Must-have plants
Three days of sunshine and everything is bursting into bud. Even so, the magnolias have beaten the deciduous trees hands down. The Magnolia x soulangeana in my neighbour's garden - with its waxy goblets held aloft like pink candle flames - has been flowering for three weeks already, and even though it's still in bud it's a beauty to behold.
These spring-flowering trees do best on acidic soils richly forked through with compost and if you're thinking of planting one this weekend, there are two key things to remember. One - shelter is paramount. Never plant one in a windy spot or the spinnaker-like petals will be torn from the branches. Two - avoid frost-pockets, those places which lie low and collect the cold air in winter, as an unexpected late frost will quench those pink flames like flicking off a switch. Jo and I are planting some at Greenacre tonight. How well they grow, we'll have to see but I know they do well in gardens nearby.
We're also starting to shape our plant list for the rest of the garden and I hope you might help us out at the Plant Swap at GW Live. Here are some of the plants we're looking for:
For the perennial meadow we want a mix of alstroemerias, sedums, verbascums, astrantias, phlox, rudbeckias, hardy geraniums, echinaceas and campanulas.
For other parts of the garden we're looking for bearded irises, penstemons, buddleias, artemesia, dianthus, festucas, osteospermums, lily of the valley, foxgloves, hostas, lamiums, phlox and for the woodland garden all sorts of primulas, pulmonarias and solomons seal.
So if you can spare any cuttings or divisions in your garden, please bring 'em along!
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~25~RS~)
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I am amazed at gardeners world
the PRgramme began stating that they were going to give thrifty tips. Then went on to tell us that they had bought a big expanse of land to play with. What happened to Berryfields? Is there really a need to start again? It is more like a garden make over show.
Could TOby please tell us if the soil improver used on his new green acres is peat free as advocated on his documenary last week. Is this new garden a waste of the licence payers money? I think so. As for the silly giggly discussion at the end in an attempt to get serious,a complete waste of time, Toby you have underestimated the intelligence of your viewers. It is more like Blue Peter than a serious gardening programme.
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Hi there! Just watched tonight's programme and really enjoyed it. Not sure whether this is the right place to make a comment on the programme as opposed to the blog, as I'm not too sure about blogettiquete :-)
What did I like about the programme? The fact that you're starting from scratch (a nod to Geoff Hamilton!); the banter between presenters; the content and the plan for the coming season.
Best of luck!
Scotsgardner
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Hi! I agree with Scotsgardner! I really enjoyed the new style programme too! It's great that you are starting from scratch, especially for relatively novice gardeners like myself!
I LOVED the little chitchat in the shed at the end - I just wish I had a garden big enough for a massive shed like that one! I got lots of ideas and learned alot and plan to put things into practice this weekend (like the fruit corner!). I'm looking forward to the next programme on growing vegetables. I've chitted my seed potatoes I bought about five weeks ago but am unsure as to the best way of planting them out so will tune in to find out! Looking forward to tuning in each week!
All the best!
Beth x
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I'm amazed that some people have completely missed the point of what I consider to be a brilliant first show of the new season of Gardeners World. For the first time EVER the programme really seems to have a modern down to earth approach (we don't all have big posh gardens like Berryfields), it has a clear and logical structure and a real 'back to basics' feel that so many of us new, young eager to learn gardeners really need at this time! Well done everyone - I am really inspired to get stuck into my garden and I'm really glad to have your guidance on a weekly basis. Keep up the good work and please don't listen to those out of date stuffy critics out there!
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More of a modern feel to the programme and a more step by step basic approach for all the new gardeners out there. I am so looking forward to seeing the potatoes on the show and hope they grow for you as well as they grow for me.
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Must say how much I enjoyed tonights Gardeners world . Just at the end , there was a mention of the allium leaf miner . This deserves much more attention as it is a major pest in the midlands . As an allotmenteer in the west mids , I am trying to find ways to beat it .
So far , it is about 5-0 to the fly . The latest try is to surround the alliums with light timber screens with re-cycled net curtains tacked to them . I tried agrinet cloches , but the plants got drawn so that was not so good . One plotholder had a raised bed of onions with a surface bed alongside . The raised bed did not get it ...
Any ideas from the team would be most appreciated . Incidentally , it took about 3 years for the fly to get from Wolverhampton to Castle Bromwich .
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Well done to the team, it was a great show in every aspect, the look, the new site, the tips and very much looking forward to all that is in store for the new season.
Lovely to have Alys as a 'permanent' presenter too.
Can't wait for next week's show as I'm eager to get started in my new veg patch!
...and just one more comment to add to the little argument at the end, I'm tired of GREEN to, lets have colour!!!!
Can't understand why garden design seems so understated still, look to fashion or even interiors, its been a colour explosion over the last few years!
(p.s. your hot list doesn't seem to take any comments yet)
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Picked up loads of tips - even for my little plot. It has inspired me to get out there this weekend - I'm in the middle of applying for a new post at work - so revamping my CV this weekend - so a bit of a gardening intermission will be wonderful!
Thoroughly enjoyed your first prog - love the team - all compliment each other - and nice to hear the banter - and light approach - even Toby's walk across the greenacre site in true 'Fast Show' styley....
Briiiiilllllllliiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnntttttt!
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Sorry, I have to agree with MidnightSusanMoore. Having started from a field status I know how hard it is to clear, decide what to plant and where and this all happened instantly with little comment to the amount of work needed. As for saving money? Big trees were bought in with little comment on cost or why they suited areas more than others. I was very disappointed (despite the "nod" to Geoff Hamilton) but it appears some younger sections of viewers liked it, and I suppose if it encourges them to garden it is worth losing older viewers like me!
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Having watched the first GW I enjoyed the new style programme, looking forward to next weeks veg growing tips, glad to see a return to basics and liked the 30 min slot.For new gardeners like me I would welcome advice on what to do when. I enjoyed the banter and I think we should definately go for colour,to brighten the economic gloom, greens ok but has been over done, time for a change!
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Hi.
This website is missing a forum.
I just watched episode one of gardeners world.
There seems to be conflicting ideas.
Frugality is fine but throwing money at large structures and work totaly undermines frugality. It's easier to not spend money than try to scrimp on small things.
Eco issues are mentioned but then using large amounts of concrete totally negates this. I understand that some people are not interested in eco and economic restraints but it's I think it's hipocritical to part do it then ignore it when it suites.
If you are trying to do this then why not split the program into sections.
A garden that you chuck money and resources at then an Eco frugal garden.
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I am sorry but I thought the new show was awful! It was always something to look forward to on a friday night, but I dont think I will tune in again.
I agree with Orfly that it seems to have some conflicting ideas on being Eco friendly and sustainability, and I do feel like it patronises viewers greatly.
The banter is so awkward, and I cant help but get the impression that Toby totally overpowers everyone else's personality, espcially Alys and Carol, who are the best presenters, in my opinion.
And Hot or Not? Is this a children's show? *shakes head*
I do wonder as to why this has been created in this way. True, as seen by the entries above, it may draw in some new viewers, but what about the loyal ones? And its not an age thing, I am only 27!
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My personal point of view is I love seeing this new garden appearing- as someone who is only just getting to grips with her "neglected field" even though a small one & feeling the frustration of finding brambles would rather grow rampant than be destroyed- & not having a digger to do the heavy work- drat- love to see how a group of professionals deal with the blank canvas!
I believe the change of venue is because the beeb no longer can use berryfields- same as when Alan Titchmarsh left they could no longer use his site- & if they can give us tips on how to change our tips (LOL!) into gardens I don't care where they do it from- if this plot is owned by beeb maybe won't have to change venue with next personnel change.
As for the banter in the shed- loved it! Am not very young (except in gardening experience)but lets face it showing there can be some fun despite the back breaking work of digging out brambles is an inspiration to me right now as 4 hours work to clear about 6 square feet is pretty disheartening! So looking forward to my Fridays of encouragement to keep working to the garden of my dreams!
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I am not getting the negativity of some comments. Saying that the new garden in not being done in a very cost sensitive or eco-friendly way is short sighted. This is a modern TV programme - and it needs to move with the times, and adapt to modern life!
If they started from scratch and grew everything from seed or took cuttings/divisions from the last garden it would be pointeless. Also the gardens would hardly look inspiring for amateur and experienced gardeners. There is enevitably going to be some money that needs to be spent to get the structure of the place sorted, and the things they have already purchased appear to me to have been done in a sensitive way (reclaimed goods, using a local carpenter for the shed, council waste compost).
I appeciate that concrete isn't necessarily the most 'eco-friendly' solution, but they have to make to feasible to cameras and their crews, and it isn't like the whole site has been blocked with concrete.
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On Friday's edition of the programme, the item Fruit Salad in Pot, are the proposed fruit trees, a dwarf variety or standard fruit trees?
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Would just like to say I love the new format for Gardeners World. It's is getting back to its roots (pardon the pun) and showing us the basics. Keep up the good work. Where would Friday be without you.
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Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the first programme, until the bit at the end when Alys mentioned the 'allium leaf minor'. Only 2 days previously I had planted 2 beds of onions and 1 bed of garlic on my recently acquired new allotment in Birmingham. After talking to other people there, it seems the site was plagued with this last year and they have no idea of how to deal with it effectively. Any advise given will be greatly received as I think this is what happened to the onions on my old plot last year and I don't what to suffer again this year. So PLEASE Toby tell us what to do.
Thanks in anticipation. MP1
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I thoroughly enjoyed the first programme . Of course it won't please everyone , but then who can say they like all different incarnations of the show equally ? I personally was never very keen on Monty and tended to concentrate on his co-presenters and make the tea when he was on ! The new format was both informative and amusing and all presenters gel well together . As for not showing us what hard work it is to take a greenfield site and turn it into a garden , come on ! This was episode 1 , did you really want it to be all about earth moving and bramble busting ? I'm sure that will come up in seed tray sized portions later on . I look forward to the rest of the series .
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I did enjoy the first show as it dealt with a lot of basic gardening tips which even the most experienced gardener would appreciate. I think some of the banter could have been dispensed with but I did like the idea of the shed at the end, must clear mine out and find an old sofa!!
Looking forward to the veg growing next week and I really like all the ideas about what you can grow in pots as most people do not have a massive garden. Congratulations on a brand new show, I do miss Monty but you are all doing a grand job.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
The new GW programme was lively and varied, and had quite a pleasing freshness to it for those of us who have been watching it since Clack's Farm times! I'm sad that Berryfields has been abandoned as I have quite a mature garden too, but always enjoyed the new ideas and innovations, alongside the maintenance and timely jobs features. the new site and all it's groundwork and building must have cost the licence payers huge amounts of money, which I'm not sure is justified in the present financial climate. Surely, a more thrifty, 'make-do and mend', 're-use, reduce and recycle' approach would have been preferable, as it is possible to garden well without lavishing large amounts of money, just time and effort, seeds, compost and cuttings?!
As usual. jobs were made to look far too easy and quick to do, which is inevitable on a tv programme. alos, I agree with HairyMaryFairy's point about having more features for knowledgeable gardeners as the repetition of basic growing info.is boring to them.
Ther were some glaring errors though -
a)neither Joe nor Toby watered in their trees, tut, tut! Some new gardeners might have assumed there would be enough moisture in the soil and not bothered, but copious watering for at least a year after planting is probably the most important factor and should have been clearly stated; far more important than staking or teasing out the roots!
b)The half-hour fruit bowl - do you think people new to gardening will realise that the strawberries will fruit much earlier than the apples? So the likelihood of having a fruit salad, as shown in the bowl,from the plants grown,is quite preposterous!
I quite like the addition of some slap-stick humour vis Alys and Toby building the compost bins, but was outraged at Toby's sexist mocking of Alys trying to bang in a huge long nail into tough old palette wood which was probably full of knots! I noticed that clever old boy Toby had nice short, thin nails when he manfully took over from poor weak female Alys! Yeuk! this turned my stomach! Dear Alys - choose your own nails next time; polish the end of your hammer on a brick and look at the bottom of the nail as you bang it, not the head, oh, and try not to drop the hammer on anyone's foot, as they are quite dangerous things for women to use, you know !!!!
Who chose the glaring turquoise blue for the shed doors? Eek, they're horrible! The dull red of the Stoke City originals was much preferable and toned in with the natural wood of the shed much better; surely some new paint to match this would have been preferable?
The shed banter has possibilities and zI do hope we're going to get much more of Carol's experienced knowledge in the coming weeks' Also, so we can see her interesting scarves and earrings, which i have missed!
Lastly, can we see more of Alys's Jack Russell please? I lost mine a year ago and miss her greatly so it's lovely to see Alys's dog occasionally' and I think the cameramen were rather fond of her too! I think it's so funny that Alys has to redo her gravel paths at home because the dog doesn't like them! That's how powerful Jack Russells are over their mere human keepers!
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LOLLO ROSSO??? Are you trying to put people off lettuce for life? It is the most horrible salad; it is tough, bitter and the only reason it is used is to give a salad a pretty colour. BAD choice!
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Just wanted to say that I like the new format of GW. My son, aged 19 (and not the most avid of gardeners!) sat all though tonight's programme (televised 10.4.09)without a comment! He said he liked the new presenter (Toby)and thought the programme informative.
Toby appears to have gone back to the Geoff Hamilton approach to gardening, i.e. that of splitting a large plot up into smaller areas/gardens that the majority of us can relate to.
The "What's hot and what's not" reminded me of the wall they use on Top Gear, not sure its all that relevant but I am sure some will love it.
Well done, I say, keep it up! I must admit I was a little sceptical, to say the least, when the new site was unveiled in the GW mag. but it appears to be working.
Enjoyed the humour/banter benwen the camera and presenters, its what we gardeners do between ourselves in our own plots, isn't it?
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As an older (50+) viewer but novice gardener, I want to say how much I've enjoyed the new show so far. In fact I caught the 2nd episode just by chance and liked it so much I've now also viewed the first episode online to make sure I'd not missed anything. I've only recently (due to redundancy) taken an interest in our (30m x 10m) garden and have a badly overgrown (and dog-ravaged!) lawn, "wild" areas, a 2,500 gallon (sadly neglected) fish pond and old tree roots to contend with. The series sounds ideal for me as my changed circumstances, combined with "credit-crunch" fuelled my interest primarily in trying to grow some fruit and veggies (I've sent off for my "DigIn" seeds!) - and generally improve our garden's appearance along the way. I'd tried watching some previous gardening programmes but, without wishing to be disrespectful, none of it (with the exception of the "Big Dig" series which I caught on Sky) seemed relevant/ related to my situation. I'm now looking forward to the rest of the new series and hope it continues in the same vein. Well done!
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Would like to know what gardeners like me *without* the use of a lovely big greenhouse should do. I have a 1/4 allotment plot in which I grow small quantities of fruit and veg. I am a self-employed maintenance gardener. I bring on hundreds of plants every year in just 1 4-tier mini greenhouse and 2 upright coldframes. This around a family with infant-age children. Methinks GW would probably struggle to do what I and probably many others doas they'd still feel the need to throw money at the difficulties rather than embrace them. In fact, I'd like to throw down a proverbial gauntlet. Please GW, practice what you preach!
This said, I've only watched the first episode so far (family commitments got in the way) but like what I have seen of the new format.
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On 6th April fairyhairymary wrote :
"As someone whose flatmate works on a (different) BBC production and was instructed by the producer to help saturate BBC and other internet forums with fake positive comments, I smell a very large rat reading all the "well done BBC" comments above. I know a lot of gardeners and they all agree that Toby (Who?) Buckland is a bland waste of space and Carol was scandalously overlooked for the job on either sexist or ageist grounds or both."
Well that explains a lot about the gushing praise on this blog for a programme that as midnightsusanmoore rightly says "... is more like Blue Peter than a serious gardening programme."
Spot on! Most of my gardening friends agree.
I also noticed in programme one, (current series) that the "Tree Planting" example was so badly executed that Toby (Who?)'s tree is very likely going to die. RHS Wisley have some very useful tips on how to plant trees. The most important point to observe is that the tree is Not planted too deeply in the ground. They advise that the topmost roots should always be level with the ground surface and never as Toby suggested "a centimetre or so below below it", particularly important in the sodden bog of a field that is to be the new garden.
See "Problems" at the end of this link:-
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=237
So there we have it Toby is not only dull and uninteresting but also not a very good gardener.
Save the tree Toby dig it up quickly and do the job properly. And next time let someone else show you how it's done! Alys, Jo or Carol would have done a better job of it.
BillB
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It seems that opinion is divided between those who love the new format and those who hate it. Perhaps it is time for the BBC to split the gardening programming between those who are serious about gardening (me and many of the contributors above) and those who want to see lots of "happy clappy", socially inclusive stuff, not to mention the free plug for the Labour government.
I think that it is a good idea to focus more on small gardens but when are we going to see this?
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had enough of gardeners world, why does everything need to be dummed down.......it's turning into blue peter.........get your sticky backed tape ready for next week folks
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What's not hot?
Spending an hour being spoken down to like an incompetent child (including a whole 5 mins on putting tin foil in a box to reflect light on your seedlings)in the new dumbed down GW format. Soulless new garden, condescending presenters, very little to offer your core audience or new gardeners who have passed puberty. What a shame.
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Having watched Gardeners World for years, I am very disappointed at the format you are now using.The item on today's programme about the gnomes was a complete waste of time and had little to do with serious gardening, and the final chit chat in the shed was as Joe Swift said simply NAFF!!Please get back to the nitty gritty of gardening as Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don did.
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Could Toby please NOT say 'me' instead of the correct word 'my'? I had to stop watching Alan Titchmarsh because he always did that. Alys is a joy to when is a joy to listen to.
Why do the men's accents vary so much? It's all very distracting.
Hope we have seen the last of the gnomes. I wish Carol had been given the job. I am sick to death of programs where people are competing for everything. For me , gardening is for sharing, everyone should be a winner. There needn't be losers. I think it is unfair on Carol.
Despite the above, there were a few useful tips .
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My apologies for my inept post. It is my first reply to a blog.
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Many viewers of Gardeners World are already gardeners and wish to find out new ideas and tips. They already know how to sow seeds (are we going to see this every week?), take cuttings, plant climbers, plant trees etc. If you want to have a programme for beginners then make one. On tonights programme Carol has to pick three out of six people to show the basics to, why not all six? what difference would it make? we are now being kept in "suspense" until next week but do we really care? The set they are now filming on was a complete waste of money. How much did all that fencing, walling, basic landscaping cost? When the next main presenter comes along will they buy a new field to dig up? A lot of what we are seeing has been shown before on numerous occasions and it is just boring.
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I just wanted to add my twopennethworth and say that I thought the programme was absolutely fantastic in every way. It took me back to the days of our beloved Geoff Hamilton....Toby you are the perfect person to take over his gardening boots! I love the informal way that the presenters created a special atmosphere in the programme and hope that they carry on in the same vein. Taking the programme to a new garden was the best thing that you could have done because it means that everything can start fresh and new. I, for one, do not mind at all that my licensing money has been used for something that will become so beautiful. I started watching the programme in the Geoff Hamilton days but I am afraid when it turned into "Allotment Heaven" in the last few series I lost interest and was very sorry not to have my fix of Gardeners World every Friday....but, so long as you keep up with the brilliant start I will, once again, be glued to the programme every Friday night....thank you all so much for giving the programme its "life" back!
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I've been biting my tongue, trying to give the new format a chance & not condemn out of hand. After all, it's not Toby's fault that he's not the much-beloved Monty ;) So I hope that the following criticisms are constructive -
1) Various others made very good points in that the information presented is simply incomplete & short of essential detail. One example (of many) was Toby's planting of the fruit barrel last week - I watched & re-watched on iPlayer, but he failed to mention what type of tree was at the centre! Surely some discussion of the suitability of various plants was essential? Similar instances abound...
2) The supposed "banter" between presenters is inappropriate at best & loathesome at worst. Certainly, gardening is as much art as science, opinion is often divided on even the basics and a useful exchange of ideas would be welcome. But Mr. Buckland belittling his colleagues & their embarassed replies is hardly informed discussion. I won't get drawn into TB's abuse of the lovely Alys lest my own rage exceed the bounds of civilised conversation, but even the "competion" tree-planting with Joe served no useful purpose. There was no difference in technique (except perhaps Toby's lack of a nail to fix his tie) - but both in their haste failed to water in!
3)Please avoid the first-person singular pronouns, Mr. Buckland! This viewer is already sick of hearing about what "I" am going to do in "my" garden, how wonderful "my" greenhouse is, etc. We are all aware that not only do you have co-presenters but a large staff at work. The editors are of course equally at fault for allowing such clumsy style & downright bad manners to be broadcast.
On more positive notes, it is surely worthwhile to see the team taking on a new site, encouraging beginners & emphasising the virtue of growing ones own. Moreover, experienced gardeners are *not* neglected, with articles such as "Me & My Garden", expert contributions from RHS professionals, etc. But let us hope that the series settles down a little and the opinions of dissatisfied viewers taken on-board.
B.
P.S. This post was originally made on Joe's blog, but is repeated almost verbatim here since it seemed more appropriate.
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please save us from the mickey mouse attempt to produce a young 'magazine' style programe.........just repeat Geoffs programes. This new format and new presenters are inane beyond belief, they surely must be embarrassed by this kack-handed infant offering
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I was disappointed to note the various criticisms made in the weekend papers of this new show - sure enough there are things I do not like too much BUT , on the whole, the various subjects are covered well and Toby, I like your style - stick with it .It is always so easy to pick holes - however it says something that some of those criticising ran gardening columns and shows that were so mundane I have utterly forgotten who they are !
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Just read newspaper,a lot of negative comments about GW and Toby,think we all need to give the new programe and the new presenter a chance. Great to see Alys doing more presenting.Looking forward to next programe.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I absolutely loathe the new programme, and so it seems does the Daily Telegraph ...
"Toby Buckland ... painfully uncharismatic".
"A textbook case of dumbed-down television, continually reinventing itself for new audiences whom it assumes to be of lower intelligence than their predecessors".
"A depressing proportion of items are undemanding drivel, bereft of content. The rigorous production values that used to be a BBC hallmark are a thing of the past".
"Carol Klein, one of Buckland's co-presenters, has far more charm, passion, knowledge, intelligence and, yes, sex appeal, but being over 50, seems to be regarded as fit mainly for deadheading roses – a depressing sign of ageism".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5195280/Growing-pains-in-Gardeners-World.html
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I agree with you Fairyhairymary and the majority of posters on the BBC message boards. The new Gardener's World is dire. It appears that they are trying to change GW into a trendy lifestlye show. I don't mind people producing such a show but not at the cost of losing Gardener's World. I want an inspiring and informative show about gardening, and not a trashy, dumbed down bit of faddy media tripe.
I am 30, I have been gardening seriously for only three years. I passionatly love plants and want desperately to learn more about them, how to care for them and use them effectively in my garden. I have just started a large vegetable garden. I need help and advice on what to do on all aspects from planning, companion planting, crop rotation, etc. etc. Surely I should be one of GW's target audiences, but I'm getting absolutely nothing from these Apprentice style competitions, poor mimicary of the Top Gear cool wall banter and 30 min hammering lumps of lead to Auricula theatres slots.
Please stop pratting about with the show and give us a decent gardening programme again.
Save Gardener's World.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbgardening/F2759004?thread=6499755
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Hello everybody,
This is my first time on a blog so please bear with me whilst I become an expert.
Whilst enjoying GW as ever I do feel there has been a massive shift in content and style now that Toby is at the helm.
Montys departure could not have been easy and Toby taking the lead an awkward task but with no `goodbye` to Berryfields even,I for one felt disjointed.
There is an air of `Blue Peter` to the new garden admittedly and im not sure about the horticultural equivellent to `Top gear`being entirely appropriote.
Good luck to Greenacre,but lets say goodbye to Berryfieds with a special programme please.
Thanks to all for my Friday evening salvation.
Happy gardening to you all.
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I am hoping with baited breath that some of the concerns of regular GW viewers will start to be addressed at 8pm tonight(24.04.09).
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FAO Fairyhairymary - I'm not a BBC 'plant'. The highlight of my week is settling down after my son has gone to bed and watching GW.
I think that the banter is great - most of it is natural back chat, but of course, some of it is required to move the sequence along. Even our beloved Beechgrove Garden does that ;-)
If the programme makers read these postings, there's only one thing that they CAN be sure of - they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Me? I love GW.
Now.....I'm off to see if I can buy pasque flowers from somewhere :-)
AX
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The new GW is dire and has no redeeming qualities. I'm not sure who they are aiming the show at but it certainly isn't me.
I suggest the producers read the gardening tv message board where you will find that the vast majority really hate the new format.
As for the BBC staff who have posted positively about it on here, I hope you were paid well to lie.
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I like GW, and I like the way it is presented, including all the things that other posters find horrid!
I think that you are all moaning for moanings sake. All you want is a "University of Gardening" programme. The trouble is you are forgetting about the people who have no knowledge of gardening at all, and would like to know enough to feel confident in having a go, which will get them off their backsides watching TV!
This programme is just right as it is - beginning from scratch, in both venue and content. I do not work for the BBC, so don't accuse me of that either!
Keep up the good work, Toby et al.
Thank you.
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MOG watch out the "Daily Telegraph/Daily Mail" anti anything brigade are at it again!
Hairyfairy I could clip your wings and Admiral just to sink your boat.
GW with Monty was CRASH, POMPUS AND SNOBBY.
GW with Toby, Alice et all is great if you dont like it - go read a Open University book on gardening and let the rest of us normal ordinary gardeners who WANT to learn not carp watch.
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Hi everyone, it might sounds a bit lame but me and my husband want to thanks a whole GW team for abundant knowledges and loads of inspiration about gardening you gave us.
We are just a beginner with a small plot in our back garden but we are growing tomatoes, sweet corn, lettuces and salad leaves, radishes and a lot more veggies in our tiny garden.
We are enjoy spending time in our garden and watching them grow. It's such a therapeutic thing for us.
Thank you so much once again.
Pariya and Gary
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Right, I've read a lot of what has been said, and for what it is worth, my opinion is there should be two programmes,or maybe three! A beginners edition, a more advanced one, and one on vegtables.(I would like to grow veg, but haven't the time or space so I find it boring.(People who have been gardening for many years do not want to watch 'Planting up a container' or 'taking a root cutting' for the umteenth time!) There are many young people now looking to start gardening, and veg growing but know very little, the new format probably suits them, but I'm afraid, not me! Gardening has become so popular i'm sure two or even three programmes could work!
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Can anybody help? Back in April this year Toby constructed a dry stone pond with slates sitting on the top. I thought this was a brilliant idea at the time but have only got around to doing something now. My question is what type of slate should be used? My pond is raised and we often sit on the edge. At the moment old york stone is cemented to the pond lining but the cement is crumbling and I would like to use slate and no cement.
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