Allotments 4 All
General => The Shed => Topic started by: lancelotment on April 10, 2007, 13:54:32
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I'm not quite sure where GW is going at the moment. I missed (well if I'm honest I fell asleep!) a chunk of last weeks episode and wasn't too disapointed. At times it almost feels like painting by numbers and can be a bit predictable. It has certainly lost some of the DIY / allotmenteering feel that the prog used to have with Geoff Hamilton at the helm.
With computer software, we 've always tried to live by 're-use before build, build before buy'. Not sure I can always say the same about GW. Lance
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I do agree with you Lance. They seem to be struggling and not reaching the ordinary gardener. They seem to be spending money on lots of different projects but it would be nice if they could address the day to day managing of a garden which involves making things youself. Also encouraging new gardeners with step by step guidance about growing things. Carole Klein's programme was visually very nice, but something a bit more "down to earth" would have been better. busy_lizzie
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bring back tichmarch
enough of buying things and more about growing and building!!
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Would sooner have had someone like Geoff Hamilton when he used to make thing ect.
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they seem to have jumped on the "you can have" an instant garden overnight bandwagon.
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yep but alan had a better mix of make do, make it and buy it....
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bring back tichmarch
enough of buying things and more about growing and building!!
Hear hear! ;D
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i kind a like Monty actually but yes some times I think that his heart is not really in it and I think that many articles written about the programme have said that. Geoff filmed in his own garden and I think Alan did too that ownership is what is all about. Perhaps we couod just have pictures of Monty and forget the rest of the team ;)
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I just think they are trying too hard to keep the producer happy and not the gardeners
like to watch the old programmes as they are much more informative !!!
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just discovered the ideal way to watch GW you vidio it then you can fastforward through the bits you don,t like ie how to replant !! i managed to watch the prog in 7mins !! ;D
marg
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Nice one Marg ;D :D
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I liked it when it was "a gardener" tlaking about their plot with a bit of input from other folks. Now it is all these pseudo experts who only seem to know how to buy a lot of expensive stuff at the garden centre and turn a garden into a house extension where plants and plantsmanship are the least of their considerations. ;D
Wow! That feels better! ;D ;) :P
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Mm, I seem to be in a minority, I actually quite like GW at the moment, I found it interesting what Monty is doing with the long borders. I think the point about ownership is right though, we see lots of shots of Berryfields (the house) but no-one ever seems to mention who owns it - is it private, does it belong to the BBC or what? Gardening is about a sense of place and not knowing gives the programme a disjointed feel (or perhaps I've just missed the explanation!)
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I like Monty too but I agree the programme does seem to be floundering a bit at the moment. That 40 year garden seems a really silly idea - who on earth is going to want to emulate that? Also I don't like all the tiddly little 'rooms' there is no connection between them - more like a flower show. In the previous series the gardens have been admittedly very large but one could identify with them or parts of them. I think they should change the director or producer and concentrate on real gardening - mainly vegetables but that's just a personal thing. :)
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The name 'Monty' and the phrase 'rearranging his perennial borders' just send me into a swoon.
sigh.................. :-*
But that big pond thing is a bit OTT for me. Joe Swift just doesn't fit into GW, more of a Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen type.
As opposed to Monty in his braces.................. ;)
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From The Shed / Re: christines garden
Gardeners World is dull dull dull.
I've lost all interest in GW these days - its just far too remote. Who has long borders? who has a whopping great pond/lake? Can you buy Berryfields no. 2 @ B&Q ? Who builds a show garden?
CG is about everyday garderners doing everyday jobs.
Can't agree more ! GW should be for the average punter with the average garden.
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I read "the Jewel Garden" recently and it gave me a whole new view of Mont's!!! ....still think GW has lost the plot a bit though!
He is passioante about gardening - just wish it could be a bit more "real".
Louise
X
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Turned GW off and watched "Victorian Kitchen Garden" instead
umm that's better!
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I'm interested to read the comments about Berryfields and the sense of 'ownership' that is missing from the programme, I think that is something I had felt but struggled to put a label on.
It does give the impression of an altogether more commercial enterprise, mentioning 'Berryfields No. 2 compost' for example as Monty did the other day when sowing tomatoes, you get the feeling of a Berryfields 'brand'. I guess Alan Titchmarsh is probably a bit guilty of starting this trend by developing his own range of gardening equipment etc when he presented the programme.
It does come across now much more as a 'show' with 'guest presenters', rather than in years gone by where presenters showed their own gardens, sign of the times I suppose. I don't watch many GW programmes now as I used to, now I have the facility to access various BBC programmes 'on demand' I just skim through (like theothermarg) to the veggy bits and watch those! I did like the gooseberry competition feature a few weeks ago though.
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I went to a talk given by Chris Beardshaw a month or so ago, and someone in the audience asked why they play 'all that awful music in GW now'. He answered saying that GW is now produced/made by a different company to the one that used to do it when he and AT were presenters. The new company seem to more keen on giving it a more 'arty' kind of feel etc than the actual gardening content. It was interesting to hear that. I happen to like Monty, but I have to agree that GW has gone downhill, but it might not be entirely the presenters fault, but rather the people producing it. I got the feeling from Chris that maybe the presenters don't have much control on what is presented etc.
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That's interesting, and probably explains a lot!
The 'Grow your own Veg' programme was notable for its overpowering music too..... :-\
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The presenters are just that - they present. Whilst Monty likes gardening, he is not a life long gardener like AT or even a life long garden designer like CB and JS.
I do think Monty makes a good presenter (unlike Carol K with all those Ooooh's and Arrrrrr's), its just the subjects hes given to present that are poor.
I can quite agree with Sweet-Pea statement about GW being more arty - how much time is allocated to shuffling colours around the Long Borders.
BUT I WANT GARDENING NOT ART. If I wanted art I'd watch Melvin Bragg.
As for the 'music', my mums hearing ain't so good these days, and whilst she enjoys the program, she can't allways hear whats going on because of the drumming in the background. If I want background music, I'll go stand in a lift !
BTW, Can't stand CB, after spending time at Pershore collage (where he studdied and the lectured), I think he's a stuck up, lazy @$#*!(%£, who's full of himself.
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I have to agree with the general comments here. Just get too lost in it, just get an average sized garden and then address all the issues that the majority of people would have with their garden. Mine isn't big enough for a pond, an alpine garden and and etc etc etc. Did anyone watch Monty's "Fork to Fork" programme, think it was on channel 4 a while back. Loved that and there needs to be more directed towards veg gardening. Just look at this site to see the massive interest in it.
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I don't like all the tiddly little 'rooms' there is no connection between them - more like a flower show. In the previous series the gardens have been admittedly very large but one could identify with them or parts of them.
This is my problem with Berryfields too. I have no idea how the whole thing is laid out - where all the little pieces are in relation to each other. It's disorientating.
Also find Joe Swift a bit trying. Bring back Chris Beardshaw.
just discovered the ideal way to watch GW you vidio it then you can fastforward through the bits you don,t like ie how to replant !! i managed to watch the prog in 7mins !! ;D
Ha, I do this with most tv these days, so many bleedin adverts, so little patience (aren't you supposed to become more patient as you get older?)
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[Ha, I do this with most tv these days, so many bleedin adverts, so little patience (aren't you supposed to become more patient as you get older?)
who told you that..?.. ;D
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the tiny morsel of airspace that the couple in Cornwall got was very interesting (to me, anyway): doing the raised bed thing and using toilet roll tubes!
they also had a nifty invention for making their own cloches: partly hammered in nails on 2 lengths of wood laid parallel to each other on the ground, then "hoops" of plastic pipe had their ends pushed onto the nails – ingenious!
the rest of GW is fairly dull though :(
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i,v got this book by monty don as we now know him it,s quite informative. it was written in 1995 i wonder why and when he dropped the montagu marg
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my OH bought me the very same book from a charity shop last year.
the 'Montagu' still keeps us entertained ::) ;D
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i'm quite enjoying GW this year, although the pond is ridiculous - who has room for that? i've never had a garden before this year so its really interesting for me, although i can see it being not in depth enough for people who know what their shrubs are LOL.
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'Montagu' is a bit upper-class for people these days! Reading his books (which I like a lot better than his programmes), he seems to be a lifelong amateur gardener who's turned professional. 'Real Gardeners' was a lot better than the other stuff of his I've seen on the box.
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Hi all,
I actually think that Monty is very good. Not sure about one or two of the other presenters though. I agree with the comments about the pond. A lot more people would be able to relate to the planting schemes in, say, an 8x4 foot pond. I still think that on the whole it's a very good prog though.
What's in a name anyway?
All The Best-Marcus Brassica :)
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I watched GW last night for the first time in years. On the whole I thought it was OK. Should you want to do any of the things they were doing then they were clearly explained and helpful. Wasn't too happy about the amount of time spent on artistic shots of sky through the trees etc but then that's down to editing. I didn't much rate the woman from Dorset's contribution either.
I also watched Christine's garden for the first time ever. Anecdotal, mildly entertaining, but who could learn anything about gardening from it? More a picture of social relationships? Nice hedge mind you. What the French call a "haie buissoniere" I believe.
d**n with faint praise?? :-\
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'Montagu' is a bit upper-class for people these days!
Didn't he use it when he flogged costume jewellery to the Toffs.
Proberby sounded ok in the 80's in when presenting Toffs World
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I have read a couple of Monty's books and he is great in writing, I also think he is good as a presenter BUT the production companies need to re-think their approach, too much music, wizzing about etc. We suddenly live in a world where we have to be ALWAYS accompanied by background music...it drives me mad! Christines garden is an 'interesting' programme but the woman is BARKING MAD!!! (In my opinion!! :o ::) :o )
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I remember a tip from Geoff Hamilton on GW from years ago. He demonstrated the folly of purchasing an expensive shredder when all you have to do is chuck all the stuff you want shredded onto the lawn and run over it with a power mower. Absolutely brilliant. Works a treat I do it all the time.
Obviously in order to do this these days you'd be advised to buy steel boots, ballistic trousers, iron gauntlets and a hard hat with a visor so it'd probably be cheaper to buy the shredder in the first place
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I quite like the bits where monty talks us through the planning and layout of planting, but I switch off (not literaly!) when I see them doing yet more planting! Its not as if they even explain what they are doing for the benefit iof newbies. We just see then time and again putting plants in the ground. For gods sake i think most of us know how to plant! I'd really like it a bit more variety of tasks and skills to be shown. What about veg growing? Lawn care? seed sowing? Other types of propagation? And a bit more 'what you should be doing now' would be nice.
I think it has got too 'instant gardening' for my liking. They are tying to cater for those gardeners who buy all their plants full grown from the GC, and not for us true gardeners who truly care for their gardens and grow things from scratch.
To me the fact that Berryfields is not a presenters own garden isnt the problem. After all neither the Beechgrove Garden or the Greenmount Garden belong to any of the presenters, yet both programmes seem to be popular and get things 'right'. GW must be doing wrong in some other way. Maybe the presenters just dont have enough personality. I like Carol, who has got personality, I also like Monty but i dont think either he or Joe have enough personality, not when compared to even Jim McColl (beechgrove) or John Cushnie (greenmount), let alone the likes of Geoff and Alan. In some ways it was a shame CB had to leave, as he did have personality and was a true gardener as well as a designer. Joe is little more than a designer who tries to garden, which doesnt help.
I just dont know what the answer is. I know one thing I am not looking forward to next weeks hour long programme as much as i would have done in the past. An hour of planting, yawn!
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very nicely put GC - let's campaign for less planting and more growing & tending. :)
Agree isbister twould definately be against 'elff n safey' !
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I personally like Monty as a presenter, but don't like the way the programme is produced any more. The music can be annoying, but what bothers me more is the camerawork, especially those extreme close-ups of plants. Last week Monty planted a primrose and they showed a shot of flowers which was so close that it became pointless. You couldn't see the leaves or tell what habit the plant has at all. I like to see a nice clump of a perennials, NOT a shot which looks like it was taking through a microscope!
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What we all seem to want is a program that deals with veg growing as just as worthy a subject as flowers and plants, shrubs and borders. In a way, it's more worthwhile as we are going to be eating what we grow and so would like to get it right.
I like the occasional 'dream garden,long borders, tiny rooms' episode but really the beeb need to wake up to what gardeners want. The old earthy style of presenting has given way to the 'do you like eating in your garden in the summer and going to the garden centre' approach and i'm losing interest. It was hard enough to get OH to stop his whining to watch while it was interesting but now i have no chance!
Did someone say a while ago that a4a had 5000 members? Maybe we should all dash off an indignant letter to auntie and see what happens!
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Or just send them a link to this thread? ;)
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Close all of their accounts at the garden centres, etc.
Make them garden on a minimal budget - that should get them back to reality and it touch with the majority of gardeners and allotmenteers.
(Neatly avoided saying "getting down to earth") ;D
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Yes a mega dose of reality seems in order 8)
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make 'em go skip diving ;D
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Wot Manics? Send Montagu skip diving? How very dare you. ;D
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I think it has got too 'instant gardening' for my liking. They are tying to cater for those gardeners who buy all their plants full grown from the GC
The old earthy style of presenting has given way to the 'do you like eating in your garden in the summer and going to the garden centre' approach
Doesn't the majority of the UK population garden look for the quick GC makeover so that they can have respectable garden for sitting out in/entertaining ?
My neighbours all do. They all have far too busy lives to spend weeding etc. and have very little interest in plants - so long as the garden looks tidy. They all want instant 'Low Maintenance' gardens.
If this approach to horticulture is seen by the Beeb as the norm. and they need maximum viewing figures, then perhaps their approach is correct. Just look at the day time 'gardening' programmes !
Perhaps, we 'true' gardeners should be looking to the specialist channels for our weekly fix !
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I've missed or ignored this thread... probably 'cos I don't have a tv,...
interesting, very interesting..
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Doesn't the majority of the UK population garden look for the quick GC makeover so that they can have respectable garden for sitting out in/entertaining ?
My neighbours all do. They all have far too busy lives to spend weeding etc. and have very little interest in plants - so long as the garden looks tidy. They all want instant 'Low Maintenance' gardens.
If this approach to horticulture is seen by the Beeb as the norm. and they need maximum viewing figures, then perhaps their approach is correct. Just look at the day time 'gardening' programmes !
Perhaps, we 'true' gardeners should be looking to the specialist channels for our weekly fix !
No, I don't think so. I think the beeb do enough minority programming to cater for a large loyal long standing audience. Gardeners World was always for gardeners, not like Ground Force et al.
They are for the GC crowd and there are enough programmes to tell them what they want. They're not for me, I liked GW and a brew to look at plants, techniques, listen to people who loved gardening talking about gardening. There was a goodish balance for fruit and veg and it was a great show, great presenters. Haven't watched it for ages now as life is just too short. Miss it though, wish it a speedy recovery. ;D
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Must admit I haven't see those Evil Decking Monkeys (Ground Force) for a while. 8)
Isn't decking is just so 2005 and out of fashion, in the same way stainless steel was just so 2004 ? and as for blue fences - just so retro.