BBC | Gardeners' World

Horticultural Halloween

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:42:49 +0000

Well, what can I say other than we have a treat for you in store tonight. As you might have guessed, Halloween is the theme of the show so if you're not celebrating All Hallows Eve yourself, then join in the fun with us.

]]>Pumpkins take centre stage, of course, both at Berryfields and at Joe's allotment. And Alys plants up some very tasteful window boxes in orange and black. Toby goes tuliptastic in the cottage garden, while Carol adds some extra impact to her borders at home. This programme was filmed before Berryfields was gripped by sub-zero temperatures, so that's why everything still looks lovely and colourful. But no doubt it'll be a different story on next week's show which, incidentally, is being filmed today.

Sadly, we only have the Christmas Special to film before the winter sets in, so everything in the office is beginning to wind down. Several of my colleagues (myself included) will be leaving the Gardeners' World team next week to pursue our various winter activities, while the remaining skeleton staff will start planning ahead to next year. And what a fantastic year 2009 is going to be! For the first time ever, BBC Birmingham will be covering Chelsea which is no mean feat. Up until now, it has always been produced from London, but next year, it's our turn. Yippee!

In the meantime, I'm off to Morocco to visit some of the gardens Monty visited in Marrakech. I'm going to travel overland by train via Paris and Madrid and then over to Tangier by ferry. It'll be an epic journey that I just can't wait to begin. But before I go, I'd just like to thank you all for watching Gardeners' World and for your support through what has turned out to be a rather challenging but exciting year.

Hydrangea heaven

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:14:57 +0000

If you do one thing this weekend, buy a hydrangea. Yep, contrary to popular opinion, hydrangeas are very much in.

]]>If you do one thing this weekend, buy a hydrangea. Yep, contrary to popular opinion, hydrangeas are very much in. The trade press has been rabbiting on about them all week and, on tonight's programme, we'll be singing their virtues too. It's the paniculatas with their large white panicles that are stealing the show at the moment. They're hard to resist as I found to my cost when I took my friend, Daniel, plant shopping at the weekend. We were supposed to be choosing a few asters and sedums to add some autumn colour to his garden. But when we came across a display of Hydrangea paniculata 'Vanille Fraise', nothing, absolutely nothing was going to stop him from buying one! And boy does it look amazing.

But I digress... Tonight's programme is a cracker which I'm sure you will enjoy. Toby will be telling you how to store all those apples you're not sure what to do with, while Carol will be giving you a step-by-step guide to taking penstemon cuttings. And if you've ever thought about growing blueberries, then watch this show. There are several things you need to know. I'm definitely inspired. It's just a case of deciding what compost to grow them in.

With tonight's show in the bag, so to speak, I'm now having a think about next week's filming for the programme that goes out in a fortnight's time. We have two teams working on Gardeners' World at any one time, so that when one team is in the edit, the other one is preparing for filming. It's a never ending cycle that keeps you on your toes, but that's half the fun to be honest. Like many gardeners, we'll be planning ahead to spring, so if there's anything you'd like us to feature, please do drop me a line.

Getting set for autumn

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:01:03 +0000

I've just come back from a two-week staycation and very nice it was too. The weather could have been better I suppose, but it didn't stop me from getting lots done at my allotment. It's that time of year when I'm whipping out one crop and replacing it with another in the hope that I'll get something to harvest before the winter sets in. Inspired by Joy Larkcom's visit to Berryfields last month, I've already sown a couple of varieties of pak choi and mustard, and boy they're growing like the clappers. I'm also hoping to get a late crop of baby spinach along with some purple kohl rabi.

]]>French bean 'Cobra' is cropping like mad as ever and I'm totally overrun with 'Autumn Bliss' raspberries. But the big success story so far has been my 'Burpless Tasty Green' cucumbers. For some reason, plants have never thrived on my Cambridgeshire plot. They always seem to run out of steam within a couple of weeks of being transplanted, that is until this year when I did manage to get one going. And yes, it's fruited! Not once, not twice, but thrice! So the moral of the story is never, ever give up hope!

Mind you, like Alys, I am getting to the end of my tether with blight. Like our outdoor tomatoes at Berryfields, my 'Gardener's Delight' are showing the first signs of attack. I honestly thought I was going get a crop this year but now I'm far from optimistic. Why oh why can't some clever person breed a blight-resistant tomato? They'd make an absolute fortune! I know 'Ferline' has some degree of tolerance but it still gets it in the end.

Is it my imagination or are cabbage whites having a field day too? Fortunately, I took the precaution of protecting my brassicas with mesh this year, so my calabrese and Savoys are doing just fine. But I know that many of my fellow allotment chums are really struggling with their crops.

Back at HQ, we're getting set for the autumn run of Gardeners' World and, of course, Toby's imminent arrival. We start filming with him at the end of the week, so it's all very exciting here in the office. I feel very honoured to be working on his very first programme. The start a new era without a doubt.

Feeling hot, hot, hot...

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:10:46 +0000

Is it really the first day of August? Where did July go? At least the long awaited Azores high finally arrived. I was at a music festival in Wiltshire last weekend so it couldn't have come at a better time.

]]>I do worry about the state of my allotment, however. Will everything be a shrivelled wreck when I return home to Cambridgeshire tonight? Or will one of my lovely allotment chums have taken pity on me and given everything a good drink? I really don't believe that veg need to be watered every night, but not watering for a fortnight when temperatures are hitting 30°C may be pushing my luck!

Assembling a gardening programme in a heatwave is not without its problems either. Things change so quickly from one week to the next, it's like waiting for a drama to unfold. Take our problem of the week, for example. A few days ago, our greengage was smothered in mealy plum aphid - a pest I was keen to include on next week's show. But over the weekend, gooseberry sawfly took their toll on our currants to the point where both bushes have been reduced to skeletons! All very dramatic and an event we simply couldn't ignore.

As you'll see, next week's programme has a bit of a good bug, bad bug feel to it. But that's August for you. Butterflies and bees galore, with the odd dragonfly thrown in for good measure. Carol, of course, was in her element and loved every minute. And like me, never misses an opportunity to revel in the glory of nature.

Full steam ahead!

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:49:42 +0000

Although we're off air tonight because of Wimbledon (boo, hiss), don't think for minute that we're sitting in the office twiddling our thumbs... Far from it! We're all working flat out and there's a definite buzz in the air. As I speak, my Hampton Court colleagues are busy making their final preparations before they set up camp at the showground in a week's time. Our Tatton Park team is in full swing too, as are a whole host of people dedicated to the 'one hour specials' that go out over the summer and early next year. And then, of course, we're on the hunt for a new presenter.

]]>To help tide us over, we're inviting various guests to Berryfields and this month it was the turn of award-winning garden designer, Andy Sturgeon. We had a lovely day's filming, in spite of the wind and rain, and he added some terrific plants to our new Garden for the Senses. Find out more on Friday 11 July when you'll see him action.

As for me, well I can't wait to get down to my allotment in Cambridgeshire. Like Louise, our Producer, I lodge in Birmingham during the week and then go back home at the weekend, so my garden and allotment have to fend for themselves Monday to Friday. This is far from ideal, I know, but then I do like a challenge! My 'Wedding Day' rose (which I've trained up a laburnum) should be looking lovely. And my courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons will be itching to get out of their pots. I had hoped to get them in the ground last Sunday, but the gales soon put a stop to that! Let's hope this weekend proves more productive... Happy gardening!

Life after Monty

Fri, 30 May 2008 15:54:01 +0000

One week on and we're still coming to terms with Monty's sudden departure. It was a huge shock for the whole production team last Thursday. We all knew that he hasn't been well, but none of us ever thought it would come to this. Working with Monty has been great fun and a huge honour. And I, for one, will miss him greatly.

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With Monty very much in mind, it therefore seemed appropriate that we did some filming with Carol in his green garden yesterday. This is for next week's show. It's my favourite part of Berryfields at the moment. So calm and tranquil. A lovely place to take a breather during a hectic day of filming. Of course, some would say that a garden devoid of any other colour would be boring. But I don't agree. It just forces you to take more notice of texture and form, which is no bad thing. Carol and I were both hugely inspired by Tom Stuart-Smith's green garden at Chelsea this year and I know Monty loves it too.

While Carol was busy planting, Joe was giving our herb garden a bit of a revamp. Some of its occupants had outgrown their space, so it was more than ready for a redesign. As a researcher, I have to decide which plants we're going to feature, which is one of the best bits of the job. But with so many herbs available these days, I was torn between what we should and shouldn't include.

I must say that I'm really looking forward to tonight's programme which Ben researched. It's all about wildlife gardening to tie in with Springwatch. Can't wait to hear what Simon King has to say about Berryfields. It's a haven for birds and the birdsong you hear on the programme is all genuine. Listen out for the melodious call of the skylark on next week's show, and the chiffchaff competing with Carol in the dry garden. It's one of the joys of gardening...being at one with nature.

Tulipmania

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:34:52 +0000

We've just finished filming programme 6 which goes out on 16 May. We normally film a week in advance, but this time it's a fortnight because we're at Malvern next week. The show is all about the changing way we garden, to reflect the challenges so many of us face these days. Regardless of whether you're short on time or simply don't have the space, May is the month to get out there and start gardening.

]]>One of the highlights for me was watching Joe getting to grips with our new patio garden. It's only 4m long by 2.5m wide, and we can only grow things in containers. But Joe, as ever, rose to the challenge and transformed it in a matter for hours. I was so pleased he was up for building a couple of windowboxes... I'm a huge fan of them myself. It's a bit of a family tradition and I would never be without mine.

And then there were the tulips in the long borders. They looked absolutely fantastic!
I was the one who had to source all 2000 bulbs last autumn, so it was very satisfying to see them in all their glory. As Carol said at the time, it was impossible to choose a favourite, but if I was forced to choose one, it would have to be 'Ballerina'. It's a shame Monty's missed them, but at least he'll get to see them on the programme.

Tulip breaking virus, our problem of the week, was a real gem too. But then I would say that. As Dr Claire, I have an unhealthy fascination with all the nasty things that can invade your garden. Pests, diseases or weeds... I want to know about them. Drop me a line if there's anything you want us to feature.