I was just going to have a poke about on YouTube to see what good gardening channels are out there then it occurred to me that you the members must have some opinions on what to watch. Who are your favourite "influencers" ?
I dont get influenced I follow my own agenda, that doesn't mean I dont see what others do but rarely stick with any one form of information.
Anyone who is covering the subject I want to investigate and doesn't take 20 minutes to show me where to deadhead a petunia or collect seeds etc. I look at the video length before I click. I do the same with vehicle or home repair videos.
I wouldn't let anyone 'influence' me. I might find what other people do and say interesting to a certain extent, but I don't need to do the same as someone else, I'd rather think for myself and do things my own way.
Sorry, I don't use youtube at all unless I need it for a piece of music and I thought 'influencers' were people on social media and I never use social media.
Not so much influence as such, but I am fairly sure they pipe something into the air at my local garden centre that makes me buy stuff
Not influencers, but I like watching a couple of chaps who garden in USA because I find the difference in climate interesting. There is one in Iowa (I think) where the soil is amazing called Wyse Guide. He also does some good recipes with produce. Also one called RedleafRanch who grows a lot of veg and is so enthusiastic he makes me smile.
I enjoy the videos of: The Middlesized Garden: Alexandra was a journalist and her approach to the videos is very informative, nothing to do with lifestyle. She is excellent.Rosy Harding: Also a source of valuable information, even though she focuses on herbaceous perennials, whereas I tend to prefer shrubs.Gardener Ben: Mainly for rose reviews.I would say that the only one that has influenced me though was Gardener Ben, and even that was about what David Austin roses to buy, not about a garden style. There are a few Americans I follow / used to follow as well, but I find that they tend to be more lifestyle - focused i.e. "this is my garden and this is how it is progressing" rather than talking about specific topics with the intention to inform. I rarely click on their videos these days.
Maybe 'inspires' would have been a more apt choice of word than 'influences' with all it's social meeja connotations, @Steve W . My ancient computer no longer supports youtube anyway, so that's not an option. Like a lot of gardening folk on here, my inspiration was Geoff Hamilton, and another, older Head Gardener Harry Dodson, who appeared in three television series over 40 years ago alongside Peter Thoday -'Victorian Garden', 'Victorian Kitchen' and 'Victorian Flower Garden'. All still available on that good old fashioned device, the DVD. Proper gardeners, nothing poncy or pretentious.
Am not going to get into the semantics of inspired vs influenced. I think we all soak up influences whether it’s what we do or how we do it, from individuals, culture and customs or the zeitgeist. I guess main ones for me would be TV - Gardeners World especially early on in my gardening life, Geoff Hamilton, Alan Titchmarsh in his old GW persona not now, Carol Klein Books - a couple of very old Readers Digest - Food from Your Garden and Guide to Creative Gardening, several books by John Brookes, Isabella Tree, Dave Goulson. I have LOTs of books but am regularly go back to these or did so for many of my earlier gardening years Gardens visited and or seen in books/TV - stand out individuals for me would probably be James Alexander Sinclair, Chris Beardshaw - especially his planting combinations, Jo Thompson, Helen Elks-Smith I don’t watch/read many blogs or YouTube stuff but do like Jack Wallington, Middle Sized Garden
I suppose it depends whether you are interested in a garden to look at or are more into the actual plants and blow the landscaping, the patio and the comfy chairs.
