All language subtitles for GardenersWorld2020S53E30

Hello. Welcome to Gardeners' World.

Well, it's time to clear this bed.

And earlier in the summer, I planted
a group of three vegetables,

all sharing the same space,
known as the "three sisters".

And that was sweetcorn underplanted
with French beans and courgettes.

And the sweetcorn were fantastic.

It's a variety called Swift.

And I have to say they were the best
I've ever grown.

So, that was a success.

The beans were good without
being absolutely spectacular.

In fact, there's still quite a few
on there, which I'll take off

before chucking them
on the compost heap.

But the courgettes were,
quite frankly, a disappointment.

Nothing like the quantity
that one normally gets.

This courgette was a variety
called Tromboncino.

But you can see it
grew pretty well.

I think the problem was likely
to be the fact

that I was cramming
too much into a raised bed.

These raised beds drain really well.

But, of course,
courgettes like lots of moisture.

So, the sweetcorn and the beans
were taking up too much moisture,

not leaving enough
for the courgettes

really to develop as they might have
done. So, that's a lesson learned.

If you're going to do the
three sisters,

give them a little bit
more room than I've done here.

I shall leave this foxglove that's
self-seeded in the corner there,

cos I always like to have a few
flowers popping up unbidden,

but very welcome
in amongst the veg.

Coming up on today's programme,

after finally having the opportunity

to get to grips with
his own back garden,

Nick shares his design tips for
making the most of a compact plot.

If you're putting together a border
in a really small garden,

then every single plant
has really got to count.

Joe meets the broadcaster
Kate Garraway,

who, along with her children,
found solace in her garden

in the darkest of times.

You can't think short-term
in a garden.

You have to plan.

You have to have hope.

You have to invest in a future.

You don't plant something
unless you believe

it's going to come up.

So, by planting something and
believing Derek will see it

when it comes up,
that gives us a sense of future.

And I'll be planting up
my orchard beds

with a selection
of shade-loving biennials.

Right. Well, having cleared
away the three sisters

and dug over the bed and,
actually, I've added

a little bit of compost,

it should now be ready
for the next planting

and this will be elephant garlic.

Garlic is one of those crops that
needs vernalisation to grow well.

Vernalisation just means a cold
period which triggers growth.

In the case of garlic, it's about
a month below ten degrees.

Now, to guarantee that,

the earlier you put it in the
ground, the more chance you've got.

So, I like to start planting garlic
by the end of October,

but failing that,
certainly by Christmas.

And it's good idea to do it now
while the ground is easy to work.

However, I grow less and less
conventional garlic nowadays

because we find that elephant
garlic does the job perfectly.

Now, elephant garlic
has simply enormous cloves.

One clove of elephant garlic

is almost as big as a whole bulb of
some of the more conventional types.

And although they're so big,

they're actually very mild.

It grows very well.

It's easy to grow
and it stores beautifully.

This will store for up to a year
if you keep it cool and dark.

Make a decent-size hole.

So, that goes in there, quite deep.

It's a bulb, and as a rule of thumb,

it needs its own depth above it
before soil level.

One in the middle, pointy end up.

Pop it in like that.

And another over on this side.

Now, like all garlic, it likes
quite a rich, well-drained soil.

It needs spacing rather wider
than most garlics,

so I like to give it
at least a foot apart.

Now, these will grow much better
in a bed

than they will in the container.

But it doesn't mean to say that you
can't grow them in containers.

I've grown garlic in pots
and they work perfectly well.

Now, all I have to do
is rake this over,

which will cover the bulbs.

They don't need watering because
there's moisture in the soil.

And the one thing I can be
absolutely certain of

is there will be plenty of rain
over the next few weeks.

You should start to see
the first shoots appear

in about a month's time.

There we go.

Underneath that seemingly
empty surface

is the first of next
summer's harvest

just waiting
to burst out of the ground,

and because it's elephant garlic,
to do so in grand style.

Now, we paid a visit to Nick
in his garden at home

and over the last few years,

he's been so busy on other people's
projects that he hadn't had time

to give his own garden the attention
that he felt it deserved.

Well, lockdown changed that.
So, for the first time,

he was able to get stuck in and
get going with some projects

that he had had on the
back burner for ages.

NICK: Back in March, as the
country went into lockdown

in a very bare and
barren-looking plot,

I put spade to ground
for the first time.

By the end of April, most
of the clearance had been done

and I was able to focus
on the design.

And, of course, the planting.

Nearly five months on...

..and it is absolutely fantastic
to finally have my own garden.

It's a relatively small space,

so I've employed various different
design devices

to try and make the most of it.

One of the classic things I've done
is to place the glasshouse over here

and it effectively divides up
the garden,

creating a series of... I like to
call "flirtations and revelations".

In other words, suggesting that
there's something that lies beyond,

you can end up making
a small garden feel quite big.

The other device that I've employed
is the pergola behind me here.

And, of course, growing plants
in this way means that they make

the most of the vertical space.

But it has the dual advantage

that all the foliage across
the top of the pergola

starts to tie into those trees
outside of my garden.

So, I can borrow bits
of the surrounding landscape -

effectively nick
my neighbours' trees.

All those weeks back, I was
determined to try something

I hadn't done much before.

And at that uncertain time,
it seemed crucial -

growing vegetables.

And, in fact, it was going to be
the primary focus of my new garden.

But it didn't quite work out
like that.

My passion for ornamental plants
has meant that the vegetables

have taken just a little bit
of a backseat.

My brassicas are OK,

but they're a bit like my school
reports - "could do better".

I've had a good harvest
of beans, though.

And my tomatoes are fab.

But, as for my potato patch,

a battle with the bindweed
lasted so long

that I missed the planting season.

But I've now landscaped the area -

you've guessed it -
with ornamentals.

If you're putting together a
border in a really small garden,

then every single plant
has really got to count

and you need to make sure
you've got the right mix

that's going to give you a
succession of colour and interest

over as many months as possible.

And I've got a bit of a recipe
that can help you do that.

So, to start with, you need to put
in the long-flowering perennials.

Now, there's two right beside me
here that are incredibly useful -

this geranium, which flowers
for six to seven months

and then this perennial
wallflower - this erysimum.

And again, this flowers even more -
probably up to about nine months.

The second component you need to
think about are successional plants.

In other words, plants that you grow
in association with each other.

So the Salvia Amistad is
looking fabulous at the moment.

But about six weeks ago,
it wasn't even in bloom.

However, at the start of the season,

I planted a mass of orange
lilies underneath it,

so they were looking fantastic.

Just as they finished, of course,
the Salvia came into bloom,

I cut back the lilies, and
it kept the colour coming.

And then the third component

for creating a great successional
border is the slot-in plants.

They tend to be annuals,

and I've grown several
in the glasshouse this year,

which I've slotted into
the front of the border

as earlier-flowering species
have finished.

So, two examples of that
are this cerinthe just here,

just pushing into flower.
I put this in about a month ago.

And then, running all the way
through the borders,

I've got this lovely tropaeolum.

It's got this fantastic
variegated foliage

and it just weaves its way
through everything.

With these three simple planting
strategies, if you follow them,

you'll have months and months
of colour in your garden.

Another good ploy is
to take cuttings of plants

which may not survive
the winter outdoors.

This Argyranthemum
is a case in point.

So, as an insurance policy, I'm
cutting just below the leaf nodes...

..trimming the foliage...

..and then potting them in a light
compost where they'll root.

I'm going to keep these damp,

or they can even sit in
a propagator

and just stay nice and moist.

And in three or four weeks' time,
they will have rooted through,

I can pot them up and there'll
be plants ready to go

into the garden next summer.

Now, I might not have been hugely
productive

in terms of the amount of fruit and
veg that I've produced outside.

But in the glasshouse, I've tried
out a few unusual edibles.

Now, one of them is this,
lemongrass.

Native to India, lemongrass has a
lemony scent and the stems

have a citrus flavour, which is
regularly used in Thai food.

Now, over here,
this is Salvia hispanica,

otherwise known as chia.

Now it comes from Mexico

and the seeds are high in Omega 3,
which is quite unusual for plants,

and it also has a good range
of trace elements.

So, it's a really good,
nutritious plant.

Now you can put them on top
of breads that you bake.

You can mix it into biscuits.

Or one of the ways you can treat
them is to start out

with the raw seed like this,

and then soak them in milk or a
milk alternative or even yogurt.

And what you wind up with
is chia pudding,

which is this
extraordinary-looking stuff.

It's a little bit like frogspawn.
I'm going to try it.

Mmm. I have to say,
it's actually really pleasant.

It's kind of smooth and silky.

The gel that's inside the seed
has come out and surrounded it,

so it makes each individual
seed much larger.

I reckon it's actually quite tasty.

Now, the third of my unusual
edibles is this.

It's Spilanthes, or commonly
known as the electric daisy.

Now, it's just been licensed for
use in dentistry as an anaesthetic,

but, historically, it's been most
commonly used as food flavouring.

It is said to initially
have a lemony flavour,

quite strong lemon flavour,

and then, to make you salivate,

and then, finally,
it's supposed to give you

sort of a mild electrical
sensation in your mouth.

I'm just about to try it out.

And let's have a go.

Wow!

Wow!

Wow...

Well, I know why it got its name.

That was intense and unique
and lemony and, mm,

slightly feel like I'm being
electrocuted at the moment.

But, yeah, I think it's good!

Phenomenal flavour, but perhaps
best used in moderation...!

From the glasshouse
to the summerhouse,

the beds to the borders,

my new garden has taken
on a life of its own

and become a huge part of mine.

Nick has made a lovely garden.

And what's so impressive

is that he's created a sense
of profusion and substance

and variety and longevity -
yet used very few plants.

And it's that skill in expertly
selecting your plants

that is the key, I think.

This is a tray of foxgloves
that I've grown from seed

and this is a very good time
of year

to be planting out
biennials like foxgloves.

But first, we're going to visit
one of your gardens.

And Simone and her daughter
Alessandra from West Sussex

have sent us a film celebrating
the Seed Swap

that they've set up from
rather an unusual base.

My name is Simone Graham

and I formed a community group
to restore and repurpose

this beautiful old K6 phone box
into a Seed Swap.

It's for the local community,

if they have surplus seed
or if they have any seed

they've gathered from their garden,

they can bring it here
and swap it for some seed

that somebody else has left.
So, come inside and have a look.

I'm going to swap some seeds today.

So, I've got some...
Is it a foxglove?

Yeah, foxglove and some broccoli.

So, foxgloves go in "Flowers A"...

"Flowers A-F"...

..right there.

I'm going to choose...

..this one... Yeah.

This.

And then, one of these.

The box has been a real hub
for the local community.

We've got different community
groups involved.

We've got the local Men's Shed
who has fitted out the bookcase.

We've got a local running group
who does a phone box dash

on a Friday night between
the different phone boxes

that have been refurbished in town.

And we've got the local
horticultural groups involved,

as well, which is really great.

So, if you have an old K6 phone box
in your neighbourhood

or you've got a corner
of a store or anything,

to set up a Seed Swap is a really
great and easy thing to do.

Although there've been
lots of Seed Swaps around

for quite a long time,
Simone and Alessandra

have brought real charm
and wit to it.

And wouldn't be lovely if every
village and town and city

in the country could use all
the thousands of old call boxes

for Seed Swaps? It's a lovely idea.

I've got some plants here,
some of which I've grown from seed

and some of which I have bought.

These are biennials.

I've got three different types -
foxgloves, honesty and sweet rocket.

And the nature of a biennial
is that the seed falls,

germinates quite quickly,
grows into a small plant

and then overwinters
without growing any more.

But, come spring, they're in
a really good place,

with a strong root system
to grow fast,

flower, and then the seed falls
and the cycle repeats itself.

So, it's a little late
to sow seed now,

but you can buy plants
from garden centres

and now is the perfect time
to plant out the young biennials

so they're ready to grow and flower

where you want them to
in your garden next spring.

This is probably the best-known
biennial there is,

which is foxglove.

However, this particular foxglove

is not like the ordinary Digitalis,
the purpurea,

with these lovely purple,
pinky bells of flowers.

This is a variety called
Sutton's Apricot

and a really good apricot is rare,

but I treasure it.

I've sown a few trays of them

and I'm going to be planting them
all the way down these borders.

So, with any luck, next spring
they will set a colour tone,

when they flower in May and June,
that will be really special.

It's all right. There's a good
girl, you stay there.

So if I put that there.

And then another back in here
next to this hydrangea.

Foxgloves are essentially
woodland plants.

They grow best in clearings and
glades along the edge of woods.

So, if you've got shrubs
or small trees,

they are perfect for planting
in amongst them.

Now, I've also got...this,

which is sweet rocket.

Sweet rocket comes with a range
of colours from white

through shades of purpley-pink,

through to a deep mauve
and are lovely.

But what makes them even better
is that, whatever colour they are,

they are deliciously fragrant,
particularly in the evening.

So, this can go in here
and I'll put another one there too.

And the final one is honesty,

which has lovely mauvey-purple
flowers.

Fantastic for pollinating insects
in spring,

but it's grown as much
for its seed heads as its flowers,

because when the flowers are over,

the seed heads are these
silvery two-dimensional discs

and they will last right
through winter.

So, all in all, this is a plant
that gives you a double hit.

Really good flowers
and fabulous seed heads

and it will grow perfectly
well in light shade.

This can come back
in amongst there.

And one at the back there too.
Right, let's start planting.

You stay there, Nell.
You let me do all the work.

You rest.

You see, if I could train you
to use a trowel,

you could plant them too,

couldn't you? I'm sure Patti would.

Well, there is no secret to these.
You simply...

..make a hole

and plant them so that

the level that they're in the pot
is the same as the soil.

It's a good idea to plant
biennials in groups.

However, avoid doing rows
or lines or even grids,

because the art of making borders
like this work,

particularly if
there's dappled shade

and a mixture of trees and shrubs
and annuals and perennials,

is to make it look as though
it is as natural as possible.

We've now got a chance
to have another look

at the orchid collection at Kew,

and join its curator,
Bala Kompalli.

I'm a botanical horticulturist,

working for the last 13 years.

My role involves looking after
one of the largest collections

in the tropical nursery,

which is orchid collections
in the Orchid Unit.

Orchids belong to one of

the largest flowering plant families
in the world,

with over 25,000 species
and still growing.

When I was a child,
I used to hear about

my grandfather's interest
in growing plants.

He always used to collect seeds
from various parts of India

and then grow them, and used to
label them very meticulously

and look after them.

And I started paying interest
in plant life

and it became my biggest passion
since I was a child.

My job is not just creating
beautiful displays.

It's a lot more than that.

My work also involves working
with different scientists

from all around the world.

For example, the orchid species here

are used for various
taxonomic studies,

conservation research, educating the
next generation of horticulturists,

public displays, festivals,

and I'm proud to be
a part of it day-to-day.

Here in Princess of Wales
Conservatory,

this exhibit reminds me of my home

because it shows how orchids
naturally grow

on their host trees in the wild.

Although orchids are distributed
in many parts of the world,

India has some fabulous species.

For example, this one belongs to
the genus Thunia.

This genus is widespread
from Indian subcontinent to China

and Peninsular Malaysia.

And this has a very unique type
of pseudobulbs,

look like canes,

and the leaves are lush green
when they're growing

and they spread in
alternate fashion.

I saw them growing,
hundreds and hundreds of them

on a big branch of tree,

and all the pseudobulbs are leaning,
facing the ground.

And it looks amazing
to see them all at one place.

Many of us know what these are.

These are the orchids
which are commonly seen

in the supermarkets, garden centres.

We buy them to decorate
our windowsills.

What many of us don't know
is these come from

a very humble little plant

which is called
Phalaenopsis pulcherrima.

Phalaenopsis pulcherrima
is a particular species

which is seen in northeast India
in the state Assam,

and they spread up to Hainan
in China.

And those tiny little beauties
are bred over and over and over

until they get the desired size
and shape

and the longevity of the flowers
to produce beauties

like these hybrid Phalaenopsis,
or moth orchid.

I love my job because I can always
say that when I come to work,

I can always say,
"This is my office."

So this passion, it never stops.

My aspirations are to expand
the living orchid collections,

and in that course,
I will learn more about

these critically endangered or
very important orchid collections.

At the same time, I can pass on
my knowledge to the next...

..as many future generations
as possible.

I think what is really important
about what Bala is saying

is that knowledge, all this
incredible depth of knowledge

and wisdom that people like her
have amassed

should be passed on
to the next generation

because knowledge can go extinct
just as plants can.

Now, I've got growing here
in the copse

nothing as extraordinary or rare
as any orchid, but are unusual.

And these are colchicums.

This is Colchicum speciosum Album.

And they're great big flowers,

but they don't have any foliage
that you can see.

So they rise out of the ground
unadorned, which of course,

is why they're called naked ladies.

In fact, they do have foliage,

but it never appears
at the same time as the flower.

The foliage comes first
in early and midsummer

and then dies right back.

And then, in autumn,

the flowers appear.

And the extraordinary thing is that
although I know they're here,

there is something startling
about their appearance every year.

Now, for all of us,
this has been an extraordinary

and difficult year,

but for some, it has been
a lot tougher than for others.

And this is certainly true
of the broadcaster

and journalist Kate Garraway.

But throughout
remarkably troubling times,

her garden has remained

a constant source
of strength and comfort.

And Joe went to visit her.

Over the past few months,

we've all been through some
very challenging and difficult times

and up and down the country,

I think we've realised that
green spaces and gardens

are more vital than ever.

Today, I'm visiting TV and radio
presenter Kate Garraway

in her London garden.

A space that has become a lifeline
for her family.

So, here you go.

Steps are a little... Wow, lovely
big garden, for London, it's...

It's... It's big. We're so lucky.

We are so lucky.

We bought the house, Derek and I,
for the garden.

So we've been here four years.

And I know you're probably thinking
we haven't done much,

but it was literally covered
in brambles.

Covered in those reeds.

I don't quite know what they are,
but, you know... Oh, the flag iris?

Oh, it is flag iris! I've always
called them flag iris,

and everyone said they're not sure.

Yellow, yellow... They're big
yellow flowers. Yeah, flag iris.

So it was covered in that.

But what we did have was
all these incredible trees.

Yeah. Apple trees, pear trees,
greengage everywhere.

Yeah, lovely. So it might have been
an orchard or something here.

I wonder if it is, because
lots of the gardens in the road,

everyone said they've got lots
and lots of fruit trees in here.

The first job really was
just to clear everything

and see what was there.

And for the first year,

we'd just watch to see
what would come up. Ah!

That's exactly what you should do.

Yeah. We always say you should do
that but no-one ever does it.

Everywhere, roses came.

It felt a little bit, that first
year, like being in Sleeping Beauty

and we were the prince sort of
hacking our way through the thorns.

And what emerged were all
these incredible roses

and they were just everywhere,
and it was so beautiful.

But it's obviously been an odd year.

Yeah. For the world and probably,

you know, very directly
personally for me.

So... Well, your world's
been turned upside-down.

Derek, who didn't have the symptoms
of a cough and a temperature,

suddenly at the end of March
just said, "I feel really unwell."

And we had 24 hours of thinking,
"What is this?"

And calling doctors.

And then eventually the doctor said,
"Call an ambulance."

So this was end of March,

he got into the ambulance,
went to hospital,

was found to have Covid.

And then suddenly,
it just went whoom.

And it just took hold
and swept through his body,

touching every part of his body.

And, um, he was fighting
to breathe.

And then, you know,
one Sunday morning,

they called me on the phone,
on speaker phone and said,

"We're going to have to put him
into an induced coma."

And he's just not woken up.

I can remember the week
before he got sick,

he was saying, "I think
we're going to have a lockdown.

"I think the schools
are going to close

"and I think we need
to think about it."

And in a strange kind of way,
we were almost...

..rather looking forward to the idea
of just, whew, breathing out,

which I think has been the
discovery for a lot of people.

Yeah. So just before
all the garden centres shut,

Darcy, who... Darcy's my daughter,
she's 14 and Billy's 10,

suddenly said, "We should grow
our own vegetables, Mum,

"because at least then
we'll, you know, we'll survive."

And I said, "Great idea.
Let's do that."

And I think for her, it was about
something positive to do. Yeah.

It was like, "I can't help Mum.
I can't help Dad.

"I don't...
I know what's going on, sort of,

"but I also can't do anything
about it."

You feel so helpless.

And it then meant together,
we nurtured this.

And so we've had cabbages,
we've eaten radishes,

we've had raspberries,
we've had blackberries.

This became like our saviour,
really.

Because you ask a teenager,

"How do you feel about
the fact Dad might die?"

Sorry. Yeah... It's hard to
even say it, isn't it?

"How do you feel about the fact
Dad might die?"

They're not... They'll just say,
"OK." You know, they don't...

It's too big. Yeah. It's too big
a thing to take on.

But when you're sitting there
sort of like planting radishes,

she would start asking me questions

and that allowed us
to talk about it.

But it's also so positive. It's
doing something really positive

and I was so proud of her for that.

And I could share things with her,

because I could see how much
she wanted to know.

Turn the compost over in
with the other soil...

It's an activity, and it's
an activity that's about life.

It was rather sad
because the radishes came.

They're one of Derek's favourite
vegetables and we ate them,

and he still wasn't better.

So I then thought, "We've got
to go more long term here."

So we were planting things
that were going to take longer

to bear fruit.

And I'd say, "Well,
Dad'll be better by then."

And, "Let's hope he'll
be better by then."

And, of course, now
that it's been so long,

we've now got a
huge basket of bulbs.

And I was like, right, "Let's plant
these so that when Dad comes home,

"the place will be full of colour."

When you're living day to day
on a knife edge,

doing something that gives you
a future

just helps a sense of progress,
really,

where there actually is none
in the direct situation.

I'd often get a phone call
at midnight saying,

"We're not sure if he's going
to make it through the night."

Um...

And you can't sleep after that.
Yeah.

So I... And I was helpless.

So I'd come out into the garden,
one o'clock in the morning,

and do random mad things like
water his favourite plants.

You know, it doesn't take a
trained psychologist to know that

by watering them
and not letting them die,

I sort of felt like I was doing
something to keep the hope alive

and to keep the spirit of him alive.

And I feel like nature paid me back

because they then just grew
the highest they've ever grown

and they've flowered beautifully
with wonderful yellow flowers.

These are the reeds,
the flag irises, that Derek loves.

And even though I've cleared a lot
from the lawn,

I wanted to keep them here

because they're the memories
of the house as we first bought it.

But after they've flowered,

they are basically just
sort of reeds, aren't they?

So last year when it was
really wet in the autumn,

I put in some allium bulbs

and everybody said
they wouldn't survive

because it's so clay and wet. Yeah.
And they have been amazing,

because they just kind of
came up through

just as the flag irises went.

They were huge.

I mean, the seed heads now
are still beautiful, I think,

but they were massive
big purple flowers

with the lovely kind of pinky stems,

and they just suddenly
made it wonderful.

And, yeah, I feel like those alliums
fought back to make the reeds work

against everyone's advice,
and I love that.

I'd often have to be up all night.

Still do sometimes,

talking to Derek in his state
on FaceTime.

So they set up a iPad and I could
talk to him on FaceTime. OK.

Obviously he can't respond,
but I can talk to him. Yeah, yeah.

But would you do that from
the garden, so that he...?

Yeah. OK.

I'd sit in the garden and do that

and talk about the things
that he loved.

It's just a lovely thing to do.

And then also sometimes
where there were moments

when I was really overwhelmed
by fear, erm, and uncertainty

and, you know,
what life was going to be,

and I would literally just focus
on the movement of the leaves

and try and stop the adrenaline
and calm me.

It's kind of mindfulness,

and I think the garden is
very effective at that.

And I think being in nature,

whatever patch of ground
you can get to and doing that,

is really good for any stress.

And I think it's made
a world of difference.

It's been the most
important space for us.

It's been a place to find joy.

It's been a place to find hope.

It's been a place to go a bit crazy
and feel a bit unleashed

in a stifling physical and emotional
time that we've all lived through.

It just gives you that sense
of positive moving forward

that I think only a garden can do,
really.

You can't think short-term
in a garden.

You have to plan.

You have to have hope.

You have to invest in a future.

You don't plant something unless
you believe it's going to come up.

So by planting something and
believing Derek will see it

when it comes up,
that gives us a sense of future.

Well, obviously, all of us
send our warmest wishes

to Kate, her family and to Derek.

And it's profoundly moving
and inspirational to hear

how the garden has been this source
of comfort

and inspiration for her,

but it's actually a familiar tale.

I've heard people who seemingly
are coping with terrible things

have found the garden
has really helped them.

Gardens can't make our problems go
away, they can't solve them,

but they can help us
to deal with them.

And if it gives us hope and faith
in a better future,

that surely is as important

as any other aspect of gardens
or gardening.

I know that, for some people,

February is the cruellest month
of the lot.

But as a gardener, there are plants
that you can plant now

that will brighten
the darkest winter's day.

And these are the jewel-like
little bulbs

that are small,

but have really rich colours.

You can put them in a window box
or a roof garden or a balcony

or outside in a tiny little yard,

and they will still perform.

I'm going to start
with an iris called Harmony,

which is a lovely rich cobalt blue.

And it's got an egg-yolk-yellow
flare on its fall.

The fall is the petal that
drops down in all irises.

These irises
need really good drainage.

So your compost needs to be right.

What I've got here is my basic

coir and bark-based compost,

mixed with a bit of perlite
and a bit of leaf mould.

So I put two scoops of that in.

Now, I'm going to mix that
with grit.

And you need at least a third
of the volume with grit.

Actually, I like to do
a bit more than that

and do almost more like 50%.

If you can't get grit,
perlite will do the job,

but grit is absolutely ideal.

Mix it up.

Like that.

Half fill it.

And you can see that
these are plump little bulbs

that almost look like nuts.

And of course, you always
plant them pointy end up.

We can put these
about an inch apart.

What I always do is...

..make a ring right round the edge
of the pot

and then another ring in the gaps.

Cover it over with
a layer of this gritty compost...

..so they're fully protected.

And then what I do is put
a layer of grit on the top.

Doesn't need to be much.

When you have these outside
and they're flowering in February,

if there is rain or if you water
them, if you just have compost,

you can get splash, and the petals
can get stained with the compost.

Whereas if you have the grit,
that doesn't happen.

The best place to put this is
outside, exposed to the elements,

but covered by glass from rain

because they like to be cold
in winter.

But if they get too wet,
then they can rot.

So those are the iris.

Now, I've also got some
miniature daffodils,

a variety called Hawera.

Hawera are multi-headed
and they're primrose-yellow

and they have got
wonderful fragrance.

So we'll do the same technique
of going round the outside.

When you're planting bulbs
in pots, cram them in.

You want a really strong display.

Then cover those over.

There we go.

Daffodils are less sensitive
to wet than iris,

but still put them somewhere
where they won't sit in a puddle.

And then, when you're ready, when
you see the buds start to appear,

move the pot somewhere where you can
really appreciate them.

That's fine if
they're very small pots like this.

But when you've got lots of pots
and some of them are big and heavy,

moving them around for any reason
can be a bit of a problem.

However, we've been sent a film...

..where that particular problem
has an ingenious solution.

My name is Jan.

I live in Tredegar,
which is in South Wales.

This is my garden.

And since Covid,
I planted about 100 containers.

But I want to show you
what I invented.

I like to have my plants
right against my window,

but I need to clean my windows,

so what I did, I had two pallets
which I painted,

and put wheels on,

so that when I want to
clean my windows,

all I have to do is this.

And then I can clean my windows
easily and then put them all back.

The other thing I've done,

I wanted some height, so I bought
a hairdresser's stand

for colours,
which I planted up the pots.

And I've got a bit of height
in that space.

Also, because I can't sit
in the sun,

and I don't always want to sit by
my patio umbrella,

I bought...

..a patio base,

and I stuck it onto a piece of wood
with some wheels.

And it's now portable.

So I can sit where I want to
in the shade.

I love the way that gardeners
like Jan all over the country

have ingenuity that combines with

just a sheer love of their plants.

These dahlias were almost rejects.

This bed here is composed of plants

who were either too small to plant
out in the Jewel Garden,

we didn't think they would cope
in the hurly burly of the borders,

or they were ones
that we'd lost the label

and we weren't quite sure
what colour they would be.

Well, all of them have done better
than any in the Jewel Garden,

they've absolutely loved it
in these beds.

And that's because

they are grown in open space.

They've got light, they've got air,

they've been planted in rows
quite widely apart

in really rich, well-drained soil.

And you can see they've romped away.

So next year, I'm actually
going to fill these beds

just with dahlias.

And these all came from tubers.

But this little patch here
is one packet of seeds

called Bishop's Children.

They're all offspring of
Bishop of Llandaff,

sown in March,

grown on and planted out.

They were planted out just to bulk
up and maybe give us a few flowers

at the end of the year,

but these too have been flowering
like mad since early August.

Now, when you grow dahlias
from seed,

you don't quite know
how they're all going to turn out.

But one or two of them
are really beautiful.

Have a look at these here.

Look at that.

That is a really nice dahlia.

I like the way the petals
are spaced.

I like the colour.

It shows you that dahlias can
and perhaps should be raised

from seeds as well as tubers.

Now, dahlias can't be kept out
over winter here

because they hate the combination
of wet and cold,

but we've got the chance to revisit
the garden of Louise Dowle

in Sandwich in Kent,
where the weather is a lot milder,

her garden is sheltered
and as a result,

she has got a subtropical paradise.

If I'm told I can't grow it,

I'm more likely to have a go
at growing it.

I see it as a challenge.

I live here with my partner Steve.

We're both professional gardeners.

Steve's really busy at work.

This is really my baby at home.

The front garden
is very traditional.

The back garden, in contrast,
is full of jungly exotics.

To create the jungle effect,

we've used some huge plants
in here for an architectural look.

This is Canna ehemannii.

I love this canna.
I wouldn't be without it.

It's a definite must-have for me.

So the back garden is about
22 by 17 metres.

Because the space is quite small,

we decided to break it up

so that you can't see the whole plot
from one vision.

You keep going round a corner,

around the path
and something else appears.

Pathways have been put in
because we wanted to create

that jungle effect, to feel like
you're actually in a jungle

and the plants,
you can get up and touch them,

things like
the Eupatorium capillifolium.

You've just got to give it a stroke
every time I go past it.

This here is our cordyline.

It is the only original plant
in the garden.

So here's the cordyline with
its house plants hanging on it.

They come out for their
summer holiday, the house plants.

Some of the Spanish moss,
lovely rippled bark on it.

It's very tactile.

There's some bromeliads as well.

So this is Amicia zygomeris.

It's a member of the pea family.

It's a hardy herbaceous perennial
for us here,

but not necessarily
for the rest of the country.

It's got a nice open habit to it,

so I always grow something
round its bottom

to cover up its bare bottom.

I don't like seeing any soil.

So this is Iresine herbstii

and Panicum, Frosted Explosion,
grown in here with it.

The garden primarily is a foliage
garden,

but we like to add a little zing
of colour just to break it up,

but not overly flowery
in the garden.

This is a fimbriated dahlia.

Most of our colour choices
in the back garden

are hot pinks and oranges.

We're actually a lot milder than
the rest of the country here,

so this is our place
to experiment and test the limits

of some of the hardiness of things.

This is Fuchsia denticulata.

It's not known to be
completely hardy,

but now I've built up
some stocks from cuttings,

I'm going to leave some out
this year to see how it gets on.

We try things even when,
technically,

they wouldn't work in the area.

I don't always stick to the rules
and I try it.

Until you've tried it
in your own garden,

there's so many varying factors
that you don't necessarily know

if it will or won't work.

Have a go.
Don't be frightened of the plants.

One of my favourite moments
of the garden actually

is in the mornings when I get up
and look out of the bathroom window,

and I really enjoy it from there

because I can't get close enough

to start seeing things
that I think need doing.

When I'm out in the garden
and I sit down and I jump up,

because there's something
that I can see

that nobody else would be
bothered about.

But I like to tinker a lot.

Well, I do exactly know that feeling
that Louise talks about

both of the desire to tinker
whenever you're out in the garden,

and also that first view
of the garden, you look down,

whether it be from the bathroom
or the bedroom,

and you can see all that's good
and you can't see any of the bad.

And sometimes that's when
the garden is at its very best.

Now, I can't pretend that
any grass here at Longmeadow

is worth any kind of inspection.

It is low quality and
in a way that's deliberate,

because I got rid of any lawns
that we had

and wherever possible,

I've tried to change
short mown grass to long grass,

which is brilliant for wildlife

and also a really good basis for
introducing bulbs and wild flowers.

But it doesn't matter
whether you have a narrow grass path

or a great big lawn that you want
to look as good as possible,

because now, in October, is the time
to give it a little bit of TLC

to set it up for next spring.

And good grass grows best
with really good drainage

and lots of water.

So the first thing to do is
to get rid of all the dead growth

that has accumulated over
the summer.

And it could be moss,
it could be thatch,

and just scratch it out
with a wire rake.

And rake it vigorously.

It will look a bit rough
for a few weeks,

but the grass will quickly
start to grow back

and then next spring will grow
much better as a result.

Having given it a good scratch

and got rid of all
the loose dead material,

the next thing to do
is to deal with compaction.

The easiest way is simply with
a garden fork.

And just push it down
and wiggle it about.

And you do this
about every six inches.

And you can feel the compaction
breaking up.

And if you've got
a relatively small area,

this is a very good way of doing it.

Climate change, which is bringing us
milder autumns,

means the grass goes on growing
often well into November.

So more and more of us are cutting
our lawns and paths for longer.

But it is important to remember
that, by now,

you should be raising your blades.

You don't want to cut it as short
as you do in midsummer.

It should go into winter

ideally about an inch long,
which is quite long.

And that will help the roots,

and then next spring look better
when you give it its first cut.

Now it's time to see
the last of this week's films

that you've sent in
from your gardens,

and it comes from a chef

who was unable to work
during lockdown.

However, he channelled
his passion for food

into creating
a beautiful and productive garden.

Hi, this is Saiful from Essex.

I work as a chef.

Cooking good food

and bringing a smile to others
is my passion.

Since April,
I'm not working.

Beginning, I was a bit shocked,
but I didn't waste my time.

I used my back yard
for making a vegetable garden.

With good care,

you can do everything from chilli
to eggplant.

Everything is possible
with good care.

Many people ask me,

what is the secret

for growing my vegetables?

Let me tell you.

All my kitchen waste I use

for making good organic compost.

You can make whatever you want with
your back yard garden vegetables.

This year I'm growing
over 20 types of vegetable

and least 21 different types
of chilli.

It was my great pleasure
to share all my vegetables

with my neighbours, friends,
relatives and elderly people.

Many people ask me,
do I have a greenhouse?

I told them,
I don't have any greenhouse.

I have a green positive energy,

which I use for making
a good garden!

If my vegetables were as good
as that, I would be very proud.

I've got here, and I don't know
if Saiful grows this, mizuna.

Both green and purple.

And I intended
to plant them out earlier,

but there were no beds free

and I potted them on.

I always grow mizuna because it is
a really good winter vegetable,

because it's lovely in salads.

Quite like rocket.

The purple mizuna is slightly
more mustardy than the green,

but they're both brassicas,

both Oriental vegetables.

They don't need much protection
in winter.

I normally cloche them or
fleece them if the temperature drops

below about minus seven,
minus eight.

And I know for many parts of the
country, it never gets that low.

And if you give them
reasonable soil,

reasonable drainage,
they will grow

and you can keep cutting them
and they will grow back.

They're a cut-and-come-again veg.

A slug has been having
a little nibble at these...

..but by and large, they don't like
the mustard flavour of it.

Now, while I'm planting these out...

..here are your jobs
for the weekend.

If you pot up hyacinth now,

they should be flowering
for Christmas and the New Year.

Be sure to buy
specially prepared bulbs.

Use a very free-draining compost,

and leave the snouts, or the pointy
ends, sticking out into the air.

Keep them lightly moist
and put them in a dark place

for the next few months.

And then, when there is a pale shoot
about an inch or so long,

bring them out into light and heat

and they will flower
a few weeks later.

Before you fill your greenhouse up
with plants to protect them

over the winter months,

it's a good idea to
give the glass a clean.

As well as improving hygiene,

this will maximise
all the available winter sunlight.

You can get an earlier crop
of broad beans by sowing some now.

Choose a hardy variety like
Aquadulce

and sow them as you would
your main crop,

with each being about six
to nine inches apart and in rows.

Cover them over and label them.

The whole point is
they will get an early start

as soon as the weather warms up
next spring.

If we haven't visited
the Paradise Garden very much

over the last few weeks,

it's because it hardly needs
any gardening.

It's really the easiest part
of the garden to attend to.

Everything just does its own thing
quite happily.

The pots need watering and feeding
every week,

but other than that, that's it.

And as long as
the mild weather continues,

the verbena and the guara
will go on flowering.

And I may not do much
gardening here

but I do spend quite a lot of time
just quietly enjoying it.

But no more time for today,
I'm afraid.

We'll be back next week,

but at nine o'clock,

so I'll see you then.

Bye-bye.