91Èȱ¬

In the , the ground was covered in snow from mid December to mid March with no break.Ìý It seems to me that some weather conditions are appearing at the wrong times – strong, damaging winds in the spring just as the new foliage on our trees is unfurling. I hate shuffling through piles of young leaves stripped from the branches; just think the poor trees have to start the process all over again.

Moving on, here in Scotland, we had ski-ing in JUNE and then to crown it all there have been tropical downpours that flatten vegetables and herbaceous plants, yet perversely, in some parts of Scotland there has been serious drought.

Despite all that, we have had some good results in the garden. At Beechgrove each year we design and plant up a number of Observational Trials.Ìý These are not statistically sustainable results. The picture shows the trail of Chard varieties.Ìý Some seem to have done better than others. You pays your money and makes your own choice!

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The varieties we trialled were:

Leaf Beet Bright Yellow (T&M)
Leaf Beet Lucullus (T&M)
Leaf Beet Bright Lights (T&M)
Rhubarb Chard (T&M)
Swiss Chard Charlotte (DTB)
White Silver (DTB)
Perpetual Spinach (DTB)
Chard Rhubarb Vulcan (MRF)
Oriole Orange (OGC)
Erbette (OGC)

One of the strongest growers was the white-stemmed 'Lucullus' - the mixture is colourful and happens to grow well with us. But I would single out the 'Bright Lights' as my favourite because it's great in limited spaces.

Chard is not one of my favourite vegetables 'on th' plate' but that is another story. I can just about find a few feet to accommodate it for the sake of others!

Begonia 'Pin-up Flame'

Turning to bedding plants, the most versatile, reliable and colourful bedding plant of all time surely has to be the begonia.Ìý We trialled a range of them during this season and despite the weather, they have been magnificent.Ìý

Experienced gardeners are well aware of that but one of the crucial elements of any television gardening programme is that, by its very nature it is non-discriminatory and therefore it is our duty to highlight the reliable performers for the benefit of new gardeners.

Tuberous begonias are my favourite, the ‘Non Stop’ range coming top of the list. With a little attention to detail, the tubers can be stored over winter and perform for us again next year.

Begonia 'Pin-up Rose'

About now, as we clear the beds, we have to lift the plants carefully; shaking off as much soil as possible, then they are transferred to open trays. I stack them in the cold greenhouse to allow light and air to dry out the tubers. Soon the foliage will die back and can be removed to the compost heap. My next move is to use a layer of newspaper to line the trays before placing the bare tubers in a single layer in each tray, then cover with some old potting compost.Ìý The aim should be to keep tubers free from frost and just damp enough to prevent desiccation.Ìý The ideal storage space doesn’t exist for most of us nowadays – that was the cellar under the house which usually had an earthen floor, a damp atmosphere and a very constant temperature, a few degrees above freezing.Ìý Can you match that?

My old Dad, after relevant negotiations, stored his under the bed in the spare room but we didn’t have central heating in those days and the room was seldom used in winter so it was an ideal spot.

Jim McColl presents 91Èȱ¬ Scotland's .