How to Create a Garden - RTE 1 - 28/3

magicbastarder

touts wrote: »

And I dont like the new gardeners world. Last year it was packed with tips for the average Gardner with the average garden. This year it feels aimed at professionals running a 200 year old estate. I come away feeling how hopelessly immature, inadequate and small my litte plot is.

the funny thing is the last two seasons of gardeners world came in for heavy criticism from the traditional audience because it was too 'dumbed down'; it has usually been a program for people who are comfortable with gardening, so assumes a level of knowledge or experience which may not be there.

Antiquo

What's the point of making a program entitled How to Create a Garden which is obviously aimed at the newbie gardener and then fail to provide sufficient detail and guidance? Badly thought out and executed show.

Geoff H an extremely practical and down to earth bloke was my favoutite on GW and this effort could do worse than view a few of his shows to see how it should be done. Latter day GW is trying to please the whims of the nouveau rich gardeners who get a man in to do the dirty digging etc. Stick to the basics and get rid of the airs and graces.

It's really not difficult to make an instructional video on the basics of lawn laying, soil preperation (without gallons o weedkiller), sowing seed, pruning, how to grow a few veg in beds, etc.

V poor effort RTE and can I please have a refund on my TV licence as this is not worthy of a €160 contribution although they prob spent that on weedkiller

redser7

I imagine it is down to some producer/director who says 'ok you've got 45 seconds to show these people how to create raised beds'. And so they do. The speed at which the presenters deliver the instruction is pure celtic tiger :-) and not at all in tune with the pace of real gardening. It's like an asault.

the optimist

I have enjoyed this program and look forward to each week. I dont know anything about gardening and have found this program to be excellent for ideas even if it doesnt go into a step by step guide for everything. I am planning on starting to sort out our back gardens and will take ideas from his and her garden. I love the rotary patio idea and plan to use it but dont plan on laying it myself so dont need to know how to lay the patio. I am more interested in the ideas and the layout of raised beds and how to plant and care for vegetables. Loved the fruit bushes in tonites episode and plan on doing them too. All in all i think this program is aimed at beginners like me and if it went into too much detail it would go way over my head. This is enough to get me started and I can carry on from there.

shawnee

As an experienced gardener , I watched the show for the first time last night. While the show dealt with pretty basic stuff , I enjoyed it. Most experienced gardeners know what's to be known anyway.
Nice to see new gardeners and basic stuff being catered for. Perhaps it would be nice if they had a little bit at the end for the experienced guy, like for example unusual plants/ideas.
Nice to see an Irish production but I agree, not a lot of money spent on this one.

Calluna

Just my own 2 cents worth as someone who likes the idea of gardening but hasn't ever really got into it...yet!

I didn't see the first programme in this series but saw the one this week and specifically commented to my (very uninterested) husband afterwards that I was glad RTE had made a 'how to' gardening as opposed to a 'look at fancy gardens' programme. We currently have a half acre garden which requires work. We have a half built stonewall feature which 'we' diy'ed. We will be putting in a patio (getting someone to do it) and have planted an 'orchard' including some fruit bushes and trees. So, I was glad to see that based on my own intiative/reading, I was on a track similar to the one they were recommended. I felt inspired but not over-awed by it, which I think sometimes happens when I watch gardening programmes showing very large/old/established/beautiful gardens.

Generally, RTE never makes series with programmes more than a half hour in length. It's their biggest downfall, but I suppose they consider the risk of failure too great. Off the Rails seems to be the only half hour one that has increased...and that took about 10 years (and I stopped watching last season because I'm not a fan of new presenters). I always find that the interior design shows are rushed, could do with another half an hour to either give you more 'how to' and a more detailed after...rather than a quick camera flick around the house and the credits rolling along the side.

So, I will continue watching. I think it's very difficult to pitch a gardening programme, especially on a lowish budget. I felt that this was aimed at someone like me...with an interest, but a beginner and not really for someone with an established garden. I liked how they didn't bombard us with too many plants and I can remember the ones I liked and which I'm going to actually go out and buy. Also like that they are combining the two types of garden which gives a decent mix.

The DIY element can be questionable. Am I really going to make my own cold frame? Yes, some people do and I know it's probably not that difficult, but I'm not capable of it...and my DH is not willing! So I think they give enough detail in showing a few minutes and referring to more details on the website. Similarly with laying a patio. In reality, most people will get a professional for that job, unless they are quite handy or a building professional.

Thumbs up from me. It's Irish. It's pitched at beginners, but they are restricted by the half hour time slot...but that's not unusual for RTE. One other thing I liked was that the timing of it was applicable (i.e. it was April for them too).

Prowetod

I like it, I've learned one or two new things each episode.

Meelich

I haven't actually seen the new RTE programme but have been an avid Gardener's world fan for a long time, however I seriously struggled with Toby Buckland and Alys fowler, nothing against them personally however but they didn't make me want to garden. What I find about Monty Don, Carol Klien, Alan Titchmarsh, Rachel de Thame is that while they do things I can't do because I don't have the space/time their love of gardening comes across and makes me want to garden. But they won't appeal to everyone, however I'm delighted to see Monty back.

Unfortunately I'm wayyyy to young to remember Geoff Hamilton :rolleyes::rolleyes:

To me gardening is about creating a thing of beauty - and the learning in taht process which is hugely self satisfying - that's my personal definition.

I really miss Helen Dillon on the telly - I thought she was marvellous. Apparently RTE pulled her because they got feedback that IRish people didn't like her or feel they could relate to her because she was English - what a shame.

deisemum

I'm enjoying it and just glad that they've got an Irish gardening programme aimed at beginners. I did email RTE last year asking for such a programme as there are a lot of new viewers interested in growing their own vegetables and that it would make a pleasant change from all the cookery programmes.

I like the idea of 2 different gardens and different approaches.

I love Gardeners World especially Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh.

I'm old enough to remember Percy Thrower

Zuiderzee

Just watched second program on RTE player, better than the first

Lazairus

Hello

Being a scolar of Harry dodson(I have his out of print book also)

, I see that they have a walled garden, the show blatently dissmisses this, Most gardeners would give their right arm to own one,

Instead they build a urban garden inside a walled garden


shame on them

Laz

touts

Lazairus wrote: »

Hello

Being a scolar of Harry dodson(I have his out of print book also)

, I see that they have a walled garden, the show blatently dissmisses this, Most gardeners would give their right arm to own one,

Instead they build a urban garden inside a walled garden


shame on them

Laz

Well we can't all afford a stately walled garden so there is little point in showing us how to maintain one. The majority of people have just a small plot of land around the size of the gardens they are doing. I have been disappointed with the show because of the lack of detail that we get in a brief 23min (minus the ads) show but I also say well done to them for not going down the Gardeners Worlds route and producing a niche show for the niche audience of near professional gardeners. An unrushed hour long "How to create a garden" would be much closer to the needs of the audience than Monty Don's new Gardeners World.

However that said you should not be too disappointed. Once the show is over I suspect these show gardens will be buldozed and the walled garden returned to the empty field that was there before the cameras moved in.