Gardens world a complete joke?

[dicktimber]

Well, I tuned in last night to see....

Joe Swift showing us his new compacted soil wall.
Made with cement and soil.....I ask you.
He even climbed on it and jumped up and down on it, and it didn't collapse....
well it wouldn't with 2 tons of cement in the mix.

Then we had Toby useless, showing us how to rake the ground to a fine tilth.......
Cleggy clay, wet through, and in huge lumps.....
a fine tilth, my ar..!

I could go on.

This programme has turned into a load of tosh, even with the re vamp.

Bring back Percy Thrower.

 

[studders]

Bring back Percy Thrower.

Wouldn't he be a bit.... 'mouldy' by now?

 

[dicktimber]

Don't tell he he's dead too? :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[wizer]

 

[Digit]

I've given up watching it Dick.

Roy.

 

[stevebuk]

As a Horticulturist i hate the ruddy programme, load of pineapples fumbling around on a garden plot. The guy that actually gets the garden ready(off camera) comes to my garden centre, and he says the ratings are high for the useless Alys whateverhernameis, biggest waste of space ever to hit our screens.

 

[wizer]

I actually liked both Titchmarsh and Monty Don. Very different presenters but both had a welcoming style. I've not watched it since Monty left. Although that's mainly because I've not been able to do any garden for the past couple of years.

 

[Digit]

After they left Tom apparently the ratings bombed!

Roy.

 

[lurker]

Bring back Percy Thrower.

And Geoff Hamilton

 

[studders]

Bring back Percy Thrower.

And Geoff Hamilton

Now yer talking. Very watchable when Geoff was doing it.

 

[wizer]

I loved Geoff Hamilton's spin-off series on Cottage Gardens and something else which escapes me. He was the best one I reckon.

 

[misterfish]

When it changed a few years ago they were trailing it as starting a new garden on a virgin plot. Brilliant we thought. But when they started by using heavy machinery flattening the area and then lorry loads of top soil - well it was unreal for us as everyday gardeners. Then to compund it all they put up the greenhouse with huge amounts of brickwork followed by a huge bespoke cedar structure.

It completely destroyed what was a good entertaining and informative program and we haven't watched it since.

Misterfish

 

[big soft moose]

I actually liked both Titchmarsh and Monty Don. Very different presenters but both had a welcoming style. I've not watched it since Monty left. Although that's mainly because I've not been able to do any garden for the past couple of years.

i agree about monty but i wouldnt give titmarsh house room - a mate of mine was one of the estate workers on ground farce (that is one of the guys who do all the work really but dont get on camera) and she told me that the entire backroom crew on there reffered to him as tithead which imo sums him up perfectly

 

[wizer]

I've met him more than a few times and he a complete luvvie as we say in the biz. Surprisingly not of the homosexual variety. In his next life I suspect But otherwise, he knew his apples (and geraniums). Ground Force was never what he wanted to do. He hated the fact that people were obsessed with cheap decking and 'low maintenance' gardens. But he did like the 'charity' part of GF. He eventually got disillusioned and buggered off. Tho quite what he's doing now, hosting chat shows, etc I don't know.

 

[matt]

When it changed a few years ago they were trailing it as starting a new garden on a virgin plot. Brilliant we thought. But when they started by using heavy machinery flattening the area and then lorry loads of top soil - well it was unreal for us as everyday gardeners. Then to compund it all they put up the greenhouse with huge amounts of brickwork followed by a huge bespoke cedar structure.

It completely destroyed what was a good entertaining and informative program and we haven't watched it since.

Misterfish

Gardening with big machinery etc is not all bad.

 

[big soft moose]

Tho quite what he's doing now, hosting chat shows, etc I don't know.

very nicely thank you , would be my guess

thing that allways got me with gardeners world, ground force, or whatever vehicle he did was that his hands were never dirty - he'd be supossedly "working in the garden" yet his hands and nails were spotless so it was obvious that he had a minion actually doing all the graft.

 

[misterfish]

Years ago my Dad was the finance officer at Kew Gardens and he regularly had dealings with the horticultural students that were training there (it was recognised as one of the best training centres in the world, and still is as far as I am aware). One of these was a certain Alan Tichmarsh who my Dad found a really personable chap. He told my Dad that although he enjoyed the horticultural side of things he wanted to be a journalist and it was no surprise when he first appeared on TV - I can remember my Dad saying 'he'll go far'.

Misterfish

 

[BradNaylor]

Tho quite what he's doing now, hosting chat shows, etc I don't know.

He's been hosting chat shows etc for almost as long as he's been presenting gardening programmes, hasn't he? I'm sure he used to do Pebble Mill at One about twenty years ago.

Obviously gardening was where he came from, but he's just an all-round media luvvy now. I certainly don't blame him for getting someone else to do the grunt work.

 

[big soft moose]

. I certainly don't blame him for getting someone else to do the grunt work.

neither do i , what i blame him for is getting someone else to do the grunt work but not being honest about it !

if you are presenting a show that give advice to normal gardeners, showing projects which they can (theoretically) acheive at home , its a bit disingenuous to have a team of ten estate workers, in some cases using heavy plant, helping out behind the scenes, but to give the impression that you did it all yourself

 

[lurker]

That made me laugh a bit moosey

Years ago (maybe 30 years ago - crikey thats given me a shock to think that!) I was trout fishing at Rutland water & pulled up at the "original" Barnsdale. I got chatting (as you do) to the late great Geoff Hamilton between takes.

GH was leaning on a wooden fence nattering away to me, when a bloke rushed up & in the campest voice & floppiest wrists said "Geoffy darling don't lean on that fence you will get your pullover all dirty"

Of course they were really worried about continuity but I was wetting myself laughing. I can still see in my minds eye, the wink GH gave me as he walked back "on set"