TV and Radio permalink
Open Gardens
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Message 1.Â
Posted by malanD (U7337386) on Tuesday, 21st July 2009
The series is being shown on Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú2 at 12 pm everyday. It is probably a repeat.
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Message 2
Posted by jo4eyes (U13654107) on Tuesday, 21st July 2009
It is a repeat but worth watching again. About people getting their gardens accepted into the 'open gardens' scheme.
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Message 3
Posted by malanD (U7337386) on Wednesday, 22nd July 2009
I wonder why do people invite the 'experts' to view their garden during the autumn and winter knowing full well there is nothing much to look at. Gardens should be judged during the late spring or summer season to see whether it is worthy of public. Also some gardens need a lot of work and yet, the gardeners don't realise it. It is a fascinating series nevertheless.
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Message 4
Posted by gerald (U3837061) on Wednesday, 22nd July 2009
The usual deadline for getting your garden in the Yellow Book is September so all the owners who were accepted in the series knew before filming started in March 2007 that they had been accepted the year before. The Yellow book is published in February I think so they need a few months to get it sorted. The garden assessments by county organizers were all re-enacted for the cameras and were probably nothing like what was shown on tv, mine certainly wasn't. I know that some of the county organizers weren't that happy with the way they were portrayed but it was done to add a bit of tension and drama. In real life most prosepective new gardens are visited when they are at their best but the filming schedule didn't allow for this.
The series is perhaps a little misleading with regard to opening your garden for the NGS but I enjoyed taking part and it was great to see my garden on tv. -
Message 5
Posted by lilylouise (U3205282) on Wednesday, 22nd July 2009
Our county organiser and another lady visited our garden during the Summer and therefore saw it as our visitors would see it. We were accepted there and then which was great! We have opened the garden for the past 5 years now
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Message 6
Posted by malanD (U7337386) on Wednesday, 22nd July 2009
Yes, it makes sense if the county organisers see the gardens in their full glory. The series makers give a totally wrong impression.
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Message 7
Posted by Tigerredwood (U13742280) on Thursday, 23rd July 2009
Hello malanD
I've only just noticed this post and it is on Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú2 in 10 minutes.
Due to moderation it will be finished when this post comes up. -
Message 8
Posted by happytobyfan (U13663471) on Friday, 24th July 2009
The garden assessments by county organizers were all re-enacted for the cameras and were probably nothing like what was shown on tv,Â
I also love this programme - even watching the repeats. I didn't realise it was on, so thanks for that MalanD. I've often wondered, when Joe is giving his 'opinion' of what will not please the County Organizer - and is always spot on - whether it is actually 'his opinion' - or said by him with prior knowledge of what has already been commented on by the Organizer??
Also, I know it will probably never happen, but from what little snippet we always get to see of the County Organizer's gardens - I would love to see more of these. They all look stunning. -
Message 9
Posted by Sheila1 (U2826143) on Friday, 24th July 2009
A good series I agree,but why are all the gardens shown so big? They are more like small parks.
Surely there are gardens that are a more average size and in keeping with gardeners with a smaller garden.
I have friends who open their gardens and they are much smaller,and it is amazing what they have done with them in the area they have to work with. -
Message 10
Posted by Sparky (U6716422) on Friday, 24th July 2009
I took part in this series (I was on today). The filming took place on about 5 occasions from February to July - to show how the garden progressed. The county organisers were I thnk, portrayed very unfairly, they had to provide 'some jeopardy'.
Part of the criteria for the NGS is that a garden should provide about 40 minutes of interest and that would exclude a lot of small gardens unfortunately. Some villages or even streets open together to get round this. We have one village near us who have a Garden Safari with twelve gardens opening on the same day.
Although the format gets a bit tedious, I think its good program and at least we get to see some 'real' gardens! -
Message 11
Posted by Sheila1 (U2826143) on Friday, 24th July 2009
I don't agree. The 'real' gardens are those that aren't an acre or more in size. There is far more scope in a large garden,so it is good to see what can be done in
a smaller area. Forty minutes may be a target to be spent looking round a garden,but a keen gardener will spend as much time as possible in a garden
whether it is small or large. Perhaps I'm biased!
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Message 12
Posted by gerald (U3837061) on Tuesday, 28th July 2009
There are a lot of small gardens that open for the NGS. The Sunday Telegraph has a list of some of them at [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
By the way the episode with my garden is repeated this Wednesday. My garden is nearly two acres not 20 as stated in the listing and the other garden is a small garden. -
Message 13
Posted by gardenerscafe (U14061650) on Tuesday, 28th July 2009
I think any garden that is cared for is worth looking at and enjoying, maybe not for a programme though. Which is prob why the larger gardens are viewed. My garden is very large but I wouldn't open it to the public because it is personal to me, selfish maybe, but that it how I view it. And believe me large gardens are valid, especially if you are the only one looking after it. If I don't garden every day then nature takes over completely and the garden changes into prairie. It depends how much time you have relative to the size of garden I suppose and also what plants you have and how much maintenance they need.
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Message 14
Posted by malanD (U7337386) on Friday, 31st July 2009
So far in this series, all the county organisers featured have been women. Sometimes the same one appeared 2-3 times. Don't they have a single male organiser? The format is repeated in each programme and the questions are also the same. It gets boring after a while. Apart from the gardens and the owners, there is nothing new. They never show any veg garden even when they mention it in passing so to speak.
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Message 15
Posted by gerald (U3837061) on Friday, 31st July 2009
One of the Worcestershire gardens featured an assistant county organizer who is a man but since he didn't open his garden they showed him in the head county organizer's garden which was a bit strange. There were four Worcestershire gardens shown and one of them was mostly vegetables including old varieties. I don't know if these episodes have been on yet though.
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Message 16
Posted by lilylouise (U3205282) on Friday, 31st July 2009
Hello Gerald - I watched your garden on Iplayer - you have a truly beautiful garden and have worked so hard in it.It is really lovely that you share it with others - we do this too !
Pam -
Message 17
Posted by gerald (U3837061) on Friday, 31st July 2009
Thank you Pam. I've just looked at some of your photos on the July in your Garden - photos thread and your garden is beautiful too. I especially like the arbour. Hope you had a good open day.
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Message 18
Posted by lilylouise (U3205282) on Friday, 31st July 2009
We had a wonderful Open Day - 185 visitors and we raised over £650.00
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Message 19
Posted by ladynovicegardener (U5368058) on Monday, 3rd August 2009
Gerald I too watched the episode which featured you and your lovely garden. I'm delighted for you to have done so well. So many wonderful places within it to enjoy.
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Message 20
Posted by buttonupboots (U14070338) on Monday, 3rd August 2009
I agree with you Sheila. Many of the gardens shown have a backdrop of beautiful rolling countryside or a small field as part of the garden. How many people these days, particularly the younger marrieds who are, after all, the future generation of home gardeners will take an interest when they see gardens of large acreage requiring a geat deal of money to turn them into something amazing and beautiful. It isn't just the hard work that's needed
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Message 21
Posted by buttonupboots (U14070338) on Monday, 3rd August 2009
Why doesn't the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú show these small/smaller gardens as well then or doesn't that make for good TV presentation ?
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Message 22
Posted by PenylanSue (U13901201) on Monday, 3rd August 2009
Buttons, my friend in Shropshire has a tiny garden. I think she was in the first series and the county organiser that came to view has since died so don't know if they'll show that one. The problem is, tiny gardens struggle to occupy you long enough. Hers did but she had problems with parking and has now given up plus the strain of keeping her garden in good order on her own and holding down a full time job got to her in the end.
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Message 23
Posted by Sheila1 (U2826143) on Tuesday, 4th August 2009
HI again. I don't agree that you allow 40 minutes per garden. It's not the size of the garden,large or small,that takes up the time it's,for me anyway,what is in the garden plantwise and how the garden space has been utilised,so time can be as long or as short as you want it to be. I much prefer to go and view a smaller garden,which is more in keeping with my own. The bigger gardens are great but are too extravagant in every way.
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Message 24
Posted by Petalina (U13862206) on Tuesday, 4th August 2009
It is the Yellow Books rule that a garden should have 45mins interest to an average gardener.
If your garden is small, they advise you to open with one or two others nearby so that the paying public get value for money.They are very hot on health and safety, parking and they like you to do teas if possible.
I know all this as I spoke to our county organiser about it personally. I would have difficulty with my garden being on several levels and a lack of parking, I was told. Food for thought ( she was very pleasant though ) -
Message 25
Posted by PenylanSue (U13901201) on Tuesday, 4th August 2009
Sheila, I think you missed the point about 40 minutes. It is just a criteria or guideline. I've visited lots of NGS gardens, many of them very tiny indeed. It is very difficult to get into some of them because they are so small. One in Newcastle Under Lyme was so tiny we were all shuffling round one another and it was really funny. People were queuing to get in. She had featured on Open Gardens, in the first series, I think. She did however have lots to look at and I didn't mind driving 60 odd miles to look at it. I did have a list of several for the day which I think is the best way to do it.
She had no room though to serve drinks or sell plants which is another aspect of money raising which is what the NGS is for, remember, and she had to set up her admission table on the pavement and maybe her neighbours might not have liked that.
If you get chance to see the series again then look a little more closely at the boundaries 'cause I think you'll find a lot of the gardens where actually smaller than the camera angles gave an impression of.
Personally, I want to see big gardens. I like to see herbaceous borders in all their finery unlike my poor efforts at home. I am lucky enough to have quarter of an acre now. My biggest garden yet.
Sue -
Message 26
Posted by malanD (U7337386) on Wednesday, 5th August 2009
I wonder when the open gardeners sell plants on the day, where do they get plants from? They may propagte from their stock and so sell their own plants, I would guess that it becomes a major time consuming hobby. They also must keep the garden looking presentable and maintain the upkeep of the garden.
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Message 27
Posted by lilylouise (U3205282) on Wednesday, 5th August 2009
Our garden is not large - approx. 39'x 27' at the front and 80' x 35' at the back.We have 2 arbours and 2 benches in the garden but that isn't enough seating space on Open Day so our neighbours kindly lets us put 3 tables and lots of chairs in their driveway so that our visitors can enjoy their tea and cake.We also put the 'gate' table just outside our garden - we are lucky enough to have a bit of space there.We don't sell plants but I willingly give away cuttings
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Message 28
Posted by Sheila1 (U2826143) on Wednesday, 5th August 2009
Hi Sue. Thank you for your response,which I read with interest,and take your point. I have taken in to account that the camera work can alter things,but I still feel the gardens being shown are too grand for people with gardens that are smaller,and can be putting them off from perhaps having a go themselves. The small garden you described surprised me that it ever got into the Yellow Book. It didn't sound as it suited the standards needed at all. I do enjoy going round all sorts of gardens. My last garden was a 1/4 of an acre,and this one is slightly smaller I love it and spend as much time as possible in it. Weather permitting,of course.
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Message 29
Posted by Richardf77 (U2391775) on Thursday, 6th August 2009
Due to the dearth of gardening or any other decent TV programmes at the moment, I have found myself 'sky plusing' it just for something to watch that is vaguely gardening related. That said, even though its a repeated series many of the gardens and garden owners are coming back fresh.
Having done many NGS visits since the series was first shown, it is even more interesting than when i saw the programmes before.
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