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December 10, 2015 BBC Two 22 March 2007
In series one, Dick Strawbridge and his family turned a neglected farm in Cornwall into a viable eco-home. The second series follows Dick as he and his son James venture out from New House Farm in Cornwall to meet these aspiring individuals and families in cities and countryside around Britain.
Today, Dick meets the Keenan family from the Wirral, who have started the construction of a large eco-house. It will be heated by a ground-source heat pump, all electricity will to be provided by a wind-turbine, and all their water will come from a massive rainwater harvesting system. At the other end of the green scale, Dick, helped by James and assistant Jim, comes to the aid of a family who need to grow as much fresh fruit and veg as possible for their son who has multiple allergies.
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November 29, 2015 BBC Two 11 September 2013.
Right across our countryside it's harvest time. Gregg Wallace and Philippa Forrester are down on the farm revealing the results of this year's harvest as it comes in. This is the spectacular climax of the farming year, when fortunes are won or lost in the attempt to put food on our plates. Our farmers have spent all year carefully tending their crops helped by the very latest science, but they are still completely at the mercy of our fickle weather. Can they put a disastrous 2012, the coldest spring for 50 years and a scorching July behind them and work their magic to bring in a bumper crop?
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November 28, 2015 Jane visits chef and avid gardener, Matt Wilkinson, to see what's growing in his patch that inspires him to cook with fresh, seasonal produce, Costa visits a family who have created a beautiful small garden that seamlessly integrates the indoors and outdoors, and Sophie plants out a range of productive tropical herbs in pots, including ginger, galangal and lemongrass. Jerry meets an expert to find some strategies to enable scrub turkeys and subtropical gardeners to be friends rather than foes while Tino spruces up his backyard for the festive season ahead, including laying instant turf and planting pretty perennials for summer colour.
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November 25, 2015 Costa visits an award winning perennial grower to see how she does it and find out why everyone should have a few of these rewarding plants in the ground. Dr. Ken Walker, the Senior Curator of Entomology at Museum Victoria, explores the museum collection of over 3 million insect species and discover which Aussie bee is the gardener's best friend, Sophie explains what to feed your roses and when.and John Patrick looks at some new release foliage plants.
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November 24, 2015 Costa drops by the Gordon family home in Western Sydney, lending a hand to plant up their food forest with a tasty array of productive fruit trees, Josh explains what crop rotation is and why you should practice it, and Sophie explores a large country garden that's packed with colour all year round thanks to its owner's clever use of self-seeding plants. Also, Tino plants some of the most prolific summer vegetables, like corn, beans and pumpkins, and shows how to get them off to a running start while John profiles a beautiful native sedge that's becoming more popular in home gardens.
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November 22, 2015 PBS USA 17 April 2007
In a story blooming with beauty and scientific mystery, this program explores the incredible truth that lies behind the ravishing flowers we so love to behold: that humans could not have existed or evolved without them. "First Flower" probes the controversial discovery of Archaefructus, a Chinese fossil scientists believe is the earliest evidence of a flower yet found on Earth. Following the trail of clues to the fossil's origins, a vivid journey takes NOVA's cameras deep into the lush wilds of China, giving audiences a view into a spectacular living safety deposit box, where some of the world's most beloved flowers originated.
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November 16, 2015 The 17th Century.
Monty Don uncovers the extraordinary stories behind Britain's 17th-century gardens. Starting his journey at the sole surviving garden of the 1600s - Levens Hall in Cumbria - Monty sets out to investigate what the gardens of this age would have looked like and what influenced and inspired their creation. Along the way, he sees a long-lost garden that - through archaeology and a German Luftwaffe photograph taken in the 1940s - reveals the hidden messages and religious beliefs of our 17th-century forebears. And Monty heads to Hampton Court, where politics, civil war and religious conflict played a key role in the evolving designs and fashions, including tastes in food, of the nation's finest gardens.
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November 11, 2015 Brown, often called the ‘father of landscape architecture,’ changed the national landscape. He moved hills, and sometimes even entire villages, to create the serpentine waterways and rolling vistas that have come to epitomise the English countryside ideal. Next year marks the 300th anniversary of Brown’s birth, which is being marked by our nationwide Festival. It will encourage new audiences to visit, learn about, and enjoy his landscapes, and is managed by the Landscape Institute.
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November 9, 2015 Whether you live on rural acreage or a city lot, virtually anyone can grow a simple garden — regardless of your skill level and busy schedule. How to Grow Anything: Food Gardening for Everyone is a practical guide for cultivating fresh produce from seed to harvest. Taught by renowned horticulturalist Melinda Myers, these 12 hands-on lessons are chock full of tips and tricks for novice gardeners and green thumbs alike. Here, you’ll discover everything from materials and preparation to maintenance and harvesting, giving you all the practical knowledge you need.
Get started right away! From sprouts and micro-greens to windowsill herb gardens and other edible container gardens, you can begin growing your own delicious foods any time of year. Discover the many benefits of growing your own fresh food, and learn what supplies you’ll need and how to arrange your plants.
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November 5, 2015 RTÉ Ireland 25 October 2015
They are chubbier, fuzzier and more leisurely than their sisters, the bees. They are a lot less aggressive and awe-inspiring than their cousins the wasps. Compared to honey bees, these social insects have long been poorly researched, though they're at home in temperate regions throughout the Northern Hemisphere and South America. A few tropical species form colonies lasting several years, but elsewhere only the summer's new Queens survive into next spring. Macro and high-speed cinematography allow us to witness their behavior, understand their biology, experience their unique abilities and leave us in awe of these droll little harbingers of spring.
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