I do have a large dose of cynicism regarding the show gardens with exhibitors stretching the boundaries of practicality,appreciate it's a showcase for design and new ideas which I don't take issue with.
However we have Monty Don's "dog friendly" garden with numerous plants that are poisonous/ harmful to dogs with the " I have these plants in my own garden without issues" as a justification for inclusion which is not the remit and undoubtedly influence others to include these in their own "dog friendly gardens" with perhaps more serious consequences. The clue Monty is in the name of the garden! Undoubtedly these plants have been included to satisfy the aesthetic and design elements and stuff the remit!
Onto the Avande Intelligent garden, where AI is supposedly used to monitor soil and plant health and weather conditions, just in case you don't notice it's raining! This is so removed from the real world and the practicalities and budgets of the the rest of us to be laughable. Oh and unless I misheard it is supposed to replicate the conditions of a woodland floor , the plants used would not last or thrive in these dry deep shade conditions, but suppose this is where AI comes in to tell me they are dying! And was that a Gunnera I spotted, may have been a Rheum but reminder to the RHS it is illegal to sell or plant Gunnera.
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I went to Chelski for the first time a couple of years ago after winning tickets from the Tree Warden scheme. Over priced & drunken Knobs everywhere we went. Missus & I are Steampunks & went dressed in our finery, to attract attenion & it worked, we were invited into the M&G garden (No access for mere mortals normally) That garden along with some do highlight environmental issues. But you are right Peter, these 'show' gardens are nothing like you would find or even acheive in the real world. Every year after this, clients say 'but it works at Chelsea' We were talking about going to Hampton Court (not too far from us) but at £35 a ticket & then rip off prices inside, again they are out of the reach of most!
I didn't notice, but doesn't surprise me in the slightest if there were toxic-to-dogs plants in Monty Don's Dog Garden. I personally don't rate him as a gardener and stopped watching Gardener's World years ago. He just goes over the same things every year and there are loads of plants he doesn't touch on at all. He often gives questionable advice on the show, and I do wonder if he has shares in a quarry, the amount of 'grit' he uses in everything! I felt he spouted a lot of nonsense on the Chelsea coverage and I was irritated by him talking over the other presenters.
Do we get a Cat Garden next year....may I suggest a lot of Nepeta surrounding a gigantic bird table? lol
I only watched it briefly this year. I thought the production was pretentious. Its a great show case for the industry as whole.
The gardens I liken to concept cars.
I've lost interest in gardens world etc over the years. Because well monty isn't really a gardener is he. He's a tv presenter an amuteur gardener at best. In scruffy tramp over sized suits. Not like the legend that is Titchmarsh who has actually worked in the industry.
Titchmarsh wasn't a gardener! If it's a plant buy a specimen, if it isn't a plant, paint it blue!
If they want to use AI, maybe they could generate an AI Geoff Hamilton.
Percy Thrower for us oldies
Hey, No knocking the Titchmarsh he's my gardening hero.
Look him up. Gardening Appreciate at 15 blah blah blah.
When I did my RHS courses, turn of the century, my tutor told us she had been at college with Titchmarsh, so quite a while back. I can't remember where, but all she had to say about Titchmarsh was the only thing he was interested in was promoting himself. No change there.
Everythings subjective.
He pricked my interest as a teen talking about aquilegia's. His book 'how to be a gardener' was the first gardening book I read and memorised when I started taking gardening seriously as a career in my 20s.
Anyone seen his qoute, 'Gardening is really f*king boring'? Made me laugh.
Ive heard He's not a nice guy, but yet he still inspired me.
He's only worth ten million, what a wanker aye.
beech grove is better than gardeners world. went off Tichmarch years ago when he was showing viewers how to prune a apple tree there was about 6 of them at it then they cut away then came back to it in the program and said that did not take long did it