I think the rotation of main presenter is a great one assuming, as Chris-P-Bacon has mentioned, that suitable candidates are available. It must be just as difficult for the same presenter to maintain enthusiasm when presenting the same info year after year, as it is for regular viewers to watch it. I remember a period of a number of years where planting, removal and protection of a banana plant, plus how to prune a grape vine were a permanent fixture.
They still are @KT53 and now we have added tree ferns that need regular spraying to keep them healthy - water shortages and metering anyone? - and a winter blanket too.
The problem I have with the bananas is how very large and unwieldy they are when they're doing their twice annual hokey-kokey and how tattered they look the minute a bit of wind shreds their leaves.
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)."
@Chris-P-Bacon, I don’t know of course, but I feel sure plenty of young designers would leap at the chance (and exposure) and experienced hands might be tempted if they only had to present, say, once a month. @KT53, yes I’m sure Monty is as bored of reciting the same stuff as regular viewers are hearing it every time the producer tells him to get his banana out, but it’s probably a revelation to newer viewers.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I can see that working from our point of view. GW is on for about 8 months a year, or thereabouts. If they had 4 or 5 anchor presenters, say Monty, Adam, Rachel with her pots and cut flowers, Frances with her allotment and Carol from her Devon garden. I'm reasonably confident they all have at least one pet (as a pre-requisite to being a main show host). Then rotate them so each one anchors a show once a month through the year. Add in Arit, Joe, Nick and Flo doing garden visits and special films with a couple of the non-presenter led pieces - visits to specialist growers and open gardens that they always do each week. Maybe persuade Chris Beardshaw and Christine Walkden and others to do one or two films. We'd all love it. That is, none of us would love ALL of it, but on average, we'd enjoy the variety. But as Chris PB points out. Quite possibly those presenters wouldn't want to have to do 8 main shows a year
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Like others, I believe the main problem lies in a tired, uninspired and uninventive production team who seem to have little or no concept of the variations in UK climate, soil conditions and exposure. There is a wealth of unparalleled garden expertise and variety in the UK - RHS; head gardeners in NT and EH properties; Alpine Society and many other specialist plant societies; The Yellow Book gardens for expert amateurs and then garden designers and horticultural lecturers and researchers and so on which could all have regular spots according to season of interest of their speciality.
There really is no excuse for being so repetitive, even when covering the basics, and no excuse for not going back to see "what happened next" after Monty starts another project such as his white garden or the wildlife garden or that endlessly renewable mound. It smacks of a lack of planning and organisation.
Given that wealth of expertise on tap, I see no reason either for so many poor viewers' videos. Some have been excellent and some inspiring but most have made me wonder what the person was on when they viewed them and sanctioned them for inclusion in GW.
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 feel the problem is that we get very little actual gardening. Yes, someone sows some seeds or takes a cutting but most of the practical side is left out. From starting a new garden with all that entails, maintaining an established plot or border, tackling problems of weather, disease or pests, right through to changing what you do as children arrive or age imposes limits, managing a greenhouse or taking up a hobby plant. There's feeding, weeding, composting, tools, pruning, water management.... The list goes on. I love the pretty bits, especially as I couldn't spend a fraction of what Monty and Adam put into their gardens, and I like looking at other people's gardens and their pets. But I really WOULD like some gardening.
I don't know whether this is good or bad, but I thought Adam's piece about modifying composts was one of the most interesting, practical things I've seen on GW in years.
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The problem I have with the bananas is how very large and unwieldy they are when they're doing their twice annual hokey-kokey and how tattered they look the minute a bit of wind shreds their leaves.
But as Chris PB points out. Quite possibly those presenters wouldn't want to have to do 8 main shows a year
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
There really is no excuse for being so repetitive, even when covering the basics, and no excuse for not going back to see "what happened next" after Monty starts another project such as his white garden or the wildlife garden or that endlessly renewable mound. It smacks of a lack of planning and organisation.
Given that wealth of expertise on tap, I see no reason either for so many poor viewers' videos. Some have been excellent and some inspiring but most have made me wonder what the person was on when they viewed them and sanctioned them for inclusion in GW.
I love the pretty bits, especially as I couldn't spend a fraction of what Monty and Adam put into their gardens, and I like looking at other people's gardens and their pets. But I really WOULD like some gardening.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border