My first week filming in the garden, and my first production blog! Claire Johnson, or Dr. Claire as she is affectionately known, is on a course this week, and so I have been parachuted in to fill her rather large wellies. I normally work on the shows, having researched RHS Chelsea, Hampton Court and Tatton for the last two years, and the VT inserts. While it's quite daunting and exciting to work on such a high profile and prestigious show as the Chelsea Flower Show, it is also daunting and exciting to work on the main Gardeners' World programme. Daunting because of its history and pedigree, and exciting because it's the grand-daddy of all gardening television.
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Hi all
Tonight's show is packed with topical information about taking late summer cuttings, planting bulbs for early spring flowers and forcing bulbs for winter, and Toby will be demonstrating the best methods of planting a variety of bulbs throughout the borders and beds at Greenacre.
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When I moved to New York to work at the Botanical Garden I was horrified to find out that there was no such thing as a tea break. I went a whole week gasping for a cup of tea before I plucked up the courage to ask why no one was stopping for tea. I was met with incredulous raised eyebrows. "Americans", I was told, "do not stop work for tea". "Would they, if I promised to up my productivity, mind if I installed a kettle and a teapot?"
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Spring blooming bulbs are often the first flowers to emerge after winter and now is the perfect time to start planning and buying your bulbs for the spring.
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When I design a garden, especially a small one, pretty much the first thing I consider is where the seating area is to go. Seating areas have a huge bearing on the overall garden layout and they establish how key areas are to be accessed and how the garden will flow together.
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Hi all. There's nothing like a beautiful lawn. But it can be very hard to get that lovely carpet-like finish we all want. On tonight's show Toby and Alys will be comparing the benefits of both a turf-laid lawn and one grown from seed. If you're planning a new lawn, there's no right or wrong time to turf an area but there's only a short time in spring and autumn when you can sow seed. So here's some of the pros and cons to think about if you're trying to decide which route to go...
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