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Has anyone seen this lovely series? I have just finished watching it on Sky, I found it very interesting. It combines 2 loves of mine, gardening and history. Strikes me that the victorian era of gardening though full of hardships and dangers, was a golden age of horticulture. I could quite see myself working in such a garden back then.

I recently visited Heligan and the kitchen gardens there. Having watched the VKG gave this visit greater interest and understanding of what I was looking at.

It's one of the best; I've got the DVD. Some of the chemicals they used are a bit over the top, but there's a lot of good ideas in there, with some sections I can use in class as well.

I have also got the DVD of this series, I watched it when it was on TV originally and I still love watching it. It does make me a bit sad now though knowing that Harry is now dead, and the bit where they shut the kitchen gardens up..........I wonder what has happened to them now?

The book that accompanied the series is really good too, it reminds me a bit of Thomas Etty's catalogue, loads of little bits of information and advice on old varieties and tips about growing them.

I love that series  :)

Also by the same people is the book' Wartime kitchen Garden' really interesting things like POW locally(Malvern) and the seeds sent to 
them from europe  unknown then but now standard,the WI and onions etc etc.

My wife bought me the Victorian Kitchen and the Victorian Kitchen Garden books some years ago I still read them with a lot of interest and enjoyment now.

I 'googled' Harry and came up with the other series he was involved with. I see there was one called the Victorian Flower garden. As a lover of ornamentals as well as fruit and veg i would love to see that series. I was too young to know about it when it was first made.

Dear old harry was wonderfull. Down to earth and very knowledgeable. I see he was still working, teaching 'the next generation' about victorian gardening, the year before he died. I found an article on the RHS website from 2004 about it.

My enjoyment of the series was spoilt a bit by UK TV gardens' annoying voiveovers which from time to time they would place over the programmes soundtrack right at the end. Twice this obliterated something i wanted to hear about. Who knows what else was lost through sloppy editing, particularly to make way for the mid programme advert break, Very Annoying ! >:(

I love those series and also have the books.  Remember it from years and years ago when I was very young.

I agree Richard, UK TV Gardens do cut and chop at will and stick ad breaks midway through conversations and information.  Does drive me potty!

This is what came of the gardens:
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/
:)

Quote from: redclanger on June 20, 2007, 00:06:29
This is what came of the gardens:
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/
:)

I dont think so! The garden was at a place called Chilton Folliat on the berkshire/wiltshire border. I googled it and could find little about it (plenty about the village it is near though. Chiltern Seeds are based in a completely different part of the country (as well as having a different spelling!)

Pretty sure it is some garden centre or seed company that has taken it on. Remember reading an article somewhere - it might have been in back issues of GW magazine when my partner was on radiotherapy last year, about how although it was no longer the same - didn't suit the business, they had stayed as true as they could.  Or maybe it was a dream ???  Could have been dead old GW mags as well - some dated back to 1988