The new hour-long GW.

[shovetheholly]

What are your thoughts?

I am really loving the new format. I like the way they are focusing not just on huge, uber-wealthy properties but on some small back gardens. I like the mix of stunningly beautiful, expertly-achieved gardens and amateur eccentricity. And I particularly like the focus back on technique, and doing things. It's lovely to see Carol Klein treated by the camera like the expert she is, instead of a gurning idiot pointing out that the top of the plant is called the "leaves" and the bottom is called the "root". I also find myself really warming to Adam Frost.

[ClarkL]

We are in the process of buying a house. The house next door is also for sale with the option to buy an additional 3 acres to sweeten the deal and make it an equestrian property.
We asked if we could just buy the land which was refused but we're hoping when the house sells either than land wont go with it and we can go back and offer again or it does sell but the next person is interested in making some quick money and willing to sell part of the 3 acres.
For us its to protect the back and prevent anyone building behind us, but also because I dream of having a cut flower garden that could in time become my job.
My initial plan is to have some sheep keeping the grass low whilst I slowly develop each section. Starting with cut flower garden, polytunnel and slowly create a wild flower meadow and have a few beehives. If I manage to somehow get the land and pull this off our house will remain a 1960's time warp because I'll have no money left....but who cares. I want a Monty sized garden.
PS if you could all bring a tent and live in the garden to help me maintain it i'd really appreciate that.
I'm 30 now, wont retire until im....80?! so that's 50 years to get it ready for a retirement hobby/pocket money

[shovetheholly]

Cut flowers! Sheep! Acreage!

I'm not jealous at all. NOT JEALOUS AT ALL.

[ClarkL]

It hasn't happened yet....my husband KEEPS telling me not to get my hopes up. For all we know the house sale itself will fall through let alone the land, but a girl can dream right? and I need a plan incase anyone asks why I want the land so bad and how will I manage it.
Small manageable house and a huge garden...It's the only thing that's stopping me going on stupid spending sprees and working out the bare minimum I can spend at Christmas.

[shovetheholly]

I am keeping all my fingers crossed that you get BOTH!! I don't think anyone will ask you to prove your credentials with the land, will they? I don't think many families would want that much, so I think there's every chance you'll get it. Here's hoping! Good luck with the sale.

[ClarkL]

Ah there is a bit of a land grab round here. Anyone with land tends to get planning permission on it then sell it. 10 years back a farmer sold land to most people to give them bigger gardens, with a 10 year agreement preventing building. 10 years and 1 day and most have applied for planning permission for another house. Farmer is upset as feels HE should have profited more. As a result anyone selling agricultural land is a bit suspicious of anyone wanting it.
My concern is that once a second row of houses appear my new home could be overlooked if I don't secure the land behind. Frankly they could put a 100 year term on preventing development and I wouldn't care, I want land to remain land!

[shovetheholly]

Gosh, these things are so difficult. Land value (and the 'betterment' or appreciation that occurs through gaining planning permission, which is essentially in the gift of the state, which is supposed to represent the interests of all of us) is something we should all talk about a whole lot more. There were attempts to deal with this in the mid century, but nothing much has happened recently.

I often think that doing a project that made land ownership something that was publicly searchable would be one of the most politically explosive things anyone could do...

[ClarkL]

That's a whole different thread!! I can understand it's emotive to so many people. With a shortage of houses and land prices soaring no-one wants to feel shortchanged or that they can't ever have their own home due to people wanting the highest possible prices for everything.
Then there's me, dreaming of a wild flower meadow, bee hives, a cut flower garden and peace and quiet from the stress and drama of life...as a kid watching gardeners world at my grandparents and nagging them into taking me to the garden centre was the highlight of my weekends

[shovetheholly]

Exactly! One of the crazy things, to me, is that both biodiversity and the agricultural 'worth' of land (e.g. soil quality) aren't really factored in fully to decisions about this.

I didn't mean to sound like I was objecting to you having a few acres - that's not what I'm talking about at all! It's more the people who own most of Scotland and a bit of Wales .

[ClarkL]

heehee Nah I can see there is a huge difference between my little plot (soon to be, hopefully, fingers crossed) and those who own many many acres, enough to be a county!!
I'm in Lincolnshire and the soil here is fab - which is logical with the amount of agricultural land. Yet they are filling it with houses, and at the expense of gardens...I actually think give it 50 years and valuable houses wont be the 5 bedroom mansions, but the ones with a garden not overlooked.
Why would you move to a quiet rural village if actually there's a house in your garden overlooking you. Then you're just in a suburb with bad roads and no amenities...!

[shovetheholly]

Yes, I really worry about the erosion of garden space. You see quite large, new build houses now with no gardens. Yes, I get that not everyone loves gardening. But even overgrown space is important for wildlife, drainage etc.

Your new place is going to be amazing! Lincolnshire soil can be black gold!

[bookbook]

I like the idea of your plan ClarkL - we need green spaces to breathe. The problem is the constant tug from the need for houses. I live in a relatively small market town. We moved here in 1977 , when the population was about 5, 000. I moved into a house that was then about 8 years old. I looked over fields from our back garden. Since then, the population has nearly doubled. I have no fields now at the back, and the boundaries of the town are moving further and further out. It cannot help that driveways are paved/brick set at the expense of gardens. (Though the jokingly named 'affordable' housing have no drive and no garden to speak of.)
Anyway - yes agree with shove - Lincolnshire is wonderful !

[ClarkL]

I do wish there was more education for children in schools around gardening, we had a single sunflower to grow 2 years ago from the school and that's it. Even when I was a child there wasn't a huge amount, but we really do need people to become more educated around what they can do in tiny spaces as well as the giant spaces so at least that's one good thing about the mini sections on GW regarding the roof top gardens and tiny front garden makeovers.
I know people are running out of time with super busy lives but even a small patch can be low maintenance, even grass if you get a robot lawnmower (I'm in the process of eyeing one up for the front garden) and I'm sure it's cheaper than installing artificial grass.

[Lorelei76]

Well this thread is an education, I hadn't thought about how they choose presenters. I've now watched the one with a little bit about rock gardens and think that might be something I do on the balcony after the spring bulbs are gone...if they come out!!

Clark, that sounds amazing. While watching this I found myself wondering if there's such a thing as a small modern well insulated house on a large plot of land! Or if people ever take extensions off to make their gardens bigger!

[shovetheholly]

Totally agree clark. A lot of kids are just fascinated by the whole growing process, and it can be such a great way of bringing an understanding of how interconnected the world is climactically too. I worry that we are losing a lot of skills just because people don't have time/energy/knowledge any more, and that becomes a kind of repeating cycle.

Your balcony is going to be SO pretty lorelei.

[ClarkL]

I am sure the bulbs will come out lorelei and if they don't or some don't you experiment with the next thing...which could be a small rockery. For me that's the fun of the garden, it's like hair. If it goes wrong it'll grow (or not in a plants case) but it's very rarely totally unsalvageable.
One of my front garden beds was quite messy this year, it had so much in and it didn't all work well. It was planted specifically for my wedding the year before so EVERYTHING bloomed end of August beginning of September and was quite dull the rest of the year!
I've lifted a few of my favourite plants (cosmos) to take with me but moved and rearranged some that were there and I've attempted to move the peonies from the back garden which were under the apple trees, where they've done nothing due to the shade. They might take, they might not but they weren't doing much where they were so there isn't much to loose.
I do think a small garden is often the hardest though, and more so if it's a balcony as I'm guessing storage of garden tools and space to move pots around for whatever is in bloom isn't as easy as having a larger space where you can pop them out of sight.
Good luck with the bulbs, it'll all be worth it

[Kr1stina]

Just spotted this interesting and amusing programme on fashions in gardening in Britain in the 1940-60s. Starring Percy thrower amongst others .

Worth watching for the Flymo advert alone ( about 22 mins in )

All Mod Cons, 5. The Outside Room: //www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03sz2z7 via @bbciplayer

[Lorelei76]

Clark, for me it was the cost of getting stuff as well...you're right I don't have any storage space either.

I think we learned about soil types in geography but honestly you'd have been hard pushed to find a duller teacher. Don't remember growing anything g except cress.

[ClarkL]

I would love to say the cost is a one off, and technically with bulbs it is as they come back each year...but my gardening budget seems to go up every year!!

Kr1stina - that program is fab! I am killing the last hour at work and had iplayer playing in the background...ok, so I stopped work for half hour and watched it. I really hadn't thought about how gardens would have changed or even that people didn't have patios until the 60s ...or actually that all plants came from a catalogue instead of a garden centre.
I do wish my husband showed the same interest in the lawn - he's more of the bbq type and sitting on the patio type!!

[Lorelei76]

Clark, bulbs in pots are unlikely to come back next year apparently and I haven't got space to keep plants out of season so for me it would be same costs each year. I imagine the compost will be spent as well, I can't buy the big bags of compost as there's nowhere to store it etc so I have the annoying thing of buying small bags too, totally uneconomical. It might be that long term i have to go for succulents and rock garden stuff.

Noticed Monty said rock garden plants were cheap which sounds good to me!

[bookbook]

I am looking into doing something along that rockery pot underneath my front window , so they have sparked my interest there. It is just finding a reasonable priced/nice looking trough though!
There is going to be a whole generation not gardening - I agree shove - they have so much on their plates , both working to afford houses without much garden isn't much on an incentive. Both my DD's have gardens, but apart from cutting grass, I do their gardening/pits etc. They don't have the time or inclination.
Kristina - I saw that when it was aired - great I agree :)

[AndShesGone]

I love it. And there's more time for Monty too, more quips from him, more of the dogs.

I think the small gardeny bits is quite good, though that roof terrace last week had two beds in a corner with vast empty space in the rest

I much prefer the hour, the half hour felt rushed to me.

[ClarkL]

Lorelei I didn't realise that about bulbs in pots. Do you have a local gardening group. We've a local facebook one, I'm wondering if you can exchange your bulbs once done with fellow gardeners nearby for something else, like your alpines?

[Lorelei76]

Thanks Clark, I'll have a look

In London I would say I am the generation - probably the second one - with no interest in gardening till now of course. But in reality, most of us don't have them in the first place, and if we do, the time factor is huge - I'm not the only person I know who worked two jobs in order to buy, I know people who worked three! on a practical level, anyone who has a front garden and a car can't be blamed for wanting to make it a driveway as parking has become impossible.

more and more of us will be living in small flats. Tbh I can see the benefits because if you mostly work, have a long commute etc you don't want a big space to look after anyway, but it becomes more sensible to use the local park rather than try anything else.

Blocks of flats with communal gardens often incur large costs and for me, it was a plus that there's no garden here because otherwise summer would have consisted to listening to little kids yelling which would have driven me nuts). So I think there's a whole generation already in London who haven't a clue about gardening.

Interestingly, my boss said to me that even if I could afford a house and garden at say, 45 (I'm 40) that I might want to reconsider because often people around 50 start to consider ditching the house and garden to live somewhere that's less work. That pattern will change though as people take longer and longer to buy a home of their own.

Do GW ever cover indoor plants?

[crazydaisies]

Lorelei there was a segment on indoor plants on The A-Z of TV Gardening on Sunday morning. DH and I always record this as it's on quite early.

[Sosidges]

ClarkL your ideas for your garden sound wonderful. I hope you will write about it more. I agree that we need housing, but someone enthusiastically planting up the land is equally important for our survival.

When my garden is finished I will only have two plots for ground planting.. 2 metres by 1 metre each. I think that the amount of time I have spent just planning the planting for these has been one of my hardest gardening challenges.

Thanks to another foray into Freely Wheelie, the last of the plants that 'have to go' have gone. Plus I put all the walling from the raised, the pebbles the stumpery and the bricks on there too. Within half an hour I got a response and they are being collected at the weekend by a local allotment holder.