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Greenacre (ex Gardeners World garden)
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Message 1.聽
Posted by Richardf77 (U2391775) on Monday, 4th April 2011
I was saddened and somewhat annoyed to open my copy of this weeks Amateur Gardening magazine to see pictures of how Greenacre has fares since GW left. It appears to have been completely abandoned with beds borders and structures left to go to wrack and ruin. Aside from the obvious waste of TV licence fee payers money, i really hate to see a garden treated in this way.
it had made me modify my views on the changes to GW this series. Until i saw those pictures I was quite happy with the new look and was enjoying seeing Monty working in his own garden, plus I never really took to Greenacre when it was on air. Now i now wish there had been some way found to bring monty and his garden into the show and still keep Greenacre going as the TV garden it was designed to be.
Perhaps the show could (have) be(en) split between the 2 gardens, a bit like in the earliest days of GW when you had Percy at The Magnolias and Arthur at Clacks Farm, showing techniques and projects best suited to each garden. A more modern example would be from last year when we saw Carol in her garden doing stuff alongside what was done at Greenacre. Just an idea. Probably wouldn't work.
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Message 2
Posted by Holbert (U3994703) on Monday, 4th April 2011
It saddened me too to see the photos of Greenacre going to pot, but mostly because I remember the enthusiasm of Toby on the first programme and subsequently when developing it. It *could* have been so good and so interesting to see a new garden being developed from scratch, but never was due to the silly dumbed down programme content.
The Beeb has said though that things from the garden are being recycled where possible and it is in discussion with the site owners as to what to do with it next.
I wonder if I could recycle the greenhouse for them and put it on the back of a lorry headed towards my garden?
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Message 3
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Tuesday, 5th April 2011
There's no excuse for letting the plants and fixtures go to pot.
It wouldn't take a master's degree in organsiation to arrange to pass on the plants to community gardens, local garden charities, old people's homes, schools setting up gardens and so on. Things like benches and seats could go the same way.
Or they could have a sale and recoup some of their/our investment.
Or get in local volunteers and turn it into a new community garden or allotments. -
Message 4
Posted by kfgray (U14470933) on Tuesday, 5th April 2011
I was saddened and somewhat annoyed to open my copy of this weeks Amateur Gardening magazine to see pictures of how Greenacre has fares since GW left. It appears to have been completely abandoned with beds borders and structures left to go to wrack and ruin. Aside from the obvious waste of TV licence fee payers money, i really hate to see a garden treated in this way.
it had made me modify my views on the changes to GW this series. Until i saw those pictures I was quite happy with the new look and was enjoying seeing Monty working in his own garden, plus I never really took to Greenacre when it was on air. Now i now wish there had been some way found to bring monty and his garden into the show and still keep Greenacre going as the TV garden it was designed to be.
Perhaps the show could (have) be(en) split between the 2 gardens, a bit like in the earliest days of GW when you had Percy at The Magnolias and Arthur at Clacks Farm, showing techniques and projects best suited to each garden. A more modern example would be from last year when we saw Carol in her garden doing stuff alongside what was done at Greenacre. Just an idea. Probably wouldn't work.
.......听 "Just an idea. Probably wouldn't work." your right MD is not a sharing type hence his sole presentation from the garden. -
Message 5
Posted by moira (U14832655) on Tuesday, 5th April 2011
I was saddened and somewhat annoyed to open my copy of this weeks Amateur Gardening magazine to see pictures of how Greenacre has fares since GW left. It appears to have been completely abandoned with beds borders and structures left to go to wrack and ruin. Aside from the obvious waste of TV licence fee payers money, i really hate to see a garden treated in this way.
it had made me modify my views on the changes to GW this series. Until i saw those pictures I was quite happy with the new look and was enjoying seeing Monty working in his own garden, plus I never really took to Greenacre when it was on air. Now i now wish there had been some way found to bring monty and his garden into the show and still keep Greenacre going as the TV garden it was designed to be.
Perhaps the show could (have) be(en) split between the 2 gardens, a bit like in the earliest days of GW when you had Percy at The Magnolias and Arthur at Clacks Farm, showing techniques and projects best suited to each garden. A more modern example would be from last year when we saw Carol in her garden doing stuff alongside what was done at Greenacre. Just an idea. Probably wouldn't work.
.......听 I agree about the format of Gardener's World. Do Monty and the other presenters ever meet? I feel sorry for Rachael and Carol who seem only to be able to visit other gardens while Monty stays at home and does all the skills stuff. Carol's garden is wonderful and much more my style than Monty's formal pseudo stately home so a bit of variety would be good. I admire the cheerfulness of the other presenters who must feel frustrated with their new roles. -
Message 6
Posted by ted1green (U13871363) on Tuesday, 5th April 2011
so sad as Toby was so recycle friendly that all is going to waist perhaps a charity action would be good.
I don't agree that Monty cant share i think he is very generous with sharing his knowledge, his feelings, experience and now his garden.
but i must say the only thing most people seem to agree on is Carol.....to most now i think she really is our lady in waiting and we seem to ALL cling to the fleeting moments they give us with her..........i love Monty but if i was listening to masses i would hand over the baton to Carol next year. -
Message 7
Posted by DiggerSean (U14704361) on Wednesday, 6th April 2011
It is sad to here of the demise of Greenacres but also very disappointing. Like what has already been mentioned these plants could have been recycled or given away to charities rather than just been left to fend for themselves. There must have been a lot of licience payers money gone into buying these plants, what a complete and utter waste of time and money!
I also wonder how all those people who took their own lovingly raised plants along to the plant swaps at Gardeners World Live feel about it? -
Message 8
Posted by Pumpkin_Patch_Paul (U14565900) on Wednesday, 6th April 2011
The 大象传媒 as a fantastic record of wasting our money they were spending a 拢100.000 pounds a year on supplying biscuits for its staff,the radio 5 10pm-1am slot was getting 拢7000 spent a year on cheese and biscuits alone until the press got wind.
As for Greenacres the AG magazine should put a freedom of information request in to see how much of OUR money was wasted..
Also when Monty calls it a day they will be back to square one again,they should have kept Greenacres and installed the presenters there,like Carol,Alys and Christine..... -
Message 9
All this user's posts have been removed.
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Message 10
Posted by Colin (U2252951) on Wednesday, 6th April 2011
But if the choice was between maintaining Greenacre or paying Wossy 拢拢 millions, you know which way the 大象传媒 will jump!
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Message 11
Posted by Trillium (U2170869) on Wednesday, 6th April 2011
Hmmm. Image is very important to the 大象传媒. Allowing Greenacre to be seen to fall into dereliction after such investment in cash, physical effort and emotional investment by the GW audience is a poor show.
Paying to have the site carefully dismantled and distributed to good causes would have won some vital and pretty inexpensive good PR. -
Message 12
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Wednesday, 6th April 2011
Exactly.
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Message 13
Posted by Bluedoyenne (U2341157) on Thursday, 7th April 2011
" when Monty calls it a day they will be back to square one again
"Hopefully Monty wont call it a day for quite some time but, when he does, perhaps the time will have come for Carol Klein to host the programme from her garden. -
Message 14
Posted by Pumpkin_Patch_Paul (U14565900) on Thursday, 7th April 2011
Its bad enough when the presenter says goodbye and add to that the garden goes as well just rubs salt in the wound,thats why Greenacres was a good idea and if the presenters dont want to broadcast from there then get some that will ....There seems to be confusion at the 大象传媒 regarding the words "employee" and "employer"and what that entails.
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Message 15
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Thursday, 7th April 2011
Most of us think GW is far better when it comes form an owned garden rather than one where the presenter(s) parachute in for a day's filming.
Many of us think Greenacres was a fine idea badly executed. It could have been so much better planned and managed - like the Beechgrove site for example - and been relevant to a majority of gardens, gardeners, tastes and budgets. nfortunately it was bitty, shoddy and had no follow up on previous projects and just failed on too many levels.
And now through a continued lack of foresight, planning and management it's all going to pot and the plants are going to waste. -
Message 16
Posted by Lowena (U14575314) on Thursday, 7th April 2011
Is Beechgrove someone's garden?
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Message 17
Posted by Mal (U14487361) on Thursday, 7th April 2011
Is Beechgrove someone's garden?聽
It's a bit like Greenacre. It was purpose built for cameras, and has lots of different types of gardens:
Description:
Map: -
Message 18
Posted by Lowena (U14575314) on Thursday, 7th April 2011
Thanks
I wondered why everyone raves about this programme, when one of the main criticisms of GW at the last 2 locations was that it didn't have the "ownership" of being someone's private garden ? -
Message 19
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Friday, 8th April 2011
The presenters treat Beechgrove, and each other and the audience with respect. There are different garden areas for different projects and styles of gardening from cheap and cheerful to more long term and expensive.
They have new projects each year to follow new trends, plants and materials and methods. They set up experiments to show which varieties of plants or which growing tehniques or which products do best. They have an even mix between produce and ornamentals and show how to get the best of both in the shorter, cooler, Scottish growing season. eg, they got a crop of sweet potatoes the year Joe's failed miserably. They show successes and failures and give regular updates on projects. They visit great gardens, big and small and they help out ordinary gardeners with problems.
It is well planned, well organised, well filmed and well presented.
Greenacres wasn't. -
Message 20
Posted by the cycling gardener (U2350416) on Friday, 8th April 2011
Well said.
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Message 21
Posted by Pumpkin_Patch_Paul (U14565900) on Friday, 8th April 2011
So the 拢3.5 billion funded 大象传媒 coudn't find a team to apply the same production values as the wonderfull Beechgrove,do you think they ever thought of talking to those north of the border.
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Message 22
Posted by ted1green (U13871363) on Sunday, 10th April 2011
all in all though there is still need for a new style garden program for new (and maybe younger) gardeners. 'old gardenrers' wouldnt even need to watch, it would probebely feed views into the other programs. i think this new program would have Alys name on it.
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Message 23
Posted by Mal (U14487361) on Sunday, 10th April 2011
i think this new program would have Alys name on it.聽
Her programme last year is the main reason I started growing stuff, that combined with the Digin scheme, which gave me a push to do it.
Like you say, Gardeners' World is now too inaccessible to newbies - compared to previous years. It's not that it's bad, it's just old fashioned and abstract (high level), i.e. they talk about topics like art installations and manicured hedges.
Beechgrove is excellent, but it's the sort of show you look for after watching a series like Edible Garden, which converts people to growing plants. -
Message 24
Posted by pjgolf (U2469936) on Sunday, 10th April 2011
"Gardeners' World is now too inaccessible to newbies"
I must be watching a different programme to everyone else !
The programme has covered seasonal jobs including pruning fruit trees and dividing perennials, sowing annuals and repairing a lawn. in other words, stuff that beginners need to know !
One of the other critisisms from the moaners is that they dont live on a big estate with rows of hornbeam or pleached limes and that they cant relate the programme to their own suburban gardens.
I thought the whole point of the programme was to look at all the things they were doing and then imagine how these ideas could relate to the viewers own gardens. I believe it`s called imagination.
Some of the posters here will never be happy with Mr Don no matter what he does. The fact that they refer to him as Mogadon or Moga for short really gives an insight into the way they think.
PJ -
Message 25
Posted by Carnellis (U14836964) on Sunday, 10th April 2011
I'd wondered ever since the return of the Don what had happened to this "specially created" garden; specially created at lince fee payers' expense.
Had Joe been buried there and quietly abandoned ? Along with mad Alys ?
However, I've been so disappointed by 大象传媒 treatment (or not) of gardening over the past 2 - 3 years that I've hardly looked at these boards.
Although it's not nice to hear what (hasn't) happened to Greenacre, It's just another example of current 大象传媒 practice, especially in relation to gardening.
Resigning Monty - well, I don't think he'll last. Look at his past career(s) - butterfly staying power. If I come across as bitter, I apologise. I just feel that the whole subject is treated with little more than patronisation by the 大象传媒.
If Carol, who could run this programme like a charm, WAS ever offered the chance to front it, I bet she said "No thanks" ! -
Message 26
Posted by Mal (U14487361) on Sunday, 10th April 2011
Some of the posters here will never be happy with Mr Don no matter what he does.聽
I don't think there's anything wrong with Monty Don, I have watched a few of his Channel 4 shows from the 90s on 4OD and they seemed fine. I don't know... there's something not welcoming about the programme, perhaps it is too formal, too slow, poorly dark, isolated etc.
In the end, there are lots of alternatives for people who aren't happy. -
Message 27
Posted by Pumpkin_Patch_Paul (U14565900) on Sunday, 10th April 2011
Shame that not paying your licence fee isn't one of them....
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Message 28
Posted by pjgolf (U2469936) on Sunday, 10th April 2011
Thank you for your constructive comments Paul..........................
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Message 29
Posted by Yakram (U2443370) on Monday, 18th April 2011
Hi Obelixx and Richardf77:
Your observations are now in print!
See page 29 of 'amateur gardening' magazine dated 23 April 2011 under the heading "Spectre of Greenacre haunts 大象传媒 bosses"
Yakkers -
Message 30
Posted by Richardf77 (U2391775) on Monday, 18th April 2011
Hi Obelixx and Richardf77:
Your observations are now in print!
See page 29 of 'amateur gardening' magazine dated 23 April 2011 under the heading "Spectre of Greenacre haunts 大象传媒 bosses"
驰补办办别谤蝉听 Couldnt beleive it when i opened my copy of AG this week (i subscribe so get it Sat AM). Someone must have liked my comment! Never happened before.
I have to say i never really took to Greenacre and until recently wasn't sure why. After all i am a big fan of Beechgrove and their set up. I guess i was hoping Greenacre would be an English/British Beechgrove and was disappointed it never turned out that way. More notice should have been taken of the way the Beechgrove gardens have been laid out, developed and used by the programme. Instead Greenacre was far too ;designed and contrived to be believable as a 'real' garden. You complain of Monty and his 'estate' garden. At times Greenacre felt more like Toby and Alys' estate garden than something we could relate to.
As for 'Long Meadow' i fear it is starting to show a few limitations as a TV garden. Monty can only show the tasks relevant to the garden and as a result this restricts what can be shown. Also as an established garden there is little scope for projects, or creating new areas of garden. Those of you who remember Alan's time presenting will recall nearly every year he undertook some big project or created a new area of garden for GW to run alongside routine tasks. His was an established garden, but it still had the scope to do them. I half hoped Monty might have done what Alan did and added a new plot of land to his garden to develop especially for GW. Alas not. -
Message 31
Posted by Lelliegoggs (U14833611) on Tuesday, 19th April 2011
I remember some of Alan's projects, he did a tropical garden and a kitchen garden outside his back door. Apparently his garden was not very big, but he still gave over space to create new gardens.
If my memory serves my right, when Geoff Hamilton first became presenter of GW he did the show from his own garden. Then a couple of years later he bought "Barnsdale", which was completely undeveloped, and set about creating a series of themed gardens from scratch. He showed how to do fencing, prepare the soil, design, choose plants, colour schemes, everything you needed to know. The garden areas were small, some of them were tiny, so it all felt very do-able and although it was Geoff's garden, it was all created for TV.
This is where the 大象传媒 went wrong with Greenaces. In the first programme we were shown a sports field, then huge diggers were sent in, then we were shown the "finished" garden, which looked horrible! All gardens take time to mature and It was starting to look a bit better by the second series but the damage had been done. I just think it's a great shame that Toby and Alys had to pay the price for the mess the 大象传媒 have made of what is supposed to be a flagship programme. -
Message 32
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Tuesday, 19th April 2011
I quite agree about Greenacres being badly managed but believe TB has to have been complicit in that and not seen the programmes and the garden from the viewers' point of view. That and much of his general attitude to plants and tools and colleuagues led me to suspect hi sintegrity.
AT inherited GW at short notice but set about cretaing new areas and features and also bought extra land so he could add variety and ideas for GW. GH deliberately set about creating gardens on a scale to which viewers could relate and compare their own plots.
At Greenacres they did try and do a terraced house front garden feature and a set of back gardens but they were pretty hopeless and the rest was ill conceived with too much being done off camera so the viewers lost track of developments, methods, whys and wherefores. -
Message 33
Posted by watervole (U14490581) on Wednesday, 20th April 2011
As a newbie gardener (and newbie to this messageboard - 1st posting!) I only started watching GW when it was at Greenacres so cannot comment on programmes previous to that. I have this year watched the new GW but I think what could make it less 'accessible' to newbies like me is that it doesn't always fully explain why they are doing something (ie assumes viewers have certain level of knowledge) and it doesn't suggest cheap alternatives. As a newbie gardener watching these programmes I get put off by the escalating number of products/types of soil I apparently need - if you follow all the advice on these programmes you need to take out a bank loan! I dont know which products are essential and which are 'nice to haves'! At least with last years show they tried to give you cheap alternatives - especially Alys! I guess I am erring on the Greenacres style GW rather than the Monty style.
I am keen to learn but it can be overwhelming when starting out so now I have found this messageboard I might be asking for help! We all have to start somewhere - talking of which I'm heading out the back to enjoy my garden! -
Message 34
Posted by Lelliegoggs (U14833611) on Thursday, 21st April 2011
You'd be better off watching Beechgrove Garden or the Horticultural Channel. I find the presenters in both programmes explain things very clearly but without being patronising. I find Monty can be rather perfunctory sometimes and I thought Toby and Alys explained what they were doing and why in a much clearer way. I've been gardening for over thirty years and there are still many things I don't know or need to be reminded of.
I would also suggest you buy a couple of basic books, you'll get far more information from them. Dr Hessayon's "Expert" books are well set out and easy to follow.
I have found in gardening, as in parenting, dieting and many other aspects of life, that there are so many "experts" out there giving contradictory advice that it's sometimes hard to know what to do for the best. A few years ago I wanted to find out about crop rotation for my allotment. My books at home and the internet gave different advice. So I went to the library and all the books there gave different advice as well! All you can do is listen to the advice and then do what you want to do. Best of luck! -
Message 35
Posted by kfgray (U14470933) on Thursday, 21st April 2011
"Gardeners' World is now too inaccessible to newbies"
I must be watching a different programme to everyone else !
The programme has covered seasonal jobs including pruning fruit trees and dividing perennials, sowing annuals and repairing a lawn. in other words, stuff that beginners need to know !
One of the other critisisms from the moaners is that they dont live on a big estate with rows of hornbeam or pleached limes and that they cant relate the programme to their own suburban gardens.
I thought the whole point of the programme was to look at all the things they were doing and then imagine how these ideas could relate to the viewers own gardens. I believe it`s called imagination.
Some of the posters here will never be happy with Mr Don no matter what he does. The fact that they refer to him as Mogadon or Moga for short really gives an insight into the way they think.
PJ 聽 Yes PJ pruned is apples rather late? repaired his lawn in a awful way. As to the workings of my mind Sigmund Freud would have a field day . But you do not know me, or others on here. And for some one who bangs on about personal attacks on the Don, Well people in glass houses etc. -
Message 36
Posted by seonag1 (U14476426) on Friday, 6th May 2011
A programme for "newbie" gardeners of ALL ages would be a good idea. So many people have taken up gardening a new lately wither from financial necessity, or just a new found interest in 鈥済rowing your own鈥.
I鈥檝e been watching GW and Beechgrove since I was a kid as my parents were very keen gardeners ( I'm the wrong end of 40 now), but it has only been in the last four years that I鈥檝e actually had a garden of my own.
I'm sure there are a lot of people like myself, who want to learn and not interested in 鈥減ersonalities or gardening divas鈥.
J -
Message 37
Posted by Gardenerwhirled (U14864113) on Sunday, 8th May 2011
I believe it's not a matter of not wanting to "share". One of Monty's conditions for returning to the show was that it be shot at his home garden to ease the burden on himself, was it not? Just remembering how hard he worked previously and running into serious health problems. Monty and Carol are, after all, getting on, and travel is not as 'relaxing' as it used to be. All good reasons for structuring the show this way.
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Message 38
Posted by Summerchild (U14187397) on Sunday, 8th May 2011
I'm "getting on" too and won't travel more than 25 miles to work but, having read this thread which started with the lamentable state of Greenacres and proceeded to the perennial issue of GW, it seems to me that the 大象传媒 should gather the posters together as a focus group.
Having over the years, as has been said here, created some good gardens and some good gardening programmes, as well as producing some turkeys, the 大象传媒 seems to need help now to work out how to cater for all types of gardeners in one flagship programme.
Summer
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