The narrative in my head is that some poor long suffering wife is sick to death of just having a lawn and annuals, asked if they could watch gardeners world, and he wanted to use this thread as “evidence” that any other way than his way is bad.
Asking for opinions on the points you raised in your OP and you got them, which now appears much to your dissatisfaction.. every other member has been nothing but civil in the discussion and now you are insulting female viewers..
My very least favourite style of garden is a 'perfect' lawn (usually achieved using Feed & Weed or other chemicals) surrounded by 'lollipopped' shrubs and neatly spaced annual 'bedding plants' in (not so glorious) technicolour. Give me a bit of grass with some daisies and orchids in, surrounded by informal borders of trees, naturally shaped shrubs and perennials (carelessly growing through and up each other) - every time. For me a garden is a space which is just on the tamed side of wild.
Poor old MD - I think he seems like a really engaging, friendly and approachable chap.The sort of person I'd enjoy wandering round the garden with - pot of tea in hand - talking plants and pets. That doesn't mean I "fancy" him (how teenage does that sound?) - it just means I find his personality and style of presenting far more to my taste than a lot of other presenters.
For some reason some males seem to find that a bit intimidating.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I'm proud to have a garden which the OP would certainly describe as "scruffy". I can't grow bedding or sun-loving perennials even if I wanted to; my steeply sloping, damp & shady garden is allowed to tell me what wants to grow where. I spend a lot of time looking at the plants, moving them if they don't look happy or are outgrowing their space, but let them intermingle if they want. I'm often surprised by the diversity of wildlife (insects, toads, birds etc) in the garden. I also have fruit and veg (in the sunnier bit), grown much less "scruffily".
I've never thought of Monty as "eye candy". Isn't that as demeaning as men treating women as sex objects? And his garden is really interesting - generally a geometric structure, with loose and exciting planting within it.
I really admire very neat, formal gardens (like parterres or knot gardens) but I can't think of anything worse than having to maintain one!
What a good thing we're not all the same...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
At the risk of adding fuel to the fire, I'd think it factually accurate to say that most of Monty's fan base is A: female, and B, "of a certain age". if that's considered sexist, so be it. In saying that I'm sure many just find him engaging, charming and on their wavelength. I'm sure few actually " fancy " him. I've yet to come across a man who finds him "intimidating" in any way. I think Chicky went to one of his talks, I wander what the audience make up was like?
@LG - my big sister, when aged 3, startled some elderly visitors in a National Trust garden, by exclaiming "Look Daddy, it's Ceratostigma willmottianum!"
He always told us the botanical names of plants in the garden at home, & she'd recognised it from there...
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Blimey, I went out for the day and this thread has gone in some very strange directions. Can I just thank those of you who posted your takes on latin/botanic names. I was just interested in whether there was a standard way of learning about new plants, like learning scales in music, but it sounds like there's not. Good advice to take it easy and just google what you're interested in. I've no opinion on Monty's attractiveness to anyone.
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
At the risk of adding fuel to the fire, I'd think it factually accurate to say that most of Monty's fan base is A: female, and B, "of a certain age". ...
I think that's probably a pretty large proportion of UK gardeners so hardly surprising that they're watching GW ... I seem to remember similar aspersions being cast at GW viewers when Alan T was presenting ... hence that well known supposed quip by Her Majesty
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
In the sticks near Peterborough
My very least favourite style of garden is a 'perfect' lawn (usually achieved using Feed & Weed or other chemicals) surrounded by 'lollipopped' shrubs and neatly spaced annual 'bedding plants' in (not so glorious) technicolour. Give me a bit of grass with some daisies and orchids in, surrounded by informal borders of trees, naturally shaped shrubs and perennials (carelessly growing through and up each other) - every time. For me a garden is a space which is just on the tamed side of wild.
Poor old MD - I think he seems like a really engaging, friendly and approachable chap.The sort of person I'd enjoy wandering round the garden with - pot of tea in hand - talking plants and pets. That doesn't mean I "fancy" him (how teenage does that sound?) - it just means I find his personality and style of presenting far more to my taste than a lot of other presenters.
For some reason some males seem to find that a bit intimidating.
I've never thought of Monty as "eye candy". Isn't that as demeaning as men treating women as sex objects? And his garden is really interesting - generally a geometric structure, with loose and exciting planting within it.
I really admire very neat, formal gardens (like parterres or knot gardens) but I can't think of anything worse than having to maintain one!
What a good thing we're not all the same...
In saying that I'm sure many just find him engaging, charming and on their wavelength. I'm sure few actually " fancy " him.
I've yet to come across a man who finds him "intimidating" in any way.
I think Chicky went to one of his talks, I wander what the audience make up was like?
He always told us the botanical names of plants in the garden at home, & she'd recognised it from there...
http://theseedsite.co.uk/latin.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.