Gardener's World - Demotivating?

howardtog

Apart from that woman Carol Klein who is enough to put anyone off gardening and never tells you everything view GW as inspirational.The borders and plots are always weed free and the soil is in excellent heart because the hidden team keeps them so.Also no expense is spared......I use xxx compost with such and such added.In the last episode he spent £20 on 3 plants...heaven knows how much he spent on Dahlias
However my tomatoes are at least as good as MDs so there and I raise them from seed andgrow them in my home made compost and last year grew 147 lbs in my admittedly large greenhouse.Ive been practising for 30 years
As someone else said GW and Id add seed catalogues are garden !!!!!! but do provide good ideas from time to time.So be inspired but remember reality!!

emiff6

howardtog wrote: »

...Also no expense is spared......I use xxx compost with such and such added.In the last episode he spent £20 on 3 plants...heaven knows how much he spent on Dahlias...

So that's what 'the powers that be' spend my licence fee on then! :wall:

a1cat

howardtog wrote: »

Apart from that woman Carol Klein who is enough to put anyone off gardening and never tells you everything

Very unfair IMHO. Perhaps you either love her or hate her?

Personally I find her very knowledgeable and her recent solo series was an inspiration to garden that went far beyond these usual rather rubbish gardening progs.

Also her exploration of plant families on the last GW series was absolutely top notch, well researched.

Is it her accent you don't like? As awful grim north accents go, hers isn't too bad, surely.

Beats crass Essex, thieving Liverpudlian, IQ minus 50 Birmingham etc IMVHO.

maypole

I really like Carol, I feel she was sidelined in the last series of GW which was absolute rubbish, the programme went all to hell. So glad to see Monty Don back, all we need now is Bob Flowerdew to make an appearance now and again, I think he is brilliant.

yorkieorchid

I really like Carol too! Her love of plants and gardening is so obvious, great presenter and very knowledgeable in my opinion.

SilverSapphire

I have just been reading some of MD's garden diary style books, most recently The Ivington Diaries which is excerpts from his own garden log books over many years. In that he actually admits to quite a few mistakes. He has bought bulbs and forgot them so planted them out really late. He has bought plants and even trees and then not known where to put them so left them in a corner and forgotten them until he eventually comes across them! And he says he has often moved things around several times because he puts them one place and it doesn't quite work or he just doesn't like them there. So he certainly came across to me as actually not being much different to us ordinary mortals. Over the years he has often been away for long periods filming so he has had to do his sowing or pruning etc at the wrong time and he says it usually works out OK.

I would definitely recommend reading his books - I borrowed them from the library. The Ivington Diaries is a thick book and was tucked away in the garden history/biography section at my library.

I have also read one called Roots & Cuttings I think which was excerpts from his columns in the Guardian.

PS I like Carol too and think all her tips on saving seed and taking cuttings etc is great and very MSE too!

cootambear

Well

Top Gear has never knocked on my door to do an in depth on the banger I drive

You are better off with gardeners question time on Beeb radio 4 -the audience come up with their problems for the experts to solve

hostie

I used to love gardeners world but im afraid Monty gives me the creeps and every episode seemed to be all about him so I stopped watching. I did like his lovely garden though. I find the big old gardens inspiring.
I did like carol and that other chap but they didn't seem to be on much.

jollyanna

I feel so cheated when they take GW off air for 2 or 3 weeks at a stretch - I need the guidance and inspiration to keep me motivated. I'm sure it didn't use to happen in A.T's day.
I noticed that M.D's garden seemed very still, nothing looked bashed about like mine does, he must have a very sheltered spot in Herefordshire. The Lollorosso in the bed he was planting the dahlias were huge. and seeing his upright Basil made me want to shout " how on earth do you do it ?"
My outside stuff has been thrashed by persistent winds since the end of April and I'm now concentrating on nurturing my winter veg and hoping the summery stuff will hang on in there.

tryingtoruletheworld

It does demotivate me a little sometimes, but I think that is mainly down to the green eyed monster!

I get fed up of the lack of cash, tiny uneven concreted yard for a garden in a rented house, and the lack of opportunity to make things as I would like them! I just want a small house and garden that I can do what I like with, and then I watch GW with that huge green oasis and get a little jealous! hehe