Why is Gardener's World rubbish now?!!

I love Carol Klein and wish we saw more of her.

I am going to don my tin hat here and say that I find Monty Don extremely irritating. As someone said upthread, he comes across as bit “precious” these days and I don’t know how he gets away with appearing as a presenter at Chelsea year after year looking like he’s slept in his clothes, when the other presenters make the effort to dress for the occasion.

OhOhOh

Percy Thrower, Arthur Billington and Geoff Hamilton were true gardeners through and through. They lived and breathed horticulture, were never seen without soil on their hands and wellies or boots and had no interest in being seen as a celebrity; their only intentions were to grow and impart their knowledge and experience to others. Titchmarsh was the turning point; he wanted fame and celebrity status; hence his frequent publicity appearances, novel writing and forays into "soap opera gardening shows" with the likes of Ground Force. GW went downhill further when they decided to "appeal to the laydee gardeners" and introduced Carol Klein who, apart from being a keen amateur gardener, has no training or horticultural background whatsoever. In short, GW has become a media show for a TV "personality", with a few plants thrown in for good effect. If you want to learn about gardening, you're better off getting a book out of the library than watching GW.

What the flipping heck?

Alan Titchmarsh is a time served gardener who worked his apprenticeship in council gardens and then Kew. He has the highest award of merit from the RHS.

Carol Klein has spent a lifetime with her hands in the soil, has run a nursery and is the consummate plantswoman's plantswoman. Monty Don said Carol has forgotten more than he has ever known.

Speaking as someone with horticultural training and background I have to say that some of the most knowledgeable and inspirtational gardeners I have ever met have never stepped inside a horticultural college.

When I went to college I had a good head start on many of my fellow students purely because I'd learned so much from GW over the years.

As for "appeal to the laydee gardeners"......what sexist claptrap. Women have always gardened and been represented strongly in horticulture. Gertrude Jekyll, Vita Sackville West, Beth Chatto, Norah Lindsey, Margery Fish all came decades before Carol Klein. Would you rather GW only featured old men in tweed?

I guess the issue is, that the programme requires finding a gardener/presenter with a huge garden who agrees to filming series upon series.
I actually think the programme could be condensed, or at least the format revised.

In some ways I prefer Beechgrove now. Pity it's only a half hour programme.

I wouldn’t describe it as a complete load of rubbish. I find it inspirational and with a large garden, Monty can show a lot of different aspects of gardening. I like seeing other people’s gardens too. I inevitably fall asleep during it which isn’t because it’s boring but because it’s relaxing! So I’ve taken to watching it on catch up in the morning (and then you can even skip through anything that doesn’t interest you).

I watch Garden Rescue for plant and tree tips.
I definitely agree that a presenter visiting a stately home garden doesn’t really help or inform the ordinary gardener? Plant names are thin on the ground.
I think garden design tips plus horticulture, ie actual plant names for suggested plantings at average garden size, would be better.
Just saying.

I must glance through it, it's years since I read it.

Allira I also have a Percy Thrower gardening book that I was thrilled to find in a charity shop for 80p! Just good basic gardening advice about soil, seeds and plants. All natural remedies for every gardeners problems.

Allira

^If you want to learn about gardening, you're better off getting a book out of the library than watching GW.^

I have Percy Thrower's book on the shelf here - bought for my father many years ago. Dad was a very keen gardener and he really liked Percy Thrower. The TV programmes would have been in black and white then.

If you want to learn about gardening, you're better off getting a book out of the library than watching GW.
No, I just enjoy watching someone else gardening and admiring the results.

If you want to learn about gardening, you're better off getting a book out of the library than watching GW.

I have Percy Thrower's book on the shelf here - bought for my father many years ago. Dad was a very keen gardener and he really liked Percy Thrower. The TV programmes would have been in black and white then.

Percy Thrower, Arthur Billington and Geoff Hamilton were true gardeners through and through. They lived and breathed horticulture, were never seen without soil on their hands and wellies or boots and had no interest in being seen as a celebrity; their only intentions were to grow and impart their knowledge and experience to others. Titchmarsh was the turning point; he wanted fame and celebrity status; hence his frequent publicity appearances, novel writing and forays into "soap opera gardening shows" with the likes of Ground Force. GW went downhill further when they decided to "appeal to the laydee gardeners" and introduced Carol Klein who, apart from being a keen amateur gardener, has no training or horticultural background whatsoever. In short, GW has become a media show for a TV "personality", with a few plants thrown in for good effect. If you want to learn about gardening, you're better off getting a book out of the library than watching GW.

Casdon

Netherbyg84

"What more do you want? ", you say. (see above).

I just want basic, easy to understand advice, especially for young families who may not have a lovely, established garden like the Dons have. Especially if the programme makers want to hold onto the younger generation who are the viewers of the future.

That’s what Beechgrove does though. Why don’t the people who want to learn tips watch that?

Precisely!

I think Adam only has a cat because Monty has a dog! It's basically a furry prop.
🤭

Carol Klein’s books are very informative.

Netherbyg84 Carol Klein often does exactly the kind of step by step gardening shows you describe. She does very specific, step by step guides on her own shows and also on Gardeners World. One year I remember her working with young couples who had just got their first garden and revisiting them through the gardening season. They're probably on iplayer or somewhere similar.

Monty planted the Jewel Garden in 1993 so he's not exactly chopping and changing. I really rate him as a gardener. I think he's forgotten more than most people ever know.

I'm delighted to see posters mentioning Geoff Hamilton. It was watching Geoff on TV that encouraged me to study horticulture and take up gardening for a living.

Geoff picked a tomato he'd grown, bit into it and said, "There's the taste of summer right there and I grew it myself in my own greenhouse". I thought in that moment YES, that's what I want to do with my life.

Adam Frost trained with Geoff.

Netherbyg84

"What more do you want? ", you say. (see above).

I just want basic, easy to understand advice, especially for young families who may not have a lovely, established garden like the Dons have. Especially if the programme makers want to hold onto the younger generation who are the viewers of the future.

It sounds like what you want is the whole hour devoted to basic, easy to understand advice - not the bite size information for all abilities that is included in every episode.
When I had a young family I had to rely on rather boring handed down books instead of the wealth of information that’s available now.
I eventually took myself off to horticultural college for three years to get the qualifications I realised would transform me - not just my garden.

I don’t expect everyone to do that but you really do have to work things out for yourself sometimes. The gardeners of the future (hopefully watching GW) will be the ones who are inspired by others.

I must say I find Adam's "Mockney" accent a bit grating, but his gardening style and information is great!

pascal30

Nobody can replace Geoff Hamilton for me .. now I much prefer Gardeners Question Time on Radio 4

Same here. I couldn’t remember his name upthread. Lovely man, so interesting and inspiring.

Netherbyg84

"What more do you want? ", you say. (see above).

I just want basic, easy to understand advice, especially for young families who may not have a lovely, established garden like the Dons have. Especially if the programme makers want to hold onto the younger generation who are the viewers of the future.

That’s what Beechgrove does though. Why don’t the people who want to learn tips watch that?

"What more do you want? ", you say. (see above).

I just want basic, easy to understand advice, especially for young families who may not have a lovely, established garden like the Dons have. Especially if the programme makers want to hold onto the younger generation who are the viewers of the future.

‘I’ve been doing this job for donkeys years and I really CBA to show you lot how to divide perennials again so I suggest you pop off to YouTube and find out how to do it yourselves.%

"And if you think you can do it so much better than me, then there might be a vacancy in the next few years when I retire" 👨‍🌾

Paperbackwriter

I keep thinking Monty isn't that good a gardener. He's always enthusiastic about some big new planting scheme but then a year later decides it was all rubbish and he starts again. This time it's a total remake of his jewel garden. Talk about wasteful.
And this time he planted a rambling rose to climb up a support. In no time at all it'll be WAY too big (clue in the name) and he'll probably take it out. Plus when he was planting it he didn't add microrhizome stuff which David Austin roses always say should be done with bare root roses. I wish Sarah Raven would do a TV series. Her courses and her gardens are glorious.

Of course he is and also has two full-time gardeners who help him with the garden.

The Jewel Garden (named after his previous jewellery business)

This means that it is rich and intense and that is intensified by the extraordinary vigorous growth of plants in our wonderful Herefordshire loam. In spring it is the home for all our most intense tulips and in Summer tender plants such as dahlias, gingers, bananas, cannas, tithonias, zinnias and sunflowers are grown on and added as soon as the risk of frost has passed. Then, as autumn begins to bite, the Jewel Garden is cut back, tender plants lifted and it hibernates until quite late in Spring to resume its season of blazing glory.

Plants are lifted, re-planted or moved elsewhere and not all plants last for ever, even perennials.

I'm hoping to find enough energy to lift, sort, replant or replace plants in a small area of our garden because it's just not working any more.

Gardens evolve.

eddiecat78

Never watch it now. I like Adam but Monty seems completely out of touch with ordinary gardeners and spends a fortune on his own huge plot.
I prefer Beechgrove - much more down to earth

I agree.