Author Topic: Gardeners World  (Read 4079 times)

ACE

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 7,424
Gardeners World
« on: April 28, 2021, 12:54:46 »
Adam Frost will be presenting it soon, and not before time, Monty does my head in, depressing bugger. Adam was under the wing of  Geoff Hamilton  where he learned his stuff, I went on one of his courses and worked along side of some of Adam's show gardens  in the past  they were always good fun with a great crew.

gray1720

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 658
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2021, 14:24:46 »
Interesting - sadly he died two decades before I got a garden of my own, but I always thought that Geoff was very much an Everyman's gardener, and did an awful lot of donkey work to get there. I hope that Adam continues in that vein!

Every now and then, I sow a few things into a spare foil takeaway tray, and I always think of GH when I do.
My garden is smaller than your Rome, but my pilum is harder than your sternum!

Obelixx

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,937
  • Vendée, France
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2021, 14:36:45 »
That is excellent news ACE.  Where did you see it?

Must admit I was highly relieved when Monty finally gave up on those bloody blighted box hedges and loved the way the garden somehow seemed lighter, brighter, less claustrophobic and hemmed in.   Utterly aghast when he then announced he was putting in yew hedges.   As for those grasses in the paradise garden and yet another re-invention of the mound...........   

I still watch every week tho cos some of it is good/interesting/useful.

Love the idea of Adam picking it up in the practical way that GH did it and have always enjoyed the way he looks at and explains things.

Having googled, it seems Monty is just taking a break, not leaving permanently.  Oh well.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2021, 14:40:40 by Obelixx »
Obxx - Vendée France

Nora42

  • Acre
  • ****
  • Posts: 250
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2021, 16:20:26 »
Very interesting i agree with Obeilixx that Monty can be  bit meh sometimes, those grasses where never right and as my garden is surounded by privet i can never imagine planting a lower one i have to look after, my biggest gripe on the show this week was the box moth, where i live its rife and unless everybody treats the moth then noone is ever ggoing to get any further forward.
 i can never imagine GH buying all those citrus plants and everthing else that spends the winter months in a several expensive green houses. And why didnt they revisit some of Geoffs old content during lockdown? The one where he made a flower garden from direct sown seeds was inspiring . 
Nora

Norf London

Obelixx

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,937
  • Vendée, France
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2021, 17:05:43 »
Copyright issues I expect.  The GH series was made by a specialist outside broadcasting company who knew what they were doing and Barnsdale was designed with camera access in mind and also viewers' garden sizes and ambitions.

As I understand it, GW is now made in house by BBC staff who, clearly, felt the need to show how clever they are with camera angles, fuzzy "atmospheric" shots etc so they can advance their career and a producer who cut and pasted in the wrong place cos not a gardener.   Lockdowns and Covid restrictions mean it's filmed by family now and we get all these inspirational home made films from viewers.

Obxx - Vendée France

BarriedaleNick

  • Global Moderator
  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,133
  • Cartaxo, Portugal
    • Barriedale Allotments
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2021, 17:46:31 »
I don't mind Monty, I like his manner and his unassuming way. He has suffered quite badly from depression over the years - I hope it isn't the cause of this break from the show.
Having said that I much prefer a practical approach to gardening programs and much of GW doesn't really resonate with me although for the most part it is quite informative.
I don't have a lot of love for Adam Frost, he seems a bit of a Chelsea type gardener to me and I find his persona a bit irritating. 
I'd watch a how to series for gardening every day of the week and I'll give Adam the benefit of the doubt..
Moved to Portugal - ain't going back!

cudsey

  • Half Acre
  • ***
  • Posts: 206
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2021, 18:42:25 »
I loved watching Geoff Hamilton and I have visited Barnsdale and it was good to walk round and see the different gardens and projects that I had seen him work on while presenting the show
Barnsley S Yorks

ACE

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 7,424
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2021, 07:26:50 »
I suppose I followed all the TV gardeners over the years, I still have one of Percy Throwers books.  G.H. was also an inspiration, nowadays I don't really follow the newer presenters although having worked and done TV work with most of them. I know first hand what they are really like. Alan Titchmarsh lives just down the road, I even taught him a morris dance for a charity event we were doing. Joe Swift always came over as winging it. Monty always had to have 3 or 4 takes when the camera was in front of him, his dithering along made me give him a wide berth. All the ladies were  good gardeners although Sarah Raven held her nose too high for us common gardeners, not like Carol Klein (the bag lady) and Charlie Dimmock who always had time to give advice if asked. Diarmuid Gavin and David Domoney all very entertaining but seem to get by on their celebrity status. It is a shame that the Gardeners Question Time people don't get more of a look in, Chris Beardshaw, Toby Buckland, Pippa Greenwood, Bob Flowerdew and Bunny Guinness all very good hands on gardeners, what a show they could make.  That's enough of the name dropping but as that other famous gardener Arthur Fallowfield used to say 'The answer lies in the soil'
« Last Edit: April 29, 2021, 07:30:46 by ACE »

Paulh

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 592
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2021, 08:44:59 »
Didn't Toby Buckland have a run as presenter but wasn't a success?

The tribute to just how good Geoff Hamilton was is that he is so well remembered 20 years later. Though I wonder if he would now have to be less down to earth and do a bit more of the pretty flowers stuff!


saddad

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 17,884
  • Derby, Derbyshire (Strange, but true!)
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #9 on: April 29, 2021, 09:17:38 »
I look forward to seeing what Adam makes of it... have been impressed with his bits so far.

Obelixx

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,937
  • Vendée, France
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2021, 09:26:28 »
Chris Beardshaw pops up occasionally on Beechgrove which is a welcome development tho clearly less of him with Covid restrictions.   He's very good at explaining what and why and how.

Agree about the other GQT presenters.   I'm afraid TB sold his gardening soul for the gimmicky version of GW he presented and Joe Swift might know a bit about garden design but I always get the feeling he doesn't know which way is up when it comes to plants.

Carol Klein is back on ITV this evening Channel 4 or 5.  I have it set to record.
Obxx - Vendée France

gray1720

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 658
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2021, 12:57:49 »
Carol always talked a lot of sense in Garden News and I remember visiting her garden in Devon in 2002 with my parents - I don't know how many rural Devon-livers we have here, anyone who does will not be surprised to hear that it was miles down country lanes, we had to stop at at least two farmyards to ask directions, and eventually got there by turning through a gap in the hedge and driving down a track across a field to get there!

When we did get there, the garden was stunning, and the house... well, it obviously came second, one window was actually boarded up! Hopefully TV fees have let her fix it by now.
My garden is smaller than your Rome, but my pilum is harder than your sternum!

Obelixx

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,937
  • Vendée, France
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2021, 14:07:51 »
Adam is taking over just for the 7th of May to allow Monty 4 days to finish reading his audio book.  Then it'll be back to Longacre and those hedges and grasses........

I fell asleep within 5 minutes of GW starting last week - good job I record it automatically - and probably will tomorrow too as I have my first jab booked tomorrow and a root canal this afternoon.   Lovely.
Obxx - Vendée France

Deb P

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,721
  • Still digging it....
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #13 on: April 29, 2021, 14:44:09 »
I guess if you work alongside presenters you get a different view of them…..I have met a few, Geoff Hamilton about a week before he died at a plant show in Rutland, Bob Flowerdew, Carol Klein, Monty and Sarah Raven. I admit I was quite prepared to think Sarah might be a bit uppity but I have to say I was so impressed with her plant knowledge and ideas I have had nothing but respect for her since and use her books and articles as inspiration more than anyone particularly as I have grown more flowers the past few years. I remain more of a Beechgrove Garden fan than GW as the breadth of information they get across in half an hour is much more and in more depth. I like Adam Frost as a presenter but get garden envy at the size of his own garden plus where he works the boarders are so big it’s a bit difficult to extrapolate to my humble house garden!
If it's not pouring with rain, I'm either in the garden or at the lottie! Probably still there in the rain as well TBH....🥴

http://www.littleoverlaneallotments.org.uk

Silverleaf

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,235
  • Chesterfield, clay, acidic
    • The Rainbow Pea Project
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #14 on: April 29, 2021, 15:52:33 »
I’ve never really watched any gardening programmes and I wonder if it’s the scale of them that puts me off - I have a decent sized garden for a small suburban house but everything on these gardens seems to be HUGE and expensive and it’s hard to relate.

Their world feels, I dunno, too easy.

gray1720

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 658
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #15 on: April 29, 2021, 22:36:52 »
That was one of the great things about Geoff Hamilton - although he had whopping great gardens at Barnsdale 1 & 2, they were divided up into plots relatable to in terms of a suburban garden, and he did a lot of the leg work himself, or was involved, he was far more than a consultant.

One of his early efforts was a section in GW (I think, I don't think it was a seperate programme) where he ran a garden on  budget of £5 a week, for the benefit of impecunious new gardeners. I don't know what the equivalent sum would be now (I have a nasty feeling I am about to spend considerably more tomorrow!), but I can't imagine it getting made somehow. He was also very fond of making gardens from found stuff - when I can see her again I must nick Mum's GH books, as that's pretty much what I am doing now!   
My garden is smaller than your Rome, but my pilum is harder than your sternum!

Obelixx

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,937
  • Vendée, France
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2021, 13:53:44 »
You can buy a pack containing the 3 DVDs for Cottage Gardens, Ornamental Kitchen Garden and Paradise Garden and it includes a few extracts from his GW series.  I play it quite a lot in winter while I'm indoors, sewing - not sowing.  It's endlessly inspiring, comforting and informative and there's even a bit of Adam in one of them when he was just a young learner gardener.

The accompanying books still read well too.
Obxx - Vendée France

Beersmith

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 892
  • Duston, Northampton. Loam / sand.
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #17 on: May 03, 2021, 22:14:05 »
Gardening programs on the television? What a wonderful modern world we live in.

Years ago I used to read "Amateur Gardening" if I remember the name correctly. I got it third hand after the original purchaser had read it and passed it onto my father in law. Always seemed interesting even though many topics came round again and again. Happy days.
Not mad, just out to mulch!

woodypecks

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 601
    • Daisy in the Garden
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #18 on: May 05, 2021, 09:25:35 »
I love Beechgrove Garden best of all , I love how they weave children into it in one of the presenter's own home garden . The children are excellent presenters too ! And sometimes they go into school gardens. Gardeners of the future ! I think the Beechgrove team are just so nice . I am also a devotee of Bob Flowerdew and wish he would make a come back on t.v. I love his enthusiasm  !
Trespassers will be composted !

Deb P

  • Hectare
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,721
  • Still digging it....
Re: Gardeners World
« Reply #19 on: May 06, 2021, 07:31:44 »
That was one of the great things about Geoff Hamilton - although he had whopping great gardens at Barnsdale 1 & 2, they were divided up into plots relatable to in terms of a suburban garden, and he did a lot of the leg work himself, or was involved, he was far more than a consultant.

One of his early efforts was a section in GW (I think, I don't think it was a seperate programme) where he ran a garden on  budget of £5 a week, for the benefit of impecunious new gardeners. I don't know what the equivalent sum would be now (I have a nasty feeling I am about to spend considerably more tomorrow!), but I can't imagine it getting made somehow. He was also very fond of making gardens from found stuff - when I can see her again I must nick Mum's GH books, as that's pretty much what I am doing now!   

I have a copy of Geoff’s ‘£2 garden’ book which I rate as one of my all time favourite and useful books, particularly for seed saving and money saving ideas on how to make your own cold frames and cliches, I used a lot of his ideas when staring out on my allotment.
Bob Flowerdew’s Organic garden was a fantastic source for how to grow tricky crops, utilising green manures and concentrating on growing what you like to eat rather than trying a lot of fancy stuff you never grow again, and Caroline Foley’s ‘How to plant your allotment’ really showed how successional sowing and cloching can keep every space fully occupied and productive all year.
I do have (ahem!)quite a few allotment books but these three get consulted the most when I need a bit of inspiration!
If it's not pouring with rain, I'm either in the garden or at the lottie! Probably still there in the rain as well TBH....🥴

http://www.littleoverlaneallotments.org.uk

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal