Sunday 11 January 2015

The Great British Garden Revival

I'm in my element this week with some proper armchair plant porn:

The Great British Garden Revival


The BBC's new series of The Great British Garden Revival kicked off this week, along with a bunch of other gardening shows (Big Allotment Challenge, also on the Beeb; Titchmarsh gadding about in ITV). I guess this glut is as we look forward to warmer times, just like the traditional New Year holiday adverts. Gotta say tho', everyone on Allotment Challenge looks very weird on my TV with their sunburn whilst it tries to snow outside my window.

Perfect format

Garden Revival is just the right mix of horti-TV for me: educational, inspirational & rallying. Each show gives us to 2 gardening 'faces'. Each has 30 minutes to exhort us to make space in our hearts for some old but unfashionable stallwarts that are at risk of extinction.

They give us some history on the plants, visit gardens with amazing collections, address the brutal truth of why we've stopped buying these plants, show us how we can overcome those hurdles, & then light a fire under our arses to get out there & save them.

Your country need you!

Each segment is a rallying cry. During episode 1, I was so buoyed up from Rachel de Thame's campaign for old roses, that when Joe Swift did his intro & asked us to make space for climbers & creepers is was shouting "Ok, Joe!" at the screen... I felt like Po in Kung Fu Panda at the Pool Of Sacred Tears (Go watch it. Not to understand this reference, just go watch it). James' Wong's section on Rhododendrons in episode 3 was a revelation - the invasiveness of ONE hybrid has poisoned our view of a whole species.

Series 2 episodes

There's 10 shows in this series, some of which are already on iPlayer. There really is something for everyone:
  1. Roses - Rachel de Thame
    Climbers & creepers - Joe Swift
  2. Daffodils - Carol Klein
    Blossom trees & shrubs - Chris Beardshaw
  3. Rhododendrons - James Wong
    Carnations - Christen Walkden
  4. Scented gardens - Toby Buckland
    Tulips - Tom Hart Dyke
  5. Lavender - Diarmund Gavin
    Knot gardens - Alys Fowler
  6. Irises - Rachel de Thame
    Ornamental grasses - Toby Buckland
  7. Conifers - Carol Klein
    Pelargoniums - Tom Hart Dyke
  8. Lilies - James Wong
    Woodland gardens - Christen Walkden
  9. Bog gardens - Joe Swift
    Soft fruit - Alys Fowler
  10. Wildlife gardens - Diarmund Gavin
    Peonies - Charlie Dimmock
Now, to see if I can convert this inspiration & enthusiasm into motivation... & a plan.