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moving-gardens.com
  • 3 months ago
Transcript
00:00Hello. Welcome to Gardener's World. We've had some wild weather already today. There's
00:23wind and rain, and no doubt there will be plenty more before the day is out. But just
00:27for a moment, it's abated. It does give a chance to actually take stock of the fact
00:32that everything is really flowering well. We've had a mild winter, and things are growing
00:38fast. The daffodils are taking over from the crocus here on the cricket pitch. These are
00:43wild daffodils, Pseudonarcissus. Lovely, but uneven. Now, you can see clearly that along
00:51this side of the cricket pitch, they're far thicker and a much better spread. But along
00:57this side, I'll plant more bulbs next autumn, and gradually, we will get that idealized
01:05version of a wildflower meadow that we're after. But for the moment, they still look
01:10lovely. Come on. Let's keep going. This week, Adam visits a magnificent garden in Yorkshire
01:24that demonstrates the importance of strong evergreen winter structure. And at Parham
01:31House in Sussex, annual climbers are scaling new heights to deliver colour all summer long.
01:51Come on. Come on. Good girl. Don't disappear, Nell. I'll need that. Nelly, come here.
02:01We'll need that. There's a good girl. Now, I need this because I'm going to plant some
02:08very early potatoes. I've covered over this raised bed to keep it reasonably dry. If it's
02:13cold and wet, be it a potato or a carrot seed, it's just going to sit there and not grow.
02:18And there are three kinds of potatoes. There are first earlies, second earlies, and main
02:24crop. And first earlies are new potatoes. So that's what I want to get into the ground.
02:32Now, the traditional way of growing potatoes, and I use it for my main crop varieties,
02:37is to dig trenches, put manure in the bottom, space them out along, and then you earth them up.
02:43But this technique, for new potatoes only, is really simple, quick, and takes up very little
02:50space. But you do need either free-draining soil or a raised bed. And the technique could not be
02:56simpler. You need a dibber of some kind or a deep trowel, and simply make a hole quite deep
03:05at about one foot intervals. The beauty of a raised bed like this is not only does it drain
03:14quicker, but also because I can get at it, I never walk on it, and that way the soil structure
03:22doesn't get damaged at all. Now, these are the seed potatoes, and the garden centres are full
03:29of them at the moment. All you do with the sprout facing up, just pop it well down into the ground.
03:37I'm putting in a variety called Winston. This is a new potato, but it's quite flowery,
03:42so it's good for mashing, baking, and boiling. If you're starting out an allotment, potatoes are a
03:49really good crop to clean the ground. They will grow, they will give you a good harvest, and they
03:55will crowd out all other weeds and make it good for the next batch of crops next year.
04:00And all I have to do now is simply rake over like that, which covers them.
04:09These should be ready 90 to 100 days from today, which should mean round about the middle of June.
04:19Put that in there, but there's no great rush.
04:22So, keep it steady, feel the soil, and then go for it. And it's a funny time of year, you know,
04:28one minute it's glorious spring with blossom and daffodils, and the next minute we're in the middle
04:33of winter. But if the bones of the garden are right, then it'll carry through any kind of weather.
04:39And there's an iconic garden near Leeds called York Gate, which over the years has been a great
04:44place to spend a lot of time, and it's a great place to spend a lot of time, and it's a great
04:49called York Gate, which over the years I have longed to go and visit because it uses structure
04:56almost better than any other garden around. And Adam, lucky thing, has been along to pay it a visit.
05:03You know, one thing I really love about our gardens is the way that they carry us through the seasons,
05:22sort of really ebb and flow. But if you think about it, if there's one time of year that can
05:27feel a little bit neglected, that's got to be the winter when we disappear back into our homes.
05:33I think if you start the garden with winter in mind, you can soon create a place that's
05:38not only beautiful, but carries wonderful atmosphere.
05:53York Gate is a one-acre garden created in the 50s and 60s as a family space by the Spencer family.
06:00These days, head gardener Ben Preston waves his magic throughout this wonderful place,
06:07and winter is a special time for him. What is it that you love about winter? It's when we really
06:13see the backbone of the garden. York Gate's such an intricate garden, the vistas, the sight lines,
06:18the tightly clipped hedging. It looks just as good in February as it does in the middle of summer.
06:23But as a gardener though, what is winter now? That's an interesting question. I mean, you know,
06:26last year we had snow till the middle of March, and this year, you know, we've got temperatures
06:31of 15 degrees in February. So really, we've got to be pragmatic as gardeners. The weather's going
06:36to throw something completely different to us every year. And really, using the formal structures
06:41in the garden, no matter whether winter starts in November or it starts in January, when you look
06:46out that kitchen window, you've got something to look forward to. Do you know, Morton, if you can
06:49that you absolutely love it. Brilliant. Winter gives us a chance to experience our gardens
06:57at an extreme. They've been stripped back to the bare bones. It's a time when walls,
07:03paths and buildings can play a major role, adding structure and focal interest.
07:10But for me, ultimately, it's the plants that are the stars.
07:14Do you know, I suppose one of the most obvious things this time of year is for your garden to
07:17have a really good evergreen structure. I think what's special about this place is they seem to
07:23have elevated what you might think of as ordinary plants to something amazing. Now, this is special.
07:30It's just a blue cedar, but the shape's fantastic. These little spalliates, strong horizontal lines.
07:37But also for me, it's tactile. You're drawn to it. As I come away from the wall, you can really see
07:43the blue working well against the yew hedge. But if you look at that, it's got these wonderful
07:49sort of strong verticals that look sail-like. In the distance there, that's a pyracantha.
07:55In a sense, I class as a bog standard plant. Good flower, good berry, great habitat.
08:01But it's the horizontal lines that have been clipped in it that make it special, because what happens there is those strong verticals of that yew work well against the horizontal, so all the time your eye's pulled through to the next space.
08:31So in a sense, the evergreen structures will always make a statement. But actually, I enjoy when Mother Nature takes her clothes off and maybe starts to reveal the inner beauty of plants.
08:49And this twisted hazel is, for me, a plant that does look better in the winter months.
08:55Look at the stems. They look slightly eerie. And then on top of that, the catkins hang, and they look delicate and pick the light up.
09:05I can remember when I was on the Parks Department, we used to have one of these planted on the hillside, and it was uplit. And at night, it looked absolutely incredible.
09:15But the extra treat here is all of that is reflected in that water.
09:25It's a great idea to think about how your plants are going to look throughout the year.
09:31Japanese maples are wonderful in spring and in summer, with their stunning leaves, which later provide awesome autumn colour.
09:40And then in winter, when the leaves fall, they reveal a lovely, gentle structure.
09:47If you want to bring a dash of colour to your winter space, there are plants that not only add colour, but also bring intense scent.
09:56This mahonia is an evergreen shrub with strong architectural foliage.
10:01Its beautiful yellow flowers have a wonderful scent.
10:06This viburnum carries heavily scented pink and white flowers.
10:11These are set at the end of stark winter stems.
10:19Do you know, it's one thing I can guarantee you about your garden, it will always provide you with surprises.
10:25This behind me is shenomenes, which is ornamental quince.
10:30If you pick up a book, it'll tell you it flowers in spring.
10:33I've seen these flower in the middle of November.
10:36But what I do like about it is where it is. It's close to the house.
10:39So actually, through those winter months, you're going to pass it every day.
10:43And that, for me, is really important.
10:46Anyway, spring's on the way, then you've got that lovely summer, autumn.
10:51And I know you're not going to want me to say this, but maybe just give a little bit of thought to next winter.
11:07York Gate is run by Perennial, the gardening charity, and will be open from the 1st of April.
11:14And do go along and have a look.
11:16As I said earlier, I've not been, and I certainly want to one day.
11:20And that structure that is the bones of the winter garden can be applied to any space.
11:25Here in what is now the herb garden, I've bought in a whole series of these RSUs.
11:32Now, it's quite a dramatic thing to do, but it transforms the space.
11:36It takes up very little room, gives it good winter structure.
11:39They're evergreen, they've got colour.
11:41And then in spring and summer, the planting works around them and softens the space.
11:47But you don't need a big garden to have powerful, dynamic structure.
11:57Come on.
12:01I'm here, Nell.
12:08I've got a couple of plants here that I'm going to put in pots that show you don't need great big trees to make really good structure.
12:18These are both junipers.
12:21And you can use these in a window box, you can use them on a balcony, or in a small garden.
12:27And this compressus type stays small.
12:30When they're full grown, they're only going to be about a metre tall.
12:34And you can grow them in soil or in a pot.
12:37Now, it's got a big hole in the bottom.
12:39That's going to need covering up so that the soil doesn't come pouring out.
12:43Now, I've got a potting mix here that I'm going to add some grit to it.
12:47If you're planting any dwarf conifer in a pot, it must have good drainage.
12:54It's going to be in there like that.
12:56I don't need much in the bottom.
13:00Maybe like that.
13:03That gives me about the right height.
13:05Now, this is about five or six years old.
13:08It wasn't terribly expensive, £20, which strikes me as perfectly reasonable for a plant that will live as long as me and will look good all the year round.
13:22One of the things that I like about junipers is that they are very adaptable.
13:27They'll grow in almost any soil.
13:29And they are one of our very few native evergreens.
13:33Now, I shall just trickle the soil around it, keeping it upright.
13:37I could put it in a bigger pot, but this is a slow grower and I can repot it in a few years' time.
13:45And if you're creating structure, the pot and the plant have to work together.
13:50They've got to be in balance and in harmony.
13:53A little bit more on top and there we are.
13:56OK, that's one. Let's do the other.
14:04Right, now let's put these into position.
14:07First of all, I think they're going to look good either side of the steps there.
14:17Because what I'm after is symmetry.
14:19With identical pots, identical plants.
14:22Now, the next step is to put them up on feet.
14:25These terracotta feet are very useful for raising pots up, which means that when you water them and they're on a hard surface, they don't sit in a puddle.
14:34Now, although they like good drainage, they do not like drying out.
14:38So very important that they are watered regularly.
14:41A good rule of thumb is to go on watering until you see the water running out the bottom.
14:48Now, these are the first two dwarf conifers I have ever grown in a garden of my own.
14:56Because I've not always been a great fan, but I liked Carol's film last week.
15:01And I did say never say never, so who knows, this could be the beginning of a whole new departure.
15:07And it doesn't matter when you're creating structure whether you have big plants, tall plants.
15:14It's that sense of scale and framework that they bring to the garden even in the middle of winter.
15:19But you can get that in summer, too, in a very different way.
15:22You can have plants that grow very quickly, tall, that will climb and be covered with flowers.
15:29And last summer, we went to Parham House in Sussex, where they have been doing trials of fast-growing, flowering annual climbers.
15:44I love working at Parham because it's a very natural garden.
15:48It's been here for hundreds of years and lots of gardeners have poured their hearts and souls into creating this display.
15:58We're always looking and hunting for new and really good garden-worthy plants.
16:05The way we go about that is we like to trial plants.
16:07So we'll take a particular plant and grow a lot of it one year.
16:10So we can really see the cream of the crop or the best of the best, which we can then create a short list of.
16:19So this year we've been trying out annual climbers.
16:21So these are plants that are all grown from seed and that will flower or perform for us in one season.
16:26Height is always a challenge for gardeners, trying to get height into borders.
16:30Annual climbers are superb because they've got such figure.
16:34So tiny seeds at the beginning of the year will quite often give you an 8 or 10 feet climber by the end of the season.
16:48So we've grown 130 of these annual climbers from seed and they were really straightforward to grow from the beginning of the year.
16:54We grew them in modules and then pricked them out and then planted them out at the end of May, early June because they won't tolerate a snap of cold.
17:02Some of my particular favourites have been the Asserinas, which have achieved about 8, 10 feet in growth and are covered with flowers.
17:09And also a Clematis Tangutica, which can achieve a flower from a Clematis in one year from seed, which has been a really exciting revelation for me.
17:17So as well as the climbers for flowers, there's been some climbers which are grown for foliage, which are equally as interesting,
17:23such as Dolly Choss Ruby Moon and Variegated Hop, which has performed really well too.
17:30But some of the real showgirls are these Ipermias and one of my particular favourites is this Niola's Black Knight.
17:36It's got a really dark, luxurious flower, which can associate really well with lots of different colours, particularly yellows, oranges and reds.
17:44So as well as these gorgeous, dark, sexy Ipermias, there's a few at the top of my list which I really want to share with you now.
17:59One of the plants in my top three has to be this Petunia Tidal Wave Red Velour.
18:04Not only does it climb up, but it scrambles through.
18:07So in containers, I can see it as providing lots of flower at height and also cascading over a pot as well.
18:13It's been a non-stop performer. It's required very little attention and staking. It's kind of got on with it.
18:19And if I'm looking for flower power, this is going to deliver it in spades.
18:30This is Thunbergia Spanish Eyes, absolutely one of my favourites from the trial.
18:35When we trial things, you quite often look for the oddities, the unusual, the different.
18:40This is certainly different from the usual Thunbergias or Black-Eyed Susans that we're used to.
18:44You've got this lovely burnt salmon-coloured flower and as they fade, they turn to this lovely apricot colour too.
18:51So you get a lot of variation and palette in one particular plant.
18:55What's remarkable about this plant is this is all one year's growth.
18:58So you not only get this lovely array of flowers, you're getting this vigorous growth which is almost, must be about 10 feet tall.
19:05So it's a really strong, good, garden-worthy plant which I think is worth its salt and one that I'll be certainly growing next year.
19:14Another one of my favourite climbers is Cobia Scandon.
19:18Now a lot of people grow Cobia and are fairly familiar with this purple thorn.
19:22Named the cup and saucer vine because it looks like a cup and saucer when you turn it upside down just like this.
19:27This is a great plant, great vigour, great flowering performance.
19:31But just over here, I've got a very elegant and dare I say, a little bit more elegant,
19:38but just over here, I've got a very elegant and dare I say, classy form of it called Cobia Scandon's Alba.
19:47It's got these beautiful ivory white, lime green flowers.
19:52So this Cobia has been grown from seed which we sowed at the beginning of the year.
19:56They're great big seeds and easy to handle.
19:58Now these seeds germinate very easily but they don't like the cold.
20:01So you have to look after them until the risk of frost has gone.
20:04So at the end of May we planted these Cobias out on one of these structures and they just grew away.
20:09They've required no tying in.
20:11They take care of themselves which is one of the things that I think is great about some of these plants that are coming out of this trial.
20:17One of the reasons that Cobias has to be one of my favourite climbers, it gives me cut flowers.
20:23So these flowers can be cut and I get a beautiful long stem which I can then put in a vase and enjoy for days to come.
20:34A real class act.
20:44Hopefully I've been able to persuade you that annual climbers are worth a try.
20:47They're easy to grow and you get a tremendous amount from them in one season whether it's foliage or flower.
20:53And I think there's an annual climber out there for every gardener and every garden situation.
21:05Well those climbers wouldn't like this weather but I think they will like it here in the jaw garden.
21:17I certainly feel inspired by that.
21:19I think if I can plant them into the borders that will add the drama that always works well here.
21:25Even though at this time of year and in this weather it can be hard to imagine.
21:29However I don't need to worry about where I'm going to plant them quite yet.
21:32But what I can do now is sow the seed indoors out of the rain.
21:37Come on let's get in the dry.
21:50I've got here a couple of seeds that I want to sow that will be really dramatic.
21:54There's a cremacarpus that has got wonderful orange and yellow flowers.
21:59Now what is amazing is a packet of seed like this.
22:02You get 150 seeds and it costs less than £2.50.
22:05Well do the maths.
22:06How many giant dramatic plants can you buy for less than 2p?
22:11It's time to start sowing if you haven't already.
22:13So we'll put some compost in here.
22:16General purpose compost is absolutely fine.
22:20But I do recommend adding some perlite or vermiculite because it opens it out and means there's a nice loose root run.
22:27And that way your young seedlings will start really well.
22:33So I'm just going to sow some of them.
22:35And it is important when you're sowing any seeds to keep them thin.
22:39There's no advantage in having a mad cluster of seeds.
22:43I can just pinch and sprinkle.
22:47There we go.
22:50I would expect the majority of these to germinate.
22:53Now that's enough for the moment.
22:55And what it means is that these will be perfectly good kept in the foil.
22:59Put back in the packet.
23:01And if for any reason something goes wrong I've got at least another month to sow again.
23:07As long as you sow them by the beginning of April or even the middle of April these will grow.
23:11Because these are not going to be planted out until the last risk of frost.
23:15So next stage is just press them gently down.
23:18So the seeds are in direct contact with the compost which is quite important.
23:24And then I'm going to sprinkle a little compost to cover them.
23:28Now I've got these sieves.
23:30But you can just sprinkle a little bit of amiculite or even grit over the top.
23:33It's just to protect them and cover them.
23:38And just smooth that over.
23:43Now label. Everything should be labeled.
23:47Right. That's that. Put that there.
23:50And now I have Spanish flag.
23:53It has the most fabulous coxcomb of red, orange, yellow flowers.
23:59Hence called Spanish flag.
24:03I haven't grown this here at Longmeadow ever.
24:06Now if I tip these out you can see that these are larger seeds and they're round.
24:12And they're covered with quite a hard shell.
24:14If you soak them overnight in tepid water that will soften them and they will germinate more easily.
24:19There's quite a few seeds that you can do that too. Sweet peas are a good example.
24:23I don't bother. I just sow them kept damp.
24:26They very quickly soften and they will germinate.
24:28It just might take a day or two longer.
24:31This tiny little seed is going to grow to a plant that is going to be 10 to 15 feet tall.
24:39So I will grow these up a wigwam of really strong bean sticks.
24:44But you could grow them on a trellis.
24:46You could grow them up a wall.
24:48But whatever support you use it must be strong.
24:52One thing about the Spanish flag is the seeds are poisonous.
24:56Perfectly okay to handle but wash your hands when you're finished.
25:01Just cover that very, very lightly.
25:04Just cover that very, very lightly.
25:07Because the seeds have pressed into the compost.
25:12Right, let's take this to the greenhouse.
25:20I'm putting these on a heated mat.
25:22And of course the greenhouse is heated.
25:24We still got bubble wrap around it.
25:26This is a very protected environment.
25:29And it is essential if you're growing these tender annuals that they have heat.
25:35So if you haven't got a greenhouse I would recommend that maybe you think about buying a heated propagator.
25:41Filling that on a windowsill above a radiator.
25:44And of course water them.
25:52We will follow the life of these plants.
25:55And if you want to grow the same then we can swap notes and see how they get on between now and late summer.
26:03But if you don't want to do that here are some other jobs you can do this weekend.
26:14If you grow autumn fruiting raspberries.
26:17And these are the ones that appear after the middle of July and right on into October.
26:22You should cut back all last year's growth right to the ground.
26:26Because this year's fruit will be carried on new growth.
26:37Now is the ideal moment to lift and divide snowdrops.
26:42Take a good size clump.
26:44Dig it up and break it into two or three pieces.
26:47One of which can go back in the original hole.
26:50And the rest you can plant wherever you want.
26:54And this method is by far the quickest way to establish a really dramatic display.
27:08Buddleia produce their flowers on fresh shoots.
27:12So they can be pruned back hard.
27:14So the shrub has color right from the base and retains a good shape.
27:19Even old plants can be sown right back to the lowest buds and will regenerate vigorously.
27:29Good girl.
27:43It's that time of year when the grasses need cutting back.
27:46You can see on this Calamagrostis the new growth is appearing.
27:51And it's important to cut back last year's growth and not damage the new shoots.
27:57Now you do this with deciduous grasses like Calamagrostis, like Miscanthus.
28:01But not the evergreen ones like pheasant grass.
28:05And we've got a steeper gigantia there with our tall oat heads.
28:09Those you just comb through and take off the loose material.
28:12But all the top growth on the deciduous ones can be removed now.
28:24This winter the grasses have come through pretty much undamaged.
28:28But clearing them away is a sign that winter's over and we've really reached spring.
28:33Well that's it for today.
28:35Well that's it for today.
28:37I'll have all this cleared by the time you get back next week.
28:40But until then, bye bye.
29:05Bye bye.