In this episode, Dan and Julia talk to Charlotte Molesworth at Balmoral Cottage, the garden she and her husband, Donald, have been creating for 42 years. Charlotte describes the art of making a garden from scratch and on a shoestring, rarely buying plants. Most of the trees and shrubs she has trained into birds, crowns, pyramids, mounds and spirals have been grown from cuttings or seedlings grubbed up or given by friends.

Charlotte also explains the legacy of 'Cherry' Ingram, the English country gentleman who found and reintroduced the Great White Cherry, Prunus 'Tai Haku', to Japan. Ingram once lived next door and led a particularly long and interesting life.

'Cherry' Ingram - The Englishman Who Saved Japan’s Blossoms - Naoko Abe

Listen carefully as Charlotte shares her wisdom and challenges Dan & Julia not to give up on beleaguered box.

Jobs to do in your garden this fortnight

1. Cut back the old stems of summer fruiting raspberries and tie in the new green stems.
2. Apply grease bands to the trunks of apple trees to deter winter moths.
3. Apply a winter wash to other fruit tree trunks.
4. Use a fork or spiked shoes to aerate the lawn to avoid water logging.
5. Reuse the compost from spent grow bags to grow some winter salad leaves.
6. Now is an excellent time to move plants, shrubs and trees,
7. Harvest pumpkins in time for Halloween.
8. Prune rambling and climbing roses now, removing old, tangled branches.
9. Apply a final biological spray to box, to eradicate box moth caterpillars.
10. Continue planting spring-flowering bulbs, and prepare to plant tulips from early November.

Dan's Products of the Episode:

• Niwaki Mini Shears
• Jakoti Hand Shears

Website links:

• Dan Cooper Garden
• Parker's Patch
• Gold Leaf Gloves
• European Boxwood & Topiary Society

Produced by Scott Kennett at Red Lighthouse Local

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