A gardener for all seasons Friday 4 August marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Geoff Hamilton, gardener and former presenter of Gardeners' World. In this tribute, we remember a man whose influence on the world of gardening is still felt today.

Gardening for all

Geoff Hamilton was the longest serving presenter of Gardeners' World from 1979 to 1996. His horticultural career began as a landscape gardener, before becoming a journalist with Garden News and Practical Gardening. He was one of the first gardeners to advocate organic methods of gardening, long before it became part of the mainstream. Despite having had what he described as a 'very bad interview', Geoff got his first TV job presenting Gardening Diary on Anglia TV in the early 1970s. This was followed by regular appearances on Gardeners' World. In 1984, he found a Victorian farmhouse in Rutland called Barnsdale with more than five acres of pastureland. Geoff joined Gardeners' World permanently, and Barnsdale became the programme's new home. He was on a charity bike ride in 1996 when he collapsed and died of a heart attack. A gardener to the end, he was buried in his jeans and boots.

Geoff was devoted to gardening, and is best remembered for his enthusiasm for plants and his practical, down-to-earth advice. He inspired confidence in a generation of gardeners and was perhaps best known for his hands-on, 'anyone-can-do-it' approach. Here are some of our favourite clips from Gardeners' World.

Geoff shows how to make a cheap, effective cloche for raising tasty early vegetables.

Ever the practical gardener, Geoff demonstrates how to make the most of cut flowers and take cuttings from a bunch of carnations.

As a keen environmentalist, Geoff was also keen on using new materials in the garden that would save on natural resources. Here, he makes artificial rocks for an alpine bed.

See more classic clips from nearly 40 years of Gardeners' World in our video archive.