Beechgrove Garden

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.It wouldn't be a series of Beechgrove Garden without a potato crop to plant and look forward to, so Brian and Carole will be planting a number of varieties. It has now been ten years since the garden's stem bank border was started, and Brian is back in there to start some much-needed maintenance-pruning, with planting to come, that will refresh that part of the garden. The stem bank border contains plants that are known for their attractive stems and range of colours that look best in winter.Last year, some of the Beechgrove presenters took part in a competition to see who could plant the most productive border. This year, there is a new challenge, which Brian and Carole will be revealing.And a trip to Edinburgh to catch up with what George Anderson is doing in his own garden in Joppa, and there are the week's usual handy hints.

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.Brian is in the 6x8 greenhouse, and there is a trip to Dumfries for the latest from Colin Crosbie's garden. This week's handy hints are all about what you should be doing with your dahlias right now.

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 January's cold snap?

Brian and Lizzie launch a competition between the Beechgrove presenters to see who can create the most successful vegetable plot of the season.

Beechgrove Garden is back and celebrating its 45th anniversary.Across the series, the expert gardeners experiment with growing tomatoes on the windowsill, homegrown salads and vegetables, as well as the traditional Beechgrove Garden potato trials. All summer, the show will have advice and instruction for gardeners of all kinds, from beginner to expert.There will also be a focus on some particular gardening areas, including a monthly Back to Basics guide, where the team give a masterclass on the key skills needed to be a great gardener.Kirsty Wilson will be presenting a regular houseplant feature looking at care, selection and some on-trend planting styles for indoor growers, and there is also a focus on gardening for wildlife.In the first episode, 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. Calum Clunie will be sending an update from his allotment in Fife, and 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.In Bellshill, Calum Clunie helps a new gardener set up an allotment in order to have a steady supply of homegrown produce. 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.Meanwhile, Carole Baxter visits a beautiful garden in Aberdeen, and there is a chance to have a look at some amazing private gardens that are rarely open to the public.

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 Diana 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.

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.

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.Meanwhile, George is in his allotment in sunny Joppa and, as ever, he has been busy over the winter building new more accessible raised beds and laying new paths ready for the season's growing.

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.George and Calum each take their best selection of spring bulbs to compete in the Caley Spring Show at Saughton Park. It's Calum's first time for entering spring bulbs to the shows, and show veteran and multi-prize winner George has been mentoring him.

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 to 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.And if you need inspiration, there is a visit to a beautiful East Lothian garden, while, at Beechgrove, Calum takes the next step in building his new plot.

In this episode, Carole is at Beechgrove setting up some colourful hanging baskets. She also has 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.Elsewhere, the team are busy on their own allotments, with George planting more vegetables and looking forward to a bumper apple crop later in the year, while Kirsty is planning roses and showing how to give a Clematis the best start.It's also time to catch up on this year's Beechgrowers as we hear more of their plans for this coming summer.

Brian Cunningham and Carole Baxter are at Beechgrove to continue with the major renovation project that began when the garden lost one of its conifer trees earlier in the year. The hard landscaping has been done in the area where the conifer stood, and it's now time to get planting.Meanwhile, on his lawn in Joppa, George explains why putting the lawn mower aside for No Mow May is a great idea. Carole takes a look at the perennial 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 out 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 there with the construction 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 teasle.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.George Anderson plants French beans and runner beans on his allotment in Joppa, and Calum Clunie is on his allotment planting dahlias and sowing peas ready for exhibition time.

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, now it's time for the first plants of his own plot 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 work on his own Beechgrove garden area that he has redeveloped across the summer. With the end is 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.George has more from his garden, and there is the regular catch-up from the programme's Beechgrowers - gardeners from across Scotland coping with a variety of conditions.

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.We also travel to Wishaw to visit the garden of Kimberly Light. Kimberley's small garden is full of plants that she has grown from seed and are to be used for cut flowers, which she then turns into creative arrangements for friends and family.

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 containing the wildlife-friendly plants started earlier in the year, as well as starting 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 Beechgorve 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 as 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. The pair will be checking out more of what the garden has produced this year. Carole Baxter is visiting an expert grower of chillies, she will be tasting the many varieties available, including some of the hottest, as well as finding 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'll be sowing his lawn area and George will be planting 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 the Beechgrove garden, and their own gardens, have performed.Carole Baxter, George Anderson, Calum Clunie and Kirsty Wilson are all on hand with more great tips. Calum is putting the finishing touches to his new garden at Beechgrove, Kirsty is planting bulbs for some great spring colour, George will have some great growing advice, and Carole will be revealing the results of the giant tattie competition.There's a visit to East Lothian to find out how Diana Yates' garden, and some of the seeds and plants we saw her get started earlier in the season, have performed in this dry summer, and there will be handy hints covering lots of autumn and winter jobs that can get done before Beechgrove returns next year.

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.

Gardening magazine. In this episode, 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.

Gardening magazine. 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.

Now that all risk of frost is past, it's 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.

Gardening magazine. George keeps an eye on his cuttings, while Kirsty deals with some prickly customers as she shows how to carefully propagate cacti.

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.

Gardening magazine. Carole shows the difference between a bed of hardy annuals sown in a prepared bed alongside an unprepared bed.

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.

Jim McColl and George Anderson introduce ‘no-dig' techniques to the veg plot, Carole Baxter spring cleans, and Kirsty Wilson makes an easy Easter wreath.

Brian Cunningham and Carole Baxter explore undercover growing methods, and Carole and Rosa Bevan take a look at alternatives to plastic in the garden.

2018 marks the Beechgrove Garden's ruby anniversary. This week there are sweet signs of spring as Jim, Carole, George and Chris are surrounded by April's peach and cherry blossom.George revisits Sheila Harper's ancient apple trees in Banchory. After a severe prune last year, George returns with slightly less sharp secateurs to show how to deal with the old trees this year. Carole visits Rosie Nixon in Perth. Rosie is a passionate wildlife gardener and photographer who creatively uses her all-seasons organic garden as her own green studio.Throughout the 2018 series, Jim and Carole will be digging in the abundant Beechgrove archive to root out hints and tips from the last 40 years.

Jim and Carole celebrate Beechgrove's ruby anniversary in true Beechgrove style as it's tattie time. Both Jim and Carole are planting a range of ruby or red potatoes, and they also dig up an archive tattie tip from the late George Barron.Brian is back in Beechgrove revisiting his alpine garden and reviews the winter damage, as well as doing a bit of weeding and feeding.Last year Carole met almost-nonagenarian garden hero Sandy Inkster in his immaculate and award-winning Cults garden. Carole will visit Sandy several times throughout the 2018 series but this time meets him on his allotment on the south side of Aberdeen.Chris is adding to the rose garden at Beechgrove. Roses and clematis are a classic combination but you do have to choose carefully, Chris explains, as they have to be able to be pruned at the same time.

Jim is planting with Beechgrove's ruby anniversary in mind, sowing red veg from beetroot 'Bulls Blood', courgette 'Midnight' and lettuce 'Moonred' to spinach 'Red Kitten' and spicy mustard 'Red Giant'. Last year Jim began an observation choosing a range of trees for small gardens. This year he is adding to that with a range of fastigiate trees, which are perfect for a small garden as they don't create much shade and have a small footprint. And Brian, who is used to modest swathes of daffodils at Scone Palace, visits Grampian Growers near Montrose to find out how six million bunches of daffodils find their way from the fields of Angus to neat bunches ready to buy

In the Beechgrove Garden, after the success of the no-dig observation of last year, Jim is extending the trial into the polytunnel, comparing conventionally grown vegetables with easy-grow no-dig vegetable plots. Brian is in Armadale, helping Lesley Welsh and her two children to create a bespoke vegetable plot for the family. Lesley wants the children to be able to easily grow their own and take their own home-grown produce from fork to fork.Brian is also in Tranent, visiting Wattie Russell. Wattie was nominated as one of Scotland's Garden Heroes, and Brian visits to see why. Wattie's inspirational, but tightly packed, garden in Tranent is full of spring beauties with around 500 different pots of colour.

In the Beechgrove Garden, it's tomato time as Jim is growing a range of viewers' recommended favourite tomato varieties, using viewers' best methods for growing them.Carole visits young farmers James Reid and Rosa Bevan near Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, to see how they use permaculture techniques to grow veg in the most environmentally friendly way possible. And Carole is also in Garelochhead to take in the annual Scottish Rhododendron Society show, where she sees competitors showing off the best blooms from the vast range of vibrant varieties.

The best sign of spring is when the Beechgrove Garden returns and Jim McColl, Carole Baxter, George Anderson, Chris Beardshaw and Brian Cunningham are all back in the garden dispensing sage advice to keep growing.At this time of the year, we are normally bemoaning winter storms - so what do we have to talk about after one of the mildest winters on record? Jim and team look at the signs of spring and see if it really has come early this year. Jim also takes a look at the progress of the overwintered veg, while George has already set himself a challenge to produce a weekly salad.Carole has been in search of early signs of spring as she takes an up close and personal look at the tiny world of snowdrops. She also visits Helen Rushton in Rothienorman to discover why these tiny beauties excite such passions.

Winter hasn't been too cruel this year, but Carole is still hoping to find out how hardy the plants are that she deliberately left in the ground last year to test their resilience.Meanwhile, George takes a look at his winter stem border that's full of plants that have been shining out in the darker months. Undercover, the glasshouse is a hive of activity at this time and Jim is sowing for Scotland.Chris continues to work on the pond area of the garden, planting a range of grasses on the banking but it's perhaps a little too early for the waders. Carole visits retired doctor and artist David Hawson, who has created a fascinating topiary garden in Monymusk.

Jim is planting a selection of swedes and turnips for later in the year. Meanwhile, Chris is attempting to create a rose garden at Beechgrove, but how will they cope with exposed Scottish conditions? Carole is in Ardersier for Vegetable Garden on a Budget, with recent research suggesting that a family of four could save roughly £1,500 a year growing their own vegetables. Mari Reid lives and gardens in Ardersier and has come up with a clever way of helping others to grow their own by using community-minded land or garden share.

Gardening magazine. Jim has set up a replica of his own greenhouse at home and this week he is adding some half-hardy plants with colour. Meanwhile, Carole is starting off her hanging baskets early and is trying 3-in-1 plug plants. Chris continues development of the new rose garden, which has been planted with every variety of rose - but how will they cope with exposed Scottish conditions? George visits Dr Tony Toft in his garden at Hermitage Gardens in Edinburgh, which is a showpiece display of unusual species mixed tastefully with specially commissioned pieces of art and sculpture.

Gardening magazine. Jim and Carole begin their tomato trials, while Brian Cunningham is back in Beechgrove continuing with the next phase of development for the alpine garden. Meanwhile, George is in Banchory visiting Sheila Harper. Sheila's garden boasts two old, unruly apple trees which George is attempting to bring back down to earth. Jim visits the inspirational Firpark School in Motherwell and finds that horticulture is at the very root of the school's success. Firpark has 150 pupils with a range of additional support needs, and pupils learn to take produce from fork to fork and from garden to bistro.

Gardening magazine. In this week's programme, Carole gives advice on how to properly care for houseplants. Meanwhile, Jim, George and Carole do their best to rescue some pot-bound camellias. Jim is back for another visit to Firpark School in Motherwell. Firpark has 150 pupils with a range of additional support needs, and pupils learn to take produce from fork to fork and from garden to bistro. And Carole visits Simon McPhun's deceptively informal cottage-style garden near Huntly.

Gardening magazine. In this week's programme, Jim, Carole and George are planting bedding in the Beechgrove Garden. Scotland's most popular bedding plant is the begonia, and Carole checks on the progress of her fertiliser observation using begonias as the test plant. Meanwhile, Brian Cunningham is in Newton Mearns helping Susan Bulleid with a problematic dry shady spot under a mature beech tree. Brian uses the beech and creates a new woodland garden fit for purpose. Carole visits Hamish and Sue MacIntosh in Balnabuel. The couple have carved their one-acre mixed garden out of a fissure of land to create many growing environments.

Gardening magazine. This week the Beechgrove team are at Gardening Scotland, Scotland's biggest gardening show. The show features the cream of British growers and some of the winning exhibits from the Chelsea Flower Show. The Beechgrove team focus on the Scottish talent and plants, and get a sneak preview of what's to come, as they sample the unique Gardening Scotland atmosphere.

Gardening magazine. Carole and George don waders and climb into the Beechgrove pond to clear the blanketweed, while Jim takes a flamethrower to the weeds. Brian and George plant up a new alpine wall with blue and white plants that will create 'sky' beyond the alpine 'mountains'. Carole visits Julia Young's unique garden in a quarry at Blebo Craigs, near Strathkinness, as Julia has a small rowing boat to weed and plant around the quarry.

With snowdrops flowering before Christmas and daffodils out in January, spring seems to have come early to Scotland. How quickly we forget the destruction of the gales in December. December 8th saw a record-breaking gust of 165 mph on Cairngorm summit. The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh are still reeling from the destruction that the gales left in their wake, meanwhile Cathedral Grove next to Dunkeld Cathedral lost many of its precious veteran trees.The Beechgrove Garden is calm now and full of sprightly spring bulbs, but has had its fair share of damage. In this first programme of the 34th series, Jim McColl, Carole Baxter, George Anderson and Carolyn Spray are assessing the winter damage and the unaccustomed spring warmth's effect on the garden. Then it's time to don the gardening gloves and get gardening again.Carole and Jim have been in Beechgrove throughout the winter and we uniquely begin with a glimpse of winter and winter work in the garden, from taking hardwood cuttings to forcing bulbs for early spring showing. Jim and Carole then follow on the tasks that they started in the winter. Jim very excitedly unveils the new propagation greenhouse at Beechgrove.Jim has also been to visit Inverness Floral Hall and Gardens, who are hoping to become a 'Botanic Garden' this year under the influence of new head gardener Sarah Speakman. Jim finds out what it means to the garden and to Inverness to have this title and is impressed by the stunning temperate and tropical displays in this gem of a garden.

In the Beechgrove Garden, Jim and Carole are reviewing some of the trails that they began in the autumn. Did the winter flowering pansies do what they say on the tin and flower all winter? Did the newbies, the garvineas, make it through the winter at all? Did the dwarf narcissus that claimed to flower in February actually do so?Jim and Carole were also in the garden on Valentine's Day in the second of the looks at Beechgrove in winter. On their special day, Jim was sowing sweet peas and starting off the previously dormant begonia tubers, and Carole was planting a bare root 'edible hedge'. Who says romance is dead?Meanwhile, back in the garden in early April, Jim is taking cuttings from those same begonia tubers and nipping out the tops of the now sprouted sweet peas.George is once again taking his precious bulbs to show at the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society's prestigious Spring Show in the hopes that this time he might win more medals than 'the wife'.

In the Beechgrove Garden, everyone is looking for an inside job as the garden is covered in an unexpected blanket of six inches of snow. Jim takes cover in the propagation house to prick out his brassica seedlings while George is putting in the work inside the fruit house to optimise the Beechgrove fruit production this year.Lesley tackles another common garden design challenge and shares her 'Off the Peg' design solutions, this time for front gardens. Lesley 'clothes' a square blank canvas of gravel front garden to create something both pretty and practical that gives us all more than a little kerb appeal.After George's runaway (almost) success with growing veg for showing last year, he is having another go. He and Lesley are starting off growing 'sweet candle' and 'purple haze' carrots that George hopes to end up with award-winning dimensions.George is also visiting the fascinating Linn Botanic Garden Cove by Helensburgh, which contains extensive collections of temperate plants. Notable is the fern collection as well as carpets of wild garlic and bluebells in the wooded areas, and a bamboo garden with some three dozen species from four continents. It's a relatively small garden and despite being ravaged by three winter storms where 40 trees toppled, George finds that the garden is spectacular at this time of the year.

In the Beechgrove Garden, what is technically a flower that has not yet bloomed, a rich source of vitamin C and until a few hundred years ago women were not allowed to eat as it's said to be too powerful an aphrodisiac? This week, Carole is planting both Chinese and Jerusalem artichokes.Jim is once again on the quest to find a viable alternative to using peat in the garden and trailing another range of new 'peat free' alternatives, growing a range of plug plants to see if the likes of old tyres, recycled waste or sheep shearings work as well as the traditional but too precious peat.Lesley tackles another common garden design challenge and shares her 'off the peg' design solutions, this time for front gardens. This week Lesley explains what to do with a new build house front garden once the builders have gone.Meanwhile, Carole is visiting the much older St Andrews Botanic Garden, which dates from the around the 1800s. Carole meets some of the people who are working to keep this historic, educational gem of a garden going, while having a look around the rock garden and the displays of rhododendrons.

Jim is in among a crowded Beechgrove border. These acid loving lovelies are enjoying the conditions so much that they are taking over and need a bit of taming. One of them is a huge juniper that is now straddling and obscuring the path, and Jim tries his hand at a little topiary that may turn into some drastic pruning.Lesley is in the potager garden, a mini garden that aims to be both pretty and productive in a very tiny space. She is starting off edible flowers and salads, both in the potager borders and in the bite-sized barrel greenhouse.Carolyn visits Lorna Sinclair in Edinburgh. Lorna has a tricky problem with Japanese knotweed, which is starting to invade her garden. Carolyn talks to plantlife expert Deborah Long to find out why it is such a problem and what can be done to eradicate it.Japanese knotweed is a hugely invasive plant that was brought into Britain from Japan in the mid-19th century as it is very pretty, but has since spread all across the UK through water courses and railway lines. It is estimated that it has cost the Olympic site £70M to eradicate it. It's a headache for developers, landowners and house owners, and DEFRA has estimated that the cost of a national eradication programme could cost £1.56b. In the light of that, what can Carolyn do with Lorna's problem?Carolyn also visits Angela Davey in Wormit in Fife. This is a one-acre Edwardian landscaped garden with panoramic views over the Tay. Special features include rhododendron walk, rockeries, informal woodland planting schemes using native and exotic plants, providing year-round interest. Original raised paths lead to a granite grotto with a waterfall pool, and the granite features again in the shape of raised vegetable beds made out of granite sets. A real gem of a garden.