[Gary Sparrow]

This series has been woeful so far.

I much prefer Toby's style.

[abip]

awww, i love carol!

i want to come and sort my garden out!

but pleased to see a 'proper' gardeners world again.

[ladygardener]

He's being paid to just do his own garden like he's always done it.

My thoughts exactly, although my OH reckons he's getting paid so that he can pay other people to help him with his garden, especially as he admits himself he has no training in gardening at all. How can he tell us what to do?

I find him mind numbingly boring and condescending to the viewers,as well as delighting in showing off his exceedingly large garden. Notice his reference last week to the fact he and his wife were jewellers. As they apprently went bust, how can he afford such a house and garden? From his own book The Jewel Garden, an autobiographical book written with his wife. “We were lambs to the slaughter and we lost everything, we lost our house, our business. We sold every stick of furniture we had at Leominster market,” he wrote. He was unemployed from 1991 to 1993.

Perhaps a programme advising us how we can go from not being unemployed without a house or even a stick of furniture to owning a mansion with acres of land might be an idea.

[mossy2103]

Originally Posted by ladygardener

My thoughts exactly, although my OH reckons he's getting paid so that he can pay other people to help him with his garden,

Even though there is no proof of that.

especially as he admits himself he has no training in gardening at all. How can he tell us what to do?

Because he might be self-taught over many years, and as such is eminently qualified by way of experience (amateurs can be good gardeners, they don't always need horticultural qualifications to know what works, what doesn't, what conditions a plant likes and how to lay a new lawn)? And because he is President of The Soil Association?

[salthepal]

Please someone, buy him a belt - the posey braces are very irritating.

[scotch]

I think he's been looking quite ill all series, hope he is ok. I'm enjoying this series, had to abandon last years shambles with Alyse and Toby

[Granny McSmith]

Originally Posted by scotch

I think he's been looking quite ill all series, hope he is ok. I'm enjoying this series, had to abandon last years shambles with Alyse and Toby

He seems OK to me.

I like Monty's style, I find him quite inspiring. Is it me or does he seem more relaxed than he was before his illness?

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this series so far, long may he continue.

It's unmissable for me now, whereas I gave up watching last year.

[Mystic Dave]

Monty is excellent - casual but informative, especially as I was about to cut my rhubarb and will be putting the spuds in shortly.

[Camino]

Originally Posted by Mystic Dave

Monty is excellent - casual but informative, especially as I was about to cut my rhubarb and will be putting the spuds in shortly.

he's great and i like the braces

[teabag444]

I don't like him at all. Much rather watch Alan Titchmarch in his new series "Love your garden". Always gives good advice at the right time.

[Virgin Queen]

I know he's been back a while now, but I'd just like to say how much I enjoy Monty Don. I hope he'll be with us for many, many years to come.
He's so knowledgeable and informative and doesn't pretend that it's all more difficult than it really is.

[mossy2103]

And he's not afraid to show the failures either.

[Camino]

Originally Posted by Virgin Queen

I know he's been back a while now, but I'd just like to say how much I enjoy Monty Don. I hope he'll be with us for many, many years to come.
He's so knowledgeable and informative and doesn't pretend that it's all more difficult than it really is.

i agree

[F1Ken]

I thought I would use this thread for 2013. I thought Fridays program was good. It's really back to it's best now after the terrible Greenacre era.

It really still is the only proper gardening program on TV and it's still popular Fridays episode got 2.24m (9.2%). That's good basically. Should add a few viewers when the officials come out.

Ken

[BellaRosa]

I only started watching this programme about a year ago and really enjoy it. The only thing is I wish they would do is small gardens.

Trouble is they think a small garden is just over an acre Mine is a postage stamp So I try to minimize what they do

[ladygardener]

Trouble is they think a small garden is just over an acre

That's because they use Monty Don's garden and he's got no idea that the majority of people in the UK have postage stamp gardens. I haven't watched it for ages now as I can't stand MD and until he goes I won't watch it again. The viewing figures are woeful compared with pre MD and the BBC knows it, but choose to ignore the facts. Any other programme losing viewers like this one has, would have been taken off air by now or completely re-vamped.

[mossy2103]

Although his garden is large, it is divided up into specific types of garden, so in truth there is a garden there that in one way or another relates to most gardens (regardless of size, situation or aspect).

As for viewing figures - yes back in the days of Alan Titchmarsh 4 million was the norm (I cannot remember the percentage share though). But in common with other programmes, as more channels become available, as more ways of watching and timeshifting become available, so the headline overnights drop.
What are the consolidated figures (taking into account timeshifts)? I don't know. How many people now watch on iPlayer (and thus don't appear in the overnights or consolidated figures)? Again I don't know. But one thing is for sure, don't home in on the overnights and use that as the sole evidence.

And yes, the BBC did try several new formats since the days of Alan Titchmarsh - all were almost universally derided and caused viewers to switch off. At least they have had the sense to return to basics, and drastically reduce the amount of time devoted to those who see a garden as another room to your hose (and furnish it accordingly). And cut out the gimmicks and arty camera work that pervaded some of its earlier efforts.

[nanscombe]

Originally Posted by ladygardener

... I haven't watched it for ages now as I can't stand MD and until he goes I won't watch it again...

I dare say your absence has probably been outweighed by the people who have returned since Toby left.

Originally Posted by ladygardener

That's because they use Monty Don's garden and he's got no idea that the majority of people in the UK have postage stamp gardens.

But the ideas are there. Putting in a smaller version of a border, with the same sort of plants, or a couple of fruit bushes or a single tree rather than an entire fruit cage worth.

They may have the space to put in half a dozen raised beds but that doesn't mean that people couldn't put in one or two themselves as the principles are the same.

Like a lot of these sort of programmes it's probably more about getting ideas and scaling to fit your own plot.


Nice to see Nigel (the dog) looking more like his old self.

I think Monty was surprised by the interest in the lovely Nigel. Poor thing, chasing a ball with too much enthusiasm (Nigel, not Monty) and a nasty back injury. Can't be easy asking a lab/retreiver to rest quietly while they recover!

[oldhag]

I go crazy when I hear MD mention 'Longmeadow' and his 'Jewel Garden,' he manages to do this at least three times a show - so I can't watch anymore.

I'm not missing anything. They don't show you anything useful or clever. They'll spend a good ten minutes showing you how to take a garden centre bought plant out of its pot and put it into a flower bed!

[mossy2103]

Originally Posted by oldhag

I go crazy when I hear MD mention 'Longmeadow' and his 'Jewel Garden,' he manages to do this at least three times a show - so I can't watch anymore.

I'm not missing anything.

Erm, I think that you are ...

They don't show you anything useful or clever. They'll spend a good ten minutes showing you how to take a garden centre bought plant out of its pot and put it into a flower bed!

Perhaps you should actually watch then rather than assume, as you are wrong!

[nanscombe]

Wasn't it Toby that used to spend ten minutes explaining how he bought something in the garden centre?

Perhaps people watching aren't capable of sowing and growing their own plant to such a size before planting it out. Or they just have some money to spend and no time to grow it themselves.

[mossy2103]

Originally Posted by nanscombe

Wasn't it Toby that used to spend ten minutes explaining how he bought something in the garden centre?

Yep. And in one programme he mentioned that the potted spring bulbs (I think they were) the he was planting cost around £15

Of course, he could simply have demonstrated potting up your own bulbs in the Autumn for maybe £3 or so!

[Doghouse Riley]

Originally Posted by mossy2103

Yep. And in one programme he mentioned that the potted spring bulbs (I think they were) the he was planting cost around £15

Of course, he could simply have demonstrated potting up your own bulbs in the Autumn for maybe £3 or so!

As with many programmes, the target audience isn't just those who are interested in "getting their hands dirty" so to speak, similarly as are programmes about looking for houses, (most of those shown are way beyond the financial resources of the average house hunter but people still watch them).
To be honest, I rarely watch the programme as with a long established, low maintenance garden, closely stocked with assorted perennials, there's not much that would interest me.

Garden centres historically are patronised, mostly by those who want to see instant results, they're not really interested in propagation. I guess that's the considered opinion of some programme makers.

[mossy2103]

Good points, but to me that segment was rather too jarring, not only when Toby's predecessors (Monty Don, Alan T, and Geoff Hamilton) were all for planting up things yourself to save money, but when it seemed to take what should have been a down-to-earth gardening programme into expensive makeover territory. As I recall there wasn't even a nod to the fact that he/we could have planted up the bulbs the previous year to save money.

It was something that seemed to typify the jazzed-up approach at that time. Style over substance.

[HHGTTG]

My Béte noir is dyed hair and, if I remember correctly MD had a fine showing of such hirsuit appendage - and it's ridiculous.
When I walk my local hight street I am always on the lookout for women and men wearing wigs and those who sport heavily dyed hair against ageing skin.
I'm quite safe, otherwise.