Despite a wet winter, snow in April and a distinct lack of sunshine it’s been a good year for gardening. The teams behind Gardeners’ World and the Flower shows have been working tirelessly to bring the very best in gardening and horticulture to our loyal viewers. We produced almost 13 hours of coverage from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in all its glory and then followed it with 2 1/2 hours from Hampton Court. We are currently in the middle of recording another two-hour long show from Tatton and the sun is finally shining. Away from the Flower Shows the team behind Gardeners’ World has being working on some exciting developments for the autumn.

This September, Gardeners’ World will be extended to hour-long episodes which will run from September until to the end of the series in late October. It’s an exciting time and one that offers a great opportunity to expand the breadth of gardening we cover. We are going to introduce a range of new strands with some new faces to sit alongside the familiar faces of Monty, Joe, Carol and Rachel.

These strands will cover topics as diverse as tropical plants to city gardens and inspirational garden designers to the science of gardening. We’ll spend time with head gardeners from some of the country's leading gardens and meet passionate amateurs.

Here’s just some of the strands viewers can look forward to over the eight hour-long episodes: Garden Doctor Nick Bailey will be solving your gardening problems and Frances Tophill will meet gardeners who garden in extreme conditions; Nick Macer will look at tropical plants; and Florence Headlam will cover city gardens. We are going to follow garden designer Adam Frost as he moves into a new house and sets about redesigning the garden and Joe Swift will try to rekindle the nation’s long-lost love for rockeries. Carol will look at plant families and of course we will be spending time with Monty, his dogs Nigel and Nellie at Longmeadow every week.

Alongside the regular faces we’ll see items from Nick Bailey, Florence Headlam, Nick Macer, Jane Moore, Alan Power, Zephania Lindo and Frances Tophill who will offer inspiration and practical tips from gardens and gardeners the length and breadth of the country.

Next year Gardeners’ World will celebrate its 50th anniversary and plans are being made to ensure it's an unforgettable year for gardeners and our legion of loyal viewers.

Paolo Proto is Executive Producer for Gardeners' World

Seeing as there’s a Bank Holiday this weekend and Springwatch returns to �� Two on Monday, this week’s 10 things from around the �� celebrate nature and wildlife.

Whilst obviously looking forward to watching all the new wildlife emerge from its wintery sleep in the new series of Springwatch, I’m also hoping to see presenter Chris Packham crowbar some song titles into his pieces to camera.
Springwatch kicks off the ��’s Summer of Wildlife season, a collection of TV and radio programmes and online content that aims to inspire people to discover the nature that’s on their doorstep.
If you find yourself spurred on to help our furry or feathered friends, there’s some useful information about wildlife volunteering on the Nature website.
It shouldn’t happen to a vet, nor, it seems, a cameraman for a wildlife documentary. Here’s a quick look at Nature: Behind the Scenes in one of the many video collections, also on the Nature website.
In front of the camera seems slightly easier in comparison. Sir David Attenborough shares his memories of 1950’s series Zoo Quest in this special interview for the �� Archive.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is in full bloom and celebrates its centenary this year. You can catch up on coverage of the show on the �� iPlayer.
If the beautiful displays of Chelsea inspire you to get your gardening gloves on, help and advice will be on hand from the experts at Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham, 12-16 June. Alternatively you could download the latest Gardeners’ Question Time podcast.
Having moved from Television Centre in London to Salford, the Blue Peter Garden was opened to the public last year by Princess Anne. Fancy making a herb garden out of a recycled juice bottle? Here’s one they made earlier.
If you’re looking to go a little further afield than your doorstep, there’s plenty of ideas of Things To Do in the great outdoors from Countryfile.
Whether you’re in the garden or out and about this weekend, remember, it is a Bank Holiday so best keep an eye on the weather.

Jen Macro is Digital Content Producer, About the �� Blog and website.

See also Marking David Attenborough's 60 years in broadcasting

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Bringing the very best in gardening and horticulture to our viewers

Ten Things #21 Spring

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Bringing the very best in gardening and horticulture to our viewers

Ten Things #21 Spring

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