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Episode 25

Monty recommends bulbs to plant now that will thrive in pots and bring colour next year. Frances Tophill travels to Norfolk to visit a gardener who, at 97, still gardens every day.

Monty's thoughts turn to spring as he gives his recommendations for bulbs to plant now that will thrive in pots and bring much-needed colour next year. Monty also shows how to prune summer-fruiting raspberries.

Frances Tophill travels to Norfolk to visit a gardener who, at 97, still gardens every day, Adam Frost takes a look at a new garden at RHS Wisley which has been planted up with tropical plants and Carol Klein is in Buckinghamshire helping a viewer who is struggling to find plants that will thrive in heavy clay soil. Alan Power guides us through seasonal spring highlights at Stourhead, and we visit a tiny garden in Essex which is packed with plants, ponds and seating areas.

1 hour

Last on

Fri 29 Sep 2017 08:00

RHS Garden Wisley, Exotic garden

RHS Garden Wisley, Exotic garden

Walking around the new exotic garden at RHS Garden Wisley, you鈥檒l be transported to faraway places amidst great leafy banana plants, pint-sized pineapples, zingy yellow and orange cannas, lush-leaved ginger and wafting palms.

You might think that the British climate might struggle to accommodate such exotics, but 70% of the planting is hardy. This means that the garden contains a fantastic range of surprisingly hardy plants, including palms and exotic-looking conifers. These include long leaf pines, including the Mexican pines, Pinus montezumae, with big needles and other large leaf evergreens like eriobotrya.

Other hardy plants which look surprisingly tropical in the right setting include, Broad-leaved fatsias, huge-flowered magnolias and ferns with wispy fronds. Colour is achieved by underplanting with rudbeckia, Echinacea, Zantedeschia and hardy begonias with huge deep veined pink leaves.

One of the more unusual groups of plants featured are the gingers. These are a lot tougher than people think and are quite underused plants. They typically flower later in the season. They have exotic foliage through summer and flowers can go right through to the autumn, depending on how the summer鈥檚 been. The frost will take them back and they need to be mulched over in the winter along with other tender plants such as the dahlias and abutilons.

Royal Horticultural Society
RHS Garden Wisley
Woking
Surrey
GU23 6QB

Tel. 01483 224234

(www.rhs.org.uk)

Turpins lane

Turpins lane

A small enclosed hidden garden bursting at the seams with unusual features. Perfectly cloud pruned shrubs punctuate a lush green oasis full of tree ferns, hostas and a tropical mossy lusciousness with year round interest.

Five amazing 12,000 year old wooden pinacles from ancient Asian flooded forests rise up out of this green carpet giving sculptural focal points. This is a magical garden where there is something to excite the senses at every viewpoint.

Several water features wind through the garden giving a constant feeling of motion, but also tranquillity. Hidden seating areas allow intimate places for contemplation. Part of the National Garden Scheme open by appointment through to October.

37 Turpins Lane
Chigwell
Essex
IG8 8AZ

(www.ngs.org.uk)

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Monty Don
Presenter Adam Frost
Presenter Carol Klein
Presenter Frances Tophill
Presenter Alan Power
Series Producer Sharon Fisher
Executive Producer Paolo Proto
Production Manager Jennie Sawyer

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