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What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 1.Â
Posted by overtonmike (U14318708) on Friday, 27th January 2012
Reading this board it's clear that not all viewers were happy with the content of GW last year (I admit that I found it rather repetitive). Leaving aside issues with presenters and style, I think we should make some specific, positive suggestions of content we would like to see. So I'll start off with:
- Information on permaculture - Lets see a veg garden where a no dig method is actually being used - Using a living mulch like clover - hugelkulture - soil care - techniques to reduce watering needs - planting guilds etc.
- More regular follow up on the progress and results of plantings we see in the programmes
- Using a polytunnel to it's best advantage
So there you go... these suggestions are very personal and reflect some of my current interests but I'm sure would be of interest to others. What would you like to see in this year's series? (Please keep it positive)
overtonmikeLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 2
Posted by chrisbucks (U14300604) on Friday, 27th January 2012
i'm sure it's been said before, but there are two types of garden-programme viewer: those that regard the programme as pleasant, relaxing viewing and entertainment, so don't mind seeing projects repeated again and again provided there are nice views of gardens, plants, and veggie beds. Then there are the types that really want to learn or see something new about gardening and horticulture, and want the the programmes to be a type of Open University-lite.
Both categories of viewer have equally reasonable expectations, and are entitled to see something in each programme that satisfies them: that's all that really matters.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 3
Posted by overtonmike (U14318708) on Friday, 27th January 2012
If you just want "nice views of gardens, plants, and veggie beds" then you can just sit in your garden! If you are going to the trouble of watching a programme you surely have aspirations to learn something, or have your opinions challenged or your imagination fired. If not, and you already know everything, then you might as well climb in your box now!
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Message 4
Posted by the cycling gardener (U2350416) on Saturday, 28th January 2012
We've been through this before - so many times. Surely its about balance. There are people who would love a garden to sit in an look at or who, through not fault of their own, find it difficult to get out and visit other gardens for inspiration so there should always be room on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's flagship gardening programme for garden visits.
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Message 5
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Saturday, 28th January 2012
This would have been a really interesting topic if the OP hadn't shot down in flames the second poster for voicing an opinion-the rest of us dived for cover.
I have emerged from under the table to point that yes this has been done to death on so many previous occasions-we could all sit here and say what we would like to be included but a I have said and as others have said it is a one size fits all programme for beginners and experienced hands alike
If you wish to see projects and such like could I point in you in the direction of The Beechgrove garden that has been running in Scotland for over 30years.You will either need to live in Scotland or have a satellite dish to receive and obviously you will need to adjust the advice as to your own location-but it it is a bit more veg based and they do do lots of trials.
It returns sometime in the Spring.
Gardeners World Is what it is always been and it will not suit all tastes.
Back to under the table.................Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 6
Posted by overtonmike (U14318708) on Saturday, 28th January 2012
If you cannot contribute positive suggestions to what could be a positive discussion then you are left with, as this board amply demonstrates, nothing but negativity, carping and criticism. Hate Monty, hate Carol, hate GW - take your pick but this lowbrow opinionated guttertalk is actually what's been done to death on this board. Is this all you really aspire to.
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Message 7
Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Saturday, 28th January 2012
o'mike,
I think you're trying too hard to endear yourself to the boarders. As Chris said, it's about finding some sort of balance within a short programme. Hope you don't find this boringly uncritical, but it's hard to know what else to say in the context of your evidently spoiling for a fight. Perhaps accusing people of being lowbrow guttercarps is not the way forward.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 8
Posted by overtonmike (U14318708) on Saturday, 28th January 2012
Point taken thank you. I would have to add that despite the points made about this subject having been done to death, there is precious little in the way of evidence for this (at least amongst more recent postings). This is what prompted the post in the first place. No offence meant (I'm clearly having a bad day)
o'mikeLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 9
Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Saturday, 28th January 2012
o'mike
I guess things move fast in the digital world. Quite a few people have been posting here for three years or more (which is a century in old money), during which time the subject has come up a lot, notably during the period when GW was given over to Toby, Joe and Alys. The blood and fur was flying then! There was quite a lot of moral high ground under siege and quite a few posters left for good, I think, because they hated the backbiting and unseemly comments about presenters.
In view of that recent history, it's no surprise that people aren't lining up to offer their view on what the right format and content for GW might be.
JoeLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 10
Posted by Stressed out (U11163734) on Saturday, 28th January 2012
They have taken no notice over the past 5 years of anything that has been said on here. There have been loads of positive suggestions and still we end up with the same dull Monty does up his very tedious garden.
Can we please see some flowers, grown by people who know what they are doing. If only for 5 minutes of the program. Perhaps its time for Gardeners World for gardeners and veg growers weekly for the people who just want to supplement their food supply.
I want - More time spent on NEW plants - not tropical stuff that you can only grow in Londoon and Cornwall
New equipment
Could we see some national collections - why have them if we cannot see them
Visits to the botanical garden
How about a visit to Holland to look at the plant trade over there
How about looking at just what they grow in here and why?
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Message 11
Posted by Lowena (U14575314) on Sunday, 29th January 2012
Flowers!
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Message 12
Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Sunday, 29th January 2012
"............still we end up with the same dull Monty does up his very tedious garden......."
".............Perhaps its time for Gardeners World for gardeners and veg growers weekly for the people who just want to supplement their food supply.........."
And there, dear readers, is the problem in two nutshells.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 13
Posted by Stressed out (U11163734) on Sunday, 29th January 2012
Say what you see - next series will be a further downward spiral till MD quits and goes off on his next project sponsored by the Ö÷²¥´óÐã.
Lets just see some flowers and leave the subsistence farming to those who wish to supplement their income.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 14
Posted by nooj (U13729031) on Sunday, 29th January 2012
Or wish to. Do remember that.
Freshly picked veg taste like nothing you could ever buy, and some veg are completely ruined for flavour by the the time you have bought them
I'm not going to argue - there is room for flowers and veggies,.
But if you eat and taste - grow what you canLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 15
Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Sunday, 29th January 2012
Rowan,
A quick trawl through this board suggests that Monty is more popular with a lot of people than you seem to accept. Going further back, Toby et al had a great deal of support including, to some extent, me because I felt that the prog was trying a different approach and not just pandering to crusty old gardeners with a fixed view. The devil was in the detail, and some of the production was a bit waffy.
We had a thread a while ago along the lines of 'what is a garden?' and it was and still is clear that many people want to see veg given its rightful place in the flagship gardening programme.
So it is clear that there is not just one right answer to this.
JoeLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 16
Posted by Stressed out (U11163734) on Sunday, 29th January 2012
I think the problem is that there are people on this board who think the sun shines out of his every orifice and there are people who don't.
I can see that veg growing has its place in the programme but it has for the past few years dominated GW. Its not hard to grow veg - you stick them in- you water them - they come up. If it was hard we would all have died a long time ago.
That's why I would like to see a veg growers weekly - so if you want to do that sort of thing then you can watch that. If you want to do something else in your garden then a real gardeners world with flowers, new varieties etc. would be much more acceptable.
To be honest one of the tv channels did an allotment show from somewhere in Wales last year and it was thoroughly watch able.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 17
Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Monday, 30th January 2012
Flowers? They're not that difficult: you stick 'em in, water 'em and up they come. You can even eat some of them.
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Message 18
Posted by Paul N (U6451125) on Monday, 30th January 2012
"I think the problem is that there are people on this board who think the sun shines out of his every orifice and there are people who don't".
Not so. I find there is a large majority of people who watch and listen with interest when he broadcasts, and find him a thoroughly decent and likeable man, and a superb wordsmith and communicator too.
And then there are a few others who get offensive.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 19
Posted by Lowena (U14575314) on Monday, 30th January 2012
I think the problem is that there are people on this board who think the sun shines out of his every orifice and there are people who don't.
I can see that veg growing has its place in the programme but it has for the past few years dominated GW. Its not hard to grow veg - you stick them in- you water them - they come up. If it was hard we would all have died a long time ago.
That's why I would like to see a veg growers weekly - so if you want to do that sort of thing then you can watch that. If you want to do something else in your garden then a real gardeners world with flowers, new varieties etc. would be much more acceptable.
To be honest one of the tv channels did an allotment show from somewhere in Wales last year and it was thoroughly watch able. Â Respect!!!! I agree with every word of this post.........
Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 20
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Monday, 30th January 2012
Despite the fact that the OP made an attack on me-don't really understand why i was only suggesting alternative viewing choice-I will come back to his original comments about only positive comments and suggestions.
There are some who do not understand the word positive and just trot out there often repeated prejudices against the presenters and the content at any opportunity-I fail to see the point-sorryLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 21
Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Monday, 30th January 2012
Lowena,
I don't think people are as simplistic as your quoted post states. There are people who really like, or are OK with, MD's style and others who prefer others, and sometimes a few of them get a little excited about it, in a groupie sort of way. The same is true of any broadcast or other media. But most of us don't feel the need to personalise the issue. These boards have devoted more space to criticism of Monty's bleus de travail and Carol's sense of humour than is healthy or useful.
I'm more amused by the those who need to use changing-room mirrors to check that the sun's still shining.
JoeLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 22
Posted by theweeshep (U13961168) on Monday, 30th January 2012
"I think the problem is that there are people on this board who think the sun shines out of his every orifice and there are people who don't".
Not so. I find there is a large majority of people who watch and listen with interest when he broadcasts, and find him a thoroughly decent and likeable man, and a superb wordsmith and communicator too.
And then there are a few others who get offensive. What a surprise, the usual nonsensical rubbish is trotted out yet again.
Just because people like Monty and find him watchable does not imply they "think the sun shines out of his arse". Typical inflammatory language that is guaranteed to provoke a response - of course that is the intention isn't it?
And to the OP, this really has been done to death, as you'll see if you do a quick search. You would probably had a more favourable response if, like TDC said, you didn't jump on the first poster to enter a reply. That may not have been how you meant it to come across - easy to misread written text.
There is no chance GW - or any other program for that matter - can be all things to everyone and as a result some will just not like the content/presenter etc... I'm quite easy to please, but I do have a misplaced sense of decency, which is why I feel obliged to post in this section when I see the tired old claptrap wheeled out against Monty (or Toby, or Carol etc etc)Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 23
Posted by theweeshep (U13961168) on Monday, 30th January 2012
PaulN - hope you don't read the previous message and think I was disagreeing with you, as I was actually supporting your post.
For the record, I'd like to see more veg. Lots more. heheLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 24
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Monday, 30th January 2012
I've been posting on these boards since 2004 so have seen this topic come and go many times with varying degrees of intelligence an vitriol.
30 minutes are not enough to cover everything every week but balance could still be achieved with some forethought by the producers and Monty and his team of gardeners.
Balance means some flowers, some shrubs, some wildlife and some fruit and veg, all given equal weight though not necessarily all in one programme. Balance means seeing Monty do things in his garden but also seeing experts with various plants or techniques doing things in their garden. Balance means showing new techniques, organic methods, new products, new plants. Balance also means showing different regions, soils, micro climates, exposure and rainfalls. Balance means including news on new plant sicknesses and pests and how to deal with them both organically and with other products.
Such balance could be achieved by just including regular visits in turn to the RHS gardens which all have different climates and soils, major gardens in Wales such as Bodnant or the Welsh botanic garden, major gardens in Scotland and the north of England and Ireland as wella s national collections and gardens of exceptional interest. Balance could also include a plant of the week - what to sow or plant now for later on, what's looking good now and how best to grow it.
Gardening is not just about planting, watering and watching it grow. It's about selecting plants that suit your conditions, aspiration and level of expertise. I like Monty's presentation but GW is currently too specific to Monty's garden which has its own micro climate and what he's doing and when he's doing it cannot always be related to other parts of the UK. Nor does his formal boxed in style with hedges galore suite everyone's tatse or means or size of garden.
So, if you haven't already guessed, I'd like more balance.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 25
Posted by Stressed out (U11163734) on Monday, 30th January 2012
Obelixx
Well said
As you say it has been done to death every year at this time
You have listed everything some of us would like to see and guess what we will get none of it.
Living at 1,000 feet up I am not going to get bananas or any sub tropical plants to survive. Its bad enough keeping things I want to grow alive and also have a shorter growing period.
As you also say its the production team that need to look at what they are showing/producingLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 26
Posted by Joe_the_Gardener (U3478064) on Tuesday, 31st January 2012
Obby,
I'm sure I've seen most things from your longlist over the past few years but, as you say, time is the enemy and its impossible to fit all that stuff in over 8 or 9 months of 30-minute programmes.
There must come a point where people who are interested in more things in more detail have to accept that there are more appropriate media, such as magazines or books, and that TV's function can only be light entertainment with some nuggets of information thrown in.
After all, you don't watch Frozen Planet to find out about the detailed biology of penguins or the precise details of ice ages.
Who would want to be a producer, but that if they've got any sense they'll go to the pub and raise an ironic glass to the moaners.
JoeLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 27
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Wednesday, 1st February 2012
Jello Joe. 30 minutes are indeed short but in GH's and AT's day they seemed to pack a lot more in without seeming hurried. Beechgrove does it too.
This productions team needs to have a plan and also needs to lose the long lingering atmospheric shots of Monty wandering about with his dog of his wheelbarrow. Let's see more action and more plants. We know what Monty looks like.Link to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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Message 28
Posted by Helen May (U1633128) on Wednesday, 1st February 2012
As others have said I'd also like more flowers, and a bit about designing or redesigning either part or a whole garden.
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Message 29
Posted by tulipmania (U3090145) on Saturday, 4th February 2012
The whole problem is that the programme is too short - needs to be an hour long.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas special.
Not much to ask when one considers the acres of space (!) allotted to sellers of antiques or potential house buyers, on a daily basis too. Surely there must be more gardeners around than either of those two groups???
And I don't give a hoot who does the presenting but an hour would give time for slots from all our favourite gardeners.
And why no programmes in the winter? Plenty of jobs to be done, researching new plants, planning changes, showing us national collections as some mentioned.
Greetings TulipLink to this forum: What do you want to see this year on GW?
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