First of all - whos been watching/following it. If so who do want to win?
Secondly, who has been to se the gardens at Blenheim for themselves (or knows someone who has).
Thirdly anyone actualy been during the filming of a programme (or knows someone who has).
Personaly i can say yes to all three questions. Visited Blenheim yesterday and 'took part' in the live programme (as a spectator you understand). I have to say it was as fascinating to see the 'behind the scenes' as it was to see all the gardens.
When I have a bit more time I'll post up some photos. Couldnt take any during the show of course but got loads of some of the gardens, and of the palace grounds which we had a look at afterwards.
But boy was it hot!
Feel free to ask questions/discuss the programme on this thread.
Guess not then. Surely SOMEONE out there in 'A4All-land' has seen it apart from me? Or so all self respecting lotties dislike anything to do with garden design?
Never mind. I enjoyed it. It was a realy good series and not just about the design comp either. plenty od features on gardening and the Blenheim estate.
So there!
BTW I helped choose the winner of the competition too!
http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/greatgardenchallenge/index.html
Heard of it but didn't see it. Was it evening or day time. If it was Mon, Tues, Weds or Thurs early evening then my hectic socail calendar keeps me away from the tv.
Quote from: BAGGY on July 02, 2005, 00:22:01
Heard of it but didn't see it. Was it evening or day time. If it was Mon, Tues, Weds or Thurs early evening then my hectic socail calendar keeps me away from the tv.
No at Lunchtime, usualy monday to friday. Mostly live too, wit a few recorded bits. Finished now until next year, the 'grand final' was today. Sorry.
PS, No I dont sit around watching tv in the daytime. I tended to record the programme and watch it in the evening, though this wek did make the effort to be around at lunchtime to watch live and be able to vote for favorite garden.
No chance. Lunchtimes are school run, shopping dashes and hoovering before the next school run! The hectic life of an allotmenteering mum!
I didn't see all of the programmes, just those my baby's sleeps allowed. I really enjoyed it though. I was glad that Sadie and Chloe(I think that's the right names, memory's not that great) won , but probably because they were the only pair whose garden I saw before the grand final!
What was the site like that it was set in? I kind of imagined it being a bit chaotic, with all those gardens being built so quickly. Did they keep all of the gardens intact there? I can't imagine there being space for them all!
Didn't see it unfortunatley!! But had to stick up for myself!! I have a lottie, I work as a gardener and a "designer" (though not often as a designer!!) but can't get a grip on not designing without planting being the be all and end all. Don't ever ask me for a modern, low maintencance garden!! Haven't a clue, nor would I want to!!!! Said too much?? Oh well!!!! Lottie ;D ;)
We applied to go on the programme and even submitted a design, but after watching a few programmes we declined the invitation to take part, as the presenters and the general standard of the gardens left a lot to be desired. I never bothered to watch it again so the standards might have gone up in the later programmes.
The site they used for the competItion was HUGE. It was the old walled kitchen garden fro the Palace. As half of it is still used as such, you can guess at the size when I tell you they fitted 120 5m x 5m plots into that space, with room to spare for paths etc. By the end though the plots were a bit squeezed in closer together than at the start.
Heritage: the quality at the begining was quite mixed, but quality shone through towards the end. When you saw some of the early loosing gardens and then saw those in later rounds there was a clear improvement in quality. You should have given it a go, it would have been right up your street.
The saddest part of it all was the fact that as soon as the series ended last friday, all 120 gardens were to be dismantled. it would have been nice to have kept them in place until the end of the summer and let more people see them and how they developed over time. However many items used in the gardens were only borrowed for the competition and had to go back ASAP.
Programme timing was i suppose a tricky one, they wanted it to be live, so would have been difficult for all but the last month or so to have a live outdoor show in the evenings (when perhaps more would be able to watch). I suppose they could have had a repeat showing in the evenings for those who missed the lunchtime one. Fortunately i have access to a 'Sky Plus' machine so had no problems recording each programme and watching it in the evening.
PS - Nothing wrong with the presenters IMO. I even warmed to James Alexander Sinclair eventualy!