I met CK on many occasions when she used to exhibit at Hampton Court and not only did she always recognise me , but often asked how the plants were which I'd bought the previous year . I found her a delight. I have, however, heard she can be "difficult" to work for, but I've heard exactly the same from some who have worked with Monty Don . Maybe those who complain just were not up to scratch? who knows?
It seems to me that it is only people who are good at what they do who are described as difficult to work with. In my working life, it always surprised me when I heard how lovely certain colleagues were to work with. They always seemed to be the ones with very little talent.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Glad to see that my little offering has stimulated discussion even if most of it seems to be criticizing my choice of words. As someone who started to learn the binomial nomenclature over sixty years ago, I'm well aware of it's plus points - but I'm not so certain of Ms. Klein's "fizzy" use of them - especially on a programme styled as G.W. is. During my interview with dear old Frank Knight (oh name dropper!) he asked me what periodicals I read "Oh, The Garden News Sir" and he replied "We would prefer Popular or Amateur Gardening" and anyone who reads The Garden can see that this attitude still persists in the RHS (in fact, it's probably worse as they seem to be aiming at out Kewing Kew. Impossible but it's a free country.) G.W. definitely is the old Garden News in television format.
When stating that C.K. was "quite competent" I did so as a kindly gesture in the same way that I do when turning a blind eye on Monty's abysmal tomatoes and his almost fetishlike continuance of peculiar tools attraction - on the basis of - if it works for you, fair enough. But don't ask me to be so tolerant if connected to the word "professional" ( they both scrape by its literally meaning by getting paid - nil point for style ). I can hardly dance a step but recognise Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as the most synchronised pair I've ever seen on a hard floor along with Torvil and Dean on ice - both couples in their day were undisputedly - the best in the world. Anyone who thinks to compare C.K.'s skills on a par must be on some powerful mushroom juice.
I'm not sure who said it now but the best advice for how an actor should behave on set if they wanted to stay in showbusiness was considered to be :- Be there on time. Know your lines - AND DO AS YOU'RE DAMNED WELL TOLD! The perfect opposite of that is explored by Dustin Hoffman ( or at least, his scriptwriter) in Tootsie ( I think) in which he is doing an advert dressed as tomato and argues with the director over his character's motivation.
There have been other guest presenters on G.W. brought in for their looks but proved just as "difficult" or may be more - "John, John, Dah-ling - did you get my best profile in that shot? No? Oh, David, David, can we go again? Please?" The eyecandy factor only goes so far.
I have no idea what you are trying to say. CK is an expert: she ran a very successful nursery, has regularly shown at Chelsea and is an excellent TV presenter. I can,t make up my mind, is it women you don,t respect, or just CK?
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
It is, of course, possible to dislike a presenter on TV for all sorts of reasons but to deny that Carol Klein has knowledge and skills is just flying in the face of reason and seems churlish.
She is professional in the depth of her knowledge, her business success with her nursery and in the manner in which she explains and shows plants and techniques on TV. Her gardening style may not suit you but she does know how to sow, propagate and grow plants and communicate her enthusiasm for each process and plant.
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)."
It is a truth known to many gardeners that sour grapes may be due to poor husbandry, unsuitable conditions or the sourness can be due to the nature of the particular variety.
Whatever the cause of the sourness they are just that ... sour ... and, as such, unpleasant unless tempered by alcohol and sweet fruitiness from other varieties.
Cheers 🍷
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gee whiz, all I did was offer my genuine feelings on C.K. and I seem to have reaped a whirlwind - and the replies have much in common with a twisting vortex - subject to wild changes of direction and picking up debris.
C.K. being awarded a VMH is merely symptomatic of our modern age - certain types of folk always have had medals and honours come up with the rations - knighthoods for captains of industry etc., but I can recall and mourn that it's not so today, when only the top 1% gained an Oxbridge place. The very man I mentioned Frank Knight was a VMH - is C.K. on a par with the one time Wisley Director? I think not.
No one shuts down a "successful" business because of one easily surmountable problem, some lost rented land could, I suggest, be quickly replaced - in my own landscape business we had to up sticks and move yards three times in five years - there has to be more to this one than meets first glance. Working on telly is easier and probably more lucrative but wouldn't have made some many neighbour thwacking headlines. Why not try Googling the subject. As for nurseries, these are world class Europlants UK LtdVannucci Piante - Vannucci Piante if they are too grand, how about Tendercare Nurseries in Denham, Uxbridge, United Kingdom - what you can do in 27 years. All of these guys fully qualify as professional for me.
We've established that you have a shed load of qualifications and you know lots of famous and successful people but we haven't seen your garden as yet. Would you like to show us how it's done?
Given her age and the fact that she has alternative sources of income from writing articles and books and doing TV I can well imagine that when she lost the use of the land that had enabled her to run her nursery I'm not surprised she chose to close it rather than go thru the process of finding suitable alternative land as conveniently placed for her home.
As for her earning her VMH, it's awarded to horticulturalists for outstanding contributions to horticulture and gardening. It includes Alan Titchmarsh, Roy Lancaster, Jim McColl and others of what would be considered humble origins who have made their careers in horticulture as well as people who manage important gardens such as Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter and specialists like Jekka McVicar and Tony Kirkham, the tree man at Kew.
The RHS does not hand these things out lightly.
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)."
Posts
I have, however, heard she can be "difficult" to work for, but I've heard exactly the same from some who have worked with Monty Don .
Maybe those who complain just were not up to scratch? who knows?
In my working life, it always surprised me when I heard how lovely certain colleagues were to work with. They always seemed to be the ones with very little talent.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
When stating that C.K. was "quite competent" I did so as a kindly gesture in the same way that I do when turning a blind eye on Monty's abysmal tomatoes and his almost fetishlike continuance of peculiar tools attraction - on the basis of - if it works for you, fair enough. But don't ask me to be so tolerant if connected to the word "professional" ( they both scrape by its literally meaning by getting paid - nil point for style ). I can hardly dance a step but recognise Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as the most synchronised pair I've ever seen on a hard floor along with Torvil and Dean on ice - both couples in their day were undisputedly - the best in the world. Anyone who thinks to compare C.K.'s skills on a par must be on some powerful mushroom juice.
I'm not sure who said it now but the best advice for how an actor should behave on set if they wanted to stay in showbusiness was considered to be :- Be there on time. Know your lines - AND DO AS YOU'RE DAMNED WELL TOLD! The perfect opposite of that is explored by Dustin Hoffman ( or at least, his scriptwriter) in Tootsie ( I think) in which he is doing an advert dressed as tomato and argues with the director over his character's motivation.
There have been other guest presenters on G.W. brought in for their looks but proved just as "difficult" or may be more - "John, John, Dah-ling - did you get my best profile in that shot? No? Oh, David, David, can we go again? Please?" The eyecandy factor only goes so far.
CK is an expert: she ran a very successful nursery, has regularly shown at Chelsea and is an excellent TV presenter.
I can,t make up my mind, is it women you don,t respect, or just CK?
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Only 63 people can hold one of those at one time. No mean feat and not handed out lightly.
She is professional in the depth of her knowledge, her business success with her nursery and in the manner in which she explains and shows plants and techniques on TV. Her gardening style may not suit you but she does know how to sow, propagate and grow plants and communicate her enthusiasm for each process and plant.
It is a truth known to many gardeners that sour grapes may be due to poor husbandry, unsuitable conditions or the sourness can be due to the nature of the particular variety.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
C.K. being awarded a VMH is merely symptomatic of our modern age - certain types of folk always have had medals and honours come up with the rations - knighthoods for captains of industry etc., but I can recall and mourn that it's not so today, when only the top 1% gained an Oxbridge place. The very man I mentioned Frank Knight was a VMH - is C.K. on a par with the one time Wisley Director? I think not.
No one shuts down a "successful" business because of one easily surmountable problem, some lost rented land could, I suggest, be quickly replaced - in my own landscape business we had to up sticks and move yards three times in five years - there has to be more to this one than meets first glance. Working on telly is easier and probably more lucrative but wouldn't have made some many neighbour thwacking headlines. Why not try Googling the subject. As for nurseries, these are world class Europlants UK Ltd Vannucci Piante - Vannucci Piante if they are too grand, how about Tendercare Nurseries in Denham, Uxbridge, United Kingdom - what you can do in 27 years. All of these guys fully qualify as professional for me.
As for her earning her VMH, it's awarded to horticulturalists for outstanding contributions to horticulture and gardening. It includes Alan Titchmarsh, Roy Lancaster, Jim McColl and others of what would be considered humble origins who have made their careers in horticulture as well as people who manage important gardens such as Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter and specialists like Jekka McVicar and Tony Kirkham, the tree man at Kew.
The RHS does not hand these things out lightly.