If I thought there was a chance that this series would encourage anyone to take up gardening I would watch again but I don't so I can be better employed elsewhere when it is on. The Autistic Gardener on Channel 4 tonight is much more worthy as it does show the health benefits gardening can bring. We need a program to emphasise how a beautiful and productive garden can enhance the country and indeed the world. Biodiversity practised in our gardens can counteract the evils of monoculture brought about by the need to feed billions of people who can no longer all be hunter-gatherers. The more people who grow food and flowers the better for the insect and human population and the happier the population will be. Happy people are usually healthier people too. I must say the team and volunteers on the Instant Gardener do not seem very happy in their work so it does not even have that going for it like "Love your Garden " has.
Second programme was better than the first IMO but did nothing to address the issue of how they look after that 'hill' at the bottom of the garden. If anything, they may have made the situation worse - how are they ever going to cut the grass at the back of the retaining posts (which were definitely squint on the RHS).
That garden needed to be properly terraced and that dreadful slope tamed in some way (not dissimilar to the one faced by Chris Beardshaw on Beechgrove) - which is clearly beyond the scope of this programme in terms of both time and budget.
Grrrr.... now if that lovely young couple ever want to do the garden properly they will probably have to shell out extra money to undo the work already done. They deserved better. If the programme makers couldn't do that they should have left it alone or just left a set of plans to aspire to.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
I think it seems like I am the only one enjoying the programmes, like all things gardening, enjoy it when they pick out the plants, seeing there designs and them clearing the garden - so I am one to keep watching the programmes
Garden no 1 - was such a wet garden, think the design of the edges made it all go together being both sides similar, like the idea of it being on the diagonal, and even though I thought the shed looked ok nice trellis and to get plants to climb up them
Garden no 2 - the slope at the back may be a bit tricky to cut and the poles were bit off on the seating area, the planting looked good and like the little shed painted
Great they got a seating area in the middle of the garden and not right next to the house as prob would of been shaded out by the fence, loved all the grasses and plant combo in the idea garden they went to visit
Gardengirl7 - I think you probably are in a minority in terms of people who have voiced an opinion on this thread (nowt wrong with that of course) but yours may well be the voice of the wider majority.
Have you noticed though that even those of us who say we don't like it have still watched 2 episodes? Anything to do with gardening is better than a lot of other trash on TV and there are a few good little bits in each programme.
Some of us (well OK - me) - are grumpy old b**gers who like nothing better than a good moan. We should be grateful the BBC is at least trying to put something to do with gardens on the screen.
I do agree with you that the grasses and design of the inspirational garden in the 2nd programme were excellent. I don't even like grass / prairie style planting as a rule but I liked what they had done there!
Haven't watched the Autistic Gardener - might give that a try on Catch Up.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Posts
If I thought there was a chance that this series would encourage anyone to take up gardening I would watch again but I don't so I can be better employed elsewhere when it is on. The Autistic Gardener on Channel 4 tonight is much more worthy as it does show the health benefits gardening can bring. We need a program to emphasise how a beautiful and productive garden can enhance the country and indeed the world. Biodiversity practised in our gardens can counteract the evils of monoculture brought about by the need to feed billions of people who can no longer all be hunter-gatherers. The more people who grow food and flowers the better for the insect and human population and the happier the population will be. Happy people are usually healthier people too. I must say the team and volunteers on the Instant Gardener do not seem very happy in their work so it does not even have that going for it like "Love your Garden " has.
Second programme was better than the first IMO but did nothing to address the issue of how they look after that 'hill' at the bottom of the garden. If anything, they may have made the situation worse - how are they ever going to cut the grass at the back of the retaining posts (which were definitely squint on the RHS).
That garden needed to be properly terraced and that dreadful slope tamed in some way (not dissimilar to the one faced by Chris Beardshaw on Beechgrove) - which is clearly beyond the scope of this programme in terms of both time and budget.
Grrrr.... now if that lovely young couple ever want to do the garden properly they will probably have to shell out extra money to undo the work already done. They deserved better. If the programme makers couldn't do that they should have left it alone or just left a set of plans to aspire to.
I think it seems like I am the only one enjoying the programmes, like all things gardening, enjoy it when they pick out the plants, seeing there designs and them clearing the garden - so I am one to keep watching the programmes
Garden no 1 - was such a wet garden, think the design of the edges made it all go together being both sides similar, like the idea of it being on the diagonal, and even though I thought the shed looked ok nice trellis and to get plants to climb up them
Garden no 2 - the slope at the back may be a bit tricky to cut and the poles were bit off on the seating area, the planting looked good and like the little shed painted
Great they got a seating area in the middle of the garden and not right next to the house as prob would of been shaded out by the fence, loved all the grasses and plant combo in the idea garden they went to visit
If this programme is aimed at the beginner then all I can say is that it will stop a lot of people ever beginning. Epic fail in my books.
Will persevere, it might get better. Think its the last Autistic Gardener tonight. What a good programme this turned out to be.
Woohoo for The Autistic Gardener
Can't wait to see what they get up to this week 
I gave up on the autistic gardener after week one they were just using autism as a gimmick as far as I could see.
Gardengirl7 - I think you probably are in a minority in terms of people who have voiced an opinion on this thread (nowt wrong with that of course) but yours may well be the voice of the wider majority.
Have you noticed though that even those of us who say we don't like it have still watched 2 episodes?
Anything to do with gardening is better than a lot of other trash on TV and there are a few good little bits in each programme.
Some of us (well OK - me) - are grumpy old b**gers who like nothing better than a good moan. We should be grateful the BBC is at least trying to put something to do with gardens on the screen.
I do agree with you that the grasses and design of the inspirational garden in the 2nd programme were excellent. I don't even like grass / prairie style planting as a rule but I liked what they had done there!
Haven't watched the Autistic Gardener - might give that a try on Catch Up.
Oh dear, they didn't have small children I hope. I decided the program was too depressing for me to watch any more.