I'm bored by American television shows on gardening. Can you recommend your favorites from non-U.S. countries?
What are your favorite gardening tv shows?
Apparently the EU doesn't have any....I don't have cable, so I have access to 0 gardening shows.
I like to see Gardenersworld at 8:30 pm and at 8:00 pm Christine's Garden at BBC2 every fridayevening. Overhere in Netherlands we don't have any gardeningprogram...arggg..it's a shame.
Edited to ad http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/tv_and_radio/gardeners_world/index.shtml
This message was edited Mar 23, 2007 2:29 PM
Thank you, Saya! I'll see if I can get hold of those programs from here.
It's one of my big bug bears our gardening programes here.
On main stream t.v we only have a couple a week, and those are always the first things to be taken off air at the least excuse off for sport etc...
we have no end of programs on how to buy and sell houses to make a profit, beat burglurs, not to mentions endless hours of sport!!..aaarrgghhh....
I always thought that gardening was a popular pastime, but that doesn't seem to be reflected in the amount of viewing hours allocated to us amateurs/enthusiasts.
There is a whole channel devoted to supposed gardening (but which often includes bird watching, counbtry houses?)and it's quite nice to see old Gardeners worlds, but some of the so called popular programs aimed at gardeners are rubbish!!.....asking silly questions to win plants etc..
Oh no, Sueone! I used to live in the U.K. That's where I fell in love with Ground Force (and Alan Titchmarsh)... I was hoping to hear that you've got some great new programs to share wtih us.
I'd be willing to bet that your programs are still much better than the American ones.
Sueone...I don't know if I've understand it wright : it is'nt possible for you to see the programs I've mentioned ??? Overhere it is nearly the same situation...probably more worse.. On Dutch tv there is a 'gardening' program that has nothing to do with gardening but only with buying trendy expensive things (not even plants)...of course the program is sponsored by the Dutch biggest 'gardening' warehouse...It's a shame...also...many cultural programs are broadcast after midnight..Recently I've listened and looked at concerts of Mahler conducted by Bernhard Haitink in honour of his 50 years anniversary as conductor...it is very fascinating and moving to see him.. but it was broadcasted on tv at 1:00 am...Since I have no recorder...well...
Football (prof) is the most 'important' item to broadcast..aaargh..I think you'ld better not know what I think about prof football. It's very sad there's even no attention (not even in the news) for (the opening of) Keukenhof..
I enjoy looking Christine and Gardeners World very much..they make me so enthousiastic that I like to run in my garden and start working immediate after the program..but..ooohh it's a pity it's nearly bedtime when it's broadcasted.
Saya, i love Christines garden too, and Gardeners World, Friday evening is my favourite, I make sure that i settle down ready to watch...then am so relaxed,I promptly fall asleep!!...and wake up just as the theme tune at the end of Gardeners World plays out...I now get the programs recorded so that i can watch the bits where my eyes closed!!...LOL
I also liked the one with Carol klein about veg growing, I like down to earth people, not poncy folks that prim and prance around.
Thats what I like about christine, when she runs around her garden with sheer joy, talks about the magic of spring, and new things bursting up from the ground every day...it is magic, it does fill your heart, she captures that feeling brilliantly.
wrightie, it's still the same old, but they are at least aimed at gardeners proper. Alan Titmarch did a series also about being a gardener (aimed I think at beginners) but that was quite informative too. I have seen a couple of American ones on the Sky channels here, and I must admit they were on par with some of our more 'low brow' gardening ones here.
What amazes me though is that the Government etc keep banging on about people/children eating healthy, 5 fruit or veg a day etc, so why isn't pastimes like gardening being more heavily promoted? Why aren't children taught about how and where fruit and veg come from?
At least now gardening/gardeners are becoming the new 'designers' it's a bit more trendy to grow your own food, our allotment has a waiting list (don't think thats happened in a while)
Things like haveing a professional designer in to do your garden was only for the rich and famous, but now more 'ordinary' folks are using them. So now maybe younger folks will not see gardening as that old fuddy duddy sort of profession, but one worth entering...here I'll step off my soap box!
I liked Alan Tichmarsh's gardening programmes except for Ground Force. I'm not into instant gardening. He can be a bit annoying when he is being a cheeky chappy presenter, but when he's talking about and doing gardening he knows what he is talking about.
I like Carol Kline, but cringe when I see her being oozingly enthusiastic about everything on her new programme, and it isn't even very informative for new gardeners.
I'm afraid most of them get on my nerves at the moment, but I do put Gardener's World on on Fridays and try not to get wound up by the presenters. I have to remind myself that it isn't proper gardening and if the director wants them to talk to camera from the middle of a freshly dug bed, then that is what they have to do, likewise flailing about with a spade in order to look animated. Sorry, I've gone into grumpy old lady mode again.
I feel the same like Patbarr. I'll join you in the grumpy old lady mode!
There are no gardening programs worth the name in my country.
I tried to watch the British programs for a while, but soon got tired of the way they are presented. It seems to be 'en vogue' to present in a exalted, out-of-proportion 'enthusiasm'. I find it very tiring.
There are also too many off the road subjects, that drift away from gardening, too much little talk, in short not very informative and rather chaotic, jumping from one isue into another, never going deep into a subject. It's very frustrating so I gave up!
UGH... You have to be kidding me. Gardening seems to be so much more popular in the UK/Europe compared to the States. I'll bet that your programmes are still better than ours... Ugh.
Well, I've been in England for the past couple of weeks and I've been watching some of the programs on uktv gardens. It's great to finally see some garden-related shows, but I must admit that some of the gimmicks are a wee bit tiring.
I said it before and I'll say it again, I miss the old Ground Force with Titchmarsh hosting!
I love gardeners question time, but its a radio programme http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/gqt/
Gardeners World used to be good when Alan Titchmarsh used to present it........ but now Monty Don is doing it, i think its nowhere near as good now!!!
Ground Force was ok but too much messing around on there to take it seriously!
The best programme and the most informative was The Flying Gardener, presented by Chris Beardshaw.......... Excellent programme.
Mark
Sheesh. I've never heard of Flying Gardener... now how am I going to get my paws on that one from Stateside?
Maybe, they do DVD's of it over there........... I know they do here!!!
'The Flying Gardener' ........... look it up on google or something, you never know.
I'm with Biscombe on the Radio 4 offering!! Always interesting and never long enough for me...they could go one all day with it and I would have it on the headphones whilst wasting zero precious gardening minutes!!!!
I'm another Gardeners Question Time listener. I was surprised to learn that UK was practically the same zone as where I am, so I recognize a lot of the same plants. (It doesn't get as warm in the UK as it does in Georgia, ofcourse).
I used to like Channel 4 Garden Club, but it stopped years ago. Roy Lancaster has so much enthusiasm and depth of knowledge.
I enjoyed some of the coverage from Chelsea this year, and also like the Flying Gardener.
The gardens are getting too weird for me now on the Chelsea Flower show............ they seem to be getting too modern, if you know what i mean..........
It used to be about plants etc, but now its more about stupid concrete or metal structures............ YUCK
Yes, I agree some are a bit light on plants - but I think the best gardens have the juxtaposition of hard landscaping and planting. A question of balance, so some have tipped over the edge towards the structures.
Still plenty of plants there though ;o)
Yes, didn't that giant metal sculpture win first prize of some sort this year? I cannot remember what it was now. A "flower" in bloom?
The thing that infuriates me when watching gardening programmes is the arty close ups zooming in on bits of plants and then whizzing off to another bit of the display so that you don't get to know the name of the plants you are looking at, or see enough of the display to appreciate what the designer is trying to do.
There were some lovely displays at the NEC Gardeners World Live show, quite a few very natural, but very cleverly themed colours, and then there were one or two quite high profile ones that had spent vast amounts of money on the hard landscaping and as you say the plants were a secondary consideration. The Gardeners World garden designed by Joe Swift was quite nicely done with a fairly simple colour scheme picked out with some bright oranges and reds and linked by a curved wall. I didn't meet Monty Don though!
Something else I got really cross about the people manning some of the displays hadn't a clue what they were talking about, they didn't know the what names of the lettuce etc. were and one man was trying to tell me that Chinese Mustard -Red Russian was a Pak Choi, and then on the next one a woman (who had quite a lot to say when the show was aired on TV) was showing us a very nice ornamental black maize saying it was millet like the budgies eat and then going on to say that what was obviously the pollen was the seeds.
One stand was selling a compost made from composted sheep's wool and bracken and it looked very good stuff. I'm going to try a bag. Apparently because we buy all our wool products cheaply from abroad the farmers here don't get enough for their wool to make it worthwhile selling it, so they have thought up other uses for it, and this product is straight from the farm in Cumbria. On the subject of wool, if you collect it from the fences when you go walking it makes a very good water retaining lining for hanging baskets, but the birds sometimes borrow a bit for their nests.
I think I'm beginning to ramble so if it has stopped raining I'll go in the garden for some fresh air!
Gosh it does not sound as though you gardeners are very well catered for over there.....here in ozz we have an abundance of garden shows.....on the ABC there is" Gardening Australia"......the presenter is 80 years young and came from England when a young fella he is a wealth of experience and knowledge ......he looks to be at least twenty years younger and is bright eyed and full of energy and the love of gardening."Better Homes and Gardens" is a very good gardening and general home show."Verisi's Garden " is fantastic...a Greek Guy takes us around to all the Ethnic backyards
where we are shown not only the wonderful bounty you can have in your own back yard ....and we learn from the owners any tricks ... we are treated to singing and feasting and cooking and preserving all the wonderful fruit and veg.....it is a shame we don't all garden like this! Those folk hardly have to buy a thing in the fruit shop.Then there are "the Garden Gurus" telling us which plants are the newest things in the shops and wether they are good or bad.
On Foxtel pay TV we are lucky enough to have all the British shows and a lot of American ones too.They are very good and it is wonderful to see all the different ....plants and Flora.But on the whole I think our programs seem to be more hands on and practical.We also have three hours of gardening on our radio every Sat and Sun...starting at 6 am and through to 9am ...full of great info but mostly answering questions...run by a family team for over twenty years...the highest rating radio program of the weekend
there are also other gardening programs on the radio if you search around.On the whole we are well catered for.For those that can tune in to radio World Wide the radio station is 2GB.:)
Great thread but don't get me started on the standard of gardening shows here...! I'm hearilty sick of shows that seem to cater for the absolute beginner - I mean how many times do we need to be shown how to plant up a hanging basket. The shows here are numerous (we have a whole Sky channel devoted to gardening but the quality is poor). There seems to be a plethora of shows that constantly have to ask what so called "celebrities" think. Coverage of events like the Chelsea Flower Show and Gardeners World Live just concentrate on talking heads instead of showing the exhibits and plants! If I can't get to the shows I want to see what I'm missing! I like to see shows featuring gardens (either public or private) to show us what is in season, what's new and what we can adapt for our own gardens. Not too much to ask is it?
Yes, Galanthophile, I agree!
I quite agree, we are given "celebrities" with an interest in gardening and not much knowledge to back it up and strange arty photography and filming that flits about and zooms in blurring most of what you are trying to look at without telling you the varieties or names of the plants or showing you the full picture. It can't be too difficult to show the plants and tell you what they are. They don't even have to have presenters in the picture at all. ~They could just have a knowledgeable gardener giving us extra information off camera at these shows. Think how much they could save, and they could have good experienced gardeners demonstrating how to garden (not that daft Christine). It would be much more plausible and less irritating than having people posing in the middle of flower beds. I must say that I do like watching Alan Titchmarsh when he is doing real gardening as he knows what he is talking about, but he has moved on to other things now.
Going away from the topic slightly, I did notice that a lot of the gardens at the shows this year would be absolute death traps in a real garden, with precipitous drops from seating areas, and rills next to narrow paths which would be invisible when the plants grew a bit. I thought at the time when Alan Titchmarsh designed that garden for Nelson Mandela that the rill running through the centre was rather dangerous for an elderly gentleman with failing eyesight to negotiate. There were also rather a lot of mirrors included in a lot of show gardens too, which while great for giving the illusion of space are death traps for birds flying through the garden.
I watched as many gardening programs as I could while in England a few months back and I agree with all of the comments on them. Still ... I think that they far surpass the US programming, if you can believe that! Yikes.
Oh you're so right about those deathtraps, Patbarr. I've always wanted Ground Force to go back and do an "After" program, so that we could see how the gardens changed over the years, whether the owners were able to keep them up, and how well they stood the test of time.
Yes, the decking has probably all gone rotten and fallen down by now.
There have been some Ground Force shows that have revisted gardens about a year later and that is very interesting as a garden is a living and changing space and not just for an exhibition! Some of the designer ideas are just plain daft! My favourite TV gardener was Geoff Hamilton - a real practical hands on type of guy and sadly missed.
Geoff Hamilton was an amazing guy.............. I agree, he was a very hands on and practical guy. Thank god i don't have to cope with the soil he used to garden with.