Monty Don

[KevinM67]

I know this might go 'against the grain' on here - but the new found celebrity in Monty's dog really grinds my gears.

It's as if the TV people think viewers can't handle a serious programme just focussing on gardening and need to add some fluff nonsense to keeps us all going "aahh look at Nigel sleeping - that's soooo cute".

I've not got anything really against dogs, although I'll admit I'm not an avid lover of them - however, when you strip away the expert pieces on people who grow millions of orchids or something and the bits featuring Nigel, there's very little guidance/help features on actually growing stuff.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Nigel the dog...last episode of gardeners world made me laugh when nigel wanted his toy from the wheel Barrow.

Monty is a legend.

and so is Nigel. Ja9, - shame on you

[cheapskate chaz]

I have watched gardening programmes for eons, and I do miss Geoff Hamilton also, however, having a mix of programmes and presenters ensure a fair coverage of topics and methods, I also prefer Beechgrove as first choice but, I will watch and enjoy GW, Nigel? silly name for a dog..ruff ruff! We need more allotment coverage and in the winter too!

[Ja9]

Agree that gardening doesn't exactly stop in the winter and would be nice if the gardening programs continued too. Guess difficult for Beechgrove as so far north.As for the name Nigel- very daft,but there again my daughter has a hamster called John so what can I say?!

[spamvindaloo]

Is there really any gardening program on television that teaches you much about gardening (grow your own especially) - beechgrove included.

You'd learn more about how to grow your own from a single video from one of the YouTube channels such as allotment diary, the horticultural channel or lavender and leeks etc. than a whole year of watching the BBC. Allotment diary is probably my favourite but then he is a plain speaking yorkshireman like myself.

Or you could just read this brilliant forum which is worth a million gardeners worlds. 90% of my knowledge has come from reading these forums for the last few months (although I do now know five different methods on how to do everything )

Perhaps the BBC should ditch Monty Don and replace him with forum members from here, you could all be TV stars

[BUFFS]

I think of Monty Don as a spiritual son of Geoff Hamilton, but it was him who showed "how to" but on a budget, I still line boxes with foil so the windowsill seedlings get all round light and that was on in the mid 80s.with so many folks struggling these days I think the "bargain methods" need to be shown again, I don't spend more than £20 a year and that includes compost and fill a 6 x 3 freezer at seasons end. I do have the advantage of watching our local slot "beechgrove" each week so I am spoiled...

[ioan]

Hi
l have to agree with those that say there is little to learn from the tv garden programs, trying to reinvent the wheel just doesn't
do it for me.
I give them a try ounce in a while, but after a long five minutes I've had enough.
l dont think the presenters are to blame, the producers do not have a credible grip of the product from a half decent gardeners point of view.
Viewing figures are the be all and end all,.
And half decent gardeners can like it or lump it, the bbc in particular are going downhill fast in so many ways.
So that's my to bobsworth.
kind reg ioan

[Marb67]

I have the Geoff Hamilton Dvds and they are very good. I also love Harry Dodson in the Victorian garden. I watch those over and over as it's a cosy place for me to visit and the music is wonderful. Beechgrove is my favourite, especially Jim. I like Monty and the dog doesn't really bother me if he is in or out of the show. I am a cat person so much prefer rusty the cat in the Horticultual channel. I also hate when gardening is dummbed down with " naked gardening day" etc and those muppet who ask the last cheesy questions in GQT ( a programme which I find far more informative than GW) they should have continued with the Edible Gardener and didn't they used to have Bob Flowerdew on GW ? I would like to see more of him as he has good money saving tips. I think GW spends too long looking at someone's personal tulip or acer collection for far too long which I find boring. Gardening with Joe Maiden dvd's as well as his radio programe I also like.

[Bill HH]

I am not sure why but Monty Don makes my flesh crawl, I feel guilty about it to be honest, but everything in his garden is so bloody perfect, the house is to die for and even the dog is cute. i don't think its jealousy, its more too good to be true. Even when he goes inside his kitchen there is hot buttered toast waiting for him. When i go into my kitchen there is no bread,the kettles bust and the dog has pood in the hall.

[Kirk]

I tend to avoid anything with Monty Don in it, I am beginning to suspect that it is his voice. As there are others that I find the same about, Maggie someone on Sky at Night. I can play on the PC when a program is on so avoid visual aspects but cannot avoid the audio side. So that wiped out Chelsea on the TV this year, not watched GW for a number of years.

Also from other talks and people presenting them I find that an enthusiastic amateur never quite manages to come across.

When GW was on initially with MD I also saw that the other presenters were getting sidelined and pushed out, yet their input was very good. It literally appeared that there was an insecurity aspect there.

As Bill says it seems too perfect, Monty puts a fork in and turns over the finest soil ever seen by man, even the new bags of compost I buy are not as fine and light as the soil he turns over. It is usally only ever 1 fork full I have noticed, no point in exterting yourself by turning over 2.

The BBC does seem to be dumbing down even things like GW, suppling detailed information on the plants has gone. Alan (?) would supply plant, plant family information and where the plant family originated - all useful information, all nice to know. Really it is this detailed background information that adds value to a program, whereas the idea seems that we a bit thick and so best if we are not told anything at this depth.

Saying a planet prefers dry conditions is one thing, saying it like dry conditions because that plant and plant family comes from Arizona/S Africa/Australia/Mediterrean is I find more useful and better.

The thing about avoiding a program is that it is easy, push another button on a remote. This one aspect I think the BBC have yet to realise, whereas others have done so.

[Marb67]

As much as I like Monty Don I am getting tired with his constant obsession with box hedge and blight. When He got rid of his box after conceding to blight I thought "phew" that's the end of that but he has started again and last week was a real yawn. get over it and move on Monty. It's a boring shrub. If you want to plant a nice hedge get hawthorn. Far more interesting, it's native and wildlife friendly.

[Thelma Sanders]

Yes, it's shown too much on the programme......
but - you can't keep Hawthorn at a metre or less in height, for the small border-edge hedges he likes round the flowers.

Box is also a native and it's useful for winter as it's evergreen. It's also native

native trees and shrubs have a place in UK gardens and some are familiar favourites either as full blown trees or clipped plants; e.g. box

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=848

[maverick451]

I like Monty but what is quite amusing is I remember a couple of years ago him swearing that it wasnt box blight and treating it with a seaweed spray

Gardeners world isnt for me but I think for all its faults he is a good guy.

[Knight of Albion]

I like Monty. He comes across as very amiable and good-natured. I've always found he gives sound advice.
I'm glad to see that he advocates and practices more ecologically friendly gardening.

I also think he's very stoic in the way he accepts being upstaged by Nigel every week!

[BUFFS]

I like monty's style ,some things don't work out as expected so change/adapt it, its something we all do and he does it right in not being too wound up by the failures but can enjoy the successes, its gardening, and I have been at it for over 30 odd years now, but its not heart surgery, so relax, try something completely new each year, and think on the "newbies" who will learn the basics without being spoken down to as I remember some older local gurus used to when I was starting out, they seemed to deem to scatter their pearls of wisdom begrudgedly , doing you a personal favour, just enjoy monty keeping it fairly simple and relaxed, the crops seem okay with that and I think he is Geoff hamiltons natural successor..