Gardeners’ World & Alan Titchmarsh Gardening Club 2025

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BBC Radio 4 - Gardeners' Question Time

 

Thanks @LunarSea. I'll see if I can set that up for my next sewing marathon.

 

Sorry @Obelix-Vendée but it would appear the BBC have now blocked anyone outside the UK from accessing this content. They apparently made this change in July due to licensing restrictions. Not sure how they know the location of intended listeners though.

 

BBC sounds and app is in a state of flux at the moment (polite version) there has been a lot about it on the recent series of Feedback. I believe more information will be available in September.
"You cannot listen to the BBC Sounds app or website outside the UK, as it was blocked for international users from July 21, 2025. To listen to live BBC radio stations while abroad, visit the station directory on bbc.com/audio and use the direct links provided for each station. You can also find BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service English on the new BBC Audio service at bbc.com/audio or within the BBC app"

 

@LunarSea they can tell where you are from your IP (internet protocol) code but it's possible to get around that by using a VPN account - virtual private number. I haven't bothered yet as I can record TV programmes I want to watch on Sky or Freeview so haven't needed to use the i-player.

 

8m tonight.

" Monty takes salvia cuttings in the Jewel Garden, plants out home-grown rocket in his veg garden and pots up amarines for an autumn display.

Adam Frost visits a ceramicist in Kent who has used her artistic eye to create a stunning prairie garden. In Bristol, Joe Swift heads to an organic flower farm set up as a social enterprise to provide skills and opportunities for local people, as well as growing beautiful blooms.

There’s a city garden packed with unusual, exotic treasures, and a coastal haven planted by a mum to recreate for her own children the wild upbringing she relished."

 

Sounds like an interesting mix @AnniD tho I'm not convinced Joe is the best presenter for social gardens. I always have the feeling he doesn't "get" them.

 

The prairie garden in Kent/Sussex that Adam visited was beautiful, but I do struggle to relate to a garden where 200 Grasses are planted in one bed and a JCB is used to carve out the design.

The garden in Crouch End. I felt it was all very well saying that with climate change the plants were proving to be hardy, but when you live in what looked to be a sheltered garden in Crouch End*, then they probably have more of a chance of survival.
Monty made the same point.
*North London suburbs.

The cut flower social enterprise was interesting, particularly the "off grid" information and the compost making.
I'm so pleased they gave the Cosmos variety name (Apricotta), as when I saw it in the "In this week's programme" bit I was convinced it wouldn't be identified.
I did wonder what happens in the Winter though. Does it all just shut down until the Spring ? If it was mentioned then I missed it.

The garden in Deal, I did like that, lots of movement. I also like to see before and during photos. I'm sure the fact that it was described as "a lazy person's garden" had no bearing on my opinion.

Finally, when Monty was planting his rocket plants, I thought for one dreadful moment he was going to start demonstrating how to make rocket pesto .

Edited to add When Monty said he'd be back in 2 weeks' time, I checked the TV guide. No GW next week as there is a football match on.

 

I actually watched it yesterday [early for me!] agree with you re these huge gardens @AnniD . It's nice enough to see them, although I don't care much for the prairie thing at all, but the vast majority of folk simply don't have huge gardens, and I think that style can only be done on a large scale.
The usual sweeping generalisation we still get with these gardening shows, and how stuff stays 'nice' over winter. I thought the huge row of 'just grasses' was ghastly. They wouldn't stay upright here for very long though
At least he showed the pricking out/potting on process, although it should also be shown during spring/early summer IMO, because that's when most people are seed sowing. I've always said they need to do far more basics with follow ups so that novice gardeners can understand the process, and more importantly - see it being done. It's all very well saying 'prick out the seedlings' but if you don't know what that means....
Was the garden in Deal, the lady with the 2 kids and the interesting mix of planting- lots of self seeded stuff? That was much more feasible for most folk re the size too. It was very nice.
I'd need something to look at in winter though, and I don't know if she had anything like that? Comes back to that location/climate generalising thing again.

 

Yes, that was the garden in Deal @fairygirl .

It always makes me smile when they describe "Winter interest", e.g. seedheads etc. In my experience everything collapses into a dead mush by January, with the exception of grasses such as Miscanthus.

 

Haven't seen this week's GW yet as I've been too busy but just wanted to say I grew grasses in Belgium - miscanthus zebrinus was great by the pond and kleine fontaine in a dryer area and both were sturdy and hardy but only good as a foil for other plants, not en masse. Too dull.

I planted molinia 'transparent' but those transparent stems were bent and broken by the first strong winds so not a worthy plant in that situation. Assorted stipas and pennisetums curled up in the heavy winter frosts -15C and worse.

Hakonechloa macra albaurea did surprisingly well but did suffer in bad winters and took a long time to recover in spring.

I have some Japanese blood grass to try here and have ordered seeds for blue fescue. If they don't take I'm giving up.

 

I grow lots of grasses here but Miscanthus zebrinus got trashed last year by wind and rain so has been removed. Other Miscanthus varieties do well as does Calamagrostis, Stipa, Molinia, Hakonechloa, Imperata rubra and Panicum. They like my dry sandy soil and give lots of interest when combined with a mix of evergreen shrubs, perennials and bulbs. They certainly help to keep the garden interesting in winter too when their dried flowers catch the low winter sun.

 

I don't like grasses but decided to try a few this spring when I saw a special offer. The Japanese Blood Grass is just now growing into a bigger clump, and the red is very attractive. However, my house cat Midnight, when he comes out in the garden with me, makes a beeline for it and bites off the tops of the leaves! Then maybe 10 minutes later he throws them up. To add insult to injury today he threw up on my cardigan which had blown off the chair where I had left it!

 

You're lucky to get to January before they're trashed @AnniD !
I only grow one tall one now [Spartina] which copes better here, although the 'flower stems' can still get trashed frequently in autumn. I'd need a 20 foot hedge right round the garden for protection if I wanted more of the bigger ones. I had a couple in the garden I had round the corner from here, and one was a Spartina, but the other one had protection from the houses next to us. We're further away from the [main] roadside trees in this site, but it's far more open due to the road we're on, and the site itself being more exposed, and at a different angle.
Without shelter, it can be difficult for any taller plant here. The gale force winds yesterday afternoon meant a couple of things were affected, but it was coming from a slightly different direction to the norm, so was less problematic.

 

Tried to watch it three times but was distracted by other things and didn’t find it very interesting what I saw.