No grounds for gardening
Tonight my GW 1 hour special, 'No grounds for gardening', goes out.
I filmed it last summer, zooming around the country as well as visiting Paris to see Patric Blanc's spectacular green walls or 'mur vegetal' as he would have them called. It loosely follows on from my special last year on the subject of garden grabbing - it's simply a sad fact we're all going to have to get used to smaller gardens, with many of us not having any private outside space at all. But does that mean we have to live without plants and miss out on all the hugely beneficial effects they have on us? Well the programme explores just how important it is to grow and come into contact with vegetation especially in the harsh city, even if we have very limited space.
I meet many passionate people and look at their varied, often inspirational and stunning projects (a mixture of both professional and amateurs). It demonstrates how the imagination can often transcend the issues of space, budgets and lack of official collaboration.
I hope the programme will go beyond appealing to keen gardeners (the converted) who already value these spaces and that it will also inspire those less horticulturally interested who might have a go and simply grow what they can wherever they can for the benefit of us all. Please watch, and hope you enjoy!
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~48~RS~)
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What a brilliant programme! I've just discovered it this evening, captivated by the possibilities of greenery in the city. What was that music - Satie, surely - playing during the sequence of the Kurdish lady from Turkey watering her garden? I'm hooked for the series.
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Absolutely fantastic programme Joe...inspirational...thankyou! Keep up the great work...I'll be planting more wild flowers and veggies in every available space this weekend :-)
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What unbelievable timing! I had been losing a battle with my husband to let me start a small business in this field (wall or roof!). I had already done all the 'ground work' last year as part of a Masters study with the Open University and now needed his support. Now he can see that it is not unconventional, that there is a market, and that my planned book isn't such a waste of time either. There is a great deal of information out there - if you're interested further, Patrick Blanc has a website - http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/; Nigel Dunnett & Noel Kingsbury, have written a brilliant introductory book, Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls - see Amazon for more books; livingroofs.org is the website of a real proponent, Dusty Gedge, and there are many interesting links. There are lots of videos on You Tube - search Green Roofs, nearly all US, but many are very informative. The Green Roofs Congress is on in May in Germany, really for professionals - just wish I had the money as I'd be there like a shot. Germany is one of the world's strongest advocates and has thousands of installed green roofs - but they're not easy to find out about in my experience.
And, if you want to go lower tech than the balcony home-made 'plant-case' on the programme try using household waste - plastic milk bottles glued together, tops cut off, filling with compost, putting plants in, fixing in a frame such as a wooden crate and then fixing to the wall - you do need to water this though, or use drought resistant plants!
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This programme was very good. The wife missed it. Is it going to be repeated?
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Hello daftbaker. You can watch it again on iplayer for another 6 days.
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Boringly i want to agree with all said. what a great programme. Can I also say that since Monty left its been also been a pleasure seeing you getting to do some prper presenting and not being left to road test lawn mowers etc. Cant wait to see your plans for new garden, your family garden was one of my favourite parts of Berryfields. I even nicked the paint colour for my shed!
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Great programme Joe - good job, well done.
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Super programme, have watched it a couple of times now; far too much to take in during one viewing.
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Joe,
How many hours are you going to spend per week on your allotment? For others who also have them, what's the average time?
Great show, encouragement for people of all gardening abilities and levels of knowledge. The show turns gardening into a less intimidating prospect (I struggle with the latinate part).
Tracy
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Why do some councils not let the public have access to the recycled compost? I have tried to get some but it is only available for large scale re-landscaping. I know it is not as good as stuff you pay for but I need to break my clay soil up and can't afford to pay ££s for a tone of soil improver. I already have 4 compost bins but its not enough. Surely people are more likely to recycle if they can have a direct benefit from the finished product.
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Well last week the kids finally persuaded me to give them their own little bit of the garden. Its not a big garden but I have a small greenhouse a swing and a whirly washig line in it. Well I dug out the old orange bulbs and an old honeysuckle in the corner, lifted some turf and laid some small slabs I had arond the edge to makw them a nice little bed for them to play in. They then went around the garden front and back raiding my rock garden and the other perennials to stock teir new patch.
Its not a work of art and it didn't give me severe back ache as it was only a small job but they enjoyed themselves. I now have to help them to look after it, plant more seeds and get some bedding plants. At least it gets them out in the fresh air and they seem to enjoy themselves looking after their new plot.
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We were really inspired by this program. We have a typical inner London house with a dark side return and a long narrow garden which is completely "full" So we constructed our own "vertical garden" using our own design for the really shady wall of the side return. I don't think I can upload photos in this blog comment, so you will have to take it from me that it looks sensational. It is 6ft 3in sq and is already full of foliage and, surprisingly, flowers. We mounted it on 2in lugs to keep it off the wall and ensure airflow. Perforated hose is suspended above each "shelf" so that it is all watered by turning a valve.If I was starting again, I would probably use a hydroponic method as getting the compost in and holding it in place was a bit tricky - we used galvanised wire mesh "hammocks". Thank you so much for inspiring us, our side return is now a "destination" rather than a dank dumping ground for old rubbish
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Is the information that fills in the blanks available?
For example my vision of trying to start an enviromental technologies
business (98) and stuff like the broken limb, co-op job in europe
during 9/11, already famous, (I dazzle like movie "21") that obtained
this position.
Hey I control the interest rate. I did put the oil to $147, then $40,
not $200 -it was a choice I made.
Kristina Brooker (126 395 086)
-functions are shapes, what do the shapes say to do for safety.
-I don't understand talking that way.
-takes a year or two, maybe less with the computer.
What to expect?
-an engineer (99386493 - U of Waterloo) would say...
The graph of the fuctions indicates all expectations.
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Have to say your hanging baskets on this weeks 30 min challenge were amazing! Very modern. I am new to the show and have really enjoyed all the episodes so far. The pond was also very cool. I have never been a fan beforr but the idea of a raised one really seemed like a fab idea to me. Also this is safer if you have tiny tots around who are keen to explore (as they all are!)
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Joe, I just drop by... I was not able to see your programme. Anyhow, I understand that you have really that passion for gardening same as i do. I love backyard gardening. It will both save the nature and our pockets. Thanks, Joe.
Betty
INDOOR GREENHOUSE
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Boringly i want to agree with all said. what a great programme. Can I also say that since Monty left its been also been a pleasure seeing you getting to do some prper presenting and not being left to road test lawn mowers etc. Cant wait to see your plans for new garden, your family garden was one of my favourite parts of Berryfields. I even nicked the paint colour for my garden shed!
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Hey i'm inspired by the programme. i need to get out of the house and work with my garden. I'm so much of an indoor person. taking care of the kids is troublesome enough, being a single parent is so much worse. and they're twins! Well, I make it my next year's goal to decorate my garden after watching the programme. This is my google sniper trainer.
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