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GW is great!
This discussion has been closed.
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Message 1.Ìý
Posted by mamphs (U13694955) on Saturday, 20th June 2009
Sorry to all those long time viewers of GW who seem to think that is now pants, but for someone who has just started gardening - as many people have and more are starting all the time - it is great to have a programme that helps you learn the basics and takes the fear out of wondering if you are just going to kill everything!
Toby is a joy to watch and the team work really well together.
Keep up the good work GW
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Message 2
Posted by pootles magnet (U11709665) on Saturday, 20th June 2009
I agree. I love the positive attitude - it really encourages you to at least have a go, rather than scaring you off with tons of warnings and rules.
Loved that whole planting up growbags according to the instructions, vs ignoring the instructions segment a few weeks back - be great to see how that turns out.
I also really enjoy the banter and the personalities, I like the relaxed entertaining atmosphere that gives. -
Message 3
Posted by pjgolf (U2469936) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
It`s nice to see that someone is actually enjoying GW.
I have been gardening and watching GW for many years and I`m with the majority of people here. I think it`s just awful at the moment. It even makes me cringe sometimes it`s that bad !
I dont really know what else to say !
I`m happy there is somebody out there who likes it though.
PJ -
Message 4
Posted by bookhimdano (U10771514) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
yes i think its a hoot too.
this week, alys, who has been busy hoeing came out with a great quote 'June is the perfect time to get your brassicas out'.
i nearly fell off me chair
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Message 5
Posted by U14019283 (U14019283) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
what is wrong with summer plant brassicas ?
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Message 6
Posted by pjgolf (U2469936) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
I`m pretty sure (positive in fact) that it was a smutty brassica joke
I got it anyway !
PJ -
Message 7
Posted by grow your own veg (U11933408) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
I have been gardening for years,although GW isn't as good when Monty Don was presenting the show. I do still enjoy watching the programme. Those was come on this message board after every show do nothing but moan moan. There many many people like yourself who are new gardening must be really enjoying the show.
I think there's a lot of snobery with those who moan week in week out and think GW should be for those who have been gardening for years.
Personally after the stress of the monday-friday of work work work to relax with some light hearted banter between the presenters are a god send.
Those who moan every week try their best to have ago and make personal attacks who like GW.. get a life.. -
Message 8
Posted by ellieho (U5892256) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
I too have been watching GW since Geoffs days,
there are things I find interesting and things I don't.but on the whole it's good, and I wouldn't miss it.
It's the moaners who watch it just so they can find fault that I find annoying.If they think it doesn't offer anything new why don't they just switch off and use other ways to find information. -
Message 9
Posted by David K (U2221642) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
Still moaning, Jim??
You do love a good moan!
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Message 10
Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
it used to be better, lets go back to that.
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Message 11
Posted by pootles magnet (U11709665) on Sunday, 21st June 2009
this week, alys, who has been busy hoeing came out with a great quote 'June is the perfect time to get your brassicas out'.
Ìý
Heh heh, yeah, I was chuckling at that bit too.
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Message 12
Posted by the cycling gardener (U2350416) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
Those was come on this message board after every show do nothing but moan moan.
..Ìý
As usual, you make a sweeping statement based on your own research which is flawed. I add my thoughts to the message board after every show and don't moan moan but try to be positive and balanced where possible, as do many others.
Those who moan every week try their best to have ago and make personal attacks who like GW.. get a lifeÌý
This sentence alone speaks volumes. I think you should put your own house in order before you so quickly condemn others and learn to accept that people will have different opinions to your own. The vast majority of contributors on here argue responsibly and authoritatively without recourse to personal attacks on those who hold a different viewpoint. -
Message 13
Posted by Ramscliff (U13974103) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
I enjoyed this last programme more than most of the others in this series. It seemed to be more structured, giving each presenter a chance to make an impression. I think Carol, Toby and Alys are all very capable presenters, and if they were allowed to concentrate on details, and to allow us to "visualise" the garden more, I for one, would much appreciate it.
I am afraid though that Joe leaves me cold - what design talent has he ever shown? why does he seem more interested in d.i.y jobs, why does he keep trying to joke or laugh instead of presenting gardening knowlege. He also has an apalling flat, nasal, monotone quality to his voice. Please bring in an award winning, garden loving, professional designer to complement the other three presenters. -
Message 14
Posted by brightonjen (U4580756) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
I'm glad that people feel they're learning from GW - the more who do that the better. Many say they're new gardeners, so perhaps they really don't know much about it all. However, if they'd seen previous presenters of GW, they'd have learned a heck of a lot more than they are able to do now. Not only that, but they'd have learned about proper gardening, not the mish-mash they get given today. A lot of those of us who complain have watched Geoff Hamilton, Alan Tichmarsh, Monty Don and Carol Klein. I cannot tell you how much each of them taught me over the years - not all advance stuff but real gardening, done properly, with love and consideration for the environment. The current programme often shows poor technique, gives bad advice & does things wrong.
If you all want to be good gardeners, you would honestly do better to buy books or DVDs by Alan Tichmarsh or Geoff Hamilton than to watch this programme. If you do that, you'll get real skill and great gardens and then you'll see why we complain. And I'm not the world's most brilliant gardener, I just learnt to do it properly! -
Message 15
Posted by pootles magnet (U11709665) on Monday, 22nd June 2009
I'm glad that people feel they're learning from GW - the more who do that the better.Ìý
I think this is the crux of the disagreements about Gardener's World. A lot of people on these boards think it should be an educational programme where people learn to garden - but for me, personally, I'm not interested in learning from the TV. For detailed instructions and advice, I'll turn to books or the wide range of gardening magazines, or maybe websites to get advice about the specific things I want to know. I want telly gardening to be light and entertaining and just "sow the seeds" of inspiration in my head. If I decide to follow through with a project that was kicked off in my head by the programme, or grow a particular plant that I've seen on the programme, I'll do my own research into where to go from there. I'm not saying either way is right or wrong, but I think different generations have different ways of watching television and it's not about being dumbed down, it's just about telly being just one aspect of a broader information base.
I do also believe that a lot of gardeners encourage a mystique about gardening, insisting that things must be done the 'right way' when in fact plants and nature are far more flexible and gardening is a lot less intimidating than people pretend and if Gardener's World tries to debunk a few of those myths then I applaud that, but of course it's going to irritate the kind of person who likes having rules to follow and that kind of structured kind of approach to things. It's all that right brain/left brain type of stuff.
I'm sure I'd disgust loads of people on here becaue I've always ignored all kinds of 'rules' when I garden, either through ignorance or laziness, but I still get loads of compliments on my garden, so it can't be doing a lot of harm! -
Message 16
Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
p00tles- i agree with you, if gw sparks my interest , i will follow it up in my own way.
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Message 17
Posted by Tigerredwood (U13742280) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
Hello pOOtles_magnet
Could you elaborate what you mean by "myths and rules" please. -
Message 18
Posted by pootles magnet (U11709665) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
No, because I'm not spoiling for a fight, I am merely trying to see both sides of the story and say how I can see how there are different kinds of people are looking for different things from the programme.
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Message 19
Posted by David K (U2221642) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
The crux of the matter to me is the fact that people new to gardening are being given incorrect and misleading advice which will only serve to hamper them, also being shown projects that are doomed to fail if they are gullible enough to try them.
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Message 20
Posted by sinbad1917 (U13978774) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
I completely agree with Pootles.
To me, TV gardening should be about giving inspiration and ideas in an entertaining way, not a step-by-step lecture on the perfect way to carry out some aspect of gardening.
Toby's 30 minute fixes are the perfect example. People here often complain that he doesn't do things perfectly by the book.
But surely that's not the point of the 30 minute fix? The point is to show that you can do an interesting piece of gardening in a short space of time, and you don't have to follow strict instructions, you can use your imagination or try new things, be a bit spontaneous with whatever you have lying round your garden(like the grass clippings hanging basket).
If you want a dry, factual, step-by-step lecture, go to the library and read a book. If you want an hour's entertainment on a Friday and fresh ideas for the weekend's gardening, GW is perfect. Well done to all involved in GW, I say. -
Message 21
Posted by deepmire (U3354924) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
I find the 30 min fix great - I know I can nip to the kitchen for a cuppa without missing anything..
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Message 22
Posted by Trillium (U2170869) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
I get your point completely, Pootles.
But it doesn't have to be either/or. No one is complaining that the programme is too entertaining. The programme can be just as entertaining and inspirational while showing reliable ways of doing things and general good practice. A lot of people do copy what is shown on GW and it wastes people's time and money as well as disheartens them if it's a failure.
Things are definitely on the up though - I didn't shout at the telly once this week -
Message 23
Posted by Tigerredwood (U13742280) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
Hello
I am just glad that they don't teach people how to drive, the roads would be littered with wrecks. -
Message 24
Posted by gardeninglynda (U4668572) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
Yes GW was very much better last week. They all seemed much calmer and more informative and it was probably down to the fact that they were allowed to perform solo for most of the time concentrating on their art and giving us the information we enjoy hearing even if we might already know, revision is not a bad thing. Look forward to further improved episodes.
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Message 25
Posted by Sparky (U6716422) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
I'm not sure where this stuff about 'doing things by the book' and 'strict rules and regulations' came from. I started watching GW in the Titchmarsh era and I found that watching and being shown (properly) was a lot easier than reading about something in a book. Alan frequently showed how to take shortcuts and gave hints and tips about the best way to do things. I don't ever remember him being boring or stuffy! Being shown the best way to do things usually means its quicker anyway.
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Message 26
Posted by Madonplants (U5524817) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
Toby's 30 minute fixes are the perfect example. People here often complain that he doesn't do things perfectly by the book.Ìý
I know what you are getting at, but take his planter he did a few weeks ago for an example. Do you really want to teach someone to drill the wrong way through the container and 'maybe' damage their patio in the process? Then there is the hanging basket, would you ever use grass clippings as a liner, I know I wouldn't? I am sure even as a beginner, I wouldn't have. Then again, I quite liked the sundial he did, though I know quite a few others didn't, so it's swings and roundabouts.
I'm not a big moaner, as I don't scan the programme for every minute error, like the screw that Alys didn't screw in properly. That is going too far, in my view, but I do worry that the 'pond' wasn't done properly. Unless they are using chemicals, the water will be green now!
I am 45 and my Dad was a professional gardener until he retired, so I have a good grounding, 'I' think, especially in the practical side of things! I had my first border at age 6, thanks to my Dad, though I know it was only mixed annuals, but I still learnt how to prepare, sow and thin by my dad before I ever saw my first GW. I've seen all of the GW presenters and like a lot of posters, think Geoff Hamilton was the best, though Alan comes a close second. I haven't disliked any of them, Toby included.
Some didn't like the long borders at Berryfields, as they were too long, compared to what most of us have at home, me included. I liked them, as I still saw plants or plant combinations that I wouldn't mind using in my own garden.
What the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú aren't getting is that, GW should be for all gardeners, new and old. New gardeners 'should be shown' how to double dig a border (so easy on a new plot, you would think) and then they could show, say grafting techniques for more experienced gardeners.
I wouldn't go as far to say GW is great atm, but I do feel it's improving on the first few episodes, especially this last one. This is a shame really, as it's now being taken off for a few weeks, while people hit a ball over a net, while grunting at the same time!
I've just looked at this Friday. At 9pm, after the tennis, there is a repeat of Top Gear, so a bit of GW (the cool wall) will still be shown! -
Message 27
Posted by Trillium (U2170869) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
Since GW that's off air for Wimbledon, we should be getting repeats of GW afterwards, not Top Gear!
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Message 28
Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
ok then - an hours entertainment on a friday night?? put top gear on.
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Message 29
Posted by Tigerredwood (U13742280) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
Hello
This week on GW we are going to fess up and show people how we spend thousands down at the garden centre and plant them in beds already dug by a squad of navvies. If there are any problems with the plants then some kind hearted person on the Garden Clinic Board will answer any queries about them. Sorted, what a great program we have now. -
Message 30
Posted by sinbad1917 (U13978774) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
Madonplants (message #26).
You use the word "teach" in your post. But this is my entire point. I don't think a one hour gardening prog should be "teaching" as such. It should be inspiring, giving ideas, pointing in the right direction.
Even with the old format, you would have to read up or practice how to do a technique or project you saw on TV correctly. After all, you can't learn completely how to do a successful graft from a short TV programme, can you?
The hanging basket with grass clippings was great, because it made me think that I might try, if not grass clippings, then something else. I like things like that because it reinforces my belief that there is never a "right" way and a "wrong" way to garden.
There is just "your" way of gardening, and hey, if it doesn't work then you just try again, and you've learned more from the experience than anyone could have "taught" you on a TV programme! -
Message 31
Posted by Madonplants (U5524817) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
I see your point Sinbad and I do agree to an extent. We want people to get outside and garden, whatever their style or pocket. I believe a TV programme like GW, should go hand in hand with a decent book(s) on the subject. Then there is the internet, if you have it. My sister is really into gardening as well, back to my Dad again, but she doesn't have the internet, so when GW says, check out the web site for further info, how can she other than at an internet cafe, which she can't afford?
I just feel that if GW has been dumbed down (hate that saying, but seems common place now) to deal with beginners, then the fundementals should be taught/shown however you want to say it, like the double digging I mentioned earlier. It could mean the life or death of a border. -
Message 32
Posted by sinbad1917 (U13978774) on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009
They have showed some soil improvement stuff (I think when they did the bee border?)
A beginner would be put off by being shown the rigours and technicalities of double digging, and an experienced gardener would just yawn through it.
So in my opinion it's better to show that soil cultivation is important, and show how to give it a "good old dig". Then if viewers want more details and want to get more advanced, they can read and find out more.
And let's face it, a "good old dig" is just as effective, most of the time, as textbook double digging!
I'm reminded of things like Alys making a coldframe from bricks and glass, Toby's sundial etc. They gave me ideas. Not necessarily for a sundial or whatever, but for making stuff out of garden tat, and trying it out. I wouldn't have been inspired like that if it was textbook step-by-step instructions on how to do a very specific project with specific materials from expensive shops using specialised tools.
Ideas and inspiration are what we want from GW, not dry, detailed lectures!
PS - I'm completely skint but I find the library is excellent for gardening books and the internet! -
Message 33
Posted by pootles magnet (U11709665) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
I do absolutely agree that there should be something for everyone - and certainly more advanced subjects for the experienced gardeners who still want to find out new stuff. But the trouble is (for me) when techniques or projects are covered in a lot of detail it takes a long time - which is fine if you are keen on the subject, but if you aren't interested in that particular subject can have you reaching to see what's on another channel, or wandering out of the room to do something more interesting.
Did you ever see that Geoff Hamilton programme that they used to repeat on UKTV Gardens, called Gardening from Scratch or something like that? He spent an entire episode putting up a short run of fencing - terribly useful as an educational DVD if you are about to put up a fence, but utterly mind-numbing for anyone else. I'd far rather see what Joe did on Gardener's World - he whizzed through the basics of what he did and although I have no interest in building a fence, it didn't take long, so I didn't mind watching him.
I guess it's tricky with advanced subjects though - because if something is more difficult it's much harder to condense and get the idea across correctly - but that doesn't mean the programme makers shouldn't try! -
Message 34
Posted by Jenks812 (U5452843) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
I agree.
The show should be more about "ideas" then "how to".
It's not an educational show. If someone really wants to know exactly how to do all the aspects of gardening in detail, they should book themselves in at a course at a school or go down to the library and get lots of excellent books.
The show should show what is possible to do in the garden.
They may spend money on plants and things, but the ethos I get from GW these days is that it's way more fun to grow plants and veg from seed and cuttings than it is to throw money at a garden centre. And in this aspect they do show us the "how-to". The "be good to your environment" aspect is very well highlighted as well which is fantastic and not something you get from a lot of other shows at the moment.
It's friday night at 8pm. It has to be entertaining to most people not interesting to a few. -
Message 35
Posted by David K (U2221642) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
I have to say, this thread has restored my faith in fellow gardening message boarders ability to discuss matters reasonably.
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Message 36
Posted by Ariadne Knickerbocker (U4534559) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
GW is total rubbish.
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Message 37
Posted by Sparky (U6716422) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
Don't hold back Eva!!
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Message 38
Posted by Madonplants (U5524817) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
Do you not think Carol is 'teaching' beginners how to do things, in her segments with the students? I think there is more 'teaching' in the programme,than you think. Like I said before, I believe there should be a balance of teaching and inspiration and tbh, I think Friday's episode was getting there.
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Message 39
Posted by mamphs (U13694955) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
I'd like to say thanks to everyone for your responses - its nice to see that people think that GW is improving.
It must be difficult for the presenters/producers to try and live up to the expectations of those who remember the Geoff Hamilton/Alan Titchmarsh/Monty Don days but also try and inspire and teach newbies like me.
I'm really pleased that they are showing how to start a garden - I've gone from having a small yard to a big three sided blank canvas of a garden with no idea of what to do in it! I've started growing some veggies (which are doing great) but I like the way they show you the kind of things that you could do with a new plot and let your imagination do it's part for the garden you have. -
Message 40
Posted by zarahb (U13922064) on Wednesday, 24th June 2009
I have decided to simply stop watching GW. It is the only way to make my voice heard. I will try watching it again when the programme is more established, maybe in August if it is on then.
There needs to be improvements made to the GW programme. Admittedly they were needed before the new garden and format. -
Message 41
Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Friday, 26th June 2009
when it is more established? personally i think due to the hot weather, gw has bolted. it needs deadheading- i do not want seeds from it. no way.
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Message 42
Posted by honestGreengrass (U11104227) on Saturday, 27th June 2009
But why haven't they mentioned the greenfly invasion?!!
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Message 43
Posted by tigerBeeBee (U11776619) on Saturday, 27th June 2009
I still find GW an enjoyable programme to watch and feel a bit miffed when it's taken off air so that sport can be shown (I'm sure there's as many keen gardeners as there are sports enthusiasts!).
However, I don't think the recent series has been as good as I initially thought it would and consider it's more like Blue Peter at times.
The old series had loads of interesting features, such as trialling different varieties of plants or veg and information on garden pests and problems. Where have these gone I wonder, and why isn't the programme telling us about some of the new products on the market for gardening? -
Message 44
Posted by blackeyedsusan (U2456655) on Tuesday, 30th June 2009
Response to message 31 - sorry somewhat late.
Tell your sister all UK libraries have free internet access/use of computers, most for an hour, with a small payment for further time on the same day. Many local authorities also have other places with free internet access.
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