Gardeners' World - 2010/2011 - Episode 29

It's Bonfire Night and along with the colder nights and fireworks come a thick carpet of autumn leaves. Toby Buckland shows us how, with a little patience, leaves can be turned into leaf mould - one of the best, most nutritious soil improvers money can't buy. Carol Klein is at Kew finding out how the complicated world of plant classification is now becoming much simpler as scientists are beginning to use DNA techniques to accurately draw up definitive family trees for plants. Almost three years ago, Joe Swift got involved in changing an urban wasteland, local to his London home, into a community garden. It has now won a prestigious RHS award and he returns to find out how valuable and life-enhancing it has become to the local residents who use it to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables. Earlier this year, we asked garden writer and bulb expert Anna Pavord to take us to one of her favourite gardens. She chose Hanham Court, the garden of the well-known designers Julian and Isabel Bannerman, and went along when their displays of tulips were at their vibrant best. It not only gave her the opportunity to revel in the glory of her favourite blooms at their peak of perfection but also recommend some of her favourite varieties for planting in our own back gardens. Back at Greenacre, Toby plants a few of his own for an explosion of colour in the borders next spring.