A LOCAL gardener is to feature in a new Channel 5 series, hosted by popular tv expert Carol Klein.

Great British Gardens will see the Gardeners's World favourite gather tips from the head gardeners who tend some of Britain's finest private gardens.

In total she will speak to head gardeners and owners of four of Britain's most glorious gardens to find out how they achieve such amazing results - including John's Garden at Ashwood Nurseries in Kingswinford.

The other three are Great Dixter, in East Sussex, Gravetye Manor, in East Sussex and Gresgarth Hall, near Morecambe, North Lancashire.

John’s Garden is a three acre garden created by nursery owner and Chelsea Gold medallist John Massey.

He said: "We were thrilled to welcome Carol and the film crew over the last 18 months. We feel so honoured to have been chosen and especially to be ranked alongside such esteemed gardens as Dixter, Gravetye and Gresgarth.

"My garden is my passion but I couldn’t have achieved it without the help of my head gardener Nigel Hopes and his incredible team. My former head gardener, the late Adam Greathead, also played an inspirational and unforgettable part in its development."

The garden features huge informal borders, island beds, a stunning pool and rock garden, woodland dells and the charming Ruin Garden.

Two top tips Klein gleaned from her visit to John's Garden were:

1. A bit of 'transparency' pruning makes all the difference. If shrubs or trees have turned into blobs and their branches are congested, cut some of the wood away to reveal the true nature of the shrub. Shrubs which flower early such as forsythia benefit from having branches cut back after flowering to encourage new growth and improve flowering next spring.

2. 'Tweaking' is an important job at John's Garden. They keep a constant eye out to make sure that each plant can give of its best by cutting back or staking other plants that might spoil the show and ensuring that every plant can shine.

The four-part series of Great British Gardens: Season by Season with Carol Klein starts tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 5.

John's Garden is open to the public on selected dates during the summer - visit www.ashwoodnurseries.com for more information.