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Cut Flowers and Trees

Gardeners try to save Britain's horticultural heritage. Rachel de Thame looks at the cut flower industry and Joe Swift encourages tree planting.

Great British Garden Revival continues, as Britain's top television gardening talent inspire us to the save the nation's rich gardening heritage. In tonight's show Rachel de Thame investigates the decline of Britain's cut flower industry. At New Covent Garden she discovers that 90 per cent of our cut flowers are imported; she meets a man who has dedicated his life to growing sweet peas and joins a florist who uses some surprising flowers in the wedding bouquets she creates. Throughout the show from her base at the cutting garden of Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire, Rachel gives us her tips on how to grow, cut and arrange flowers.

Also in tonight's show, Joe Swift wants us all to get planting trees in our gardens. On his revival he visits the magnificent elm trees of Brighton, which didn't fall victim to the devastating Dutch elm disease as it ravaged Britain in the 1970s, and he marvels at the national collection of birch trees in Devon, the lifelong work of one man. Based at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Joe shows us some of his favourite trees for small gardens and also gives us his top tips on how to plant and prune trees.

59 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Rachel de Thame
Presenter Joe Swift
Series Editor Gary Broadhurst
Executive Producer Bridget Boseley

Broadcasts

Meet the presenters

Meet all 14 presenters and discover their individual missions