Rock Gardens and Herbs

S1 E5: In tonight’s show plantswoman Carol Klein shares her infectious passion for a style of gardening that she thinks is in much need of a revival – the rock garden. She tracks the history from its pinnacle during the Victorian era; visits a community in Bolton who have pulled back their local rockery from neglect and drops in on an old friend in the Midlands, to find out more about this much maligned gardening style. From her base at Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, Carol demonstrates tried and tested techniques for growing success, as she shows us how to plant up a trough with some of her treasured rock garden favourites and gives advice on the best alpine bulbs for containers.Also in tonight’s show Toby Buckland is on the campaign trail for herb gardens. On his revival, he discovers how useful herbs have been throughout history, he learns that there was no such thing as a weed in Tudor times; meets a woman whose garden is overflowing with herbs we’ve forgotten and a botanist who grows plants to capitalise on their unique fragrances and essential oils. Toby shows us how to get the very best from fresh herbs: harvesting seeds, how to grow and care for them, whether you have a garden or not and how to make the most of herbs by storing them in clever and unusual ways. Please note, this version may differ slightly from the UKTX version.