The 2026 Gardening Programme Thread

[NebulousSadTimes]

Welcome 🤗. Pull up a chair, or an upturned bucket, grab a handle-less mug of whatever takes your fancy, ignore the cobwebs in the corner, there are some seed catalogues on the potting bench for you to entertain yourself until someone else pops in to chat about whatever has taken their interest on the telly or radio in all matters gardening 🌻🐞🌿🐝🍄🐌

Thanks for this - to be fair I've never tried asparagus raw though. In the interest of completeness how about a nice steamed or pan fried hosta stem with your poached egg? Awaiting your review!

I would still like to see more that is relevant to a very small city garden. Preferably one that is not in London, owned by two well off gay men who never hang their washing out, do not want space for children or pets, and is not a "tropical paradise".

I may have included quite a few clichés there.

What a lovely, moving tribute that was to Matt Biggs on GQT just now. I heard he was ill a while back but didn't realise he had died. It sounds like so many lives were made all the richer for having known him, which always makes the loss so much harder to bear💐

This week's Beechgrove Garden may as well have been renamed Beechgrove Farm! My fast-forward finger was getting plenty of exercise through all the "grow your own veg" bits! Memo: the war is over and Tesco sells bags of potatoes for about a quid!

Aww what a lovely young man from Edge Nurseries on tonight's GW. Always so pleasant to see a young person who gets on with their parents, has developed an interest in something wholesome and has a good work ethic. He might be one to watch for the future! Well done to him and to his parents!

Couldn't agree more, that bit warmed my normally tepid cockles 😍

@NebulousSadTimes definite Robert Irwin "good egg" vibes! Will be lucky people who have them as a husband one day!

A date for your diaries. On 1st August BBC4 is having a Geoff Hamilton fest ❤

Hahah Monty at it again!

<10 min segment on man talking about devoting his life to growing gladioli>
<Camera returns to Longmeadow>
Monty: gladioli don't go to my heart whereas the bearded iris...
<segment on iris>

Monty always lets us know when he's unimpressed.

I'll need to try and catch up soon, I've got some bearded iris that haven't flowered for years because they're so congested. Hopefully I'll get some inspiration.

I've got my box of hankies ready for tonight ❤😥❤. I've set it to record though, just in case 😴

Ha! That's something I like about Monty tbh (when it doesn't cross over into snobbery). The gladioli guy didn't need a pat on the head from Monty- he was clearly totally happy and fulfilled! The message that we all love different things and that's ok is sadly lacking these days imo....

How much do we think Monty hates doing sections on "how to take a cutting", "how to do a bulb lasagna" and "how to prune lavender".

Are we all watching BBC4 right now then?

Yes, what did you think @AntiqueVases ? I did enjoy it but I didn't need my hankies. I was left feeling ever so slightly short changed, probably because I'd built it up in my heart head since I heard it was going to be on. It seemed to be over in flash.

It's amazing how things have changed though. Onion sacks, are they even still a thing? 50p for Geoff's bit of whatever it was.

The difference between Monty's sow, take cuttings, plant on repeat and all the things Geoff covered even in last night's wee selection of clips.

PS I loved Geoff's thyme table, what a brilliant idea 😀

I thought the bit with Geoff Hamilton was great and very of its time with plastic hanging baskets
great to see him build a garden from scratch a bit like Adam Frost is doing now
I can’t help but think Adam will be the next Monty
Geoff also rocking the ironed jeans look !

No tie but still ironed his jeans, not too much of a rebel 😎

I thought the detail they went into in the episode where the (sorry, didn't catch the names) lady was doing salad leaves and the man doing the cuttings was very good. It's probably a sign of the times that many viewers wouldn't have the patience for that nowadays but I felt it gave a much greater understanding of the processes and whys and wherefores.

I confess: I had never heard of Geoff Hamilton until this thread!

I'm 43. 2 years ago, before I got a garden, I couldn't have picked Monty Don out of a line up albeit I did know he was a gardener. How times change!

I did find it very comforting though, watching Gardeners World from 1986!...on a Saturday night...again, I say...how times change!

🤗