In Beechgrove Garden episode 26 2015: although this is the last in the present series, gardening is a year round activity and so Jim, Carole, George and Chris have a long list of jobs that we could and should be doing that will keep us all busy for the foreseeable.
This is also a perfect time to be planting and Chris and George are starting off a new project to create a ‘sub-tropical’ garden that although will look exotic and jungly next year, it will be created with super hardy plants. Carole visits Tom Taylor in Drumoak who lives on an estate where 30 years ago, the front gardens were all planted with ‘dwarf conifers’. Those conifers have all grown into massive trees. Tom became interested in the Japanese art of Niwaki training and sculpting of trees. Tom shows Carole how to be more creative with conifers.
The Beechgrove Garden episode 26 2015:
Vegetable Plot
Jim was outside the polytunnel where he and Carole had planted overwintering vegetables about a month ago (beginning of September). The veg has established well due to the recent warm, sunny spell.
Snow Protection
Chris was in the Low Maintenance Garden. It is time to be thinking ahead to heavy snowfall and winter damage. Chris explained that snow is very heavy. For
example, the cloud pruned pine has a surface area of roughly 30 square metres.
Autumn pruning at Beechgrove
Jim and Carole were at Beechgrove on a glorious sunny day, doing some autumn pruning. The first job was to lift the canopy (skirt or kilt!) of an unruly trio of willow-leaved pears (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’). Jim was keen to have a clear a space about a metre high beneath the trees to tidy up the appearance of the canopy and to create another environment for planting underneath.
Tropical plants
George and Chris were in the Fruit House where they told us that they have been set a challenge by one of our viewers from North-East England to grow a border of sub-tropical plants to give an exotic look– a considerable challenge in the north.
