Whether his plants do grow as tall as he said or not - he does have high hedges to shelter his plants, producing conditions that most of us cannot manage and he does use a lot of mulch and compost producing ideal conditions for growing. We don't have the space and are not so well organized to have as many composting bays as he appears to have. However we can all aspire to work towards the ideal - the fun is in trying to achieve the best conditions possible.
I don't always agree with Monty & I have had my criticisms of him, but on the subject of him being an Amateur I think this is a bit unfair. He openly admits he does not hold a formal horticultural qualification but he is on record saying that he has his own extensive library of texts and he has studied the subject extensively in his own way. It may be semantics but as he earns a living through Gardening & writing about gardening he is, by definition, a professional. There are many Amateurs that have a particular interest in certain plants or families of plants indeed some of them hold national collections & are recognised as the go to experts in their subject. Equally there are many so called professional gardeners (i.e. they earn a living through gardening) that know far less. When I retired from my main career I went to college & completed the RHS level 2 diploma in horticulture- for my own interest, would I say that I know more than Monty? would I call myself a professional gardener? -NO.
Just read this thread whilst taking a break from the rain. Why always the rain on Sunday? It’ll be nice tomorrow no doubt when I’m at work....
I’ve only known GW with Monty and whilst I’ve loved it mostly, for me the 1 hour is too long and filled out with a bit of rubbish IMHO sometimes. I’d rather just watch Monty for 30 mins or 30 mins of better quality. When I’m working I can’t find the time to watch 1 hour when I should be out gardening!
I just watched 5-6 in a row this weekend to catch up (yet to see the last one, I’ll save that one to savour) which I’m aware many - incl Monty - think is shocking as it’s meant to be a live event! Only advantage is I can fast forward thru the boring fillers.
I do however like some of the Nick Bailey bits and absolutely loved seeing Adam Frost in his own new garden.
Dare I say it (whisper), perhaps it’s time for a change - move GW to Adam’s garden and ditch the fillers. Lovely as Monty is I’m not convinced he enjoys having us round every week anymore, a bit like Daniel Craig in Bond. Time to move along so we can see Adam’s garden take shape for a few years? There’s a lot of scope / things to see there.
I've had my fingers crossed for ages that he will succeed Monty. After all, apart from being an accessible presenter with an interesting garden, he trained with the best - worked for GH at Barnsdale.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I sometimes get that feeling too @8000wildflowers . Understandably, some weeks l think l can detect the slightest note of exasperation in his voice when he says, "Hello, and welcome to GW". Like every job, there are days when you just can't summon up any enthusiasm, and it is his own garden after all. There must be a part of him that thinks maybe it's time to hang up his public hat as it were, and just carry on in his own way without a camera crew. I know he gets paid for it, but there comes a time when you think "enough is enough". I think a change would be good *joins 8000wildflowers in trench with hard hat*
Ah, I absolutely love Monty. But I also love Adam, think he’s wonderful, and have thoroughly enjoyed the segments in his garden. He’s certainly my vote to succeed Monty, although I hope that day is a long way away...
On a different note, I’ve finally got round to watching the final episode. (I’m normally around a week behind...) I can’t remember who was disparaging him, but I flipping love the apple guy! I love seeing people who are passionate and knowledgable about something, and I thought he was wonderfully geeky about his chosen obsession. Big fan, would love to talk apples and grafting with him.
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Seeyas.
I’ve only known GW with Monty and whilst I’ve loved it mostly, for me the 1 hour is too long and filled out with a bit of rubbish IMHO sometimes. I’d rather just watch Monty for 30 mins or 30 mins of better quality. When I’m working I can’t find the time to watch 1 hour when I should be out gardening!
I just watched 5-6 in a row this weekend to catch up (yet to see the last one, I’ll save that one to savour) which I’m aware many - incl Monty - think is shocking as it’s meant to be a live event! Only advantage is I can fast forward thru the boring fillers.
I do however like some of the Nick Bailey bits and absolutely loved seeing Adam Frost in his own new garden.
Dare I say it (whisper), perhaps it’s time for a change - move GW to Adam’s garden and ditch the fillers. Lovely as Monty is I’m not convinced he enjoys having us round every week anymore, a bit like Daniel Craig in Bond. Time to move along so we can see Adam’s garden take shape for a few years? There’s a lot of scope / things to see there.
I’ll get my hard hat ready for the responses
I’ll get the wine
On a different note, I’ve finally got round to watching the final episode. (I’m normally around a week behind...) I can’t remember who was disparaging him, but I flipping love the apple guy! I love seeing people who are passionate and knowledgable about something, and I thought he was wonderfully geeky about his chosen obsession. Big fan, would love to talk apples and grafting with him.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...