Gardeners' World Season 58 Episode 18

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00:00Hello,

00:29welcome to Gardener's World, and welcome back to Longmeadow after a few weeks away,

00:34when the weather has been as hot and as dry as I've known it in the last 30-odd years.

00:40And if you've got containers, you've got to water them. Otherwise, in the sort of heat and drought

00:46we've had, they will just frivel up and die. Now, that makes life tricky because there are hosepipe

00:51bands, there are water meters, so it does mean using what water you need to use really carefully.

00:58And we haven't watered the borders at all. And the effect is beginning to become really noticeable,

01:03sometimes quite dramatic. So, for example, the big hornbeam balls that I planted in spring

01:09have suffered. The ones exposed to the sun are not looking good at all. The ones in the shade

01:14are actually looking fine. Just that difference of a few meters is transformative. And it's one of the

01:21many things we're learning about how plants react. Clematis, which I would expect to really not like

01:27this dry weather, are doing fine because their roots are deep. These are all factors that we're

01:33having to to learn about and piece together and try and adapt to the changes of weather that we are

01:40having to deal with. Now, coming up on today's programme. Ari visits a cut flower grower in Kent,

01:49whose plot is filled not only with floral beauty, but also a fascinating range of wildlife.

01:55Wow. We've got privet hawk moths. Look at that. That's our largest UK resident species.

02:02It's a good night for elephants. Wow. Elephant hawk moths. Is that your biggest ever hawk?

02:08I think this is the most elephants I've ever seen. Yeah, that's definitely peak elephant.

02:13We catch up with Jamie Butterworth as he puts the finishing touches to our RHS Chelsea dog garden

02:20in its final position at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Harold is doing exactly what you were talking

02:28about. He's using the garden. He's got a lot to explore and he's taking it really slowly.

02:33He is. It's so lovely to see. Genuinely. And we visit a grower who is a self-confessed

02:40obsessive about Echevera's. This is Echevera Madaba and she's absolutely stunning.

02:48It's got beautiful wavy lines. Its leaves are almost metallic and shiny. It's just beautiful.

02:55It has to be said that Longmeadow is a wet place. We never get drought.

03:25Well, we never used to get drought. Plants are just shriveling up. Flowers have been going over

03:30much quicker. Obviously, the roses just went over almost overnight. And the other thing that's

03:36happened is quite a lot of things have held back. So, for example, normally by this time,

03:41the dahlias are really zinging with flower and colour. And one of our main jobs is deadheading.

03:47Hardly any have come into flower yet. Hemerocallis untouched. Not bothered by it at all.

03:54The yews which I planted are really suffering. I should be watering those more. And yet those are

03:59plants which I think of as tough as old boots. I have to confess that I don't know the answers.

04:05And I don't believe that anybody does. We'll share.

04:14Good boy.

04:22Now, obviously, when it comes to vegetables, water is essential. It's almost impossible to grow good

04:26vegetables without some kind of watering. But as with so many plants throughout the garden,

04:32what you water and when is key. For example, we've got fennel here. Florence fennel. A really great

04:38late summer plant. But you have to water it. Because once it bolts, which it will do if it feels too

04:44hot or too dry, then you can't go back. You can never reclaim the plant. So I have been watering the

04:51fennel. Now, the outdoor tomatoes are actually in the perfect situation. I've watered them once a week.

04:58When I say watered, they get a really good soak. But they're very happy. They like the heat. They're

05:04not suffering. So that's fine. But here's a really good example. The broad beans, I haven't watered

05:10because I've never watered broad beans in my life, and they suffered. And what we've got,

05:14and this is the first time this has happened to me, we've got very small pods with large,

05:20very mealy beans. And the pods are about half the size, often with just two beans inside,

05:28which, as broad beans go, is not what you want. You know, I love the young broad beans, and you get

05:33longer pods, and there's something succulent about it. These are dry, they're mealy. But by and large,

05:39broad beans have one of the worst years I've ever had. Now, this is Swiss chard. Now,

05:44Swiss chard is actually really good at adapting to drought. It's got deep roots, and it will survive.

05:52But that doesn't mean to say that it is plain sailing, because what it often does is bolt.

05:59And that means it throws up a flowering stem in an effort to produce seeds. If the plant feels stressed,

06:06and therefore it might die, the quicker it can reproduce, the better. So what you have to do

06:11is as soon as you see it bolting, and this is the bolting stem here, and these will become flowers,

06:19is go right down, cut that off. Now, that can go on the compost heap. Look how limp the leaves are.

06:29When they're fully hydrated, they're crisp and full. So that slows down the process of the plant going

06:36into panic. As soon as we get enough water, this will survive. These plants, I can guarantee,

06:42I will still be harvesting next spring. However, if this had been lettuce, and I grow a lot of lettuce,

06:49once it bolts, that's it. It's a one-way valve. It's rather like fennel. You can't reclaim it.

06:54Cutting back the bolting stem is no good. So it's a question of planning the plants according to the

07:00weather and the soil, and responding where response is going to be most effective.

07:08Now, we're going to join Arit as she continues her journey around the country visiting growers of

07:13cut flowers. And last month, she went down to visit a grower in Kent.

07:18This year, I'm on a mission. I'm meeting some of the growers who are driving a homegrown revolution

07:32right here in the UK.

07:37There are many people growing their own, and I don't just mean vegetables, which of course is important,

07:43but those that are growing seasonal British cut flowers. And they're doing it for the love of

07:48flowers, but also for wildlife.

07:54I've come to Kent to meet Nate Moss. Being able to grow his own fresh flowers was the motivation to

08:00transform his garden into a business.

08:06I've brought a pair for you, actually. You knew I'd love that.

08:08Yeah, it's hard to keep up with them this time of year, this week, please. They're

08:12just coming into their prime now, actually. You just need sort of 10 or 12 to stick in a vase,

08:17and it gives you a really lovely display.

08:19Brilliant. Have you always loved gardening, Nate?

08:22I have, yeah. I think, literally, since I was five or six, I've got memories of

08:27being outside and planting stuff and growing and designing spaces. I grew up in a military family,

08:34so we moved around every year or two, and actually also grew up with undiagnosed ADHD and autism.

08:40So I think being outside is where I feel most myself.

08:47So when did you decide to turn the space over to cut flowers?

08:53I think it's maybe not turned over to cut flowers. I think cut flowers is a part of it, but actually,

09:01a lot of the space is turned over to nature, and I think it's trying to find the balance, really.

09:07I've been here a couple of years, so I see myself more as a guest, really, than a sort of custodian.

09:15I guess it's about trying to be a good guest, not a gatecrasher, and make room for everyone else.

09:19Yeah, I like that. I really like that. It is about being a guest.

09:23I think there's a growing interest in British flowers and local flowers that haven't been shipped

09:28from the other side of the world. You know, they know how they've been grown,

09:32they've been grown sort of more environmentally friendly.

09:34Yeah, which is so, I think, important now.

09:45Oh, Nate, this is just lovely.

09:49Put these down. Absolutely, yeah.

09:52I mean, what do you choose? How do you decide what to grow?

09:54So, I think a lot of what I'm growing here is sort of country garden favourites. You've got

09:59dahlias and snapdragons and cosmos and kind of the more traditional stuff that you would grow

10:05in a cut flower garden in this country.

10:09To help realise Nate's ambition to bring more wildlife in,

10:13he's begun growing a very different group of plants for his bouquets.

10:17So, it's early days, but these are all British native wildflowers.

10:21So, we've got the wild-form agrostemma, which is corn cockle,

10:25and then we've got our native salvia, which is just starting to come out, the lovely purple-blue.

10:31Ideally, what we want to do in terms of sustainability will be to grow almost like a cutting meadow.

10:36So, you've got plants growing in a community.

10:39They're going to need much less input from me. They'll be much more resilient.

10:44And that ambition is already growing into a reality.

10:49Well, this looks great.

10:50So, this was just a sort of bog-standard green lawn when we moved in a couple of years ago.

10:57And that's one of the first things we did, just let the grass grow and then cut it in the autumn

11:02and broadcast some wildflower seeds.

11:04So, this is, I guess, still an infant.

11:07Very much so, yeah.

11:09In some ways, but, you know, already, you know, seeing the butterflies dancing across it,

11:14I mean, it's doing its job.

11:15Yeah, as soon as the sun comes out on a day like this, you can start to see the meadow jumping,

11:20butterflies and bees and, yeah, it just comes alive.

11:25And it's not just the daytime pollinators that Nate wants to attract to his garden.

11:30Yesterday evening, he set up a moth trap using a bucket and a light to see what other pollinators visit the garden at night.

11:37And it's a good night.

11:38Wow!

11:43We've got privet hawk moth, so...

11:45Look at that!

11:46That's our largest UK resident species.

11:49It was a good night for elephants.

11:50Wow!

11:52Elephant hawk moths.

11:54Is that your biggest ever haul?

11:55I think this is the most elephants I've ever seen.

11:57Yeah, that's definitely peak elephant.

12:00It's the larval food that's so important, isn't it?

12:03Because often people are like, I don't like caterpillars, but they like, you know, butterflies

12:08and obviously the importance of moths.

12:10Most moths will have a single food plant that their caterpillars will eat.

12:14So, with the privet hawk moth, that eats privet. Elephant hawk moth.

12:18Their larvae depend on rose bay willow herb.

12:21So, that's a really important British native wildflower to grow in your garden if you want to see more elephants.

12:26Yeah.

12:27And what will you do with them now?

12:29So, what I'll do now is I'll record the numbers and the species,

12:31and then we can submit that to our local moth recorder.

12:35And then this evening, we'll let them go and they'll just fly off into the night.

12:40It wouldn't be a proper visit without creating a display

12:43from what's looking great now.

12:45And Nate has a vase, or three, at the ready.

12:49We've got sustainable mechanics here.

12:51What I'm going to use is a pin holder.

12:53That'll just give it a little bit more support for the size of the stems we've got.

12:58And then just a bit of chicken wire, which you sort of scrunch up.

13:01You can use that over and over again and just make a ball, pop it into your vase and push it down.

13:07So, when you're picking cut flowers, the ideal time to do it is first thing in the morning,

13:11when it's nice and cool and they're well hydrated after the evening.

13:15And then ideally, you just let them condition for 24 hours in a nice deep drink of cool water.

13:23And just stripping off these lower leaves really just stops all of that

13:28going basically mouldy in the water, keeping the stems nice and clear.

13:32So, we've got some lovely meadow sweet here, which is an ancient strewing herb.

13:38They'd have used this back in the medieval time to dry and put on their bedchamber floors,

13:43just because of the lovely fragrance of it.

13:46So, this is a lovely rose bay willow herb.

13:52This is just celebrating a lovely bright colour palette this time of year.

13:56Here. That looks absolutely stunning, Nate. I love it.

14:01Thank you. I love it.

14:02Meadow in a vase. It's absolutely a meadow in a vase.

14:06The colours are just so gentle, that pink and yellow. I just adore it.

14:17I really love how Nate's passion for nature and wildlife has driven him to grow these British

14:23wildflowers alongside the more traditional cut flowers. You can really feel the love in every

14:29single stem. And the great thing is that they haven't been flown across the world.

14:33They haven't used any pesticides. They've been grown here in this native soil.

14:49Come on.

14:53I have to say, I am deeply jealous of those sweet peas because the drought has affected mine

15:05catastrophically. Nevertheless, they looked wonderful. I thought the arrangements at the end

15:10were simply magnificent. Lovely. Now, these are my potatoes. I planted these in early April.

15:18They have not had a drop of water at any stage in their growth, other than the rain.

15:23They're charlotte. They're second early, which means that they're ready from about the end of June,

15:28beginning of July. Now, what I will do is pull a little bit away like this.

15:37And already we can see that some are coming up by hand.

15:41The soil is dust. Normally, the soil sticks to your feet. It sticks to the spade. When you dig spuds,

15:54they are coated in mud. And these are practically clean. You could almost just put those straight

16:00into water and cook them, because the soil is so dry.

16:13Well, that's enough for lunch. And I have to say, I'm really genuinely happy with that,

16:18because no water. Soil like dust. No care and attention at all. And look at them. Really nice potatoes.

16:28They'll store for about three months and make us very happy in the process.

16:32Now, inside the greenhouse, obviously, it hasn't just been hot. It's been really roasting. In here,

16:49it's been in the mid and high forties day after day. And managing that can be quite tricky,

16:55with interesting results. So something like the cucumbers haven't minded the heat at all. They're

17:01fine as long as they get enough water. I should harvest some. So let's have a couple for lunch.

17:07That will do. That one is a nice small variety called Passandra. The squashes,

17:13also a member of the cucurbit family, have really done well. I've watered these probably twice,

17:19maybe three times a week. They're absolutely incredible. But what we're aiming at are really

17:25good fruits. Now, each plant, I think, can cope with three fruits and no more. So at this stage,

17:32you want to start cutting back. Now, the first thing to do is to cut back foliage that's blocking light.

17:38So we can see there's a fruit there. That looks really nice. So if I take that out, and

17:45that out. And of course, what that's doing is letting light onto it. And that will help the ripening process.

17:59Now you can see, I've got masses of flowers. I haven't got very many fruits. But in order to have a fruit,

18:14you need a flower. So if I cut all the flowers off now, I won't get any more fruits. So I'm going to leave

18:20the flowers for the moment, and see how they fruit. And then when I've got three per plant,

18:26I'll cut all the rest off and keep cutting them off. And the reason you do that is because flowers

18:31take energy. The plant wants to produce as many fruits as possible to maximize the opportunities

18:38of producing seed and therefore more plants. So by limiting the amount of flowers, we are focusing

18:45all the plant's energy into developing the fruits that it has.

18:48I've been away for a couple of weeks. And while I was away, someone very kindly watered the greenhouses for me.

18:59And on that side, because the tomatoes were younger, they didn't water so much. Over on this side of the

19:05greenhouse, bigger plants, they thought they needed more water. They watered every day.

19:08Now that was too much water. And the result is this. You'll see these tomato fruits are horribly blackened.

19:18But they have one feature which is common to all of them. The discoloration is all at the bottom of the fruit,

19:26which is where the flower was. And this is called blossom end rot. And it's really quite common.

19:34This is very dramatic. This is the worst example I've ever seen. But sometimes it's just a general

19:39browning, a stain at the bottom of the fruit. And it's caused by lack of calcium.

19:47And it's not that there isn't enough calcium in the soil. But if you have too much water,

19:51it inhibits the plant from taking up that calcium. To make life complicated, if you have too little water,

19:57you can also get it. It's not something that's going to spread, because it's caused by the cells

20:02collapsing. However, it's really easy to fix. Just change the watering regime twice a week,

20:08a good soak, and that's almost always enough for any tomato.

20:22Although we're in the middle of summer, it is important to start planning ahead

20:38and sowing seeds for autumn and winter veg. There are a few salad-y type crops that I always grow,

20:47which grow best in spring and in autumn and even in winter. And amongst them I've got here, I've got

20:54chicory radicchio. I've got fantastic pala rossa radicchio. Slightly bitter, crisp, wonderful in

21:01winter salads, and also really nice cooked. You wilt them. And they're delicious. I always grow rocket.

21:08Now, rocket doesn't like hot weather. So you can imagine it would have been hopeless over the last few

21:14weeks. Finally, I've got parsley. The technique is exactly the same for all of them. So, compost into a

21:20seed tray. Chicory, this is pala rossa. Now, I'm sprinkling the seed as thinly as I can. You can,

21:28of course, sow these direct, and they'll grow perfectly well, except that the ground at the

21:33moment is so dry, so you've got to water well and keep watering. And you don't need a greenhouse.

21:40You can do this perfectly well on a windowsill. Gently press them in. All I'm doing is making

21:46contact with the seed to the soil. I'm not pressing down. And they need to be covered over.

21:53And it's just a light covering which lets a little bit of light through and also lets the moisture

21:59through a label. And this is certainly something I'd get on and sew now. I wouldn't leave this any

22:09longer. Now, that will need watering, and I'm going to dip that in a tray of water. So we'll put that to

22:15one side.

22:28These need to be kept watered, but not soaking wet. Just make sure they don't dry out. They should

22:51germinate in about seven to ten days' time, be ready to prick out in about three weeks' time,

22:56and plant out in sort of about the middle of September. The rocket will be ready to harvest

23:02quite quickly, certainly by October, November. The chicory may well be something that you harvest

23:08in the middle of winter, but I can tell you it will be very welcome. I love it. Now,

23:13one of the things I also love about gardens and gardening is that it allows for every kind

23:19of niche obsession. And we went to visit one goer who certainly comes into that category in North

23:27Lincolnshire.

23:31Hello. My name is Tracy Coogan, and I am obsessed with echeveria.

23:45I had an old book, and it said in the old book that grey-necked echeveria soon becomes a major

23:54embarrassment due to lack of space. And I stood in my little greenhouse thinking,

23:59I wish I were in that position. 13 years later on, I've got four large greenhouses,

24:07and I'm seriously embarrassed by the lack of space.

24:17Echeveria are just the most perfect genus. Unlike other succulents, there are so many different

24:25varieties and forms within the genus. You've got plants that have hairs on the leaves, compacted

24:32rosettes. We've got shrub-type plants. We have plants that look like ornamental cabbages. They

24:37come in every colour of the rainbow, from pure snowy white through blues, greens, pinks, purples,

24:45blacks. They are just the most amazing plant.

24:50This is echeveria polydonis, and I would say it's possibly one of the most easily recognised plants.

24:58It's a species plant from Mexico. It's got beautiful, beautiful margins. It's tough,

25:05it's robust, and it's one of the few plants that will cope with the British weather. It can manage

25:11sub-zero conditions, providing it's protected from the rain and it's not wet.

25:16This is Echeveria Madaba, which is absolutely stunning. It's got beautiful, wavy lines. Its

25:28leaves are almost metallic and shiny and multi-turned in different lights. It picks up different hues. It's

25:36just beautiful.

25:49One of the things I love about echeveria is the reason of propagation. This method, leaf propagation,

25:56is probably the easiest of all. You need to choose leaves that are healthy and plump.

26:01And simply give it a good wiggle. And the leaf will come off with a perfect C shape.

26:13Use 50% compost and 50% grit and simply lay your leaves onto the compost. And you don't need to

26:20water now until they've developed roots. The leaf cannot absorb the water without roots,

26:25so adding water at this stage would just cause it to rot. Place them in a light sunny position.

26:32You can do this at any time of year, but it's preferable to do it in spring. It gives the leaf

26:36time to develop a nice strong little plantlet that'll get through the following winter.

26:42And within four or five weeks, they should start rooting and grow little heads that would be the

26:47perfect clone of the parent plant. This is one of the echeveria raindrops varieties. It's a beautiful

27:01mutation that's got like little teardrops that are formed on the leaves. This form has drops 52 weeks

27:07of the year. There are some forms that during the summer, the drops are no longer visible and then

27:12they'll reform again in winter. Here's a beautiful plant called echeveria skinneri. It's not something

27:20you'd associate as being echeveria. It's got these beautiful tall stems. It grows very much like aeonium

27:28and much like aeonium, you can propagate it by cutting the heads off when they get too long,

27:34letting them callous over and putting them on.

27:43Their needs are really, really simple and basic. The only way you can really kill them is by over

27:49watering. You need to use a really good quality potting compost and mix that 50% potting compost,

27:5650% grit. You need to allow the compost to dry out completely before you water them again. So during

28:02summer, maybe water once every week to 10 days. They like a bright sunny position, but would be really,

28:09really happy if you could give them a little bit of afternoon shade. At the first sign of frost,

28:13you need to bring them in and dry them out and allow them to go into dormancy. Once it goes cold,

28:18they won't take up water, so watering them is pretty much pointless.

28:25Because propagating from leaf and head cutting just doesn't produce enough plants,

28:30I've started hybridising my own Echeverias from seed. So last year, I chose Echeveria

28:38Shaviana Peregrina and added it to a more robust plant, Echeveria Cuspidata, with its beautiful,

28:46pointy claws. The resulting progeny! Ooh, look at that! It's really lovely with its delicate peachy

28:56turns, its lovely pink claws. For all the plants I have in my collection, it's different to anything

29:01else I've got. And another beautiful Echeveria is Echeveria linguis. People either love it or hate

29:10it. There is no middle ground with it, to the point where I can't, they can't stand to look at

29:15the caruncles and they find it the most disgusting stomach-turning plant. To other people like me,

29:20who think it's amazingly beautiful and you just want to get up close and personal and look at all

29:25the fantastic patterns on the leaves. They're really good therapy, it doesn't matter how you're feeling

29:34or what's happening in other parts of your life or the world, you can come down to your greenhouse,

29:38you can play with your plants for a few hours and you just forget everything.

29:50I now feel a bit inadequate about my own Echeverias because although they're lovely and really

30:02interesting and incidentally very easy to look after because as Tracy so brilliantly pointed out,

30:08if they're not growing they don't need water and they don't need much water anyway. They're wonderfully

30:13adapted to neglect, if you like. Now this is a yew hedge that I planted from cuttings that I took

30:23some years ago deliberately to replace the box hedges that lined all the borders here in the Jewel

30:29Garden. They're coming into being, it's not yet what I would call a proper hedge, but when I planted it

30:35they were completely individual plants, they are growing together and you have to have an element of

30:39patience. But the first thing I would say is don't be frightened of yew as a hedge. There is this

30:45belief that it grows very slowly and it's going to take ages. It's not true. Yew grows quite fast.

30:53You can see that's this year's growth, there's probably about 10 inches of growth on that.

30:57It's going to be a minimum of six inches and can be up to a foot. The secret is to cut the sides

31:03nice and tight even if eventually you want it to be wider because that will encourage lateral growth.

31:08So the first thing I'm going to do is just start to cut the sides back. And the thing about yew,

31:13and it's true of Holly and Box as well, is the harder you cut it the denser it will grow. And one

31:19of the measures of a compact hedge, particularly a low one, is so you can put your cup of tea

31:23with a saucer on it and it will balance like a shelf.

31:26When you're cutting an evergreen hedge like yew, it's best to do it between August and even November.

31:41And that way they also will stay sharp really well into May. And I would stress these have not been

31:48watered or fed ever. What I do is mulch them in spring and that's been it.

31:57Now, having done that and been along, I can now think about doing the top. I need to also do the

32:05inside, but there's much less growth on that because that is north facing and you've got other plants,

32:11so there's very little light getting to it, so therefore it's not growing so well.

32:15Now, when it comes to the top, hip height is about right. You can put a string,

32:20you can get a level, you can aim to get it dead right. At this stage of its growth,

32:25I just want to get a line and I can do that by eye. So if I just go across like this,

32:30I can level it up a bit later. That's very rough, but it's early days. It'll be another two or three

32:48years before that's a solid hedge. And just remember, all this came from cuttings, so worth doing.

32:54Now, at Chelsea this year, I did my first show garden. I say I did my first show garden. It was

33:02very much a team effort. And the key person who worked with me throughout this was Jamie Butterworth.

33:10And we both agreed from day one, we wanted it to be permanently placed a Battersea,

33:16dogs and cats home. And we're joining Jamie now as he's finishing off with the planting and preparing

33:23for its grand opening.

33:32Helping to bring Monty's RHS and BBC Radio 2 dog garden design to life at Chelsea this year was an

33:40absolute honour for me as a plantsman. It was a huge whirlwind of a project that got lots of attention.

33:49It was an emotional roller coaster and I loved every minute of it. But the story of this garden is far

33:56from over. The RHS and Monty were so passionate. This garden brings as much joy to as many dogs as possible.

34:05Which is why it's coming here. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in central London has been rescuing,

34:12rehabilitating and rehiring animals ever since 1860. The operation to transfer the show garden from

34:20Chelsea to its forever home here has been going on for six weeks. And now its Royal Grand Opening is just

34:28five days away. And I think we're in a pretty good place. All the major structural bits from the garden at

34:39Chelsea are now here. So all the trees have now been moved over. The hard landscaping is all in. So these

34:45are all the bricks that made the path at Chelsea. We've redesigned it slightly because we needed to have

34:51an entrance area that the dogs could actually go onto in the first place and then on and into the garden.

34:57The hedge that was at the back of the garden is now in and actually is doing a really important job

35:02because just a metre behind that hedge is a railway line. So it's really important to try and screen

35:08that out from the dogs. Over at the back of the garden we've got the most incredible team of volunteers

35:14from Battersea planting away. But I reckon today, maybe tomorrow we'll get those all in.

35:23The garden at Chelsea was essentially a stage set. A representation of a dog friendly domestic garden.

35:30Monty wanted features that would suit dogs, like the wallow, plenty of shade and a nice thick lawn.

35:37But it was on a scale and in a style to suit a typical back garden and a typical family.

35:45We originally thought we'd be able to pretty much transpose the design from Chelsea into the garden

35:53here at Battersea. But this is not only a completely different space but has completely different

36:00requirements. Here at Battersea to replace a simple patch of plastic grass, the home wanted a place

36:09where the vulnerable rescued dogs get a chance to be outside amongst plants to explore and to feel safe.

36:18I reckon we can do a clump of amistad here and a clump of amistad here if we get the key

36:22structural bits in first. So I've been working closely with Battersea's lead horticulturalist Dawn Richards

36:31to make sure this is a garden that really fits their brief. Dawn, why is this garden so

36:38important to the dogs here? Well, as you've probably seen, it's a really urbanised environment here.

36:45You know, it's very built up and the dogs that are in kennels, whilst we do provide the best

36:52enrichment and the very best care we can, shelter life can be quite one-dimensional. So it's great

36:58for them to be able to get out, experience sort of green spaces, come into contact with nature and just

37:04sort of be able to make that sort of freedom of choice to explore. I garden in a very different way to

37:10how I would say in my own home. When I place plants, when I put plants in the ground in an area here,

37:15I'm really thinking about how the dogs are going to interact in that space. You know,

37:20they're a lot lower to the ground than us. So they're going to navigate through the garden

37:25differently. And the enrichment benefits that they're going to gain from it is from touch,

37:30is from, you know, the aromatics, the smell. So like the oregano. So like the oregano, absolutely.

37:35And you know, like if you like, that's really powerful for a dog. You know, we think an awful lot

37:42about mindfulness, about coming into contact with nature and how intrinsic that is for our own

37:47well-being. But equally so, you know, with dogs, they enjoy and need the same enrichment.

37:54In terms of well-being, that's massive, you know, massive.

38:00To see if we're going in the right direction, it's time to put the new garden to the test with the help

38:07of the canine residents themselves. First up is Jasper.

38:13Yay! There he goes.

38:16He is picking his way through.

38:18He's meandering.

38:19I think, which is really lovely to see. He's using it exactly how we hoped dogs would use it.

38:27He's getting the benefit of this environment, but not free running, burning off energy,

38:32but engaging his brain and having a little nibble, which is really, really incredible to see.

38:38If you've got a dog at home and you're wanting to try and replicate a bit of this,

38:43what would your advice be? I'd say, you know, if you can, don't be so precious about your gardens.

38:50Allow your dog to use it. Place your most precious plants maybe to the back of the borders,

38:55where the dogs won't necessarily, you know, walk on them or flatten them. But also, you know,

39:01think about what dogs want from nature, what they look for in nature. They love a bit of shade,

39:06maybe, you know, some water. That could be a small child's paddling pool. It could be,

39:12you know, a large bowl of fresh water every day. Am I right in saying there are particular colours

39:17that are best for dogs so that dogs can see? Yeah, well, dogs see on the blue and yellow spectrum,

39:23so those are the colours that they can actually visually see. You know, things like marigolds and

39:28asters, visually they will see them, so it does give them a little bit more of a dynamic.

39:32What's this? What do you think? There you go. Good boy. Good boy. Next to road test the new space, Harold.

39:47Harold, again, is doing exactly what you were talking about. He's using the garden,

39:53he's got a lot to explore and he's taking it really slowly. He is. It's so lovely to see, genuinely.

39:59Harold, as we can see, is, you know, a slightly more subdued character to Jasper and just watching

40:06him moving through the garden, he's gaining confidence and this garden will provide that

40:11resource for so many of our dogs that are quite vulnerable, are feeling a little bit, you know,

40:16in a new environment and unsure and then you give them something that's totally natural and as close

40:22to nature as you can get and they're going to use that and that's going to really, really help them

40:28with their journey through the shelter into a new home. These are the moments that you really

40:34realise what you do has a massive impact. It's quite emotional. It's a dream come true to know that

40:40this is here now for these dogs. The legacy of the garden here at Battersea is something that's

40:48close to many people's hearts, which is why its official opening is being done by Her Majesty the

40:54Queen. So, the day before the royal visit, Monty arrives to give it the final once over.

41:03Jamie, I got here at last. Nice to see you. How are you, Monty? I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm looking around.

41:09I'm relieved. The planting looks good. The garden's been open tomorrow by the Queen. So,

41:15we had a hard deadline and ultimately what I'd have loved to have done is cut back a lot of these

41:20plants as we plant them. Horticulturally, it would have been so much better to give them a complete

41:25Chelsea chop, Hampton hack and let them try and root down a little bit, but we needed to look full.

41:31It wouldn't be Monty if he didn't want a couple of tweaks, but actually seeing the garden in situ here

41:42at Battersea feels absolutely right. To me, this is just, it's morphed. It's just shifted. It's just

41:50sort of flowed across the Thames and arrived here and had taken up a different shape.

41:55And obviously, the final piece of this jigsaw will be Her Majesty coming tomorrow and opening it up.

42:01And then I sort of feel, fine, off you go. That's your life now.

42:04It's closure. Yeah, it's closure. Like a ship just sailing away, you know, and it leaves you and I.

42:10I've done a few Chelsea gardens and we've relocated all of them, but this is,

42:15I think this is the most authentic, nicest. It's going to have such a legacy.

42:25It's a blessing.

42:27It's a blessing.

42:29It's a blessing.

42:34It's a blessing.

42:40Seeing the garden come to its final resting place was deeply satisfying.

42:45Jamie and I had worked on it over the past year so intensely.

42:49for about two or three months we spoke over the phone about four times a day

42:52and went over every detail, every conceivable square inch

42:57we both knew intimately.

43:00And then for the Queen to come and open the garden

43:03and for so many people, and dogs of course,

43:07to so obviously get pleasure from it was very satisfying.

43:11And knowing that that garden is going to live on for years to come

43:15is a really good way to conclude my involvement with it.

43:21Back to reality.

43:22And this area here, which is really one big bed,

43:26is dominated by species roses.

43:28And the thing about species roses, and I love them,

43:31is that they all have small flowers, tend to be single,

43:34they tend to flower earlier in the year, just once,

43:39they don't repeat flower, they flower on old wood,

43:41so the wood that's grown the previous year.

43:44And they tend to very often be quite big.

43:46You can see, although I pruned these last year a bit,

43:49they're really big as roses go.

43:52And I like that.

43:53However, they do need some pruning and some control,

43:56and now's the time to do it.

43:57Because if you prune them in winter, like normal shrub roses,

44:02the new growth won't carry any flowers.

44:05So when you prune, go as low as you can

44:07and take the oldest material out.

44:10So you can see in here I've got a nice old bit there.

44:13If I take that like that,

44:17I don't know if I can get it out in one go.

44:19Here we go.

44:23See, what I've got, and I can hold this up,

44:27that's always a whole rose brush on its own, the stems.

44:31Now that's a new stem.

44:32I could have cut there, and that would have been fine.

44:33This is what will bear next year's flowers if I'd left it on.

44:38This year's new growth.

44:40So that's what we want to leave plenty of behind.

44:43All this older stuff, that can be chopped up.

44:46And it could go on the compost heap.

44:48Anything that's got flowers on it is not going to flower next year.

45:03So I can take that back like that.

45:07That can come out.

45:08So let's go right down low.

45:12I can just see a slight bud.

45:13If I go above that, it will regrow from that point.

45:16I've taken off about half the plant,

45:37and what I've left is going to give me flowers next year.

45:40Now this is not its final size.

45:42I want it to be bigger than this.

45:44But that gives room for it to grow.

45:47And I don't prune these every year.

45:49At most every other year,

45:51and actually on average about every three years.

45:54By and large, that is it.

45:56That's all you need to do every three years.

45:58Your work is done.

46:00We're going to go to one of your gardens now.

46:02It belongs to Simon Farrell,

46:03who lives not very far from here in Herefordshire.

46:07And I think you'll find it's rather a special place.

46:14Hello, my name is Simon,

46:27and welcome to my one-acre patch of paradise

46:32in the middle of Herefordshire.

46:40Well, 25 years ago,

46:43I started to turn this into a nature reserve

46:48and a wildflower garden.

46:51And basically, it's evolved over that time,

46:55every year being slightly different from the year before.

47:00But unfortunately, I now have this motor neuron disease.

47:04So I rely very much on family and friends

47:08to help keep the pathways open down through the orchard.

47:14And anyway, follow me.

47:19This border, which is right outside the cottage,

47:36is really starting off the herb garden.

47:41And you can see the say and the apple mint.

47:47And I've just added occasional garden plants as well.

47:52But this year, this tall, thin mallow has appeared.

47:58And this is the exciting thing about wildflower gardens,

48:05is that you never know what's going to come up.

48:09And it's such a surprise.

48:11When I see these plants and flowers,

48:15I think those marvelous lines by William Blake,

48:22to see the world in a grain of sand

48:25and heaven in a wildflower,

48:29is to hold the universe in the palm of your hand

48:33and eternity in an hour.

48:41I think it's right.

48:42Maybe not.

48:43Yes, a pond is central part of a wild-life garden.

49:01And to have dragonflies come to your pond,

49:05it's just sort of wonderful beyond belief.

49:13And there's so many different types

49:15and colours and forms

49:19and the way they hover and hunt.

49:22Oh, there's a newt.

49:24I've just seen a newt.

49:25And before long,

49:37a whole afternoon

49:39will have drifted by.

49:41And my mind is full

49:58of the wonder of it all.

50:02Oh, there's a newt.

50:32Thank you, Simon.

50:35Thank you for sharing your garden with us.

50:38Now, this is a Philadelphus,

50:40a mock orange.

50:42And until about three weeks ago

50:44was a cloud of white flowers

50:47with some of the most distinctive fragrance

50:50you could get in the garden.

50:52I don't have a wonderful sense of smell,

50:53but just walking down here,

50:55you'd be bathed in this wonderful, wonderful scent.

50:59So, I want more.

51:01And the best way to get more

51:02is to take cuttings.

51:03So, if I go down there

51:06and take that.

51:07Now, obviously,

51:07that is too long for a cutting,

51:10so I'm going to divide it up.

51:12I could probably divide it into three, actually.

51:15Go one,

51:16and then

51:17and then

51:17just cutting there.

51:21Two.

51:23And as ever with cuttings,

51:25bring a polythene bag

51:26and pop them in.

51:28Even if you're going to go straight away

51:30to deal with them,

51:31it's going to help the longevity,

51:34and longevity is what it's all about.

51:35So, we've got those.

51:36I've got these cuttings in the bag,

52:01and now the important thing to do

52:04is to process them

52:05as quickly as you can.

52:07Have compost ready

52:08that has got a lot of perlite,

52:12sand or grit in it.

52:13You need drainage.

52:15You don't need nutrition at this stage.

52:17It's much more important

52:18that they have good drainage.

52:20So, that's ready.

52:21I've got these ready.

52:22I've got a knife to hand,

52:24and now we can take them out.

52:25This is the top,

52:27and you can see already

52:28that is very soft,

52:30and it's worth pointing out

52:32the definition of a softwood cutting

52:33is can you bend it?

52:35Is it soft enough

52:35to bend back on itself?

52:37So, if I just took that top,

52:38it would be a softwood cutting.

52:40Softwood cuttings strike very easily.

52:43However, they die very quickly.

52:47This, though,

52:48has got a base that is firmer,

52:49and you can see that

52:50if I tried to bend that,

52:51it's flexible,

52:53but it can't bend on itself,

52:54so it's semi-ripe.

52:55They're slower to take,

52:57but they're pretty reliable.

52:58They're less prone to dying back.

53:03So, I need to reduce the leaves.

53:07Now, these leaves would lose moisture,

53:11and if the plant loses too much moisture,

53:14it'll die before it has a chance

53:17to grow roots,

53:18and if it doesn't have roots,

53:19it can't take up any more moisture.

53:21It's a very simple equation.

53:22So, I've just left

53:24a few little leaves on the top.

53:26Clean it off by cutting below a node.

53:28Now, a node is simply a fancy name

53:31for where the leaves join,

53:32and if you cut just below the node,

53:35the sharp knife,

53:37that's the place where roots

53:38are most likely to form.

53:40Now, I need that to make a hole.

53:43So, I've sunk it in nice and deep.

53:48This one, I'll take the leaves off.

53:52That can go in.

53:57Taking these off.

53:58Water that

54:12and put it somewhere protected

54:14from direct hot sunlight

54:16and being too wet or too windy.

54:19I will not touch these

54:22until next spring.

54:24However,

54:25I'm really confident

54:26that what I'll get next year

54:28is this.

54:30Because what I have here

54:31are a tray of Philadelphus

54:33that I took as cuttings

54:35this time last year.

54:36And you can see,

54:37the result is,

54:38and they've been potted on

54:38into their own separate pots,

54:40really nice, healthy plants.

54:43Now, if you were to buy that

54:44in a garden centre,

54:45you would be looking

54:46in excess of £10

54:47and maybe as much as twice that.

54:51I will probably plant these next spring

54:53when they will be up here.

54:56They'll have a good root system,

54:57nice big pot,

54:58and it's cost me absolutely nothing.

55:02And if that doesn't make you

55:03want to take a cutting,

55:04then I don't know what will.

55:06However,

55:06even if cuttings aren't your bag,

55:09here are your jobs

55:09for this weekend.

55:12At this time of year,

55:22plants grown in a container

55:24will need a bit of a boost

55:26in order to go on

55:27performing at their very best.

55:30I'm using a homemade comfrey tea,

55:31but I can recommend

55:32liquid seaweed too,

55:34which you can buy

55:34at any garden centre.

55:36Don't be tempted

55:37to mix it up stronger

55:38than the recommended dosage,

55:40and you only need to feed

55:41once a week.

55:42And this will make

55:43all the difference

55:44in the coming months.

55:50We tend to focus

55:52on the water needs

55:54of plants

55:55at times of heat and drought.

55:57But don't forget wildlife.

55:58A whole range of wildlife

56:00in your garden

56:01must have water too,

56:04and especially birds

56:05at this time of year.

56:06So if you don't have a bird bath,

56:08get a container,

56:10raise it up out of reach

56:11of any predators,

56:13and make sure it's topped up

56:14with fresh water daily.

56:22Because of the intense heat

56:24and drought of this summer,

56:26many of us have plants

56:27that look burnt

56:29to a frazzle.

56:31I'm afraid there's nothing

56:32to do but to cut them back

56:33hard.

56:36If you can,

56:37give them a good soak.

56:39They may well regrow

56:40this summer,

56:41but even if they don't,

56:42they'll be healthy

56:43and grow back next year

56:45as though nothing has happened.

56:46One of the major events

56:56in the garden this year

56:57is the rejigging

56:58of the dual garden.

57:00Stripped it out last winter,

57:02gradually been replanting it

57:04throughout spring

57:05and into summer,

57:06and it's been quite tricky

57:06because of the weather.

57:08But some things

57:09have come really good,

57:10and the helleniums

57:11are just beginning

57:12to take off.

57:13This is sarhins early.

57:14They epitomise

57:16everything we're trying

57:17to do in the dual garden,

57:18which is about richness

57:19and intensity

57:20and those velvety colours.

57:23And, you know,

57:24the caramel

57:25and the orange

57:26and the burgundy

57:27that come through

57:28is exactly the right tone.

57:31And bees love it too.

57:34It's just a joy.

57:44Well, that's it for today.

57:54I think, on reflection,

57:57we have to learn

57:59to adapt as gardeners.

58:02The climate's changing.

58:04How our gardens are growing

58:05is changing.

58:06How we garden is changing.

58:07But we can still,

58:10whatever the weather,

58:11have beautiful,

58:12productive gardens.

58:13And that's to be celebrated.

58:16And next week,

58:17you're with Adam,

58:18and I'll see you back here

58:19at Longmeadow

58:20in a couple of weeks' time.

58:21So until then,

58:22bye-bye.

58:22We'll see you back here.

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