top growth and the roots well into the ground.
26:50This will quickly decompose.
26:52And in a couple of weeks time.
26:54You can sow or plant directly onto it.
26:57And receive the benefit of improved soil structure.
27:00And extra nutrition.
27:09If you're growing sweet peas from seed.
27:11It's now time to pinch them out.
27:13And that means taking off the top few inches of each plant.
27:17This will encourage bushy side shoots.
27:19Which will carry more flowers for a longer period.
27:30If you grow mop head or lace cap hydrangeas.
27:33Now is the time to prune them.
27:35Cut back all last year's flowering stems.
27:38To a pair of healthy new leaves.
27:41While you're doing that.
27:43Check for any damaged or crossing stems.
27:46And remove these down to the base of the plant.
27:51Come on.
28:01Here in the writing garden.
28:03The snowflake which looks like a giant snow drop.
28:07And the white daffodil, Thalia.
28:09Are just beginning to take off.
28:12And Thalia which is one of my favourite daffodils.
28:14Is elegant and simple.
28:16And has a lovely fragrance.
28:18And it's a really good place.
28:21To come and end the day.
28:23And to end the program I'm afraid.
28:25That's it.
28:26But I'll be back here at the same time next week.
28:29So until then.
28:31Bye bye.
28:37Bye bye.