Gardeners World episode 28 2012: With the first frosts beginning to bite, Monty Don takes some practical steps to preserve and protect tender plants like cannas and shares tips on how to over-winter dahlias. Also, with an eye on next spring, Monty plants up containers with tulips and pansies as well as planting out wallflowers grown from seed. Now is also the perfect time to plant apple trees and Monty will be sharing advice on planting and training step-over apples.
Carol Klein will be at Glebe Cottage demonstrating just how easy it is to make more of our favourite plants for free by taking cuttings from their roots. As well as giving an insight into which plants can be reproduced in this way, she’ll also be giving us a practical guide on how to do this type of propagation.
In the gardens of West Dean in Sussex, Joe discovers a fantastic collection of fruit which has been trained to take up the minimum of space but which yields maximum crops. He finds out not only how it is done but also how fruit grown in this way is ideal for smaller gardens.
Gardeners World episode 28 2012
Root cuttings
Carol shows how easy it is to make more of wood anemones, Japanese anemones and verbascum by taking root cuttings. Root cuttings can be used to propagate a range of herbaceous perennials in late autumn or early winter when the plants are dormant. It is a particularly successful method for increasing stocks of oriental poppies and Verbascum.
Apple planting
Monty plants a low growing, trained apple tree often referred to as a stepover. They grow to around 45 cm high, are highly productive and look great when bordering a pathway. Apples thrive in a well-drained loam, at least 60cm (2ft) deep. Add well rotted organic matter before planting and mulch and water well through the growing season until the tree is growing well.
Shallow soils over chalk are unsuitable for growing all but a very few apples. Dessert apples need good drainage, but culinary apples are more tolerant. Apples prefer a sheltered, frost-free position in full sun. You can still grow apples in frost prone areas, just choose later-flowering varieties or provide temporary protection in spring when apples are in blossom. Provide artificial or living windbreaks on exposed sites.
Rose pruning
Monty prunes a climbing rose called ‘Madame Gregoire Staechelin’ to ensure great flowering in 2013.