Percy Thrower was nearly 25 years older the Geoff Hamilton, and their attitudes and understanding probably reflect that difference. Yes there were environmental campaigners around when PT was broadcasting but they were viewed far more as oddball or eccentric during PTs formative years.
I'm not saying that attitude was right, but it was prevalent. Damning people on the basis of knowledge and attitudinal change after the event is unfair. I'm sure there are many here whose initial introduction to gardening was through PT.
I would guess that in this anniversary year we're going to get some sight of all these earlier versions and ideas. I think there was a look back documentary last year, discussing the changing attitudes and styles over the 50 years. It's social history, rather than right or wrong. I think some of the really interesting developments now are being overlooked on GW because the presenters are immersed in their own times and traditions. Who knows - in 10 years time people may be looking back at what's being done now and saying 'wow, how naive were we then?' That doesn't mean what they say is wrong or irrelevant, only that almost everything about gardening is subjective - opinion - and as Verdun frequently points out, we're all entitled to at least one of those
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
How attitudes change, way back my Dad a real old style Gardener made his own sprays for various uses, Bourdeaux Mixture which was copper sulphate and slaked lime, sprays of soap mixtures his own invention, slaked lime on the soil where brassicas were to be grown and torching, going round at night with a bucket and picking slugs and snails off the plants. After the war there was a severe shortage of food, things were rationed that had not been during the war that went on into the 50's. The idea then was the same amount of land growing much more produce hence the Chemical explosion. You cannot blame Farmers and Gardeners who 'saw the increase in foodstuff from the same acreage but had no idea it was lethal. I personally saw DDT sprayed on people coming off boats from Europe, luckily I was the man on the machine gun well back from the noxious clouds of dust the other lads were puffing over everybody, we had no idea though I knew it could not be good standing there for hours in clouds of the stuff. Farmers were rewarded for producing more by any means people needed food, those who raised voices against it declared weirdoes'. PT was giving out the message we all took for granted at the time, you must remember the UK had been importing a large percentage of the food we ate from even the first world war and suddenly it was not there. I saw hedge rows torn out woods chopped down for extra land to grow food and that was PT's generation.
I read an article this week where to feed the mass of people on this earth we have to go back to chemical agriculture, Organic growing takes up too much extra land and costs too much extra for the very poor struggling to eat, where do we go from here then.
Posts
Percy Thrower was nearly 25 years older the Geoff Hamilton, and their attitudes and understanding probably reflect that difference. Yes there were environmental campaigners around when PT was broadcasting but they were viewed far more as oddball or eccentric during PTs formative years.
I'm not saying that attitude was right, but it was prevalent. Damning people on the basis of knowledge and attitudinal change after the event is unfair. I'm sure there are many here whose initial introduction to gardening was through PT.
It was Percy Thrower who designed and built the first Blue Peter Garden - introducing a generation of children to gardening
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I remember him doing the Blue Peter garden, but I'm way too young to remember him on GW.
What was that other garden/park he designed, they've kept it the same over the years.?
I've a vague recollection of seeing PT puffing away at his pipe in his potting shed on GW
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I would guess that in this anniversary year we're going to get some sight of all these earlier versions and ideas. I think there was a look back documentary last year, discussing the changing attitudes and styles over the 50 years. It's social history, rather than right or wrong. I think some of the really interesting developments now are being overlooked on GW because the presenters are immersed in their own times and traditions. Who knows - in 10 years time people may be looking back at what's being done now and saying 'wow, how naive were we then?' That doesn't mean what they say is wrong or irrelevant, only that almost everything about gardening is subjective - opinion - and as Verdun frequently points out, we're all entitled to at least one of those
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Clint Eastwood, in his "dirty Harry" phase had an interesting quote about opinions.
How attitudes change, way back my Dad a real old style Gardener made his own sprays for various uses, Bourdeaux Mixture which was copper sulphate and slaked lime, sprays of soap mixtures his own invention, slaked lime on the soil where brassicas were to be grown and torching, going round at night with a bucket and picking slugs and snails off the plants. After the war there was a severe shortage of food, things were rationed that had not been during the war that went on into the 50's. The idea then was the same amount of land growing much more produce hence the Chemical explosion. You cannot blame Farmers and Gardeners who 'saw the increase in foodstuff from the same acreage but had no idea it was lethal. I personally saw DDT sprayed on people coming off boats from Europe, luckily I was the man on the machine gun well back from the noxious clouds of dust the other lads were puffing over everybody, we had no idea though I knew it could not be good standing there for hours in clouds of the stuff. Farmers were rewarded for producing more by any means people needed food, those who raised voices against it declared weirdoes'. PT was giving out the message we all took for granted at the time, you must remember the UK had been importing a large percentage of the food we ate from even the first world war and suddenly it was not there. I saw hedge rows torn out woods chopped down for extra land to grow food and that was PT's generation.
I read an article this week where to feed the mass of people on this earth we have to go back to chemical agriculture, Organic growing takes up too much extra land and costs too much extra for the very poor struggling to eat, where do we go from here then.
Frank.
Interesting approach with the dahlias, i.e. Pot up and water?
I wait until they sprout. First come , first served.