主播大秀

Today, topiary is mostly seen as the preserve of stately homes and formal gardens, out of reach from the rest of us. Rachel de Thame however, thinks it鈥檚 time this great tradition of trimming and shaping plants returns to all our gardens.

Her revival begins at the stunning Leven鈥檚 Hall in Cumbria, home to some of the most spectacular and oldest topiary in the world and she goes on to chart the rise and fall of topiary from Elizabethan times right up to the present day.

She meets a topiary-obsessed woman in Kent, who has transformed her entire garden using amazing topiary creations, and learns a few short cuts about this fascinating form of living garden sculpture. We also meet a man in North London whose handy-work with hedges is creating a buzz in the local neighbourhood.

Throughout the episode,聽Rachel shows us that armed with a pair of shears and a little confidence and know how, we can all share in the sense of fun that topiary can bring to the garden.

Rachel also investigates the decline of Britain鈥檚 cut flower industry. On her campaign she visits New Covent Garden and discovers that 90 per cent of our cut flowers are imported. She also meets a man in Cumbria who has dedicated his life to growing sweet peas.

Cut flowers are big business and 拢120 million a year is forked out on wedding flowers. This is something close to Rachel鈥檚 heart, as she recently arranged the flowers for her daughter鈥檚 wedding and showcased the flowers she is passionate about bringing back into all our homes. She meets a florist who is dedicated to British floral heritage and who has some surprising additions to the wedding bouquets she creates.

Rachel鈥檚 cut flower HQ is the walled garden at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire, and throughout the show she give us her tips on how to grow, cut and arrange flowers from the cutting garden.