Gardeners World 2023 Episode 26 – Nestled in the picturesque setting of York Gate in Leeds, the trio of Adam Frost, Rachel de Thame, and Frances Tophill warmly welcome you to step into a garden that radiates nature’s splendor throughout the seasons. Together, with their combined expertise and passion for the craft, they will delicately unravel the myriad secrets that go into cultivating such a mesmerizing garden. Not only will they share their insights, but they will also walk you through essential gardening tasks tailored specifically for the delightful and transitional month of September. Their guidance ensures that each nook and cranny of your garden flourishes to its maximum potential.
Journeying further south to the vibrant and ever-pulsating heart of London, prepare to meet an incredibly inspiring head gardener. His deep-rooted love for horticulture can be traced back to his youthful days, evoking a sense of nostalgia. Here, you’ll have the privilege of witnessing the magic firsthand as the renowned plantsman, Jamie Butterworth, takes a momentous step into the historically significant and aesthetically breathtaking walled garden of Scampston Hall. But the journey doesn’t end there. To further enchant and stimulate your senses, we’re thrilled to introduce a passionately devoted horticulturist. This individual has dedicated countless hours and immeasurable effort into mastering the intricate art of breeding the exotic hibiscus plant. Prepare to be awed as he unveils the hibiscus in all its diverse shades and mesmerizing forms.
“Gardeners’ World” is a long-standing British television programme that has become an institution for gardening enthusiasts not only in the UK but around the world. Premiering in 1968 on the BBC, the show has been a source of inspiration, guidance, and a touchstone for all things horticultural for over half a century. The programme delves into the world of plants, flowers, and garden design, offering viewers a wealth of practical advice, innovative ideas, and a window into the most beautiful gardens in the country. Over the years, “Gardeners’ World” has been presented by a roster of gardening legends, each bringing their unique style and expertise to the show.
The programme’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to blend expert advice with a genuine passion for the natural world, making it accessible to both novice gardeners and seasoned green thumbs. Whether it’s showcasing the latest gardening trends, providing step-by-step tutorials, or exploring the therapeutic benefits of gardening, “Gardeners’ World” remains a beacon for those who believe in the transformative power of plants and the joy of tending to a garden. Its legacy is not just in the gardens it has inspired but in the community it has cultivated, connecting people through a shared love of nature.
Gardeners World 2023 Episode 26
A Comprehensive Guide to Gardeners’ World: Britain’s Favorite Gardening Programme
Gardeners’ World has been a beloved British television institution since its inception in 1968. For over 50 years, it has provided gardening guidance, inspiration, and community to generations of green thumbs across the UK and beyond. This in-depth guide will explore everything you need to know about the history, format, presenters, and enduring appeal of Gardeners’ World.
A Brief History of Gardeners’ World
Gardeners’ World began as a spin-off from the BBC show Gardeners’ Line hosted by horticulturist Percy Thrower. Its aim was to provide practical gardening advice in an easily digestible format for the everyday gardener.
The first episode aired on 5 January 1968 with producer Peter Fairley at the helm. It was initially a 13 week series airing on Friday evenings on BBC2, but its warm reception led to it becoming a regular year-round fixture on British television.
Over the decades, Gardeners’ World has had many celebrated presenters share their horticultural expertise including Geoff Hamilton, Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Carol Klein and Rachel de Thame. Some of the show’s most iconic moments have included jetting off to tour the spectacular gardens of Japan and the majestic grounds of Versailles in France.
Today, Gardeners’ World continues to be one of the BBC’s most beloved programmes, appealing to approximately 2.5 million viewers per week. Its winning formula blends gardening advice with stunning cinematography, warm-hearted presenters, and a genuine passion for the natural world.
The Format and Structure of the Show
A typical episode of Gardeners’ World follows a magazine-style format combining practical how-to demonstrations, tours of inspirational gardens, seasonal tips, plant profiles and guest appearances by celebrity gardeners. Segments on recent episodes have covered topics as diverse as growing vegetables in raised beds, winter pruning techniques, meadowscaping trends and even foraging for wild mushrooms.
The show strikes a balance between educating and entertaining, ensuring gardening newcomers pick up plenty of growing guidance while more seasoned horticulturists stay inspired by the latest trends and innovative techniques. The emphasis is always on conveying a sense of joy and wonder in the garden rather than intimidating viewers with overly technical lingo or complex instructions.
While special episodes may take viewers abroad or provide live coverage of horticultural shows like Chelsea Flower Show, the majority of filming takes place at the presenters’ own gardens. This allows for an intimate, informal tone as the hosts share their personal triumphs and tribulations working with their own outdoor spaces.
Meet the Presenters
A big part of Gardeners’ World’s appeal lies in its charismatic cast of horticultural hosts who share their knowledge with infectious enthusiasm. Let’s take a quick look at the show’s current presenting team:
Monty Don
As the show’s lead presenter since 2003, Monty Don has become intrinsically linked with Gardeners’ World. His eloquent delivery and soothing voice have charmed legions of fans as he dispenses gardening wisdom from his famous Longmeadow garden. Monty’s segments focus on seasonal crop rotation, integrating ornamentals with edibles and exploring botanical wonders like his jewel garden.
Adam Frost
Northern boy Adam Frost brings a down-to-earth style and infectious passion for plants. A former sheriff, Adam trained at Askham Bryan College and now runs his own award-winning garden design firm. On Gardeners’ World he delights in showing off unusual plant combinations and his ever-evolving, eco-friendly garden in Lincolnshire.
Frances Tophill
A seasoned horticulturist, Frances Tophill grew up on a farm immersed in the natural world. Her obsession with plants was cemented after studying at Edinburgh University’s Royal Botanic Garden. Frances is full of tips for growing productive veg gardens and stunning cut flowers. Her enthusiasm and resourcefulness make every project seem achievable.
Nick Bailey
The most recent addition to the Gardeners’ World team, Nick Bailey brings over 30 years of horticultural experience to the show. His exuberant passion for plants is showcased in his own spectacular garden in Bradford-on-Avon which comprises 12 distinct outdoor ‘rooms’. Nick loves introducing audiences to exciting new varieties and unusual plants from around the world.
Why Does Gardeners’ World Resonate with So Many Viewers?
After more than 50 years on the air, what is it about Gardeners’ World that still captivates over 2 million viewers each week? There are a few key reasons this horticultural show remains so popular:
Relatable Experts
While Gardeners’ World presenters like Monty Don are extremely knowledgeable, they maintain an informal, friendly tone when sharing advice. Their gardening triumphs and slip-ups will be familiar to most viewers, making the show feel like catching up with a group of cheerful green-fingered mates down at the local pub.
Inspiring Gardens
Gorgeous cinematography takes audiences on a weekly escape to breath-taking gardens around the UK and farther afield. From formal country estates to quaint cottage gardens, these lush outdoor spaces spur a wealth of landscaping ideas and plant inspiration.
Seasonal Guidance
The show provides a nurturing hand to guide viewers through the gardening calendar, ensuring they know exactly what to plant, prune, harvest and maintain each season. This makes even novice gardeners feel confident tackling essential horticultural tasks.
Wonder of Nature
While full of practical growing tips, at its core Gardeners’ World has an infectiously idealistic spirit that celebrates the joy, creativity and wellbeing the garden brings. It reminds audiences of mankind’s connection to the beauty of the natural world.
Sense of Community
For many viewers Gardener’s World provides a sense of community, allowing them to feel part of a larger collective who share their passion for plants. This is reinforced by the team’s inclusive, conversational tone.
After more than half a century bringing Britain’s gardens into living rooms across the nation, it’s clear Gardeners’ World has found the perfect formula for informing, inspiring and delighting each new generation of gardeners.
Delving into a Picturesque York Gate Garden
In a recent spring episode, veteran Gardeners’ World hosts Monty Don, Adam Frost and Rachel de Thame convened at the magnificent York Gate Gardens in Leeds. This verdant one-acre garden is a shining example of the Arts & Crafts style, originally created in 1951 by passionate horticulturists Sybil and Frederick Spencer.
The trio of presenters took viewers on a joyous stroll through York Gate’s 14 distinct outdoor “rooms” bursting with spring blooms. Monty extolled the garden’s use of vertical surfaces clad in climbing plants to create “outdoor architecture.” Rachel admired the garden’s fiscal prudence, sourcing local reclaimed materials like old coffee sacks upcycled into whimsical plant covers.
The experiential tour provided a bounty of takeaway tips for viewers’ own gardens:
Crafting Outdoor Rooms
Like York Gate, dividing your garden into distinct “rooms” sectioned off by paths, fences or planting allows for an intimate, intriguing space. Make each area unique by playing with hardscaping materials, color schemes and mixing decorative plants with edibles.
Choosing Versatile Plants
Many of the plants spotlighted thrive year-round like hellebores, euphorbias and bergenias which offer multi-season interest through their flowers, foliage and form. These stalwart varieties are excellent choices for low-maintenance gardens.
Embracing Vertical Gardening
Take advantage of vertical surfaces in your outdoor space. York Gate employed vertical walls clad in climbing roses, espalier fruit trees and obelisks circled by sweet peas to maximize visual impact and growing area.
Upcycling Materials
Give new life to salvaged items like old tools, birdbaths, shutters or even coffee sacks by repurposing them in playful ways around the garden. This epitomizes the thrifty DIY spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement.
Year-Round Care
While the garden looked resplendent in spring, the team returned later in the year to help with seasonal upkeep like pruning wayward shrubs, moving potted plants and deadheading faded perennials. Proper year-round care is key!
By touring gardens like the magnificent York Gate, Gardeners’ World viewers glean an abundance of tips and inspiration to implement in their own outdoor spaces no matter the size or location.
A Peek into a Passionate Plantsman’s Hibiscus Obsession
Gardeners’ World often features dedicated plant devotees like Roderick Woods, a Norfolk nurseryman who has spent over 40 years obsessively breeding hibiscus. During a recent episode, the show took viewers inside Roderick’s greenhouse for an exclusive peek at his extensive hibiscus collection and learning about his decades-long quest to create the perfect pink-hued variety.
Roderick’s hibiscus origin story begins in the 1980s during a family trip to France where he spotted a beautiful pink hibiscus hedge. At the time most hibiscus blooms were shades of red, purple or white, so Roderick was determined to replicate it back home in Britain.
He began amassing hibiscus seedlings from the region and selecting ones with the most promising pink tones. Over years and thousands of crosses, he incrementally achieved his vision. Highlights from Roderick’s hibiscus wisdom included:
Start Small
Like Roderick’s journey, begin with just a few starter plants. Learn their care before expanding your collection. Patience is key!
Embrace Experimentation
Be willing to experiment and iterate. Keep records to track crosses and seedling pedigrees so you can systematically work toward your goals.
Persevere Through Setbacks
Progress isn’t always linear. Roderick destroyed thousands of seedlings over decades before perfecting the pink hues. Gardening requires grit!
Enjoy the Process
Focus on enjoying the day-to-day cultivation rather than just the end result. Roderick found peace and purpose caring for his hibiscus along the way.
Roderick’s story reminds viewers that gardening is enriched by choosing a specific passion. His laser focus cultivated undiscovered hibiscus beauty and brought him decades of meaning.
Discovering the Allure of Prairie Planting
In a segment spotlighting cutting-edge garden style, plantsman Jamie Butterworth took viewers to Scampston Hall’s renowned walled garden in Yorkshire brimming with perennials and grasses.
Designed by eminent Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf, this “New Perennial” style of naturalistic prairie planting has revolutionized garden design in recent decades. It favors bold swathes of ornamental grasses and herbaceous perennials chosen for their structure and multi-season appeal.
Jamie extolled Scampston’s playful plant combinations like the molten orange and lime-green chorus of helianthus and panicums. He highlighted Oudolf’s limited plant palette which enables each variety to take center stage.
While prairie-style planting requires patience as the garden evolves, Jamie distilled some tips for nurturing one at home:
Study Plant Traits
Learn your chosen perennials’ habits and growth cycles so combinations flower and mingle successfully. Site sun-lovers together away from shade-dwellers.
Scale Down Drifts
Use pots or a strip of border to replicate Oudolf’s signature drifty style on a smaller scale. Vary heights and textures for sensational effect.
Add Architecture
Add height and winter structure using architectural grasses like miscanthus or calamagrostis. Cut back once foliage fades.
Allow Self-Seeding
Embrace volunteers popping up as your plants spread and self-sow. This creates a naturalistic look but edit ruthlessly once a year.
Favor Low-Maintenance Choices
To avoid constant deadheading and staking, select hardy varieties that withstand seasonal extremes and support themselves.
By embracing prairie-style planting’s wilder aesthetic, Gardeners’ World viewers can craft a modern garden with year-round dynamism using Oudolf’s principles.
Tuning in Each Week across the Seasons
Gardeners’ World has built a legacy by guiding generations of Brits through the gardening calendar, ensuring they have the know-how and inspiration needed to nurture their plots week-by-week and year after year.
Each season brings its own recurring themes and segments:
Spring
The gardening year begins!Segments provide guidance on sowing seeds, battling weeds, growing produce, adding spring flowers and overwintered survivors while visiting gardens ablaze with blossoms.
Summer
Summertime ramps up planting challenges. Presenters share watering tips, bouquets ideas and heat-loving Mediterranean plants while assessing garden successes and troubleshooting failures.
Autumn
As gardens slow down, autumn focuses on tidying, propagating, planting out spring bulbs and appreciating late bloomers. Cosy greenhouse segments look ahead to the winter gardening possibilities.
Winter
Cold months see presenters hunkering down indoors discussing garden projects, forcing bulbs into bloom and profileing houseplants. Christmas episodes spark ideas for seasonal decor and gift giving.
This seasonal structure makes Gardeners’ World a reassuring constant. Viewers can sync their gardening schedules to the topics covered each week on the programme.
Looking Ahead…
After over 50 years bringing Britain’s gardens into living rooms across the nation, Gardeners’ World continues to inform and inspire each new generation of green thumbs.
Led by horticultural veterans like Monty Don and a team of passionate newcomers, the show provides an unparalleled look into the world of gardening with each episode. Stay tuned as we explore the storied history, captivating presenters and enduring magic behind Britain’s favorite gardening show.
Cultivating a City Sanctuary with a Passionate Plantsman
In contrast to the sprawling country gardens often featured, one episode followed Bristol-based gardener Ashley Edwards cultivating a pocket-sized haven as head gardener for a city spinal injury charity.
Ashley oversees a petite courtyard garden for the charity Horatio’s Garden, designed to be accessible to patients with limited mobility while providing tranquility. Despite the challenges of the small space, he has created an inspiring oasis.
Ashley credits gardening with being his personal refuge and path to self-discovery. By condensing his tips into steps any viewer can take, he demonstrates that limitations need not curb gardening ambitions.
Start Small
Focus on a compact corner. Ashley draped one fence in green curtains of morning glories to craft a living wall. Vines can thrive even in urban cracks!
Use Level Changes
Elevate plants in containers for detail and accessibility. Repurposed crates or stacking pots allow raised beds on a budget.
Select Multisensory Plants
Ashley opts for plants with scent, texture and sound to engage the senses. Lavender, lamb’s ear and grasses hit multiple notes at once!
Embrace Shady Spots
Rather than fight dark corners, celebrate shade-lovers like ferns. Hostas and hellebores also welcome low light levels.
Add Comfortable Seating
Provide seating to savor your garden. Ashley incorporated benches along the path at wheelchair height for full accessibility.
With mindfulness and creativity, Ashley proves even the tiniest green space can become a sanctuary through the healing power of plants. The segment left viewers feeling empowered to transform their personal plots into multipurpose havens.
Harvesting Inspiration from a Productive Kitchen Garden
While ornamental gardens are the programme’s primary focus, Gardeners’ World also spotlights vegetable gardens and allotments brimming with edible abundance.
A kitchen garden tour saw presenter Frances Tophill amble through the vibrant potager at York Gate admiring not just the bountiful produce but the plot’s beauty and biodiversity. Alongside edibles like artichokes and espalier apples, many decorative plants like sage, violas and marigolds were selected because they double as culinary garnishes.
Frances and gardener Tom Nicholls demonstrated sowing nutrient-dense leafy greens for winter harvesting. The tips shared included:
Interplanting Crops
Maximize space by squeezing quick-growing salad leaves and herbs like pak choi between slower vegetables. Structured plants like kale or peas support tender greens.
Successional Sowing
Keep planting in intervals 2-3 weeks apart so crops appear in waves, avoiding gluts. Frances sowed more radish seeds just as earlier plantings matured.
Embracing Variety
Don’t just grow one type of each vegetable. Trying diverse cultivars avoids disease and lengthens your harvest window as early and late types mature.
Harnessing Space Vertically
Make use of vertical surfaces with trellising, nets and supports. Frances demonstrated building a teepee support for upward-climbing runner beans.
Valuing Aesthetics
Intermingle edibles and ornamentals for beauty. Tom surrounded cabbage seedlings with violas and nasturtiums which also deter pests naturally.
Viewers were reminded growing food could be just as creative and rewarding as crafting ornamental displays. The segment provided inspiration to merge beauty and bounty in their own potagers.
Imparting Timeless Wisdom from Decades in the Dirt
A staple segment of the programme is asks seasoned horticulturists to distill their decades of hands-on experience into easily digestible nuggets of wisdom for the everyday gardener. Their areas of expertise range from greenhouse growing to plant propagation to boosting biodiversity.
Recent pearls of gardening wisdom included:
On seed saving – Save money next year by collecting seeds from coveted plants in your garden when they are completely dry and ripe. Label carefully before storing in a cool location.
On perennials – Invigorate overgrown perennials and increase your plant stock by dividing congested clumps after they finish blooming using two garden forks back-to-back to split them. Replant divisions in enriched soil.
On sweetcorn – Determine ripeness using the thumbnail test. A milky sap means ears are ready for steaming. If liquid is clear and watery, continue waiting before harvesting.
On tool upkeep – Clean secateurs and bypasses after pruning to remove residue and protect blades from corrosion. Use a household disinfectant spray or diluted bleach solution. Wipe and air dry well. Oil any moving parts monthly.
These bite-sized bits of advice cater to gardeners at every stage whether they are trying techniques for the very first time or refreshing their memories on the fundamentals.
Looking Ahead…
Gardeners’ World blends inspiration and education by showcasing stunning spaces coupled with practical growing guidance tailored for gardens great and small. The show’s welcoming tone and seasonal structure has garnered generations of loyal fans.
Looking ahead, Gardeners’ World seems poised to continue captivating audiences by spotlighting emerging gardening trends while remaining grounded in the fundamentals. Most importantly, it will keep fulfilling its original remit – spreading the joy and wonder of gardens into living rooms across Britain.
Getting Hands Dirty with Seasonal Garden Tasks
A highlight of Gardeners’ World is seeing presenters like Monty Don and Adam Frost along with the gardening teams at featured gardens like York Gate roll up their sleeves and get hands-on with essential horticultural tasks. The show takes viewers along, making them feel prepared to tackle seasonal jobs in their own plot.
Recent segments have guided audiences through key late summer and autumnal garden jobs:
Propagating Summer Perennials
Cut stem tip cuttings from tender perennials in late summer allows them to root before frost hits. Frances demonstrated taking salvia cuttings in August. She selected healthy, non-flowering shoots, snipped below leaf nodes and planted in gritty compost. Keeping cuttings shaded and moist until new growth emerges is vital.
Preparing Tender Plants for Winter
As temperatures drop, tender plants need protection. The York Gate team showed how to lift aeoniums from garden borders, cut back leggy growth and repot the best rosettes or replant rootballs in the greenhouse for overwintering. Checking for pests or disease and removing dead leaves prevents problems spreading indoors.
Sowing Cover Crops
Rather than leave earth bare, sow quick growing “green manure” crops like clover or ryegrass to boost nutrients, prevent erosion and suppress weeds. Adam demonstrated scattering seeds across stripped veggie beds. Come spring, dig the leafy growth into the soil before planting. Cover crops are the ultimate gardening multitaskers!
Pruning with a Purpose
September is prime time for pruning shrubs and topiary. Frances demonstrated two pruning approaches on box balls. For organic loose shapes, she made casual rounded cuts with hand shears. For formal cube shapes, Monty showed making concise vertical and horizontal snips with trimming shears. Always clean tools after use to avoid spreading disease.
Planning Ahead for Spring Bounty
To enjoy an early spring harvest, plants like onion sets, garlic and leafy greens can be sown in autumn. Monty chatted with the gardener at his community garden allotment about the overwintering onion varieties she was tucking into freshly manured trenches. Planning ahead is key for a bountiful kitchen garden.
Equipped with this timely, practical advice, Gardeners’ World empowers green thumbs of all skill levels to maintain their outdoor spaces with confidence.
The Enduring Legacy of Gardeners’ World
For over half a century, Gardeners’ World has been inviting viewers into the ravishing world of horticulture, acting as both an inspirational tonic and roll-up-your-sleeves manual for nurturing our gardens and connecting with nature.
At its heart, the show carries the ethos that gardening is a fundamentally joyful and life-affirming pastime open to everyone regardless of space, budget or experience. This aspirational spirit coupled with an accessible nurturing tone is why Gardeners’ World continues to resonate with generation after generation.
Looking to the future, it seems certain that Britain’s favorite gardening show will continue to educate and delight the nation’s green thumbs for decades to come. Although mediums and presenters may evolve, the show’s core aim remains the same – spreading the message that inside every gardener resides the possibility for growth, beauty and a deeper bond with the living world around us.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gardeners’ World
What is Gardeners’ World?
Gardeners’ World is the UK’s most popular gardening television programme. First airing in 1968, it offers expert horticultural guidance, garden tours and seasonal growing advice to green thumbs nationwide.
When and where does Gardeners’ World air?
New episodes air Friday evenings on BBC Two in the UK. The show also streams on HDclump.com. Episodes air internationally in markets like the USA and Canada.
Who are the presenters on Gardeners’ World?
Monty Don leads presenting duties with Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Nick Bailey and Carol Klein also fronting segments. Notable alumni presenters include Percy Thrower, Geoff Hamilton and Alan Titchmarsh.
How can I view past episodes of Gardeners’ World?
In addition to airing on BBC, select segments can be viewed on the HDclump.com. Episodes also air on HDclump.com in the US and HDclump.com in Canada.
Where is Gardeners’ World filmed?
Much of the show is filmed on location in the presenters’ own gardens, allowing for an intimate, informal tone. Special episodes also visit public and private gardens nationwide.
Does Gardeners’ World have companion books?
Many books have been published to complement the show, including presenter memoirs like Monty Don’s “Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs” and gardening reference books guiding viewers season-by-season.
How can I get gardening advice between episodes?
The HDclump.com website and Gardeners’ World magazine offer continual gardening guidance. You can also interact with the show’s team via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for further tips.
