Gardeners' World - Season 50

Monty kicks off the gardening year from Longmeadow as he shares his tips for pruning, planting up pots for spring colour and sharing his plans for the coming year. At Packwood House, the extraordinary herbaceous borders come under Adam Frost's scrutiny as he finds out how they have been planted for maximum colour and impact. Over the series, Carol Klein shares with us some of her heroes of gardening, the people who have impacted the way we garden for the last 50 years. She begins with Beth Chatto.

Monty Don is mulching the borders in preparation for spring and potting up dahlias for the year ahead.

Carol Klein celebrates her plant of the month - the daffodil - while Frances Tophill is brushing up on her horticultural skills as a volunteer at Andromeda Botanic Gardens in Barbados.

As part of the programme's 50th anniversary, Nick Bailey reveals the plant he thinks has had the most impact on British gardens over the last half century.

Monty starts his plans for his revamped courtyard garden when he plants bare root trees and gives advice on climbers which will thrive on east-facing walls. Nick Bailey explores the strange world of lichens and finds out how these plants grow and thrive on trees, wood and stone, and Frances Tophill meets the enthusiastic gardeners of Barbados who fill their gardens, however small, with colour, foliage and world-class flowers. And as part of the programmes 50th anniversary, Flo Headlam reveals the plant she thinks has had the most impact on British gardens over the last half century.

This week at Longmeadow, Monty begins a brand new project when he starts a new soft fruit garden. He also plants new potatoes and divides herbaceous plants in the jewel garden. Frances visits an extraordinary tropical garden in Barbados which was developed from a collapsed cave, and we meet Chris Baines, a legend of gardening for wildlife, in his own small town garden. And as part of the programme's 50th anniversary, Mark Lane offers his choice of the plant he thinks has had the most impact on British gardens over the last half century.

Monty gives his advice on the best apples and pears to grow in small spaces when he begins to plant up his new fruit garden and gets on with planning for colour when he plants summer flowering bulbs. As April gets underway, Carol Klein chooses the humble primrose as her plant of the month, and we meet a couple from Yorkshire who have a passion for growing fruit and have filled their garden with over 100 fruit trees. And as part of the programme's 50th anniversary, Joe Swift makes the case for his Golden Jubilee plant, the one he thinks has had the most impact on British gardens over the last half century.

Monty brings you a full hour of gardening for the Easter weekend. From sowing summer vegetables and soft fruit planting to propagating and pruning, as well as jobs to tackle over the long weekend, there is plenty of inspiration. If your gardening plans only extend to tidying up the lawn, Nick Bailey gets to grips with an unpromising patch of grass and gives his tips on how achieve a luscious lawn, we return to Adam Frost's garden as he starts to transform a herbaceous border and gives his advice on how to rid borders of bindweed and we meet Roger Butler, who grows over one hundred varieties of hydrangea at his nursery in Kent. Carol continues her series on her gardening heroes when she visits Waterperry Gardens to find out about the legacy of Beatrix Havergal, Frances Tophill selects her Golden Jubilee plant and Flo Headlam visits a garden centre in Manchester which is run by the local community.

Monty Don continues work in his courtyard, where he gives advice on plants which thrive on shady walls, sows root crops in the vegetable garden and catches up on work in his cottage garden.

Joe Swift pays a visit to a small-town garden to find out how an interior designer has transformed her outdoor space, and gives tips on how to bring elements of design into back gardens. The team meet Charles Dowding who, since the 1980s, has pioneered the practice of 'no dig' organic gardening. Plus Flo Headlam showcases her golden jubilee plant.

Monty gets to work in the cutting garden, plants his tomatoes and brings pots of citrus out of the greenhouse and into the garden for the summer.

Carol Klein visits another of her gardening heroes, Penelope Hobhouse, and finds out about her lifetime of making grand gardens and how she has now created a low-maintenance haven for herself filled with foliage and colour in her small Somerset garden.

We meet Gill Bagshawe, who has filled her plot in the Peak District with raised beds to grow as many different cut flowers as she possibly can. And Alan Power extols the virtues of the Japanese maple as his choice of plant for the Golden Jubilee award.

There is a full hour of gardens and gardening from not only Longmeadow but also the RHS Malvern Spring Festival. Monty gets going on planting herbs in his new herb garden and gives advice on how to divide and move ornamental grasses, while Nick Bailey demonstrates a simple and easy way of making a pond. We meet the queen of herbs, Jekka McVicar, as she builds a herb garden at the Malvern Show and join Carol Klein, Joe Swift and Frances Tophill as they bring us the best from the floral marquee and show gardens. And Adam Frost explains why he has chosen a rose as his Golden Jubilee plant.

There is work to be done around and in the pond this week and Monty also begins planting out his dahlias. Adding zing to the month of May is the euphorbia and Carol Klein visits Oxford Botanic garden to view their extensive collection. Mark Lane is in Hackney finding out how a car wrecker's yard at the side of a Tudor National Trust property has been transformed into an award-winning garden used by the local community, while Adam Frost explains how to plant for structure in his herbaceous border. Rachel de Thame visits a garden which has opened to the public every year for 90 years for charity as part of the National Gardens Scheme, while Nick Bailey is in Devon, where he discovers how a pond plant has now escaped into the countryside and is invading waterways. And we reveal the final candidate for our Golden Jubilee plant and open the vote.

Monty gives advice on herbs which will grow happily in shade and has an unusual choice for his summer containers - bananas. Earlier this year, Monty paid a visit to Chatsworth House to find out about the history of the extensive grounds and gardens and also about the challenges of putting on its first RHS flower show.

Flo Headlam visits a school where gardening is high on the curriculum and Nick Bailey shows us how we can build a pond in a weekend. We also meet the head gardener who manages a garden situated on a barge and discover how and what plants thrive in such extraordinary conditions.

Joe Swift, Carol Klein and Adam Frost bring an exclusive look at the brand new RHS Chatsworth Flower Show. We meet leading designer Jo Thompson as she prepares her show garden with a difference. In the Floral Pavilion, Carol finds pioneering plants that have shaped the gardens of today and garden designer Arit Anderson looks to the future - meeting the team behind a garden built for the changing climate. Back at Longmeadow, Monty provides the ubiquitous jobs for the weekend.

Gardeners' World celebrates its 50th anniversary with a full hour of gardening from Gardeners' World Live at the NEC. Monty kicks off the party and is joined by the whole team, who explore all the show has to offer. Joe Swift and Adam Frost take a look at the show gardens and meet garden designer David Stevens, who has created a garden showcasing 50 years of changing trends in our back yards. Carol Klein is in the floral marquee looking at the plants which have defined the decades, while Rachel de Thame, Flo Headlam, Alan Power, Nick Bailey and Mark Lane explore the show features including the Gardeners' World-themed borders and other floral displays. Monty and Alan Titchmarsh meet to talk about their experiences as the nation's head gardener and Mary Berry reveals the winner of the golden jubilee plant award.

Monty Donadds a touch of the exotic to the damp garden by planting a tree fern and protects his new soft fruit garden from feathered predators with netting.Carol Kleinselects hardy geraniums as her June Plant of the Month, Flo Headlam visits a church garden in Lewisham that feeds both the mind and body, while Nick Bailey gets a fascinating insight into parasitoid wasps and their positive impact on our gardens. Adam Frost continues to explore the intricacies of innovative garden design by looking at a small town garden in London, and we meet the husband-and-wife team behind the glorious, 25-year-long restoration of West Dean Gardens in Sussex.

Rachel de Thame joins Monty in Longmeadow and adds more medicinal planting to the herb garden, especially those that the bees love.

At the height of summer, it is time to ensure that fruits and vegetables are given attention to ensure maximum cropping. Monty gives advice on the summer pruning of fruit trees, as well as showing how to get the best from tomatoes and chillies. He also recommends plants which will carry on flowering into autumn.Carol Kleinmeets one of her gardening heroes, Roy Lancaster, and joins him as he reminisces on his life and explains his passion for plants. Nick Bailey is on the trail of some more alien invaders to our gardens, and we travel to Wales to meet a chef who has taken on a field in which to grow vegetables. Monty pays a visit to an extraordinary garden in Berkshire and we continue our 50 year celebrations when Rachel de Thame reflects back on how we used to garden 50 years ago.Joe Swiftand Flo Headlam begin an exciting new project to celebrate our golden anniversary when they help a community create a garden in Wiltshire.

There are plans for propagating and planting at Longmeadow this week when Monty Don plants up a new bed of irises and takes pelargonium cuttings. Nick Bailey brightens up a dull and shady space at the side of a terraced house and gives advice on plants that will thrive, Carol Klein pays the first of two visits to West Yorkshire to meet a couple whose outstanding planting has resulted in a garden full of late summer interest, and Joe Swift takes a close look at a sloping and shady town garden to find out how the owner has designed this difficult space. The programme also meet a gardener in Dorset who took on the challenge of an overgrown coastal garden to create an Italianate idyll, and take an in-depth look at one of the most colourful of summer stalwarts - the pelargonium.

Monty Don gives advice on how to cut and maintain hedges as well as giving ideas on growing fruit in pots. Carol Klein chooses varieties of late-flowering clematis as her plant of the month, Nick Bailey travels to the southern tip of Cornwall to seek out a plant which escaped from our gardens and is now threatening rare and native plants, and Adam Frost uncovers the secrets of successful planting combinations in an Oxfordshire garden. Mark Lane joins the enthusiasts who have lovingly restored a walled garden in Warwick as they open their gates to the public for the first time, and we visit a garden in Yorkshire where foliage and not flowers are of paramount importance.

As Monty starts to bring in the tastiest of the summer harvest, he is planning for the months ahead as he gives advice on what to sow now to keep the crops coming up to the end of autumn. He also plans for next spring when he gives tips on saving money by propagating perennials. Carol Klein visits a lady who is losing her eyesight and helps her organise her confused borders and to give her recommendations of plants which will be a feast for her senses. Joe Swift takes a close look of the design of a contemporary country garden and Nick Bailey travels to an Essex village to meet a bunch of enthusiastic villagers who are using their gardens to help in the revival and preservation of the historic Pemberton roses. Arit Anderson meets a gardener who is looking to the future in the design and planting of his extraordinary garden and we pay a second visit to Wales to catch up with Shaish Alam to find out how his crops have been faring in his newly planted field.

As well as propagating succulent plants, Monty revisits his container vegetable garden, gives advice on how to get a good crop of pumpkins and gets out and about when he meets Jake Hobson, one of the UK's leading cloud pruning and topiary experts. Adam Frost looks at a newly planted garden at RHS Hyde Hall in Essex, which has been designed to display both hardy and exotic vegetables, Rachel de Thame visits a garden in Wiltshire where vibrant colours are the key to the success of its summer borders and we meet two enthusiasts in Manchester who have a passion for air plants. And Flo Headlam returns to Potterne to check on the progress of the new community space and to join the local residents as they get to grips with building and planting the garden.

As the plants in the jewel garden reach the peak of their late summer glory, Monty starts planning for the spring, planting ferns and advising on the care and maintenance of wildlife ponds.

Carol Klein pays a second visit to Dove Cottage in Halifax to see the garden at its summer peak and to find out the secrets of its successful borders.

Frances Tophill travels to Portsmouth to find a man whose passion for ferns has extended from his garden and onto his allotment, while Arit Anderson finds out that rubbish skips can be used to grow all manner of plants in an inner-city space.

A Sheffield paramedic reveals how his passion for wildflowers has transformed an area around a busy ambulance station, and there is a look at the blooming of one of the world's largest water lilies.

Monty shows us how to harvest and store potatoes at Longmeadow and he also adds late summer colour to the cottage garden and prunes shrub roses.

Carol Klein travels to Norfolk to meet Adrian Bloom, a member of ahorticultural dynasty, who have had a big influence on our gardens for the last 50 years. Adam Frost takes a close look at the design of an outstanding small garden in Abingdon and Frances Tophill is in Scotland meeting a man who is passionate about potatoes. Joe Swift and Flo Headlam pay a visit to Potterne in Wiltshire to check on the progress of the community garden and renowned plantswoman Helen Dillon joins Monty at Longmeadow.

Monty's thoughts turn to spring as he gives his recommendations for bulbs to plant now that will thrive in pots and bring much needed colour next year. Monty also shows how to prune summer fruiting raspberries. Frances Tophill travels to Norfolk to visit a gardener who, at 97, still gardens every day, Adam Frost takes a look at a new garden at RHS Wisley which has been planted up with tropical plants and Carol Klein is in Buckinghamshire helping a viewer who is struggling to find plants that will thrive in heavy clay soil. Alan Power guides us through seasonal spring highlights at Stourhead and we visit a tiny garden in Essex which is packed with plants, ponds and seating areas.

Monty Don plans for next year, while Adam visits a community allotment in Manchester where growing food is providing solace and support to refugees.

Monty Don plans for next year's fruit harvest when he adds gooseberries to the fruit garden he planted earlier in the year. He also divides and moves herbaceous perennials and advises on the best bulbs to plant now for cut flowers next year. Frances Tophill meets a couple who have filled their garden with tender plants and devised a meticulous method of protecting them over the winter, and we catch up with Adam Frost in his own garden when he gives design tips on placing and planting trees. Nick Bailey explores a myriad of colour in leaf, bark and berry when he travels to Bluebell Arboretum in Leicestershire, and Arit Anderson is in Yorkshire, where she finds out about a project using innovative techniques for producing food. We also visit Warwickshire to look at their collection of hardy chrysanthemums and to see how they can bring much-needed late colour into our gardens

As October progresses and nights become colder, Monty advises on what plants need protection and how to protect tender plants over the coming months. Carol Klein celebrates ornamental grasses as her plant of the month, Adam Frost travels to Peterborough to find out about the work of a Children in Need project for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and Nick Bailey gives a step-by-step guide on how to build a cold-frame for a budget price. We visit Mark Diacano in Devon, who shows us how to grow our own szechuan pepper, and we go to Surrey to talk to an enthusiast who grows thousands of South African succulents in his back garden in Surrey.

In the last programme of the series, Monty has ideas for pots which will remain colourful throughout winter, gives tips on how to protect tender banana plants and harvests pumpkins. Frances Tophill helps a viewer whose overgrown pond needs some renovation, Adam Frost visits a garden in Nottinghamshire where the season of winter highlights its design, and we celebrate one of the up-and-coming winter flowers, the snowdrop. We visit great grandmother Eunice Mcghie, who, at 83, still teaches gardening to young people in her back garden in Handsworth, Birmingham, while in Hampshire we meet twins Stuart and Ian Paton, who are hoping to break the world record this year with their giant pumpkin.