Beechgrove Garden Season 47, Episode 17: Episode 17

Episode 1

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.

28 min

Episode 2

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.

29 min

Episode 3

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.

29 min

Episode 4

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.

29 min

Episode 5

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.

29 min

Episode 6

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.

29 min

Episode 7

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.

29 min

Episode 8

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.

28 min

Episode 9

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.

29 min

Episode 10

‘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.

29 min

Episode 11

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.

29 min

Episode 12

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.

29 min

Episode 13

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.

29 min

Episode 14

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.

28 min

Episode 15

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

29 min

Episode 16

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.

29 min

Episode 18

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.

29 min

Episode 19

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.

29 min

Episode 20

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.

29 min

Episode 21

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.

Episode 22

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.

29 min

Episode 23

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.

29 min

Episode 24

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.

29 min

Episode 25

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.

29 min

Episode 26

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?

29 min