Original subtitles

BEE BUZZES

Hello and welcome to Gardeners' World.

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

these large pots of tulips and wallflowers.

But they've done really well this spring,

flowering right into the third week of May.

But now their day is done.

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

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

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

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

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

left in the plant.

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

Having said that, not all tulips are worth keeping.

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

they take ages to build up a big enough bulb.

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

and flowering ten, even 20 years later.

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

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

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

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

It's about really putting yourself in the planting,

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

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

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

made last year...

..where she looks at trees

that are an invaluable source of food for bees.

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

and the lovely thing about this is

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

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

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

as well as planting out dahlias for cut flowers,

and also adding sunflowers to the Jewel Garden,

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

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

so, two reasons for that -

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

All the goodness will be taken out of it.

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

Tulips love sharp drainage.

What I'm going to plant next

needs something that will hold more moisture and be richer.

So...

..this is garden compost.

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

I want the moisture to be held in that.

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

and then add the potting compost.

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

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

sieved leaf mould and a little bit of grit.

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

it wants to have extra goodness.

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

The centrepiece is this.

This is a ginger - hedychium.

And it will grow two, three times as big,

and give an incredible starburst display.

This is a variety called Assam Orange, topped with orange

flowers shooting out from the centre.

A really brilliant, exotic plant.

Now, it is tender...

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

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

Pull that more to the centre.

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

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

So, I need more than just the ginger,

however spectacular it is in its own right.

So, I'm going to underplant it.

Now, I'm starting with French marigolds.

This is a variety of French marigold called French Red.

What I like about them is the burgundy red

with the bright orange.

These are tender, too.

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

So, just break them out.

If you break the roots, that will stimulate regrowth.

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

..like that.

And these should keep flowering, if you keep deadheading.

That is the absolute secret of most of these annuals.

Marigolds will do well in full sun,

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

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

Now, this is a first for me.

This is calibrachoa.

And this is a variety called Callie Orange.

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

It should spill over the edges.

And that, of course, adds drama and interest.

It's related to petunias.

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

related to potatoes and tomatoes as well.

Every week, this will have a water.

We have what we call feeding Friday in the garden,

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

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

or you can buy seaweed,

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

with a basic tomato feed.

And that will keep the flowers coming.

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

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

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

will have an energy and a dynamism.

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

In fact, the whole point of the Jewel Garden

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

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

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

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

Mrs Frost has got the longest list of jobs in there

you have ever seen.

It feels like it is!

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

And if you're anything like me, those moments

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

are just absolutely glorious.

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

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

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

And the scent is incredible.

I wish you could smell.

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

I love this coppery foliage and the way it sits.

It's fantastic, really is.

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

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

You might recognise that.

It's my turkey tray...

Oh, no.

Hey?

That really is perfect timing.

If you remember last time,

Ash walked through while I was sowing this rocket,

and I'm just looking at it,

and it's really heavily sown.

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

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

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

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

..not only does that smell really...

You get that rocket, sort of...

But the flavour...

..it's really good.

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

Recognise those?

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

And instantly, you look at those,

the sowing is much better.

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

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

because, as you do start to thin them,

obviously, you start crushing foliage, and that can

actually attract the carrot fly.

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

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

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

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

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

It's a standard gooseberry.

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

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

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

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

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

And I do like a gooseberry pie.

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

where I can just sit and linger.

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

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

together, I had the path coming through,

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

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

And then I started to realise how good the light was

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

the wildlife come into the space.

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

from an old, diseased tree that we had,

and I'm going to use those.

So, I've put three in.

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

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

or a pot, even some railway sleepers.

I've done it out of that.

It's about really putting yourself in the planting,

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

to engage with nature and what's around you.

And then the moments become incredibly special.

So, I'll get this in.

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

roughly level up, as long as it...

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

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

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

Just firm that in.

Come to the planting...

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

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

that will develop as the season goes on.

Next to there, you've got the actaea,

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

And, then, coming back in here, epimedium -

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

quite a serrated dagger.

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

wonderful little oval leaves.

So, when it comes to laying them out,

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

..these seats.

It's not going to get too high.

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

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

you're really starting to see that detail.

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

little rhythm and this, just, repeated patterns.

This actaea is actually called Misty Blue.

And when you look carefully, you can see

tiny white flowers going to develop.

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

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

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

Just be mindful

if you are going to use actaea that some people,

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

So...

But, yeah, cracking plants.

Let's get that in.

Look at this - it's actually a dryopteris.

So, it's Dryopteris stewartii...

..which is a good, hardworking, fern -

get to about just under two foot.

If I can get those roots established over this first season

going into the winter,

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

So, into that soil.

There we go.

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

epimedium Spine Tingler.

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

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

There we go.

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

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

it'll pretty well look after itself.

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

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

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

I made that over the winter,

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

It looks quite nice.

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

But it feels all right.

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

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

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

which Nellie likes, and Adam's absolutely right -

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

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

And this bit of the garden, the wildlife garden,

was created some years ago to be good for wildlife

and good for humans, to show that the two

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

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

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

in its first year.

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

and dragonflies, and everything starts to click.

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

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

are designed mainly for pollinators.

As many different types of pollinators as we can,

but, above all, bees.

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

fabulous films of how you've been using your gardens

and how your gardens have been helping you get through this

extraordinary time that we're all sharing.

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

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

with us not just their love of gardens

but also their love of bees.

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

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

BEE BUZZES Bees are very important, because they pollinate

most of the plant food we eat.

It takes 12 bees in their whole lifetime

to make one teaspoon of honey.

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

and healthy.

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

We think it's really important to plant

flowers in your garden for the bees.

We have planted a row of foxgloves.

And they absolutely love the apple blossom.

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

We have planted a few wild flower seeds,

but now we just leave it to do its thing.

We think it looks really pretty.

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

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

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

great television presenters, too.

That was fantastic.

And there are a wide range of plants that you can

grow in your garden to attract bees.

But do remember that honeybees have short tongues,

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

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

But if you want to attract honeybees, you need plants

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

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

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

And those are sunflowers.

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

but because I love them.

Now, at the moment,

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

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

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

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

Now, I've got a couple of different varieties

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

The first one is Velvet Queen.

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

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

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

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

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

they grow nice and strong, and it does help.

Whereas, if you stake them straight away,

they never develop such a strong stem.

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

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

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

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

And they all work just as well for the pollinators.

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

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

And if you keep deadheading them,

they will produce flowers until the end of summer.

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

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

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

trees that are also really good for pollinators and bees.

And this time last year,

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

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

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

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

searching for the vital food they need.

And they do as a favour in return.

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

relies on pollination by bees and other insects.

Even closer to home, like here at Gravetye Manor,

bees foraging for food in our gardens pollinate our flowers and

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

But there's a problem.

As a result of habitat loss, pesticide use, disease

and intensive farming methods, bee populations are in decline.

One third of the UK's bees have

disappeared over the last ten years,

making it more important than ever for us

gardeners to do our bit to help with this issue.

There's a wonderful, symbiotic relationship

between bees and flowers.

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

They forage for pollen and nectar.

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

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

and this is deposited on the next flower.

The bee gets its meal, the flower gets pollinated.

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

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

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

The great thing about a tree is that you can get

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

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

and it is awash with flowers for the bees.

This is a really good plant for any garden.

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

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

And the lovely thing about this is

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

And it makes such a huge impact from far back,

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

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

And, of course, plenty for the bees.

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

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

Especially in a small garden, it gives so much.

It has lovely form, beautiful blossom, beautiful fruits,

and then fantastic autumn colour,

especially if you plant this in the sunshine.

More importantly,

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

And then the fruit later is fantastic

because the birds love the seeds.

So, you could call it a win-win.

There are 270 species of bee in the UK,

with the vast majority being solitary bees.

Different species are more prevalent,

depending on the time of year and the temperature.

Bumblebees tolerate lower temperatures,

while honeybees love the warmer weather.

BEE BUZZES

BEEHIVE HUMS

This is a tree that bees absolutely love.

It's called cercis, Forest Pansy.

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

it's absolutely invaluable because it has such

a beautiful shape.

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

and pink flowers that are yet to open on this.

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

And the really unusual thing about cercis is that

it flowers on its bare branches.

Now, it's believed that where this evolved

in the forests of North America,

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

would have had access to that nectar.

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

Pyrus salicifolia,

so-called because it has willow-like

or salix-like foliage,

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

with bees and other insects

so it's very valued by our wildlife.

And they have these lovely clusters of white flowers.

But these open flowers are really accessible

to bees and pollinators.

They'll turn into small, inedible fruits,

but birds really love them too.

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

if you're planting a white garden.

Now, I think they can suffer

from some rather insensitive pruning,

but when you do it carefully

and let the natural weeping habit show,

it can be an absolutely stunning addition to any garden.

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

because it's very resistant to air pollution,

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

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

but there are all kinds of ornamental fruit trees

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

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

because in double-flowering plants,

those nectaries where the food is

have been bred away and replaced by petals.

Now, this is an ornamental cherry

called Tai-haku, meaning big, white flowers.

And you can see why. They are double the size

of the average cherry blossom.

Probably better for a slightly larger space

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

and the spread is huge.

But if you have the space, plant one.

The bees will thank you.

It's important to remember that some trees and plants

are pollinated by the wind and other types of insects,

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

the bees will enjoy.

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

spare a thought for the bees.

Consider planting a tree

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

and be an invaluable source of food for our bees.

I do think that however small your garden,

there will be a flowering tree

that you can fit in and enjoy,

and they just add a floral dimension

that is fabulous.

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

and suggested that if you hadn't sowed tomatoes,

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

and I'd take you through the process

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

later on in summer.

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

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

they tend to be quite robust,

and also the seeds are widely available.

Now, these are mine,

and you can see that they've germinated

and have developed what's called the true leaf,

which is the leaf that looks like the parent.

And as soon as they develop a true leaf,

they're ready for pricking out or potting on.

So, if yours look anything like this,

this is what you should do.

So, a small pot and I'm just using

a normal, peat-free potting compost.

Hold it by the leaf always,

and just cut around it

to lift it out.

And there you have a root ball

on that little plant, a really good root system.

You drop it into the pot like that.

Hold it steady.

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

Just gently shake it like that

and put it to one side.

And it is really important

to get as much root as you can.

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

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

young plants from a garden centre.

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

because new roots will develop from it.

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

So I won't even think of planting them out

for another three, four weeks

when the nights are nice and warm.

There we go.

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

Give them a good soak

and these will go back

into a protected environment.

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

a windowsill, a porch,

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

The beauty of tomatoes

and, in fact, quite a few vegetables

is that you don't need a lot of space

to get a really good harvest.

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

which is my own native county,

of a gardener who's got an entire vegetable garden

on his balcony.

Hi, I'm Bob,

and you join me here on my balcony in Southampton.

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

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

a couple of years back.

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

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

no matter how big or small it is.

Firstly, think vertical.

Make use of walls and hanging baskets.

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

and we've got peas growing up another.

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

growing some herbs such as parsley,

thyme and some mint.

Secondly, experiment.

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

wrapped in hessian.

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

Finally, choose plants that make you smile

and bring you fond memories.

But most importantly right now,

make space for yourself.

Cheers!

I think that was inspirational, Bob.

Really good to get as many people as possible

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

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

or any plants on a balcony or roof space,

and also just make sure it's strong enough

because the extra weight of containers

with water and plants

may be more than the structure will bear.

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

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

you can grow them on a windowsill,

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

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

They love heat and the more, the better.

And the secret I've learnt over the years

of getting really good chillies

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

early on in the year.

So it's time to plant them on,

and I'm putting them into these terracotta pots.

The terracotta means they don't get too wet,

and chillies hate sitting in wet compost.

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

but small enough to constrain them

once they reach a certain size.

And if they're feeling a little bit stressed,

that will trigger more flower and fruit production,

so the perfect balance.

Need to put a crock in the bottom.

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

This is a peat-free, bark-based mix

with a little bit of goodness added to it.

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

And this is a cayenne pepper.

It's called Long Red Slim.

Not too hot, but a little bit pokey.

And depending on your taste, you can get a chilli

that will blow the top of your head off,

if that's what you want,

or just slightly add a touch of spice

to whatever you're eating.

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

but put it in like that.

And then fill around it.

It's a very good way of potting on.

Smooth it so it's level

and then just carefully lift it out

and what you're left with

is a space exactly the size of the roots.

So if I then

take that out...

And just pop it in and it fits perfectly.

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

Lift it out,

pop it in.

Easy-peasy.

Still to come on today's programme...

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

..that is filled from floor to ceiling

with house plants.

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

so it really makes you feel like you're walking

through a tropical rainforest.

And I shall be planting out dahlias for cutting

and also planting my runner beans.

Now, like all of us,

Arit has spent more time at home and in her garden

than she normally ever does, and this has meant

not only having time for herself in the garden,

but also having time to share it with her children.

I bought this house in 2010,

my first proper garden, and like most people,

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

so I have a lot to thank this garden for.

Being away for work so much

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

in my beloved space.

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

to be able to spend more time in the garden

and, importantly, set up a little kitchen area

that I wanted to do with the children

for our container-grown vegetables.

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

which leads into our small leafy garden,

and the children have been pretty keen to get growing.

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

and I live with my dad, Scott,

and my stepmum, Arit.

Well, what I've got here in my hand

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

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

..and spinach, which I also really like.

Freya, my stepdaughter, is a teenager

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

even she's enjoying time outside.

Hi, my name's Freya

and I'm 14 years old.

I've been planting quite a lot lately.

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

onions, cucumber.

Growing vegetables was really lovely

cos I've never done it before.

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

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

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

for growing vegetables and flowers,

so we've been recycling.

Recently, I've been up to our greengrocer,

who has very kindly given us these boxes

that they're always just throwing away,

and using those for seed trays.

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

having punctured them with a few drainage holes.

And invention has been the order of the day.

It has been about going around the home,

thinking of ideas of what we can use,

anything we can get a plant or a seed in.

When it came to what veg to grow,

the children chose the things they like to eat most.

Harvey is head of peas.

I'm going to grow pea shoots.

And the way I've prepared them

is soaked them in water for a few days.

It helps speed up the germination of the peas.

Just get the peas, scatter them around.

You can grow them quite close

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

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

..so very good for your health.

I arranged them about a penny-distance apart

and pushed them in with my finger.

I'm just going to scatter some more soil

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

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

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

As we know,

peas are not Harvey's only vegetable passion.

When I first put in my watercress...

..it was really small,

but now it's been growing really well

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

the size of it when it was first put in.

It normally grows around slow-running streams,

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

because it's a really thirsty plant.

I really like watercress.

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

Over in the very sunny seating area

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

What I'm planting in these crates

are some thyme, sage and marjoram.

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

because they're all Mediterranean plants

and they like hot weather

and they like well-drained soil.

I'm putting parsley and chives in a separate container

as they like the same amount of sun,

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

Even in this small garden,

I am still getting a bit of a look in.

This tree stump was an irresistible find.

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

and I perforated a compost bag to line inside it,

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

I do try to create little vignettes where I can

that work within the space,

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

I have got my lovely pittosporum here,

but it's creating sort of light and shade,

which means it's almost woodland edge,

so this log sits perfectly

with the little viola coming in

cos they're still going to get enough light,

and it just gives this little sense of a little dell

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

This time has been quite special.

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

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

And I think it's been really interesting

seeing them tend to their plants,

look at how their seedlings are going.

It just means they've had a new involvement.

I'm also blown away

about how much they've researched both the plants

and how to grow their food.

This family time has allowed them

to connect with nature.

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

is that the garden will always be

the place to be.

I know that anybody who's got a garden

and used it over this period

has realised what a treasure it is.

Now, this is the Cottage Garden

and we've got two cutting beds,

and what that means is

they are reserved exclusively

for growing cut flowers.

Now, I'm planting out some dahlias.

I've just put in a David Howard,

which has got wonderful orange flowers

and dark foliage.

These haven't developed

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

which is where I'd like to plant it,

it would suffer terribly

because it would be swamped by its neighbours.

And dahlia tubers get bigger as they get older

so by putting them in good, rich soil,

good spacing, plenty of light,

then this will get bigger

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

Now, this one is a variety called Tamburo.

Lovely, dark, intense red flowers.

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

you need to plant them good and deep,

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

But these will be bought in

once we get to October,

so all I need to do is to plant them

the same depth as they are in the pot.

But if this was a tuber

and I was planting it for the winter,

I could plant it that deep,

nice and deep underground,

and that will be protected.

But that will go in there like that.

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

And if you're growing dahlias in a container,

it is really important to keep them

well-watered and well-fed.

And I always use liquid seaweed,

but a tomato feed will do the job perfectly well.

Now, if plants get old

and look like they're not going to perform,

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

But you'd be surprised at how many of those

seemingly hopeless cases can be revived.

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

plant rescuing to a whole new level.

Hi, I'm Sarah.

I accidentally got into plant rescuing about three years ago.

I was at a local DIY shop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tropical plants obviously love bathrooms

because they've got some humidity.

And I can show you this lovely dracaena...

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

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

and it's totally recovered.

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

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

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

and there's no chance of rescuing it,

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

Good for her!

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

I want to take away the seed heads,

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

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

which are looking really healthy.

I suppose I get more letters about hostas than anything else

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

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

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

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

they tend to be left alone.

What slugs and snails like are stressed plants,

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

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

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

is at its best and although the foliage is really dramatic

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

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

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

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

but a lot of people don't.

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

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

and his fabulous plants.

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

that my plants have already woken up before me.

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

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

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

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

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

and it's just beautiful.

For me, the most important thing

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

the plants to thrive because a sick plant,

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

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

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

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

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

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

the ones that are epiphytic in nature,

so they attach themselves to trees and grow downwards.

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

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

This is a neon pothos.

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

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

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

without damaging the wall,

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

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

Everybody's so impressed by it,

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

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

my favourite plants.

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

when I'm sitting on the sofa.

This is the star of the show here -

this Oxalis triangularis.

It looks like 100 beautiful purple butterflies

and I'm so proud of it

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

about ten centimetres,

and now it's possibly one of the largest specimens

in the country.

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

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

and they actually move towards the sun

during the course of the day,

and it's really one of my favourites.

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

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

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

This is a Philodendron xanadu.

I got it from a large flat-pack furniture shop

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

I can't imagine living without it.

A very interesting thing about this plant

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

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

more and more beautiful.

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

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

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

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

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

in colour, in texture, actually.

And I have orchids dotted around the room.

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

and it just gives this cohesiveness, if you will.

Just like a painting needs a frame,

I believe every plant needs its own pot.

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

I love its black velvety leaves.

It flowers year after year in December or January

and I found this perfect pot for it

and it has a zigzagging black pattern that goes so well

with the lines on the leaves.

I feel like if you only have plants that you love

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

and you combine them with the art that you love,

it's a winning combination.

Everyone should have house plants.

Well, I agree about house plants.

But if you've got an outdoor garden,

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

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

low return for a big investment.

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

of trouble and you don't get much back.

But what you do get back is lovely.

I'm cutting under the soil.

Obviously, you want nice, thick sprues

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

that's what you'll get.

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

is a bit exhausted or you were cutting too often

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

But drainage is the key.

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

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

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

that is heaven.

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

Here are some jobs for you this weekend.

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

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

but reducing the height by about a third to a half

of perennials that have not yet flowered.

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

and therefore lots more flowers.

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

coincides with the life cycle of the black bean aphid.

So, to reduce the aphid,

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

And this will also concentrate energy

into the growing bean pods below.

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

both tender and hardy.

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

Put them in the ground now while the soil is warm

and they will grow and flower very quickly.

These are the Scarlet Emperor runner beans

that I sowed just three weeks ago

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

but I didn't want to risk them.

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

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

And I'm planting them

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

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

as well as a veg plot

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

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

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

lots of garden compost underneath them.

They do like moisture at their roots.

So if you put plenty of organic matter in,

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

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

which acted as a sponge.

As well as giving these a really good soak,

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

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

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

and make two curtains of really good green foliage,

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

which are so good to eat.

Right, now I'll plant the rest,

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

because we've run out of time today.

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

Until then, bye-bye.