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GreatBritish1
  • 7/3/2025
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00:00Welcome back to my gardening club right here in my own garden. As a new gardening season begins
00:11we'll once again be celebrating the people, plants and places that make UK gardening so
00:18extraordinary. This series will show that gardening really is for everyone whether
00:24you're caring for plants on a windowsill, growing vegetables in an allotment patch or transforming
00:30a community space. We'll journey across the length and breadth of the British Isles uncovering renowned
00:37gardens, inventive designs and creative green spaces of all sizes and we'll be sharing even more
00:45practical tips, techniques and fresh ideas to help you transform your garden into a beautiful
00:53rewarding space whatever its size. Our gardening club family is at the heart of it all, answering
01:00your gardening questions, championing sustainability, shining a spotlight on the unsung horticultural
01:08heroes and sharing their passion for all things green. So grab a cuppa, settle in and get ready
01:17to grow. Welcome to my gardening club.
01:33You know when you step outside and you take in your garden it can sometimes feel there's just too much
01:40to do and too little time to do it but gardening isn't about tackling everything at once. Whether
01:47it's making small seasonal changes, focusing on one corner at a time or simply taking a moment to
01:55appreciate what's already thriving. Every little step makes a difference and that's what today's gardening
02:02club's all about. Simple practical ways to make the most of your green space no matter its size or shape.
02:10Coming up in the next hour Claire Lowry shares her expert advice on helping house plants settle into a
02:17new space so they don't just survive but truly thrive. Camilla's stepping back in time to visit a garden
02:26that was designed to entertain, surprise and maybe even scandalize. And Hugh Richards is back sharing more
02:34of his eco-friendly gardening tips to help you get the most from your outdoor space. But first throughout
02:40the series Errol Ruben Fernandes is visiting gardens with a difference. Those championing sustainability,
02:48bringing communities together and educating volunteers and students in the world of horticulture.
02:54Today he's exploring a special project in Hertfordshire.
03:12I'm here at the Surge Hill Project founded by award-winning landscape architect Tom Stewart-Smith
03:17and his wife Sue Stewart-Smith who's a psychiatrist and best-selling author. This initiative is all about
03:24the idea that working with nature can have a powerful impact on our health and well-being.
03:28The aim is to bring people together through gardening and creativity
03:32and I can't wait to explore the gardens and learn from the team first hand.
03:40So Sue, thank you so much for having me. I've been trying to come for such a long time. It's so great to finally be here.
03:54It's brilliant that you are. What can you tell me about the Surge Hill Project?
03:59Well, it's an initiative that really comes out of both Tom's work and my work. So Tom's work as a garden
04:06designer and a plantsman. At the same time it draws on my work in mental health and my belief and it's Tom's
04:13belief too that children, that actually everybody should have access to nature. So it's a coming
04:19together of our two worlds really and it's set in this, you wouldn't know it now, but it's an old
04:25orchard. Some of the fruit trees are still here. I can see. What we're walking through now is the plant
04:30library which began in 2021. So relatively recently. Very recently, absolutely yes. It feels so established
04:38actually. So the idea is there's something like 1500 different herbaceous perennials here
04:43and you'll see the occasional QR code on a corner so people can come and learn about plants,
04:51learn about their habitats. I love that idea of the QR code to be able to just have the information in
04:57your hand. For a long time we had a huge sort of spreadsheet. Or it could be a labelled graveyard
05:03otherwise wouldn't it? Exactly, very unmanageable. And what's wonderful about it is the enormous
05:08variety here. So we've got the more Mediterranean plants in the middle up here on the higher ground.
05:14As you can see a lot is planted into sand and then as we go down the slope through the plant library
05:20it's more shady. There's actually a band of clay in the underlying soil there. So there's plant species
05:26for different environments. Absolutely, yeah. Right at the top we've got some vegetable plots which our
05:31local schools use. You know this is the core of the project if you like. So we're working with people
05:38in the local community particularly around education and health. We also have a local learning
05:43disability school that comes quite often and a home schooling group and it's amazing how it gets
05:48their curiosity going. Yeah. Because lots of children today don't really get much opportunity to connect
05:54with nature. No, you're quite right. But what do you feel are the main benefits of gardening for mental
05:59well-being? Um gosh where to start actually because I think there are so many. I think one of the great
06:05things about gardening is it's forward-looking so it helps people you know if you're struggling with
06:11depression or anxiety recovering from a trauma for example gardening is a very simple way to get
06:21yourself sort of investing in the future again. You know with that investment comes a sense of purpose
06:26comes a sense of motivation. You definitely feel better when you're out. You feel better when you're out.
06:31With your hands in the soil. Absolutely, yep.
06:42So Millie, I wonder if you could tell us a bit about your role here. What do you get up to?
06:47Well I'm the head gardener here. Very lucky to be the head gardener. So I look after the collection.
06:51We've got our 1500 perennials on a metre square grid. 1500. Yes. Well I've just noticed a plant over
06:57here that I'm really intrigued about. You can see it's a little daffodil. Is it? Yeah. Is it a species?
07:03This is snow baby. So it's not a pure species. It's a cultivated form. Nice name. Yeah, it's very sweet, isn't it?
07:08Yeah. It's really, really sweet. Is it scented? It is very light. Yeah, have a sniff. It's really, really gorgeous.
07:13Lovely, delicate, delicate smell. Really, really nice. And that's a little anemone blunder. That is anemone blunder, yes.
07:20They set each other off really beautifully.
07:31So this species tulip here is gorgeous, isn't it? It's very beautiful. Yeah, this time of year,
07:35it's a nice early flowering tulip. And so lovely that they kind of open with the sunshine and close
07:42up at night. It is an amazing thing that they react to the sun. And really good in things like
07:46window boxes. They're really beautiful because they don't come high above the window but you can still
07:49have tulips in your window boxes. It's like the bees love it too. They do. It's great.
07:57So how would you describe the garden? Well, it's split into two. So we've got half of the plants
08:02growing in sand and half of them going in green waste. And it's a no-dig garden because originally
08:06there were Roman ruins in this area. So as a planning condition, it had to be a no-dig.
08:13Which is quite interesting. That's fantastic. So Tom had a bright idea. We just put all the material
08:17on top of the ground. Yeah, why not? Better for the soil environment, isn't it? Less damage.
08:20Exactly, yeah. I mean, that sounds really great. I wonder if you could tell me some more about the
08:25ethos of the garden? Well, the ethos is really to have it as a learning resource. So like a
08:29botanical garden, but a bit more easily laid out. So people can come here and learn about plants as
08:34much as they like. I love how much they've embraced gardening for education here. And I've heard they
08:43have a special greenhouse where people gain work opportunities too.
08:51So Sue, we're here in the Sunnyside greenhouse. Can you tell me a bit about what happens here?
08:56Well, Sunnyside is a charity that works with adults with learning disabilities and other vulnerabilities,
09:02all through horticulture. And they come here five days a week.
09:07So I can see that there's loads of plants here being propagated.
09:12Yes, these are all being grown on and will be sold to raise money for the charity. It gives them
09:18another income stream. And it's a great force for good in the community. It works with something like
09:24350 young vulnerable adults. But what is it that you're really hoping that the trainees will take
09:30away with them when they've finished? Well, I think gardening can be a transformative experience,
09:35because people see the results of what they're doing. So I think it's a way of giving people
09:41confidence, boosting self-esteem. And, you know, we'd like to think that some of them will actually
09:47move on and gain employment in the horticultural industry.
09:51I'm keen to meet some of the trainees and help out with a little project.
09:57So I'm joined by Hannah and Nathan, plus Sophie, who runs the Sunnyside Orchard Nursery.
10:05So Sophie, is there anything else that you can tell me about the project?
10:08What's it like having a space like this to work in?
10:10Well, it's enabling us to grow some really, really interesting plants, to learn about propagation,
10:16to work with some really interesting gardeners. And a beautiful place to be, isn't it?
10:21Yeah, so it's just wonderful, really. Sounds really lovely.
10:24It is really good. I mean, for my wellbeing, it's been really rewarding, because I've been
10:29looking at what I've been growing and planting, and it's coming back and see how far they've grown.
10:34It's just amazing, incredible. Sounds great.
10:37So we're doing a little demo on how you might plant in sand, which is quite unusual.
10:48So we've got these lovely plants, and they've been sort of laid out. So what we want to do,
10:53we want to take off the soil as best we can. So if I give you your bucket here.
10:57Yeah. There you go.
11:00And then you want to hold the plant firmly with one hand, and then you want to tickle out as much of
11:06the soil. So the soil falls in the bucket. Yeah, well done. Brilliant. Well, that's enough.
11:11Got most of the soil off. And we're going to make a hole. And the interesting thing about growing in
11:16sand is actually it's moist and cool under the ground, which is what the roots want.
11:24So Hannah, how long have you been coming? About three years.
11:28And so what sort of things have you been getting involved in?
11:30Learning about perennials, when they come back, when's the time to grow them. I'm still learning
11:36that at the moment. There's so much to learn, isn't there? Yeah.
11:40And Nathan, I understand that you're doing an apprenticeship.
11:43Yeah. So I'm starting an apprenticeship, which I will end up being here on this site for two days.
11:51Yeah. And we'll be exploring more on the horticulture side of things and planting in new spaces.
12:00Yeah. Fantastic. So the last thing that we need to do is water all of these plants in. All of the plants
12:07that we've planted here are quite drought tolerant. So they can cope with not having that much water.
12:12So we'd water them in really well once. And then I suppose we probably wouldn't water them again
12:18very often. How often would you water them? Don't water them again. It's a kind of policy we have.
12:21So water once and that's it. Not in the sand beds at all. Yeah. So shall we do that? Do you want to help you with that?
12:28Give them a really good drink. Well done. Brilliant. So they've all had a good drink.
12:36Fantastic job, guys. Well done. Thank you.
12:46You know, in a way, the idea is that, you know, gardening is such a spectrum, isn't it? If you think about
12:51just starting as a young child, sowing a few seeds, maybe annual flowers, maybe vegetables. So the project
12:58kind of answers to that, of kind of beginning to learn about gardening. And at the same time, because of
13:04the plant library, horticulturalists love it. You know, they learn from it. There's always something
13:09to learn when you're gardening. That's one of the most amazing things about gardening, I think.
13:13I get to see gardens all over the country, but seeing the care and passion that Tom, Sue
13:22and Millie have poured into this place is truly inspiring. Working alongside the Sunnyside
13:27trainees, it's been a great reminder of what gardening is really about. It brings people
13:32together and when it's made accessible to everyone as the power to transform lives.
13:42Thanks, Errol. And Surge Hill, you know, is such a special place. I went there last summer.
13:47Amazing. And the work that Tom and Sue do there, proving that plants improve lives. Well,
13:54it's just matchless. Now, there's plenty more Gardening Club tips, tricks and insights to come.
14:00Camilla is in the Cotswolds, exploring a garden bursting with colour and character. Clare Lowry shares
14:07her top tips for helping your leafy friends settle into a new space without the shock. And Hugh Richards
14:15welcomes us back to his Welsh garden with more eco-friendly gardening ideas. See you in a moment.
14:21Soaking up the sunshine with Alan Titch Marsh's Gardening Club, brought to you by Green Thumb
14:27Lawn Treatment Service.
14:32Digging the weekend with Alan Titch Marsh's Gardening Club, brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service.
14:51Welcome back to my Gardening Club. Now, whether you've been gardening for years or you're just getting
15:10started, there's one thing we all have in common. Gardening is full of surprises. One minute you're
15:16feeling on top of everything. The next, a plant's decided it's not happy and throws a bit of a
15:22tantrum. And that's not just true for outdoor plants. House plants and those grown in a greenhouse can be
15:29just as fussy, especially when they're moved to a new spot. Now, if plants have been going in the
15:35greenhouse, to suddenly, in late spring or early summer, bring them out and put them straight in the
15:39garden, it's a bit of a shock. It's too chilly. So that's where these come in handy for me. Cold frames.
15:47There's no heat in here, except what comes just through that back wall from the greenhouse.
15:52Very, very little. But by putting plants in here, it's a sort of halfway house. I can close this up at
15:59night so they're snug when it's cold and then, during the day, ventilate it like that. So I'm gradually
16:08accustoming them to the great outdoors. Now, luckily, Claire Lowry is here to help with her houseplant
16:14dowries doing just the same sort of thing. Today, she's sharing her expert tips on helping your leafy
16:21friends settle into their new home with ease. Today, I'm going to be taking you through how
16:35to acclimate your plants, which simply put, just means easing it into life in its new environment,
16:40your home. This can either be if you've just brought a new plant from the shop or, like me,
16:45if you've just moved house and you're trying to get all of your plants to settle in nicely.
16:50A lot of the time when you buy a new plant, it will have come from a specialised grow house,
16:54so something with controlled heat, light, temperature, you name it. A lot of the things
16:59that we don't typically have in our own homes. But there are some things that you can do to keep it happy.
17:09When you first bring a plant into your home or into a new environment, I would always say
17:14don't repot your plant straight away, just because it's doing enough adjusting as it is,
17:19you don't want to stress the plant further by giving a repot when it doesn't need it, essentially.
17:24There are circumstances in which I would say don't follow this rule. Like, for example,
17:29if there's if there's lots of browning on the foliage, if the roots are literally pouring
17:33through the bottom of the pot, if there are signs that you think something needs to be dealt with soon,
17:39then I would, of course, obviously listen to the plant. But yeah, if the plant looks pretty good,
17:44I would say leave it another week or so and then come back to the plant once it's had a chance to settle.
17:55One thing to be very cautious with when you buy a new plant or you change a plant's environment
18:01is how much you're watering that plant, because plants can be super susceptible to issues caused by
18:06over-watering. Even if you have just transitioned your plant from one position in your home to another,
18:11assume that because the position has changed, likely its watering needs will have as well.
18:17So typically I will just keep my plants in their nursery pots like that and then just use these
18:23as pretty cover pots. And then I can take them out and kind of feel the weight of the pots,
18:28stick my finger down to the soil and kind of gauge how much moisture is left in there. And from that,
18:34and knowing the needs of my plants and how much water it actually likes to receive,
18:38it gives a very good indication as to whether or not it's actually time to give that plant a drink.
18:47Here you can see all of these plants are in a little grow zone that I've set up with grow lights.
18:53And that just really allows me to monitor the lighting conditions of these plants and make sure
18:58they're getting optimum lights for what they need in order to produce lovely growth and keep growing
19:03essentially all year round if possible. And this little one here, you might notice I've put a cup
19:09over it. And that's just because this is a very young seedling. And this one actually requires very,
19:15very high levels of humidity, higher than I'm able to provide in this room with just a humidifier.
19:20And this essentially is creating a little contained space for this plant, meaning that it's got its own
19:25little microclimate going on in there. And you can do this on a much larger level to save you having to do
19:30this with individual plants by creating a cabinet space for them.
19:42So this cabinet actually wasn't made for growing plants at all. I've just converted it into a grow
19:48cabinet. As you can see, I've got grow lights in there. You can add in humidifiers and heat mats and
19:53other elements like that to just really kind of keep everything contained in this nice sealed space.
19:59And although this is a perfect space for acclimating plants, it can also just be a really great way to
20:04grow a lot of tropical plants if you are looking to keep those conditions really, really boosted.
20:09And today I'm going to show you how you can do this yourself at home on a slightly smaller scale.
20:20So here I've got a cabinet that I got fairly cheaply online and I'm going to convert this into
20:25a cabinet for my plants. And at the moment, it's got lots of big kind of gaping gaps in it. So the
20:31first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to seal this up so that it just creates a nice kind of trapped
20:36humid environment, hopefully. So for this, I'm just going to use sealant, you can use silicone.
20:42So I'm just going to run that round all of the gaps.
20:52So this is just washing up liquid and water and I'm just going to get it on my finger and run it
20:57along what I've just sealed to just smooth it off. So that's actually the last bit of sealing that I
21:03need to do on it because I've done the rest ahead of time. So the next thing I'm going to do is I'm
21:08going to actually add a little bit of water to the base of this, just because this has got a nice tray.
21:14And as that evaporates in the contained space, that's just going to raise the humidity naturally
21:19without me having to use a humidifier. So the next step is adding grow lights in. And in this case,
21:26what I think I'm going to do is I think I'm actually going to put a grow light on top of the cabinet,
21:30just because I'm thinking I might position this cabinet under a shelf and mount this grow light
21:34to the shelf at some point. But then it's all about finding plants that are going to be happy
21:39with obviously the super high humidity conditions you've just created. This one's a begonia.
21:44And actually, all of these ones here that I'm popping in are also species of begonia,
21:54but ones that thrive in very high humidity and are going to love the light in this cabinet.
22:00And then this little one is a Plectranthus. And this is a Drymonia chiribagana.
22:08So let's turn the lights on.
22:10There we go. It really is as simple as that. And those plants are going to be super, super happy in
22:19there. So yeah, this is a brilliant way to acclimate plants to a new space. But as I say,
22:24aside from that, just do your best to keep the conditions as stable as you possibly can.
22:29Thanks, Clare. I find the amount of houseplants Clare looks after quite mind-boggling. It's
22:41only she has time to eat. Now, time to get inspired as we take a trip down the garden path, courtesy of
22:48Ed Sellers. And today we're visiting Lucy Chamberlain, who's created a beautiful, productive kitchen garden
22:55at home.
23:04My name is Lucy Chamberlain. I'm a garden writer and a podcaster, and I absolutely love growing my own food.
23:11This garden I actually drew on a piece of graph paper back in 2014. We'd just got married and bought the
23:17house and we're renovating. And the garden really captured my imagination. I could see it was a big
23:22area and I really was desperate to have my own edible plot. And to see the garden transform from
23:30what I drew into the reality of what we see today was just such a wonderful experience. I feel so lucky.
23:37Just being surrounded by nature is incredibly special. There's birdsong here. We're right by an estuary, so we
23:44often hear oyster catches and geese flying overhead, which is really gorgeous. There's stag beetle in the garden.
23:51I put a log pile together in the shadier corner of the plot. Nature is lovely. Sometimes I can be in
23:58the garden at 4.35 in the summer. There's just me, a cup of tea, maybe the cat or the dog, and these
24:05birds. And it's just the crescendo of nature and that sound is so, so special and you feel really
24:11privileged to be a part of it. There's so many pressures these days to conform to a certain style
24:18or to grow certain things because they're the latest must-have plant. But honestly, if you don't
24:21like the taste of it, what's the point? So, you know, don't be too swayed by external influences.
24:28Just go with your heart and choose what you know you like to eat.
24:32I don't think I would be a gardener without the guidance of my mum and dad. They were smallholders.
24:42My childhood memories are of gardening, of picking tomatoes with dad, making rose perfume with my mum
24:49in the garden, or pressing a four-leaf clover that we found at the top of the field. That love of
24:54horticulture was really instilled with me and it is thanks in no small part to my mum and dad's
25:00career in horticulture.
25:06I know in this world of instant everything these days, we don't have much patience, but really as a
25:11gardener, you will find that it's a lot less painful if you can have patience. I've trained the fruit trees
25:17in this garden from scratch, so I bought them as little whips, you know, years ago, six, seven, eight years
25:22ago. And to train them as espaliers or fans and cordons, I find that immensely satisfying and it
25:30takes time. There's, you know, you can't rush that job.
25:36I'd really hope to think that my gardening legacy would be to encourage people to try and experiment.
25:42That's what I'm always doing. You know, don't be afraid to try. I stubbornly do pursue little hunches
25:49that I have about things that I think, can I push the limits of this crop? How resistant is this plant
25:55to such and such a pest? You know, don't be afraid just to be open-minded. You've got to just push those
26:02boundaries and that's when you really do learn the limits of gardening and, well, in all honesty,
26:08there's very few of them. Feel your garden with what you absolutely love. It's just such a lovely feeling
26:15to grow what you really do like. So don't be afraid of that.
26:24Thanks, Lucy. Sound advice there. To fill your garden with the things you truly love,
26:29which is why I end up every year filling my greenhouse with pelargoniums. I've loved them now
26:36for 60 years. They're so beautiful, flower-filled and fragrant too, right the way through the year.
26:44Still to come, Camilla Bassett-Smith heads to the Cotswolds to explore a garden full of history,
26:50charm and a few playful surprises. And here Richards takes us into the world of permaculture,
26:57showing us how working with nature, rather than against it, can create a self-sustaining,
27:03productive garden that's kinder to the environment and easier to maintain. See you after the break.
27:10Feeding Alfresco with Alan Titch Marsh's Gardening Club. Brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service.
27:20Regular watering with Alan Titch Marsh's Gardening Club. Brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service.
27:29Welcome back to My Gardening Club. Now, nature has an incredible way of looking after itself.
27:44Left alone, it finds balance, it adapts and creates thriving ecosystems that support life in every form.
27:52And as gardeners, there's so much we can learn from that. That's exactly what permaculture is all about.
27:59And there's no one better to explain it than Hugh Richards,
28:03who's been embracing these principles in his Welsh garden for years.
28:14Hi, I'm Hugh Richards. I'm here in my garden in Midwest Wales, where I love to trial and experiment
28:20with so many different gardening techniques from around the world so I can grow foods in harmony with nature.
28:31Today, I'm going to introduce you to permaculture, which in a nutshell is nature-inspired design,
28:37where we look at the patterns and systems in nature to help us create resilient, productive,
28:42bountiful gardens. I'm going to be sharing with you three fantastic principles,
28:47showing you some examples and demonstrating them with the hope that you, too, can use these principles
28:54to create a garden that works hard for you.
29:01There are so many different types of energies that we can capture to use at a later date.
29:06For example, here I've got a roof over the top of my water tank, so I'm actually capturing
29:12rainwater that's going into a pipe and it's filling up my tank, so when I need to water my tomatoes,
29:18I've got water here stored. Another example is we have a solar panel that charges our battery,
29:23which we then use to charge our electric strimmer.
29:33Use renewable resources and services. A great way to start is just grow more perennial crops.
29:39You might know of rhubarb. This is a great example. In front of me here, I have perennial tree kale.
29:46So what I mean by perennial is that it grows back year after year, giving me loads of harvest,
29:51rather than just growing normal kale, which I have to plant every single season. Another example is I
29:58have a solar-powered water pump, which I use to pump water from the pond to irrigate other crops around
30:04the site.
30:17Waste is a human construct. There's no such thing as waste in nature. When you go to a forest,
30:22all of those leaves falling down are going to provide fertility for next year. And so a compost bin,
30:27all of the veg scraps, like these kale scraps, are going to break down and going to turn into next
30:32year's tomatoes.
30:42I'm planting a blackcurrant bush to show you how the principles of permaculture come together.
30:50Finished compost from a bin is an example of captured energy, and I'm just bringing it up
30:56and mixing it into the hole I made, and it will provide fertility for the blackcurrant.
31:16I'm just watering in the blackcurrant with water, which is a captured energy. I've mulched it with
31:22willow, and this is willow from a coppice, and that is an example of using a renewable resource.
31:35It looks a bit drastic, but it is now pruned to encourage some nice healthy growth.
31:40And these prunings are not waste, there's no such thing as waste in nature. And what I'm going to do
31:45is turn these prunings into cuttings, and if I just stick this in the ground, it'll create a brand new plant.
31:58So those are three permaculture principles, and permaculture is very much about finding opportunities.
32:04Every single element, every single plant in your garden gives you multiple uses,
32:09and the more that you understand all of those uses, the more that they can interconnect,
32:13and the more resilient and productive your garden becomes.
32:22Thanks, Hugh. An intriguing thing, permaculture, isn't it?
32:25These hellebores in my garden have their own degree of permaculture, because they've been here now
32:31for about 10 years. The clumps grow and fatten year on year, which shows that they're in the right spot.
32:39They love where they're growing. And when you gaze inside each of these flowers, they're all so varied,
32:47so different, so beautiful, and they last for weeks on end. Time now to shine a spotlight on one of you,
32:56sharing your passion, inspiration, and gardening wisdom online. Let's meet our latest plantfluencer.
33:04Hi, I'm Sally. I have a small garden and an allotment. My passion for gardening and growing
33:09food started many years ago when my son was young, and we wanted to grow tomatoes together. And although
33:14I have a small garden, it has taught me it is possible to grow many different fruits, vegetables,
33:18and flowers in a small space. I grow everything in containers in my garden, and it has honestly surprised me
33:24how much I have managed to grow. From potatoes, carrots, strawberries, hayberries, peppers, and much more.
33:30I've also recently started exploring with growing many different flowers too.
33:33My favourite fruits and vegetables to grow are ones that you wouldn't ordinarily get in the supermarket,
33:38because one thing I have learned is that there are many different varieties of fruits and vegetables
33:42to explore. This further inspired me three years ago to take on an allotment, and it was one of the best
33:48decisions that I had made, because my allotment is my sanctuary. I can lose time up here, and I
33:54absolutely love it. Gardening and growing food isn't just a hobby to me, it is part of my life. The thing
34:01that I love most about gardening is how it teaches you patience, to enjoy the process as well as the
34:06outcome. I love learning and experimenting at every stage, finding out what works and what doesn't.
34:12And of course, no two seasons are the same. I feel grateful I have a platform to share what I'm doing
34:18with others, and learning too. So here are some of the most important things that I have learned.
34:23Plants for pollinators are really fundamental to your garden and allotment. And if you have the space,
34:28I highly recommend growing borage. I have honestly never seen so many happy bees. If you plan on growing
34:34any type of brassicas, such as cabbage and broccoli, you definitely need netting to cover them. However,
34:39if you do have the space for a sacrificial plant, the caterpillars and butterflies will thank you.
34:44The biggest challenge I have faced with having an allotment is keeping on top of the weeds.
34:48I definitely think it's something that's worth doing every day, just so it doesn't become a
34:52very overwhelming task. And of course, it is worth all the effort when it comes to harvesting,
34:57because there is no better feeling than being able to pick your own fresh, homegrown fruit and
35:02vegetables. Winter gives us a little break before we get back into it in spring, and I love that
35:07feeling of a new season and the excitement building. So my lesson for this year is to not sow too many
35:13seeds, because it's so easy to get carried away and I definitely don't need 30 tomato plants. For me,
35:19I love mixing it up and having all the different varieties of food, as well as the beautiful colourful
35:24flower displays. There really is so much joy to be had in gardening and growing your own food.
35:29Not only does it do wonders for your mental health, it's a great way to connect with nature.
35:39Great to see once again you at home celebrating your love of gardening online. Time now for a quick
35:48break, but still to come in our final part. Camilla's in the Cotswolds visiting the enchanting
35:54Painswick Rococo Gardens. See you in a bit. Growing Outside with Alan Titchmarsh's Gardening Club,
36:04brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service. Watching them blossom. With Alan Titchmarsh's
36:14gardening club, brought to you by Green Thumb Lawn Treatment Service.
36:24Welcome back to the final part of today's gardening club. Now, tucked away in the Cotswolds is a garden
36:31with a twist. Designed in the 1700s, Painswick Rococo Garden is full of fun, flair and a touch of
36:40drama. Much like one of our gardening club favourites, Camilla Bassett-Smith. So who better to take us on a tour?
37:01Today I've stepped into a garden that is anything but ordinary. Designed in the 1700s,
37:08Painswick Rococo Gardens wasn't just a place to admire. It was made for fun. A theatrical backdrop
37:15for extravagant parties full of twists, turns and plenty of surprises.
37:20Tucked away in a valley, this garden is a maze of winding paths, hidden viewpoints and quirky little
37:37follies, all created to entertain and delight. But like all fashions, Rococo fell out of favour and over
37:45time, the garden was lost to nature. By the 1980s, it was completely overgrown, until a 1748 painting
37:54was rediscovered, providing the perfect blueprint to restore it to its former glory.
38:02Now, this is a garden I know pretty well, being a Gloucestershire girl,
38:05but rarely do I have the opportunity of being accompanied by an expert. So what is it to you
38:11that makes these gardens so special? I think for me it's the fact that they're rare survivors.
38:16So you don't find any gardens really like this that are in a complete condition. And this one has
38:21been restored since the 1980s. But it's such a fun time. The Rococo Pier, which is kind of the early 1700s,
38:28they were just having a great partying, enjoying themselves, entertaining time here in this garden.
38:34And that's a theme that I think anyone can relate to. That's it. People want a space,
38:38a garden they can enjoy, they can entertain in. But what is it really that puts this as a Rococo
38:44garden? What are those marks that make it Rococo? It's having kind of curvy features. So there are
38:50some serpentine paths, places where you have a sudden reveal. So you're walking along and you're in a bit
38:54of shade and then suddenly you emerge and there's a beautiful view to look at. And then lots of
38:59eye-catching follies, which would have displayed the latest fashions of the time. So really the
39:03cutting edge for the early 1700s, which to us look really classy now, 280 odd years later. But back in
39:10the day, this would have looked like the latest bling. Most of them didn't have a practical purpose,
39:19so they were just there. Quite a lot of them made a bit like a stage set, so made of wood
39:24or lath and plaster. So something that would be ephemeral. So it's remarkable that there were
39:29still some things here back in the 1980s that garden historians could discover and then restore.
39:34It's an incredible story of saving something so beautiful. Some of the favourite follies here are
39:39the red house, which is right at the top of the garden, painted in a glorious Rococo pastel colour.
39:44And that's probably where you would have gone first on a party night. So with your drink,
39:48up to the top, and you've got a lovely view of the garden below. And then the exedra,
39:52which is the kind of crown shaped structure, which is a meeting place. It's a Greek word for meeting
39:56place. Obviously those are a highlight of this garden, but what other highlights are there?
40:00Popular with families here is the maze, which was planted in the late 1990s to celebrate
40:05the 250th anniversary of the painting, of the famous painting of the garden. Yes. Which is basically
40:10the only source of our restoration of it. And it shows us exactly in glorious detail what the garden
40:16looked like when it was first laid out in 1748. So lucky to have that because so many gardens don't have
40:21those records. Essentially it's a picture brought to life. That is my job is to make that picture
40:25come to life and people to be able to enjoy it and visit it. There's so much to explore in the gardens,
40:32but next I'm heading to their famed orchard, home to historic varieties of apple and pear trees.
40:39It's a living link to the past. What do you love about this area? I really love actually the plantings.
40:47It was planted in the early 80s when the restoration of the garden started and because of the painting
40:52it shows that they're in these beautiful rows. So as you walk through them you get some lovely angles
40:57and aspects of that. I really love the planting. Yes, the formality in a way. It's that really strong
41:03lines, isn't it? Strong structure. But then also when it comes to this time of year we get our
41:07dafts coming up which is just a joy, an absolute joy. They look so beautiful carpeting it. Which
41:11varieties have you got? So these are tamara that are coming up. So they're an early flowering,
41:15a late feb flowering. Little pseudonarcissus there as well. Yes, so we're really engaged with planting
41:21lots of those. In fact last autumn we planted 10,000 of those in our woodland. That's a lot.
41:26Because in the UK their native areas are really becoming quite rare so we're trying to help them.
41:31So we'll be planting another 8,000 this year. That's really good. And actually Gloucestershire
41:34known for its daffodils. So you're kind of helping that along. And also in this orchard we've got
41:40ice follies and king alfred. So they will start to bloom in March and April. So there'll be a lovely
41:46long season of daffodils throughout the orchard. And these apple cultivars, is it important to you to
41:52have old varieties, heritage varieties? Yes, of course most of these apples are heritage. In fact we've got
41:56Ashme's kernel which is a Gloucestershire heritage variety. And we try every year to graft from them
42:02and then that way these heritage varieties do live on. But it's not just about an orchard looking good,
42:08producing fruit. It's also very important for the environment isn't it? Absolutely and it's really
42:12important that we do more of this at home. I think people are a little bit scared of top fruit and
42:16planting apple trees because of their size. But they attract the pollinators. So not just for the nectar
42:20but the pollinators will eat the fruit as well if they really need it. In turn that attracts the birds.
42:26And loads of invertebrates. In fact we've found great crested noops having their winter sleep
42:31tucked around the base of the trunks before. So obviously we didn't know they were there and we
42:35stepped away very quickly. But that was just a joy to see that it's not just the apples and the daffs.
42:40There's lots of life hidden in all corners. If people want to grow apples and pears at home,
42:46what are your tips? Okay so it's basically just making sure you pick the right size of tree for your
42:51garden for the space that you have. So if you wanted it to be in a in a patio or in a container
42:56or whether you wanted a larger tree. And then you can choose the variety on top of that. So I would say
43:03you need to be planting them between autumn and spring when they're dormant. Giving them a good
43:08water regularly for the first year while they're becoming established. But once they're established
43:13they're pretty hardy and pretty easy to look after. They look after themselves really. They really do.
43:17So not only a good investment tree but something that's good for everyone. Absolutely good for the world.
43:30But no visit here would be complete without seeing its renowned snowdrops
43:34which blanket the landscape in a breathtaking sea of white every year.
43:41Now the snowdrops here are almost your unique selling point if you like. What makes them so special here?
43:47Well we've got over five million here and they are a naturalized display. So I think we're the UK's
43:53largest natural naturalized display. So we're really lucky. And you have one particular snowdrop that
43:58you're known for? Yes we do. We have Galanthus atkinsii here. So Galanthus atkinsii is a tall early
44:04flowering snowdrop. It's quite sought after nowadays and it's named after James Atkins who was a nursery
44:09man here in the 19th century. He was a bit crazy about snowdrops. As many people are. They are. He was sent from
44:16Italy. We believe one single snowdrop that nobody knew what it was and he loved it and now it's
44:21called Galanthus atkinsii. That's beautiful to have that. But you also have this carpet of
44:26I hate to say common snowdrop because it's so beautiful but it is isn't it? Is that common?
44:30It's the common snowdrop yet Galanthus nivalis so it's the one that will spread the quickest.
44:34And what do you do to keep this magnificent carpet looking so good?
44:37Well we don't really do too much. What we do do is sometimes if the the clumps are becoming too
44:43dense we'll lift and divide them perhaps add some smaller clumps in an area that's a little bit
44:47sparse. So you'd be looking at some good candidates down here? Absolutely yeah. So what we'd do is we
44:53would take a spade we'd give the roots and the bunch quite a large amount of room. And coming up really
44:59easily? Oh they come up so easily all of the leaf mould in this woodland just makes the soil lovely and light.
45:05It's gorgeously rich isn't it? So then we just lift them out with our hands
45:10and separate them with our fingers. So we tend to plant them into smaller clumps maybe five to ten
45:14snowdrops in an area here where we haven't really got too many clumps just loosen the soil so it's
45:20nice and loose at the base of the hole. So the roots can get reasonably established. And then we're
45:24just going to put them in at the same depth they came out at so we'll just pop them in there.
45:29And with snowdrops if people are buying them to plant better to buy them in the green than dry
45:37bulbs isn't it? Yes absolutely if you get them in the green get them home plant them out as soon as
45:42you can as soon as possible and give them a bit of water and they'll love that. And then maybe you
45:46can have a display like this one maybe not quite as much but if you're lucky yeah.
45:57Thanks Camilla and nice to see that Painswick like me is keen on daffs for me particularly the
46:04miniatures like this one jet fire. They're just such good stalwarts of the spring garden. That's it
46:11for today's gardening club. We've had houseplant wisdom from Claire, a splash of colour in the
46:17Cotswolds with Camilla, eco-friendly inspiration from Hugh in Wales and a visit to a community project
46:23with a difference with Errol. Don't say we don't spoil you so why not take a moment to spoil yourself.
46:30Step outside, breathe in the fresh spring air, look at the daffs and soak up the sights and scents
46:38of the season. Whatever space you have there's always something to enjoy and be inspired by.
46:44I'll see you next time for more tips, tricks and insights from our gardening club. Until then,
46:49whatever the weather, enjoy your garden.
47:01Alan Titchmarsh's gardening club brought to you by Green Thumb.