Beechgrove Garden - 2009 - Episode 18

In the Beechgrove Garden, it's all apples and pears as Jim shows how a little fruit summer pudding can work wonders to increase yield. Also in the new 'Family Orchard', Jim is testing a new gadget designed to protect raspberries: a raspberry beetle trap. It's also the time for a spot of propagation in the garden, and Carole and Jim like nothing better than getting more plants for free. They take a tour of the garden, picking what they can to propagate from, and show the whole process from start to finish. Lesley and Carole take a look at how their decking veg have been getting on. The weather has made this something of a challenge this year, but there is still plenty to eat. On the way there, Lesley shows the results of her extreme haircut (she calls it 'topiary') for the Portuguese laurel. Carolyn is in Galashiels with Dawn and Aidan Hume. They would like help to plant their north-facing front border, which is very shady. Jim is with Colin MacBeath at Quercus Garden Plants. Colin produces easy and unusual plants for contemporary Scottish gardens, the vast majority of which have a long season of interest and require minimal maintenance. 95 per cent of them will not require staking or any complex pruning if planted in the correct place.