BBC | Gardeners' World

Autumn's here!

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:19:27 +0000

5.00am the alarm jolts me from sleep, 5.50am I leave my house, 6.20am I pick up Sharon (programme director) and at 6.40am we arrive at the garden to begin another autumnal day of filming. With the grips of autumn truly around us and the days getting shorter we have to get to the garden whilst it's still dark, set up the cameras and be ready to roll for when the light breaks - it's then a race to get a programme filmed before dusk!

]]>It was exceptionally cold on the 17th October and the programme we were filming goes out tonight.

I hope you get loads out of this week's programme - I have to say I love it! Lots of hints and seasonal jobs all bathed in autumnal hues highlighted by a low sun. I suppose it would be pretty silly for me not to love the programme we have spent the last two weeks lovingly crafting! Everyone involved is so passionate about Gardeners' World and gardening in general that each programme feels almost part of us by the time it hits the screen! Although it has to be said, we cannot please every one every time and for as long as the programme has run we've welcomed the constructive criticism which has helped mould it into what it is today. The thing we have to understand is that for every 10 people who dislikes an element there are hundreds who love it - we're always open to suggestions but when you have over three million people's tastes to cater for it can be an impossible task but I think people understand that.

This week we managed to prise Joe away from his allotment to come to Berryfields and make a start on the season's pond maintenance. Toby has a tree thing going on; the idea of using old logs as winter pots worked a treat, a brilliant addition to the cottage garden, the colour of the cyclamen really brightens that area up and the logs blend so naturally to the surrounding garden. Planting trees is always a good thing in my book, the Liquidambar styraciflua 'Worplesdon' Toby planted has got to be one of the most remarkable show stoppers of the season - not the smallest of trees but what colour! The Cornus kousa var. chinensis 'China Girl' is a favourite of mine, in a small garden it really works for its space, offering something spectacular for every season - if you have a small garden like me this is a tree that definitely makes the grade!

Well the weekend is upon us - for me it always begins on Friday with a large glass of vino in front of the TV at 8.30pm, the rest of my weekend will be devoted to making a fruitcage at the allotment with some recycled scaffold poles and I will be brewing up some of Alys' Rosehip syrup for my porridge - well it is getting cold!

Have fun gardening!

Ben

Stolen moments

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:15:08 +0000

Sometimes it's hard to steal a moment with Toby and Alys while filming. It's so busy that grabbing time in-between takes to finalise the plans for the next programme is quite a task!

]]>It's quite strange to be on the outside of the filming process - when it's 'your' show you are truly focussed on the job in hand.
In the latest programme, Toby's idea to plant Narcissus 'Golden Dawn' in the less than conventional and much more radical swirl got a very enthusiastic reaction in the production office - I can safely say what at least two people got up to this weekend! It's a refreshing approach to planting bulbs - you don't always want a naturalised looking area of daffs, sometimes you want to have fun, be bold and make an impact! I think the swirl of yellow and orange will be a stunning centerpiece to the developing 'Harvest Garden' in the spring.
Whenever I see an all time favourite plant of mine on Gardeners' World it always get me excited, it's like seeing a good friend on telly! Alys propagating Digitalis ferruginea did just that for me, I bought one earlier this year at Gardeners World Live and carefully planted it in my new garden in Birmingham - unfortunately my puppy Rufus also fell in love with the stately Rusty Foxglove and over a couple of weeks smothered the poor thing to death. I wander if I could do a seedling swap for one with Alys next spring?
Well with all that said I now have to get back to work on the next programme- planting trees, pruning, ponds and all those lovely autumn leaves!

The nearly naked gardener

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:51:21 +0000

It's wet..... wet and cold, this is not my idea of September! So much for harvest festivals and hazy late summer days. I'm now back at work after a little holiday - back to face a new chapter of BBC gardening, and I can honestly say, back to work with a very nice chap whose name is Mr Buckland. I managed to escape this inclement landscape and the growing gardening media upheaval for two whole weeks, skipping carefree off to the sunny isle of Cyprus where I dipped my toe more than once in the warm Mediterranean Sea, sipped more than my fare share of cocktails, slept for hours on soft golden beaches and of course did a bit of gardening. I've been going to that particular part of Cyprus for the past 25 years, my family have a small place out there which has been a well needed refuge for me on many an occasion. The best thing about this minute oasis is its little garden, a slow paced project that has kept me entertained since a child. This years additions are; a couple more plants to the Hibiscus hedge, a shocking pink Bougainvillea propping up the side of the white washed building and a sweet scented Jasmine near the patio - I must admit that this garden has never been one of my 'tasteful' projects - more of a Hawaiian shirt (I think everyone should have at least one in their wardrobe!).

]]>Many years ago I grew a lemon tree from a seed discovered in the lemon smile which crowned a glass of pop, I nurtured him for a year and then when the family holiday came around I shipped him out with me to Cyprus and planted him - he was the first step in the creation of our garden in Cyprus. He has now grown into a handsome tree standing center stage, producing a bountiful crop of lemons year on year - but time had taken its toll and he was in desperate need of a prune and reshape, so out came the pruning saw. Now it was fantastically hot and I was dressed for the heat rather than the task (mistake number 1). The tree needed some serious work and after opening up the center of the tree to let in light, removing dead, injured, diseased and crossing branches, suckers and branches growing downward, I saw the end in sight. But then with the arrival of our Cypriot neighbours and not wanting them to catch sight of me all but naked and dripping in sweat I started to rush (mistake number 2). Now, normally my training takes over whilst doing any task such as pruning; horticultural technique, health and safety etc are so ingrained at an early age that, like riding a bike, it just comes naturally. It seems that on this occasion I was also on vacation from such natural resources and with one of the last 'hasty' strokes of the saw on the last branch (sods law), eyes darting to check I was not being observed - I slipped and sawed my thumb in a rather nasty way..... A great deal of hopping around and some rather unsavoury use of the English language followed, the neighbours not only witnessed me pruning like a good en' in no more than underwear but also the bleeding and swearing that accompanied it!. I was reminded of many lessons from this experience which I will not forget again; never rush a job - no matter what the circumstance, safe tool handling - at all times, wearing gloves/dressing appropriately and of course the most important - never prune in your pants...... I left Cyprus with a sore but healing thumb and a tarnished health + safety record - but the garden was looking lovely.

Well back to wet old blighty and a very positive feeling GW, as you have probably heard gardening is going back to 'grass roots' - that's not to say we won't be covering all aspects of horticulture but a more tangible and natural pace is being set. One such move is the introduction of a cold greenhouse, one of the projects I am working on at the moment (for programme on 26th September). Having brought a second hand greenhouse off the internet our horticultural runner Dave and I went out in the deluge on Tuesday to dismantle the unloved 8 x 6 greenhouse from a local garden and carefully transported it back to its new home of Berryfields (recycle + reuse - we will be seeing a lot more of that in future). The merits of the cold greenhouse will no longer be over looked! So many gardens have one and with the knowledge that you can extend your growing season by an enormous 3 months - who wouldn't?? But for those such as me who with all the will in the world just can't fit one into their little patch, GW will be covering cold frame and cloche growing in the coming months, so we shall not be left without shelter! The autumn feels well and truly upon us and all the jobs it brings are now starting an orderly queue, I personally can still spend hours in the garden doing a multitude of equally important tasks, how do you decide which is most worthy of the screen??! This is when the feedback from all of you gardeners at home really comes into its own. I'm in full swing planning the programme for the 26th Sept' - so far it includes the wonderful cold greenhouse, a bit of seasonal sowing, planting for the future and some catching up with the garden but with a meeting on Monday with Toby and an openness to suggestion from all of you - things can always change!

Happy gardening

Ben.

No time to relax

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:21:40 +0000

Well it's Thursday night and I'm tapping this out on my laptop at home - having left the still busy office hard at work behind me...

1-2-3 and relax............

So much is going on back at base camp at the moment it's hard to catch your breath! A chunk of the GW team has been in a mad last push, dotting the I's and crossing the T's, making sure that the Hampton Court programmes are going to sparkle! The rest of us have been beavering away on a huge number of exciting projects. I've actually been out and about on recce's over the past couple of weeks (that's when we go out to investigate potential news/stories/gardens or people for the programme). It's a great part of the job - you get to meet people who are truly passionate about plants and experience first hand the gardens they cherish - I can tell you, I've seen a few corkers recently! We are always on the look out for exciting gardens, news, plants or people who have something to share - whether it is a devotion to a specialist subject or just a great character that we'd all benefit from meeting! If you ever see something or someone and think 'Why haven't they been on GW?' just let me know, it's probably because we haven't found them yet! It's the same if you have any burning issues affecting how you garden; from battling Bindweed to Mildew on your Honeysuckle, if you have a problem you should voice it here. Between the minds of the people who write the blogs and the huge wealth of information in the minds that read them - I'm sure we can find a solution to even the most hideous attack of red spider mite!!

]]>At home my garden has suffered. I have to admit very little 'gardening' has been evident. At the allotment I have witnessed my cabbages decimated by corpulent pigeons - at home, my meadow flattened by our cat Zeet who had a little bit too much Nepeta cataria in the sun and danced a merry jig all over it! I did manage to tidy up my tiny front garden at the weekend and cut back my Buddleja globosa after its orange pom pom flowers had cheered their last. This is a plant I adore, I have used it many a times when designing gardens - it just adds such a dynamic and contemporary twist to a space. It has such an identity and to top it off, a wonderful, subtle honey scent. My other half's mum, Esther gave me this particular cutting a few years back and it's never failed me - my love affair with Buddleja globosa started at that point! People literally stopped in the street and stared at its glory - I must admit due partly to not cutting it back last year so it had gotten a wee bit big! It has left a remarkably big gap in the border but my Rudbeckia 'Herbstone' and Helenium 'Sahin's Early Flowerer' are quickly stretching their legs to fill it back up whilst the Carex buchananii should hold the structure together before the garden sings into the mid to late summer flush of daisies. Well I'm off for a mint tea - keep those fingers green!

Ben

Fight the good fight

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:19:02 +0000

Sometimes life needs to come with a government health warning! At the weekend whilst fighting the good fight against the docks, couch grass and newly discovered bindweed on my allotment (don't get me started), I was bitten by a mystery insect - lets just say I had a 'reaction' the size of a tennis ball - nasty! As well as mystery tropical insects, this warm and wet weather seems to be getting all flora growing like crazy - this is not a complaint - it feels so good to see everything growing with such strength. To see the 'well tended' areas of the allotment filled with veg all happy and stout gives me such satisfaction - although the less tended (not abandoned) areas are running amok with dock - well you have to take the rough with the smooth :).

]]>At home the wildflower meadow on my greenroof is looking breathtaking - it was newly sown only last year and performed well but this year it is truly fabulous. Lots of people think you can't have your own wildflower meadow - especially in a small town garden but I think that's tosh. To me it doesn't matter if it's an acre of wildflowers or a 2ltr planter, it's the fact you are using wildflowers in your garden and the benefits they bring no matter how big or small! Mine is only about 2 x 4 meters but it is attracting huge numbers of insects and is a stunning asset to the aesthetic of the space. It's a hot south facing 'terrace' (kitchen roof) with decking top n tail of the turf and a spiral staircase halfway along to access the lower garden. The idea is that you interact with the meadow, walk through it to get to the spiral stairs and other decked area - I love it almost as much as my cat 'Zeet' who spends many hours chasing the bees and flies that weave endlessly through the grasses above! I am always on the look out for an interesting addition to the meadow mix. If anyone has any exciting/different plant ideas I would love to hear them :)

With every visit to Berryfields at the moment, the garden seems to have changed so dramatically - the long borders stand tall and broad, the nectar border heaving with life and veg garden brimming with the fruits of Alys, Joe and Geoff's hard labour! This is definitely the season to take a moment to sit back and enjoy the garden - take a glass of wine and perch in the splendour that you have nurtured into life. As gardeners we get used to things moving and changing - the seasons, the plants we grow and the seed we sow but for me the big changes happening at GW have been rather unnerving. The news about Monty is still echoing around BBC Birmingham - weirdly it only really started to sink in when I read the news in the papers. I like Monty, he's a good guy. I will miss the joking and laughing with him at the garden, his irrepressible passion and of course on all our telly's as the nations head gardener. And then the next question - who will it be to step into those (rather large) boots? It seems almost sacrosanct to mention it but the reality is we have to move on, it's not a decision I would like to have to make!

This week I spent a bright and warm Wednesday at the NEC, in sharp contrast to the downpour of rain we all had Tuesday. I was looking at the muddied construction of the show gardens - trying to glimpse the potential gold's or sniff of a silver gilt. If you didn't already know - it's Gardeners World Live next week and the NEC is bracing itself for tens of thousands of green fingered folks to descend! I will be running around like a mad thing with the rest of the GW team, filming anything that grows! If you are coming down to the show keep an eye out for me - I will be hunting out which plants people are buying - so don't be surprised if I grab you for a quick question :). GWL is certainly not the easiest show in the world to work on, it's busy, sometimes manic but it is great fun every year. At GWL there is always a fantastic buzz.
I'm off to do a bit more prep for next weeks madness - have a great weekend in your garden but watch out for those exotic biting insects!
Happy Gardening, Ben :)

Sunny days

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:05:00 +0000

I can't believe it - yet another day of glorious weather - I feel like summer well and truly has her foot in the door of spring! I get so excited at this time of year - plants are growing without restraint, the soil is warm and the sun is shining - what could be better? Despite the sunshine, I have been office bound this week busy planning the programme for the 30th May (number 7) - a small moan about being inside but I have to admit the programme is going to be a treat (even if I do say so myself!). We are teaming up with Springwatch to explore the wilder side of Berryfields and have a rather special guest furtling in the borders! Expect nothing less than newts, insects (both good and bad), birds, wildflowers, garden plants, veg and of course trug loads of fabulous horticulture!

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But that's weeks away - lets get back to the sunshine and the here and now! I did manage to escape the confines of the office on Wednesday to have a meeting with Carol at the RHS Malvern Spring Show. The Gardeners' World team were all there working hard and sweating lots! What a glorious week to have the spring show, everyone was looking salmon pink after a full day filming! I honestly think this year's show gardens have really pushed the bar with some genuine gems (some including police cars and steam trains, I kid you not) and of course the thing I love about the Malvern show the most - the acres of plant stalls all brimming with tantalising, nodding heads calling for me to take them home. It was hard but I restrained myself. My garden is in no state to accept new members to the flock at the moment - one and a half patios laid, a cast spiral staircase up and the promise of some raised beds doesn't make for a respectable home! I have to admit the back garden has been a little neglected recently - my efforts have been centred on the new allotment and the ongoing couch grass/dock battle - I will win, I will win, I will win (if I say it enough times it may work). I have managed to clear enough room for my potatoes, shallots and asparagus - I loved seeing Geoff Hamilton on GW a few weeks ago and followed his advice with the asparagus to the letter! Well I'm off to enjoy the sunshine and plant out my peas (another patch couch grass free) - enjoy the Malvern show tonight and enjoy the weekend - it looks like it will be lovely weather to be a gardener!

Ben :)