I recognised the botanical garden instantly, I looked at it when it was on rightmove and told my husband I wanted to buy it 😆 if anyone is interested here is the link:
I've not watched it, but because of the comments I see regularly on the G'sW threads each year, I've been saying for ages that there should be an item every week showing seed sowing, taking cuttings etc, and most importantly - a proper follow up. It doesn't have to be more than a few minutes. For example - sow seeds of various types - hardy annuals, half hardy annuals, veg, take cuttings of dahlias etc. The next week - look at those same pots or trays, and comment on how some seeds will have come through, some haven't, and the main reasons for that. Light, warmth, watering, site, time and so on. Also - factor in what happens afterwards. That's vital. Carry that on every week - even if nothing much has happened or changed, right through to the planting out etc. If you're an expert at it - fine, it's only a few minutes. Not the end of the world surely?
Look how any queries we get, at this time of year in particular. People concerned because of failing, leggy seedlings that have been sown too soon, in not enough light, or are knackered because they're too damp, and so on. Barely a few days go by without that sort of post. Not everyone knows how to do it, and it's about the follow up - not just sowing a tray of seeds and then that's it, other than a month or two later when they go out. How can we expect people to take up sowing and growing plants if the main gardening programme doesn't help encourage them and take them through all the steps, not just the beginning of the process? Surely that's more important than someone's random garden with dodgy camera skills and virtually no information, and surely it's of more worth if we want people to actually garden and have some success with it?
@Fairygirl what a great post and I couldn't agree more.
I also agree with @Fairygirl. I do tend to keep going on about the days of Geoff Hamilton, but l found that the way he would return to the seeds he'd sown a week or so earlier was a great help. I can't quote Monty verbatim from last week's programme, but after he'd sown the Cosmos seeds he said something along the lines of "We'll come back to them in a few week's time". By then they could have grown leggy, suffered from damping off, done absolutely nothing, or be bursting out of the seed tray and be more than ready to have been potted on. This is where Beechgrove tends to be more useful when it comes to follow up advice, in my opinion.
Thanks for the links about The Linn. I did wonder what had happened for the place to have been abandoned - a sad story but it looks as though it's gone into good hands. He came across as quite frivolous to start with but I was reassured by his later comments during the programme and more so reading those articles. Looking forward to hearing more and I hope the project is successful.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Blimey, that botanical garden and house was a snip! He’ll probably end up spending double the purchase price to fully restore both though, good on him for taking it on. He did say he was going to get experts in and I think GW said they were going to revisit it, I hope so. I was amused to see I have a similarly sized plot since it looked much bigger. My house is a tad smaller though and no room for a maid, dammit!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies. At least we no longer have the annual segment of how to wrap/unwrap the banana plants or how to prune grapes. I wonder how many people have either.
Blimey, that botanical garden and house was a snip! He’ll probably end up spending double the purchase price to fully restore both though, good on him for taking it on. He did say he was going to get experts in and I think GW said they were going to revisit it, I hope so. I was amused to see I have a similarly sized plot since it looked much bigger. My house is a tad smaller though and no room for a maid, dammit!
It does seem that many of the plants are labelled which will at least make the job of identification possible, if still not easy.
Funnily enough @Sheps - I was thinking about your thread with the lettuce seed when I wrote that, simply because it was current There's another one I've just posted on about when to sow to allow for last frost dates etc. That's exactly the sort of thing that people need, and want, help with.
Totally agree @AnniD. What happens along the way is what matters. How on earth is a new gardener supposed to know if their seedlings are doing what they should? If the seed fails, it can easily put them off, and that's what I find annoying, as it could be something very simple to correct. As you say @BenCotto - it would take seconds to just say -'look there's couple of seeds starting to show' then look at the difference another week later. It's about reassurance and giving people a bit of confidence. Those of us who've been sowing seed for years don't have to think about it, especially if we've had the same garden for years, and therefore have a pretty good understanding of the climate and conditions. That isn't the case for newbies.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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That's quite a project he's got himself into!
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
https://thelochsidepress.com/2022/07/29/friends-of-the-linn-disband-as-garden-starts-a-new-chapter/
@Fairygirl what a great post and I couldn't agree more.
I can't quote Monty verbatim from last week's programme, but after he'd sown the Cosmos seeds he said something along the lines of "We'll come back to them in a few week's time".
By then they could have grown leggy, suffered from damping off, done absolutely nothing, or be bursting out of the seed tray and be more than ready to have been potted on.
This is where Beechgrove tends to be more useful when it comes to follow up advice, in my opinion.
It does seem that many of the plants are labelled which will at least make the job of identification possible, if still not easy.
There's another one I've just posted on about when to sow to allow for last frost dates etc. That's exactly the sort of thing that people need, and want, help with.
Totally agree @AnniD. What happens along the way is what matters. How on earth is a new gardener supposed to know if their seedlings are doing what they should? If the seed fails, it can easily put them off, and that's what I find annoying, as it could be something very simple to correct. As you say @BenCotto - it would take seconds to just say -'look there's couple of seeds starting to show' then look at the difference another week later. It's about reassurance and giving people a bit of confidence.
Those of us who've been sowing seed for years don't have to think about it, especially if we've had the same garden for years, and therefore have a pretty good understanding of the climate and conditions. That isn't the case for newbies.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...