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00:00Sowing the seeds for gardens and outdoor spaces that everyone can love,
00:04with Alan Titchmarsh's Gardening Club.
00:07Brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service.
00:22Welcome to my new series where I'll be celebrating the people,
00:26the plants and the places that make gardening special right across the UK.
00:31And I'll be right here in my own garden, swapping notes with my gardening club,
00:36joined by a team of passionate experts and everyday green heroes.
00:40And we'll meet those at home and in the community
00:43who are breathing new life into forgotten spaces.
00:47So whether you have sprawling acres,
00:50a cosy balcony or even just a sunny windowsill,
00:54get ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in with us.
00:57Together we'll uncover tips, tricks and techniques
01:01to transform our spaces into vibrant, thriving sanctuaries
01:06that nourish the soul and inspire the spirit.
01:10So pour yourself a cuppa and get comfy.
01:12Welcome to my gardening club.
01:24Gardening can feel daunting for beginners and challenging,
01:28even for experienced enthusiasts.
01:30But fear not, in my gardening club,
01:32we aim to make gardening accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
01:36Alongside my gardening club team,
01:38we're on hand to offer up a simple approach
01:41to gardening without any complicated jargon.
01:44Over the next hour, we'll cover everything
01:46from an armed forces community garden project
01:49to creating your own jungle garden from scratch.
01:53First, let's welcome our newest gardening club member,
01:56Suffolk-based Anna Greenland,
01:57who's grown organic vegetables
02:00for Michelin-starred chefs across the UK.
02:03Throughout this series,
02:04she'll guide us on creating eco-friendly gardens on a budget,
02:08starting with her first step today.
02:15Hi, I'm Anna Greenland and I'm an eco-gardener.
02:22When I first started my journey into eco-gardening,
02:25I realised that the gardens that were grown in this way
02:27were vibrant, they were beautiful,
02:29there was a mix of flowers and herbs and veg,
02:32they were full of insects, full of bees,
02:35and it just felt like a very happy place to be.
02:38And I realised that all the chemicals that you see on the shelves
02:41in the garden centre sometimes were just unnecessary.
02:44And then when you come to eat the produce,
02:45it tastes so much better
02:47because you know that it's just been grown with good compost
02:50and lots of love in a healthy soil.
02:56So today I'm going to show you how to make a no-dig bed.
03:02No-dig is a way of eco-friendly gardening
03:05and instead of turning the soil
03:07like we would traditionally in a vegetable garden,
03:10it is mulching on top with compost.
03:12You're not disrupting that soil structure underneath,
03:15so there's lots of bacteria and fungi and earthworms.
03:18It's kind of a living ecosystem in your soil
03:21and if you're digging, you're disrupting that ecosystem
03:24and disrupting the soil structure.
03:26So no-dig is a kinder way of gardening
03:30and it's kinder on your soil.
03:36When choosing where to put your bed,
03:38most vegetables love the sun.
03:40There are some vegetables that will tolerate a bit of shade,
03:43so things like leafy greens and brassicas, salad leaves,
03:47but on the whole you want to be looking
03:49for the sunniest spot in your garden.
03:52The other thing to bear in mind is shelter,
03:55so vegetables really hate being battered by the wind
03:58and if you're living in a town,
04:00the likelihood is you've probably got some fencing
04:02which will offer a bit of protection,
04:04but if you're on a really open site
04:06like we are here on this sort of windy hill in Suffolk,
04:09planting hedging as I've done here is a really good idea.
04:18So the first thing we're going to do
04:19is lay the cardboard down on the grass on the lawn
04:23and that's the beauty of making a no-dig bed
04:25is that you can go straight onto the grass.
04:28You don't have to lift the turf,
04:29you don't have to do any digging or ground prep,
04:32so the cardboard will act as a weed suppressant essentially.
04:36It will hold back the grass
04:37while you're putting your plants in
04:39and they're establishing.
04:40It will rot down after a few months,
04:42but by that point the plants will have bedded in
04:45so it will be okay.
04:48This hasn't got any shiny covering,
04:51there's no plastic tape,
04:53there's no coloured dyes.
04:56So I'm going to make a four foot by eight foot bed.
04:59For me that's a really nice size.
05:02Four foot width means that you can reach the bed from the sides
05:06and then the two foot paths are nice
05:08because they just allow enough room for manoeuvre.
05:10You can get a wheelbarrow up between them.
05:12So for me that works quite well.
05:15I've overlapped the cardboard
05:16just so that the grass doesn't have any chance
05:18to kind of sneak up between any cracks in it.
05:21I'm quite lucky actually with this patch of lawn,
05:24there's no nasty weeds,
05:25no perennial weeds in here.
05:27If you did have brambles or nettles,
05:30you might want to clear those out first.
05:33But if you're just going onto your normal grass lawn,
05:36then this is fine.
05:44I'm using wood today just to define the edges of the bed
05:48and to contain the compost,
05:50but it's not permanent.
05:51It allows the compost to settle
05:53and then I can remove the wood at a later date.
05:56But if you don't have access to wood,
05:57that's absolutely fine.
05:58You can just put the compost straight onto the cardboard
06:01and it will still work well.
06:03I've used a set square just to get my corners good right angles.
06:08But if you don't have one of these,
06:09you can just use something like a cardboard box
06:11just to get that right angle in place.
06:15So I'm just using these bamboo stakes
06:18just to hold the wood in place,
06:19but you could use bricks,
06:20you could use stones or rocks.
06:22It's just to support the wood
06:24while you're putting the compost in.
06:31When it comes to compost,
06:33when you go to your local garden centre,
06:35always look out for peat-free organic compost.
06:39Peat-free is really, really important.
06:41The peat comes from peat bogs,
06:43which are a really important ecosystem,
06:45so we don't want to deplete those.
06:47And then organic means that there's no residues of pesticides,
06:50there's been no synthetic fertilisers used.
06:53So that's the one to look out for.
06:57The great thing about no-dig
06:59is that it doesn't really matter what soil type you've got.
07:01So if you're on heavy clay,
07:03if you've got very poor soil,
07:05it's actually okay because you're mulching on top.
07:08So I'm just giving this bed a good stomp.
07:10I wouldn't normally be doing this on normal garden soil
07:13because it would compact it,
07:15but compost is a lot lighter
07:17and so it means you can walk on it.
07:19And I'm just doing this to make it nice and firm
07:22to plant into,
07:23getting the compost out into the edges of the bed
07:26and giving you a nice, firm surface.
07:38So I'm using about seven centimetre depths of compost here
07:43and that's about the minimum you want
07:45when you're going onto a lawn.
07:46If you use more, more is always better.
07:50But obviously, if you're using more compost
07:52and you've got more depths,
07:53you might want to use slightly higher bits of wood.
08:02This compost has already got a good amount of moisture in it,
08:06but if yours is a little bit on the dry side,
08:08then just get a watering can,
08:10give it a good water before you start seeding and planting.
08:13And there we have it, a no-dig bed.
08:16Simple to make and it's an eco-friendly,
08:19easy way to start your vegetable garden.
08:28I look forward to more of Anna's sustainable gardening tips
08:32later in the series.
08:33Quick one for me,
08:34if you're growing Narcissa in your garden,
08:36use the miniature varieties like Tetatet here in the border
08:40and this glorious one, Jetfire,
08:42growing in a shallow pot, a pan we call it.
08:45This is its second year in here, just flowering madly.
08:49You don't need a lot of space, you see,
08:51you can do it on a doorstep.
08:53Next, we're heading to Wisley in Surrey,
08:56where it's time for more gardening tips
08:58as their head gardener, Matt,
09:00takes on our gardening in five challenge.
09:04♪♪
09:15Rewarding, creative and grounding.
09:18It slows you down, it gets you off screens,
09:21away from notifications and connects you with nature.
09:28It has to be the monkey puzzle tree.
09:30They've got a prehistoric look about them,
09:32there's nothing else like them
09:33and no matter what landscape setting they're in,
09:35they excite me, they are just such cool trees.
09:43Leave the leaves on the beds,
09:45wherever they fall in your garden from deciduous trees,
09:48blow them onto the soil and let the worms do the work.
09:51Don't take time gathering them all up.
09:59My favorite gardening tool are those small folding saws.
10:02They open out and you can get into all manner of small spaces
10:06to do really good, accurate pruning cuts.
10:08They're very satisfying to use.
10:14A top spring gardening tip is to get along with mulching.
10:17Get mulch down before weeds start to grow
10:20while there's still moisture in the soil.
10:22You seal in that moisture with a nice clean layer of mulch.
10:25It's a very satisfying job and it's great for the garden.
10:28Top tip there from Matt,
10:30something we can all be getting on with this weekend.
10:33Seal that moisture into your soil
10:35and your plants will thank you for it.
10:37You'll keep weeds down too.
10:38I mulch all my beds and borders in the garden
10:41with compost from the heap.
10:42It's about a year old but it's lovely brown and crumbly.
10:46Time for a quick break now.
10:48When we return, we'll explore an exceptional community garden
10:51and catch up with amateur gardener Alex
10:54as he continues to work on his garden.
10:56Alex, as he continues his year of growing veg.
11:27Gardens are more than just flowers and foliage, you know.
11:30They represent sanctuaries for contemplation,
11:34harmony with nature and inclusivity.
11:37Tayshaun Hayden-Smith knows this all too well
11:40with his work celebrating community garden projects
11:43across the country.
11:44He's up in Sowiall for us today
11:46to learn of an extraordinary garden
11:48created for a community garden.
11:50It's a beautiful garden.
11:52It's a beautiful garden.
11:53I'm in Sowiall today to learn of an extraordinary garden
11:56created for the local armed forces community.
12:13Today I'm in Sowiall to explore
12:14an extraordinary community garden
12:16designed and built with meticulous attention
12:18to the unique needs of veterans and military families.
12:21The team here, led by Elaine Butler,
12:23are really inspiring for the local armed forces community
12:26and I'm honoured to hear their stories today.
12:36Tayshaun.
12:36Good to see you.
12:37You too.
12:38Welcome to the garden.
12:48So tell me a bit about this garden that we're in now.
12:51About two years ago we had this idea of providing a place
12:55of peace and relaxation for our military colleagues
12:59so they can come sit in solitude
13:01or they can meet other people and talk.
13:03There is a gentleness to this garden, isn't there?
13:05There is.
13:06And we have a lot of colleagues who are suffering very badly,
13:10particularly from PTSD.
13:13So we got this embracing wall because they wanted to feel safe.
13:18And this means they can sit, talk,
13:20no one can approach from behind without them knowing.
13:23All the benches are filled in underneath
13:25because of their experiences of explosive devices.
13:28In front of them it's an open view
13:30so that they can see people approaching
13:32so they feel very, very comfortable here
13:35and I know that has helped their mental health.
13:40There are some people who are suffering badly.
13:43People who have almost felt it necessary
13:45that life was too much
13:47or people who've needed to turn to drugs
13:50or alcohol to deal with their problems,
13:52to forget, to bury the memories of what happened to them.
13:57And this is the place that they found.
14:01It's a non-medicinal caring place
14:04and the joy is to see perhaps a young military person here
14:08talking to an elderly chap who fought in other conflicts
14:12and they're comparing stories as soldiers always do
14:15when they get the opportunity.
14:16So for me, this is the most beautiful place.
14:20♪♪
14:24Set in the middle of Heelfield Park,
14:26working together with Sully Hull Council,
14:28Elaine wanted to create a healing habitat
14:30with a wildflower meadow, mini orchard
14:33and the special sheltered circle to explore.
14:36And she made it happen
14:37with the help of some esteemed armed forces colleagues
14:40like Dave Kerrison.
14:41♪♪
14:48So what is your role in the armed forces then?
14:50Well, I'm an officer in the Royal Air Force
14:52and I'm an engineering officer
14:54but I'm the chief of staff
14:55for number one school of technical training
14:57which is the RAF's oldest and largest
14:59technical training school
15:01and we deliver all the aeronautical engineering training
15:03to our technicians to get our aircraft into the air,
15:06fly around, do our job and land safely.
15:09I actually had the honour of being the last RAF officer
15:13to give a royal salute to our late queen at Wellington Arch
15:17but then I was the first RAF officer
15:19to give a royal salute to our new king
15:21as he came out of Westminster Abbey.
15:23So what brings you into this garden?
15:26Well, I've been involved with this garden
15:27from its conception.
15:29I got involved quite early on.
15:30I've moved to this area fairly recently
15:32and I wanted to get involved with the local community.
15:35And so what does this garden mean to you then?
15:37Well, for me as a serving person in the military,
15:40it's an area where I can come to
15:42and just reflect on all my experiences
15:45I've had over the 36 years I've been in the military
15:48and it was the community.
15:49It's a community's respect for the armed forces of the UK
15:55and it's just really nice to know
15:56the community value us as much as we value them.
16:06The garden is set within a public park with access to all
16:10and it's all managed and maintained by volunteers
16:12who are hoping to offer therapeutic activities
16:15like painting and fruit picking as the weather warms up.
16:28So how important has this space proven to be
16:30as a safe space to gather?
16:33Wonderfully so.
16:34Veterans will come here alone often, sit quietly
16:38and then maybe they don't talk at home to their families
16:41and their wives, husbands, girlfriends, etc.
16:44But they might see another veteran sit opposite
16:46on another bench and before they strike up a conversation
16:50and maybe a new friendship.
16:56What part of this garden most resonates with you?
16:58For me, it is the circle bit.
17:01Each stone is a representation of, you know,
17:04veterans past and present.
17:06Personally, it's just somewhere I can reset myself,
17:10sit there and listen to the robins singing earlier
17:11was beautiful.
17:15It's clearly an important space for those who are
17:17or were involved in the military.
17:19But I was keen to speak to Neil, who is also a regular visitor
17:23but wasn't in the army himself.
17:26So tell me a bit about yourself
17:27and what brings you to this garden?
17:30Well, I am originally from Scotland,
17:33came down to live in Birmingham 2001.
17:37I've been down here ever since.
17:38My brother, Stuart, who was a soldier,
17:43was killed in Northern Ireland, 1998, 8th of January, 1998.
17:48And, you know, it's quite a profound thing to happen to
17:52in your life and it never leaves you.
17:56There's not a day goes by where I don't think about him.
17:58So might you be able to tell me a bit about Stuart?
18:01He was, yeah, he was just a fun-loving guy
18:04with a ridiculously wicked sense of humour.
18:06And if I can even just be a small part of who he was,
18:13I'll be a happy man.
18:14You know, his comrades, I'm in touch with loads of them now.
18:20Even on the anniversary of his death,
18:24it's all plaudits about what a great guy he was
18:28and, you know, how funny he was.
18:32And I'm lucky because not only did I get that great guy,
18:37but he was also my brother as well.
18:47And as we sit here now, I mean, what does this garden mean to you?
18:50For me, it's not a place of remembrance,
18:52it's a place of reflection.
18:55It makes me feel valued, you know,
18:58as a bereaved family member,
19:00that places like this exist and can be created from nothing.
19:07I think service men and women are probably seen as
19:11roughy-toughy types, and I know that's not the case at all.
19:15I know that that's not true.
19:19So this garden is for everyone,
19:22not just for everyone who's served,
19:23but everyone who's a family member,
19:25people who've served, and anybody in the community.
19:28And I guess I can relate in ways
19:30because it was nature, gardening and gardens
19:34that I turned to in moments of need,
19:36and I feel like more places could do with more nature and more wildlife.
19:41Yeah, and even, I mean, just being out in the outdoors
19:45is very good for your soul.
19:46No, it should be all about connection
19:48and all about kind of coming together,
19:50and I think that's the beauty of gardens
19:52and how it can really foster community.
19:54And you never know who you're going to meet here.
19:56You genuinely never know who you're going to bump into.
20:00And I only know how I deal with it,
20:03you know, coming here and talking.
20:05I think talking is the probably most underrated therapy.
20:10It doesn't necessarily need to only be here
20:12because my brother was killed.
20:15You know, that's the whole point of a community garden.
20:19It's that very thing.
20:20It's a garden for the community,
20:21and anybody from any walk of life
20:25could come here and enjoy it as much as I do.
20:30Pretty amazing, really.
20:30It is. It is really amazing.
20:33It is.
20:43Today has been truly amazing.
20:45Seeing Elaine and this remarkable group of individuals
20:48from the Armed Forces community has really moved me.
20:51It just goes to show just how profound an impact
20:53community gardens can have.
20:55Don't we all need a bit more kindness,
20:57more spaces to nurture, to heal, and to come together?
21:00I mean, this garden has shown me
21:02just how magical it can be.
21:09The rise of community gardens is truly remarkable,
21:12and Elaine's skill in creating such spaces
21:16is hugely commendable.
21:18A place for the Armed Forces community
21:19to enjoy for years to come.
21:21You know, gardens serve as places of connection and goodwill,
21:25whether enjoyed with family, friends,
21:28neighbours over the wall,
21:30colleagues, or within our own local communities.
21:34All series, we're also celebrating
21:36the brilliant home gardeners across the country
21:39who've documented their gardening endeavours.
21:41Our very own plantfluencers, we're calling them.
21:45Today, we're meeting Martha from London,
21:47who sent us this from her epic year in gardening.
22:01This was my garden one year ago.
22:03Let me show you the potential of this little space,
22:06transformed by a series of projects, one job at a time.
22:09A gravel patio, a wildlife pond,
22:12brick piles for my vegetable beds.
22:14In the winter, I laid the groundwork for my future garden.
22:17Herbs in the gravel, a cold frame
22:19to keep my plants snug and warm.
22:21Vague order created by raised beds
22:23made from salvaged bits of wood.
22:26And then spring arrived.
22:27Blue skies and warm sunshine,
22:29and the first of my little edible plants.
22:32Blossoms and tulips and cats seeking warmth
22:35and butterflies opening their new wings.
22:38Onwards and upwards and in when an arch,
22:40and time to harvest soft spinach leaf by leaf
22:43and to pull crisp radishes fresh from the soil.
22:46An edible bouquet, a gift from my garden.
22:50Early summer and time to plant tomatoes
22:52in hanging baskets and watch birds,
22:55grow beans up fences,
22:57and to stop and watch the life that's burst into being.
23:02Roses, alliums, and my unruly,
23:05abundant garden concealing food in every corner.
23:08Cucumbers, courgettes, edible flowers,
23:11kale, and bucket after bucket of buried treasure.
23:16The biggest broccoli I've ever grown in my life.
23:19Cucamelons, an archway laden with beans,
23:22sunflowers self-seeded from bird feeders
23:24and pink berries and Physalis.
23:26My garden transformed by love and attention
23:29and nature and time.
23:33Wonderful work there, Martha.
23:34What a year you've had.
23:36Good for you.
23:37Next, we're with David,
23:38who's answering another of our viewers' questions.
23:41See you after the break.
23:43Feeding alfresco with Allantich Marshes Gardening Club
23:47brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service.
23:50Growing outside with Allantich Marshes Gardening Club
23:55brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service.
24:16Spring is here.
24:17Spring in UK gardens is like a big wake-up call
24:20for we green-fingered enthusiasts.
24:23We're buzzing with excitement
24:24as we wait for colourful blooms to pop up,
24:27and when they do, we get excited.
24:29New sprouts showing themselves
24:31and the chance to get our hands dirty again in the garden.
24:35But there's always that one troublemaker, the slug.
24:39Jessie from Dorset has sent in a question
24:42asking how she can deal with slugs in the garden.
24:45Well, my gardening club friend, David Dominey's here
24:48with all the tips you'll need.
24:59These creatures evolved and came from the sea.
25:03They coat themselves in mucus so they can live on the land,
25:07and they've been here in the UK since the Ice Age.
25:10And of course, they've got plenty of teeth.
25:1227,000 teeth, and they can replace these teeth
25:16just like a shark.
25:18And they go around in the damp and at night
25:21to eat your prize blooms.
25:27But come on, you can't knock the slug.
25:31Don't worry, this one isn't real.
25:33But slugs do, like many creatures,
25:35play an important part in the garden,
25:37breaking down material, exposing tissues,
25:40for bacteria and fungus to break down
25:42and go back into the soil.
25:43And of course, they're also food for little creatures
25:46like frogs and toads and beetles and birds
25:49and even hedgehogs are known to have one or two.
25:52So every creature has its place.
26:01Now, defending your plants against slugs
26:04is one of the most popular gardening questions.
26:08Of course, it's not just slugs.
26:11They've also got their little snail friends as well.
26:13And it's not just that they eat our plants
26:16like our lettuces or our hostas
26:19or even some of our bedding plants.
26:22It's the feel and the texture of slugs,
26:25and it's the slime as well.
26:26The last thing you need when you're out barbecuing,
26:29barefoot on the lawn,
26:32is to squelch a slug in between your toes.
26:34Oh!
26:38You should never let slug slime remain on your patio
26:47because it does two things.
26:48One, it tells a slug,
26:50oh, this is another slug that I might go and mate with
26:53to produce babies.
26:55And a slug in a season can produce 500 eggs.
26:58So you work it out, it spreads.
27:00And secondly, a slug is communicating with other slugs
27:03with the taste of the slime
27:05that there's food in this particular garden.
27:08So one is leading the other.
27:09So the secret is to add a little bit of vinegar
27:13into a hand mister
27:15and then mist over where the slime is on your patio.
27:20Now that'll enable you to wash it off.
27:22And it's the same if you've got slug slime on your hands.
27:25As you wash it, it seems to get slimier.
27:28Put a little bit of vinegar on and that will help wash it clean.
27:36So sharp grit put around your plants can protect them.
27:40Some gardeners even use sandpaper
27:42and cut them out as little bit of coverers
27:44just to go around the outside of the soil,
27:47acts really as a barrier between the plant and the slug itself
27:50because it won't crawl over.
27:52But probably the best way to make your own
27:54is to save your eggshells.
27:56Now with eggs, once you've finished,
27:58if you put them in the microwave to properly dry them
28:00or in the oven,
28:01that dries that inner skin
28:03and enables you to crush up eggshells really finely.
28:07The finer, the better.
28:09Of course, eggshells have calcium,
28:10which goes into the soil as well.
28:12But this sharp edge of eggshells really helps
28:16if you put a little bit around the outside of your plant,
28:20it makes it something that slugs will not climb over
28:25to eat your plants.
28:27You can also bring additional things into your garden
28:30to help protect against slugs.
28:32Feeding birds, for instance,
28:34also having a pond for frogs and toads,
28:37having gaps in between your hedges and fences
28:39encourages hedgehogs.
28:40So natural predators of slugs will come into the garden.
28:44It's a little bit early for me.
28:47No, this is for the slugs.
28:49Because, oh, I'm tempted.
28:53Because slugs do like beer.
28:55And you can make a slug trap
28:57that enables you to capture the slugs
28:59while they're having a cheeky beer
29:01and then release them into the garden.
29:03And that's what we're going to do today.
29:04We're going to make a slug trap
29:06that enables you to capture the slugs
29:08while they're having a cheeky beer
29:09and then release them into the garden.
29:11So what I'm going to do is get hold of an old jam jar.
29:20I'm going to pour some beer just into the bottom of it.
29:25And that fragrance will be like, I don't know,
29:28almost like last orders being called
29:30and everybody rushing to the bar.
29:31But this time, it's for slugs.
29:35But the slugs will come, smell it,
29:37and fall down in there.
29:38You end up with a bit of a slug mass
29:40that you can take away.
29:42But another good tip, if you're looking to make your own,
29:44is they're also quite partial to the grapefruit.
29:49So once you've finished eating your grapefruit
29:51and you've scraped the inside out,
29:53cut a little section there,
29:56turn it over like a tiny igloo,
29:59and you can place that in the garden too
30:02in a different place from your beer trap, of course.
30:04But they go into there, they start to eat that,
30:07and that enables you to collect a whole handful of slugs
30:11right in the middle of your grapefruit
30:13and then release them humanely.
30:15But the secret of success
30:17is to not make your garden a slug palace.
30:21Think of where they came from.
30:23They came from the sea and they come out at night.
30:27So don't water your garden last thing at night
30:30and leave it damp on the paving and the patio
30:33so slugs can easily move around.
30:36The secret is to leave a little bit of sunlight time
30:40to dry up your pathways,
30:42not to make it so easy for the slugs.
30:49And remember, one easy way of avoiding trouble with slugs
30:52is to grow plants that they don't like eating,
30:54like this carpet of hardy cyclamen,
30:57which never get so much as a nibble.
31:00Aren't they gorgeous?
31:01Cyclamen koum, it's called.
31:04As early spring arrives,
31:05our gardens wake up with renewed vigour.
31:08It's time to dust off our tools,
31:10sow seeds,
31:11and prepare the soil for a bountiful summer ahead.
31:14And this is something my next gardening club member, Alex,
31:17knows a thing or two about.
31:18Last year, he set himself a goal
31:20to grow as much food as he can,
31:23and he tracked the entire journey.
31:26Last week, we saw him in the planning stage.
31:28But now it's time for Alex to start sowing seeds.
31:33My name's Alex,
31:34and this year I decided to grow a vegetable garden.
31:37I started doing the odd bit of gardening
31:39about three years ago,
31:40and I've realised it's one of the most rewarding feelings,
31:43being able to harvest and cook with fresh food
31:45that you've grown yourself.
31:47And when I moved back in with my parents
31:49at the beginning of this year,
31:50I asked my dad if I could dig up part of his garden
31:53and plant some vegetables.
31:54Thankfully, he let me do so,
31:56and in January, I started making plans
31:58for this year's garden project.
32:04The weather outside still isn't warm,
32:06and we can get frosts here in this part of the country
32:09until, I think, middle of May.
32:11And the sowings I'm going to do today
32:12consist of lettuce, chard, salad onions,
32:15parsley, coriander, and dill.
32:18They're what gardeners call hardy plants.
32:21So I'm going to sow the seeds in these little pots,
32:24grow them indoors until they are
32:27sort of filling out these little module trays,
32:29and then I'll plant them in the garden,
32:32where hopefully they will survive
32:33even if it goes below zero.
32:35The process was pretty simple.
32:37Fill a module tray with compost,
32:39use a pen to create little holes,
32:41and pop some seeds in.
32:44For germination, seeds need to be moist,
32:46so I sprayed the compost thoroughly with water
32:49and stuck a label in
32:50so I wouldn't forget what I had sowed.
32:55Over the next week, things started to germinate.
32:57Radish was the quickest,
32:59taking only three days to sprout.
33:01Chard took six days,
33:03salad onions and coriander, 11 days.
33:05Parsley and dill were taking slightly longer,
33:08but after a couple of weeks,
33:09I had loads of growing plants.
33:14It's the 13th of March,
33:15and my seedlings that I sowed
33:18about two weeks ago
33:21have started popping up.
33:22The only thing that seems to be
33:24just not doing anything is lettuce.
33:25I don't know whether my seeds were dodgy
33:27or I did something wrong.
33:28I might have to sow some more of those.
33:30Or maybe they're just taking their time.
33:32Anyway, today we're going to start off
33:34the process of hardening off.
33:36Now, I've never done this before,
33:38but apparently when you start seeds inside
33:42and you want to transfer them into a garden,
33:43which is outside,
33:44you should harden them off.
33:46You should get them ready
33:47for the colder environment.
33:49So we've got to get these little babies
33:52ready for the real world.
33:55Yeah, because it's not going to be nice
33:56and warm under a grow light
33:59inside your whole life.
34:00This is possibly what I'm most excited about.
34:03These are salad onions.
34:05The variety is white Lisbon.
34:07These are multi-sown.
34:09I've seen gardeners do this.
34:10They sow like 10 seeds in one cell,
34:13plant them together,
34:14and then you pick them as a clump.
34:17I don't know if it'll work,
34:18but we'll give it a go.
34:20A couple of weeks later
34:21and the weather was looking slightly better
34:23and I wanted to get my onions in the ground.
34:25However, since the temperatures have risen,
34:27the weeds had also been growing
34:29and there were thousands of seedlings popping up.
34:32This is a hoe.
34:33It's a weed killing machine.
34:37I cut the weeds off
34:38and hope they don't grow back.
34:40Just cutting off the tops of the weeds worked,
34:42but I could see me having to do the same thing
34:44in a few days time
34:45when more seeds germinated.
34:47So I opted for a more expensive method
34:49of putting down another layer of compost
34:51to block out the light
34:53so that the weeds wouldn't be able to grow.
34:55This would also add another load of fertility
34:57to the soil and help long term,
34:59so I saw it as a good investment.
35:01I could then start planting my onions,
35:03which I simply pushed into little holes
35:05so that the tips were just under the soil.
35:14I also got distracted whilst at the garden center
35:17and bought some sweet peas and strawberry plants.
35:19Three for one offer.
35:21I managed to plant my radishes in the ground too.
35:24It's coming together.
35:25We got onions in today, 100 of them.
35:29I didn't realize that the onions would take up
35:32like a quarter of the garden alone.
35:34Anyway, that's not a problem.
35:35I really like onions
35:36and you need them when you cook pretty much everything.
35:39I got strawberries in and also some sweet peas
35:42and over the next few weeks,
35:43as it gets warmer and warmer,
35:45there'll be more and more stuff to sow
35:47and I'm really excited about that.
35:49In the summer, there'll be more and more stuff
35:51to sow in the soil and I'm excited.
35:54See you soon.
35:58Well, it looks as though Alex is in
36:00for a bumpy year of vegetables.
36:02A true example of how there's nothing wrong
36:05with a DIY approach to gardening.
36:08After the break,
36:09we'll join my gardening companion, Camilla,
36:11who's heading to Cornwall to seek sunspiration
36:15and find out how we can all add
36:17a touch to our gardens.
36:41Today, we've seen extraordinary gardens
36:44and our top gardening club experts
36:46have shared invaluable tips,
36:47I think, on everything from eco-friendly practices
36:51to community gardening projects.
36:53But there's much to be discovered, you know,
36:55from larger gardens too, right across the UK.
36:59That's why we've dispatched
37:00one of my gardening club favourites, Camilla,
37:02to Cornwall to explore the subtropical haven
37:06of Treber Gardens.
37:08She's there to uncover the team's best advice
37:12on how we can all create our own jungle gardens.
37:17♪♪
37:23Nestled on Cornwall's southwest coast
37:26lies a lush subtropical haven
37:28steeped in centuries of history.
37:32Managed by the Treber Trust,
37:34this 26-acre paradise invites visitors
37:37to stroll through living plant archives year-round.
37:43From towering gunnera in summer
37:45to ancient rhododendrons
37:47and China blue hydrangeas
37:49lasting right through until autumn,
37:51each season paints a unique picture.
37:55Even on the brink of spring,
37:56it's a magical time to visit.
38:00Treber Gardens is an extraordinary Cornish garden
38:03and I'm here to meet head gardener Darren Dickey
38:05to find out how you can create
38:07your own subtropical paradise at home.
38:10♪♪
38:14Darren, hello.
38:15Hi, Camilla. How are you?
38:17I'm well, thank you. You?
38:18Nice to meet you.
38:19So tell me a little bit about the gardens.
38:21So the garden was originally created in 1880
38:23by Charles Fox and his wife, Sarah.
38:25So they created this wonderful sort of
38:26shelter belt planting around
38:28to then protect some of these wonderful plants.
38:30And it was really at the fore of the great planters
38:32who were bringing these plants back
38:33to these wonderful local nurseries
38:35that then were grown on and planted in the garden.
38:38Because I guess here you're seeing plants
38:39that we don't normally see in the rest of England.
38:41Yeah, I mean, we're very lucky to be blessed
38:43by the sort of the sea,
38:44which just warms our waters around us
38:46and gives us this wonderful microclimate.
38:48So we can get away with things like the tree ferns
38:50in particular that may struggle outside of the counties.
38:53Well, I'm hoping you're going to show me some of those.
38:54You know, it's quite a big site,
38:56so I think I'm going to keep fit today.
38:57But shall we start?
38:58Yeah, yeah, we'll head off.
39:04Treber is home to a valley of hydrangeas.
39:08These vibrant blue mop heads thrive in the rich acid soil.
39:13Planted in the 1950s, they bloom beautifully each year.
39:17But from early spring,
39:18it takes Darren and his team three weeks to prune them all
39:22to ensure their large flower heads
39:24continue to make a reappearance.
39:29So somebody has been very busy here.
39:31Yeah, I mean, we've got quite an extensive collection.
39:33So we've got around about two acres
39:34of mostly blue hydrangea macrophylla.
39:36So it does take quite a while.
39:37That's a lot of hydrangeas.
39:38It is indeed.
39:40It takes a lot of work.
39:41But talking about work,
39:42how did you get started in your career in horticulture?
39:44I was very fortunate.
39:45We moved down to Cornwall when I was 10,
39:48along with my grandparents on a working farm.
39:51And because, obviously, my grandparents were retired,
39:53I used to spend a lot of time with my granddad,
39:55in particular, in the garden.
39:57It's often the way, isn't it?
39:58You sort of, you learn from your grandparents.
39:59And obviously, your grandfather was a huge influence on you.
40:02What happened next?
40:03Where did you go from there?
40:04So really, I sort of continued my sort of love of horticulture,
40:08really after school, weekends, working in a local nursery.
40:12And then I worked for a landscaper for three years,
40:15which really gave me a good grounding
40:17in different types of horticulture.
40:18And how long have you been here for?
40:20So I've been at Tree Manor since 1991.
40:22So that's a long time.
40:24It seems like only yesterday, but it is quite a while.
40:26I know, but I'm very fortunate
40:27because I worked under some extremely good head gardeners
40:29that gave me the confidence and the skills
40:32to take on the role in 2002 when I was offered the position.
40:37Well, it's certainly an office with a view.
40:40This botanical wonder
40:41is the result of centuries of meticulous plantsmanship,
40:45and you can see it on every turn.
40:51Here, we're in the Camellia Walk, and it's glorious.
40:54Yeah, I mean, the great thing about camellias
40:56is they give you such a long sort of flowering period,
40:58from the sassanquas that start flowering in October,
41:01right the way through to the japonicas,
41:02which will carry on right the way into spring.
41:04So a long flowering season,
41:06and so much variety in colour, shape, form, and summer scented.
41:10And a plant that people can grow at home very easily as well.
41:12They grow very well in a pot, don't they?
41:13So yeah, I mean, there are lots of different ones you can grow,
41:15and they will grow in different conditions.
41:17So if you were to travel to China,
41:18you'd often see them growing by a roadside,
41:20just in their sort of wild form.
41:26So what's this one called then?
41:28Well, this one's called Silver Anniversary.
41:30It has these wonderful, bold, white flowers,
41:33which really hold well and stand out
41:35against these wonderful, glossy green leaves.
41:37The other great thing, obviously, with Silver Anniversary,
41:39if you're looking for something to give to a loved one
41:42for their anniversary,
41:44it's got that wonderful name which goes with it.
41:45Yeah, it's a really good gift to give, isn't it?
41:47Yeah.
41:47I'm keen to get a bit more tropical though,
41:49so shall we head this way?
41:50Of course, yeah, follow me.
42:01So here we have a little bit more of a taste of the exotic.
42:11Yeah, it feels really jungly,
42:13surrounded by these giant tree firs.
42:24I feel like a plant hunter exploring here over the water.
42:27It is, you'd imagine when it would have been light,
42:28sort of clumbering up the mountainside.
42:31Yeah.
42:31Oh, it feels gorgeous, doesn't it?
42:33Yeah.
42:34There's quite a bit of history to the tree ferns and tree birds.
42:36Originally, there was a shipment of tree fern trunks
42:39came in in 1818 to Falmouth Docks.
42:41They were brought in as ballast on the ship.
42:43The story goes when they unloaded them from the hold,
42:46they found that they'd actually started to grow
42:48and produce the fronds,
42:49obviously a long journey over from Australia.
42:52So they then share them out to the sort of wealthy landowners
42:56and then they planted them in the gardens
42:57because basically this whole stem is roots.
42:59You can literally just chop them off,
43:00put them in the ground and away you go.
43:03Now, of course, the great thing about that these days
43:05is that people can buy them in and skip a few generations.
43:09If you think about it,
43:10a tree fern takes around about 10 years to grow every foot.
43:13So if you can buy them in already,
43:15sort of three or four foot in height,
43:16you've saved 30, 40 years.
43:18They're good to go and then they're in your garden.
43:19But these are absolutely glorious.
43:21I bet they've got some stories to tell.
43:23I would imagine they've seen an awful lot go on,
43:25not just here, but obviously from their origins in Australia.
43:29So if somebody at home wanted to get that kind of jungle feel of a garden,
43:32which is all the craze at the moment, isn't it?
43:34People are more and more wanting that style.
43:36Good starting point?
43:38Certainly, I mean,
43:38especially if you're going to go for one that's a bit larger.
43:40So you've already got it sort of standing above.
43:42So you can have other plants underneath it and dotted around.
43:45You can also pop them in a pot.
43:46They go really nicely with the foliage form
43:49with sort of slightly larger, more exotic plants as well.
43:52And what are some of those other plants that you could use?
43:54You could introduce some sort of bulbs and things that will do well underneath
43:58to create a bit of sort of lower level interest.
44:01And then other sort of foliage forms,
44:02obviously things like bananas go really well with them.
44:06And obviously the classic tracheocarpus, the big shooting palm,
44:10which are really good for creating that sort of exotic look in a garden
44:14and a really sort of nice sort of statuesque form to them.
44:17So a few good key investment plants for structure
44:19and then perhaps a few smaller ones underneath,
44:21maybe some of the aeoniums and things like that
44:23I've seen dotted around here.
44:24That's a good plant for people to use maybe.
44:26Yeah, I mean, there's all sorts of unusual bits and pieces you can try
44:30and challenge mother nature.
44:31Now I noticed quite a few bamboo as I've walked around
44:34and they of course have glorious colour, don't they?
44:35So should we go and have a look at a few?
44:37Yes, yes, probably.
44:46I can see one over there.
44:47This one looks pretty special.
44:49That's, yeah, what an amazing sight.
44:51Yeah, I think the great thing about bamboos
44:53is there's so much variation in form, shape, colour, leaf size.
44:57And this is a particularly special one.
44:59I love it.
45:00It's very tactile and I kind of, I want to cuddle it.
45:02I want to get inside it.
45:05Yeah, wow.
45:06Yeah, it's a particular favourite of mine.
45:08Is this one tropical then?
45:10So no, this is actually from a temperate sort of region of China.
45:14So very similar climate to what we have here with the cold.
45:17Whereas the one opposite you is actually our only tropical bamboo.
45:21It's called the candy stripe bamboo.
45:23It has these wonderful coloured stripes in it.
45:25So red and yellow stripes.
45:28So this one can't cope with the extremes of temperature.
45:31So if you've got it really cold,
45:32it would actually get frosted and damaged.
45:34So if you're looking for one that's reliable in a colder climate,
45:37you can't beat the Phrygesian.
45:38So what you want is a tropical looking one like this that's hardy.
45:42That's it.
45:42And it gives that wonderful, wonderful display.
45:44And the great thing about bamboos is they look good throughout the year.
45:47So even in the depths of winter, they're still standing there looking fantastic.
45:50And is it good for people to grow in their garden?
45:53It's a really good one because it's actually a clump forming bamboo.
45:56So unlike ones that will take over yours and next doors,
45:59this one will stay fairly compact.
46:01So it's really good for that.
46:02And also you can use the canes for your runner beans and other things.
46:05So it has other uses.
46:06Multi-purpose.
46:07Definitely.
46:08So there's just so much to see here.
46:19But with spring upon us, it's time I let Darren get back to work.
46:26What I've learned at Treeba today is that you don't need your own microclimate
46:29to create a jungle feel.
46:31With a few wise plant choices and some attention to detail,
46:35a tropical garden could be yours for the taking.
46:38Ah, brilliant insights there, Camilla.
46:49A stunning garden and invaluable tips.
46:53I love Treeba.
46:54It's in this valley running down to the sea.
46:56Hope you were jotting down notes at home.
46:58Our goal is to equip you with clear, straightforward advice.
47:02And from there, the creative journey is yours to enjoy.
47:06So step into your garden, relish the experience,
47:10and savour all the delights that spring gardening has to offer.
47:14See you next week.
47:15And until then, whatever the weather, enjoy your garden.
47:36Alan Titchmarsh's Gardening Club, brought to you by Green Thumb.