Beechgrove Garden - 2010 - Episode 4

In the Beechgrove Garden it's time to plant your tatties! Jim is planting tatties in a traditional manner this year, but using both unconventional and new varieties. He also plants a range of 'heritage potatoes' that have been lost to most of our gardens for years, and also tries out a range of what's claimed to be blight-resistant varieties. Most people's lawns suffer after winter, but this winter was exceptionally bad and so Jim also starts off a well-needed process of lawn rescue. George visits David and Fiona Russell in Uphall to try and prevent a domestic. It seems Fiona reckons that David could do with some advice on pruning. David wants to hard prune some very lovely trees and shrubs that are unfortunately overcrowding their garden. Fiona is worried as they include a beautiful 30-year-old acer, a huge 40-year-old azalea and an enormous and florific camellia. George steps bravely and diplomatically in, and gives them both a masterclass in pruning. Carole visits Abriachan Gardens, which is a stunning hillside garden on Loch Ness side. The garden is defined by winding woodland paths leading up the hillside with stunning views over the loch. This is a plant collector's paradise and the garden is brimful of unusual collections, and at this time of the year trilliums, pulmonaria, daphnes and Carole's favourite ferns abound.