Spring is stirring at Beechgrove Garden, and the team is ready. The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2 arrives with fresh energy, practical wisdom, and plenty of green-fingered inspiration. Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just finding your feet, this episode speaks directly to you. It feels less like a television programme and more like a visit from a knowledgeable friend. (Gardeners World 2026)
Lizzie Schofield returns to a project close to her heart. Last year, she began transforming the sitooterie area into a quiet retreat — a place to sit, breathe, and actually enjoy the garden rather than just work in it. This week, she picks up where she left off. She prunes carefully, plants thoughtfully, and shapes the space with summer in mind. Watching her work, you get a real sense of what home garden design can feel like when it comes from genuine care rather than obligation.
The sitooterie is more than a corner of Beechgrove Garden 2026. It represents a philosophy. A garden should serve the people who tend it. It should invite you to pause. Lizzie’s approach — layering plants for texture, colour, and seasonal interest — offers a masterclass in style garden thinking without ever feeling showy or inaccessible.
Meanwhile, Brian Cunningham steps into a role that many viewers will find immediately useful. He strips gardening back to its roots with a beginner’s guide to starting a productive vegetable plot. Spring sowing can feel overwhelming, but Brian makes it feel manageable. He breaks down the process simply and clearly. His advice cuts through the noise for anyone staring at a patch of bare soil and wondering where to begin.
Brian also turns his attention to homemade compost, and this segment alone is worth the watch. Good compost is the foundation of any expert garden. It feeds the soil, reduces waste, and transforms kitchen scraps into something genuinely valuable. Brian explains what makes a great mix, what to avoid, and why patience is perhaps the most important ingredient of all. It is the kind of practical, grounded guidance that makes Beechgrove Garden 2026 essential viewing for gardeners of every level.
Lizzie takes charge of the tomato plants this season, and she arrives with clear ideas. She walks through the varieties she has selected for 2026, explaining her choices with the enthusiasm of someone who has genuinely thought this through. Tomatoes reward attention and reward good decisions early in the season. Her selections balance flavour, reliability, and suitability for Scottish growing conditions — a thoughtful approach to plants that any home gardener can learn from.
Then comes the detail that will capture imaginations across the country. Lizzie is the first of the Beechgrove team to begin work on her competition garden. The theme is sensory planting — choosing flowers, foliage, and plants that appeal to one of the senses. It is a beautifully human concept. Gardening, after all, is fundamentally a sensory experience. The smell of soil after rain, the softness of lamb’s ear, the sound of bees moving through lavender — these are the things that make a garden feel alive. Lizzie’s early work promises something genuinely moving, and following her progress across the series will be a pleasure.
Brian, meanwhile, is busy in the 6×8 greenhouse. Small greenhouses like this one are a gateway to a longer, more productive growing season. Brian demonstrates how to make the most of limited space, showing that you do not need a vast setup to grow well. His work here speaks to the ecogarden mindset — making the most of what you have, growing with intention, and reducing reliance on shop-bought seedlings and plants.
The episode also takes us on a trip to Dumfries, where Colin Crosbie shares the latest from his own garden. These location visits are one of the quiet pleasures of The Beechgrove Garden 2026. They remind us that gardening is not one thing. It looks different in different hands, different soils, and different corners of Scotland. Colin’s garden offers fresh perspective and fresh ideas, grounding the series in the real, lived experience of dedicated gardeners working with their own particular patch of green garden.
The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2
Finally, the episode delivers this week’s handy hints, and the focus falls squarely on dahlias. If you grow dahlias — or have ever wanted to — this is the moment to pay close attention. The team explains exactly what you should be doing with your tubers right now to set yourself up for a spectacular late-summer display. Dahlias are among the most rewarding flowers a gardener can grow. They are bold, generous, and endlessly varied. Getting the timing right in spring makes all the difference.
The Beechgrove Garden 2026 continues to do what it has always done best. It meets gardeners where they are. It does not talk down, and it does not overcomplicate. Instead, it shares knowledge the way a neighbour shares cuttings — generously, practically, and with warmth. Episode 2 is a particularly rich instalment, moving from beginner vegetable plots to sensory competition gardens, from compost science to dahlia timing, all with the easy confidence of a team that genuinely loves what it does.
If your own garden is waiting for you — still a little rough around the edges, still full of potential — let this episode be the encouragement you need. The best top garden is not the most perfect one. It is the one you show up for, season after season, with curiosity and care. Beechgrove Garden 2026 reminds us of that, quietly and beautifully, every single week.
The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2
The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2 opens with a team already deep in the rhythm of the season, moving through a packed programme that spans vegetable growing, sensory planting, compost science, greenhouse management, and the precise timing required by dahlias. Spring in Scotland carries its own particular urgency. The window between the last frost and the first real growing warmth is narrow, and the Beechgrove team understands this better than most. What makes this programme compelling is not just the gardening advice — though that advice is consistently excellent — but the way experienced practitioners think on their feet, adapt to conditions, and make decisions that home gardeners across the country can learn from directly.
Beechgrove Garden 2026 returns to a set of priorities that run through every segment of this episode: practicality, seasonal awareness, and the understanding that a garden rewards those who engage with it consistently rather than sporadically. The sitooterie project, the vegetable plot beginners’ guide, the tomato variety selection, the competition garden concept, Brian Cunningham’s greenhouse work, the Dumfries visit, and the dahlia guidance all connect through this shared philosophy. Each segment builds on the last, forming a coherent picture of what productive, thoughtful spring gardening actually looks like in practice.
This episode carries particular weight for anyone who has ever stood in their garden in early spring and felt simultaneously excited and overwhelmed. The sheer number of tasks competing for attention — pruning, sowing, potting, planning — can make the season feel more pressured than pleasurable. The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2 addresses this directly, not by offering a simplified checklist, but by showing how experienced gardeners prioritise, sequence, and pace their work across a real, working garden space.
The programme draws on the full depth of the Beechgrove team’s expertise. Lizzie Schofield brings warmth and precision to her sitooterie and tomato work. Brian Cunningham delivers his beginners’ guide and compost segment with the calm authority of someone who has answered these questions many times without ever losing patience for them. Colin Crosbie’s Dumfries garden offers an external perspective that broadens the episode’s geographic and horticultural reach. Together, these contributors create a programme that functions simultaneously as expert garden reference and accessible companion for gardeners at every level.
What distinguishes The Beechgrove Garden 2026 from many gardening programmes is its commitment to specificity. Varieties are named. Timings are given. Techniques are demonstrated rather than simply described. This episode exemplifies that approach. Whether Lizzie is explaining why she has chosen particular tomato cultivars for 2026 or Brian is detailing what belongs in a well-made compost heap, the information is grounded, testable, and immediately applicable. That specificity is what transforms a television programme into a genuinely useful resource for gardeners across Scotland and beyond.
The season itself sets the tempo. Spring sowing, pruning established plants, managing overwintered tubers, and planning competition work all operate within tight, overlapping time frames. Miss the window for dahlia preparation and the consequences are visible by August. Start tomatoes too late and the Scottish summer does not leave enough warmth to ripen a full crop. Every decision the team makes in this episode reflects an awareness of these pressures, and following their reasoning offers real insight into how experienced gardeners manage time as carefully as they manage soil.
Running beneath all of this is a commitment to sustainability and resourcefulness that defines the Beechgrove ethos. Homemade compost rather than bought-in alternatives. Sensory planting that connects people to their green garden environment rather than simply filling space with colour. A 6×8 greenhouse used not as a luxury but as a tool for extending the growing season within realistic constraints. These choices reflect a top garden approach that is less about perfection and more about working intelligently within available resources.
The episode moves at a pace that respects the viewer’s intelligence without leaving anyone behind. Transitions between segments feel natural rather than forced, and the cumulative effect is of a programme that has genuinely thought about what its audience needs to know in early spring 2026. Each subject covered adds something distinct, and by the end, the viewer has encountered enough concrete guidance to make meaningful decisions in their own garden.
Lizzie Schofield and The Beechgrove Garden 2026 Episode 2 Sitooterie Project
The sitooterie sits at the heart of Lizzie Schofield’s work in The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2. She began this area last year with a clear intention: to create a space designed not primarily for growing but for enjoying — a place where the gardener becomes the visitor rather than the worker. That distinction matters. Many home garden spaces are planned entirely around production or display, and the human experience of simply sitting in the garden gets overlooked. The sitooterie project corrects that imbalance deliberately.
This week, Lizzie returns to the area with pruning tools and new plants, working through both tasks with the methodical confidence of someone who has thought carefully about the space since last season. Pruning in this context is not about cutting back for the sake of it. It is about shaping the plants already established there so they perform well through summer, remain in scale with the sitting area, and frame the space attractively without overwhelming it. Every cut reflects a clear intention about what the finished area should feel like.
The planting choices Lizzie makes here are equally considered. She is selecting plants that will contribute to the sitooterie’s atmosphere across the coming months, adding layers of interest that extend beyond the immediate spring moment. The goal is a space that earns its place as a destination within the garden — somewhere you walk to rather than through. This is style garden thinking applied at a human scale, and Lizzie’s approach demonstrates how it can work in practice without requiring exceptional resources or unusual expertise.
Brian Cunningham’s Beginner Vegetable Plot Guide in The Beechgrove Garden 2026
Brian Cunningham’s beginners’ guide to starting a productive vegetable plot is one of the most practically valuable segments in The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2. He approaches the subject from first principles, stripping away assumptions and beginning with the foundational question of what a new vegetable grower actually needs to understand before they sow a single seed. This is expert garden communication at its best — information delivered without condescension but also without unnecessary simplification.
Spring sowing sits at the core of his guidance. Brian explains the logic behind seasonal timing, helping beginners understand not just what to sow but why particular windows exist and what happens when gardeners work outside them. This contextual understanding is what separates growers who develop genuine skill from those who follow instructions without building the underlying knowledge that allows them to adapt when conditions change. His guidance gives beginners both the immediate practical steps and the reasoning framework to carry them forward.
The segment also addresses the physical setup of a vegetable plot. Soil preparation, bed layout, and the relationship between plot design and practical workability all feature in Brian’s guidance. He connects these elements clearly, showing how early decisions about layout affect ease of access, watering efficiency, and the ability to rotate crops effectively in subsequent seasons. For anyone preparing their first veg patch, this is precisely the kind of joined-up thinking that is difficult to find elsewhere and genuinely transforms beginner results.
The Science and Practice of Homemade Compost at Beechgrove Garden 2026
Brian’s compost segment in Beechgrove Garden 2026 tackles a subject that many gardeners understand in general terms but rarely fully grasp in practice. Compost is the foundation of productive soil, and yet the gap between knowing this and actually producing good compost consistently is wider than most gardening resources acknowledge. Brian addresses this gap directly, working through what makes a compost heap succeed or fail with a clarity that cuts through the usual vague advice about green and brown materials.
The key principles he covers concern balance, moisture, and aeration. A heap that works is not simply a pile of waste left to decompose — it is a managed system. The ratio of nitrogen-rich green material to carbon-rich brown material determines how quickly decomposition proceeds and whether the heap generates useful heat. Too much of either disrupts the process. Brian explains these relationships in terms that make the underlying biology accessible without reducing it to oversimplification. The result is guidance that gardeners can actually apply and adjust based on what they observe in their own heaps.
He also addresses common mistakes — the compacted heap that receives no air, the heap that dries out because it lacks a cover, the heap dominated by grass clippings that turns to a dense, airless mat. By naming these failure modes and explaining why they occur, Brian gives viewers the diagnostic tools to understand what is happening in their own compost and correct it. This is the kind of ecogarden thinking that connects responsible resource use with practical skill, and it makes the case for homemade compost more persuasively than any generalised sustainability argument could.
Furthermore, Brian’s treatment of compost connects directly to his vegetable plot guidance. Good compost fed into vegetable beds reduces the need for bought-in fertilisers, improves soil structure over time, and creates growing conditions that support genuinely productive crops. The two segments form a coherent system: start the veg plot right, feed it with compost made well, and the garden becomes increasingly self-sustaining. That connection is not accidental — it reflects the integrated thinking that defines the Beechgrove approach to gardening.
Lizzie’s Tomato Variety Selections for The Beechgrove Garden 2026 Episode 2
Lizzie takes responsibility for the tomato growing at Beechgrove this season, and her approach to variety selection reveals a great deal about how experienced gardeners make decisions that casual growers often leave to chance. Choosing tomato varieties is not simply a matter of personal preference. It involves weighing flavour against reliability, considering the length of the growing season available in Scotland, and thinking about how different plant habits — cordon versus bush, for example — fit the space and support systems already in place.
The varieties Lizzie has selected for 2026 reflect this careful thinking. She explains her choices with the specificity that characterises Beechgrove Garden 2026 at its best, naming cultivars and outlining the qualities that made them stand out. For home gardeners who face the same constraints — a Scottish climate that can be generous or unforgiving depending on the summer — this information is directly useful. Understanding why an experienced grower has made particular choices builds the decision-making framework that makes future selections more informed.
Lizzie’s enthusiasm for the tomato project is evident throughout, and it reflects a broader truth about plants as subjects. Tomatoes reward close attention and consistent management. They respond to the quality of the growing environment and the care taken at every stage from germination through to harvest. By taking personal ownership of this crop at Beechgrove, Lizzie models the kind of committed, attentive growing that produces genuinely good results rather than mediocre ones.
The Competition Garden Concept in The Beechgrove Garden 2026 Episode 2
The competition garden strand introduced in The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2 adds a creative dimension to the series that distinguishes it from straightforward instructional programming. Lizzie is the first of the Beechgrove team to begin work on her competition plot, and the theme she is working with — planting that appeals to one of the senses — is conceptually rich and practically demanding. It requires not just horticultural knowledge but a considered understanding of how plants interact with human perception.
Sensory planting as a design principle encompasses far more than fragrance, though scent is often the first consideration that comes to mind. A planting scheme built around a single sense demands careful selection for texture, sound, colour intensity, or taste, depending on which sense the designer chooses to foreground. Each decision about plant choice, spacing, and height must serve the central concept consistently rather than defaulting to whatever simply looks attractive. This is a genuinely challenging brief, and Lizzie’s early work on the plot reflects serious engagement with it.
The competition garden concept also speaks to a wider purpose within the programme. Beechgrove Garden 2026 has always been interested in inspiring home gardeners to think more creatively about their spaces. A garden is not merely a collection of plants — it is a designed environment that can be shaped around specific experiences, moods, or sensory intentions. By placing sensory planting at the heart of a competition, the programme elevates a design principle that home gardeners can apply at any scale, from a single container on a doorstep to a dedicated border in a larger garden.
Following Lizzie’s progress through the series will be genuinely instructive. The decisions she makes early in the process — which sense to foreground, which flowers and plants to include, how to structure the space — will become visible in the finished plot. That arc of decision and consequence is exactly the kind of gardening education that stays with a viewer far longer than any list of recommended plants.
Brian Cunningham in the 6×8 Greenhouse
Brian’s work in the 6×8 greenhouse demonstrates how a compact growing structure can function as a genuinely productive extension of the garden rather than an occasional luxury. The 6×8 scale is significant — it is a size that many home gardeners either own or could realistically acquire, making Brian’s approach directly applicable rather than aspirational. His use of the space reflects the same joined-up thinking he brings to the vegetable plot and compost segments.
In the greenhouse at this point in the season, the priorities involve managing seedlings, protecting young plants from temperature fluctuations, and making efficient use of limited bench space. Brian’s approach to the greenhouse is systematic. He thinks about airflow, about light distribution across the benches, and about the sequencing of plants moving through the structure — from germination through pricking out to hardening off — so that space is used continuously rather than blocked by plants that have outgrown their usefulness indoors.
The greenhouse segment also connects to the broader theme of season extension that runs through Beechgrove Garden 2026. In Scotland, the ability to start plants earlier than outdoor conditions would allow and to protect tender crops from late cold snaps makes the difference between a productive season and a frustrating one. Brian’s greenhouse work illustrates how that advantage is realised in practice, through careful management rather than simply having the structure available.
Colin Crosbie’s Dumfries Garden and Beechgrove Garden 2026 Outreach
The visit to Colin Crosbie’s garden in Dumfries adds an important external dimension to The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2. Gardening does not happen only in dedicated demonstration spaces. It happens in private gardens shaped by individual histories, particular soils, local microclimates, and the specific enthusiasms of their owners. Colin’s garden offers all of this, and the visit grounds the programme in the realities of gardening as it is actually practised across Scotland.
Colin Crosbie brings deep knowledge and a distinctive approach to his own space. The Dumfries visit allows viewers to see how the principles discussed at Beechgrove translate into a different context — different scale, different conditions, different aesthetic priorities. This comparative perspective is genuinely valuable. A green garden in Dumfries faces different challenges and opportunities than one in Aberdeen or Edinburgh, and seeing how an experienced gardener navigates those specifics broadens the viewer’s understanding of what is possible.
The visit also reinforces one of the programme’s central implicit arguments: that expert garden knowledge is not the exclusive property of large, well-resourced spaces. Colin’s garden demonstrates what personal commitment and accumulated experience produce over time. The result is a space that reflects its owner’s depth of understanding as clearly as any formal demonstration garden, and the programme is right to give it the screen time it deserves.
Dahlia Management Guidance in The Beechgrove Garden 2026 Episode 2
The handy hints segment in The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2 focuses entirely on dahlias, and the timing is deliberate. Spring is the critical moment for dahlia management, and the decisions made now determine whether summer and autumn bring the spectacular display these plants are capable of or a disappointing performance that leaves the grower uncertain what went wrong. The programme addresses this moment with the specificity it requires.
Dahlia tubers that have been stored through winter need careful assessment before they are started into growth. The team covers what to look for when examining stored tubers — signs of rot, desiccation, or damage — and how to distinguish tubers worth starting from those that have not survived storage intact. This kind of diagnostic guidance is exactly what growers need, because the visual signals can be subtle and the consequences of starting a compromised tuber are a wasted growing slot and a gap in the summer border.
Timing the transition from storage to active growth is equally important. Dahlias started too early face the risk of leggy, drawn growth under poor light conditions. Started too late, they lose weeks of productive growing time that the Scottish season cannot spare. The programme provides clear guidance on when to bring tubers into warmth and light, how to pot them initially, and what to look for as the first shoots emerge. This is practical, sequential information that builds genuine competence in handling one of the most rewarding flowers a gardener can grow.
The dahlia segment also touches on division — the process of separating a clump of tubers into individual plants before the season begins. Brian explains the mechanics of this clearly, including where to cut and why it matters to ensure each division carries a portion of the crown from which new shoots will emerge. This single technique can multiply a collection significantly from one season to the next, making it one of the most cost-effective skills in a dahlia grower’s repertoire.
What The Beechgrove Garden 2026 Episode 2 Demonstrates About Seasonal Gardening
The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2 taken as a whole offers a model of how spring gardening should be approached: with clear priorities, sequential thinking, and a willingness to engage with multiple threads simultaneously without losing coherence. The team does not treat each segment as a separate entity. The compost Brian makes feeds the vegetable plot he is preparing. The greenhouse extends the season for the tomatoes Lizzie is selecting. The sitooterie Lizzie is completing gives the garden a human destination that makes all the other growing work feel purposeful.
This integration is what separates thoughtful gardening from a collection of isolated tasks. A top garden is not the result of doing many things competently in isolation — it is the result of understanding how those things connect and reinforce each other across the seasons. Beechgrove Garden 2026 makes this systems thinking visible in a way that is accessible without being simplified, and this episode is among its clearest expressions of that approach.
For home gardeners watching this episode, the most valuable takeaway may be precisely this integration. The specific advice about dahlia timing, tomato varieties, or compost ratios is immediately useful. However, the deeper lesson — that a productive, rewarding garden is the result of connected decisions made with seasonal awareness — is what transforms competent gardening into something genuinely satisfying. The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2 delivers both, and in doing so makes a compelling case for why this programme remains essential viewing for gardeners across Scotland and well beyond its borders.
FAQ The Beechgrove Garden 2026 episode 2
Q: Why should I start vegetable seeds indoors rather than sowing them directly outside in spring?
A: Starting seeds indoors extends your growing season and protects tender plants from late frosts, cold snaps, and even snow that can arrive well into spring. By using a greenhouse, polytunnel, porch, or even a windowsill, you give seedlings a warm, stable environment to establish before outdoor conditions are safe. However, root crops like carrots and parsnips are an exception — their long taproots make transplanting risky, causing forking and misshapen roots. For virtually everything else, starting indoors gives your vegetables the best possible head start.
Q: What is vermiculite, and why is it better than compost for covering newly sown seeds?
A: Vermiculite is a lightweight mineral that absorbs and retains moisture effectively. Unlike compost, it stays light and airy even when wet, so it never forms a heavy crust that could block emerging seedlings. Additionally, it helps protect against damping off — a fungal disease that can kill young seedlings quickly. Sprinkling a thin layer of vermiculite over freshly sown seeds keeps the compost beneath consistently moist without disturbing or displacing the seeds themselves. It is one of the most reliable improvements a home gardener can make to their seed-sowing routine.
Q: What are cut-and-come-again lettuces, and why are they a better choice for home gardeners?
A: Cut-and-come-again lettuces, such as Red Salad Bowl, allow you to harvest the outer leaves repeatedly while the plant continues producing new growth from the centre. In contrast, butterhead and iceberg varieties are harvested as a whole plant in a single cut. Therefore, cut-and-come-again types offer two or three harvests from a single sowing. For gardeners with limited space, this approach delivers outstanding value. Sow three seeds per module, plant the whole cluster together when ready, and enjoy a steady supply of fresh salad leaves across many weeks.
Q: What are the key benefits of growing climbing roses on a fence, and how should bare root roses be planted?
A: Climbing and rambling roses transform a plain fence into a living structure that looks attractive all year round. Before planting, assess the available space carefully — you want a variety that fits the area without overwhelming it. Bare root roses, such as the Albrighton Rambler, are significantly cheaper than container-grown alternatives and arrive with a larger root system. Dig a hole at least 50cm deep and 40cm wide, enrich it with farmyard manure, and apply mycorrhizal fungi directly to the roots. This beneficial fungus helps the rose absorb nutrients and water more efficiently as it establishes and grows.
Q: Is it really possible to transplant a peony successfully, and what technique should you use?
A: Despite the popular belief that peonies cannot be moved, transplanting is entirely possible with the right approach. The most critical rule is to replant the peony at exactly the same depth it was growing before — planting it even slightly too deep can prevent flowering altogether, producing only leafy growth. For large, established clumps too dense to split with two forks, use a sharp spade to divide them decisively. Afterwards, firm the divisions in well, improve the soil with farmyard manure, and water thoroughly. Choose an open, sunny position to give the plant the best conditions for re-establishing and flowering.
Q: What is a cordon fruit tree, and how can gardeners grow them in a small garden?
A: A cordon is a fruit tree trained to grow at a 45-degree angle along wires or a fence, making it ideal for narrow spaces. Cordons are typically spaced between 60cm and one metre apart, meaning even a strip of ground the width of a house wall can accommodate three or four different apple varieties. Furthermore, by selecting early, mid-season, late, and cooking varieties, you can enjoy a continuous apple harvest from September right through winter. In the first year, focus on allowing buds to break naturally rather than pruning. Individual spur spacing is addressed the following winter once growth is established.
Q: When should tomato seedlings be pricked out, and what is the correct technique?
A: Tomato seedlings are ready to prick out once their true leaves — the leaves that form after the initial seedling leaves — have begun to develop. At this stage, seedlings left together start competing for nutrients and space, so prompt action is important. Use a dibber or pencil to ease gently around each seedling, lifting it by its leaf rather than its delicate stem. If seedlings have become leggy, bury the stem right up to the first set of leaves when transplanting — the buried stem produces additional roots, creating a stronger, more stable plant. Water thoroughly afterwards until moisture drains from the base of the pot.
Q: What is a cutting patch garden, and why is growing your own cut flowers worth considering?
A: A cutting patch garden is a dedicated growing area designed specifically to produce flowers for cutting and bringing indoors. Even a modest space can yield a wide variety of blooms throughout the year. Growing your own cut flowers saves considerable money compared to buying bouquets, and the sustainability benefits are significant — homegrown flowers are not flown in from other countries. A well-planned cutting patch includes perennial beds, foliage plants, annual flowering plants, bulbs, and even flowers suitable for drying, which continue to look beautiful in a vase right through December and beyond.
Q: What is a horizontal espalier, and how is it trained from a maiden apple tree?
A: A horizontal espalier is a fruit tree trained flat against a wall or fence, with pairs of branches extending left and right from the central leader at tiered intervals. It combines productivity with strong winter structure, making it one of the most rewarding forms for a garden. Training begins with a one-year-old maiden tree — these are not typically available in garden centres and must be sourced from specialist nurseries during the bare root season, which runs from November through to March. After planting, cut back to approximately seven centimetres above the lowest wire to stimulate bud development and establish the first pair of lateral branches.
Q: How do you lift and divide herbaceous perennials, and what is the best time to do it?
A: Early spring is the ideal time to lift and divide herbaceous perennials, just as new shoots begin to emerge from the base of the plant. At this stage, plants are easy to manage and recover quickly once replanted. For most perennials, insert two garden forks back to back through the clump and lever them apart to create divisions. However, some plants — particularly large, dense-rooted perennials — require a sharp spade for a more decisive cut. Each division should include healthy new shoots and a good section of root. Replant immediately at the correct depth, water well, and the divisions will establish readily, effectively giving you plants for free.
