A talking point!!

Ho ha hum! I seem to backchat at Monty Don every Friday. I don’t know why I still watch. Well, I do actually. I watch because sometimes Adam Frost is on! And I love seeing the garden visits. But if I have to watch Monty sowing another row of ******** veg seeds I think I’m going to lose the will….And yep..that ‘Jewel Garden’ and the blinking ‘Paradise Garden’ too….(rolls eyes). Recently cancelled my GW subscription and my RHS one too. I think it’s time for a new presenter and garden on Fridays.

Hi Chris
I've often thought of you and missed your input on GoY...so good to see you...
Most gardens are a mixture of planting areas ...do you remember the central island rose beds?...Now roses are planted amongst herbaceous plants and look so much more natural.
I'm sure you wouldn't be described as a grumpy old woman...
As regards pots of tulips...this is the last time I'm doing it...There was more lasting colour here with Pansies and Violas.
Hope all is well with you both.x

I think Monty & co are too close to Garden Designers and not gardeners, you only have to see recent RHS Chelsea shows to see how “on trend” every one has become, more stone & concrete, stainless Artwork etc than plants

I've always found GW a bit unrealistic, describing gardens of just half an acre as small for instance

Easy to have pots & pots of tulips if the BBC Licence payer is paying for them, not so easy when competing with the gas & electric bills.

Wonderful to read your comments and realise I am not alone with my thoughts!!
They made me smile and I agree with everything that was written so thank you all so much for endorsing what I was thinking.
I am off out into the garden soon which has no named areas just flowers and shrubs and trees and a few messy bits too!

This has reminded me that my recorder didn't record last week due to a "clash" so I have to watch it on i player. I agree with the above comments as I too can't stand the concrete and metal concoctions that pass for a garden these days and the veg seed comment made me smile too. When it's recorded I skip over these parts but have found more and more skipping taking place. I was a great fan of Geoff Hamilton, even went to his Barnsdale garden a lot of years ago now and learned a lot from his time on GW.

Hello everyone , like Wildrose , I have been away from the site for what feels too long now .
How refreshing to hear what you all have to say .
Of course Monty has minions to do most of his work , but I really enjoy the garden visits , especially an Indian lady who has just started her garden in Derbyshire somewhere .She has worked wonders there but we haven’t seen her lately .
I think that that Christine ( on Gardeners Question Time ) would be a lovely addition/replacement on Gardeners World . She came to out little local theatre and did a wonderful show .

I agree with you Chris! I still watch it, but not sure why!
Pots and pots of tulips are probably planted by helpers and he just does the one or two for the camera!
As if most of us could afford to have so many!
I loved Geoff Hamilton, so down to earth! x

I do record it Wildrose, and I fast forward what I am not interested in I love Carol Klein and Adam Frost and the viewers gardens.

It's such a long time since I last watched GW that I wasn't sure if it was still running! I haven't watched anything since the Chelsea show in May!

Like Driad, I was watching the Indian lady, started in London area I think, then moved North and was finding a big difference in growing conditions

Had tomato envy just watching her

I gave up on GW years ago. Monty just irritated the life out of me and I dont know why really. But themes, well its your garden and if the theme is 'what I like to grow' who is to argue.
Parts of my garden have names so hubby and girls know what I am talking about. Not really a theme like Monty suggests just hot border, shady side border etc and of course atrocity corner where God knows what is really growing there. This week's effort suggests ivy, holly and brambles, though I refound a coral pink paeony in amongst an unpruned dog wood.

GW is recorded in our house and watched later, usually on a Saturday. Much of it gets fast forwarded, always the veg. growing as we no longer have our allotment and don't grow vegetables at home. Why does Monty Don aways tell the viewers about Broad Beans and Squashes? There are so many other vegetables that younger, novice gardeners would no doubt wish to try growing!

As for gardens needing to have a theme, I don't think that's applicable to the majority of gardeners, perhaps those who definitely want a 'Jungle garden', or a 'Cottage Garden', but most folk I know have a mix of evergreens, perennials, bulbs and annuals. Surely that's what makes a garden personal to oneself?

When either of my children need to know something about gardening, if I can't help them they simply go to Youtube, not GW!

I am trying hard to cut down on pots of plants, too much time and energy needed to look after them so there'll be no pots of Tulips here!

Well done on raising this point Chris ... :o))

You are not grumpy Chris! But I definitely don’t think a garden needs a theme to be successful (maybe Monty was just thinking of Chelsea gardens?) I still watch GW but it’s not as interesting as it used to be … but I enjoy watching Monty’s programmes when he visits different countries like Italy or Greece.
Good to see you again 🙂.

I started to record GW and fast forward to what I think looks interesting. I don't really enjoy it anymore unless Adam Frost is presenting. I can’t say I am learning anything of interest anymore. Gone are the days when we listened for the introduction music and dashed in to watch. As for themes…mine just has the slope garden, flat lawn and top lawn just so everyone knows where the subject I am talking about can be seen. Jewel garden…grrrrr

Am I the only one who watches GW, just to watch the lovely dog that follows him everywhere? I also like seeing the other gardens that are shown. I’m usually doing crosswords when he’s planting his veg seeds, or going on about the jewel gdn, so the program is mostly background for me. My garden is a mixture, like Meadowland says.

FF..your not the only one.I enjoy
watching part of his programme..not mad on veg growing though.I do have a 'jewel' type corner which naturally evolved.

Sorry I’m late to comment, Chris. I watch GW as I love gardening, Monty..blah, not so much.
I like it when Adam or Frances is presenting or they have a little segment. To be honest, I’d prefer if one of these two would take over as main presenter!
OH was most displeased on Friday night when Monty was negative about alliums, they’re his fave!
Plus, I find him quite hypocritical at times, Monty…I don’t like his messy garden style.. weeds everywhere and it’s very disorganised too.
I chuckled on Friday night when he seeded his ‘lawn’ area as I thought, you’ll be lucky!

Would love Adam Frost to do more on GW.He has had his personal troubles consequently the house move.

I thought Friday just demonstrated the ‘problem’ perfectly when the programme started with Monty building ‘hurdles’. I mean…for goodness sake. Most people are like me and have about 100 square metres if we are lucky. Hurdles anyone? lol! And I never get the impression that he really loves plants. Not in the way I love plants anyway. He comes across more and more as a farmer/ market gardener with an interest in design. He’s a great writer. I always enjoy his articles, and his travel series are good too. However, as the main presenter of the biggest national gardening show, I think he’s done all he can and it’s time for Adam Frost to take the reins. There’s a Man motivated by his love of plants!

Karen, I absolutely agree with everything you have said. Michael and I both looked at each other when the programme started, hurdles??

Hurdles is what my son, a farmer, uses to get animals to go where he wants them.

Hurdles are a painful memory of school P.E. lessons as I hated track and field events!

Thank you all for such interesting and varied comments. I did chuckle about the hurdles at the start of the programme!!!

I am having a battle with the Gardener's World magazine because I did not receive my ‘2 for 1 gardens card!’ There is always something!

Chris, in 2023 I bought a copy of GW magazine, mainly for an article by Nick Bailey on propagation. No such article was in the mag., so I emailed GW and they sent me a Year Planner 2024 by way of compensation!

Message them, you may find they post you the card.

I can fully commiserate with you, Shirley, nothing on the physical education side of school ever interested me & I would have gladly stayed in the classroom & read a book rather than do anything physical! When the other boys had to choose their team members for any team game - who was the last one they wanted??? :D :D :D

David, I don't think there was a single sport I enjoyed at school!