Beechgrove Garden

In this episode, we celebrate those gardens and gardeners who encourage and work alongside wildlife. With some unique wildlife footage from badgers to butterflies, we learn more about gardening with wildlife and see that you don’t have to have a wilderness to be wild about wildlife.

The Beechgrove team are in the Mar Policies area of Alloa to kickstart a garden makeover with the Wimpy Park Community Group. Over the space of just a few days, the Wimpy Park community, together with just a little help from Beechgrove, transform a neglected walled garden and make it into an accessible space built by the community, for the community. At nearly three acres it’s a massive site, and with four areas in need of TLC, it’s a challenge that requires everyone to be mucking in, but the team are determined that the project makes it from design to done.

As any keen gardener knows, it’s not just the leaves that pile up in the garden at this time of year, but also the autumn and winter jobs. With that in mind, Beechgrove is back with a special series to help guide you through everything you need to tackle as the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop. In this episode, Carole and Calum are at Beechgrove with information on what to do with dahlias now that the flowering is finished. They also list the top five plants to have in your garden to help wildlife through the winter months and reveal how to top up your plant collection for free.

The winter work continues at Beechgrove as Carole Baxter and Kirsty Wilson guide us through all the jobs that make this a busy time of year in the gardening calendar. They show what to do with fallen leaves, while in Joppa, George Anderson demonstrates how to keep this year’s bumper apple crop fresh for weeks to come, as well as coaching us through compost creation. Calum Clunie is at his allotment in Leven, taking a look at his winter veg in the polytunnel and saving money by taking carnation cuttings. Lizzie Schofield takes us around her prize-winning garden in Buckie, and Kirsty has some brilliant container ideas for gardeners who only have a window box or small space to grow in and who want some brilliant winter colour to brighten up the darker months.

Carole Baxter and Diana Yates are at Beechgrove to demonstrate just what needs to be done for autumn and winter. They show how to plant garlic and take a look at some great species to plant for colourful barks and stems. There is also pruning to be getting on with, with the garden’s buddleia getting some attention, and there is some great advice on caring for heathers. George Anderson is in his garden pruning hydrangea, and Brian Cunningham is lifting the gladioli he planted earlier in the summer. Plus the usual round-up of handy hints and tips for the week ahead.

George Anderson and Calum Clunie round off the series of autumn and winter gardening advice from Beechgrove. They answer viewers’ questions on topics covering the gardening jobs that need to get done between now and the spring, and there is a report from father and daughter Erin and Joe Armstrong from their plot in East Lothian. Calum is back on his own plot at Beechgrove this week, planting bare root roses and moving a rhubarb crown, he also checks on the tatties he planted that should be ready for Christmas dinner. There’s also a report from another gorgeous garden that the show featured during the summer to find out what they are up to at this time of year.

Covering all the jobs in your garden that need to be done at this time of year, with all the usual expert instruction to help everyone, from beginners to experts. In this episode, Carole Baxter and Scott Smith insulate a greenhouse to protect precious plants from the winter to come, and Carole looks at a range of evergreens to bring year-round interest to your borders. She also talks tulips, a wonderful way to remind us all of the colourful spring to come.

Scott and Calum have planned ahead in terms of providing colour, which will come from the winter bulbs planted late in the summer. It’s time to bring the containers out of the dark and introduce some light to the growing shoots. The lawn needs some winter protection, so Scott and Calum discuss what to do now to make sure the grass looks great next year. Scott also demonstrates how to care for a yew hedge and Calum lifts and splits some herbaceous plants for more free planting in your garden.

George Anderson and Carole Baxter tackle viewers' questions from Beechgrove Garden. Carole also looks at how to deal with bare spots in a plot with ideas on evergreen ground cover, while George has the secateurs out and demonstrates how to prune gooseberries and redcurrants. Meanwhile, Kirsty Wilson is planting up a conifer container, and there is a visit to father and daughter gardeners Erin and Joe Armstrong to find out what's on their to-do list this month.

It’s the last chance to get your fix of Beechgrove advice for the year as George Anderson and Lizzie Schofield bring more seasonal tips from the garden. George is winter-pruning the grapevine, Lizzie takes a festive look ahead and harvests willow for some homemade wreaths, while head gardener Scott Smith explains all the factors to be considered when laying out a new garden during winter.

Jean Johansson is at Beechgrove, which has had a Christmas-style makeover. As part of a series helping families get ready for a fabulous Christmas, there are ideas to get your kids creating and crafting. Plus ways to make handmade presents, fabulous food and drink tips and gift suggestions, along with the usual top gardening advice from the Beechgrove team. In this episode, it’s all about the decorations. If you are about to choose a tree, just what should you be looking for? Once you’ve got one, there is expert advice on how to light and decorate it.

This episode is all about entertaining made easy. If you are having guests around, the world-famous Hebridean baker Coinneach MacLeod has some recipes for a very Christmassy clementine cake and an amazing lemon cocktail. Kirsty Wilson finds out how to make and customise your own candles to give your home a lovely scent when visitors appear, and Lizzie Schofield has another great project that you can do with your kids. This week, it’s decorations made from heather and hydrangea that will look fabulous on your tree. And Brian Cunningham has a round-up of the garden jobs you can do this week.

Craft Christmas at Beechgrove is counting down to the big day and bringing you some great ideas for things your family can make, do and eat, so that your festive period is the best ever. This week the show, presented by Jean Johansson, focuses on perfect presents. If you fancy making some presents this year, we get some top tips from top secret ninja knitters, a group of ladies who knit decorations and then, under cover of darkness, use what they’ve made to spread Christmas fun through their hometown.

It’s the final Craft Christmas at Beechgrove before the big day, and for the last three weeks, Jean Johansson and the team have been helping you and your family get ready. In this episode, we have even more projects and plans for the perfect Christmas. Lizzie Schofield has more craft ideas that you and the family can do and make at home - all you will need this time are some pine cones and wool.