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Beechgrove (formerly known as The Beechgrove Garden) is a television programme broadcast since 1978 on BBC Scotland. Over the years it has been broadcast on BBC Scotland, BBC One Scotland, BBC Two Scotland and Britbox.
“Celebrating the great Scottish garden. Tips and advice to get the most out of your garden, with inspirational ideas from Scotland's most beautiful green spaces.”
2019
Beechgrove is back, re-potted, with a new look in a new home on the new BBC Scotland channel. Springing back onto our screens just in time for the Easter holiday gardening weekend, Beechgrove provides trusted tips for the growing season and has sprouted some new faces and facets. In the first episode, despite a stormy spring, the ground is warm enough to start planting, and in true Beechgrove fashion, tatties are the order of the day. But this time, Jim McColl and George Anderson have decided to turn the whole veg plot over to ‘no-dig’ techniques. Meanwhile, Carole Baxter is spring cleaning and pruning, and new shoot/recruit Kirsty Wilson shows Brian Cunningham how to make an easy Easter wreath.
Brian Cunningham and Carole Baxter set up neighbouring luxury greenhouse versus cheap and cheerful polytunnel to see what undercover growing they can achieve. There are over 500 million plastic plant pots in circulation in the UK. Carole and Beechgrove new face Rosa Bevan take a look at the plastic issue from a gardener’s perspective and look at the alternatives. Rosa shows Carole how to make practical pots homemade simply from old newspaper. Willow grows particularly well in the north of Scotland, and Carole visits Karen Collins at her willow farm near Forres. Carole tries her hand at some willow weaving to create a decorative plant support.
This week on Beechgrove, Carole shows how to create easy, instant mass flower colour in just a few weeks by sowing the right seeds now. Meanwhile if space is at a premium, then the way to go is up and so Kirsty creates a lifestyle look with a living wall, made of pallets and plants. Sophie McKilligan is by far the youngest allotmenteer at Garthdee Allotments in Aberdeen. Drawing on her memories of time spent in her grandparents’ garden, Sophie set about reclaiming her newly acquired over-grown patch of potential. Despite her pedigree, Sophie is a learner in the allotment world, and Carole will be there to help her get started with crops that Sophie has previously had problems with: sweetcorn and carrots.
Beechgrove is looking forward to exceeding our “five a day” this week. Carole is tending to the fig, cherry and grapevine meanwhile, Brian and Rosa are planting brassicas and beans in the new back-saving, no-dig veg plot. Brian is also at home in Scone with his children Ben and Eilidh. Brian, Ben and Eilidh are keen to encourage families to garden together and this week they are showing how to make; an edible wigwam, a veg plot out of an old paddling pool and fun flower seed bombs. George visits Mike Thompson’s traditional, Scottish country cottage garden overlooking the Tay Valley in Abernethy.
From the large pond to a tiny puddle, having a pond in your garden is a source of pleasure for humans and is a haven for wildlife. The wellies and waders are firmly on this week in Beechgrove as Carole, George and Brian are all playing in the ponds. Carole tackles the sticky problem of blanket weed in the main pond, George dredges and renews the wildlife pond and Brian creates a tiny, low-maintenance burble pool. Carole also visits Alasdair and Carole Maclean, who live on the edge of Nairn in a bungalow surrounded by a garden they have created over 20 years. In it, they have amassed a collection of over 100 colourful rhododendrons, many of which they raised themselves from seed and cuttings.
This week on Beechgrove, George is in the fruit cage rescuing the raspberries, while Carole plants brassicas and beans in the veg plot. A garden that needs little attention while still looking attractive is a constant request. Brian takes an in-depth look at what makes the Low Maintenance Garden at Beechgrove. Following the theme of low maintenance in a very different way, George visits Iris Jarret’s unconventional garden in Wormit. Iris’s garden is an unashamedly untamed, self-maintaining but delightful garden overlooking the Tay.
At Beechgrove, competition is hotting up between what’s being grown in Carole’s immaculate 6x8 greenhouse compared to the Heath Robinson atmosphere of Brian’s polytunnel. Carole returns to Garthdee allotments in Aberdeen to see how the youngest allotment holder, Sophie McKilligan, has fared after Carole’s first visit. Carole helps Sophie create an easy wildlife pond to attract wildlife and pollinators. And George visits Waterside near Kilmarnock and Clover Park garden. The garden is an eclectic mix of architectural and ornamental features including a woodland and azalea walk, a fernery, a gunnera bog and is also home to a small herd of pygmy goats.
Life really is a bowl of cherries at Beechgrove. George reviews progress in the fruit house, while Carole properly appreciates the crop of ‘sweetheart' cherries. Brian reviews his no-mow lawn and counts the extra wildlife thriving there. Fresh from gold medal winning at Chelsea Flower Show, Chris Beardshaw is back at Beechgrove to smell and tend the roses. Meanwhile, Kirsty Wilson visits a young plant enthusiast in Limekilns. David Durie has amassed a collection of the weird and wonderful Carnivorous plants and Kirsty gleans the secrets of success with these pretty ugly on-trend plants. Carole visits Trish and Andy Winton’s modestly Mediterranean Montrose garden. Trish is an artist and Carole learns how the garden inspires her but also how her art inspires the garden.
This episode sees George gardening in tiny places and huge spaces. He revisits his tiny, but hugely productive, 'small space’ garden to see what’s ready for harvest. In 2017, he visited the historic but dilapidated Saughton Park to hear plans for a future facelift, and now he returns to see the extraordinary regeneration of this once-great park and how Edinburgh Council, the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society and many volunteers have created a national garden treasure for this century. Meanwhile, Chris demonstrates how pruning can be more than just restorative and shows how to prune in creative and fun ways, making an ancient bonsai tree out of a scrubby old shrub.
Kirsty shows how to make a miniature patio pond, proving that no matter how small your space, anyone can have a water feature. Meanwhile, Carole, George, and Kirsty get creative with Janie Gall, who shows how to make an easy-to-do-at-home cut-flower arrangement using some clever hacks that make efforts appear professionally done. George visits Laraine and Colin Lambie in Livingstone in their award-winning hidden gem of a back garden that is both child and especially hedgehog friendly. Carole visits Tom Williamson and partner David Gallagher in Bonnybridge. A neat lawn in the front with a mixed perimeter border of shrubs and herbaceous gives just a hint of what awaits in the back, and all in great condition thanks to the secret ingredient Tom adds to his garden compost. Tom has impaired vision, but it doesn’t stop him gardening, especially helped by his partner David.
Potatoes taste best when you grow your own and straight from the ground. Carole harvests three varieties of tiny potatoes from the container garden and Brian and George form an orderly queue to taste them. George, Brian and Carole attempt to answer as many viewer gardening questions as they can in a quick-fire round dealing with Scotland's top-ten pests and diseases for 2019. Brian visits The Field Project in Dunkeld. An all-inclusive community project with people of all ages and backgrounds, it is a collective where they say 'we grow everything for everybody'. George visits the garden of George and Christine Porteous in Lockerbie. The garden is much admired by passers-by, who draw up outside in cars and even tourist buses stop to take photographs of this colourful, award-winning garden. George joins the tourists stopping to admire the garden.
It is buzzing in Beechgrove as Brian and ‘butterfly man’ Anthony McCluskey attempt to count the butterflies in Brian’s no-mow meadow. George takes a look at the summer bedding flower display. Meanwhile Carole starts sowing over wintering veg. Kirsty shows how to create a permanent, evergreen hanging basket - a succulent sphere that can hang indoors or out. Vera and Jimmy Chisolm have gardened on the edge of Nairn for 38 years and they have created an award-winning Scottish cottage garden with views towards the beautiful Cawdor Hills. Carole goes to take a look.
From huge hornbeam to bijoux box, it's hedge-clipping time in Beechgrove. It is also the final analysis of Carole's greenhouse v Brian's polytunnel, with Judge George adjudicating. Lucy Dalgleish is a gardening and plant enthusiast on a high level, literally, as she gardens on her Maryhill balcony. Kirsty visits Lucy to help with her aim to grow overwinter vegetables and become self-sufficient from her bountiful balcony during the colder months. Carole travels to Little Loch Broom in Wester Ross to visit the garden of Sue Pomeroy and Will Soos. Sue and Will have created a coastal garden full of plants from all around the world.
'To mow or not to mow' - that is the question as Carole looks at traditional lawn care, while Brian continues maintenance of his no-mow meadow. Kirsty shows some on-trend indoor plant ideas to keep green fingers busy throughout the autumn and winter months. At 25, Sophie McKilligan is the youngest allotment holder at Garthdee Allotments in Aberdeen and throughout this season, Carole has been guiding Sophie's growing. In this programme they access the harvest. George visits Philip and Jennifer Bradley's garden in Newton Stewart. Over 20 years the couple have transformed a field into a garden of informal rooms full of year-round colour. Including a 'room' packed with exotic specimens surprisingly thriving in the Scottish border's climate.
2020
Beechgrove springs back onto our screens in home-grown style. For the first time ever, Beechgrove sees all the presenters giving weekly updates from their own patches of Scotland. Carole, George, Brian and Kirsty reflect on where we all are, at home and in the garden. In this episode, Carole in Aberdeenshire uses a bag for life to plant tatties, we have a sneak preview of the beautiful bulbs, George is entering for a virtual flower show and in her Edinburgh flat, Kirsty shows that you don’t need a garden to grow things. Meanwhile, in Scone, the question for Brian is to mow or not to mow.
In this episode, Kirsty brings us unique access to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, while George allows us unique access to his precious tool shed. Meanwhile, Carole and Brian answer viewers' gardening questions.
In this episode, the team make creative gardening use of the contents of our bins and answer viewer video gardening questions in a virtual Q&A.
Beechgrove continues with updates from the team’s own Scottish gardens. In this episode, in Joppa, George creates a plant support for his sweet peas out of prunings, while Brian revels in the torrent of tulips at Scone.
Beechgrove continues with personal garden diaries from the team’s own patches of Scotland. In this episode, Kirsty sows a rainbow veg plot in thanks to the NHS. Meanwhile, in Joppa, George is taking his recycling ideas ever higher by creating a cascade of colour with milk cartons.
Gardening magazine. In this episode, George is hankering after hostas, Kirsty harks back to the 70s to create an easy terrarium, and Chris is dealing with a bad bout of box blight.
Join the Beechgrove team as they make the most of their gardens so that you can make the best of yours. In this episode, George and Brian are both on the alpine slopes, George has a novel way of using old pots to create an easy rockery, while Brian builds a mini mountain feature with just stone and sand. Meanwhile, Kirsty discovers how many shades of blue there are in the most exquisite of flowers - the blue poppy.
Join the Beechgrove team as they make the most of their gardens so that you can make the best of yours. In this episode, Carole and Brian deal with more of the viewers' home-grown questions. Carole identifies and deals with the garden Pest of the Week, while Brian is back at his compost heap. Meanwhile, George is on the rampage with his loppers again, and this time it’s the Mahonia that’s quaking.
Now that all risk of frost is past, it is bedding plant season for the Beechgrove team. Brian has sown and grown his own, while George has taken a pot-luck kerb-side delivery and gives a recipe for a rainbow of bedding colour in containers.
Beechgrove is all about pests and pretty things this week. In this episode, George shows how to detect and deal with garden pests, and Kirsty creates an indoor succulent tower.
Make the most of the growing season with the Beechgrove team. George shows how easy it is to fix a fallen fig, while Kirsty explores the unique Rain Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. Meanwhile, agony plant aunt Carole answers more homegrown questions from viewers.
No matter what space you have, there is always room to grow with the Beechgrove team. In this episode, George keeps an eye on his cuttings, while Kirsty deals with some prickly customers as she shows how to carefully propagate cacti. Meanwhile, there is good news and bad on Sophie’s Aberdeen allotment.
It’s the time of year when thoughts turn to strawberries and cream, and there is nothing better than having grown them yourself. In a fruity Beechgrove, Carole tastes the ultimate in no-fuss, easy-to-grow strawberries, while Chris shows how to summer prune figs and grapes.
‘Be prepared’ might be a Beechgrove motto as Carole shows the difference between a bed of hardy annuals sown in a prepared bed alongside an unprepared bed. George is always prepared as he takes us on a tour of his Joppa allotment. Meanwhile, in Scone, Brian is hoping to be prepared for garden activities in the school holidays.
Carole and Kirsty go exotic with bamboos and aeoniums. In contrast, Sophie gives an update from her Aberdeen allotment, while George discusses the art of getting watering right
This week, Carole and George are enjoying a mid-season harvest. Carole reveals the tatties that she planted in containers in the first episode, and George harvests cabbage and blackcurrants at his allotment in sunny Joppa. Meanwhile, Chris checks on the progress of his box blight battle and explains the art of cloud pruning.
In this episode, George provides a greenhouse update and shows the benefits of late-sown cucumbers, while Carole deals with that most persistent of garden pests - the vine weevil. Meanwhile, Brian is cooking up compost at his family garden in Scone.
It’s hot stuff for Carole in her countryside garden with her chilies and peppers, but she is as cool as a cucumber in her polytunnel. Meanwhile, Kirsty tries out an easy-to-use propagator at home to make new on-trend houseplants for free. After a break to visit family, Sophie is back in her Aberdeen allotment, where she finds that the allotment community have kindly looked after her patch while she was away.
George and Kirsty both show how to grow plants for free from seeds and cuttings while Chris shows how to summer prune a mature tree. There is also a film from Calum Cluny, the youngest allotment holder in Leven, whose allotment is bursting at the seams with colour and produce.
Brian and family are counting butterflies to help understand what more we can do to attract these colourful creatures to our gardens. Kirsty features the aeonium, an exotic evergreen that, despite its alien good looks, is surprisingly easy to keep in your home. Meanwhile, George and wife Gill are back in their allotment and making the most of August’s produce.
George has taken cuttings from everything from clematis to pineberries and now that they have rooted, he demonstrates what to do next. Kirsty has filled her flat with houseplants so she is looking for clever ways to display them and has a go at using a head planter to unusual and amusing effect. Sophie is back in her allotment with ideas of how to make the most of the harvest.
In this episode, the Beechgrove team are looking to the future. George plants up a large container with what he calls a 'bulb lasagne', layering different kinds of bulbs for layers of long-lived colour in the spring. Meanwhile, Carole shows different methods of propagating new plants for next year, while Chris plans and plants a new border for year-round colour. And Kirsty is looking at why green roofs could be a thing for the future.
There is an autumnal feel to Beechgrove this week. George is in his allotment harvesting apples and pears, while Carole creates a bog garden from scratch. Brian puts his 'no-mow' garden to bed for the winter and adds some sparkles of spring interest. Meanwhile, Kirsty is in her flat looking at reviving interest in a plant that has gone out of fashion, the african violet.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue pretty well describes Beechgrove this week. Kirsty takes a look at one of the oldest and rarest plants known to man, the Wollemi Pine, sometimes called the fossil tree. George shows how to naturalise new bulbs in grass while Carole, after borrowing techniques from her Dad, reviews her tomatoes and sees if her Dad has it right.
Gardening magazine. George is on his allotment celebrating the humble apple and we are treated to a tour of spectacular autumn colour in Branklyn Gardens, Perth, by head gardener Alistair Chalmers. Meanhwhile, Carole revisits a native hedgerow that she helped plant 17 years ago to see it in all its berry bird-feeding glory. In contrast, Kirsty creates an easy-to-replicate trendy 'desertscape' with cacti in her Edinburgh flat.
In the last episode of the series, Chris and Frances have taken on a new allotment and they are starting from scratch to create an easy, low maintenance fruit and veg patch. Meanwhile, Kirsty is looking at how to extend the season by using late-flowering perennials that complement autumn colours, while Brian is taking advantage of the season to plant cost-effective bare-root trees.
2022
Beechgrove is back in bloom and storming in after Arwen and Barra ripped through trees across the north east of Scotland. In typical Beechgrove style, George, Carole, Bran and Calum are all together on home turf to see how to turn the damage into new developments. The national flower of Ukraine is the sunflower, and as a mark of support, the team are growing a range of these positive plants at Beechgrove. We also visit a sunflower maze that, in 2021, was a cheerful church initiative in Elie to allow those who were not able to come to church to congregate. In 2022, it becomes a fitting symbol of hope for Ukraine.
2021
Beechgrove is back in bloom as the team return to Beechgrove’s home turf, and after a year away from the garden, Carole, Brian and head gardener Mairi spring Beechgrove back into growth. After a year apart, Carole and Brian set up neighbouring patches for some healthy competition, while we watch Mairi as she reclaims Beechgrove after its time on furlough in 2020. George is back chopping down trees in his home garden in Joppa, while Kirsty builds a stylish greenhouse on her brand-new ornamental allotment.
In Beechgrove, Calum is designing and building a garden modest in size and modest in budget, but big on ideas and inspiration for everyone starting their own gardens. There is a new crop of Beechgrowers for 2022, with six more budding gardeners making regular appearances throughout the series to share their personal gardening video diaries from their own homes, plots and gardens all over Scotland.
Old watering cans, chimney pots and tin baths are the unlikely containers that Carole and Kirsty are using to create an edible container garden at Beechgrove. Meanwhile, Calum has challenged the whole Beechgrove team to grow giant potatoes to see who can grow the biggest.
The Beechgrove team look ahead to a bumper crop of veggies across the coming season. Brian and Carole sow the seed they saved from last season’s heritage and contemporary varieties, and compare it with this year’s fresh seed. With the ground now warming up, George gets his carrots, spring onions and beetroot planted at the allotment in Joppa. There is a report from an award-winning garden in Buckie from one of the growers Beechgrove is following across the summer, plus some handy hints on what you could be doing in your garden this weekend.
In this episode, Calum and Carole have something for almost every type of gardener. If you don’t have access to a garden, or just want to maximise the space you have, we show you how to make the most of your windowsill by growing herbs and micro greens. For those who do have a border to work with, Brian revisits some old favourites in the shape of gladiolus, fucshias and begonias, reminding us that there is nothing wrong with the traditional planting approach.
It’s all about the hanging baskets of Beechgrove this week from the garden in Aberdeenshire as Carole Baxter sets up these fantastic garden features for a summer of colour. Carole will also have expert advice on how to get the best crop from this year’s tomato plants, including a look at the possibility of ripening tomatoes outside in a Scottish garden. The team are also busy on their own allotments: in Sunny Joppa George is planting more vegetables and Calum is planning his planting, while Kirsty is planting to hide a new fence. It’s also time to catch up on this year’s Beechgrowers, gardeners from Orkney to Dumfries, growing in poly tunnels, small gardens and allotments and this week we hear more of their plans for the summer to come.
At Beechrove Brian Cunningham and Carole Baxter carry on the major renovation project that was kicked off when the garden lost one of its feature trees earlier in the year. The hard landscaping has been done in the area where that conifer once was, now it’s time to get planting. It’s No Mow May and Carole and Brian explain why putting the lawn mower aside for a couple of weeks is a great idea. Brian plants out sweet peas and keen gardener Diana Yates introduces the first of her features from her garden in the Borders.
Everyone is learning at Beechgrove this week with Calum Clunie and Carole Baxter. Carole is taking plants out of their comfort zone and finding out what happens if you don’t, or can’t, follow the instructions on the label when you get home from the garden centre. Calum is growing food for thought as he helps a school in Aberdeenshire get to grips with their community garden. And at Beechgrove, he’s cracking on with the next stage of the renovation of his own plot with the preparation of new raised beds. We find out how a father and daughter team from East Lothian are learning from each other as they garden together, and Calum and Carole have a date with the Calendar Border
This episode is all about giving nature a helping hand, with a particular focus on gardening that brings wildlife to your growing area. Carole Baxter demonstrates how you can do your bit for the environment, even if you only have room for a container for growing, by using plants such as lavender, borage and teasel. There is also a visit to a garden near Oban that has been designed and planted to encourage a huge range of birds and insects to the plot.
Carole Baxter and Brian Cunningham are at Beechgrove to provide some great garden advice. Carole is back in the 6x8 greenhouse to review the season’s growing so far, including an update on the cordon tomatoes. Brian and Carole then continue with the revamp that began with the removal of a conifer from the top of the garden, finishing the job by planting between the branches of the alder banking they created earlier in the series. Meanwhile, at his allotment in Joppa, George Anderson gets stuck into thinning out his seedlings, and there are updates from keen gardeners around the country, with the latest from the Beechgrowers.
Calum and Carole are back with a weekly update, featuring great advice and top tips for gardeners across the country. In this episode, they are at Beechgrove working in the vegetable plot as part of a series of features that sees a part of the garden redeveloped. Calum has already built a pallet deck and has his raised bed ready, and now it's time for the first plants of his own plot to go in. Meanwhile, George tackles more viewer questions from his garden in Joppa, and Beechgrove visits Buckie for an update on Lizzie Schofield’s award-winning garden.
Calum is at Beechgrove designing and building a garden modest in both size and budget, but big on ideas and inspiration for anyone starting their own garden. George is at his allotment in Joppa and, as ever, he has been busy over the winter building more-accessible raised beds and laying new paths ready for the season’s growing.
Brian and Carole are at Beechgrove to answer viewers' questions. Brian also checks up on the sweet peas he planted earlier in the series. There is also a visit to Beechgrove’s low-maintenance garden. As the name suggests, the garden doesn’t need much in the way of looking after, but there may well be some small jobs required to keep the area looking its best. Meanwhile, George is at his garden tending to the tomatoes and explaining his solar-powered irrigation system.
Calum and Carole are in the Bargain Border looking at how the area has been developed and planted on a low budget. We visit this year’s crop of Beechgrowers, and there is an update on Beechgrove’s tomato plants. And Calum takes on the next stage of landscaping in his own garden.
George and Calum share more great advice from the Beechgrove garden, and Carole visits the magnificent gardens at Douneside House, where she meets some of the trainee horticulturalists based there. George and Calum answer viewers' questions, and there is an update from Diana Yates and her garden in the Borders.
Brian Cunningham is joined at Beechgrove by Lizzie Schofield, whose garden in Buckie has featured earlier in the series. Lizzie demonstrates how to make a floral crown using clippings from Beechgrove's own willow arch and cut flowers, alongside stems from Lizzie’s own garden. Meanwhile, Carole Baxter visits a fantastic garden in Aboyne, and George Anderson provides as update on the courgettes he has planted directly onto his compost heap.
Carole Baxter and Calum Clunie are at Beechgrove working on the garden’s vegetable plot and fruit growing areas. Calum also works on his own Beechgrove garden area that he has redeveloped across the summer. With the end in sight, Calum has an eye on saving money and recycling as he discovers a cheap and sustainable way of upcycling that will hopefully turn into great furniture for his plot. Meanwhile, George is harvesting at his garden in Joppa, and there is a special report on a Glasgow garden project that is helping to support some of the city’s Afghan community.
In this episode, Carole visits one of the gardeners we have been following across the series. Deborah Peterson has a medium-sized garden in Aberdeen, and so far we have seen her growing seeds she has salvaged from kitchen waste and creating a wildflower area on her lawn. Carole catches up with Deborah, advising for the rest of the growing season. Meanwhile, Calum is back on his own allotment for an update on caring for dahlias and protecting roses, all of which he hopes will produce prize-winning blooms later in the year.
Carole Baxter is joined at Beechgrove by Diana Yates. Beechgrove has been following Diana at her pretty and productive patch in West Linton, but this week she is visiting Beechgrove and shows Carole the age-old technique of braiding garlic. Kirsty Wilson joins volunteers of a dog rehoming centre in West Calder to help revamp a garden that really has gone to the dogs. In this first stage of the project, Kirsty and the volunteers decide how to design a retirement garden for old dogs.
George and Calum are at Beechgrove to present more great gardening advice. Meanwhile, Kirsty gets on with creating a new garden for a dog rescue centre near Livingston, and the four-legged judges give their verdict. George and Calum review the containers planted with wildlife in mind, a great way to give nature a helping hand, even if you only have a small space. Elsewhere, Carole finds out more about an ambitious project by the National Trust for Scotland that aims to catalogue the thousands of plant species in its gardens across Scotland.
It’s time to check on the progress of Beechgrove’s tomato crop. Earlier in the season, Carole Baxter was joined by tomato grower Camilla Fredriksen to plant a number of varieties both indoors and outdoors, and the pair return to Beechgrove to see how those plants have progressed. Carole also reviews the containers with the wildlife-friendly plants started earlier in the year, and she starts off some plug plants that will help the pollinators next year. And there is a visit to Pitmedden Garden in Aberdeenshire and its newly designed Great Garden parterre.
Carole and Brian are at Beechgrove reviewing some of the projects they started earlier in the year. On the vegetable plot, they examine the results of their experiment to compare heritage with contemporary seed varieties. And it’s time for another big reveal as they delve into the potatoes grown in containers, and discover which presenter has the biggest sunflower head. Meanwhile, George is busy in Joppa, we meet father and daughter Joe and Erin in East Lothian and visit an amazing garden in Ayrshire.
Carole Baxter and Kirsty Wilson are once again hard at work at Beechgrove. Kirsty designed and planted a hot border back in April that would bring vibrant colour to the late summer, and she is giving it the final once-over to assess whether it delivered. Also reviewing the summer’s performance, Carole and Kirsty check out the results of the quirky containers - how did the compost work out, and what can be planted in them next? Meanwhile, George is joined in Joppa by Carole to check on how the tomatoes and decorative planting have measured up.
George Anderson and Calum Clunie are at Beechgrove, checking out more of what the garden has produced this year. Carole Baxter is visiting an expert grower of chillies, tasting the many varieties available, including some of the hottest. She also finds out the tricks of trade in growing this popular kitchen favourite. At the garden, Calum is in the final stages of work on his own patch of Beechgrove. He sows his lawn area, while George plants some late fruit.
Brian and Carole offer lots of great advice for gardeners of all kinds and review this summer’s output. The pair revisit the area between the alpine and heather borders that they worked on earlier in the year, and they check on the range of planting that was put in place to replace a diseased conifer that was removed earlier in the series. George reviews his summer from his garden and allotment in Joppa, offering some great advice on what to do with used tomato growbags. There is also a visit to a Glasgow garden which is part of a UK-wide programme to create outdoor spaces to support patients at NHS spinal injury centres. And it's the last visit to the Beechgrove's Beechgrowers, gardeners from across Scotland who have been giving regular updates through the summer.
It’s the last show of a fabulous growing season, and there’s a team of gardeners on hand at Beechgrove to give more great advice and also to look back at how this garden, and their own ones, have performed. Carole Baxter, George Anderson, Calum Clunie and Kirsty Wilson all have great tips. Calum is putting the finishing touches to his new garden at Beechgrove, Kirsty is planting bulbs for great spring colour, Carole reveals the results of the giant tattie competition and George looks over his garden at Sunny Joppa. There are also handy hints covering lots of autumn and winter jobs that can get done before Beechgrove returns next year.
It’s time to get sowing on Beechgrove. Kirsty joins Carole and Mairi in the garden as they continue to get growing, while George and Brian have easy-to-grow veg on the mind, and Sophie has stepped up to a brand new gardening challenge. In this episode, Carole and Mairi create a bargain border from scratch, Kirsty creates a recycled birdhouse with its own living roof, Brian and family create some family-friendly, no-dig veg plots in the lawn, and George sows micro-veg, heralding the return of the hanging gardens of Joppa. And familiar face Sophie joins us from her new gardening job at Culzean Castle.
Mairi and Carole give Beechgrove a spring clean, George is down at his allotment, and Kirsty takes a day out at the beach to go searching for seaweed. And Beechgrove introduces The Beechgrowers, a new feature in which six budding gardeners and families make regular appearances throughout the series to share hints and tips from their own gardens.
In this episode, Carole shows how to grow potatoes in recycled containers, while Brian is growing heritage potatoes in the veg plot. Meanwhile, Calum Clunie shares some secrets of award-winning potato growing at his Leven allotment. George is at home in sunny Joppa and shows the progress of his speedy seeds for small spaces, and we catch up with Lucy Dalglish, whose modest Maryhill balcony is overflowing with edible promise this year.
Carole and Mairi set about fixing, feeding and repairing the Beechgrove lawns, while Kirsty creates a new living lawn. Meanwhile, Brian is in his family garden at Old Scone and encouraging us not to mow, or if we do mow, to use a hand-push mower. And Chris Beardshaw provides an update on the projects that he started in his home garden last year, including his attempt to cure the dreaded box blight.
Carole and Mairi are in Beechgrove to show how to create a bluebell wood. They also lay ready-sown turf to create a near-instant carpet of colour. Meanwhile, in sunny Joppa, George shows the happy results of some of his pruning exploits from last year, while Kirsty is back in her allotment creating a cold frame from scratch using recycled bits and pieces. And we return to visit ecologist and passionate environmentalist Kevin Hughes at Caly Gardens to see how the garden and its precious wildlife have survived the winter.
In this episode, Brian reviews the success of Beechgrove’s box-hedging alternatives, while he and Mairi also share some topiary tips. Meanwhile, Calum Clunie continues to let us into the world of show growing as he explains his method for taking his dazzling dahlia cuttings in his Leven allotment. And Beechgrove travels across the Atlantic to the Slate Islands to behold rare blue bamboo, while catching up with the Seil Community Garden, which Beechgrove helped create in 2009.
Beechgrove is hung up on the 3,000-year-old gardening staple - the hanging basket. For a 2021 approach, Kirsty joins Carole and Mairi at Beechgrove as they explore sustainable hanging basket options, including an upcycled bird cage. Meanwhile, Brian shows the next stage of his no-dig, converted lawn at Old Scone, while George Anderson plants pumpkins and provides updates on the progress of his quick crops in small spaces. And we visit the community-run Starbank Park, in Leith, to hear about the community’s renovation of the site, which at this time of the year is snowy with cherry blossoms.
Carole and Mairi get stuck into Beechgrove’s bog and pond areas, while George continues to show us how to garden in small spaces with his summer bedding in pots. Elsewhere, Kirsty gives us a tour of spring’s finest in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, showcasing riveting rhododendrons and majestic meconopsis. And Beechgrove introduces gardener and Indonesian cook Dina Watt, as she uses homegrown produce from her Aberdeenshire garden to create delicious recipes with an Indonesian twist.
Carole and Mairi prove that they are two of the best bargain hunters as they create a new bargain border at Beechgrove for the cost of just a little work. Meanwhile, Calum Clunie is in his Leven allotment growing for upcoming shows and provides an update on his onions. Chris is back at his new allotment in the Cotswolds, where he is growing a range of fruit and veg that he hopes will look after themselves.
Kirsty, Brian and George are all focused on people gardening in smaller spaces. Kirsty plants up a range of trendy containers with plants to attract pollinators while George is growing quick crops in small spaces and shows that his homemade mini frames are now providing a steady supply of edibles. Brian is creating a new easy-to-follow small space alpine feature at home in Old Scone. Beechgrove visits the garden of Alice Stewart in Perth. Alice’s garden is an inspiration to anyone who has a steep slope to contend with as Alice’s garden is all slopes but that hasn’t stopped her creating a stunning garden that at this time of the year is on fire with azaleas.
Carole and Mairi are at Beechgrove showing how to prune and tame overgrown evergreens. Meanwhile, Kirsty is at her Inverleith Park allotment setting up a wormery and is looking forward to a pretty and productive harvest. The Beechgrowers return with further updates in their gardening video diaries from the length and breadth of Scotland, and we visit the garden of Steve Micklewright in Newlands of Tynet, where the surprisingly favourable conditions allow some very special plants to thrive.
Brian and Carole are being neighbourly in Beechgrove as they swap stories over the fence between Brian’s Alpine garden and Carole’s seaside garden. Meanwhile, we find out what difference two months makes to one of the most glorious gardens in Scotland as we catch up with Sophie McKilligan in her new role as gardener at Culzean Castle, in Ayrshire. Calum Clunie is at his Leven allotment as the countdown to the shows that he has entered is ticking.
Carole and Mairi take a look at the progress of the beds of wildflower seeds and turf that they sowed and laid eight weeks ago. Kirsty is also at Beechgrove, where she, Carole and Mairi enjoy a masterclass on the Japanese art of Kokedama (creating Japanese moss balls) with expert Fiona McDonald from Aberdeen. Meanwhile, Brian is at the grounds of Scone Palace dealing with as many of the worst weeds he has. He explains how weeds work and grow, and shows how to deal with the dreaded Himalayan balsam, knotweed and horsetail.
Carole and Mairi are at Beechgrove taking a look at the now-blooming wildflower bank that Chris cleared, weeded and sowed in 2019. Meanwhile, Kirsty is in her pretty and productive allotment, repurposing an old wine box to make into a trendy planter for some of her purple produce. Elsewhere, George is at home in sunny Joppa taking a look at his no-mow meadow and the yellow rattle that he sowed last year, and Chris is at home high up in the Cotswolds, where he shows us the potting shed that he and his wife built over the winter.
The competition between Brian’s heritage veg and Carole’s contemporary veg heats up as Carole is happily harvesting, while Brian seems to have deliberately gone to seed. Meanwhile, Calum shows off the progress of his giant onions, giant tomatoes, giant cabbages and ridiculously long runner beans at his allotment in Leven. And Dina Watt demonstrates the technique of growing vegetables from scraps and how to use the whole vegetable so that there is never any waste.
It’s cherry harvest and cherry-tasting time in both Beechgrove and in sunny Joppa. Also at Beechgrove, Kirsty creates a green talking point for any stylish home by taking a recycled picture frame and creating an easy-to-copy piece of living wall art with succulents. There are two inspirational garden visits this week - inspirational upcycler Lynn Cameron has created a gorgeous garden in Alva out of what others might regard as rubbish, while Ryan Adam has single-handedly built a garden for his new-build home from the rubble that the builders leave behind.
Leven allotmenteer Calum Clunie visits his dream garden - and that happens to be Beechgrove! Meanwhile, Kirsty is with Scottish lavender growers on the banks of Loch Leven, near Kinross. Our garden visit this week is to rural East Lothian, where Jackie and John Fry have worked tirelessly over the past four years to renovate an overgrown, 1.5-acre rural space to create an exquisitely informal garden that complements the landscape around it.
The tattie harvest is in full swing at Beechgrove. From contemporary tatties to heritage tatties to tatties in containers, it’s Beechgrove tattie howking time. From the very tall to the very small, Brian and Carole prove that there is a tree fit for everyone’s garden, and this week they branch out into trees for a small garden. We visit an award-winning garden on a seaside cliff edge in Buckie. Despite their garden’s precarious and exposed position, Elizabeth and Malcolm Schofield have created a colourful plant-filled haven that’s not just for their own enjoyment but for the delight of passers-by.
Carole and Mairi attempt to tame a large clump of exuberant bamboo at Beechgrove while Kirsty creates a fairy garden out of broken terracotta pots, pebbles, moss and a bit of magic. If you want to hide something unsightly or create structure in your garden, Brian takes a look at some of the many options for taller hedging. George is at home in sunny Joppa where he’s thinking ahead and showing how to collect and save seeds from this year’s favourites. Chris is in his new allotment high up in the Cotswolds and he shows what a bountiful harvest he’s been able to have although the allotment is only in its first season.
Carole and Mairi are particularly delighted to welcome gardener and cook Dina Watt to Beechgrove this week, as Dina has promised to cook for Carole and Mairi using Beechgrove’s own produce but adding Dina’s special Indonesian twist. Nestling in the south western tip of Scotland on the Rhins of Galloway is Scotland’s most exotic garden. Kirsty visits Logan Botanic Garden to see how this unique garden manages to be both exotic and yet very Scottish. We also visit the Maxwell Centre, based in the Coldside area of Dundee. This now ten-year-old community garden was once a derelict lot and is now a space to socialise, cook, learn and grow food, situated at the heart of the growing community.
We’re at the height of the harvest at Beechgrove as Brian and Carole find out which has come out on top - heritage or contemporary? It’s show day for Calum as we attend Beechgrove’s very own private veg show, set up in homegrown style in his grandparents’ back garden in Leven, and Lucy Dalgleish provides one final update from her balcony garden in Maryhill, where we discover the success of her growing projects.
The Beechgrove team review some of the successes and failures of 2021’s growing season. Carole takes a look at her 6 x 8 greenhouse and checks whether her chilies are hot enough to handle. In Old Scone, Brian appraises the first year of his new no-dig vegetable plot, and in sunny Joppa, George assesses the hits and misses on his allotment. Meanwhile, Kirsty creates an on-trend and easy-to-replicate teapot terrarium. Growing your own tomatoes successfully is always satisfying. Camilla Fredricksen takes that to a new level as she grows around 200 varieties in her produce-packed garden in Aberlour.
The Beechgrove team are all looking ahead in this bulb special. Carole and Mairi show how to force hyacinths for Christmas, while George naturalises fritillaria bulbs in his lawn and also tries to create the best recipe for ‘lasagna’ layered bulb planting fo the coming spring. From the Murrays in Melvich to Diana in West Linton, the Beechgrowers are back for the final round-up, bringing their own personal gardening video diaries from all across Scotland for the final time this season. And we visit Lynne Chapman’s garden in Cumbernauld. During lockdown last year, Lynne decided to tackle her overgrown and rubbish-filled back yard and turn it into a dream garden for her and new husband David’s wedding venue.
In the final programme of the series, the whole team head to Beechgrove. Carole, George, Brian, Calum and Kirsty help head gardener Mairi prepare for winter and review the progress of the garden’s recovery through 2021. Calum brings some of his prizewinning veg, including his giant cabbage, to show to the group, while George brings his judge's scales and measuring tape to see if there are any record breakers. And Chris provides the final report from his garden high in the Cotswolds and reviews the progress of his new allotment through 2021.
Carole Baxter
George Anderson
Brian Cunningham
Kirsty Wilson
Calum Clunie
Lizzie Schofield
Ruth Vichos
DIY le Donnie
2014
Recreating Eden
Søren Vesters have
2021
Gardening Australia
2005
How to Be a Gardener
2002
The Autistic Gardener
2015
The Landscape Man
2010
Blue Blood and Green Thumb
2016
This Is a Gardening Show
2026
Gardeners' World
1968
Streaming availability information not available
2023
Carole Baxter, George Anderson and Diana Yates assess the state of the garden after a long, cold winter, and launch into the many jobs that need to be done at this time of year, including tips on seed-sowing and planting your own garlic supply. Meanwhile, Calum Clunie sends the first report from his allotment in Leven, and Brian Cunningham provides an update on his garden at Old Scone. There is also a list of top tips to save money in the garden - with household budgets feeling the pinch, how do you plant without spending too much?
Carole Baxter and Calum Clunie provide more gardening tips and advice from Beechgrove Garden. It’s a busy time in the garden, with sowing and planting taking place for the approaching summer. The year’s first early potatoes get started, and there is a trial of tomato plants suited to windowsill growing. Calum checks on the progress of the variety of supermarket bulbs he bought last year, and Kirsty Wilson starts the first in her series by looking at the selection, care and display of houseplants. And George Anderson provides the first update from his allotment in Joppa.
It’s time to make the vegetable bed at Beechgrove Garden. There are top tips for making your garden as productive as possible, whether you have a border, a balcony, or a window box. Lizzie Schofield and Calum Clunie guide you through one of the busiest times of the year on the horticultural calendar as the days get longer and the weather warmer. There is another great selection of Handy Hints, and the team tackle the major project of taking down a fence damaged in the high winds of January and coming up with a creative alternative. If you have moved into a new house and are wondering what to do with that bare garden, there is the start of a new series following the development of a newbuild patch of grass into a great family space. We catch up with father and daughter gardeners Joe and Erin Armstrong in East Lothian, and there is another great garden visit.
The season is speeding past and as we come to the end of April the warmer weather has woken the garden, meaning more jobs to tackle for Carole Baxter and Diana Yates at Beechgrove just outside Aberdeen. This week, the main tattie crop goes in the ground, ready for harvesting later in the year for a home-grown supply in months to come. Carole is planting Yellow Rattle plug plants on the lawn. This is a great plant to help encourage wildflowers, as it inhibits the growth of grass, thereby helping other species develop. Calum Clunie is updating us on developments at his own allotment in Leven in Fife, and Kirsty Wilson has another in her series on houseplant care. That, plus the weekly handy hints and great tips on jobs to tackle this week, all from Beechgrove Garden.
Ahead of the coronation weekend, there is a slight royal theme to the work going on at Beechgrove Garden. Carole Baxter and Calum Clunie will be planting delphiniums, reportedly one of the favourite flowers of HM King Charles III. Elsewhere in the garden, Carole starts to refresh the planting in the Garden for Wildlife with a selection of varieties known to help pollinators and other species. Calum replants some of his underperforming roses from the end of last year, and Brian Cunningham sends another report on the work he is doing at his garden in Perthshire. And there is the next in Beechgrove's Back to Basics skills guide.
Blooms, veggies and fruit all get the expert treatment from George Anderson and Calum Clunie. George is trialling new blueberry bushes, and Calum is demonstrating even more garden produce to plant at home. One of Scotland's favourite flowers - the sweet pea - gets planted out, ready to bring colour and fragrance wherever they are cultivated. Lizzie Schofield starts working with a family that has just moved into a new-build estate, with a new house and a new garden that needs to be turned from turf to terrific.
Beechgrove Garden is planning for a colourful summer, planting for pollinators and caring for dahlias. Kirsty Wilson and Lizzie Schofield will have the usual half hour of great gardening advice, including a follow-up on how the dahlia tubers planted in pots in April are coming on, and what to do if you want to get some free plants by taking dahlia cuttings. Kirsty is sowing a bed around the viburnum that was moved last autumn and this new area will be home to plants that are particularly good for pollinators. George Anderson is in Joppa and it's the start of a garden renovation for a family who have recently moved into a new-build house.
Carole Baxter and Diana Yates are at the garden outside Aberdeen where they are continuing to mark the show’s 45th anniversary by planting blue-themed varieties. This time, it’s container planting. At the garden, they demonstrate how to produce homemade fertiliser using comfrey. George Anderson has an update from his own garden in Joppa, and Beechgrove’s head gardener, Scott Smith, has a back-to basics guide on how to spot when your seedlings are ready for potting on.
It’s the jobs a lot of us will be tackling in the garden at this time of year as Lizzie and Callum dish out advice on bedding plants, hanging baskets and lawn care, all common gardening tasks at this time of year. Bedding plants will be going out now that the frost risk is over, even in Aberdeen. Hanging baskets are a firm favourite, and Calum and Lizzie will be looking at both traditional and more contemporary planting ideas.
Flaming June sees Beechgrove Garden burst into colour, with lots more jobs to be getting on with. In this episode, Carole is in the 8x6 greenhouse to assess progress so far, and Scott is in the picket garden taking away an ornamental arch and replacing it with a yew tree alternative. Brian Cunningham has the latest from his own garden in Old Scone, too.
There’s a focus on productive gardening in small spaces this week at Beechgrove Garden, presented by Carole Baxter and Calum Clunie. Carole will is in the 6x8 greenhouse checking progress on the range of tomatoes chosen because they would grow well in the small space of a windowsill. Calum is on his own Beechgrove plot sowing a clover lawn. George Anderson is on his allotment in Sunny Joppa where he is planting out his pumpkins and there’s a visit to an amateur gardener who has been inspired by her volunteer work at Cowden Japanese Garden.
Wildflowers and houseplants are at the heart of this week’s Beechgrove Garden. Carole Baxter is out and about visiting the garden of a specialist in the sowing and cultivation of wildflowers, and Kirsty Wilson is back with the latest in her series on houseplant care. This week, she is upcycling a second-hand cabinet and turning it into a display case for your houseplants, complete with specialist lighting. George Anderson and Calum Clunie are working at the Beechgrove Garden, where they will be checking on progress in the fruit cage, specifically the loganberries and tayberries that were planted last year. There is also work to be done in the vegetable plot. All that plus the week’s usual handy hints.
Flaming June is almost over, and gardens in Scotland are definitely in top gear, so there is lots to do and review at Beechgrove Garden. There is a visit to one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions - Culzean Castle - to find out what they are growing in their famous walled garden. There is also some advice from one of the show’s regulars, who now works as part of the garden team at the castle. Carole Baxter visits another garden, this time in Huntly, while at Beechgrove Garden itself, there is more information for beginners in Back to Basics.
It’s viewer question time this week at Beechgrove Garden as Carole Baxter and head gardener Scott Smith tackle some of the topical queries they have received. Carole is also back in the garden for wildlife, planting species that suit sunny conditions and that also give nature a helping hand. Brian Cunningham has his eye on his favourite iris, and it’s back to this summer’s project of creating a garden for a new-build home.
There’s nothing better than harvesting what you have planted yourself, and that’s what Scott and Calum are doing at Beechgrove Garden in this episode. Way back in November 2022, Diana planted a range of garlic varieties, and now is the time to lift them for drying and to store them for future use. Calum reviews the hanging baskets he planted up a few weeks ago, and George has the latest from his own garden in Joppa. There is a visit to Nairn to find out more about a viewer’s garden, and there are the usual top tips and handy hints for the week’s activities in your own garden.
Last year, the Beechgrove team scavenged the local charity shops and tracked down a range of containers that were turned into fantastic planters. These upcycled boxes and hampers have been used again this year, and a range of salad crops were sown. In this episode, Carole and Kirsty harvest what has grown and also thin out the bamboo next to the pond, before planting up a hanging basket full of herbs. Calum Clunie provides an update from his allotment in Leven, and George Anderson teaches more Back to Basics, which this week features a different way to propagate new plants. And father and daughter gardeners Erin and Joe Armstrong work and garden together at their plot in East Lothian.
Head gardener Scott Smith heads for the Picket Fence Garden to check on the roses. He will be looking at feeding, how to deal with diseases, explaining the differences in types of rose available, and sharing some propagation know-how. Lizzie Schofield joins him in the garden to revisits her perennial border. George Anderson is on his allotment in Joppa, where he will be updating us on the sweet potatoes he planted last month. He also checkis out his pumpkin and sweetcorn, and the apple trees will be getting a summer prune.
It’s a big day at Beechgrove Garden as George Anderson and Carole Baxter harvest the first of this year’s potatoes. At the garden just outside Aberdeen, they pick blackcurrants and gooseberries as well as giving an update on summer lawn care. There is a visit to a remarkable garden in Glasgow that is designed to assist people who have experienced spinal injury, and Brian Cunningham sends his latest update from Old Scone, where he is looking at ways to control garden pests and getting ready for some tree planting.
It’s a tale of high summer and mid-winter at Beechgrove Garden this week. Kirsty is checking on her hot border, designed to be a riot of colour in high summer. Meanwhile, Calum is at his allotment in Leven, where he is planting potatoes to serve up for Christmas dinner. Back at Beechgrove, Scott demonstrates how to prune a rambling rose.
This week at Beechgrove Garden, there is preparation for the months to come as well as reaping the results of planting earlier in the year. The windowsill tomatoes are in full fruit and have been ideal for anyone with only a windowsill to grow on, producing plenty for summer salads. Looking ahead, Calum is sowing a selection of tasty winter vegetables, while Carole is harvesting the blooms planted in the spring with a view to being dried and used for dried flower arrangements. Elsewhere, there is a report from a community garden in the Cranhill area of Glasgow.
Carole Baxter presents the latest Back to Basics feature, and she’s talking about the many bugs, blights and diseases that can attack plants: what they are, what damage they can do, and how best to stop them. Diana Yates and Calum Clunie are also at the garden. Diana reviews her own 'vertical garden' area at Beechgrove that demonstrates planting ideas for those with small gardens and balconies.
Carole Baxter is checks in on Beechgrove’s sweet peas, planted this year with a blue theme to mark the programme's sapphire anniversary. Lizzie Schofield joins Carole in the garden as she looks at propagating strawberries, and there is the weekly round-up of handy hints. There is an update from Calum Clunie at his allotment in Leven, and Brian Cunningham is at Old Scone looking at plant names. And there is a visit to a fabulous garden in the south west of Scotland.
It's the first Beechgrove Garden of September, and although autumn is knocking on the garden gate, there is still lots to do for Kirsty Wilson and Calum Clunie. Kirsty is dealing with the dahlias and showing us how to take hydrangea cuttings. Meanwhile, Calum is reviewing the clover lawn he sowed earlier in the year and catching up on the sweet corn planted in the polytunnel.
All summer, Beechgrove Garden has had a focus on planting and gardening that is beneficial to wildlife. Pollinator-friendly plants have been spread around the whole garden, but there is one area with a particular focus on wildlife-friendly planting, and Carole is there to review its progress. She is joined by George Anderson, who will be tackling some important pruning. There is also a visit to Skye to find out more about a great community garden in Portree.
It’s time to review the season’s growing successes so George Anderson is looking over the plants and produce of 2023 in sunny Joppa. At Beechgrove, Diana Yates and head gardener Scott Smith are in the polytunnel and cutting the garden’s extensive beech and yew hedges. There is a garden visit to an amazing plot on Skye and a tropical garden in Moray
It’s the last episode of Beechgrove Garden’s summer series, so Carole Baxter and George Anderson are in a reflective mood as they look back at how the 2023 growing season has been. It was a hot, dry June, a damp August, followed by a bloom of hot weather in early September - so what has that done to the garden? Carole and George dig up the crop of blue potatoes planted earlier in the year, there are bulbs going into the ground for spring 2024, and there is a back-to-basics demonstration of how to take hardwood cuttings.
2025
It's spring, and Beechgrove Garden is for back another season of great growing advice. As usual, we have tips and handy hints to get the most from whatever you are cultivating this year - whether it’s pot plants or veg borders, trees or tomatoes, there will be help at hand from the Beechgrove team. In this episode, Carole Baxter and Brian Cunningham review how Beechgrove Garden has survived the winter - what damage did the storms cause, and what plants were lost to the cold snap in January.
Brian and Lizzie launch a competition between Beechgrove presenters to see who can create the most successful vegetable plot of the season. Lizzie plans and plants the veg border that she will have judged at the end of the series. She also revisits the potager garden that she planted last year. A potager garden is one that is both attractive and productive, and Lizzie reviews what worked last year and what needs to be done to the area this season.
There is plenty of productive gardening at Beechgrove, with onions and tatties on the menu. George Anderson and Calum Clunie are potting the onions and shallots that Calum sowed in December, and Calum starts work on his plot for the Beechgrove veg-growing competition. George starts his 'small space' garden for growers with big ambition, but little room to plan. There is a visit to Glasgow house with a stunning collection of house plants, plus tips and handy hints on indoor growing.
Gardening for wildlife, vegetables and small spaces are all covered in this episode. Brian plants shrubs in the garden for wildlife, choosing varieties that will encourage and help pollinators. Ruth starts her own vegetable plot that she will use as her entry in this year’s presenter veg-growing competition. She also starts her vertical garden, ideal for anyone with just a small space in which to grow. Ruth also tackles this year’s tomatoes in the 6x8 greenhouse, and she tests an automatic irrigation system that could be a great idea if you have to leave your precious plants to go on holiday this summer.
Gardeners are always looking ahead, and that’s exactly what Kirsty and Brian are doing at Beechgrove. Kirsty is getting ready to plant out the sweet peas that are currently growing under cover. To prepare for the time when the weather is warm enough to move them outside, she is filling containers and building an arch to support them as they mature. This year, Kirsty is cultivating a crop of chillies that were sown earlier in the year, and now it’s time to prick out the smaller seedlings to make room for the stronger plants to develop.
Gardening in a way that helps and reacts to the environment is the focus in this episode with Brian Cunningham and Lizzie Schofield. Brian continues to develop the new rain garden, an area that is being created as a response to last year’s wet summer conditions, and the pair get to work pruning. Lots of varieties in the garden flower early, so now is the time to cut them back to encourage new growth, and more colour, for next year. Lizzie is also planting up hanging baskets, and there’s a visit to a community garden in Dunfermline.
With the gardening season progressing and the weather warming up, there is more planting out that can be done. Calum and George are at Beechgrove taking advantage of the changing season to plant out this year’s brassica crop. They also plant out some sweet peas, which are loved for their beautiful colours and scent. Meanwhile, for those with limited garden space, George is looking at fruit trees that can be grown in containers. Carole visits a fantastic garden on a site that has been occupied for over 700 years, while George and Calum show you how to grow more box hedge by propagating from existing stock, plus all the usual handy hints.
Two months since the first episode of the year, and as most gardeners know, the work doesn't stop once something is planted. With that in mind, Ruth and Brian keep on top of care and maintenance on projects that were started earlier in the series. Ruth is back in her vertical garden, a stacking system that provides a great way to grow if you have limited space. She also explains when and what you should be feeding your container plants with as the season continues. There is a useful guide to planting a new tree, and Ruth has some handy hints when it comes to pest control.
In this episode, the focus is on scent and colour. Calum is at Beechgrove creating a gardening favourite: a lavender border. He lines either side of one of the garden’s paths with lavender plants, which will bring colour, scent and many pollinators to the area. Meanwhile, Brian demonstrates a layering technique as a way of propagating new plants from existing stock. There is a visit to a community garden in Fife, more instruction from Irene Berry in her Japanese-style garden in the Borders, plus all the usual handy hints.
‘Flaming’ June has arrived, and Beechgrove enters a time of colour, scent and productivity. Lizzie Schofield explores these features as she revisits the herb garden she revitalised the previous summer. Meanwhile, Ruth Vichos is in her 6x8 greenhouse checking the tomato plants. This year, Ruth is experimenting with a hydroponic system so that she can compare its yield with that of traditional growing methods. Ruth also checks on her vertical garden, an excellent solution for those with limited space, and there is a visit to a project in the Cairngorms that leverages the therapeutic benefits of gardening to support patients with dementia.
George and Calum are focused on caring for and maintaining the plants in your garden. As the potatoes grow, the pair explain why and how to earth up the stalks to keep them healthy and productive. In the fruit cage, George demonstrates how to give the gooseberries a light summer prune and also demonstrates an important June job for anyone who is growing apples. The French beans are now ready to plant outside after being sown and germinating in the greenhouse, and Calum will be looking at a variety of hostas and how to keep this garden favourite free of slugs and snails.
Brian is in the Calendar Border, an area designed to have something of interest every month of the year. It is, however, looking a bit bare, so Brian will be planting geraniums to provide ground cover underneath the taller shrubs. Ruth will also be in her competition vegetable plot, taking part in the contest between presenters to create the most attractive and productive vegetable border. Carole is visiting another great Scottish garden. This week she’s at Ellon Castle in Aberdeenshire, and there will also be the week’s handy hints.
It’s still June, so there is no better time for Kirsty and Brian to visit Beechgrove Garden’s June Border, part of the plot designed and planted to look its best this month, though this year it may need some attention to get it looking its best for this time next year. Kirsty is in her competition vegetable bed as she works towards the grand finale in September, when the presenters’ efforts will be judged by Carole for overall attractiveness and productivity. Brian is attending to one of the herbaceous borders, clearing some unwanted foxgloves and planting a range of hardy and half-hardy perennials. There is an update from Calum’s allotment in Leven, plus a special visit to Edinburgh Zoo to find out about the planting and gardening that takes place alongside the animal care.
It’s July, and with a new month comes a new set of jobs to get stuck into at Beechgrove Garden, with harvesting on the agenda this week. On the shortest day of the year last year, Calum planted his shallots in pots and kept them in the greenhouse for the rest of the winter. They were planted out in spring and now, six months later, they are ready to be harvested and enjoyed. April last year saw Calum planting the first early batch of potatoes, and now it’s time to get them dug up and tasted.
It’s a productive time at Beechgrove Garden, with fruit and vegetables now ready to be picked, dug up and enjoyed. In the fruit cage, George is picking and tasting the first harvest of berries, and he’s also in his small space garden, collecting a variety of salad produce. Lizzie is working on her competition area; the winner of this year’s challenge is the presenter who cultivates the most attractive and productive plot, as judged by Carole. There is a visit to a garden in the heart of Glasgow city centre, some tips on how to propagate lavender plants, how to deal with unruly nasturtiums and the benefit of having some nettles in your garden
There’s something special about picking and enjoying home-grown produce, and that’s exactly what Ruth is doing at Beechgrove Garden as she checks on the strawberry patch started by Carole last year. Brian demonstrates the best way to go about pruning wisteria, and there’s a check on how much damage this year’s bugs and pests are doing in the garden.
Trees and colourful borders get attention from Kirsty and Brian at Beechgrove Garden. Two years ago, Kirsty created a hot border - an area of planting designed to be full of vibrant colour at the height of summer. In this epsiode, she reviews what has worked and replaces some of the varieties that are not doing so well.
Although we are well into summer, the focus at Beechgrove is on all the things you can still sow and plant to make the most of your plot. Ruth is looking at the crops it’s still not too late to sow if you want to get some home-grown produce from your garden. Lizzie is in the sitooterie area she has designed, where she is planting new varieties to help create the perfect spot to place your deck chair and enjoy the sunshine in your garden.
There is a serious problem at Beechgrove Garden, and Calum and George discuss what it is, the potential impact on the garden and how to deal with it. The problem is club root, a common soil-based disease that attacks the roots of many crops grown at Beechgrove. Currently it is in one area of the garden, so the team looks at ways to limit the disease's impact and how to stop it spreading. George also checks in on the main vegetable plot, gathering more produce for the kitchen. Planning ahead, Calum sows violas for autumn colour. There is another report from Colin Crosbie’s plot just outside Dumfries and, as usual, the week’s handy hints.
It’s time to look ahead at Beechgrove Garden with a range of jobs that will deliver results into the next growing season. Ruth and Brian are thinning and replanting the biennials they sowed in June. Ruth is collecting seeds from the flowers that have blossomed this summer and will be sowing them for future colour. She will also be sowing green manure, a crop that enriches the soil to help whatever is sown in 2026.
Kirsty and Brian are in the Beechgrove greenhouse to taste-test the chillies that they first featured at the start of May. The chillies are now ready to be harvested, having spent the last three months under glass - but how hot will they be? The pair also check on the chrysanthemums and discuss how the feeding should be changed to promote flowering. Meanwhile, Kirsty gets her wellies on as she wades into the bog garden to clear out an area that has become overgrown, crowding out some varieties.
Tension is building as judging day approaches in the vegetable plot competition at Beechgrove. Carole will be picking a winner in a few weeks’ time, so Lizzie is reviewing what she needs to do in her plot to combat the effects of the recent dry spell. Lizzie will also have the secateurs out as she’s demonstrating how to prune laburnum while Brian is doing the same with Beechgrove’s apple trees. All that plus a demonstration of how to place and plant acers for maximum effect, and a visit to a tropical garden paradise in Carnoustie.
There’s fruit, flowers and veg alongside some preparation for 2026 at Beechgrove Garden with Calum and George. In the fruit cage, some of the blackcurrants are getting removed to make way for raspberries to be planted in spring next year. Calum and George also visit the main veg plot to dig up this year’s main potato crop and to check out how much damage the caterpillars have done to the brassicas after butterflies got through the protective netting. Calum pots up his begonias, and George demonstrates how to train the small fruit trees he planted in containers earlier in the season.
Lizzie and Brian are at Beechgrove to continue work on a project launched at the beginning of the series: creating a new garden in memory of presenter Jim McColl, who passed away last year. Jim loved heathers, and so the new plot will feature many varieties. However, before the heathers go in, there are acers - Jim’s favourite tree - to be planted.
The team are at Beechgrove planning ahead, with Kirsty and Brian already preparing for a vibrant and fragrant 2026. Kirsty begins by sowing sweet pea seeds, as an early sowing will allow them to germinate and establish quickly, resulting in early blooms. The pair also work in the new heather garden, where they add bulbs to brighten the spaces and bring seasonal colour. They are also at the main pond to transfer water lilies from another part of the garden to enhance the display, and discussing the pros and cons of different kinds of mulch.
All of the Beechgrove team are back in the garden and looking ahead. With a packed programme of seasonal jobs and expert advice, they advise on how to prepare your garden for autumn and winter, and set the stage for a flying start to the 2026 season. George, Carole, Brian, Lizzie, Calum, Kirsty and Ruth share their top tips; from planting tulips to leaving parts of the garden untouched to support wildlife through the colder months. Discover what to do with autumn leaves and other timely tasks to keep your garden thriving. George is planting hyacinths, while Carole announces the winner of this year’s vegetable plot competition — which presenter’s Beechgrove plot will she judge to be the best looking and most productive?
2024
Winter is over, spring is here, and the garden is slowly coming back to life - and with it comes a new series of Beechgrove Garden. All through the spring, summer and into autumn, the Beechgrove team will be bringing their expert advice and insight into what you should be doing in your garden each week. Whether you have a window box, a balcony or borders and raised beds, there will be something useful for you to learn about or get done. In this episode, Carole Baxter and George Anderson are at Beechgrove to review how the wild, wet winter has affected the garden. If you are a beginner gardener, there is a Back to Basics look at what essential tools you need to get started. George and Carole are shifting the Beechgrove rhubarb, and Brian Cunningham is tackling the basics of gardening in a greenhouse. All that plus weekly handy hints and a visit to an allotment in Dundee. It’s the start of the gardening year, so stay with Beechgrove to keep you on track for the season to come.
It’s tattie time at Beechgrove as George Anderson and Carole Baxter plant some blight resistant varieties in the garden just outside Aberdeen. There’s spring colour with a look at some of the many different daffodil varieties and classifications available, Carole and George will be highlighting the characteristics to look out for. George is sowing broad beans and Calum Clunie is back for the first of his updates from his productive allotment in Leven.
It’s one of the busiest times in the horticultural calendar and there’s lots to be done at Beechgrove Garden just outside Aberdeen. Calum Clunie and Lizzie Schofield unwrap dahlias after a winter in the dark, and Lizzie is in the gravel garden splitting and separating crocosmia. There’s a visit to a beautiful spring garden in Argyll and tips on how to refresh any potted box hedge that is looking a bit brown and straggly. Plus all the usual hot tips and handy hints on what you should be doing in your own garden, balcony or window box right now.
As the days get longer, so does the to-do list at Beechgrove. Kirsty Wilson and Calum Clunie are busy tackling spring jobs, including a revamp of the roses in the picket fence garden. The pair tackle creating a hugel bed, a sustainable method of growing that is based around planting on a specially created mound of composting materials. If your gardening is on a smaller scale, Lizzie Schofield is in Buckie creating a perfect patio garden. Plus the usual handy hints for the week ahead and a great garden visit.
It’s the start of May and George Anderson and Lizzie Schofield combine flowers and productive gardening by creating a mini potager plot at Beechgrove. They also kick off one of the big jobs of the year, a revamp of the herb garden. Brian Cunningham gives the latest gardening updates from his plot in Old Scone and there’s a visit to a garden in Dunfermline that has been an inspiration for local volunteers. All that plus topical tips, and Lizzie demonstrates how to save money by making plant supports from willow.
Gardening to give nature in your garden a helping hand is the focus of this episode. Carole Baxter is joined by wildlife expert James Silvey to answer your questions on how, and what, to plant in order to attract wildlife to wherever you do your growing There is also a visit to a community garden in Paisley that has gardeners from across the world helping out and benefiting from what they grow. Carole is at Beechgrove planting out a new strawberry bed and looking at which tomato and cucumber varieties she will be growing in her 8x6 greenhouse.
The weather continues to warm, the days get longer and so the gardening season picks up pace with Lizzie Schofield and Calum Clunie attending to the jobs at Beechgrove Garden. Calum plants out a bed to produce cut flowers all summer long and Lizzie continues the work on revamping the herb garden. There are ideas on what to plant in a shaded area of woodland and the broad beans sown last month are planted out. There’s a visit to a thriving community garden in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow, plus the week’s round up of handy hints.
There has been so much rain this spring that many plots feel like a bog. Thankfully, Kirsty and Lizzie are in Beechgrove’s own bog garden looking at plants that are specifically suited to extremely wet conditions. In a drier, warmer area of the garden, the pair are planting pumpkins and squash in the polytunnel. One of the big projects at Beechgrove this year is the revamping of the herb garden. Lizzie selected the plants that were worth keeping a few weeks ago, and now she is working to improve the soil in that area. Plus all the usual handy hints and a visit to a first-time allotment gardener, who receives some expert guidance.
There is more spring colour to enjoy in the garden, and Carole Baxter is looking at bedding plants, which are safe to plant out now that the risk of frost has hopefully gone. Carole also has an update on the yellow rattle that was sown last year. Yellow rattle inhibits grass growth and is a great way to encourage and assist other wildflowers to progress in a grassy area. It is also time to plant out the dahlias, and new Beechgrove expert Ruth Vichos is tackling pests in the greenhouse. There is a visit to East Lothian to visit the plot of father-and-daughter gardeners Erin and Joe Armstrong, while Brian Cunningham has the latest from his garden at Old Scone. Show less
The flurry of planting and sowing in spring is over, and it’s time to check in and enjoy the results of all that hard work at Beechgrove Garden. After a cold, wet start to the season, some warmer weather means that there has been some growing progress as Calum Clunie and Lizzie Schofield find out when they check in on the garden's vegetable-producing areas. Meanwhile, Lizzie revisits the new potager plot - an area of plants that are both decorative and edible - and also starts choosing varieties for the new herb garden she has been working on over the last few episodes. There is more planting in the calendar border with shrubs chosen for their scent, plus the usual weekly tips and hints. Show less
If you want to attract more bird life to your garden, deck or window box, then this episode has some top tips for you. Kirsty Wilson is discussing just what to sow and plant in order to attract birds to your area and give them a helping hand at the same time. Lizzie Schofieid continues her work refreshing the perennials in the zig-zag garden, there is a look at the garden’s loofahs, and Kirsty is planting on the hugulkultur bed, a sustainable way to create a fertile growing area that she and Calum built in April. All that plus advice on growing delicious summer melons and autumn pumpkins.
It’s all about alpines as Brian Cunningham and Carole Baxter offer tips on these plants, which, although found on mountain tops, also look great at Beechgrove Garden. Brian and Carole also take another look at an area they were forced to replant two years ago because of disease - dwarf bamboo and decorative stumps from a fallen alder were used to create a new look for the space, and they're assessing how it’s coming along and what to do next.
It’s all about the joy of going into your garden and picking something fresh and sweet this week at Beechgrove Garden as George Anderson and Calum Clunie are tending vines, fig plants and fruit bushes. George is in the fruit house explaining how to get the most from your vine, and he will also be in the fruit cage planting new cultivars of gooseberry, blackcurrant and redcurrant, as well as pruning Beechgrove’s plum trees. Calum is in the vegetable patch with the latest on this year’s successional sowing. All that plus the week’s handy hints.
In this episode, the Beechgrove team show how to create the scents and flavours of a herb garden even if you don’t have much space. Lizzie Schofield has been developing the programme’s herb garden this year, and this week she discusses and sows the herbs that are ideal for container and window box cultivation, perfect if you don’t have access to a larger area to plant in.
It's the taste of summer, so Beechgrove Garden’s own strawberry crop gets some attention - and maybe some picking - from George Anderson and Carole Baxter. The pair also work in the Garden for Wildlife, a plot specifically designed and planted with species that are beneficial to the local ecosystem, with George boosting the garden’s collection of meconopsis. Carole picks some of the fantastic salad crops that have been growing in her collection of quirky containers - proof that you don’t need a lot of space to grow some of your own vegetables - and reveals the top cropping plant of the year so far.
The secateurs are out at Beechgrove Garden as Kirsty Wilson and Calum Clunie set about trimming, pruning and cutting to encourage new growth for the rest of the season and beyond. Now is the time to prune the wisteria if you have one, and Kirsty demonstrates just how to go about it. She also talks about what you should be doing to the laburnum right now. Both Kirsty and Calum tidy up the garden’s topiary, and Calum is in the flower bed cutting anything that is ready for the vase and tending to the varieties that will deliver scent and colour later in the season. There is a check on the pumpkins that were planted in the newly created Hugelkulture bed, plus the week’s handy hints.
It’s time for summer fruit salads as George Anderson and Lizzie Schofield start cherry-picking the best of the summer produce. There was a cold and wet spring, followed by a cool start to the summer, so how has that affected this year’s produce? George is in the fruit cage, where he is pruning the loganberry and tayberry that he planted last year, and he and Lizzie pull the best of what has grown so far from the vegetable plot. All that plus the latest from Calum Clunie’s allotment in Leven and the usual handy hints.
A steady supply of tatties from Beechgrove Garden starts as Carole Baxter and Brian Cunningham dig into the first crop that were planted in containers earlier in the year. Planting continued at regular intervals through the spring, which means there will be a succession of potato production in the coming weeks. Carole is in the seaside garden checking on the plants that got a heavy cutting back last year, and she also has advice on what to do with any hanging baskets and containers you might have. Brian demonstrates what to do with one of the most common and attractive garden shrubs right now. Plus all the usual handy hints.
Bamboo is a very popular plant and a great way to create structure in gardens or to provide a screen from neighbours. However, it can be a huge problem if it starts to spread. Lizzie Schofield and Ruth Vichos take a look at the different varieties available, how to plant it and, most importantly, how to stop it taking over. The pair also demonstrate just what to do with a drumstick primula in a garden’s plant collection, and have a timely chat about a very common garden pest - slugs. There is also an update from George Anderson’s allotment as he reviews the impact the cold, wet, not-so-sunny growing season has had on his plot’s output.
Ponds, large or small, are a great way to encourage wildlife to your garden, and Kirsty Wilson and Calum Clunie get their waders on to suggest some great plants to add to your pond if you have one, or to introduce if you are creating a new water feature. In the spring, Calum set himself the challenge of producing cut flowers every month of the growing season. In this episode, he checks in on what is available in August, while Kirsty demonstrates how to care for citrus plants. Plus the usual handy hints and an update from George Anderson’s garden in Joppa.
It’s the time of year when all the hard work earlier in the season begins to pay off. Carole Baxter is in one of Beechgrove Garden’s greenhouses to record how this year’s crop of tomatoes is measuring up. Along with Ruth Vichos, another crop that will be checked is this year’s planting of blight-resistant potatoes. It has been a damp summer, which can mean ideal conditions for the disease that can affect the potato plants - but will the varieties that are meant to be blight-resistant pay off this year? At Old Scone, Brian Cunningham looks at some newly planted apple trees and has some practical training advice on when is best to buy bare-root plants.
It’s time to check on this year’s work and look ahead to the autumn and the 2025 season at Beechgrove Garden. Lizzie Schofield and Calum Clunie try some of the rhubarb from the plant that they shifted in the spring to a spot that had better growing conditions, but did the move pay off? Calum builds a hot bed, an area packed with manure to generate heat that will then be used to grow produce through the autumn when the temperatures drop.
It’s the first episode of September and, as we head into autumn, it’s time to check in on some of the successes at Beechgrove Garden this season. Lizzie Schofield and Ruth Vichos lift the garden’s carrot crop and, after weeks of growing, find out if it’s a bumper harvest or if the dreaded carrot fly has done any damage. Lizzie’s big project this summer has been to rejuvenate Beechgrove’s herb garden, so she will be back amongst the sage and thyme to make sure all her new planting has settled in. Meanwhile, Ruth explains that, even though summer is almost over, you can still have lots of interest on your doorstep with containers planted for autumn colour.
It’s time to enjoy the best of late summer at Beechgrove as Carole Baxter assesses how the dahlias have delivered this year. They are great for cut flower collections, but has the weather affected the results? There is more garden colour from Kirsty Wilson as she looks ahead to the autumn and plants some late-flowering perennials. Kirsty also checks in on her attempt to grow melons in the polytunnel and takes a look at the pumpkins in the hugel bed, a method of growing based on planting on a mound of decomposing timber and other organic material.
It’s every gardener’s dream - weed-free growing! In this episode, George Anderson and Calum Clunie help cut down on those unwanted plant pests. The pair select varieties that provide great ground cover as they grow, and that ground cover will help limit the spread of weeds in future seasons. Calum takes on the next stage of developing his hot be. A few weeks ago, he built the frame and filled it with organic matter that will be a natural source of heat, and this week he plants winter veg that will keep growing as the autumn temperatures drop. Calum also provides the last update of the season from his cut flower bed to find out what new blooms have appeared now that we are more than halfway through September
It’s time to measure and enjoy the fruits of Beechgrove’s efforts as George Anderson and Carole Baxter weigh up the season’s successes. Carole has the scales and calculator out as she assesses which of the tomato varieties has been the most productive. She has also been counting the cucumbers, which have been this season’s bumper crop from the 8x6 greenhouse, and George checks on the trees suitable for small gardens that he planted earlier in the season. Calum Clunie has the last of this year’s updates from his allotment in Leven, and there is a report from a plot in Aberdeen that used to be a bowling green and is now a fantastic community garden.
2026
The days are longer and the weather is a little warmer, so that means Beechgrove Garden is back with weekly updates and expert advice for gardeners of all abilities and experience. Carole Baxter and Brian Cunningham are back at Beechgrove to kick off the season with a range of great jobs that can be done right now and that will make your own plot both productive and attractive. It's Easter weekend, one of the most popular times of the year to get out into the garden, so Carole is planting up an Easter container that will bring colour and joy to your garden, deck or doorstep for weeks to come.
Beechgrove Garden is looking ahead to summer days in the garden, with Lizzie Schofield back to work in the sitooterie area she started off last year as a place ideal for sitting out and enjoying the garden. This week, she prunes and plants in the same area to get it looking great for the good days ahead. Brian Cunningham is back to basics with a beginners' guide to starting off a productive veg plot with some spring sowing, and he also looks at what makes a great homemade compost. Lizzie takes on the tomato plants this year at Beechgrove, and she is looking at what varieties she has picked for 2026. She is also the first of the team to start work on her competition garden, which is based on planting that appeals to one of the senses.
Calum Clunie kicks off his season at Beechgrove, demonstrating what can be grown from a container in just one season. He also starts a season of productive gardening, showing what can be produced for a family of four from a medium-sized vegetable garden. Meanwhile, as summer approaches, Brian is looking at how to keep lawns looking great and tackling a patio space around Beechgrove’s chiminea corner. There is a visit to a great new allotment in Perth, and there are all the usual handy hints.
There is a lot of productive gardening going on at Beechgrove as George Anderson and Ruth Vichos both work on projects that will bear fruit later in the year. Ruth is focusing on growing for those with a small space, returning to the vertical garden that she started last year. Vertical gardening uses structures that allow plants to be stacked upwards - ideal for anyone with just a small plot or patio. She also shows how this method can still be very productive.
There is lots of planting for the plate at Beechgrove Garden as Kirsty Wilson and Brian Cunningham start growing a wide variety of edible produce. Kirsty is the first of the Beechgrove team to kick off work on her competition plot. Each presenter has been given a sense to appeal to in each of their competition borders, and Kirsty is planting things that will taste fantastic. She is also trying something new to Beechgrove: hops.
Planting borders and planning for cut flowers are on Lizzie Schofield and Brian Cunningham’s to-do list at Beechgrove Garden. Lizzie is direct sowing in the new cuttings garden, and Brian is in the zig-zag border planting varieties that will grow tall, making them ideal for the back of a plot without requiring support or staking. Brian kicks off this year’s collection of plants being cultivated in the 6x8 glasshouse. This is the most common-sized domestic greenhouse, so if you are lucky enough to have one, Brian has some great ideas for this season.
It's time for some early summer colour as Carole Baxter makes the first of her visits to classic Scottish gardens. She visits Glenarn, which has a fabulous collection of rhododendrons looking their best right now. Back at Beechgrove Garden, George Anderson and Calum Clunie are busy refreshing the grass and gravel plot and planting new varieties. Calum demonstrates how to take cuttings from a fuchsia, and there are some ideas on how to manage your plot if you are unlucky enough to have club root in your vegetable patch. And there are all the usual handy hints.
Kirsty Wilson and Brian Cuningham show how to help the pollinators in your garden and at Beechgrove as they focus on planting that will attract bees to your plot. Even if you don’t have a garden, Kirsty demonstrates how you can help the local ecosystem by sowing a meadow in a pot. She also discusses the best summer bulbs to plant now for fragrance and colour. Brian is back in the vegetable plot for his summer-long guide to productive gardening for beginners, and there is a demonstration of how to prune spring-flowering shrubs. All that and the week’s handy hints.
Some more unusual growing methods are demonstrated at Beechgrove Garden, with Ruth Vichos and Brian Cunningham attempting to produce a mushroom crop using a kit, and there is a report on some of Scotland’s best bonsai. Brian and Ruth are in the Seaside Garden at Beechgrove to refresh the planting with varieties that can withstand a coastal climate, and Brian turns conifers into sculptures with topiary. Ruth is in her vertical garden, ideal for anyone with limited space.
Sound advice for everyday gardening from Brian Cunningham and Calum Clunie at Beechgrove. Calum is planting up hanging baskets, a great way to decorate a doorstep or shed, and talks about his favourite bedding plants to get planted right now. Brian demonstrates the best way to tackle a border that has gotten out of control and what you should be doing with some of your rhododendrons at this time of year. Calum is busy in his family plot at Beechgrove as he shows just what can be done in an average-sized garden, and also in his competition plot, where he has been challenged to cultivate a border full of scent. There is a report from one of the show’s regular contributors and their allotment in Perth, along with all the week’s handy hints.
George Anderson and Ruth Vichos are back in the Beechgrove Garden just outside Aberdeen, where the climate has been very mixed over the last few weeks. They assess just how that has affected the crops and blooms. George is in the fruit cage checking for pests and also prunes the Beechgrove fig. Ruth is in her vertical plot, ideal for anyone with a small garden or little space to grow, where she plants a perennial that will give a crop year after year. George plants beans, and there’s a visit to Colin Crosbie’s plot near Dumfries, where he is moving hostas and pruning pulmonaria. There’s also a lifting of the first tatties of the year, grown in a container and kept indoors to produce an early crop.
Beechgrove Garden is full of information for gardeners across the country who have to cope with the colder climates of the UK. Beechgrove has had some cold nights even recently, but now it looks like it’s safe to plant out those tender varieties, so Lizzie Schofield and Brian Cunningham are finally putting in the ground varieties that wouldn't survive a frost. In a warmer environment, Lizzie is checking on her tomatoes, and this year she is comparing hybrid and heritage varieties, with both needing some attention right now to maximise their productivity. Brian is in the Accessible Garden looking at recent changes that will make the plot easier to move around and work in for anyone with mobility problems. There is also a trip to Leven to catch up with Calum in his allotment, and there are all the usual handy hints.
Kirsty plants meconopsis, and Brian is in the 6x8 greenhouse looking at what you can do if you have this standard-sized glasshouse. Also, a visit to a great community garden in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow that is used and enjoyed by a range of groups in the local community, and handy hints. Kirsty and Brian start a new feature that gives 'everything you need to know' plant profiles on some of the country’s most popular garden varieties - from growing patterns and soil preference to pruning plans. Throughout the series are fact files on some of the plants most often found in viewers' plots.
Lizzie Schofield and Brian Cunningham are starting new projects and checking on the progress of planting carried out in previous years. Lizzie is in her herb garden, which she renovated in 2024, assessing what has worked and what needs to be refreshed. Meanwhile, Brian is checking on the apple trees he planted in the spring as examples of espalier shaping and pruning. Lizzie begin plans in the garden for cut flowers that will give her foliage alongside the blooms already beginning to take shape, and Brian is planting more perennials in the terraced patio area. There are all the usual handy hints, as well as a look at what plants are good for attracting birds to your plot.
George Anderson and Calum Clunie are back together to tackle the week’s jobs at Beechgrove Garden. Although George got a special picking of potatoes for his birthday in June, this is the time to lift the first crop from the vegetable plot and try out this year’s produce. Calum and George check on the brassicas that were planted in the club root-infected bed, testing varieties that are said to be resistant to the infection. George is back to work on the privet hedge that was given a severe pruning last year to encourage thicker growth, Calum gets round to placing plants known for their fragrance in his competition bed, and there are the week’s handy hints.
The weather in this year’s growing season is making gardening a real challenge at Beechgrove, with cold grey skies and periods of high temperature giving Ruth Vichos and Brian Cunningham plenty to deal with. Ruth is in her vertical garden, where she has strawberries, blossoms and various climbing varieties all demonstrating what you can produce if you are short of space, using stacking systems and plants that will follow vertical surfaces. Brian reviews the wildflower beds he sowed in April, which will become a great resource for pollinators and the rest of the garden’s ecosystem. Brian and Ruth look at the diseases and pests that might be attacking your garden favourites right now and what to do about them. There is a visit to a great garden in East Lothian, and all the week’s handy hints.
It's all about the borders at Beechgrove Garden as Brian Cunningham and Kirsty Wilson replant, fill gaps and replace losses all around the plot. Kirsty revisits her hot border, designed to display vibrant colours at the height of summer. The winter temperatures killed off a few plants, so she will be trying out some alternatives. Brian is in the calendar border, created to have some form of colour or interest every month of the year. It has not had much attention this year, so Brian will be topping it up to ensure year-round performance. Kirsty will also be planting in the border behind Beechgrove's main pond, where other gaps have appeared, and she is building a new structure to create a habitat for pollinators. There is a trip to visit a great garden on the Cowal Peninsula, and all the week's handy hints.