That's great news LG the L, I am really pleased to read it will continue as an hour long programme. I love the new format which covers so much more and is very interesting. Even if parts of the programme aren't relevant to our garden, I still like to learn - you never know when that little piece of extra knowledge will come in useful.
Absolutely love the new 1hour program. I watch it twice too just in case I have missed anything. Its the best program on the tele all week. Really look forward to settling down on a Friday night and picking up some inspiration from either Monty or some of the wonderful gardens they visit. We gardeners don't get enough airtime on the box so hope they keep the hour program always.
I'm pleased so many people are liking the one-hour format. What, for me, was once a "must watch" has become a "watch if I feel in the mood". Obviously that puts me in a minority, but at least there is a reasonable spot for gardening, and I think it helps lots of people whose experience is limited, or who are entertained by the various elements.
I listened to Monty on Classic FM on Sunday when he was interviewed by Charlotte Green. Now that, imo, was interesting, and far too short!
I have asked the GW production team if they would consider extending the GW programme to include the making of patios, walls, ponds, etc. but didn't get a reply. Surely most serious gardeners would benefit from this type of information at some point? Hopefully we will see this type of construction in the future, it would be very helpful to many of us.
Interesting idea GD2. There was some explanation of the construction of the raised bed on the Adam Frost piece a couple of weeks ago. A bit more detail wouldn't have taken too much extra time.
It would be at least as relevant as the "GW does cookery" bits that are currently appearing. Maybe I'm wrong, but I would assume that if somebody is growing food they would already know how to cook / prepare it. If they haven't been growing it, knowing how to cook / prepare it isn't really much help.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I would assume that if somebody is growing food they would already know how to cook / prepare it. If they haven't been growing it, knowing how to cook / prepare it isn't really much help.
I don't know, I think people maybe look at the seed catalogue and think 'I'm not going to buy that because I've never seen it in Tescos so it can't be any good'. Whereas actually there are numerous veg that supermarkets generally don't sell which you can easily grow and are very tasty. So it's probably less about 'how to cook it' and more about 'people really do eat it'. It'll be salsify next, if I'm right
I think some pieces on hard landscaping would be a great idea, paving and raised beds and also screens and windbreaks. I doubt you'll ever get shed building that's not flat packed assembly (manufacturers of flat packs provide too much advertising revenue to the magazine), but even that might help someone who's always thought it's a job they'd have to pay someone to do.
Last edited: 12 October 2016 10:12:11
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I've watched GW since the very first Geoff Hamilton days, so pushing 40 years?? I've never once thought " if only they did a bit of cooking"
TV is full of cooking programmes. Personally, I'd prefer it just gardening. No cooking, no weather. I can find that information easily elsewhere, Gardening on tv is so thin on the ground , I'd rather more of it , not diluting it with other things.
I don't disagree with you, hosta. But in broadening the programme's appeal, dilution is inevitable. I was concerned they may have done it to a degree which made the gardening bits pointless, but actually, the weather forecast is much briefer than the Countryfile one (for example) and the cookery bits are a) not every week and b) very brief. It could have been worse.
I assume the aim of all these changes is to not to make people who watch GW regularly happy - what's the point, they already 'have' you - but to attract some people who haven't watched it since Alan Titchmarsh was a toddler. Now I have no idea if weather and cooking will do that, but presumably someone somewhere thinks it will. So fine. I can live with it, if it helps to build up a bit of gardening programme momentum.
What we really want is - like cookery programmes - a range of stuff for people of different abilities and enthusiasms from the armchair gardeners to those who are really pushing boundaries. Can you imagine if there was as much gardening on TV as there is people buying houses, let alone as much as there is of cookery? To get more there has to be a bigger audience, so if they can borrow a few from the GBBO audience, it could be worse. At least we haven't yet had any sections on how to jazz up your patio pots by painting them pretty colours and sticking glass beads around the rim. (I'm not even making that one one up - anyone remember 'home front'?)
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Posts
That's great news LG the L, I am really pleased to read it will continue as an hour long programme. I love the new format which covers so much more and is very interesting. Even if parts of the programme aren't relevant to our garden, I still like to learn - you never know when that little piece of extra knowledge will come in useful.
Absolutely love the new 1hour program. I watch it twice too just in case I have missed anything. Its the best program on the tele all week. Really look forward to settling down on a Friday night and picking up some inspiration from either Monty or some of the wonderful gardens they visit. We gardeners don't get enough airtime on the box so hope they keep the hour program always.
The hour long programme does seem to be improving week on week. I suppose it does take time to get the content right when the format is changed.
Wonder if they could do a Winter Garden show , that would be a first !
I'm pleased so many people are liking the one-hour format. What, for me, was once a "must watch" has become a "watch if I feel in the mood". Obviously that puts me in a minority, but at least there is a reasonable spot for gardening, and I think it helps lots of people whose experience is limited, or who are entertained by the various elements.
I listened to Monty on Classic FM on Sunday when he was interviewed by Charlotte Green. Now that, imo, was interesting, and far too short!
Truly, one man's meat etc etc.
I have asked the GW production team if they would consider extending the GW programme to include the making of patios, walls, ponds, etc. but didn't get a reply. Surely most serious gardeners would benefit from this type of information at some point? Hopefully we will see this type of construction in the future, it would be very helpful to many of us.
Interesting idea GD2. There was some explanation of the construction of the raised bed on the Adam Frost piece a couple of weeks ago. A bit more detail wouldn't have taken too much extra time.
It would be at least as relevant as the "GW does cookery" bits that are currently appearing.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I would assume that if somebody is growing food they would already know how to cook / prepare it. If they haven't been growing it, knowing how to cook / prepare it isn't really much help.
I don't know, I think people maybe look at the seed catalogue and think 'I'm not going to buy that because I've never seen it in Tescos so it can't be any good'. Whereas actually there are numerous veg that supermarkets generally don't sell which you can easily grow and are very tasty. So it's probably less about 'how to cook it' and more about 'people really do eat it'. It'll be salsify next, if I'm right
I think some pieces on hard landscaping would be a great idea, paving and raised beds and also screens and windbreaks. I doubt you'll ever get shed building that's not flat packed assembly (manufacturers of flat packs provide too much advertising revenue to the magazine), but even that might help someone who's always thought it's a job they'd have to pay someone to do.
Last edited: 12 October 2016 10:12:11
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I've watched GW since the very first Geoff Hamilton days, so pushing 40 years?? I've never once thought " if only they did a bit of cooking"
TV is full of cooking programmes. Personally, I'd prefer it just gardening. No cooking, no weather. I can find that information easily elsewhere, Gardening on tv is so thin on the ground , I'd rather more of it , not diluting it with other things.
I don't disagree with you, hosta. But in broadening the programme's appeal, dilution is inevitable. I was concerned they may have done it to a degree which made the gardening bits pointless, but actually, the weather forecast is much briefer than the Countryfile one (for example) and the cookery bits are a) not every week and b) very brief. It could have been worse.
I assume the aim of all these changes is to not to make people who watch GW regularly happy - what's the point, they already 'have' you - but to attract some people who haven't watched it since Alan Titchmarsh was a toddler. Now I have no idea if weather and cooking will do that, but presumably someone somewhere thinks it will. So fine. I can live with it, if it helps to build up a bit of gardening programme momentum.
What we really want is - like cookery programmes - a range of stuff for people of different abilities and enthusiasms from the armchair gardeners to those who are really pushing boundaries. Can you imagine if there was as much gardening on TV as there is people buying houses, let alone as much as there is of cookery? To get more there has to be a bigger audience, so if they can borrow a few from the GBBO audience, it could be worse. At least we haven't yet had any sections on how to jazz up your patio pots by painting them pretty colours and sticking glass beads around the rim. (I'm not even making that one one up - anyone remember 'home front'?)
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”